At the Primordial Holy Land, the mountain gate stood as tall as a heavenly gate, breathing in and out the clouds from all directions.
Upon the plaza, the noise was deafening as young geniuses from all over the Sacred Martial Continent gathered here.
Their eyes were all flashing with longing and excitement.
This was a Holy Land for Cultivation, the ultimate examination hall for a fish to leap over the dragon gate; taking one step inside could mean a completely different future.
Chen Chuan blended into the bustling crowd, feeling the vigorous vitality and the faint competitive pressure around him, yet his mind remained crystal clear.
Soon, several Primordial Holy Land Outer Sect Disciples dressed in uniform white robes appeared and began to maintain order.
Their breathing was steady, and their gazes were sharp.
Though they were only Outer Sect Disciples, if placed in the outside world, they would be considered formidable experts.
This was the Foundation of a Holy Land.
"Silence!"
"All participants in the examination, line up in order."
"Those who exceed the bone age limit, withdraw on your own."
"The Spiritual Root test begins immediately!"
A leading Disciple spoke out loudly. His voice wasn’t booming, yet it reached everyone’s ears clearly.
The crowd surged quickly, forming several long lines like dragons.
The harshness of the Primordial Holy Land’s recruitment conditions had long since spread across the continent.
One must possess an Earth Grade Spiritual Root to even enter the Sect.
An Earth Grade Spiritual Root would already be an elite focused on for Cultivation in other Sects or families.
But here, it was merely the brick used to knock on the mountain gate.
Furthermore, no matter what status you held in the outside world, once you entered the Primordial Holy Land, everything had to start from the beginning, beginning as the lowest-level Outer Sect Disciple.
Resources and status all had to be fought for and seized through one’s own strength.
This absolute fairness, or rather, absolute cruelty, was precisely the cornerstone of the Holy Land’s enduring prosperity.
Just then, a fiery red figure drifted over gracefully, landing beside the high testing platform to supervise the order in some areas.
The newcomer was a young girl, about eighteen years old, wearing a dress as red as fire. Her face was exceptionally beautiful, her skin like congealed fat, and her features like a painting.
The girl exuded a noble and cold aura, like a Nine Heavens Fairy who had wandered into the mortal world, instantly attracting the vast majority of gazes in the field.
When Chen Chuan’s gaze touched that fiery red figure, it was as if a thunderclap exploded in his mind, churning up a fragment of an extremely unpleasant memory.
Feng Zhixian!
It was actually her!
Memories flooded back like a tide.
Two years ago, the sixteen-year-old Feng Zhixian had just awakened her Spiritual Root when she came to Qingya City.
At that time, Chen Chuan was still a famous profligate trash.
After a bout of heavy drinking, he encountered Feng Zhixian and was immediately overcome by lust, audaciously ordering his men to kidnap her with the intent of sleeping with her.
However, in the end, Chen Chuan did not succeed because his body was weak and he couldn’t beat Feng Zhixian, who managed to escape.
Even though he hadn’t defiled Feng Zhixian, the matter could not be settled just like that.
This incident drew the wrath of Old Master Feng, who personally led the Family’s experts to descend upon Qingya City, swearing to slay Chen Chuan to vent his anger.
Old Master Chen had always been protective of his own, and with Chen Xiaotian and Li Xiulian’s bitter pleading, he held his ground and refused to hand him over.
Ultimately, Old Master Chen and Old Master Feng fought a great battle, with the former winning by half a move.
Considering the consequences of a full-scale war between the two families, Old Master Chen managed to save Chen Chuan’s life.
But he paid a heavy price and promised to expel Chen Chuan from the Family; only then did the Feng Family reluctantly let the matter rest.
"What a complete bastard."
Chen Chuan cursed his original self in his heart.
This mess that was left behind now had to be borne by him, this transmigrator.
He subconsciously lowered his head, shrinking his body further into the crowd.
With a thought, the Eye of Wisdom quietly activated as he looked toward Feng Zhixian.
He discovered that Feng Zhixian actually possessed an Ultimate Grade Spiritual Root, and her cultivation had even reached the First Level of the Furnace Realm.
Furthermore, the Phoenix Bloodline within Feng Zhixian’s body had reached the seventh grade.
Chen Chuan clicked his tongue inwardly.
An eighteen-year-old in the Furnace Realm.
An Ultimate Grade Spiritual Root.
A seventh-grade Phoenix Bloodline.
This Feng Zhixian’s talent was indeed terrifying.
No wonder she could reach such heights in just two short years.
Chen Chuan muttered to himself, "I only have a First Level Burning Lamp Realm cultivation right now. If she recognizes me on the spot, I definitely won’t have a good time."
For now, he would try his best to avoid Feng Zhixian.
Although the original Chen Chuan hadn’t defiled Feng Zhixian, the enmity between the two had already been established.
If Feng Zhixian recognized him, trouble would surely follow.
Once he possessed enough strength, Chen Chuan wouldn’t have to worry about Feng Zhixian looking for trouble.
"Those who possess a recommendation Token do not need to participate in the Spiritual Root test; please come over here to register and wait."
Another Outer Sect Disciple announced loudly.
Hearing this, Chen Chuan immediately took out the Primordial Holy Land recommendation Token that the Elder had given him from his robes.
Lowering his head, he walked quickly toward the designated area.
He deliberately chose the most inconspicuous corner, using the bodies of those in front of him as cover to avoid any eye contact with Feng Zhixian.
Meanwhile, the Spiritual Root test on the plaza officially began.
The testing method was simple and direct: participants would place their hands on a specific Spirit Testing Stone Tablet.
The stone tablet would light up with different colors and numbers of light patterns based on their Aptitude.
White for Mortal Grade!
Green for Yellow Grade!
Yellow for Mysterious Grade!
Red for Earth Grade!
Blue for Heaven Grade!
Purple for Ultimate Grade!
"Li Si, bone age seventeen, Mortal Grade Spiritual Root, failed!"
"Wang Wu, bone age sixteen, Earth Grade Spiritual Root, passed! Stand to the right!"
"Zhao Liu, bone age eighteen, Mysterious Grade Spiritual Root, failed!"
Voices rose and fell; some were joyful while others were despondent.
Tens of thousands participated in the examination, but those who could pass were few and far between.
The vast majority were filtered out at the very first stage; the cruel reality made the atmosphere on the plaza increasingly heavy.
"Next, Chen Ping!"
Hearing this name, Chen Chuan, who was hiding behind the crowd, suddenly raised his head and looked toward the sound.
He saw a youth with a straight posture whose face was somewhat similar to his own, but appeared more youthful and resolute, walking steadily to the front of the Spirit Testing Stone Tablet.
It was exactly his biological younger brother, Chen Ping!
Waves rose in Chen Chuan’s heart; he hadn’t expected this younger brother to actually come to the Primordial Holy Land.
Chen Ping took a deep breath and pressed his palm onto the stone tablet.
Hum!
In an instant, the Spirit Testing Stone Tablet erupted with a brilliant blue radiance, the light soaring into the sky.
It condensed into a full nine clear blue light patterns, like nine swimming dragons encircling the stone tablet.
"Chen Ping, bone age sixteen, Heaven Grade Spiritual Root, cultivation at the Ninth Level of Martial Dao!"
The voice of the Disciple responsible for testing even carried a trace of trembling as he announced loudly.
"A Heaven Grade Spiritual Root! And it’s a nine-ring Perfection!"
"A sixteen-year-old at the Ninth Level of Martial Dao! This talent is too terrifying!"
"Who is this child? Which Family is he from?"
The entire field instantly fell into an uproar, with countless gazes focusing on Chen Ping, filled with envy and jealousy.
Chen Chuan was surprised in his heart.
A nine-ring Perfection Heaven Grade Spiritual Root.
His younger brother’s talent far exceeded his expectations.
Moreover, the information fed back by the Eye of Wisdom surprised him even more.
Within Chen Ping’s body, the concentration of the Primordial Purple Radiance Ancestral Dragon Bloodline inherited from the Chen Family had actually reached the fifth grade (fifty percent).
At his age, this was almost inconceivable.
Beside the high platform, Feng Zhixian’s gaze was also drawn over.
When she heard the name "Chen Ping" and then saw that face which was somewhat similar to a certain someone, a trace of disgust instantly flashed in her beautiful eyes.
"Chen Ping. He’s the brother of that beast!" she thought to herself, her jade-like hands unconsciously clenching.
"Hmph, not a single person with the surname Chen is good."
"This Chen Ping has such talent at such a young age; I’m afraid his character is just like his brother’s—a shameless scoundrel!"
Her disgust for Chen Chuan inevitably caused her to take out her anger on Chen Ping.
The testing continued, but with Chen Ping preceding them, even if several high-tier Earth Grade or even low-tier Heaven Grade Spiritual Roots appeared later, they seemed lackluster in comparison.
Ultimately, out of the tens of thousands of participants, only a little over a hundred people successfully passed and stood in the qualified area.
An Outer Sect Elder appeared, his gaze sweeping over the hundred-plus new Disciples who had passed the examination.
As well as the dozen or so people like Chen Chuan who held recommendation Tokens, his voice was peaceful yet contained majesty:
"Congratulations to all of you for stepping through the gates of the Primordial Holy Land."
"From this day forth, you are Outer Sect Disciples of the Holy Land."
"You must remember that within the Holy Land, everything is spoken for with strength."
"Your contributions and strength will determine the resources and status you can obtain."
The Elder’s tone shifted.
"Furthermore, although the Holy Land takes the Martial Dao as its Foundation, it also encompasses everything."
"Alchemy, Artifact Refining, Formations, and Talismans—all these various Great Daos have their legacies here."
"If any of you are interested in side paths such as the Dao of Alchemy, Artifact Refining, or Formations, you may also choose to study them."
"However, you must pass the corresponding examinations before you can formally enter each hall to study and obtain resource preference."
As soon as these words were spoken, many new Disciples showed looks of interest in their eyes.
Multiple paths meant one more possibility.
Hearing this, Chen Chuan thought to himself:
"These hold no difficulty whatsoever for a Genius like me who has a System cheat."
"I’ll start with Alchemy."
An Alchemist, no matter where they were, was one of the most respected professions and one that never lacked resources.
Learning Alchemy would not only satisfy his own Cultivation needs but also allow him to quickly accumulate resources and exchange them for contributions.
He could also refine Medicinal Pills to sell, and then save up gold tickets to use in the Pay-to-Win System.
To him, any of those resources couldn’t compare to money.
After all, the key to his strength improvement was the Pay-to-Win System.
And ahead, that fiery red figure of Feng Zhixian, along with his younger brother Chen Ping’s straight silhouette, all foretold that his days in this Primordial Holy Land would definitely not be peaceful.