The Selection Begins

"Waiter, I'm ready to order!"

It was noon. Bai Yixin left his guest room and went downstairs for lunch.

"Coming right up! What would you like, sir?" Hearing him, a shop boy hurried over, stooping and bowing with a deferential expression.

"Bring me all your specialties." Bai Yixin had been drawn in by the conversation nearby and answered casually.

"Right away!" The shop boy sized up Bai Yixin's clothes. They looked rather luxurious and were clearly high quality. Judging that the young man could afford a lavish meal, he replied happily.

"Is it true? He's actually going to show up. I'm really looking forward to it. I hope to see him at the Heaven-Mending Pavilion or Deer-Chasing Academy and find out just how extraordinary he really is."

"He shattered the passage in the Void God Realm, broke one of the Double-Pupil's records, and even destroyed the Record Stele. How extraordinary do you think he is?"

"His battle prowess really is outrageous. It's almost frighteningly high."

Listening to the conversation around him, Bai Yixin grew intrigued. Well, would you look at that. Bear Child... They can't be talking about Little One, can they?

"Waiter, is it true that the Bear Child they're talking about is going to show up?" Bai Yixin asked the shop boy as he brought over the dishes.

"The news should be true. It's time for the Heaven-Mending Pavilion and Deer-Chasing Academy to recruit disciples, and the Bear Child declared that he'd go study at one of them. A lot of people heard about it and made a special trip to the Heaven-Mending Pavilion and Deer-Chasing Academy, hoping to see that Bear Child for themselves," the shop boy replied.

This should be fun. I'll go join in, too, Bai Yixin thought.

He'd originally planned to return to Stone Village first and let everyone know he was safe and sound.

But since he'd heard that Little One was going to the Heaven-Mending Pavilion, he might as well go there and study, too.

He didn't really care whether it was the Heaven-Mending Pavilion or Deer-Chasing Academy. What mattered to him was finding someone to take him to the Hundred-Broken Mountain Range.

He could go to the Hundred-Broken Mountain Range on his own, of course. But since he'd heard news of Little One, he might as well go see him and learn a few things at the Heaven-Mending Pavilion while he was there.

The mountains rose and fell beneath a haze of mist, ancient trees covering the land. The closer they got to the Heaven-Mending Pavilion, the more enchanting the scenery became. The mountains weren't steep, and clouds and rosy light swirled around them as auspicious beasts roamed the slopes.

On the way to the Heaven-Mending Pavilion, he saw many lakes as well. Their clear waters shimmered, schools of spirit fish darting through them with dazzling patterns on their scales. Ripples glinted across the surface, filling the lakes with life.

"What a beautiful place. This still seems to be the outskirts of the Heaven-Mending Pavilion, yet the Spiritual Energy is already so abundant. It's perfect for cultivation."

Bai Yixin sighed with admiration. Cultivating in a Cave Heaven Blessed Land could greatly accelerate his progress. It looked like he'd made the right choice.

More and more people appeared along the road. A broad path wound through the mountains, and by this point, they no longer saw any vicious beasts. It was much safer here; all they encountered were spirit birds and auspicious beasts.

After traveling more than a hundred li, they reached a huge stone stele standing before them. Three large characters were carved into it: Heaven-Mending Pavilion.

The strokes were powerful and vigorous. A boundless, imposing aura seemed to surge from the stele, as if a giant spirit stood there, looking down on them all.

They were finally near the Heaven-Mending Pavilion, but according to what people said, this still wasn't the mountain gate. They were still in the outer region.

"I wonder where Little One is. There are so many people here!"

When Bai Yixin arrived at the Pavilion's admissions site, he saw a vast sea of people packed across the mountainside. There had to be hundreds of thousands of them.

Someone nearby said, "Think about it. Who wouldn't want to join the Heaven-Mending Pavilion? It's an ancient Pure Land. Some of the great tribes would do whatever it takes to secure a spot."

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

He didn't have to wait long—only about half an hour. A group came hurrying from the distant mountain gate, some standing atop beast bones and others sitting on strange stones. Runes covered them all, and they floated several feet above the ground.

"Huh... Why does this feel so unimpressive?" Bai Yixin clicked his tongue. Not a single one of them was riding a sword.

The Heaven-Mending Pavilion's people came out without saying much and led everyone toward the true mountain gate.

They reached a massive gate formed by two towering stone mountains standing side by side. It was majestic and imposing, shrouded in a faint glow of auspicious light.

"Every year, many people come here, but only a handful make it inside. I hope more of you will pass through this gate this year." An old man with an otherworldly air spoke as he sat cross-legged on a large blue-gray stone before the gate, gazing at the crowd.

With a rumble, a giant bird suddenly appeared in the distance. It spread its wings across the sky, blotting out the sun as it flew toward them like a dark cloud. Its aura was terrifying, making people tremble; many nearly collapsed to the ground.

"That's a Primordial Remnant! What sort of family would send their children here on a creature like that?" The crowd was stunned.

The giant bird was terrifyingly huge, casting a vast shadow over the ground and making people feel as though they could barely breathe. A few old men and several youths could just be made out standing on its back. The crowd was astonished. It really had come to deliver their descendants.

"That's the Martial King's mount. I think... that godlike young man has arrived!"

"Who?"

"Shi Yi!"

Someone recognized the giant bird. It belonged to the mighty Martial King Manor and was a true Primordial Remnant. It had been staying in the mountain range where the honored guests lodged for the past few days, and today was the first time it had appeared in public.

"Let them through!" said the old man sitting before the mountain gate. He let the terrifying Primordial Remnant fly in without allowing anyone to stop it.

"Shi Yi. Heh, what a grand entrance!" Divine light flickered in Bai Yixin's eyes. So what if you have Double Pupil? You'll still end up at my feet!

Whatever commotion Shi Yi's appearance caused, or whether the Human Emperor's Daughter had come to study at the Heaven-Mending Pavilion, none of it had anything to do with Bai Yixin. Rather than waste time gossiping, he'd be better off spending it pondering the mysteries of Runes.

"The trial begins!"

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

It lay west of the Heaven-Mending Pavilion. Once, it had been a vast ancient battlefield that stretched far and wide. Now it had long since become a desolate wilderness, devoid of people.

This was the site of the entrance selection. The Heaven-Mending Pavilion had already taken control of every danger within it.

"This battlefield has been divided into eight regions. We've already laid down Runes to keep the vicious beasts from entering."

The Heaven-Mending Pavilion's people explained the rules. The candidates wouldn't have to fight the vicious beasts, since that would inevitably lead to casualties and make the selection far too bloody.

The children only had to make it through the Rune-filled regions.

"If anyone is strong enough to break through the Rune formation, they can enter the second battlefield. There will be surprises there, but it's also home to many fierce beasts and is extremely dangerous. Think carefully before deciding whether to go."

The Heaven-Mending Pavilion's people didn't elaborate, but their meaning was clear enough: the Rune formations were where ordinary disciples would be selected, while the second battlefield was a trial ground for geniuses.

"Now, enter the formations!"

At the command, the eight groups set off in a grand procession toward their respective regions. There was no need to worry about the place being too crowded. This land was truly vast.

Bai Yixin was assigned to the third region.

The so-called Rune formations consisted of layer upon layer of Runes. Whenever you tried to advance, countless Runes would surge toward you. You could either rely on your knowledge of Runes to unravel them step by step, or break through with brute force.

Bai Yixin naturally chose the latter. The Rune formations here weren't particularly difficult; he'd studied this sort of thing thoroughly long ago. Wasting time on them held no meaning for him.

But for the many other children, it was incredibly difficult. Quite a few had barely taken a few steps before they were completely exhausted, drenched in sweat and on the verge of collapse.

Bai Yixin casually swept his hand. The Runes rushing toward him crumbled into nothing. He sprang forward and charged ahead, like an unstoppable armored vehicle.

"Hmm? It looks like there's something here."

He raced along, but when he passed a low stone hill only a few dozen meters high, Bai Yixin sensed something and stopped.

"Could it be material used to set up the formations? It must be worth a lot."

He thought it over, then struck without hesitation. A swordlike boom split the air, dust billowed into the sky, and the low stone hill was blown to pieces by Bai Yixin.

His eyes lit up when he saw a glistening Treasure Bone tumble from the rubble. A mischievous idea began to stir.

"Since I'm already here, I can't very well leave empty-handed, can I? I'll just take home a few local specialties. That's not unreasonable, right?"