This time, the disciple recruitment wasn’t held at the Divine Sovereign’s dojo. Instead, they borrowed a place called One-Line Sky for the initial screening.
The Ferry of Salvation had been sailing for over a month before they finally arrived at One-Line Sky.
One-Line Sky is located in the Formless Realm, where one day here equals four days in the outside world.
The Formless Realm isn’t a planet—it’s a vast expanse of colorful nebula dust. Without the Ferry of Salvation, any cultivator below the Immortal realm simply couldn’t survive here with their physical bodies.
One-Line Sky sits at the very heart of the Formless Realm. It’s pitch-black and shaped like a long spindle. For reasons unknown, it has been split in two.
The two halves seem to cling together like a broken lotus root, with only a gap wide enough for a single person to pass through, floating amidst the colorful dust like something out of a dream.
“We’re here! One-Line Sky!” Bai Zuo gazed through the small window, utterly mesmerized by the sight.
Outside One-Line Sky, immortals walked through the void, maintaining order.
These were top-tier cultivators who had already crossed the Mortal-Immortal Tribulation, shedding their mortal shells to be reborn as immortals.
But as the saying goes—there’s always a sky above the sky, and always someone stronger than you.
Even the Divine Sovereign himself was troubled by the inability to ascend further, let alone these ordinary scattered immortals who had just entered the Immortal realm.
Every minor breakthrough in an immortal’s cultivation requires an astronomical amount of resources and spiritual energy.
Lin Jingqiu watched the immortals bustling about in the Formless Realm and felt that they weren’t much different from mortals.
“People in this world rush about frantically, all for a few pieces of silver. And immortals are no different.”
Breaking through this Heavenly Dao to see what lies beyond—that obsession dangles in front of every cultivator like a carrot on a stick, driving them to devote themselves entirely to cultivation.
Even immortals have to work for others, just to scrape together enough cultivation resources.
Grandma Lin clicked her tongue in amazement. “Every single one of them was the pride of their own minor world. Who would have thought that the world after the Immortal realm would be like this?”
Under the guidance of the immortals, Ferry of Salvation No. 103 came to a stop at the outer edge of the Formless Realm.
Ahead of them, there were still 102 other immortal ferries waiting in line.
Everyone who could make it came. Even some powerful mortal kingdoms with abundant resources pooled their national strength to buy a single ferry ticket for their most gifted individual.
Everyone wanted to seize this once-in-a-lifetime chance to soar to the heavens.
Lin Qingqiu withdrew her gaze, her expression softening. She walked over to the bedside, gently brushed aside the tangled hair on Lin Xiaohe’s face, and called out softly, “Little sister, time to wake up and eat.”
Lin Xiaohe opened her eyes. Her gaze was empty, like a puppet on strings. With Lin Jingqiu’s help, she washed up and obediently sat at the table, waiting for the meal to be served.
Seeing this, Grandma Lin couldn’t help but worry. “The Divine Fortune Teller clearly calculated that Xiaohe is blessed with great fortune. We even gave him several divine artifacts as thanks. And yet, look at Xiaohe now! Hmph, one day, I will find that fortune teller and ask him if he’s been draining Xiaohe’s luck.”
“Eat, eat, eat!” At the sight of the feast spread across the table, Lin Xiaohe’s mouth practically watered.
Grandma Lin’s attention was immediately captured. She sat down beside Xiaohe, scooped up a spoonful of egg custard, and brought it to the little girl’s lips. “Be good, call me Grandma. This is Phoenix Egg—full of spiritual energy and absolutely delicious.”
“Grandma.”
“Aiyah! My good girl!” Grandma Lin’s face instantly bloomed into a smile like a flower.
Lin Jingqiu smiled as well. “Don’t worry, Grandma. Little sister will get better.”
“Mhm. This time, for the Divine Sovereign’s disciple selection, make sure you put your heart into it. Your talent is exceptional. If it weren’t for the fact that you’ve been suppressing your breakthroughs all this time for Xiaohe’s sake, you’d probably already be the youngest Mirror-Breaking Immortal.”
After Grandma Lin had fed Xiaohe until she was full, she turned to Lin Jingqiu and said earnestly, “Even though you’re the elder sister Xiaohe found, Xiaohe is our responsibility. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
Lin Jingqiu just listened—she didn’t argue, nor did she promise anything.
All she knew was that when her own clan had abandoned her, leaving her in the wilderness to die, it was Xiaohe—a little girl suffering from Soul-Loss Syndrome—who had found her and brought her back.
A girl so out of it she needed to be fed by others, yet she had the clarity to grab Jingqiu’s hand in front of so many people and call her “big sister” over and over again.
It was only then that Grandpa and Grandma Lin agreed to take Jingqiu in and spend a fortune to get her medical treatment.
Whatever Xiaohe had, Jingqiu would have too.
At that moment, Lin Jingqiu had silently sworn in her heart: for this kindness, for those calls of “big sister,” she would become strong. Strong enough to protect Grandpa, Grandma, and her little sister!
Some people share blood but treat each other like enemies.
Others meet by chance and become family.
Seeing the mood turn somber, Grandpa Lin quickly stepped in to lighten things up. He pointed out the window and said, “Look! The screening has started!”
Lin Jingqiu and Grandma Lin turned to look.
A white-robed immortal pulled a glowing white chain out of his mustard-seed space.
With a flick of his wrist, the crisp clatter of the chain exploded in everyone’s ears. In an instant, their minds became crystal clear.
Anxiety, tension, and fear all vanished. Everyone regained their peace and composure.
“Ferry of Salvation No. 1, passengers step forward.”
The chain slithered like a serpent, looping around one passenger after another, pulling them out of their ferries in dense clusters.
Amidst gasps of surprise, these passengers—who normally couldn’t survive walking in the nebula dust—were completely unharmed, thanks to the chain’s protection.
A glint of gold flashed in Lin Jingqiu’s eyes. “That’s a golden divine artifact—the Void Chain!”
Grandma Lin’s jaw dropped. “As expected of the Divine Sovereign’s people. Anyone he sends out can casually pull out a golden divine artifact.”
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, the chain shot through One-Line Sky at lightning speed.
Some people hadn’t even reacted before their test was over.
With a single flick of the chain, the white-robed immortal sent all the passengers of Ferry No. 1 tumbling back onto their deck. “No one passes. Next ferry.”
The rejected candidates dropped to their knees on the deck, utterly devastated. “How is this possible?! I was the number one cultivator in the Great Yan Kingdom! How could I have failed?”
The worst part was how fast it had happened—there was no time to even process it.
The white-robed immortal didn’t pay them any mind and simply continued with the screening.
Everyone who made it here was a genius—geniuses among geniuses.
But what the Divine Sovereign wanted wasn’t just ordinary geniuses.
The white-robed immortal worked fast, especially with his white chain. Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—he was practically swinging it until it smoked.
“A month on the road, one second for the exam. One second decides life or death.” Grandma Lin sighed with emotion.
Lin Jingqiu quietly counted—the white-robed immortal had already tested 50 ferries and hadn’t found a single qualified candidate yet.
It wouldn’t be long before they reached Ferry No. 103.
“Grandma, Grandpa, are you really not going to participate? An old steed in the stable still dreams of a thousand-mile journey. This is exactly the age for you to go out and make your mark.”
Grandma Lin’s mouth twitched. “Oh, spare me. I don’t have any grand ambitions. One day, when our little sweetheart is gone, I’ll just kick up my feet and follow her right into the ground.”
Lin Jingqiu didn’t press further. She knew that once her little sister got better, Grandpa and Grandma would naturally reignite their fighting spirit.
White-robed immortal: “Ferry No. 103, prepare.”
The moment the words left his mouth, Lin Jingqiu pulled Lin Xiaohe into a tight embrace.
The Void Chain paused briefly, as if puzzled.
Lin Jingqiu declared firmly, “My little sister and I are taking the test together!”
