Connecting Passage

Connecting Passage . . .

Seven days flew by like the wind, and the people of the Royal Sacred Region were filled with anticipation. Despite the slim chances, they were eager to participate. For those who could attend the banquet hosted by the Eastern Sage Great Emperor, being noticed by these powerful figures could pave a smoother path on their martial journey. To the people of the Royal Sacred Region, this was a once-in-a-millennium opportunity to rise to the heavens.

With supremely powerful immortals present, why should they care about the Royal Sacred Sect? The sect's claim of hegemony in this world had taken a severe blow when Zai Xuan colluded with such a despicable character. Even members of the Royal Sacred Sect desired to participate in the selection event. These super-strong characters in the immortal realms were individuals even the Sacred Emperor had to respect. If any of them were chosen as disciples, the Sacred Emperor would have to treat them with the utmost courtesy. It was an incredible honor.

The entire Royal Sacred Region eagerly awaited the appearance of the connecting passageway to the immortal palace in the sky. As for those over a hundred years old, they could only silently vent their frustrations because they lacked the qualifications to step onto the connecting passageway.

"There are guests arriving for the banquet." The people watched the immortal palace suspended high in the sky, where several expert silhouettes appeared. Each of them seemed to carry an aura of immortality, exuding an extraordinary presence as they bowed before a stone statue representing their respect to the Eastern Sage Great Emperor. This stone statue contained the immortal essence of the Eastern Sage Great Emperor.

After paying their respects to the statue, the experts sat down, enjoying the banquet while conversing with one another. The hearts of the people in the Royal Sacred Region swelled with awe. Was this truly just a particle world? Could the Eastern Sage Majesty make an immortal palace float in the air, covering the skies, allowing everyone in this world to witness the events as clearly as the sun and moon in the sky?

To supreme existences, an internal world was merely a self-proclaimed realm. It was nothing more than a particle, a grain of sand to them. Could they truly annihilate it with a mere gesture?

Just how powerful were these supreme beings in the immortal realms?

Although the experts of the immortal realms conversed cheerfully, the people of the Royal Sacred Sect couldn't hear anything; they were unaware of the immortals' discussions. They could only 'see' the scene unfold. In the immortal palace, a real banquet was taking place as experts from the immortal realms continued to arrive. Since the Eastern Sage Great Emperor had extended the invitation, these experts naturally chose to honor him by attending.

The Eastern Sage Great Emperor held a supreme position over an entire region in the immortal realms, garnering respect from those who resided there. Experts from other regions also flocked to see why the Eastern Sage Great Emperor had selected such an obscure location for his disciple recruitment event.

Dongsheng Ting, the youngest son of the Eastern Sage Great Emperor, was in charge of receiving the guests. An elderly man with a flowing beard smiled as he addressed Dongsheng Ting, "Dongsheng Ting, what are His Majesty's plans exactly? Why has he chosen such a remote place for disciple recruitment?" His words piqued the curiosity of everyone present. They had only heard rumors and lacked concrete information. Since two Immortal Emperors were involved in this event, who would dare question their intentions? Nevertheless, they directed their inquiries to Dongsheng Ting due to his presence.

"How can one truly understand the thoughts of my royal father?" Dongsheng Ting replied with a smile, deflecting the question artfully. "Perhaps Father believes that those in particle worlds would seize opportunities more eagerly to climb to the top. If we discover any talents here, they might reach greater heights compared to others."

The old man stroked his beard, his eyes filled with depth. He nodded in agreement, saying, "His Majesty's perspective is plausible, but one can't help but wonder if the scope of this disciple recruitment event is a bit too limited. It's confined to just this particle world. Given His Majesty's stature, he could have projected his influence over tens of millions of particle worlds, allowing them to compete for eight to ten years before selecting the most exceptional talents."

Dongsheng Ting chuckled. "Senior's insight holds merit as well. But my royal father's thoughts are often enigmatic. Perhaps it's merely a passing interest, and he didn't contemplate it extensively."

The old man laughed and said, "Indeed, we should never attempt to fathom His Majesty's intentions too easily. However, I do wonder which fortunate young individual will be accepted as His Majesty's disciple."

Though he spoke casually, the gleam in his eyes hinted at deeper contemplation. Those invited to the banquet were all extraordinary individuals. As speculated earlier, the candidates needed to be likable and possess unparalleled talent to stand a chance. There were precedents of supreme beings like the Eastern Sage Great Emperor accepting disciples in the immortal realms. In such cases, they projected the competition over tens of millions of particle worlds and set a ten-year time limit. The last one standing claimed the qualifications, a brutal trial that had driven many to madness.

Therefore, it seemed implausible that the Eastern Sage Great Emperor would randomly choose a disciple from a single particle world due to a fleeting interest. The true orchestrator behind the scenes was likely the Evergreen Great Emperor.

The Evergreen Great Emperor resided in a celestial-qi-rich region. Before him, a shadowy projection displayed the ongoing events in the Eastern Sage Great Emperor's immortal palace.

"Since the Eastern Sage has promised me, he will honor his word. As long as the young individual you mentioned possesses extraordinary talent, the Eastern Sage will consider accepting him as a disciple. Even if the Eastern Sage himself doesn't favor him, he will arrange for those invited to the banquet to take him under their wing. These individuals are exceptional figures in the immortal realms; otherwise, they wouldn't have received invitations to the Eastern Sage's banquet. Qing'er, if you still have concerns, you can observe everything from here."

The Evergreen Great Emperor, tall and robed in white, had eyes resembling stars, deep and immeasurable. His every gesture exuded a unique grace. At this moment, his countenance was gentle, and he wore the smile of a doting father, bearing no resemblance to the fierce being who had once waged war for control of an immortal empire.

Qing'er nodded slightly, her cool gaze fixed on the projection ahead, which mirrored what those in the Royal Sacred Region were witnessing.

Apart from the Evergreen Great Emperor, numerous experts in this immortal region employed extraordinary methods to spy on the events in the Eastern Sage Immortal Palace. Some supreme existences even used their immortal senses to sweep across the Royal Sacred Region.

Qin Wentian floated in the airspace above the Medicine Sovereign Valley. He could faintly sense the immortal senses of these supreme beings brushing past him before disappearing. It occurred more than once, leaving him sighing. Stepping into the Celestial Phenomenon realm didn't guarantee standing at the peak. In the eyes of these true immortal realm experts, they were mere specks. If he unintentionally offended any of them, their immortal senses alone could search for and eliminate him. Their power was truly terrifying.

His martial journey had just begun, and he had just begun to explore the immortal realms.

In the celestial palace above, radiant beams of light, like the brilliance of a midsummer sun, suddenly burst forth. They coalesced into a golden-hued image pulsating with potent spatial energy fluctuations. This image, supported by pillars of light, descended from the heavens to the earth.

In an instant, countless pillars of light sprang up throughout the expansive Royal Sacred Region. Inside each luminous column, the same golden image with mystical divine inscriptions flowed and swirled, radiating powerful spatial energy fluctuations.

"Could this be the connecting pathway Dongsheng Ting mentioned?" The hearts of the Royal Sacred Region's denizens quivered with anticipation. Even those who were mere mortals and ordinary cultivators couldn't resist the yearning in their hearts. They decided to step into the pillars of light, onto the golden image. As they ascended, they looked up and realized that above them lay not the sky but the vast emptiness of the void.

In a specific location within the Royal Sacred Region, a Heavenly Dipper Sovereign couldn't restrain himself and entered a pillar of light. As the golden image grew increasingly radiant and emitted a resonating hum, his body vanished within the column of light. However, he didn't immediately appear in the immortal palace but instead found himself hovering high in the sky. It was the extent of his perceptual range, and he began to descend back to the ground.

Dongsheng Ting ascended and stood atop the wardrum, casting a cold and haughty gaze upon the people. He spoke with an air of superiority, "Use your perception to lock onto these immortal mountains, just as you communicate with constellations in the astral heavenly layers. Those whose perception can't reach here have no qualifications to be present."

"Senior Medicine Sovereign, Qingcheng, I'm heading off now," Qin Wentian said, turning to the Medicine Sovereign and Mo Qingcheng, who stood beside him.

"Go ahead," the Medicine Sovereign replied with a smile. He hoped that Qin Wentian would truly have a chance to become a disciple of the Eastern Sage Immortal Emperor. In that case, even a power like the Royal Sacred Sect wouldn't be qualified to meet him. Even their Sacred Emperor would have to show respect to Qin Wentian. How could he dare to issue kill orders then?

Qin Wentian stepped forward slowly, making his way toward a pillar of light. The moment he entered it, he felt an overwhelming surge of astral energy, and the golden image beneath him started spinning rapidly, enveloping him in spatial energy.

Closing his eyes, Qin Wentian let his perception soar upward, following the path of the light pillar. He sensed that this pillar was composed of energy with properties similar to the astral energy of the nine heavenly layers.

In an instant, his perception expanded greatly. Just a second later, he locked onto the location of the immortal mountain, "seeing" everything there, including several experts who had already arrived. These were the participants in the disciple recruitment event.

"So fast. It seems many visitors from the immortal realms are here, but they've chosen to remain concealed," Qin Wentian thought. He didn't stop after locking onto the location. He believed his perception could reach even greater heights.

Although an invisible, intangible force seemed to impede his perception, Qin Wentian pressed on, surmounting the restrictive force. Soon, his perception reached an even higher mountain, where others had already gathered. This mountain was farther from the Royal Sacred Region than the first.

It appeared that the moment the connecting pathway was established, the test had begun. This was a criterion designed to sift out the incompetent.