The Initial Realm Holy Land, despite its name, is actually the most difficult region to tread in the entire Spirit Firmament Great Realm.
It stands on the other side of the Death Abyss, eternally silent, far from all sects and realms. For countless eons, only Realm Lord Realm lords could cross this place—not because the terrain was difficult to traverse, but because the things lurking in the abyss had long surpassed the limits of living beings' cognition.
Ling Jingxi did not immediately accompany Qin Yu before he stepped into the holy land's barrier.
She turned around and looked at him standing before the gate of light woven from ancient soul patterns, a moment of profound meaning appearing in his eyes.
--She is one of the three rulers of the Heavenly Cosmos Auction House, Realm Lord Realm Fifth Stage Perfection, controlling the flow of billions of Realm Spirit. Her status and position are so high that countless world races look up to her.
She is qualified to select the most outstanding initial cultivators in the entire Spirit Firmament Great Realm. Even the Thousand Realms Sect, the Silent Abyss God Clan, and the Blood Ring Ancient Court are willing to send their own geniuses, just to gamble on that sliver of opportunity.
However, she chose a "remnant of the outside world".
"... The aura emanating from you does not belong to Spirit Firmament."
She didn't say anything, but only glanced at the strange phenomenon that made even the space around them freeze when the blue mark appeared on the back of Qin Yu's hand.
Azure Ring.
Even she could not perceive its origin, its name, or its principle.
All she knew was that this boy would change something.
He was the "key" to her all-or-nothing gamble this time.
And it was because of him that the gate to the Initial Realm Holy Land was truly opened.
As the portal opened, the heavens and earth trembled, and the "Holy Land Domain," which had been sealed off between time and space and the Soul Realm, quietly emerged.
Immediately following, nine spatial ripples tore out from the other side of the abyss, revealing the figures of several powerful beings at the Realm Lord Realm level, clad in cyan robes and wielding cracked Realm Seals.
They stood in the void, some emaciated, some proudly upright, some surrounded by soul flames, each with an aura far exceeding the extreme suppression of a thousand essences and ten thousand souls.
They didn't speak, they didn't exchange a word.
In silence, they slowly raised their hands, each summoning a young cultivator and sending them into the gates of the holy land.
--Initial Yuan Realm.
This is the only place here that is allowed to be entered.
Although the Realm Master can cross the abyss, he can never enter the formation.
The principles underlying that formation do not belong to "above the rules," but rather to "Dimensional Code."
Those who surpass the Initial Yuan Realm Fifth Stage Perfection will face the calamity of soul annihilation and physical collapse once they step into it.
This is the real reason why these Realm Lord Realm would rather secretly help than get involved directly.
Within the short time it takes for an incense stick to burn, ten figures had arrived at the holy land, all of them at the Initial Origin Realm.
Some possess extraordinary talent, carrying dragon bone swords on their backs; others have eyes like golden light, claiming to be descendants favored by the gods; still others proceed with extreme caution, wielding the Compass of Ten Thousand Souls, clearly harboring a long-standing scheme.
They all came for the "Realm Evolution Soul Flower".
It was a soul flower that existed during the origin of the Spirit Firmament, and legend has it that it could guide the "Perfect Realm Master" to the "Ascension of the True Lord" realm.
This flower cannot be transplanted, refined, or divided; it can only be "brought together in this world by fate."
Each time the sacred site opens, only one plant grows.
Therefore, once the Holy Land opens, the Ten Realms will inevitably vie for its life.
The moment Qin Yu stepped into the sacred land, he felt the world change drastically.
It wasn't the familiar flow of Spiritual Qi; it felt as if I had entered a completely independent cosmic dimension.
Above, a dome of light intertwined with azure light and Boundless Realm starlight descended from the sky, each ray slicing through space like a sword's edge.
Beneath their feet lay a world of floating island fragments, clear as a mirror. Each piece of land was suspended in the void, yet each formed its own cycle, like stars orbiting the ancient heavens.
Tens of thousands of glowing feathers floated in the air, each feather possessing its own independent energy, like fragments of light leaping about, silent yet seemingly telling a story.
He walked past an ancient tree, its entire body a crystal blue, its roots rippling through dimensional ripples, and heard a thumping sound from within, like a heartbeat.
Where his gaze fell, there was a spiritual river formed by dozens of light bands converging. Swimming in the river were transparent "Spirit Pattern Fish" whose bones could not be seen, and ancient soul incantations appeared on the bodies of each fish.
This is not "natural".
This is an existence personally "constructed" by the Lord of Rules.
"This... is this a holy site?"
Qin Yu murmured softly, and the Azure Ring behind him suddenly trembled slightly.
It seemed like a response, yet also like a warning.
He subconsciously sat cross-legged on a floating rock platform, closing his eyes to feel it.
Deep within the sea of consciousness, the originally quiet Azure Ring suddenly released an extremely faint arc of azure light.
At that very moment, the entire holy land seemed to fall into a brief silence.
[--Dimensional sensing triggered.]
[--The first move of the Azure Ring, "Spirit Edge Piercing the Realm," automatically reflects the core network of the sacred land.]
Qin Yu slowly opened his eyes, and he suddenly "saw" something that others couldn't:
The changing patterns in the sky, the flow of energy in the rivers, the soul seed nurtured within the spirit tree...
At that moment, he felt a certain "resonance" with the holy site.
Unbeknownst to him, outside the sacred ground, Ling Jingxi gazed in the direction of the trembling azure light, a complex glint flashing in her eyes:
"... I definitely made the right choice."