Chapter 485: Selected One

A month passed quickly.

Reverend Qingping, who had been sitting cross-legged halfway up Gathered Immortals Peak, was roused by an alarm. After a long, deep breath, he slowly opened his eyes. A clear, lustrous aura of immortal energy swirled around his seven orifices, then vanished into his nose and mouth as he completed his Yuqing Scripture cultivation.

Feeling the bottleneck of the third stage of the Nascent Soul realm loosening, Reverend Qingping couldn't help but smile.

It truly was a sixth-tier spirit vein. He had originally thought it would take at least a dozen years to advance, but at this rate, he estimated he could save half that time. If it weren't for the final step of opening the Golden Core Domain, which still required his assistance, Reverend Qingping would have been content to remain seated halfway up Gathered Immortals Peak.

As he rose to descend the mountain, Reverend Qingping glanced up at the peak. The core of the Realm Gate was up there. He hoped it would only need to be activated once.

With these thoughts, Reverend Qingping arrived at the row of wooden houses at the foot of the mountain. The three Golden Core Perfected Lords stationed there came forward to greet him.

“How is it?”

“It's almost time. Everything is as usual.”

Good, no unexpected situations. Reverend Qingping nodded after hearing this, then checked his watch. There was exactly one minute left; his timing was impeccable.

“Alright, anyone who hasn't perceived the power of the void can come out now.”

As soon as the time was up, Chen Mobai, inside one of the wooden houses, heard Reverend Qingping's voice from outside. He felt his spiritual consciousness fully restored to its peak state and nodded.

Next, came the final and most crucial step.

***

“Sigh, what exactly is this power of the void?”

“I meditated for a month and just felt like I was staring into space.”

The Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer cultivators who emerged from the wooden houses began to converse in small groups. Many shook their heads and sighed, feeling unwilling to accept that they couldn't even pass the first stage. But the reality was before them, and no matter how reluctant they were, they had to accept it.

“I wrongly thought my talent was unparalleled, only lacking the resources of the Daoist Academy. This opening of the Realm Gate has dealt me a severe blow.”

A Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer cultivator from a prestigious academy, looking utterly disheartened, lowered his head and was about to turn and leave.

“Everyone, do not wander freely on Five Peaks Immortal Mountain. We will arrange your departure collectively once the results are out.” A Golden Core Perfected Lord from the Realm Gate Management Bureau saw this and immediately called out to him, then gathered everyone who had emerged from the wooden houses in front of him.

“Junior Brother Zuoqiu, did even you not perceive the power of the void?”

Among the queuing crowd, those from the Wuqi Daoist Academy naturally stood together. One of them, seeing Zuoqiu Shi, couldn't help but show a hint of surprise. It was well known that he had once been the academy's chief disciple, nominally the most talented and powerful person in the academy during that period.

“I barely perceived it on the fourteenth day, but in the end, I only managed to shatter six fragments. This score definitely isn't enough to open a Golden Core Domain.” Zuoqiu Shi sighed and shook his head, indicating that he had fallen too far behind in the first step, so he decided not to waste time and came out early.

“Junior Brother Chen, Junior Brother Zhongli, and Senior Sister Bian are all still inside. I wonder how many clusters of void power they've condensed.” The people from Wuqi Daoist Academy took stock and found that three people had not yet emerged from the wooden houses, prompting them to start discussing.

“Senior Sister Bian probably won't make it. As for Junior Brother Zhongli, there's a twenty to thirty percent chance. Junior Brother Chen...” Knowing the ins and outs, Zuoqiu Shi pondered for a moment before sharing his thoughts. Although he had been confident about Chen Mobai before, after personally experiencing the difficulty of perceiving and shattering the void, he no longer dared to guarantee anything.

“Junior Brother Chen has the potential for Spirit Transformation, so there should be a sixty to seventy percent chance, right?”

Everyone shared Zuoqiu Shi's sentiment. After experiencing it themselves, they all felt that opening a Golden Core Domain was simply too difficult. The first stage eliminated most of them. Only exceptional individuals like Zuoqiu Shi were able to enter the second stage of shattering the void. Fortunately, in the third stage, a Nascent Soul Reverend would intervene, and the Realm Gate, a supreme treasure, would take the lead. Otherwise, it would be impossible for Foundation Establishment cultivators to achieve this.

“Those remaining in the wooden houses, channel the void power you control into the Realm Gate. Those who meet the requirements for opening a domain will be selected by the Realm Gate.” At this moment, Reverend Qingping spoke again.

Everyone stopped talking and looked up at the silver gate in the sky, which had a spatial rift tearing open. They then saw wisps of silver light rising from the tops of the wooden houses, extending and disappearing into the darkness within the silver gate. Among these, many silver strands were only a finger's length, silently disappearing after entering the Realm Gate. Others were a meter long, or even two meters long. They resembled streaks of silver light flashing across the daytime sky, like a meteor shower, incredibly brilliant and beautiful.

Zuoqiu Shi also saw silver light illuminating inside his own wooden house. That was the void power he had shattered, but without his control, it transformed into a silver mist and vanished after being absorbed by the Realm Gate.

About a quarter of an hour later, most of the silver light beams had disappeared into the Realm Gate without causing any sound or fluctuation. The remaining seven or eight, however, formed complete threads, connecting the silver gate to the wooden houses, like kite strings.

“Wenren Xuewei, Taishi Shu, Chen Mobai, Reverend Ling, Zong Zi, Zhongli Tianyu, Tang Yinxia, Meng Shulong.” Soon, another Golden Core Perfected Lord, who had witnessed everyone entering the wooden houses, recited the names of those still persevering to Reverend Qingping.

“Excellent. The quality of this group is much better than the last time I opened the gate. Back then, only three people remained at this stage.” Reverend Qingping glanced at the remaining silver threads of light and nodded with satisfaction. This indicated that the future of the Immortal Sect was growing stronger, which greatly pleased him.

“I hope there's a second person, besides Wenren Xuewei, who can open a Golden Core Domain.” The Golden Core Perfected Lord who read out all the names was Xue Yuzhuo, director of the Realm Gate Management Bureau. He was almost always present when the Realm Gate opened, and he could tell at a glance that three of the silver threads were at their limit, about to snap and disappear.

“I think Taishi Shu will succeed, after all, she has mastered the Geomagnetic Force of the Six Imperial Scriptures.” Another deputy director of the Realm Gate Management Bureau, Chen Chaohua, spoke up. As a graduate of Kunpeng Daoist Academy, he naturally fully supported the younger generation.

“What about Chen Mobai from Wuqi Daoist Academy? Isn't he the one with the biggest reputation?” Reverend Qingping spoke, having heard of this individual with Spirit Transformation potential himself. Unfortunately, while there have been many astonishingly brilliant geniuses in the history of the Immortal Sect, only one in ten ultimately achieved Spirit Transformation and ascended to Dao. Furthermore, he was merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator, so the higher-ups maintained a wait-and-see attitude towards Chen Mobai. After all, by conventional standards, he still had to wait sixty years to form his Golden Core. Over such a long period, he might just become an ordinary person.

“That one is his. It actually looks no less impressive than Taishi Shu's.” Xue Yuzhuo pointed to Chen Mobai's wooden house, and after a careful observation, he couldn't help but marvel.

“Given his potential for Spirit Transformation, he must have shattered at least twenty void fragments, right?” Although spiritual consciousness strength varies from person to person, for Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer cultivators, even with significant differences in talent, the fluctuation is generally within a twofold range. The limit for such cultivators is to be able to shatter around twenty void fragments. After forming a Golden Core, spiritual consciousness increases four or fivefold due to the breakthrough in major realm, so Golden Core Perfected Lords can generally pass this stage.

Of course, there are very few exceptions who still fail to open a Golden Core Domain even after forming a Golden Core. These cases are due to insufficient innate spiritual consciousness strength or a physical constitution that repels void power. Conversely, those who pass this stage at the Foundation Establishment realm either have a physical constitution that is highly compatible with the void, being extremely rare Void Spirit Bodies, or possess exceptionally powerful spiritual consciousness, or specialize in cultivation techniques that target space. The most famous of these is the Six Imperial Scriptures.

“Only five people left.”

As they were talking, three of the eight silver light threads could no longer hold on and disconnected from the Realm Gate. Inside the wooden houses, Zong Zi, Tang Yinxia, and Meng Shulong sighed with dim expressions.

“I didn't expect Zhongli Tianyu to be able to persist for so long?” It was Bian Jingchun who spoke. She had only condensed twelve clusters of void power and felt no regret after failing. Since she hadn't expected to succeed in the first place, she quickly tidied up, walked out of her wooden house, and joined Zuoqiu Shi and the others.

“That's also the end for him.” No sooner had Bian Jingchun finished speaking than Zuoqiu Shi saw Zhongli Tianyu's silver light thread flicker a few times, then it too could no longer hold on, lost its source, and disappeared into the Realm Gate.

Approximately two minutes later, Zhongli Tianyu emerged, a look of unwillingness on his face. He had specifically cultivated a secret art to strengthen his spiritual consciousness and had condensed a total of thirty clusters of void power. He hadn't expected it would still be insufficient to meet the minimum requirement to activate the Realm Gate.

“It's alright, you've already done very well.” Bian Jingchun, seeing Zhongli Tianyu's expression, comforted him like an older sister. He remained silent, looking up at the last three remaining silver light threads.

Reverend Ling also failed, emerging with a furrowed brow and a gloomy expression. He had collected all the Immortal Sect's written records and experiences concerning void power, used the 'Square Inch Book' to imbue himself with a persona for maximum efficiency in shattering the void, and even prepared three spiritual consciousness recovery pills. Yet, despite all this, he still couldn't succeed. How many clusters of void power are truly needed to open a Golden Core Domain?

Just as Reverend Ling was left speechless, Reverend Qingping and the others also wore expressions of surprise.

“This... if it were in previous years, with a slight relaxation of requirements, both of them could have been selected by the Realm Gate.” Xue Yuzhuo said with a look of regret. As a graduate of Butian Daoist Academy, he deeply wished for Reverend Ling to succeed. Unfortunately, with a Nascent Soul Reverend's cultivation, they can assist at most two or three people in opening a Golden Core Domain at one time. Therefore, this stage is essentially a selection system. The more void power condensed, the further a cultivator lasted, the more likely they were to pass. For this reason, no one could state how much void power guaranteed success, nor would the Realm Gate Management Bureau guarantee it during their lessons.

Because of the excellent quality of all Foundation Establishment cultivators in this session, both Zhongli Tianyu and Reverend Ling, who would normally have barely passed, were eliminated.

“Wenren Xuewei, with her Evergreen Skill foundation, is definitely fine. Taishi Shu only mastered the Yang section of the Six Imperial Scriptures, yet she managed to reach this level. Geomagnetic Force truly is formidable. And Chen Mobai, relying solely on his spiritual consciousness, can keep up with both of them. He truly lives up to his potential for Spirit Transformation.” Looking at the last three bright, pristine silver threads, Xue Yuzhuo couldn't help but marvel at how the new generation surpassed the old, like waves pushing against the ones before them.

“Strange, I feel like Taishi Shu is about to give up.” At this moment, Reverend Qingping was the first to notice. No sooner had his words fallen than one of the silver light threads flickered, disconnected from its wooden house, and with a long tail, was drawn directly into the Realm Gate.

Everyone's expressions immediately turned to shock. Although they knew Chen Mobai was formidable in combat and deservedly the Immortal Sect's top cultivator, they hadn't expected him to also surpass Taishi Shu, who had mastered Geomagnetic Force, in condensing void power. Was this the potential for Spirit Transformation?!

But what shocked them even more came next. Two minutes later, the silver light thread representing Wenren Xuewei also disappeared.

“He actually... surpassed a Golden Core Perfected Lord!” Seeing this scene, everyone's eyes widened, and they gasped. Although the Evergreen Skill specialized in health preservation and longevity, its spiritual consciousness bonus was generally average, but that 'average' was relative to other Spirit Transformation cultivation methods. Chen Mobai's Pure Yang Scroll was also on par with the Evergreen Skill in this regard. Therefore, his ability to overpower Wenren Xuewei could only prove that he possessed a Void Spirit Body or was naturally born with powerful spiritual consciousness!

“It seems I'll be quite busy this time.” Reverend Qingping glanced at the last continuous silver thread and let out a faint, wry smile. In the final step of opening the Golden Core Domain, the Realm Gate drew upon his spiritual energy as fuel. Precisely for this reason, only two or three people were selected each time, because any more would be unsustainable even for a Nascent Soul Reverend.

“Reverend, that child Taishi Shu's performance would definitely have been selected in other sessions...” Chen Chaohua, a graduate of Kunpeng Daoist Academy, saw Reverend Qingping's hesitant expression, knowing he intended to eliminate Taishi Shu. He gritted his teeth and spoke up for the younger generation.

“Then let's see. If Chen Mobai's void power isn't too much, I'll put in the effort and help her open a Golden Core Domain too.” Reverend Qingping, being the most amenable Nascent Soul cultivator, decided to do Kunpeng Daoist Academy a favor after hearing this. However, he was a prudent man and did not immediately agree.

Soon, he was glad for his prudence. Because the amount of void power Chen Mobai had condensed was absurdly large. It was eight minutes after Wenren Xuewei's thread disconnected that his finally broke. He alone could count for two.

“Please apologize to that child from Kunpeng Daoist Academy for me.” After consideration, Reverend Qingping had no choice but to eliminate Taishi Shu.

“Yes.” Chen Chaohua, who had just recovered from his shock, nodded with a bitter smile. Encountering someone with Chen Mobai's Spirit Transformation potential, Taishi Shu could only be considered unlucky.

Reverend Qingping extended his hand and formed a hand seal. Two silver beams of light illuminated from the Realm Gate in the sky, enveloping both Chen Mobai and Wenren Xuewei. Then, all three simultaneously vanished from their original spots.

“This opening of the Realm Gate has concluded.”

“The selected individuals are Wenren Xuewei, graduate of Jumang Daoist Academy, and Chen Mobai, graduate of Wuqi Daoist Academy!”

“The rest of you, please follow us to leave.”

Inside her wooden house, Taishi Shu sat stunned, listening to the voices from outside. Even now, she couldn't believe that she, who had condensed thirty-eight clusters of spatial power, had actually been eliminated!