As the testing began, the disciples came forward one by one for Spirit Root Retesting.
The initial screening had used relatively crude spirit detection tools that could only detect up to Profound Spirit Root at most, completely unable to detect anything beyond Profound Spirit Root, which was why this retesting was necessary.
At first, there weren't many surprises - most were Profound Spirit Root, with a few being the better ones among Profound Spirit Root, but none reaching Earthly Spirit Root.
These disciples all had clear goals; after being tested, most directly applied to the peaks they wanted to join, and the Elders of these peaks were quite satisfied.
After dozens of disciples were tested in succession, not a single one wanted to join Seven Stars Peak.
Qin Xiao also knew these disciples had come with specific targets in mind, and there was no need for him to speak up and compete - it would only bring humiliation upon himself. His main targets this time were the indecisive disciples; as long as he could offer enough Spirit Stones, there was still a great chance of securing them.
Soon, most disciples had completed their retesting, leaving only the last person. No Earthly Spirit Root disciples had appeared in between, all were Profound Spirit Root.
Fortunately, there were also some wavering disciples who hadn't made immediate choices, so Qin Xiao wasn't too panicked. As long as he could recruit one disciple, he could preserve Seven Stars Peak.
The final disciple was a woman. She slowly walked toward the retesting platform, slowly extended her left hand, and placed it on the Testing Stone.
Instantly, a purple light shot straight up into the sky, more intense than anyone's reaction before.
"Heavenly Spirit Root?"
The first to react was Sect Leader Lin Tiancheng, because he too had entered Tianyuan Sect with a Heavenly Spirit Root back in the day. In just a few decades, he had reached late-stage Soul Formation and successfully ascended to the position of Sect Leader.
"Yun Man, Heavenly Spirit Root."
After his initial surprise, Tenth Elder Lu Wenrui immediately announced the result.
"What? Heavenly Spirit Root?"
"This truly is heaven helping our Tianyuan Sect! Our Tianyuan Sect is about to gain another Heavenly Spirit Root disciple."
"Excellent, excellent. This disciple, my Immortal Sword Peak wants her."
"My Immortal Cloud Peak wants her too."
As soon as Lu Wenrui's voice fell, the Elders all began speaking out.
"I should have held back a bit. Even in this remote place, they get this excited over a Heavenly Spirit Root."
Looking at the Elders' expressions, Yun Man felt some regret in her heart.
"What? Heavenly Spirit Root? No, I must secure her. This is a Heavenly Spirit Root!"
Qin Xiao hadn't held much hope from the start. This time, he originally intended to casually recruit one or two disciples just to preserve Seven Stars Peak first, never expecting a Heavenly Spirit Root disciple to appear directly. Couldn't he unlock new supplies then?
"Yun Man, are you willing to join my Immortal Sword Peak? This old man will definitely give you the best resources."
Great Elder Yao Tiansheng took the lead in asking.
"My Immortal Cloud Peak is no worse than Immortal Sword Peak. If you join my Immortal Cloud Peak, this old man will take you as a Personal Disciple, and the resources will certainly be no less than anyone else's."
Second Elder Yao Yongzhi also hurriedly said.
"Second Brother, what do you mean? Competing with me for this person?"
Yao Tiansheng immediately said unhappily.
"Elder Brother, what do you mean by competing? This is originally Sect Disciple Recruitment; every peak has the right."
Yao Yongzhi had no intention of backing down at all.
From their names, it could be seen that these two were related, and both had the surname Yao. In fact, both were adopted sons and Personal Disciples of Supreme Elder Yao Zhan, both with top-grade Earthly Spirit Root talent.
"Second Elder is quite right. My Immortal Artifact Peak also wants to recruit her as a disciple."
Kang Zhengye quickly chimed in. This Heavenly Spirit Root disciple was even more important than dissolving Seven Stars Peak.
The other Elders also spoke up one after another, all wanting to win Yun Man over.
Sect Leader Lin Tiancheng also wanted to speak, but seeing these Elders arguing until their faces were red, he really couldn't step in now.
"Yun Man, I wonder if you're interested in joining my Seven Stars Peak? The treatment is absolutely generous, definitely no less than what they're offering."
While the other Elders were arguing, Qin Xiao directly approached Yun Man and asked her.
"Oh? Although this is my first time entering a sect, I've heard rumors about Seven Stars Peak. I wonder what treatment Seven Stars Peak can offer?"
Since Yun Man had decided to join Tianyuan Sect, she had naturally done some basic research.
She needed to quickly improve her cultivation. As for cultivation techniques, Spirit Weapons, and such, she had her own. What she needed was a large amount of cultivation resources, which was also why she hadn't made an immediate choice. As long as she didn't decide, the Peak Masters would definitely bid against each other, maximizing her benefits.
"No matter what price they offer, I'll pay more."
Qin Xiao didn't dare to be presumptuous and could only give a vague answer first.
After all, it had only been just over an hour since the system activated, and he currently only had a little over four thousand Spirit Stones on him.
"Qin Xiao, what are you doing? Come back. A Peak Master, what kind of behavior is this?"
The sharp-eyed Great Elder saw Qin Xiao talking with Yun Man and immediately shouted at him.
"Exactly. Your Seven Stars Peak is dirt poor, and you still want to compete with us for a Heavenly Spirit Root disciple? Have you gone mad wanting disciples? Is a Heavenly Spirit Root something your Seven Stars Peak can even think of touching?"
Seeing this, Kang Zhengye also stopped arguing with the other Elders and directly shouted at Qin Xiao.
The other Elders also stopped arguing. They knew arguing further wouldn't yield results anyway; ultimately, it would still depend on Yun Man's opinion.
"Don't agree hastily. What if my offer is higher?"
Seeing that both the Great Elder and Third Elder were speaking against him, Qin Xiao left these words and could only reluctantly return to his seat.
"Everyone, since you all want to recruit her to your respective peaks, let's adopt a fair method. Each state your conditions, and let the disciple choose for herself."
Seeing that the Elders had stopped arguing, Sect Leader Lin Tiancheng spoke up to propose.
"That's perfect. My Immortal Sword Peak's condition is: one High Grade Spirit Weapon Green Spirit Sword, a monthly salary of one thousand Spirit Stones, and three hundred cultivation Pills of the same realm."
Great Elder Yao Tiansheng was the first to state his condition.
"Elder Brother, what a grand gesture! One High Grade Spirit Weapon is worth no less than fifty thousand Spirit Stones, plus a thousand Spirit Stones monthly, and three hundred Pills of the same realm. Even if they're not Top Grade Qi Refining Pills, even if they're High Grade Qi Refining Pills, each worth thirty, three hundred would be nearly ten thousand Spirit Stones."
Hearing the Great Elder's offered price, Second Elder Yao Yongzhi couldn't help but feel the pinch, because he had to offer a higher price than the Great Elder.
"Second Brother, this isn't my final offer. Your Immortal Cloud Peak wouldn't be unable to even offer this much, would it?"
Great Elder Yao Tiansheng replied with a determined expression.
"Elder Brother, who said my Immortal Cloud Peak can't afford it? Your offer is only about sixty thousand Spirit Stones anyway. I won't be as complicated as you, listing so many things. My Immortal Cloud Peak offers seventy thousand Spirit Stones. Within seventy thousand Spirit Stones, you can exchange for whatever resources you want."
Yao Yongzhi naturally wouldn't admit defeat either. It was merely tens of thousands of Spirit Stones, and it wasn't a long-term expenditure anyway; the subsequent monthly expenses would only be a little over ten thousand.
"This works too. My Immortal Artifact Peak offers seventy-five thousand, and as cultivation improves, my Immortal Artifact Peak will also reward a Top Grade Spirit Weapon."
Kang Zhengye naturally wouldn't back down either, directly adding five thousand and including the subsequent addition of a Top Grade Spirit Weapon.
Once Kang Zhengye stated this price, the other peaks didn't dare to bid anymore. Just the Top Grade Spirit Weapon alone was already over a hundred thousand Spirit Stones. It wasn't that the other peaks couldn't offer it, but this was just the beginning; they didn't want to enter the fray at this time, as besides raising the price, it wouldn't help at all.
Qin Xiao was already feeling a bit overwhelmed. In such a short time, the bidding had reached over a hundred thousand. Fortunately, he had activated the system; otherwise, this hundred thousand Spirit Stones would undoubtedly be an astronomical figure to him.
"My Seven Stars Peak offers two hundred thousand Spirit Stones."
After careful consideration, Qin Xiao also stated a price. He had to let Yun Man know he could afford it; otherwise, she really wouldn't consider him.