Chapter 1817 - 1818: Divine Realm
God Realm, Eastern Territory. At the foot of a desolate mountain, a flash of colorful light appeared, and suddenly a figure stood there—it was Lin Chen, who had just ascended to the God Realm.
Lin Chen endured the throbbing pain in his head and immediately gathered his energy, cautiously surveying his surroundings.
This continent respects the strong, with dangers lurking every moment. More so in the unknown God Realm, Lin Chen naturally couldn't be careless.
After sensing the area and discovering no other living presence, Lin Chen slightly relaxed, then curiously began to observe his environment.
This was a desolate mountain area, seemingly devoid of others. Feeling the level of spiritual energy around him, Lin Chen couldn't help but furrow his brow.
"Seems the God Realm isn't as great as imagined. Although the spiritual energy is much better than the lower realms, it's still a bit lacking compared with my cultivation in the formation."
Lin Chen didn't realize he might just have had bad luck, arriving at this barren mountain where the spiritual energy is naturally thin. If he had gone to a place rich in spiritual energy, he might have been shocked beyond belief.
"I wonder where Wan Er and Xue Ying ended up. The priority is to head to the nearest city, understand the general situation of the God Realm, and then immediately find Wan Er and Xue Ying."
With a plan in mind, Lin Chen stopped thinking further, ascended to mid-air, and with his excellent eyesight, spotted a city in the east, then quickly hurried in that direction.
As the saying goes, 'Looking at the mountain, running kills the horse.' Although spotting the city from afar, Lin Chen flew for half a day to reach it.
Looking down, the city was unlike any city in the lower realms. The gate bore the words 'Donglong City,' imposing and unparalleled, with black walls stretching like the steel back of a giant beast, and within the city, spiritual energy soared and voices clamored.
Donglong City!
Feeling the wild aura, Lin Chen's heart swirled.
"Is this the God Realm? Indeed, full of strong entities! Spiritual energy soaring! I'm almost impatient!"
Suppressing his excitement, Lin Chen descended to the city gate, where two guards glanced at him, and Lin Chen realized they were both at the peak of Immortal Emperor level, silently amazed. In the lower realms, an Immortal Emperor was supreme, yet here they merely guard the gates.
The two guards looked at Lin Chen and said, "Entrance fee is one piece of low-grade Immortal Crystal!"
Lin Chen was surprised and asked,
"Low-grade Immortal Crystal? What is that?"
Lin Chen's question sparked the guards' curiosity, and after exchanging glances, one said, "Are you an Ascender?"
An Ascender? That seems right.
Lin Chen nodded.
"So you're an Ascender, then that's normal. If you don't have Immortal Crystals, paying a hundred top-grade spirit stones will do."
So expensive?
Lin Chen sighed inwardly, but thankfully he was wealthy enough to afford a hundred top-grade spirit stones.
After paying the spirit stones, the guard continued,
"After entering the city, don't cause trouble. First, go to the Ascension Pavilion; there'll be someone to receive Ascenders like you!"
For some reason, Lin Chen felt the guard's lips carried a subtle smile, as if something left unsaid.
But he didn't ask further, thanked them, and entered the city.
Standing on Donglong City's streets, observing the bustling crowd, many people had an aura stronger than Lin Chen's. Some had cultivation levels beyond his perception. As for those at the Emperor level, they were exceedingly rare, which explained why the gate guards were merely peak Immortal Emperors.
Moreover, the city teemed with spiritual energy, and after strolling briefly, Lin Chen felt a slow enhancement in his cultivation. At his level, further improvement in the lower realms was nearly impossible, yet here even a short while felt like progress.
"God Realm? Haha, it's truly exciting!"
After aimlessly wandering for a while, Lin Chen soon spotted an enormous structure, engraved with three calligraphic characters: "Ascension Pavilion."
Recalling the guard's words, Lin Chen casually walked inside.
"Let's see how different this God Realm truly is!"
Entering the Ascension Pavilion, Lin Chen surveyed the area—a lone elder lay on a chair, squinting and feigning sleep, looking like an ordinary old man.
Lin Chen didn't dare be negligent; he cupped his hands and said,
"Old man, I'm Lin Chen, seeking advice!"
The elder slightly opened his eyes, scrutinized Lin Chen, and said, "Ascender?"
Lin Chen nodded, then the elder rose, and without a visible movement, a jade slip floated before Lin Chen.
"Here, hold this. It's your identity jade plaque. You're the thirteenth Ascender to Donglong City this month. Tomorrow, come with me to test your aptitude. If lucky, you could directly enter a sect and receive excellent training, achieving prominence later; if unlucky, being dragged into drudgery is likely."
"Rest assured, sir. I have confidence in my strength. If they want to recruit me, let's see if the so-called sect has the qualification!"
"Heh." The elder raised an eyebrow at Lin Chen's confidence but refrained from commenting.
"This jade slip contains basic knowledge of the God Realm. Study it well. Meet here again tomorrow at noon."
Lin Chen nodded and stored the jade slip,
"Thank you, elder!"
"Heh, no problem, it's my duty. Lin Chen, I have high hopes for you. Off you go!"
With these words, the elder turned away, as Lin Chen was about to ask more, a gentle force propelled him outside the door, which then automatically shut.
Lin Chen was shocked: "The elder's seemingly gentle force left me defenseless. My dantian and soul felt constrained; his formidable strength is evident!"
"Seems the God Realm is indeed a place of hidden talents; my power here isn't strong, and I must stay low-key. But if someone seeks trouble, I won't just endure it!"
The elder's displayed strength cleared Lin Chen's mind considerably; clutching the jade slip, he turned and left.
Inside the room, with an ever-watchful eye on him, the elder smiled slightly then retracted his divine sense, muttering in a voice only audible to himself: "This lad has promise!"
Now Lin Chen had returned to his abode, painfully shelling out three hundred top-grade spirit stones for a guest room. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, he began cultivating.
He held several top-grade spirit stones, threads of spiritual energy extracted then absorbed by Lin Chen, his strength growing at an exceedingly slow pace.
After a while, Lin Chen stopped, frowned, and murmured: "The cultivation speed seems slower, how is this possible? The spiritual energy is rich, yet the cultivation just won't speed up."
Unable to resolve his puzzlement, Lin Chen chose to leave it be, planning to ask the elder during the test tomorrow.
Thinking of that elder, Lin Chen flipped his palm, revealing a cyan jade slip. With a spiritual thought, he delved into it; a flood of information rushed towards him, prompting him to concentrate and assimilate the God Realm's knowledge.
After a while, Lin Chen exhaled deeply, eyes ablaze, gazing ahead.
"So that's how it is!"
