Immortal Realm

The Supreme Immortal Realm, Qingxuan Continent, Eastern Continent, outside the wilderness.

White Night stepped onto the ancient altar and appeared here the next second.

"Is this the Immortal Realm recorded in the ancient texts of Kunlun?"

White Night curiously observed his surroundings.

Immediately after, he suddenly realized that almost all the power within him was suppressed.

At this moment, an ethereal system prompt sounded in his mind.

【Welcome to the Supreme Immortal Realm, your new cheat has awakened!】

【Drawing talent for you...】

【Drawing successful! You have obtained the talent: Heavenly Heart Imprint!】

【Heavenly Heart Imprint: Possessing this imprint, comprehension increases 100 times, root bone increases 100 times, and luck increases 100 times!】

"Heavenly Heart Imprint? Is this my new cheat?"

White Night looked at the introduction of the Heavenly Heart Imprint and nodded in satisfaction.

At this moment.

The system's voice sounded again.

【Main quest has been issued】

【Quest: Join an Immortal Sect of Fifth Grade or higher. Reward: One top-grade immortal artifact!】

"Join an Immortal Sect of Fifth Grade or higher?"

White Night pondered.

Then, with a slight thought, a brand new panel appeared before his eyes.

【Name: White Night】

【Cultivation: First Stage of Golden Core】

【Cultivation Method: None】

【Martial Skill: None】

..."First Stage of Golden Core? Is this the power of this world?"

White Night showed surprise.

He then suddenly realized that the suppression of his power by heaven and earth had disappeared.

Instead, a brand new power appeared within him.

This was the power of spiritual energy!

...Not long after.

The wind of the wilderness, carrying the scent of plants, brushed past his ears. White Night gazed at the distant rolling green mountains, the spiritual energy lingering on his fingertips like a docile stream.

This was his first encounter with the power system of the Immortal Realm. Although his cultivation at the First Stage of Golden Core was far less than one ten-thousandth of his power during the God King period, he felt a wonderful sense of returning to simplicity.

Every wisp of spiritual energy carried the purity of the world's genesis, completely different from the defilement of the Demon Abyss and the profoundness of the Eternal God Realm.

"Spiritual energy... Golden Core..." He flicked his finger, and a wisp of light blue spiritual energy condensed into a light sphere at his fingertip. Fine patterns flowed on the surface of the sphere. "According to the records in the ancient texts of Kunlun, the Immortal Realm is based on spiritual energy, with cultivation stages divided into Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Soul Transformation... I wonder how they correspond to the True God system."

Three youths appeared. Seeing him lost in thought, the one in a blue shirt couldn't help but ask, "Brother, are you also going to Qing Shi Town to participate in the Qinglan Sect assessment? Judging by your cultivation, you seem to be in the Golden Core realm as well?"

White Night came back to his senses. These three youths were all in the late stage of Foundation Establishment, carrying simple magical artifacts on their backs, clearly cultivators from nearby small families.

He nodded, "Indeed. When is the Qinglan Sect assessment?"

"It's three days from now, at Sishi." The blue-shirted youth handed over a wooden token carved with cloud patterns. "This is a pass for Qing Shi Town. Brother, take it so you won't be troubled by the town guards. Oh, by the way, I am Lin Hao, and these two are my clan brothers, Lin Feng and Lin Yu."

White Night took the wooden token. As his fingertip touched the surface, the Heavenly Heart Imprint suddenly glowed faintly.

A string of information instantly flashed through his mind: the wooden token was made of third-tier spirit wood, and the carved cloud patterns were low-tier array patterns of the Qinglan Sect, which could prevent demonic beasts from approaching.

This was the effect of a 100-fold increase in comprehension; any subtle fluctuation of spiritual energy could be analyzed with perfect clarity.

"Thank you." White Night put the wooden token into his storage bag, a simple magical artifact he had condensed using the remaining Space Law. "I am White Night."

Lin Hao's eyes lit up: "So it's Brother Bai! Judging by your demeanor, you must be a disciple from a major sect, right? Unlike us, we don't even have a decent defensive magical artifact."

He looked at White Night with envy.

White Night smiled and said nothing more.

As the four traveled together, White Night subtly inquired about information.

Sects in the Qingxuan Continent are divided into nine grades according to their strength, with first grade being the lowest and ninth grade the highest.

Qinglan Sect is a famous sixth-grade sect in the Eastern Continent, known for its Wind-element spiritual roots and sword cultivators. This entrance assessment consists of three stages: spiritual root, cultivation, and temperament, all of which are indispensable.

"The most regrettable was last year's assessment," Lin Feng sighed. "It's said that a genius with a single-element Heavenly Spiritual Root went berserk during the third stage temperament test and was directly crippled and expelled by the Qinglan Sect."

White Night raised an eyebrow: "What does the temperament test examine?"

"It seems to be entering the 'Illusion Heart Array.' If you can maintain a clear mind for half an hour inside, you pass," Lin Yu whispered. "I heard that the array will conjure the most terrifying scenes, and many cultivators fall at this stage."

As they spoke, a town built against a mountain appeared ahead.

The city walls were built of dark gray rock, inscribed with pale yellow runes, which emitted a faint glow in the sunlight.

This was a third-grade defensive array, capable of withstanding a full-force attack from a Nascent Soul stage cultivator.

On the stone tablet at the city gate were carved the three characters "Qing Shi Town," which contained a faint sword intent, clearly written by a master swordsman.

"What profound array pattern mastery," White Night secretly marveled. The Heavenly Heart Imprint allowed him to clearly see the trajectories of spiritual energy flowing between the runes. These seemingly chaotic patterns actually concealed the principles of the five elements' mutual generation and restraint. "For Qinglan Sect to deploy such an array in a border town, it truly lives up to its reputation as a sixth-grade sect."

After entering the town, the concentration of spiritual energy in the air suddenly increased.

Most of the shops on both sides of the street displayed signs like "Magical Artifact Repair" and "Pill Sales." Occasionally, cultivators in green robes would walk by, wearing jade pendants carved with the character "Lan" at their waists, drawing glances from passersby.

"Those are outer disciples of the Qinglan Sect," Lin Hao whispered. "It's said they receive three bottles of Qi Gathering Pills every month and have a chance to enter the sect's scripture pavilion to choose cultivation methods."

White Night noticed that most of these outer disciples were in the early Golden Core stage, primarily with mixed spiritual roots, but the spiritual energy circulation within their bodies was exceptionally pure, clearly indicating they practiced high-quality cultivation methods.

He found an inn called "Yingke Tower" and settled down. As soon as he stepped into the room, a green figure flashed past the window.

"What speed," White Night's pupils contracted slightly. The opponent's movement technique contained the rudimentary form of Wind Law, and their footwork perfectly matched the fluctuations of heaven and earth spiritual energy. "At least a Nascent Soul stage cultivator."

Indeed, a moment later, a commotion came from downstairs.

He walked to the window and saw a green-robed elder standing at the inn's entrance, holding a shimmering white jade tablet. The tablet projected a light screen into the air:

【Qinglan Sect Entrance Assessment Instructions:

1. Spiritual root testing requires assembly at the town center plaza before Maoshi;

2. Carrying magical artifacts above fourth grade into the venue is prohibited;

3. During the assessment, killing fellow competitors is forbidden. Violators will have their cultivation crippled;

4. Final admission quota: thirty inner disciples, two hundred outer disciples.】

As the light screen dissipated, the green-robed elder's voice, like a grand bell, resonated throughout the town: "All those under twenty years of age and above Foundation Establishment cultivation may participate in the assessment. Three days from now, those who are unqualified, do not pester!"

White Night returned to his room and sat cross-legged on the bed.

He circulated the spiritual energy within his body and found that although his First Stage Golden Core cultivation was low, with the augmentation of the Heavenly Heart Imprint, his control over spiritual energy far surpassed others at the same stage.

While others needed to focus their minds to condense a spiritual energy bullet, he could condense a hundred with a single thought, and each one's power was precisely the same.

"Spiritual root testing shouldn't be difficult." He flicked his finger, and a wisp of spiritual energy landed on the celadon teacup on the table.

The teacup instantly emitted a faint five-colored glow, with the green light being particularly intense.

This was the characteristic of a Wind-element Heavenly Spiritual Root, and also the stepping stone to joining the Qinglan Sect.

The Heavenly Heart Imprint could not only analyze spiritual energy but also temporarily alter the manifestation form of spiritual roots, a clever use he had recently discovered.

Three days later, the town center plaza was packed with people.

Thousands of young cultivators gathered here, including many outstanding individuals in the mid-Golden Core stage, and even a few whose aura reached the late Golden Core stage, drawing discussions from the surrounding crowd.

In the center of the plaza stood a ten-foot-tall white jade platform, on which was placed a crystal-clear orb. Inside the orb, flowing light swirled, which was the magical artifact for testing spiritual roots, the "Spirit Testing Orb."

"Next, Lin Hao."

The blue-shirted youth took a deep breath and pressed his palm onto the Spirit Testing Orb.

The crystal orb lit up with a pale yellow light, mixed with faint green strands.

"Earth and Wood dual-element mixed spiritual root, average aptitude." The outer disciple in charge of the test recorded, "Go register over there and participate in the cultivation test in the afternoon."

Lin Hao breathed a sigh of relief and gestured to White Night.

White Night nodded, his gaze falling on the Spirit Testing Orb. This crystal orb was a fifth-grade magical artifact, inscribed with seventy-two spirit-testing array patterns, capable of accurately distinguishing the attribute and purity of spiritual roots.

"Next, White Night."

He stepped onto the white jade platform. As his fingertip touched the Spirit Testing Orb, the crystal orb suddenly erupted with dazzling green light!

The light condensed into a ten-foot-tall phantom of a wind dragon. The phantom let out an earth-shattering dragon roar, spiraling three times before slowly dissipating.

The entire plaza fell silent.

The outer disciple in charge of the test was so startled that he dropped his record book, stammering, "Single... single-element Heavenly Spiritual Root! Purity... one hundred percent purity!"

The plaza instantly erupted into an uproar:

"My goodness! It's a Heavenly Spiritual Root!"

"Qinglan Sect is going to find a treasure this time!"

"He looks no older than seventeen; his future is limitless!"

White Night calmly withdrew his hand. The Heavenly Heart Imprint allowed him to perfectly control the manifestation intensity of his spiritual root.

He knew that only such talent could attract the attention of Qinglan Sect's higher-ups, laying the foundation for later access to core cultivation methods.

The afternoon cultivation test was held at the training ground outside the town.

The test was simple: one only needed to endure for the time it takes an incense stick to burn on a stone platform inscribed with a gravity array.

The stone platform had ten steps. The first step had twice the normal gravity, and each subsequent step doubled the gravity.

"Those who can endure on the fifth step for the time it takes an incense stick to burn can become outer disciples. The seventh step, inner disciples. If one can step onto the ninth step..."

The elder in charge of the test did not continue, but everyone knew that it meant becoming a core disciple directly, personally taught by the Sect Master or an elder.

"Lin Hao, fifth step, qualified!"

"Lin Feng, fourth step, eliminated!"

"Li Hu, sixth step, inner disciple candidate!"

When it was White Night's turn, he stepped onto the stone platform.

From the first step to the seventh, he walked calmly, as if the gravity array beneath his feet did not exist.

When he stepped onto the eighth step, the surrounding cultivators gasped in surprise. The gravity on the eighth step was 256 times normal, which would cause even late Golden Core cultivators to feel their blood surge.

"This... how is this possible?" Lin Hao's mouth hung open. He couldn't hold on at the fifth step, yet White Night was strolling leisurely on the eighth step.

White Night did not stop and continued to move towards the ninth step.

Just as his foot was about to land on the step, a low shout came from the viewing platform on the east side of the training ground: "No need to test anymore!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice, only to see an old man in purple robes slowly approaching. The jade pendant at his waist was carved with three cloud patterns, clearly indicating he was a core elder of the Qinglan Sect.

The old man scrutinized White Night, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes: "I am Qiu Xuan, the Law Enforcement Elder of the Qinglan Sect. Are you willing to become my disciple?"

The entire audience was in an uproar.

A core elder personally taking on a disciple—this was an honor rarely seen in a hundred years!

White Night's heart stirred. The Heavenly Heart Imprint allowed him to detect the hidden Wind Law within the elder's body. The other party was actually a Soul Transformation stage cultivator, and his comprehension of the Great Dao of Wind had reached an extremely high level.

He cupped his hands and said, "This junior is willing to join the Qinglan Sect, but I seek to learn advanced cultivation methods."

Qiu Xuan stroked his beard and laughed heartily: "Good! Ambitious! Come with me, I'll take you to complete the admission procedures now."

Under countless envious gazes, White Night followed Qiu Xuan and left the training ground...