Lin Yi immediately checked the list of communication marks.
Sure enough, a new communication mark had appeared on the list, labeled "Ninth Senior Brother" and glowing with a purple light.
The application he had submitted more than forty years ago had been approved.
"A purple mark. As expected, he's a World-Deriving Rank powerhouse."
Lin Yi understood. He now had a much clearer sense of the level of Master Xu Chen's disciples.
Before he could think further, Xuanji spoke again.
"Received a coordinate invitation."
Lin Yi accepted without hesitation.
In an instant, the virtual space shifted, and the scene before him changed completely.
There was no lavish decoration here, only a metal platform that seemed to have weathered the fires of war. Beyond it stretched a profound cosmos, dotted with shattered stars and slowly swirling nebular dust.
An aura of desolation and solitude washed over him.
A figure stood with his back to Lin Yi, gazing into the distance from beside the railing.
The man wore a simple black robe. He was tall and straight, his black hair falling loosely around him. Even from behind, he seemed to merge with the ruins of the starry sky, serene and boundless.
As if sensing Lin Yi's arrival, the man slowly turned around.
His face looked quite young, even sunny and handsome, but his eyes were like ancient wells, deepened by billions of years. Their depths were impossible to fathom, and scenes of stars being born and dying seemed to swirl within them.
"Little Junior Brother?"
With a warm, slightly curious smile, he said, "I'm your Ninth Senior Brother, Cang Ming."
"Lin Yi pays his respects to Senior Brother Cang Ming."
Lin Yi bowed respectfully.
Basic courtesy was essential when meeting a World-Deriving Rank senior brother.
Cang Ming nodded slightly in return.
He looked