Eternal Tale

An ice-blue jade hairpin, shimmering with a faint glow, floated quietly in the air.

The hairpin was crystal clear, without a trace of impurity, and intricately carved with a lifelike phoenix. It contained strands of thunder power, likely infused with Thunder Phoenix feathers.

Besides this, Ru Tang sensed the power of the Great Dao from other materials within it, which had not dissipated or been suppressed by the fusion.

This artifact was crafted through a profound and mysterious formation, perfectly merging various magical energies into a balanced state.

Once the hairpin is activated, the powers within will erupt instantly, greatly enhancing the artifact’s might.

Ru Tang raised her arm slightly in salute, her expression serious and sincerely said, ”Thank you, fellow Daoist! This artifact has far exceeded my expectations. I owe you a favor for this.”

”I’ll keep the remaining materials then, no need to waste them, haha.”

”Of course, as we agreed.”

Ru Tang nodded earnestly, without any hesitation, then suddenly asked, ”Fellow Daoist Dongfang, are there two juniors in the blacksmith’s shop?”

Seeing the opportunity, Ru Tang wanted to do a favor and spoke her mind.”Yes, Chen Batian and Chen Yanshu,” Chen Xun replied with a hint of confusion but nodded nonetheless.

Ru Tang’s gaze sharpened as she asked, ”The Sacred Land is about to recruit disciples, and I happen to have a recommendation slot. Would you be interested in having your two apprentices become disciples of the Sacred Land?”

”Oh? What makes you say that?” Chen Xun asked in a deep voice.

Seeing this, Ru Tang didn’t hide her thoughts and spoke her mind.

In the path of cultivating immortality, besides talent, one also needs abundant resources and opportunities.

Although Chen Xun had achievements in refining, he couldn’t compare to the Sacred Land in terms of cultivation resources.

In Ru Tang’s view, since the two juniors downstairs were chosen by Chen Xun, their talent must be exceptional!

Moreover, they likely inherited true refining skills. If they joined the Xuanji Sacred Land, their future would be limitless, and they might even surpass expectations. It would also provide her with a great ally within the sect.

More importantly, she wanted to repay the favor of refining the artifact.

The air grew quiet for a moment, and Chen Xun’s expression remained calm, not speaking for a while.

He and Black Bull had been planning this for a year but hadn’t found the right opportunity.

Now that Ru Tang had brought it up, it fit perfectly with his intentions. After feigning hesitation, he agreed.

Ru Tang was overjoyed and quickly said, ”Rest assured, fellow Daoist, leave this matter to me! However, according to the Sacred Land’s rules, even with my recommendation, they must undergo testing!”

”The purpose of the test is simply to prevent ill-intentioned individuals from infiltrating the Sacred Land.”

”That’s not a problem; everything will be done according to the rules. I am deeply grateful for your help.”

Chen Xun cupped his hands in thanks, feeling pleased, and didn’t worry about the test at all.

”Moo~~” Black Bull called out from the backyard towards Ru Tang, who nodded in acknowledgment, knowing it was the blacksmith’s shop’s ancestral spirit beast.

Chen Yanshu and Chen Batian exchanged a glance, their eyes holding an indescribable meaning, and they bowed their heads respectfully towards Ru Tang at the door.

A few days later, under Ru Tang’s arrangement, Chen Batian and Chen Yanshu smoothly underwent the entrance test.

...

Inside the Xuanji Sacred Land.

A plaza spanning several dozen miles.

The plaza was paved with stones containing spirit stones, with pillars carved with exotic flowers and beasts standing around it. In the center was a high platform with an ancient incense burner placed on it.

The incense burner emitted spiritual incense, with wisps of smoke curling around, filling the air with a faint fragrance that was refreshing and uplifting.

At this moment, the plaza was filled with countless young men and women.

They were all disciples here to take the Xuanji Sacred Land test.

Most of these disciples came from various surrounding forces and families, while some had traveled from other regions.

Their expressions varied greatly, some aloof and cold, like glaciers, with an air of keeping others at a distance.

Others were cheerful and enthusiastic, actively engaging in conversation with other disciples, laughter ringing out.

Some were timid and fearful, standing in remote corners, anxious and trembling with nervousness.

...

Among the crowd, Chen Batian and Chen Yanshu stood calmly to the side, waiting patiently.

When approached by disciples who were good at conversation, they responded politely, their demeanor and actions indistinguishable from ordinary people, with no one noticing anything unusual.

On the contrary, due to their handsome appearance and extraordinary temperament, they attracted many admiring glances from young women, who frequently glanced their way.

However, having concealed their cultivation, they appeared to be only at the Foundation Establishment stage to others.

Before coming, to avoid unnecessary trouble, Ru Tang had thoroughly briefed Chen Xun on the internal situation of the Sacred Land.

The entire Xuanji Sacred Land was centered around an immortal mountain, resembling nine dragons in reverence, with two primary spirit veins extending over a hundred thousand miles.

Around the primary spirit veins, five secondary spirit veins were nurtured!

In addition, there were countless other spirit veins of various grades from three to nine.

One could imagine the depth of its foundation.

Chen Xun was somewhat surprised to learn of the mountain’s grand origin, which was greater than he had imagined.

Upon learning about the various spirit veins within, Chen Xun’s eyes shone even brighter.

His first thought was that the spirit veins here secretly contained the Yin-Yang and Five Elements.

The so-called ”One gives birth to Two, Two gives birth to Three, Three gives birth to all things.”

”One” refers to chaos, which is the so-called immortal mountain here.

”Two” refers to Yin and Yang, which are the two primary spirit veins within the Sacred Land.

”Three” refers to the Five Elements, which are the five secondary spirit veins.

”All things” refers to the remaining spirit veins and living beings within the entire secret realm.

Additionally, the Sacred Land assigns domains based on cultivation levels.

The immortal mountain is the cultivation ground for the sect’s Great Ascension Venerables and Tribulation Crossing Venerables. By leveraging the trace of world origin within the mountain, these elder generation experts can better comprehend and consolidate rules.

Except for the Holy Son and a few special existences, others are not allowed to set foot there.

The primary spirit veins are the cultivation grounds for the sect’s Unity realm experts, though many sect prodigies also reside there.

Though slightly inferior to the immortal mountain, it is a rare opportunity for any external force, and residing there is considered a great luxury.

After all, there are few forces with primary spirit veins.

As for the five secondary spirit veins, they are the domains for Void Refinement experts.

The remaining lower-grade spirit veins are the cultivation grounds for Nascent Soul and other inner disciples.

Then there’s the peculiar Rainbow Bridge. According to Ru Tang’s information, this Rainbow Bridge is a treasure crafted by the Tianxuan Ancestor.

For countless years, its true power has never been revealed, and the cultivators there don’t know its purpose.

The only known fact is that to ascend the immortal mountain, whether a Great Ascension Venerable or a Tribulation Crossing Venerable, one must pass through the Rainbow Bridge.

...

”See that, Bull!”

”That’s the immortal mountain, and the rainbow in the sky is the peculiar Rainbow Bridge I mentioned.”

In the blacksmith’s shop, Chen Xun and Black Bull were observing their surroundings through the perspectives of two immortal puppets.

Gazing at the majestic spirit veins, the mysterious and radiant immortal mountain, and the formations filled with killing intent everywhere, Black Bull was also somewhat surprised.

Chen Xun took a sip of tea, patted the bull’s head, and said, ”The Xuanji Sacred Land has a profound foundation, likely hiding many secrets. We must be cautious.”

”Now that the two immortal puppets have infiltrated, let them act as undercover agents and gather information.”

”When the time is right, we will personally take action and capture it all... no, seize it all.”

”Moo!” Black Bull snorted, fully trusting Chen Xun’s words.

As they observed, several powerful cultivators descended from the sky with a gust of wind, landing in the center of the plaza.

With their arrival, the disciple test of the Xuanji Sacred Land officially began!