Chapter 6: The Useless Treasure-With a Dimensional Chat Group in Hand, the Doomed Side Character Soars to Immortality(Ephemeral clouds and fleeting winds, like the tinkling of wind chimes in passing moments.)

Ancestor Feng's eyes lit up at these words.
"Excellent! But I doubt you came just to tell me this one thing?"
Feng Jiaqing immediately nodded.
"Ancestor, I tested Yunxi's spiritual roots. She possesses the rare, variant-grade wind, thunder, and ice spiritual roots."
At this, Feng Feng's figure flickered as he appeared before Feng Jiaqing, asking,
"Are you certain of the results?"
"Naturally. I used the Soul Lamp Hall's formation to conceal the phenomenon caused by her spiritual roots."
"Good! Good! Good!"
Feng Feng repeated the word thrice, spinning in place twice before saying,
"Yunxi must remain in the Feng family to cultivate."
Feng Jiaqing naturally agreed, but he frowned,
"Ancestor, if the Wei family learns of Yunxi's exceptional talent, I doubt they'll give up on her."
Ancestor Feng nodded in agreement.
"With the Wei family's mercenary nature, they certainly won't let such a promising seed slip away. In fact, because of Yunxi's talent, they'll likely demand resources from us. Otherwise, should Yunxi achieve anything in the future, the Wei family won't let us claim any credit."
Feng Jiaqing concurred,
"Just look at how eager Wei Lingyue is to legitimize his concubine—you can tell he doesn't care much for Yunxi. Once Du Ruolan becomes Lady Wei, Yunxi is sure to suffer more mistreatment. She's young and hasn't begun cultivation; we can't have her living here permanently."
Ancestor Feng paced his courtyard, deep in thought. Suddenly, as if recalling something, he stepped swiftly into his room and returned moments later with a small brocade box, which he handed to Feng Jiaqing.
"Help Yunxi refine this high-grade magical treasure. Once she's done, test her spiritual roots again."
Feng Jiaqing responded quickly, raising his brows.
"Ancestor, is this a treasure for concealing spiritual roots?"
The old ancestor nodded.

"Yes. This was a trophy I won long ago, but due to its flaws, it's been gathering dust. Still, it's perfect for Yunxi's current situation."
Without ceremony, Feng Jiaqing opened the brocade box to find a plain silver ring inside, devoid of any patterns, ornamentation, or spiritual fluctuations—it looked exactly like an ordinary mortal's silver band.
The ancestor explained further,
"This artifact, once refined, will lower the apparent grade of the wearer's spiritual roots by one tier during testing. However, the concealment vanishes during cultivation or combat.
For instance, my own roots are fire and wood. With this treasure, testing still shows dual roots, but their value drops to fifty, making my aptitude seem mediocre.
But Yunxi is different—she hasn't started cultivating yet. If you help her refine this treasure now, it will remain effective even when she begins cultivation and fighting. When she's strong enough, she can remove it herself. This should be enough to deal with the Wei family."
Feng Jiaqing smiled,
"Rest assured, Ancestor. I’ll explain everything to Yunxi tomorrow. I trust the girl will understand our intentions."
The old man went on,
"This will require Yunxi’s cooperation. Still, even if her aptitude appears diminished, the Wei family likely won’t let her go right away. Only after they’ve tested her roots and decided which juniors to send to the Haoran Sect will we make our move.
This matter must proceed step by step. If we hurry, mistakes will be made, and then the Wei family will catch on."
"Don’t worry, Ancestor. I understand."
The two conferred a while longer before Feng Jiaqing left the old ancestor’s courtyard.
Once his guest had departed, Feng Feng activated the defensive formation around his residence and sighed to himself,
"Jiayun, this is all your ancestor can do for you. May you return safely."
The next day, Wei Yunxi slept late, only waking when hunger drove her out of bed.
Her four maids worked in harmony, bustling around her—dressing, washing, combing her hair, and serving breakfast. By the time the routine was finished, it was already noon.
After stretching her short, plump limbs, Wei Yunxi prepared to pay her respects to her uncle, as there were still things she wished to clarify.
But as she and her maids reached the gate of their temporary residence, they ran into Feng Jiaqing, who had come seeking her.
Seeing the girl visibly more energetic than the day before, Feng Jiaqing smiled and asked,
"Yunxi, did you sleep well last night?"

Wei Yunxi performed a proper bow before replying in her soft, sweet voice,
"Thank you for your concern, Uncle. I slept very well last night and even woke up late. I was just about to come and greet you."
Feng Jiaqing waved his hand,
"No need for such formality—we’re cultivators, after all, not so bound by etiquette. In any case, I do have something to discuss with you in private today."
Yunxi nodded at once. The group turned back into the small courtyard, but this time, the four maids were left outside. For safety, Feng Jiaqing even activated a defensive formation to prevent any eavesdropping.
Only then did he take out the brocade box from his storage ring and explain the function of the silver ring, the purpose of refining it, and the effects after refinement—he even detailed the chain reactions that would follow the alteration of her spiritual roots.
Wei Yunxi feigned confusion, her eyes spinning as if lost in thought, but her mind was racing. This was another plot point that hadn’t appeared in the novel. Its occurrence was only because she had come to the Feng family, whereas the book’s Wei Yunxi had never stayed here, nor had particularly close ties to the Fengs.
Now that the Fengs had tested her roots ahead of time and discovered her extraordinary talent, they were determined to bring her into their fold. That’s why they had gone to such trouble—planning meticulously to claim her for the Feng family without arousing the Wei family’s suspicion.
After analyzing the situation, Wei Yunxi concluded that staying with the Fengs was far more advantageous than remaining with the Weis. Not only did the Wei family have the protagonist, Wei Yunqing, but even with heaven-defying talent, she would be nothing until she grew stronger. Du Ruolan certainly wouldn’t allow her to thrive—if she did, the novel’s supporting villain wouldn’t have ended up as a mere stepping stone.
As for Wei Lingyue, he was a classic fence-sitter—he’d side with whichever party brought him benefit. If he learned her abilities were mediocre, he might even find a way to take her treasures for himself; once she lost her value, she’d be left to languish in the Wei household.
The Feng family, on the other hand, would look out for her for Jiayun’s sake—and, having discovered her rare gifts, would be all the more willing to invest in her, since she shared their blood.
Understanding all this, she put on an innocent act and said,
"Uncle, I understand some of what you said, and some I don’t. But Mother told me to listen to you—you’d never harm me. I’ll do whatever you say."
Feng Jiaqing, gratified, patted her little head and smiled,
"Of course, Uncle would never harm you."
With that, the head of the Feng family made a quick gesture, drawing a drop of Yunxi’s heart’s blood and letting it fall onto the silver ring. Infusing it with spiritual power, he sent the now crimson ring into the place of her spiritual roots.
Wei Yunxi felt a wave of dizziness, a sharp stab at her chest, and her vision swam.
Once Feng Jiaqing confirmed the artifact had successfully bound to her, he slipped her a blood-replenishing pill. When little Yunxi had recovered, he brought out the spiritual testing disk once more.
This time, without prompting, Yunxi obediently placed her hand upon it.