Supreme Immortal Aperture.
Little East Sea.
Lian Sea Waters.
Sea winds blew across the surface, sending waves rippling outward as the roar of surf carried on without end.
A Fifth Transformation毛民 elder lay unconscious on a small sampan, sprawled across the deck.
The sampan drifted with the current. If nothing changed, this毛民 elder would meet his death in the open sea.
But a towering tower ship happened to pass by. The moment the crew spotted the small sampan, cries of alarm and shouts erupted from aboard the vessel.
The毛民 elder was rescued and awakened, only to find himself on the deck of the tower ship.
"Old sir, are you also heading to the Lian Dao Holy Land to compete for passage in and out of the Wandering Lian Nest?" the毛民 Gu Masters aboard the ship asked.
The elder nodded. "I've been living in the Little Northern Wastes. When I heard the news of the Wandering Lian Nest, I learned it was personally ordered to be forged by the world's supreme, most exalted, most honored Lord of Worlds — Immortal Venerable Great Love. A holy land of the Lian Dao like that might give me my last hope of breaking through."
The毛民 Gu Masters on the ship couldn't help but exclaim in admiration: "Old sir, you traveled all the way from the Little Northern Wastes on your own — that must have been incredibly grueling! Truly admirable!"
The毛民 elder, however, shook his head with a bitter smile. "I wasn't alone at first. There were three of us. But along the way, dangers lurked at every turn. Two companions died one after another, and the last one didn't dare continue — he turned back right then and there. So in the end, I'm the only one who made it here."
The Supreme Immortal Aperture was far from safe.
Anomalous incidents erupted with frightening regularity. The only places with stable living conditions were the major clan settlements, which were usually protected by guardian Immortal formations or watched over by Immortal Gu Masters.
Thus, even a Fifth Transformation Gu Master found it extremely difficult to travel long distances, having to bear unimaginable and immense risks.
The毛民 elder also inquired about where the other毛民 Gu Masters had come from.
Just as he had guessed, these毛民 Gu Masters hailed from the Three Hair Continent in the Little East Sea.
Back in the Langya Blessed Land, the Yellow Hair Continent, Black Hair Continent, and White Hair Continent had been collectively known as the Three Hair Continent by the outside world.
These毛民 Gu Masters varied in cultivation — most were at the Fourth Transformation, a few at the Fifth Transformation, and there were even a handful at the Third Transformation, which was quite rare.
"I truly envy you all, living so close to the Lian Dao Holy Land!" the毛民 elder sighed from the bottom of his heart.
"What good does being close do? Normally, passage through here is strictly prohibited."
"How could a Lian Dao Holy Land allow just anyone to come and go as they please?"
"As far as I know, many descendants of Immortal Gu Masters can enter and leave freely. Sigh, we can't compare. They have Immortal Gu Master elders — when they come here, they ride flying ships that are incredibly fast!"
"Hopefully this trial won't be too hard, and I'll pass. Then I'll finally have the right to come and go here freely!"
The毛民 Gu Masters chattered among themselves.
Several days later, the毛民 elder and the full shipload of毛民 Gu Masters arrived at one of the Wandering Lian Nests.
The towering immensity of the Wandering Lian Nest left every Gu Master marveling in awe.
A voice reached each person's ears, guiding the newcomers along the correct path and leading them smoothly inside the Wandering Lian Nest.
The interior of the Wandering Lian Nest was even more complex — countless rooms of varying sizes, with corridors and winding passages crisscrossing every which way. It was incredibly easy to get lost.
Under that voice's continued guidance, the毛民 Gu Masters each found their assigned rooms and settled in.
The rooms came fully equipped with living facilities, but everything was strikingly austere, laying bare the atmosphere of ascetic cultivation.
That night, the newly arrived毛民 Gu Masters rested well after a good night's sleep.
The next day, in the individually assigned Gu Refining chambers within their rooms, Gu materials began arriving via传送.
The毛民 Gu Masters all commenced their Gu refining.
According to that mysterious voice, this was the initial trial — it required the Gu Masters to process the Gu materials or refine Gu Insects using whatever methods they excelled at.
This trial lasted three days, during which the Gu Masters could fully display their expertise.
After the trial, the Gu Masters' rooms were reassigned. Some moved up to higher floors, while others dropped down several levels.
The Wandering Lian Nest did not prohibit communication between Gu Masters, so various small exchange gatherings were held frequently at night.
The Fifth Transformation毛民 elder encountered many talented Gu Masters — the majority were毛民, but there were also human Gu Masters, and even a scattering of other non-human Gu Masters.
Through this, he managed to pick up a great deal of information. One piece in particular — according to everyone's speculation — was that the higher a Gu Master's floor, the better their trial results must have been.
Because the higher the floor, the larger and better the room, and the finer the meals provided.
The Gu Masters began fierce competition centered around this single standard.
The Wandering Lian Nest never lacked tasks — processing Gu materials, refining Gu Insects, or attempting to pioneer new Gu Insects.
By performing well, the Gu Masters could also seek guidance from that mysterious voice, learning exceedingly refined Gu refining knowledge and techniques.
After living here for several weeks, every Gu Master felt their strength surging forward at a remarkable pace.
Fourteen days passed like this, and the Gu Masters arrived at the mid-term trial.
A single batch of excellent Gu materials was distributed to many Gu Masters for collective processing.
The Gu Masters were each in their own rooms, observing transmissions and processing remotely. The images were startlingly lifelike — both temperature and scent were indistinguishable from the real thing. The actual Gu materials, however, were kept at a secret location within a Lian Dao Gu formation, never placed directly before any Gu Master.
Such means were inconceivable, leaving every Gu Master stunned and filled with admiration.
After the mid-term trial, more than ten more days passed before the final trial arrived.
This time, it was processing Immortal materials.