Chapter 87: The Nature of True Qi

The clan leader Zhang immediately understood Li Sibai’s situation and smiled knowingly. “Young hero Li, would you like to know the attribute of your true energy?”

Li Sibai nodded. “Now that I’ve made a breakthrough, of course I’d like to know. But I thought I’d have to wait until I returned to the sect for a proper test. Hmm? Clan leader, what do you mean by asking me this? Could it be that…?”

Zhang gave a mysterious smile. “Exactly. Although our place is small and we don’t have a Spirit-testing Pearl, we still have a way to determine a cultivator’s true energy attribute.”

“Oh? There’s another method? I’d love to hear the details.”

Li Sibai had heard that the Inner Sect possessed a spirit-testing artifact called the Spirit-testing Pearl. This pearl itself was neutral; when a cultivator infused their true energy into it, it would emit lights of different colors depending on the attribute, thus revealing the cultivator’s affinity. If a person had multiple attributes, the pearl would shine in multiple colors, with the area of each color reflecting the strength of that attribute in the individual.

However, such pearls were exceedingly rare and reportedly expensive—only major sects were equipped with them. That was why Li Sibai assumed he would have to wait until his return to the sect to test his own attribute.

Now, given that Bamboo Stream Village had been isolated from the world for many years and lacked any true powerhouses, Li Sibai doubted they would possess a Spirit-testing Pearl. But hearing Zhang say there was another way instantly piqued his interest. After all, learning his attribute sooner would be delightful, perhaps even allowing him to begin practicing specific techniques ahead of time.

Seeing Li Sibai’s keen interest, Zhang explained, “Indeed, we lack a Spirit-testing Pearl here. Most of our ancestors were descendants of specific clans, so their attributes were fixed and didn’t require testing. But later, as we became isolated from the outside world, it became inevitable that members of different attribute clans would intermarry to ensure our survival. As you may know, the attribute of true energy is inherited from either parent, so we needed a way to test for it.”

Li Sibai nodded in agreement. The attribute of true energy is indeed hereditary, but whether it comes from the father or mother is random; it doesn’t favor the stronger parent, making it a fair process. This attribute remains dormant within the body and only manifests after breaking through to the Heart of the Zither stage, fusing with the true energy at that point. Only then can it be detected and specifically cultivated.

At this point, Li Sibai’s curiosity was thoroughly roused—just what method did they use to test for the attribute?

Zhang continued, “Truth be told, our isolation has only lasted about sixty years, and in that time, I’m the only one who’s actually undergone this test.”

“Oh?” Li Sibai was even more intrigued, though he was beginning to piece things together.

“You’ve probably guessed it. The other elders are from the older generation; they married outside the village before isolation, always within their own attribute clans. The young people you saw earlier were born after isolation, from intermarriages between different attribute clans, but their cultivation hasn’t yet reached the Heart of the Zither stage, so they can’t be tested. I alone have both reached that level and am the child of such a union, so I’m the only one here who’s tried this method.”

Li Sibai was completely absorbed by now, but the clan leader was still being coy, which left him a little exasperated.

“Clan leader Zhang, please don’t keep me in suspense. Tell me what the method is, so I can try it too. What’s the fun in dangling it before me like this?”

Zhang chuckled apologetically. “Young hero Li, don’t be hasty. Let me ask you: do you know how many types of true energy attributes exist in our world?”

Li Sibai didn’t know what Zhang was getting at but answered anyway. “Yes, the oldest system is the Five Elements—metal, wood, water, fire, earth. Later, other attributes developed, such as wind, lightning, ice, poison, yin, and yang. Of the Five Elements, metal and wood have gradually dwindled, while wind and lightning have become more prevalent. Nowadays, wind, lightning, water, fire, and earth are the mainstream attributes, while the others are rare. So I was quite surprised to see elders here with metal and wood attributes.” Li Sibai finished smugly, thinking to himself, Surely you can’t stump me with this basic knowledge.

Zhang looked at Li Sibai with admiration. “As expected of a disciple from the Xuanyuan Sword Sect—your answer is entirely correct.”

Li Sibai gave Zhang a satisfied look. “Now can you finally tell me the method?”

Zhang nodded. “It’s actually quite simple. You just modify the Spirit Gathering Array into what we call the Spirit Guiding Array, and you can test for the attribute.”

“The Spirit Guiding Array?” Li Sibai was unfamiliar with this formation.

“Yes. The Spirit Guiding Array is perfect for testing a cultivator’s true energy attribute. The Spirit Gathering Array is shaped like a cauldron, with the mouth drawing in pure energy. The Spirit Guiding Array, on the other hand, arranges the five main attributes evenly, with an elder of each attribute standing at one point. The person being tested stands in the center, and everyone releases their own true energy simultaneously. Since true energies of the same attribute repel each other, when the energies meet, those of the same type will merge, thus revealing the attribute of the person being tested.”

Li Sibai blinked. “Clan leader, your Spirit Guiding Array sounds promising, but I have two questions.”

“Go ahead, young hero Li,” Zhang replied.

“First, if there are only five people of five different attributes at the points, but we have more possible attributes, what if the person being tested has an attribute none of the five possess? Wouldn’t that mean the test wouldn’t work? Second, how do you test for multiple attributes?”

Zhang shook his head. “You are indeed perceptive—these are precisely the weaknesses of this method. It can only give a general idea, not an exact answer. If the test subject has a different attribute than the testers, you have to swap out the testers and repeat the process until you find a match. As for multiple attributes, again, it requires multiple rounds of testing to be certain.”

Li Sibai nodded in understanding. So, while the method was simple, it was also rather troublesome. But in the absence of a Spirit-testing Pearl, it was a workable solution—as long as you could gather people of all different attributes. Conveniently, this village had strong cultivators of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. So why not give it a try?