He had paid more than ten thousand low-grade spirit stones for this Heaven-Testing Pearl. Fortunately, it could be reused. After testing Gu Huan, he could exchange it with the clan and recover some of the cost.

Gu Shan had previously mentioned to Gu Wanhao how Fang Yurong's health had inexplicably improved during her pregnancy with Gu Huan. After consulting numerous ancient texts, Gu Wanhao had deduced that the child in her womb likely possessed a Spiritual Body, which fed its innate vitality back into the mother and restored her constitution.

It was precisely for this reason that Gu Wanhao had brought along the Heaven-Testing Pearl to verify whether Gu Huan truly possessed a Spiritual Body.

Gu Huan carefully took the Heaven-Testing Pearl in his hand. His parents had talked about spiritual roots ever since he was little, so he knew they mattered. He did not really understand what a spiritual body was, but his grandfather was taking it so seriously that he grew nervous too.

The instant Gu Huan's fingers closed around the sphere, the Heaven-Testing Pearl erupted in brilliant light!

Gu Huan instinctively squeezed his eyes shut, while Gu Wanhao let out a booming laugh.

"Heaven favors our Gu Clan!"

"Huan'er! Your path of Cultivation will stretch far beyond your grandfather's! Perhaps you will walk beyond Qingzhou, or even leave the Eastern Wasteland behind!"

Gu Wanhao hoisted the boy into the air, laughing with a fierce joy that surpassed even the day he had broken through to Foundation Establishment!

Seeing his grandfather so overjoyed, Gu Huan beamed and laughed along with him.

After about the time needed to drink a cup of tea, Gu Wanhao finally stopped laughing, though he was still smiling.

"Grandpa, why did you send Father and Mother away? If they knew I had this 'Spiritual Body' thing you mentioned, they would be very happy too, wouldn't they?"

Gu Huan asked, propping his little face in his hands in an attempt to look grown-up.

"Do you think Grandpa is powerful, Huan'er?"

Gu Wanhao countered with a question of his own.

"Grandpa is the strongest!"

Gu Huan answered without a moment's hesitation.

In the boy's eyes, a figure like Gu Wanhao, who could ride the wind and traverse the skies at will, was the pinnacle of strength.

"But there are many people as strong as Grandpa, and some are even stronger. If your parents knew you had a spiritual body and accidentally told someone, you, your parents, Grandpa, and the rest of the Gu Clan would all be in danger. Do you understand, Huan'er?"

Gu Wanhao offered a patient, meticulous explanation without a trace of irritation. In the eyes of Cultivators, mortals were fragile as dust.

Gu Shan and his wife were Xiantian experts, rarer than one in ten thousand among mortals. Yet even the strongest martial artist was pitifully weak before a cultivator.

Keeping Gu Shan and his wife from knowing too much was a way to protect them. It also protected Gu Huan and the whole clan.

"Huan'er understands. I shall never speak of this to anyone ever again."

Gu Huan spoke seriously.

"Huan'er is truly a clever boy."

Warmth and profound satisfaction flooded Gu Wanhao's chest.

"Here is a gift for your birthday."

Gu Wanhao took out a jade pendant. Gu Huan accepted it and happily put it on at once.

Grandfather really did have the best things. The jade was naturally beautiful, its luster soft and subdued—a rare, fine piece.

That evening, the family enjoyed a hearty reunion dinner together. The ingredients Gu Wanhao had brought were low enough in tier that even mortals could eat some.

As the banquet reached its midpoint, Gu Shan paused, suddenly recalling a peculiar matter concerning his son.

"Father, Huan'er has been having strange dreams on and off for nearly six months. He is too young to explain them clearly, but he says it feels as though he becomes someone else in another world. We had a doctor examine him, and the doctor said he was healthy. Since the dreams didn't seem to affect him, we didn't send anyone to report them to you. You have seen and learned so much—could this interfere with his cultivation?"

Gu Wanhao stroked his silver beard thoughtfully.

"Don't worry. When I tested Huan'er's spiritual roots, I also examined his body and soul. There was nothing wrong with either. As for those strange dreams, I once read in an ancient text that powerful beings in antiquity could reincarnate with their memories intact. Over nearly ten million years, there have also been cultivators who occasionally dreamed of living as someone else in another world, or suddenly gained memories that were not their own. But these things do no harm."

Only then were Gu Shan and his wife reassured.

Later that night, Gu Huan sat alone within his bedchamber, turning a scrap of brocade cloth roughly the size of a handkerchief over in his hands.

"A green dot. A first-tier, high-grade defensive magical artifact. What does that mean?"

Gu Huan studied the words on the brocade. This was the first time any writing had appeared on it.

"Grandpa has mentioned magical artifacts. They're weapons cultivators use. Does 'first-tier, high-grade' mean how good the weapon is?" the boy wondered.

"Young Master, it is already a quarter to ten at night. Madam said you must get plenty of rest these next few days." Outside the door, the servant on night duty wore a rueful expression.

"I know, Fugui, you may withdraw!" the boy pouted, displeasure flickering across his features.

At a thought, the brocade vanished from his hands, hidden somewhere unseen.

Recently, he had often dreamed of another version of himself in a very strange world. That other self owned a magical piece of brocade that could identify objects by name within a certain range.

But the Gu Huan in the dreams had been unlucky. A friend had betrayed him, and both of them had met a tragic end.

Once, after waking with a start from a dream, Gu Huan found himself holding something. On closer inspection, it was the very piece of brocade from his dreams!

Possessing a remarkably bold temperament since childhood, he had felt no terror upon the discovery.

Instead, a profound curiosity took root within him.

He had studied the cloth for a long time without finding anything unusual and had not told his parents about it. The dream, though, had seemed interesting enough to tell his mother, Fang Yurong.

Until now, the brocade had done nothing unusual except appear and disappear at his will. Otherwise, it was simply a pretty piece of cloth.

Yet tonight, a concise line of text had spontaneously materialized upon its surface, sparking a fresh wave of wonder.

Could this curious fabric truly be a mystical treasure utilized by Cultivators?

Gu Huan pondered the possibility in the quiet room.

He blew out the lamp and tossed and turned in bed.

Should he seek counsel from his grandfather?

Better not. His parents always said Grandfather was busy. He should not bother him over something so small.

Though prone to youthful mischief on occasion, Gu Huan possessed a level of maturity and consideration far beyond his years.

After staying at the Gu residence for three days, Gu Wanhao prepared to take Gu Huan back to Emerald Maple Mountain.

Clan rules required all children found to have spiritual roots to be brought back to the main peak for instruction. This protected them from harm and helped prepare them for a smoother path of cultivation.

Gu Shan and his wife were terribly reluctant to part with him. Fang Yurong even wiped away tears in secret. He was her own child, whom she had raised by her side. His leaving hurt, but she understood that going to Emerald Maple Mountain with Gu Wanhao was the right course for him.

"Huan'er, when you get to Emerald Maple Mountain, listen to your grandfather and work hard at cultivation, so that one day you can protect the Gu Clan. Most of all, with your father and me no longer beside you, you must take care of yourself and get along with the other clan members. Do you understand?"

As Fang Yurong spoke, her tears flowed all the harder.

"Huan'er understands! Mother, please don't weep. I will return to visit you often!"

Gu Huan stood on tiptoe to wipe away her tears. Fang Yurong tried hard to hold them back.

"Good boy. Go with your grandfather now."