As soon as Yue Xing exited the meditation chamber, Xu Shu and Xu Zhen rushed towards him and latched onto his legs.

“Big Brother, you’re back!” Xu Shu said, looking up at him with an aggrieved expression on her face.

Xu Zhen nodded, his expression mirroring his sister’s. Yue Xing stared at the two of them in disbelief. He had been in the meditation chamber for less than an hour. Why were they acting as if he had been gone for several days?

Xu Liang grabbed his younger siblings and pulled them away.

“Stop being dramatic,” he said in a scolding tone. “You’re bothering him. And don’t call him ‘Big Brother.’”

Xu Shu pouted and stomped her foot. Xu Zhen followed her lead and stomped as well. Yue Xing found the sight very cute. He covered his mouth to keep from chuckling.

“Why can’t I call him ‘Big Brother?’” Xu Shu demanded.

Xu Liang crossed his arms.

“Because it’s disrespectful. He saved our lives. Call him benefactor instead.”

Xu Shu turned away from her brother in huff.

“I don’t care,” she said. “I think ‘Big Brother’ is better.”

“Xu Shu!”

Yue Xing cleared his throat, interrupting them before things went too far.

“I don’t mind being called ‘Big Brother,’” he said.

In fact, he rather liked it, though he’d never admit it out loud.

Xu Shu shot Xu Liang a triumphant look, before she gave Yue Xing a radiant smile.

“Thank you, Big Brother,” she said. “You’re the best!”

Xu Liang's face twisted with anger, and a hint of jealousy.

“However,” Yue Xing said. “It would be unfair to Xu Liang. He’s your real elder brother. I’m merely a stranger who happened to rescue you.”

Xu Liang’s expression became conflicted.

“It’s fine,” he mumbled. “I don’t mind.”

Xu Shu scrunched her face in thought, before her face lit up with excitement.

“What about this?” she asked. “You’re Big Brother, while Liang is First Brother. He’s the oldest of us, but you’re bigger and stronger.”

Yue Xing looked at Xu Liang, who nodded after a moment’s hesitation.

“Very well, I accept,” Yue Xing said, smiling at the Xu siblings. “I’ll be your big brother.”

Xu Shu and Xu Zhen let out squeals of excitement, before they latched onto his legs again. Xu Liang looked like he wanted to join them, but held back.

Well, that wouldn’t do.

Yue Xing gestured to Xu Liang to come over. The boy obeyed and Yue Xing pulled him into a hug. He knew that doing this would make it more difficult when it came time for them to part ways, but he couldn’t help himself. The Xu siblings were just that lovable.

After a while, the four of them pulled apart, though the younger two Xu siblings seemed reluctant to. They gazed at him with pitiable expressions on their faces. Yue Xing almost gave in, but managed to stop himself in time. After all, there was something he needed to do.

“Perhaps later,” Yue Xing said. “Right now, there’s something I need to check. May I examine you?”

Now that he could use spiritual energy and soul sense, Yue Xing wanted to check the children to see if they had spirit roots. That way, they could join him in the Myriad Path Sect. Even if they had Quintuple Spirit Roots, the worst kind there were, he’d find a way to bring them in.

“What for?” Xu Liang asked.

“I’ll explain afterward,” Yue Xing said.

Xu Liang studied him for several moments. Yue Xing waited without a trace of impatience. While he didn’t need the children' s permission to check them for spirit roots, it would make things easier. Besides, he didn’t want to sour their impression of him by insisting.

“Very well,” Xu Liang said with a nod.

The other two Xu siblings nodded as well.

With permission granted, Yue Xing put down Xu Zhen and began his examination, starting with Xu Liang. He took the boy’s hand and placed his fingers on the wrist. He sent his spiritual energy and his soul sense into the boy’s body, using both to examine him.

The results shocked Yue Xing.

Xu Liang did indeed have a spirit root. In fact, he had one of the best kinds there were: a Single Spirit Root, a metal one to be exact. It was also called a Heavenly Spirit Root. This was because those with this kind of spirit root had great talent for cultivation, as if blessed by the heavens.

Not only did they cultivate much faster than their peers, but they faced fewer bottlenecks. It was often said that those with Single Spirit Roots were guaranteed to reach Golden Core.

This made cultivators with Single Spirit Roots highly sought after. When they entered a sect, or a clan, they were guaranteed to become a core disciple.

However, cultivators with Single Spirit Roots were rare. They showed up about once in a century, at least from what Yue Xing heard. Whenever one showed up, the various clans and sects scrambled to acquire them.

A small, petty part of Yue Xing felt envious of Xu Liang. However, the majority of him felt joy on the boy’s behalf. As long as a great disaster didn’t befall Xu Liang, he had a brilliant future ahead of him.

“Well?” Xu Liang asked, looking a little nervous. “Did you find anything bad?”

Yue Xing shook his head.

“No,” he said. “In fact, I found something very good. However, let me examine your siblings first before I explain more.”

Yue Xing turned towards Xu Shu, who already held her arm out towards him. He chuckled, before he placed his fingers on her wrist. As with her older brother, Yue Xing examined Xu Shu with his spiritual energy and soul sense.

Shocked slapped him in the face again. Xu Shu also had a Single Spirit Root, though she had an earth one instead of a metal one. This dumbfounded Yue Xing. The chances of finding even one cultivator with a Single Spirit Root were low, let alone two.

Yue Xing pulled his spiritual energy and soul sense back from Xu Shu, before studying her and Xu Liang. Just who were these children? He started to suspect that their background wasn’t as simple as he first thought.

“Is something wrong with me, Big Brother?” Xu Shu asked, looking afraid.

Yue Xing shook his head, but otherwise didn’t respond. He was still reeling from the shock of finding two people with Single Spirit Roots. He looked at Xu Zhen, the youngest of the Xu siblings.

What if…? No, surely not.

Without a word, Yue Xing reached for Xu Zhen’s hand. Despite his shock, he took care not to hurt the boy. He placed his fingers on Xu Zhen’s wrist and examined him.

Xu Zhen also had a Single Spirit Root, a water one.

What kind of heaven-defying luck was this? Three people with Single Spirit Roots? Not only that, but all three were siblings?

Wait a moment. Something about that sounded familiar to Yue Xing. After thinking about it for a moment, he realized that he read about it in the Book.

Towards the middle of Liu Chen’s story, after he reached Golden Core, he ended up in a feud with three powerful demonic cultivators, who were also a trio of siblings. They were called the Three Terrors of the Blood Lotus Cult, one of the most powerful and dangerous demonic sects in the Myriad Valleys province.

What made the Three Terrors so dangerous was that all three had Single Spirit Roots. This made them valuable to the Blood Lotus Cult, which had poured a lot of effort and resources into raising them. This included teaching them powerful techniques and spells, as well as gifting them several life-saving treasures.

The Three Terrors gave Liu Chen a lot of trouble, and even came close to killing him on several occasions. However, Liu Chen managed to survive and grow strong enough to defeat them thanks to the System’s help.

Yue Xing didn’t remember many details about the Three Terrors beyond that, including their names and why they ended up feuding with Liu Chen. He would have to consult the Book to find out more. Even so, he believed that the Xu siblings and the Three Terrors were one and the same.