The terrain undulated with ancient trees dotting the landscape and mist curling through the air. As they drew closer to the Heavenly Restoration Pavilion (补天阁), the spiritual energy grew more pronounced. The mountains became less rugged, with clouds and mist creating a picturesque scene. Various auspicious beasts roamed freely.
Along the way, they passed numerous clear, pristine lakes, teeming with spiritual fish that shimmered with vibrant patterns, making the lake surfaces sparkle with life.
"This is truly a marvelous place," someone exclaimed. "Even in the outer regions of the Heavenly Restoration Pavilion, the spiritual energy is so dense. It’s an ideal place for cultivation."
"Indeed, it’s no wonder they’ve managed to preserve their ancient heritage until now. From the look of this spiritual land alone, it’s bound to thrive and prosper."
As they proceeded, the number of people increased significantly. A broad path cut through the mountains, and by this point, the area was free of dangerous beasts and much safer, with only spiritual birds and auspicious beasts in sight.
After traveling for more than a hundred miles, a massive stone tablet appeared ahead, engraved with the characters: "Heavenly Restoration Pavilion."
The calligraphy was powerful and grand, with a vast and majestic aura seeming to emanate from it, as if a giant spirit stood there, surveying all who approached.
They had arrived near the Heavenly Restoration Pavilion, but this was not yet the main entrance; they were still in the outer area.
"So many people!" Qingfeng exclaimed, seeing that tens of thousands had already gathered, filling the area around the mountain.
"How can there be so many people?" others were equally surprised.
Someone nearby explained, "Have you not considered that everyone wants to join the Heavenly Restoration Pavilion? This is an ancient sacred land, and some of the larger tribes are doing everything they can to secure a spot."
The tens of thousands had arrived days in advance, with the area around the stele packed tightly, and even the nearby low mountains were covered with animal skins where people were seated.
"The land is vast and the journey is long, with the Great Wilderness stretching for tens of thousands of miles. Many simply cannot make the trip. Otherwise, there would be even more people," an elder sighed.
He spoke the truth; small tribes could hardly travel a few thousand miles, and even with the full strength of their people, it was difficult to reach here.
To ensure they selected true talents, the Heavenly Restoration Pavilion sent out envoys every year to traverse the Great Wilderness, visiting major tribes to personally select promising children, with the Pavilion taking responsibility for their escort.
The tens of thousands ahead were escorted by large tribes or super clans. Only those with sufficient strength could cross the vast distances, bringing their people here.
In essence, these tens of thousands were very region-specific, organized by tribes. A large tribe would select a group of children and gather them here.
"This isn’t even the most crowded. When the actual selection begins in a few days, there will be even more people," a fifteen or sixteen-year-old youth lamented. This was his third time coming with his tribe, having failed the previous two attempts.
"Look, many unfamiliar people are searching for something. They might be here for you," Qingfeng said quietly.
"Yes," Little One nodded.
The news of Little One coming to the Heavenly Restoration Pavilion had spread throughout the Divine Realm months ago. Many major powers and nobles had sent warriors to wait here.
Not far away, a group of people in black armor, their eyes sharp and movements commanding, scanned the crowd. They were clearly from a well-disciplined military unit, inspecting the masses.
Unfortunately, there were too many people. With tens of thousands present, it was difficult for them to identify anyone.
Nearby, a group of figures with pristine white divine feathers hovered above, with several women standing on them, their eyes also scanning the crowd.
Such groups were numerous. Little One spotted dozens to hundreds of such parties nearby, not counting those further away.
Just this contingent of scouts numbered in the thousands, with major powers mobilizing extensively.
"Little Ball, stop pretending to be dead and wake up," Little One said, pulling the little monkey who had been yawning on his shoulder.
It was round and originally golden, but now it was as dirty as Little One and covered in blackened fur from beast blood and other stains.
"Change into a plain appearance, and make sure no one recognizes you," Little One advised. This was not an ordinary place, and if someone recognized him with a golden Zhu Yan (a mythical beast), it would cause serious trouble.
Little Ball grumbled in dissatisfaction, its fur instantly turning gray and its big eyes losing their sparkle, appearing somewhat dazed, before settling back on his shoulder to sleep.
Meanwhile, Little One was also changing his appearance slowly, his face becoming rounder and eventually resembling a big, cute apple, though his large eyes were squished smaller due to the puffiness of his face.
"Wow, this really works," Qingfeng marveled, then smiled. Although Little One’s appearance wasn’t as handsome as before, he looked so cute now that Qingfeng wanted to pinch his cheeks.
This was the only small magical skill Little One had learned from Little Ball, a form of shape-shifting that could alter one’s appearance and bone structure in an incredibly wondrous way.
The Zhu Yan, a type of ancient divine ape, was said to know seventy-two transformations, a legendary skill that once dominated the ancient world.
Unfortunately, Little Ball’s internal runes were shattered, and its marks destroyed. Only this minor transformation skill remained, with the seventy-two transformations now lost and unrecoverable.
Just like the three-headed, six-armed divine abilities, these two great divine skills were no longer visible, which was a regret for Little One. He had studied Little Ball for a long time with no success.
"Qingfeng, you can go straight through the mountain gate with that token. You won’t have to take the test and will become one of the Pavilion’s most valued disciples directly."
"But I…" Qingfeng lowered his head, feeling embarrassed to receive the token that Little One had obtained. He had repeatedly expressed his desire to face the trials himself, but Little One had refused.
"Let’s not be so formal between us; we’re good brothers," Little One urged.
"Are you planning to leave, Little One?" Qingfeng asked anxiously.
"Don’t worry, I’m not leaving. Now that we’ve reached such an ancient sacred land, I have to learn something; I can’t come to a treasure mountain and return empty-handed."
"I’ll stay with you for a few more days until you take the trials," Qingfeng said, worried that Little One might leave.
"Someone has entered with a token," someone nearby exclaimed, causing a stir. Everyone looked on with envy, their eyes reddening.
"This is the fifteenth one. In the past few days, more than ten children have entered with tokens."
Little One and Qingfeng were surprised and watched from the side.
"This isn’t the most glorious thing. Have you seen those palaces in the distance? They house some extraordinary figures. Special children they’ve brought won’t need a token to enter the highest halls for training."
Someone pointed forward, where elegant palaces stood on the beautiful peaks, with distinguished guests residing there and their auspicious beasts resting on the mountains.
The crowd was awe-struck. There were people from the Western Heaven, the daughter of an exalted Emperor, descendants of ancient species, visitors from other domains, and mysterious and powerful figures like Shi Yi.
Days passed, and the crucial day finally arrived. The Heavenly Restoration Pavilion would start the trials to select this year’s new disciples.
Indeed, the number of people surged greatly, reaching up to eighty thousand. The area around the Heavenly Restoration Pavilion was densely packed, with everyone waiting in the outer regions.
Finally, a group of people approached rapidly from the distant mountain gate, some standing on beast bones or sitting on peculiar stones covered in runes, elevated several yards above the ground, observing the crowd. Important figures from the Heavenly Restoration Pavilion had arrived. They spoke no extra words, simply leading everyone towards the true mountain gate.
Along the way, the mountains sprawled like coiled dragons, imposing and majestic. Occasionally, one could see ancient medicinal herbs growing from cliff faces and crevices, though none were being harvested.
Here, people were amazed by the ancient sacred land’s profound heritage.
"Look, a rare Dogleaf Vine. It’s said to be nearly extinct, and this one has been growing for at least several hundred years," someone pointed out.
On a low mountain, a vine with entirely black, peculiar leaves stretched out, its growth robust. The leaves, resembling black jade, were strangely shaped like a black dog. Though not very thick—only as thick as a wrist and a few meters long—it was quite striking.
"Don’t get any ideas. The Heavenly Restoration Pavilion is well aware of these ancient herbs. They will keep them until they become true spiritual medicines, even if it takes a thousand years, preserving them for future generations," someone reminded.
Along the path, people saw many rare and precious ancient herbs, which, if they were outside, would have been harvested long ago. Here, they were kept in the mountains, untouched by anyone.
“There’s a spiritual herb over there,” someone exclaimed.
Beside a stone forest, there was a cold spring emitting streaks of purple qi, chilling even from afar. Next to the spring, a single herb grew, with only four leaves, all purple and shimmering with a faint precious glow. Each leaf was adorned with starry patterns, exceedingly beautiful.
"This is Stargrass, already with four leaves. It’s indeed a spiritual herb, extremely rare. This is a genuine spiritual plant," they marveled.
People were once again impressed by the Heavenly Restoration Pavilion’s resources. Even in this outer region, such rare spiritual herbs were cultivated, not fearing theft.
"Little Brother, the spiritual herbs we collected seem insignificant compared to this one," Qingfeng said softly, filled with astonishment.
Little One nodded. They had traversed hundreds of thousands of miles of wilderness, facing numerous dangers and collecting dozens of precious herbs. However, only three or four could truly be considered spiritual herbs, which he and Qingfeng had already consumed.
In fact, Qingfeng’s rapid breakthrough to the mid-stage of the Blood Transfer Realm was closely related to those two or three genuine spiritual herbs.
“Let’s study this later and see if we can have Little Ball do some work—help the Pavilion’s medicinal fields by catching pests and weeding, and maybe collect some herbs,” Little One suggested.
Qingfeng was startled and quickly fell silent, no longer daring to mention it.
Finally, they arrived at a massive mountain gate. Two towering stone peaks flanked the entrance, forming a natural gateway, majestic and imposing, shrouded in a mist of auspicious qi.
"Every year, many people come here, but only a few can enter. I hope this year more will make it through this gate," an elderly man with a celestial demeanor said, seated on a large green stone in front of the gate, gazing at the crowd.
“Qingfeng, go ahead,” Little One urged.
“Alright,” Qingfeng said, and with the token in hand, walked towards the mountain gate.
"Ah, another prodigy. This should be the sixteenth token," the crowd exclaimed, their envy palpable.
With a thunderous roar, a giant bird appeared in the distance, its wings spread wide, blocking out the sun. It came flying like a dark cloud, emitting a terrifying aura that made many shiver, almost causing some to collapse.
"This is an ancient beast. What kind of family would use such a creature to escort their progeny?" the crowd marveled.
The giant bird was incredibly fearsome, immense in size, casting a vast shadow on the ground that made it difficult to breathe. On it, several elders and a few youths were visible.
People were astonished—it was indeed here to escort their progeny.
"This is the mount of the Martial King. I think that divine-like youth has arrived," someone said.
"Who?"
"Shi Yi."
Someone recognized the giant bird as belonging to the prestigious Martial King’s estate, an actual ancient species. It had been residing in the guest mountains for the past few days and had only now officially appeared.
"Let them through," the elderly man seated in front of the mountain gate commanded, allowing the terrifying ancient beast to pass without obstruction.
"It’s true; Shi Yi is joining the Heavenly Restoration Pavilion. His sole purpose must be to compete with the ancient saints," people were shocked, finally convinced.
This news was confirmed and was truly sensational.
In comparison, Qingfeng entering the mountain gate with a token seemed insignificant and was overshadowed.
Chapter One ends here. I will work hard today and will definitely have at least three chapters. Please support me with your votes. I’m slow at typing but will update frequently. Your support is my motivation.
To be continued:
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