The Mighty Purple Clan loomed like a fortress carved into the mountainside within Purple Berry City, a hundred miles from the small town where they had stayed. Its walls shimmered faintly with protective arrays, and banners of violet silk fluttered in the wind, each bearing the sigil of a lion atop a mountain. Disciples in purple robes moved with disciplined grace, their qi resonating in harmony with the sect’s aura.

  Nathan, Uriel, and Mateo followed Linda through the grand gates. The air itself seemed heavier here, saturated with spiritual energy—every breath felt like inhaling liquid qi.

  Inside the main hall, an elder awaited them. His hair was dark, his eyes were sharp as blades, and his golden robes were trimmed with purple at the collar. His presence pressed down like a mountain. This was Elder Ramón, an Inner Core elder, one of the sect’s highest authorities.

  Linda bowed respectfully, greeting the elder. Ramón gave a curt nod. She then proceeded to introduce the three youths. “Elder Ramón, these are the ones I spoke of—Riel, Nathan, and Mateo Erickson.”

  Nathan and his brothers stepped forward together and offered their respects.

  Ramón’s gaze swept over them, weighing their presence with sharp intensity. His voice carried the weight of authority as he spoke: “So, you are the three prodigies Elder Linda praises so highly. I am Elder Ramón, and I will be the one to test your abilities—to see if you are truly worthy of joining our sect.”

  His voice carried authority, each word heavy with expectation. “You will undergo three trials. Fail even one, and you will not be permitted entry. The first trial is Qi Resonance. It will test your cultivation realm, your age, and the grade of your spirit root. If your age surpasses the standard for your realm, or if your spirit root ranks below grade five, you fail.”

  With a wave of his hand, a formation circle lit up on the floor. Runes flared to life, glowing as they formed a trial array that pulsed with spiritual pressure.

  Uriel was the first to step into the formation. His flame qi blazed with such intensity that it nearly overwhelmed the array itself. The runes flared, displaying his age—fifteen—and his cultivation at the early Foundation Establishment realm. Then, his spirit root manifested: a blazing white sun, radiant and merciless, threatening to burn the world and blind all who gazed upon it.

  The phenomenon was so overwhelming that even the sect patriarch, deep in seclusion, and the Inner Core elders observing through distant formations were alerted and drawn to the commotion.

  “This spirit root…” Elder Ramón stammered, his composure faltering. “It’s so strong the formation cannot even assign it a grade.”

  Linda was stunned into silence. She had already witnessed the boys’ strength, but this display confirmed beyond doubt that they were no ordinary youths.

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  And then, as if the heavens wished to deepen the shock, a sub?spirit root appeared—a white lightning bolt crackling beside the blazing sun. The hall itself trembled, fissures spreading across the floor as the formation strained to contain the resonance. The disturbance rippled outward, magnifying the awe of the patriarch and elders who watched from afar, their unseen expressions filled with disbelief. Such a manifestation at the Foundation realm was unheard of.

  Elder Ramón stood caught between exhilaration and disbelief, his heart racing as his mind reeled at the implications. A prodigy like this… no, a monster of talent. To have him enter our sect would be fortune beyond fortune.

  Uriel stepped out of the formation, and the hall returned to normal as if the phenomenon had never occurred. Yet those who had witnessed it—whether in person or through distant formations—could not forget what they had seen.

  Mateo was next. As he entered the array, wind qi spiraled around him in elegant currents, sharp yet controlled. The formation revealed his age—fourteen—and his cultivation at the Foundation Establishment realm. Then his spirit root manifested: a jade?green tornado streaked with silver, small in form yet carrying a force that threatened to blow down the entire hall.

  Like Uriel, the formation failed to assign his spirit root a grade. The array trembled under the pressure, unable to measure the resonance.

  Elder Ramón’s eyes widened, his breath catching. Another one… unmeasurable. Two prodigies in succession. This is fortune beyond fortune.

  And in the shadows of distant formations, the patriarch and Inner Core elders watched in awe, their disbelief mounting as the impossible repeated itself before their eyes.

  Now it was Nathan’s turn. Yet unlike the others, the formation showed no sign of commotion. No resonance, no manifestation. Silence.

  To the patriarch and the elders watching, it appeared as though Nathan had no spirit root at all. Even Nathan himself felt uneasy, worried by the lack of response. Uriel and Mateo exchanged stunned glances—they knew Nathan was the most formidable among them. Either the formation was broken, or it simply could not fathom his power.

  With that, the first trial concluded. Uriel and Mateo’s overwhelming displays were enough for Elder Ramón to bypass the second and third trials, promoting them directly to third?rank Inner Sect disciples. Normally, these entrance trials were designed only to admit candidates into the Outer Sect—the lowest tier of discipleship. Advancement to the Inner Sect was reserved for those who proved themselves over years of cultivation.

  But Uriel and Mateo were exceptions. Their spirit roots were so extraordinary that the formation could not even assign them a grade, and their cultivation had already reached the Foundation Establishment realm. By every measure, they met the criteria for Inner Sect discipleship, and so the elders elevated them immediately.

  Nathan, however, was disqualified from continuing, his apparent failure barring him from entry.

  By the sect’s criteria, Nathan should have been rejected outright. Yet Uriel and Mateo stood firm: if their brother was cast out, they would leave with him. Elder Ramón found himself at a loss. Even Linda spoke on Nathan’s behalf, reminding the elder of his feat in defeating the snow tiger and of his Foundation Establishment cultivation.

  Reluctantly, Ramón agreed to another test. Nathan was instructed to reveal his cultivation realm directly.

  When he did, silver qi surged forth, filling the hall with a brilliance that pressed against the walls. Elder Ramón’s eyes narrowed, his mind reeling. Foundation Establishment… masked so completely that even I could not sense it. Impossible. Even if he were concealing his realm, no ordinary youth could hide it from me. Unless… he carries a treasure of unfathomable grade. This boy’s background is not ordinary.

  With this revelation, Ramón allowed Nathan into the sect—not as an Inner Sect disciple, but as a First?Rank Outer Sect disciple.

  And so, the three brothers were admitted together: Uriel and Mateo as Inner Sect disciples, and Nathan as Outer Sect.