Selection Begins

"Waiter, order!"

At high noon, Bai Yixin emerged from his guest room to have lunch.

"Coming, coming! What would you like to eat, sir?" The shop assistant hurried over at the sound, his back hunched and waist bent, his face wearing a respectful expression.

"Just bring me all your signature dishes," Bai Yixin said casually, his attention already snagged by the conversation of nearby patrons.

"Right away!" The waiter sized up Bai Yixin's attire—luxurious and of superior quality—and, judging the youth to be a man of means, replied with delight.

"Is it for real? He's actually going to appear? I'm really looking forward to it. I truly hope to see him at the Heaven-Mending Pavilion or the Deer-Chasing Academy to see just how extraordinary he really is."

"He shattered the passage of the Void God Realm, broke a record held by the Double-Pupil, and even destroyed the record monument. You ask how extraordinary he is?"

"His combat power is truly absurd; it's frighteningly high."

Listening to the chatter, Bai Yixin grew interested. Good heavens, the Bear Child—could they be talking about Little One?

"Waiter, is it true that the Bear Child is going to appear?" Bai Yixin asked the waiter as he brought the food.

"The news should be true. Recently, with the Heaven-Mending Pavilion and the Deer-Chasing Academy opening their doors for disciples, the Bear Child declared he would go to seek knowledge. Many people heard this and have specifically rushed to the Heaven-Mending Pavilion and the Deer-Chasing Academy, wanting to catch a glimpse of that Bear Child," the waiter replied.

How interesting. I think I'll go join in the fun, Bai Yixin thought.

He had originally planned to return to Stone Village first to let them know he was safe and sound.

But since he heard that Little One was heading to the Heaven-Mending Pavilion, he might as well go there to seek knowledge himself.

Regardless of whether it was the Heaven-Mending Pavilion or the Deer-Chasing Academy, it made no difference to Bai Yixin; what he cared about was finding someone to take him to the Hundred-Broken Mountain Range.

He could go to the Hundred-Broken Mountain Range on his own, but since he had heard news of Little One, meeting him and picking up a few things at the Heaven-Mending Pavilion along the way wouldn't hurt.

The mountains rose and fell, covered in ancient trees and wreathed in mist. The closer one got to the Heaven-Mending Pavilion, the more spiritual and beautiful the landscape became. The mountains were not steep, but rather draped in clouds and rosy light, with various auspicious beasts roaming about.

On the way to the Heaven-Mending Pavilion, he saw many lakes, clear and limpid, with spiritual fish swimming within, their scales flashing with brilliant patterns, making the water shimmer with vitality.

"What a wonderful place. This seems to be just the outer perimeter of the Heaven-Mending Pavilion, yet the spiritual energy is already so dense. It's perfect for cultivation."

Bai Yixin sighed with emotion. Cultivating in a Cave Heaven Blessed Land would significantly speed up his progress. It seemed he had come to the right place.

The number of people on the road increased. A wide path cut through the mountain range; by this point, the various vicious beasts were nowhere to be seen, making it much safer, with only auspicious birds and beasts in sight.

After traveling another hundred miles, a giant monument stood ahead, inscribed with three large characters: Heaven-Mending Pavilion.

The brushwork was vigorous and powerful, and a vast, grand aura surged toward him, as if a giant spirit stood there, looking down upon the crowd.

Only upon reaching this point could one say they were near the Heaven-Mending Pavilion, but according to others, this still wasn't the main gate; it was still the outer region.

"I wonder where Little One is. There are just too many people here."

Upon arriving at the recruitment site of the Heaven-Mending Pavilion, Bai Yixin looked at the sea of people filling the mountain grounds—there had to be hundreds of thousands of them.

Someone nearby said, "You don't even have to think about it. Who wouldn't want to enter the Heaven-Mending Pavilion? This is a pure land from the ancient times; even some large tribes will do anything to secure a spot."

"That's true." Bai Yixin nodded and fell silent, waiting for the selection to begin.

It didn't take long—only about an hour—before a group of people arrived rapidly from the distant mountain gate. Some stood on beast bones, others sat cross-legged on strange stones, all covered in dense runes and hovering several yards above the ground.

Ah... why does this feel so low-key? Bai Yixin smacked his lips. Not a single one was riding a sword.

The people from the Heaven-Mending Pavilion emerged and said nothing, leading the crowd toward the direction of the true mountain gate.

They arrived before a massive gate where two stone mountains stood side by side, forming a natural portal. It was towering and majestic, shrouded in hazy, auspicious energy.

"Many people come here every year, but few are able to enter. I hope that this year, more people will be able to cross this threshold," an old man with the air of an immortal spoke, sitting cross-legged on a large blue stone before the gate, looking at everyone.

"Boom!" Suddenly, a giant bird appeared in the distance, its wings spanning the sky and blotting out the sun. It flew over like a dark cloud, emitting a terrifying aura that made people tremble; many nearly collapsed to the ground.

"This is a Primordial Remnant! What kind of family would use such a creature to deliver their offspring?" The crowd was shocked.

The giant bird was terrifying and immense, casting a vast shadow over the ground that made it hard to breathe. Vaguely, one could see several old men and a few youths standing upon it. The people were astonished; it was indeed there to deliver offspring.

"This is the mount of the Martial King. I think... that god-like youth has arrived!"

"Who?"

"Shi Yi!"

Someone recognized the origin of the giant bird. It belonged to the prestigious Martial King Manor and was a true Primordial Remnant. It had been residing in the mountain range reserved for VIPs for the past few days and had only officially appeared today.

"Let them pass!" the old man sitting before the gate commanded, allowing the terrifying Primordial Remnant to charge inside without obstruction.

Shi Yi, heh, how impressive! A divine light flickered in Bai Yixin's eyes. So what if you have the Double-Pupil? You, too, will fall at my feet!

Regardless of the waves caused by Shi Yi's appearance, even if the Human Emperor's Daughter had come to the Heaven-Mending Pavilion to seek knowledge, it had nothing to do with Bai Yixin. With time for gossip, he would rather spend it gaining a deeper understanding of the mysteries of runes.

"The trial begins!"

The experts who had led them there divided the hundreds of thousands of people into eight groups and brought them to a primitive battlefield.

This was the western side of the Heaven-Mending Pavilion, once an ancient battlefield, vast and boundless. Now, it had long since become a desolate wilderness devoid of human life.

This was the testing ground for this year's entrance selection, and any danger within had long been controlled by the Heaven-Mending Pavilion.

"This battlefield is divided into eight regions. We have already laid down runes to ensure that no vicious beasts can break in."

The people from the Heaven-Mending Pavilion explained the rules. They did not need the crowd to fight the vicious beasts; that would inevitably lead to casualties, and such a selection would be too bloody.

These children only needed to be able to pass through those runic regions.

"If anyone is strong enough to pierce through the rune formation domain, they may enter the second-layer battlefield. There will be surprises, but there are many vicious beasts there, and it is extremely dangerous. How you choose, please decide with caution."

The people from the Heaven-Mending Pavilion spoke, but they did not offer further explanation. However, it was enough for people to understand that the rune formation domain was for selecting ordinary disciples, while the second-layer battlefield was the trial ground for geniuses.

"Alright, enter the formation domain!"

An order was issued, and the eight groups headed toward their respective areas in a vast, surging tide. There was no need to worry about the space being insufficient; this place was truly vast.

Bai Yixin was assigned to the third zone.

The so-called rune formation domain was simply layer upon layer of runes. If you wanted to advance, countless runes would emerge and rush toward you. You either had to rely on your own level of rune mastery to break them step by step, or use brute force to shatter all techniques!

Bai Yixin naturally chose the latter. The difficulty of these runes was generally low, and he had already studied them thoroughly in the past; wasting time on them held no meaning for him.

But for the many other children, it was extremely difficult. Quite a few were exhausted after taking only a few steps, sweat pouring down like rain, as if they were on the verge of collapse.

Bai Yixin flicked his hand casually, and the runes rushing toward him instantly disintegrated without a trace. He leaped and sprinted forward, charging through the path like an unstoppable armored vehicle.

"Hm? There seems to be something here."

While sprinting along, as he passed a low, rocky hill only a few dozen meters high, Bai Yixin sensed something and came to a halt.

"Could it be the materials used to set up the formation domain? They should be quite valuable."

After a moment's thought, Bai Yixin acted decisively. With a sonic boom like the ringing of a sword and dust billowing into the sky, the low rocky hill was forcibly blasted apart by Bai Yixin.

Seeing a crystalline precious bone fall from within, Bai Yixin's eyes lit up, and a strange idea began to stir.

"As the saying goes, since I'm already here, it's impossible to leave empty-handed, right? Taking some local specialties home with me shouldn't be too much to ask."