This could only mean one thing. The Holy Land Prodigy that came this time is a Personal Disciple.
For most of them Casual Cultivators, becoming an Outer Court Disciple of a Holy Land is already considered a pinnacle in their lives. As for becoming an Inner Court Disciple, or a Core Disciple, it is something that exists in their dreams.
The Personal Disciple Status is too far away and unattainable for them.
So, they can only watch in envy and jealousy and admiration as the flying boat vanishes at the boundary of the Inner Region and Core Region.
…
When Ye Chen and others reached the Gate of the Base, known as the Shiwan Yao Base, One of the Protectors took out a Golden token, and raised it in front of him. Light flashed from the Gate and covered the token.
The token then revealed two words: Holy Lord.
Afterwards, the light covering the token extended, and covered the Flying Boat and everyone in it, and they disappeared.
This Gate, yellow and looking simple, is actually covered in runes. These runes are so small that they cannot be seen directly unless one moves closer and observes.
The Gate is covered in formations, including Two Directional Teleportation, Identification, Alert, Illusion, and even Defense and Attacks. Of course, there are people here to make sure non-hostile forces are not directly attacked by illusions and attacks.
On the other end, the Flying Boat appeared on a Floating Platform, from where it took off again and was stirred into the deeper area of the Base.
Ye Chen and Lin Qing'er have been here before, so they knew that the whole Shiwan Yao Base is covered in Formations. This includes Defensive formations, Attack formations, Spying formations, Teleportation formations, Concealment formations, etc.
Of course, they're arranged to protect the base from unexpected monster attacks, especially since there would be Monster Hordes from time to time.
As the Boat flew deeper, looking down from above, the scene was beautiful. The buildings are tall, so tall that their tip was almost touching the clouds. There are sky-reaching Towers, Pavilions and Palaces. The vast majority of which was concentrated in the Inner Region of the Metropolis. This is where only the Disciples of the Holy Land live.
In the Outer Region, there are also tall buildings, but they are not as many here as in the Inner Region. Most of the buildings in the Outer Regions have two floors. A bunch of others are ground buildings. Some Outer Court Disciples, Casual Cultivators, and several cultivation forces live in the Outer Region.
In the lower altitudes, there are men in Silver robes, with swords hanging by their waist, or worn on their backs, flying around in threes and fours. They are the Base's Guard Unit. They maintain Law and Order in this extensive stronghold. The Guard Unit was formed by Elder Lin Fan when he took over the task of guarding the base.
On the Flying Boat, Ye Chen was thinking about some of the intricacies of the Shiwan Yao Base of the Holy land. There are other Bases/Strongholds in several other places under the jurisdiction of the Holy Land.
However, since the One Hundred Thousand Monsters Mountain Range is a very important resource point for the Holy Land, it has several advantages over other Bases of the Scarlet Heaven Holy Land.
One advantage is that this Base is guarded by one of the Supreme Elders of the Holy Land, a Quasi-Emperor level existence. And the Core Region of the Base is actually a Secret Realm.
The Base has a structured and strict hierarchy, so uncultured people would think twice before making trouble here.
Another advantage is that Inner Disciples compete here by establishing halls and pavilions such as Alchemy Halls, Chambers of Commerce, Mercenary Groups, and so on. They do these by forming a force composed of Outer Court Disciples, Casual Cultivators, and even other cultivation forces that are not Saint-level forces.
The Halls, and Pavilions, and Chambers of Commerce established by them compete on yearly basis, the winner has a chance to become a subsidiary of the Holy Land, managed by an Inner Disciple.
Another advantage is that, forces that have been tested and proved over a long period of time in the Shiwan Yao Base, can formally join the Inner Court of the Holy Land, escaping the normal routine of waiting for the Selection Ceremony that takes place every 15 years across the places under the Holy Land's jurisdiction.
Before he knew it, they were already at the edge of the Inner Region, the entrance to the Core Region. This edge is actually a Void Wall.
Whenever you encounter a Void Wall, you cannot move forward unless there is a Void Break or you possess an item that can break the Void.
Of course, if there is a Void Wall, there is a chance that it is the entrance to a Secret Realm. One only needs to find the Void Key or Formation Array that can form a link between the outside of the Secret Realm and the Inside of it.
So at the edge of the Inner Region, the same Protector who took out the Golden Token the other time, did the same thing here. Then, a ripple appeared in space, and enveloped the token, and a portal opened.
One could see what was on the other side through the portal. There is a short, Black Bridge, at the end of which is a Floating Pagoda. There also are Floating Palaces and Islands, with bridges connecting them all, on the other side of the portal.
This is the Core Region of Shiwan Yao Base. And as the Flying Boat flew into the portal, the portal closed, and immediately disappeared. It was as if a Spatial Portal never appeared here.
…
Just like they saw from outside the Secret Realm, there are Floating Islands, and Palaces, and Towers, and Pagodas; the long, snake-like bridges, the Floating Sacred Fountains; the abundant Spiritual Energy; the two Suns and 7 Moons in the Sky; the massive Sacred Mansion that stood in the centre of this Fairy Realm, it is blue, Royal Blue,and the Blue is Grand.
The Flying Boat was automatically let down on the bridge the moment they entered. And Ye Chen collected it into his Storage Ring. He knew what was about to happen next.
The bridge is a Spiritual Treasure known as the Heart Seeking Bridge. It has the function of examining the incoming Disciples and Elders.
It would cast a spell of illusions on anyone that stepped on it. The longer the time they spent on the bridge, the higher the chance that they have betrayed the Holy Land, and have had intimate contact with the Demon Heaven Holy Land.
If someone has a clear mind, they would not be affected by the illusion. If they entered the illusion, they would go through a series of trials, and the bridge would assess their final result. Rather, the Bridge's Treasure Spirit would evaluate them.
If they're clean, the Bridge would remain the same. If they failed however, the bridge would turn red and make buzzing sounds to alert everyone to prepare to capture a traitor, or a demon.
So, Ye Chen, Lin Qing'er, and the Four Protectors stepped on the bridge. The Artefact Spirit cast its Illusions, they entered different scenarios where they could choose to either die or betray the Holy Land and live.
No matter how many times a person has gone through this test, they cannot escape its clutches as it examines their hearts. It will use the most intriguing of the recent experiences you've had, make some adjustments, and test your true heart.
They were assessed, but they quickly woke up from the illusion spell. The Bridge made no buzzing sound, and it didn't change colour. This is granting permission to proceed into the Secret Realm. And so they did, making their way into the Pagoda at the end of the 100 metre long bridge.
How did Su Yaoren escape the Artefact Spirit's eye? The Soul Nurturing Jade is a higher grade Artefact. In fact, it is diminishing to call it an artefact, it is a Dao Treasure, born from the Dao.
And Su Yaoren himself is a peak Emperor level existence in his fragmented soul state. With his experience, it is easy to escape the 'eye' of the Heart Seeking Bridge.
The Pagoda at the end of the Bridge is mostly used for reception, and is a 3 Floors Pagoda. With carved images of Divine Beasts standing on the rings at its four corners. The ground floor is where Personal Disciples of Core Elders are received and rested.
The First Floor is where the Personal Disciples of the Holy Lord and Great Elder are received. The Holy Son and Holy Maiden received on the Second floor.
The Elders, Holy Lord, and Grand Elder are received on the Third Floor. The Holy Land is truly Hierarchical.
The Protectors of Personal Disciples have their own Mansion in this Secret Realm, so one of them said to Ye Chen and Lin Qing'er,
"Please rest well today. We will be here at dawn", and left.
Ye Chen and Lin Qing'er were led to the Second Floor by a servant. There, they were led to a section of the floor accorded to the Holy Maiden. At the door, there are two maids. Here, the leading attendant said, "This is your room, Holy Maiden. Please let me know if you need anything else"
"No, thank you. We won't be staying for long", answered Lin Qing'er.
"Then excuse me. The two ladies are your maids. You can tell them your requests if you need anything later", said the servant.
"Alright, thank you", replied Lin Qing'er, looking at the two maids who looked to be in their twenties.
"We welcome the Holy Maiden and the lord", said the two maids when they saw Lin Qing'er looking at them.
"There is no need for formalities. You just let us in here, let us see what it's like inside", said Lin Qing'er.
"Yes, Holy Maiden", the two replied humbly. They knew their status clearly. They wouldn't step out of bounds easily.
Rolling her eyes, Lin Qing'er opened the door and entered. Ye Chen followed closely behind her, and finally, the two maids also entered the room.