Chapter 55: The Five Main Clans

　　Su Zimo looked at the testing spirit stone. He did not stretch out his hands, instead he seemed to be pondering.

　　Before Die Yue left, she had planted the spirit root for him. He knew that it might be as good as the heaven spirit root. Su Zimo had no doubts about that.

　　Su Zimo had another thought after listening to what Ji Yaoxue had just said.

　　Ji Yaoxue thought that Su Zimo did not really know much about her clan, that was why he was reluctant to stretch out his hands. She began to explain. “In the Great Zhou Dynasty’s territory, there are five strongest clans. Zimo, you can be assured that the clan, Azure Frost Sect that I am in, is among the five strongest clans.”

　　Su Zimo was interested and he asked all of a sudden, “What are the four other clans?”

　　“The five main clans are Iridescent Clouds Palace, Southern Mountains Clan, True Fire Sect, Azure Frost Sect and Ethereal Peak.”

　　Su Zimo lowered his head, blowing lightly at the tea leaves floating on the tea. There was a fleeting coldness in his eyes at the mention of Iridescent Clouds Palace.

　　Su Zimo looked up, his expression normal as he asked, “I suppose for those who join the five main clans, they have a high requirement for the spirit root, is that so?”

　　“Mmm.”

　　Ji Yaoxue nodded and said, “If you want to join the five main clans, one needs to have at least a superior-class spirit root. Having a pseudo spirit root and ordinary spirit root will not meet the mark. However, Zimo, you can rest assured that even if yours is a pseudo spirit root, I can bring you to join the clan as well.”

　　The spirit root could be categorized into five grades – pseudo spirit root, ordinary spirit root, superior-class spirit root, earth spirit root and the most rare heaven spirit root.

　　That was to say, since Zhou Dingyun and Shen Mengqi were chosen by Perfected Cang Lang from Iridescent Clouds Palace, they must at least have the superior-class or higher grade spirit root.

　　Su Zimo smiled and took a sip of tea, asking casually, “Is there any feud between the five main clans? Or rather, which among the five clans is stronger?”

　　“Feud?”

　　Ji Yaoxue shook her head. “This I do not know, but Iridescent Clouds Palace and True Fire Sect are situated quite close to each other and have been getting along well. The five main clans are similar to each other in terms of capabilities and each has their own strengths. Of which, Ethereal Peak is the most mysterious.”

　　“In the Great Zhou Dynasty, we will hold a grand match between clans every 10 years. Every clan within the territory of the Great Zhou Dynasty can take part in it, regardless of its size. The five main clans have ranked the top 10 in terms of movement techniques, elixir refinement, weapon refinement and creating talismans.”

　　Su Zimo narrowed his eyes, seemingly pondering about something.

　　Since True Fire Sect and Iridescent Clouds Palace were on close terms, Su Zimo would never join them.

　　As for joining Azure Frost Sect, Su Zimo wanted to give this opportunity to Su Hong and Su Xiaoning. As to who would join the sect, it was entirely up to their destiny.

　　That left Su Zimo with only Southern Mountains Clan and Ethereal Peak.

　　Su Zimo asked again, “Among the five main clans, which is closest to the Country of Yan?”

　　Ji Yaoxue took out a map made from animal skin out of her storage bag. She took a closer look before saying. “The closest is Ethereal Peak.”

　　Su Zimo nodded, not saying anymore.

　　“Zimo, why do you ask all these? Hurry, you should check your spirit root.” Ji Yaoxue urged him once again.

　　Su Zimo smiled lightly. “Some cultivator had checked for me and said that I don’t have a spirit root, so I won’t do the testing.”

　　“Ah?” Ji Yaoxue could not hide her disappointment. but she wanted to give it another try and so she tried persuading him again. “Perhaps the person had seen it wrongly. You should check it again.”

　　Su Zimo said in a low voice, “Yao Xue, this is a good chance. I have two closest kins and I would like for them to give it a try, to see whether they have a chance to join Azure Frost Sect.”

　　“This… is good as well.” Ji Yaoxue hesitated slightly before she agreed.

　　Su Zimo stood up to thank her and he came out with Su Hong and Su Xiaoning, explaining to them briefly how the testing spirit stone worked, and telling them to give it a try.

　　Su Hong waved his hands, shaking his head. “I don’t need to try. Even if I have spirit root, I won’t take the cultivation path. Among the three of us, one has to inherit our father’s legacy and continue with his work. Xiaoning, you can go ahead to test it.”

　　Su Xiaoning was hesitant, she seemed afraid, looking toward Su Zimo for help.

　　Su Zimo smiled, holding his sister’s little hand to the round table, as he spoke in a tender tone, “Don’t be afraid, all you have to do is to hold on to this stone.”

　　Su Xiaoning nodded, still feeling worried, but she seemed to have made up her mind. She went forward to grab hold of the testing spirit stone.

　　At the moment when Su Xiaoning held the testing spirit stone, five rays of light in different colors shot out from the testing spirit stone.

　　This was the first time that Su Xiaoning saw something like this. She had a shock and she threw the stone away automatically.

　　The five different rays of light represented the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire and earth. It was the pseudo spirit root, the worst spirit root among all.

　　Su Zimo rejoiced greatly in his heart.

　　In any case, this meant that Su Xiaoning had a spirit root, and she could join one of the five main clans—Azure Frost sect!

　　In fact, even without his relationship with Ji Yaoxue, Su Zimo was able to join Azure Frost Sect with the spirit root that Die Yue planted for him.

　　However, Su Zimo could vaguely sense something amiss and wanted to try to keep a distance between he and Ji Yaoxue.

　　What was Ji Yaoxue’s identity?

　　She was the third princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty. She was of noble birth!

　　Su Zimo was aware that their encounter this time had riled the guard behind Ji Yaoxue and he was hostile toward him. If he continued to be on close terms with Ji Yaoxue, he might invite trouble for himself!

　　He was not being afraid of them. It was just that he was still not as powerful and he could not protect himself.

　　But Su Xiaoning was different. She was after all a female, and she would not invite the hostility of others.

　　Indeed, after witnessing the scene, there was a flash of delight in Dai Xu, the golden armored leader’s eyes. He let out a sigh of relief, and he seemingly relaxed his guard.

　　Su Zimo looked at Ji Yaoxue, his expression solemn as he spoke in a deep voice, “Since that is the case, please bring Xiaoning with you. She is timid, and she has not been to faraway places. Do take extra care of her during cultivation in Azure Frost Sect.”

　　“You can rest assured that I will definitely take good care of her,” Ji Yaoxue said.

　　“Brother, I don’t wish to part with you or to leave Su family.” Su Xiaoning curled her lips, tears welling in her eyes. She was on the brink of crying.

　　Su Hong laughed and said, “It’s good to cultivate. It is a golden opportunity. You must not miss the chance. Besides, when you are stronger, I will be asking you for help in the future.”

　　Su Xiaoning turned tears into smiles upon hearing Su Hong’s teasing words. She nodded seriously. “Mmm! I will work hard to cultivate and come back to help brother in the future!”

　　“Go along to pack your things and say goodbye to Uncle Zheng and the rest.”

　　Su Hong left with Su Xiaoning to pack her things. There was a smile in Su Zimo’s eyes as he watched them left.

　　“Zimo, you…” Ji Yaoxue wanted to say something but held back her tongue.

　　Su Zimo smiled, standing up to bow to her as he said, “I have to thank you for rendering help this time. It is because of you that the Su family have a place to stay and Xiaoning has a chance to join Azure Frost Sect. If you have anything to ask of me in the future, I will definitely agree to it.”

　　“Humph…”

　　Dai Xu smirked, a hint of sarcasm flashed across his face. He curled his lips. “How dare you boast without shame! She is the third princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty. How will she ever need your help?”

　　Su Zimo smiled lightly, not rebutting his words.

　　Nobody would have imagined that the promise that Su Zimo gave right now would carry a lot of weight in the future.