Chapter 6: The Sacred Land of Heavenly Pivot Six Thousand Years Ago

"Brother Luo Yan, do you think we can pass the Sacred Land's trials and become disciples?" asked the small child accompanying him.

Luo Yan maintained a calm expression. "You will certainly pass the assessment!"

The child, named Wei Yi, beamed with joy. "With those words from you, Brother Luo Yan, I feel at ease!"

The two moved toward the distant fairy mountain. Even from afar, one could sense an ethereal, profound aura. Countless dragon veins surged toward the clouds, and groups of seekers gathered in admiration, surrounded by countless celestial cranes and divine treasures.

This was the Heavenly Pivot Sacred Land six thousand years ago, before it had mobilized its entire force to assault the Ancient Forbidden Land—one of the transcendent Sacred Lands of the Eastern Wilderness.

Luo Yan had fallen out of the long river of time. It had been three years; the Mirror of Time had yet to awaken, busy refining the essence of time to repair itself. With his current strength, Luo Yan could not force his way back into the river of time; he had to wait for the mirror to recover.

Luo Yan did not belong to this era, and the suppression by the Myriad Daos was severe. He could use less than ten percent of his true strength, just enough to ensure his own survival.

The Heavenly Pivot Sacred Land possessed the "Wordless Secret of Movement," one of the Nine Secrets. Once mastered, one could ascend to the nine heavens or descend into the underworld—where in the world could one not go? Since mastering the secret to its peak involved the domain of time, Luo Yan was determined to obtain it.

He could not simply wait around while trapped in this history. His lifespan was limited; he could not afford to squander such precious time.

Now was undoubtedly the best time to master the movement secret. After the Heavenly Pivot Sacred Land eventually assaulted the Ancient Forbidden Land, the secret would be lost, only to reappear much later within the Saint Cliff—a place that was originally part of the Undying Mountain, severed and taken by a Great Success Sacred Body, then suppressed by the Great Emperor Wu Shi with an imperial formation.

For anyone who was not a grandmaster of formations, going there was a nine-death-one-life ordeal. While Luo Yan was strong, he dared not claim he could contend with an peerless imperial formation left by a Great Emperor; even a victory would be a pyrrhic one.

The assessment for the Heavenly Pivot Sacred Land was relatively simple, focusing on "immortal affinity"—essentially testing one's immortal roots and temperament. These two factors were the keys to cultivation.

"Peerless immortal aptitude! Remarkable temperament! Truly a transcendent talent!" The elder in charge of the testing gripped Wei Yi’s hand, stunned and speechless, staring fixedly at the pillar of light that shot into the sky.

The seekers and disciples nearby looked on with envy. Some lamented their own lack of talent, wishing they had even a tenth of his potential to enter the immortal gate, while others realized that from this day forward, the Heavenly Pivot Sacred Land would gain a peerless genius—someone they would one day have to look up to.

Luo Yan remained calm amidst the shock of the crowd.

Wei Yi would become a saint six thousand years later, one of the few survivors of the Heavenly Pivot Sacred Land. Along with the Mad Old Man, who practiced the Six Paths of Reincarnation Fist and a portion of the movement secret, he would be known as one of the Three Heroes of the era, one of the most powerful youths besides the Saintess of Heavenly Pivot.

Figures flickered as several individuals descended. With white hair and beards, and kind, benevolent expressions, these people came from the depths of the Sacred Land—figures rarely seen in daily life.

Their gazes all fell upon Wei Yi, filled with astonishment. They had noticed the pillar of light the moment it appeared and naturally understood what had occurred. There was no need for words; the disciples standing by in respectful silence had already guessed the truth.

All these high-ranking figures wanted to take Wei Yi as their disciple! They were all top-tier titans, yet today, they had all come for one child.

Everyone could foresee that this child would inevitably soar to greatness and become a supreme figure. Because the boy possessed no prior cultivation, it meant his background was clean—the perfect candidate for a personal disciple.

"Child, would you like to take me as your master? I am the Supreme Elder of Rock Peak, and I am currently in need of a successor. If you join me, I will pass on everything I know!"

"Child, if you join my Thunder Peak lineage, I can teach you supreme thunder arts. Once mastered, you can command the divine lightning of the heavens!"

"Child..."

Clearly, they were all moved. The boy’s talent was transcendent; if he did not perish prematurely, he would surely become a top figure in the Heavenly Pivot Sacred Land, perhaps even surpassing them.

Facing the enthusiasm of the group of old men, Wei Yi was clearly frightened, timidly hiding behind Luo Yan.

"Brother Luo Yan..."

Luo Yan patted his head and said, "Do not be afraid. These seniors have no ill intent. They wish to teach you supreme divine abilities so that you may become an immortal capable of soaring through the skies!"

"If I become an immortal, can I go find my parents?" Wei Yi asked.

"Naturally!"

Only then did Wei Yi gather his courage and step forward.

The elders then realized that this seemingly ordinary man standing beside the boy was also quite extraordinary. He possessed a mysterious aura of the Dao—hidden yet revealed, revealed yet hidden, as if naturally formed. Had it not been for Wei Yi’s actions, they would never have noticed him at all.

"May I ask, fellow Daoist, where are you from?" they asked, though their focus remained primarily on the child.

Luo Yan returned the courtesy. "I am merely a wandering rogue cultivator. I found this child a year ago in a forest outside the Sacred Land. The area was teeming with fierce beasts, and the child was unlucky enough to be separated from his parents."

Although he said "separated," everyone understood that the child's parents had likely perished.

"Are you here to visit our Heavenly Pivot Sacred Land?"

Luo Yan replied, "I would not call it a visit. I have long admired the Saintess of the Heavenly Pivot Sacred Land and wish to see her face."

As he spoke, Luo Yan leaked an aura of a completed Wheel Sea Realm, intentionally lowering his status. He did not belong to this history and could not be too high-profile, or he risked being targeted by the consciousness of the Heavenly Dao.

The elders, being powerful, naturally saw that Luo Yan was hiding his true strength, but they did not point it out. They might have been suspicious if he were here for another reason, but coming for the Saintess was plausible enough.

Their Saintess was hailed as the greatest beauty of the era, possessing exceptional talent, a captivating appearance, and a peerless grace. Countless disciples of various Sacred Lands yearned for her, and even the current Goddess of Jade Pool was considered slightly inferior to her. She stood above the saintesses of other Sacred Lands and the goddesses of the ancient families.

"I go wherever Brother Luo Yan goes!" Wei Yi was young but clever; he could see that these people seemed reluctant to accept his brother.

Hearing this, Luo Yan took the opportunity to step down. "If you seniors are willing, I would like to cultivate alongside Wei Yi."

The group remained silent, but eventually agreed. It was not as if there weren't other "suitors" like Luo Yan in the Sacred Land; one more did not matter.

The most pressing concern was Wei Yi’s placement. He was a child of peerless talent—perhaps not quite equal to the Saintess, but certainly on par with the Saint Son. Cultivating him would mean gaining another prodigy of Saint Son caliber.

The high-ranking figures argued until their faces turned red, drawing a crowd of elders and disciples to watch. Never before had such a scene occurred; any one of these figures could shake the outside world, yet here they were, bickering like common old men over a single child.