Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 596 - 591: Joining the Sect 3

Chapter 596: Chapter 591: Joining the Sect 3

Lin Xin stretched out his hand and moved himself forward more swiftly.

The blue seawater pulsated, as if breathing rhythmically.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when he suddenly felt an emptiness ahead.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, his vision brightened, and he was hanging mid-air, surrounded by endless blue walls on both sides.

Water lay behind him, while a narrow crevice lingered before him.

At the far end of the crevice shone an arched Light Gate bathed in white light.

"This seems to be the destination."

With a mere thought from Lin Xin, his body drifted toward the Light Gate.

Hiss...

Suddenly, a faint, low hiss like that of a snake emanated from beneath him.

Looking down, Lin Xin felt a chill rush from his spine to his forehead.

Directly below him was a massive silver-white snake, lying within a cloud of grey mist with its head impaled by a giant stone sword.

Lin Xin had seen many tremendous serpentine demons, but none had ever chilled his heart like this one before him.

"Demon God Ji Kun..." He recognized the name of the snake. It was a terrifying Demon God from ancient times, said to be able to swallow the sun and moon.

The giant sword in its head wasn’t the result of a severe wound; it was born that way.

"Using a Primordial Demon God as a gatekeeper... what a grand scheme," Lin Xin steadied himself internally.

Although Demon Gods were indeed powerful, they weren’t unique entities but part of entire breeds.

The legends from ancient times often spoke of the mightiest among them, forging their formidable reputations.

Hence, this particular one may not possess the ability to devour the sun and moon.

"However, if it truly is the original body of a Primordial Demon God, even if it’s inferior, it might still possess the Earth Immortal Realm..."

Lin Xin speculated in his mind and stopped looking at the giant snake.

The creature’s location was far too distant, at least a thousand miles away. If it weren’t for his physical condition at the level of a Human Immortal, he might have mistaken the area below for an abyssal crevice shrouded in grey mist, and nothing else.

Ordinary people wouldn’t notice this concealed Primordial Demon God.

As he entered the Light Gate, Lin Xin’s body tingled, and then darkness fell before his eyes.

What greeted his sight was a wide street teeming with people, spotless white.

On either side of the street stood houses built of white stone, while numerous black horses were harnessed to carriages waiting at the side, with several coachmen approaching.

"Are you a new disciple? Here’s a free guide, we’re from the Kun Huang Inn, and we’ve only got a few rooms left before we’re fully booked..."

"Five taels of gold! I’ll take you to Ju Yuan Hall! Five taels is an absolute bargain!"

"Take a look, this is our inn’s brochure. Three taels a day and free shuttle service to Ju Yuan Hall before it opens!"

"Stay in the large inn where Zen Master Huang Jue stayed, only five taels! It’s the place in Ju Yuan City with the most Immortal Marks! Don’t miss this opportunity!!"

A crowd rushed over, their smiling faces swirling before his eyes as they rattled off their pitches.

Lin Xin frowned, and a surge of energy burst forth from him.

The Protective Aura shot up suddenly, shoving the four or five people in front of him away.

"Ah, he has cultivation..."

"No luck here, must have someone lined up to pick him up."

The disheartened group of coachmen dispersed, unfazed by the situation.

Lin Xin looked around and saw light gates of uniform size everywhere, with people entering and exiting them now and then.

"Excuse me, could you move aside, please?"

A voice suddenly came from behind him, and Lin Xin turned to see a man in white clothes standing there, evidently having just come through a Light Gate himself.

He quickly stepped aside.

The man strode out, picked a carriage at random, and climbed on board.

The black horse pulling the carriage snorted a burst of fire from its nostrils and slowly started moving, following the street outwards.

Lin Xin squinted slightly, realizing he was in the way and quickly walked forward to clear the path.

He headed to a small round plaza up ahead and turned back for a look.

A row of more than ten Light Gates aligned, each occasionally flashing with white light, with people coming and going.

Here, transportation gates—something only powerful factions in the Underworld could barely utilize—appeared to be in everyday use.

Like him, other newcomers seemed slightly at a loss due to their unfamiliarity, standing around the small round plaza.

However, unlike him, several of them seemed to have struck up quiet conversations with one another.

Lin Xin stood in an inconspicuous corner and listened quietly to the chatter around him.

At that moment, one of the apparent newcomers split off from the group and approached him.

"Brother, you’re a Candidate from the Qing Shan Realm, aren’t you?"

The young man looked no older than twenty-something but spoke with the maturity of a middle-aged uncle.

"Indeed, are you here for the same reason?" Lin Xin nodded.

"The only place that’s recruiting disciples around here lately is Qing Shan realm. All of us here have come to try our luck." The man smiled, "Those few over there are in the same boat as us, want to go over and chat?"

Being new to the place and knowing nobody, Lin Xin felt somewhat constrained. Hearing this, he wanted to gather more information, so he nodded in agreement.

The two of them walked over and joined the three who had been standing there before.

After some introductions, he roughly got to know the names of these people.

The leader, a monk called Master Kuan An, came from a place called San Hua Kingdom. He revealed that he carried the blood of the Illusion Sand, possessing a powerful bloodline that allowed him control over sand and dust after reaching adulthood.

Of the other three, two were a couple who called themselves casual cultivators. They were not very talkative, occasionally asking some simple questions, seemingly not well-versed in social etiquette. They claimed to be from Xi Lai Kingdom, also an obscure location.

The last one was the mature-voiced youth who had brought Lin Xin here.

His name was Zhao Tiecheng, and he claimed to be born into a family of weapon forgers. The Human World was so vast that no one had heard of his family.

Lin Xin disclosed his own background without hiding anything, but again, nobody had heard of it.

The vastness of the Human World was probably akin to several times the size of the Underworld. It wasn’t strange.

There were five of them in total, all equally unfamiliar with the place.

Luckily, Zhao Tiecheng said someone had told him to wait here. People from Qing Shan realm would come to pick them up.

After a short wait, another person joined them, a young girl with a calm face, exuding a hint of heroism. The aura surging around her was also far above an average Yuan Jing, although it wasn’t clear if she had reached the Human Immortal Realm.

"Daoist friend, you are so young yet also here to take the Qing Shan realm test. Truly, the young generation is to be feared. You have an extraordinary talent, just like brother Duan Seng!"

Zhao Tiecheng, a tad envious, cautiously struck up a conversation with the girl.

"Aren’t all the senior brothers here the same, chosen by Qing Shan realm as promising individuals? Which of you is lacking?" The girl smiled lightly and replied casually.

"My surname is Chen, first name Jingsi, coming from the Five Elements World."

She was actually from another realm.

That made Lin Xin and the others take extra notice.

Zhao Tiecheng wanted to continue probing for information but a white-clothed cultivator had gently landed nearby and approached them.

"All of you, come with me."

The cultivator’s face showed impatience as he called out loudly to Lin Xin and the others.

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Master Kuan An hurriedly followed with a flattering smile.

The couple displayed a slight look of disdain, seemingly unimpressed, but they followed nonetheless.

Lin Xin, with Zhao Tiecheng and the new girl Chen Jingsi behind him, chatted idly along the way, exchanging information.

This actually provided Lin Xin with quite some additional intelligence.

The recruitment of disciples by Qing Shan realm was divided into three categories: Menial Disciples, Formal Disciples, and Core Disciples.

It was said that this time they had recruited up to a thousand people, all gathered in this small city. Now it was the later stages of recruitment, and they were among the very last. It was rumored that in earlier batches, there were even Earth Level bloodlines, which were almost certain to be selected as superior Pureblood candidates.

The group followed the white-clothed cultivator as he briskly walked up the street, swiftly briefing them on the situation.

"The teleportation mark has already identified where you will be staying soon. In three days, get yourselves ready and take the bloodline test, followed by the Basic Techniques test. Those who fail either test, just get lost and go home.

Furthermore, if you pass, you can be considered a registered disciple of Qing Shan realm, and if you manage to cultivate the Basic Techniques to the Fifth Level within three months, then you have a chance to become a Core Disciple candidate! Alright, don’t wander off anywhere in three days. If you can’t be found when the Light Gate opens, you’ll lose your qualification automatically, don’t say I didn’t warn you!"

"May I ask, Immortal Master," the old monk Master Kuan An spoke softly, "what qualifications are required for Menial Disciples to advance to Formal Disciples?"

This question caught the attention of the couple and Zhao Tiecheng.

Clearly, they were very interested in the answer.

The cultivator frowned slightly.

"To become a Formal Disciple, you either need to have an Earth Level bloodline awakening, or cultivate Basic Techniques beyond the Fifth Level, or have made significant Contribution Points to Green Lake Mountain."

"Understood... Thank you, Immortal Master, for resolving my doubts."

The old monk nodded. Given his age, it was obvious that he was unlikely to become a Formal Disciple; most likely, he was a Menial Disciple.

Lin Xin narrowed his eyes, glancing at Chen Jingsi. Her aura was elusive, and her expression slightly odd, as if she was worried about something.

"Then, may I ask, Immortal Master," he continued, but instead of speaking openly, he used a secret transmission to inquire, "where are the servants who entered with us now?"

"Servants?"

The Immortal Master’s expression changed slightly, inspecting Lin Xin top to bottom. He replied through secret transmission as well.

"There’s a designated servants’ area. There will be personnel in charge of arranging them; rest assured, they will not be neglected or despised. Someone will guide them to find you later."

His attitude had a subtle shift, showing much more respect than toward the others.

"Understood," Lin Xin nodded calmly.

After all, he was of the Chanting Star Clan’s Pureblood lineage, born with strength at the level of a Human Immortal. Such a change in the Immortal Master’s attitude was normal.

"You follow behind me," the Immortal Master thought for a moment and instructed Lin Xin to stand behind him.

Seeing this, Chen Jingsi unobtrusively moved closer to Lin Xin, taking a position just behind him.

Among the others, both Zhao Tiecheng and Master Kuan An seemed to have perceived something unusual and positioned themselves beside Chen Jingsi.

Only the cultivator couple lagged behind, lacking in perceptiveness, following cluelessly at the rear.