Status! That is one interesting topic. The last time Ye Chen, and Lin Qing'er who is the Holy Maiden left for the outside world, the disciples were not this concerned. Although some of them discussed it, they did not accord to them the honour given to the Holy Son now.
…
Outside the Gate, scarlet light flashed again, and when it receded, the Holy Son's Flying Ship appeared in its stead. It rose up into the sky, very high into the sky.
Outside the Holy Land, a floating Scarlet Bridge extends from the bottom of the Scarlet Gate and stretches for as far as the eye could see, into the misty world ahead. This is the Bridge of Assessment. The Scarlet Heaven Holy Land holds the Selection Ceremony every 15 years. However, there is one Assessment that is open to the brave and strong alone.
Anyone who is 35 years or younger, and has achieved a Cultivation Base of Dantian Expansion Realm or Purple Mansion Realm, would come to the Assessment Mountain from the outside world. The Holy Land's Second Elder and some Core Elders are sitting in this base. In addition, one of the Supreme Elders, Emperor Yu Shitong, is practising in seclusion here.
If anyone meets the requirement, they would have to pass the Heart Test, where the truth about them would be revealed. Whether they are spies from other Cultivation Forces, or Demonic Cultivators, their secrets would be exposed, and by themselves.
After passing the Heart Test, they need to have their wills, or say, Dao Heart, tested. And the Bridge of Assessment is specifically made for this purpose. Whoever persevered till the end, after walking through layers and layers of illusions, will become a Core Disciple of the Holy Land.
…
As the Flying Ship passed through the fog, they saw a Mountain, tall and vast. It is the Assessment Mountain, with Pavilions and Towers scattered about. The Flying Ship did not stop, it continued forward.
Before long, a huge city was in sight. This is the first resting place for disciples and elders going out of the Holy Land, the Scarlet Heaven City. The City Lord of the Scarlet Heaven City is the Fourth Elder of the Holy Land.
The Scarlet Heaven City is only a few hundred kilometres away from the Scarlet Heaven Assessment Mountain. Even if there is an enemy attack, a Quasi-Emperor Realm Expert is only a few hundred kilometres away, which is nothing in the eyes of such an existence.
The appearance of the Holy Son's Flying Ship did not cause any disturbance in the Scarlet Heaven City. First because it is high up in the Sky. Second, it has the ability to conceal itself in the void.
When it touched the protection formation of the City, the formation didn't raise an alert nor did it buzz. This is the setting here. If they are from the Holy Land, the formation will not react. If they are not from the Holy Land however, the formation will be opened automatically, so that the incoming people can be assessed.
Since it is not their destination, Jiang Hou and others continued on.
…
At the bow on the deck of the Ship, Jiang Hou was sitting on a chair, watching as the scenery changed. Two Maids were standing by each side. One was feeding him fruits, and the other was serving Tea. Tea is a necessary resource in the Cultivation world.
The ship has Air Repelling Formations, so it is safe to stand outside, on the Ship. Even if there's no Repelling Formation, everyone on this adventure is at least a Purple Mansion Cultivator. This kind of air cannot cause them any harm as long as they envelop their body with Spiritual Energy.
Walking towards Jiang Hou's side, "Hou'er", Jiang Muchen called. "You still have not told me where you want to go yet", he said, and the maids retreated.
"Oh, right! The One Hundred Thousand Monsters Mountain Range is that place that my heart is calling unto. I believe my opportunity, or even opportunities are there", answered Jiang Hou.
"One Hundred Thousand Monsters Mountain Range", Jiang Muchen muttered. "That's indeed the most probable place, since it is one of the Major Resource Points of the Scarlet Heaven Holy Land. Anyways, we're not leaving until we obtain that opportunity, or like you said, opportunities", he said and continued, "Whoever dares to stop you would have to answer to me", resolutely.
"I know, Uncle Chen", replied Jiang Hou.
When he heard 'Uncle Chen', Jiang Muchen's memories were drawn back to the days when Jiang Hou and his siblings were still young. They called him Uncle Chen all the time. Even though his actual name was Muchen, he has the 'Chen' suffix too.
The person actually named Jiang Chen is Clan Head, Jiang Hou's father. But when Jiang Chen and those of his generation were young, they used to call him either Eldest Brother, or Young Master. Because he was the only legitimate child of Jiang Sandao, who was the Clan Head in those years.
So, most of the younger generation, even the older generations, call Jiang Muchen 'Jiang Chen'. When their generation began to have children too, those brothers and the older generation didn't stop calling him Ah Chen or Chen'er. Jiang Hou's generation of descendants grew up knowing him as Uncle Chen.
'The Children of those years are now becoming the mainstream of the Clan and the world. Time is really unstable'. He thought.
…
So, for the next 2 days, they were travelling in the Flying Ship. There was no stop at all, and Jiang Hou stayed on the deck throughout.
And today, Lin Qing'er will obtain her Soul Guarding Jade Hairpin. But Jiang Hou just arrived at the Shiwan Yao base.
When he entered the base, there was no questioning who was coming this time. The Flying Ship told the residents of the Outer Region and Inner Region of the Base who had come. It is the Holy Son they have heard about.
There were even more discussions about the Holy Son's coming. The cultivators in the Inner and Outer Region were making guesses regarding what the Holy Son's coming could mean, especially since a Personal Disciple appeared just last month.
…
When he entered the Core Region of the base, that is, the Secret Realm, someone was waiting for him.
"You are here", the middle-aged man said, levitating in the air..
"Yes, Third Elder", Jiang Hou cupped his hands and said, while on the Ship.
"Then, let's go down. You know the importance of these things", the Elder continued.
"Yes, I know", Jiang Hou replied, then gestured, and the ship was lowered and rested on the bridge.
After everyone had come out, Jiang Hou reclaimed the Flying Ship.
The third Elder, named Liang Feng, looked at the ship in a daze. It seemed he still can't forget the moment when the Great Elder handed the Flying Ship over to Jiang Hou, and as a gift. Even the Elders and Core Elders would burn with jealousy.
But, knowing who Jian Wushuang was, nobody dared to mention anything about the matter. Since the old man has made up his mind, it is not in anybody's power to change it. Even the Supreme Elders and the Ancestors can't change Jian Wushuang's mind once he decides on something.
"Your old man didn't follow you out? Who did he send with you that gave him such confidence?", asked Liang Feng in a jest.
"Oh, he sent Protector Liu this time", answered Jiang Hou.
"He sent Liu Lao? What is that old thing thinking? You are not going out of the Holy Land's territory. Why is he sending a Great Saint as your Protector? Ah, what kind of shielding is this?...", and the man continued to rant.
Jiang Hou wasn't surprised by the other party's rants. He's known long ago that this Third Elder, Liang Feng, is a talker. In fact, almost everyone in the Holy Land knew this about him. And the major thing is, you don't want to tell your secrets to the Elder without letting him say the Dao Oath first. There's not much to say otherwise.
However, Jiang Muchen was speechless. If the voice was not a man's, others might have mistaken him for a woman. 'Who would believe that an elder would be so… not truly cultured!', he thought.
Before they knew it, they were standing before the Reception Pagoda. Only the few of them would talk while walking on the Heart Seeking Bridge. What surprised others is that Jiang Hou didn't seem to be affected by the Illusion formation one bit, which he quickly explained,
"I had a breakthrough in my mind after the last incident".
"A blessing after a curse, I see. You are the lucky one", said Liang Feng.
"I was truly Lucky", replied Jiang Hou. He really believed this. If he were not lucky, he wouldn't have been able to find out his Master's schemes; he wouldn't be curious about things, which led him to the Library Pavilion, where he obtained that book, through which he obtained RAJH's memories and experiences.
So, he is one lucky man!
"Alright. I'll send you off tomorrow too. Be sure to register your presence at the Registry", Liang Feng said and left.
Jiang Hou heaved a sigh, and thought, 'He's gone'. But Jiang Muchen said everything else in his mind, "Your Third Elder is really a talker. If I didn't know better, I would believe he was a woman anytime".
Jiang Hou and the Protectors said their goodbyes. Jiang Hou and the others were led by another servant this time. They went to the Third Floor where the Holy Son's Chamber is.
When they got to the door, there were no maids or guards standing by. However, formation masters would know that the whole door was covered in layers of formations. It would not be easy to break in or escape from this place.
It would have been the same with the Holy Maiden's too, but Lin Qing'er rejected that proposal. Obviously, she had Ye Chen in mind when she did so.
…
The inside of the Holy Son's Chamber was almost no different from that of the Holy Maiden, only that his room was all Silver, including the seats and floors and walls. And the throne room was not much different from the Holy Son Peak's Main Hall.
"You take your time to rest here. Tomorrow is the day our real journey begins", Jiang Hou said to the Zhao brothers, the guards and the servants behind him.
"We will observe the Holy Son's words", they replied.
And Jiang Hou entered the throne room. Alone.