Chapter 2: Arrival at the Shining Light Sanctuary

Supporting the young disciple Li Yao, just twenty years old and dressed in pure white, his posture upright and imbued with a profound Daoist aura that seemed to blend harmoniously with the surrounding environment.

Such a figure, if seen in the mortal world, would likely be mistaken for an immortal. Yet at this moment, he spoke with remarkable gentleness.

“As fellow disciples of the Hengyang Cavern, there is no need for such formality, junior brother.”

Li Yao was somewhat taken aback. He was merely a disciple who had yet to embark on his cultivation path and did not understand why the other treated him with such kindness.

The disciple released his hand and continued, “Junior brother, my surname is Chen. You may call me Brother Chen. I have come by order of the sect leader to take you to the Hengyang Hall. There are important figures who wish to meet you.”

This explained why, despite being a cultivator of the Life Spring Realm, Brother Chen treated Li Yao, who had not even started cultivation, with such respect.

The so-called important figures were naturally from the Yaoguang Sacred Land. Brother Chen had already guessed the reason for their visit. After years of cultivation in Hengyang Cavern, he had witnessed such scenes before.

Among his cohort of disciples was a prodigy of unparalleled talent, who was personally taken away by a powerful figure from the Yaoguang Sacred Land.

At that time, Brother Chen envied him deeply and secretly vowed to one day enter the Yaoguang Sacred Land to cultivate.

But as the years passed, Brother Chen came to a sober realization: for him, the Yaoguang Sacred Land remained far beyond reach.

For forces like Hengyang Cavern, which were subordinate to the Yaoguang Sacred Land, there were channels to join the Sacred Land.

Apart from prodigies whose talents were so extraordinary that the Sacred Land’s masters personally came to recruit them, there was another way: those whose cultivation advanced at a staggering pace, reaching the Transcendence Realm before the age of twenty, could also be accepted.

Brother Chen was exactly twenty this year, but his cultivation was still only at the Life Spring Realm. For the rest of his life, he would never have the chance to join the Yaoguang Sacred Land.

At this moment, although Li Yao had not yet been confirmed for admission, the sect leader’s recommendation proved that his talent was undoubtedly strong. Even if he ultimately failed to enter the Sacred Land, he was only ten years old now, with ten years ahead to cultivate—and hope remained.

Upon hearing Brother Chen’s words, Li Yao was momentarily stunned. He recalled the Yaoguang Sacred Land entourage he had seen not long ago and couldn’t help but ask,

“Are these important figures from the Yaoguang Sacred Land?”

Initially confused, understanding dawned swiftly.

Li Yao had only recently joined Hengyang Cavern for about a month, spending most of his time learning the fundamentals of cultivation. Naturally, he was unaware of the senior disciple who had been accepted into the Yaoguang Sacred Land from Hengyang Cavern.

But as a transmigrator, he had his own sources of information. In the original story, Weiwei from Lingxu Cavern had entered the Yaoguang Sacred Land and eventually rose to become the Sacred Lord of that land.

“You truly are wise, junior brother. Indeed, it is important figures from Yaoguang Sacred Land who wish to see you.”

Li Yao’s heart was a whirlpool of emotions at this moment. Outsiders would see joining the Yaoguang Sacred Land as an overwhelming joy, losing themselves in excitement without a second thought.

But Li Yao was different. He had long planned his path of cultivation. With the Heavenly Book in hand, he would never lack cultivation scriptures. As long as the Heavenly Book’s energy sufficed, he could even derive celestial scriptures.

To him, joining a major sect was merely a matter of gaining some background in the early stages, which would ease his access to cultivation texts. But with that came greater restrictions.

Especially in the Yaoguang Sacred Land—if Li Yao joined, would he still dare to recklessly use the Heavenly Book to rapidly grow stronger? Being stronger than ordinary disciples could be attributed to talent, but surpassing the Sacred Heir would surely arouse suspicion.

Especially in a ruthless faction like Yaoguang Sacred Land: if your talent was exceptional, they would simply eliminate you and absorb your fortune for themselves.

Li Yao’s thoughts churned as he followed Brother Chen toward Hengyang Hall, his mind restless.

Brother Chen naturally noticed Li Yao’s unease but found it unsurprising—who wouldn’t be excited upon learning they were to join the Yaoguang Sacred Land?

Brother Chen said nothing, quietly leading the way.

They walked between towering peaks, surrounded by a landscape that resembled an immortal realm, completely detached from the mortal world—and this was only a force dominating a thousand-mile radius.

Crossing a valley, a breathtaking scene unfolded.

Ahead rose magnificent mountains, thick with spiritual energy. From a great height, a thousand-meter waterfall plunged down like a celestial river, white as a silver ribbon, its thunderous roar like a stampede of thousands of horses—majestic and splendid.

Li Yao, unsettled moments before, was instantly calmed. Though this was not his first time witnessing the waterfall, its grandeur always brought him peace.

The distracting thoughts in his mind faded, replaced by clarity.

“Enough. I have no right to decide my fate now; why bother struggling?” he thought.

Like this waterfall, a powerful cultivator could stop its fall or even reverse it to the skies.

But Li Yao was not yet such a figure. Whether he joined the Yaoguang Sacred Land or not was beyond his control. He could only go with the flow; overthinking would only drain him.

So he chose to let go, moving forward naturally. What he worried about now was but a future possibility—who could say that the hardships he foresaw would not be resolved with ease when the time came?

As his mood lightened, Li Yao visibly relaxed. Seeing this, Brother Chen could not help but praise, “Junior brother, you truly have a commendable disposition!”

Such a tremendous blessing had fallen upon him, yet he calmed his heart in such a short time. Even if he never entered the Yaoguang Sacred Land, his future achievements would surely be great.

Hearing the praise, Li Yao smiled softly. “I’m only calm outwardly.”

“Even so, that itself is remarkable!” Brother Chen admired, especially considering Li Yao was only ten years old.

The winding path led into a secluded area, a cobblestone road passing the waterfall and winding deep into the stunning immortal mountains. Along the way, ancient trees towered, their branches gnarled like dragons. Numerous halls lay hidden among the greenery, blending naturally and harmoniously.

On either side of the ancient road, cultivated medicinal fields flourished. Ginseng stems thick as a child’s arm, nine-leaf lingzhi mushrooms hung high, and many unknown herbs shimmered faintly, imbued with faint radiance. The fragrance of medicine filled the air, soothing and refreshing.

After passing the waterfall, the number of disciples increased. Most greeted Brother Chen warmly with respectful salutations.

Brother Chen responded with a smile and a nod, never showing arrogance.

Soon, he led Li Yao to Hengyang Hall, a grand palace forged entirely from bronze and iron, more imposing than any earthly imperial palace.

Brother Chen stopped outside the hall and explained the situation to the disciples guarding the entrance. They were well aware of the arrival of the important figures from the Yaoguang Sacred Land and dared not delay, swiftly running inside to report.

After a brief wait, one of the disciples returned quickly and said to them, “Junior brother, the sect leader invites you in. Brother Chen, you need not come further.”

“Junior brother, go ahead,” Brother Chen stepped aside with a smile.

Li Yao nodded and stepped into the hall, his heart untroubled now that he had resolved his thoughts.

Inside, twelve colossal dragon-wrapped pillars stood, each thick enough to be embraced by a man. The ceiling and surroundings were embedded with luminous pearls that provided illumination.

Walking down the center of the hall, Li Yao approached a grand staircase with one hundred and eight steps. At the top sat a row of figures. The sect leader of Hengyang Cavern occupied a seat at the far edge, rather than the center.

As Li Yao entered, all eyes turned to him. The Yaoguang Sacred Land’s powerful guests appraised him critically, while the Hengyang sect leader appeared tense.

“Disciple Li Yao, greetings to the sect leader and esteemed guests,” Li Yao stopped about ten meters before the stairs, cupping his hands in salute.

The Hengyang sect leader stood respectfully and said to the person seated in the center, “My lord, this is the disciple I recommended. He joined the cavern a month ago. I sensed exceptional Daoist aura in him, as if destiny itself had opened the heavens for him. Thus, I have recommended him to the Sacred Land.”