Chapter 931: Chapter 931: A Peculiar Selection

"That impressive?" Brother Cheng was surprised.

He almost wanted to shout across realms to the deceased Emperor Venerable Zhong Cuo of the Profound Realm.

The Ice Extreme Saint Venerable, just like you, was a shining star of his world, but look at his noble understanding.

And then look at your bandit-like behavior; how can there be such a gap in how one carries oneself?

"Then doesn’t that mean fewer and fewer people from Ice Origin Valley with time?"

Jiang Cheng pondered; he was still quite far from Emperor Realm Eighth Layer.

Without the Heaven-Reaching Talisman, he couldn’t enter either.

"Did they issue new Heaven-Reaching Talismans afterwards?"

Gong Qing shook her head: "They only recruit new candidates when the seniors inside have fallen, leaving behind Heaven-Reaching Talismans, to find replacements from outside."

"The number of people in Ice Origin Valley has stayed at 501 without change."

"Until the exception appeared four million years ago..."

The time span abruptly reached four million years ago, leaving Brother Cheng a bit overwhelmed.

"Ji Linghan at that time?"

"Yes, during that Heavenly Dao selection, seven newcomers were chosen from the entire Ice Realm to enter Ice Origin Valley, and Ji Linghan was among them."

"From then on, the number increased to 508."

Brother Cheng finally understood why Xiaojie was so famous.

The entire Ice Realm chose only seven people, especially with such a historic change in Ice Origin Valley’s capacity.

It’s impossible not to stand out.

No wonder Gong Qing still kept her image.

"So she has been in Ice Origin Valley ever since? Not come out for four million years?"

Gong Qing nodded, enviously: "Yes, with such an opportunity, I wouldn’t want to leave either."

"What kind of battle was that Heavenly Dao selection?"

Four million years ago, Ji Linghan’s power shouldn’t have been that strong, right?

Probably, at most Emperor Realm Third and Fourth Layer.

This kind of power couldn’t possibly stand out across the entire Ice Realm.

"The Heavenly Dao selection wasn’t a battle, just a recruitment by Ice Origin Valley."

"What? Then how did they choose, what were the criteria?"

Brother Cheng originally thought it was similar to an Evangelical Assembly-like contest.

"I don’t know either..."

Gong Qing shook her head: "Until those seven were announced to the world afterward, we didn’t even know about the Heavenly Dao selection. It’s said Ice Origin Valley secretly assessed all cultivators in the Ice Realm at that time."

"But the details of this assessment are unknown to us."

"Ice Origin Valley’s actions are deep and unfathomable, surely beyond what people like us can infer."

"Is that so?"

Brother Cheng touched his chin and asked further: "Besides Ji Linghan, who are the other six?"

Gong Qing answered immediately: "Apart from her, there’s Zhongli Que, Jiang Jiayi, Lu Qing, Wei Shan, Qiu Ran, and Zong Xi."

"What?"

Brother Cheng’s mouth twitched.

"Zhongli Que? Qiu Ran? Jiang Jiayi?"

These three are also disciples of my Feixian Sect!

Zhongli Que, like Ji Linghan, was one of the earliest batches, considered among the most notable of the Second Generation Disciples.

Back then, when Feixian Sect was hunted in the Upper Immortal Realm, he was one of the hundred survivors and was among the first to enter the Quasi-Emperor ranks.

As for Jiang Jiayi and Qiu Ran, they were two of the Fourth Generation Disciples.

Brother Cheng’s knowledge of his disciples wasn’t very thorough either.

However, he surmised that these four were probably the only ones among Feixian Sect disciples who mastered the Ice Rule.

After all, amongst over a thousand disciples, there were many rules to choose from.

In other words, all four from Feixian Sect who entered the True Ice Realm were selected by Ice Origin Valley?

That couldn’t just be coincidence!

By what criteria did Ice Origin Valley choose people?

It’s certainly not talent.

Because Brother Cheng hadn’t upgraded Jiang Jiayi and Qiu Ran, to First-class Talent, only to Second-class.

"How exactly are they selected?"

"Could it be because they come from outside, belonging to Otherworldly People?" He mused, rubbing his chin.

"Otherworld, surely not?"

Upon hearing "otherworld," Gong Qing didn’t show any particular surprise.

The Three Thousand Realms weren’t isolated; occasionally, people from other True Realms entered the Ice Realm.

In her eyes, they counted as Otherworldly People.

Little did she know, when Brother Cheng said "otherworld," he meant Immortal Realm.

She shook her head: "The origins of many are hard to trace, Ice Origin Valley hasn’t publicized them, but at the very least, I know Wei Shan is definitely from the Ice Realm."

"Do you know him?"

"I know him, though he doesn’t know me. Two hundred million years ago, he was already a renowned genius; I grew up hearing his name."

Gong Qing recounted: "This man is the third son of Wei Bai, the Domain Master of Illusion Light Domain; from his teenage years, his genius has been widely recognized..."

She briefly introduced Wei Shan’s background.

Pretty much another Child of the Plane template like Zhong Cuo, shattering youngest records during breakthroughs.

Four million years ago, this man had already surpassed his Domain Master father, reaching Emperor Realm Sixth Layer.

Thus, Wei Shan definitely wasn’t Otherworldly People, which directly disproved Brother Cheng’s earlier guess.

"Forget it, too lazy to guess, will talk about it once I find the person," he said.

He turned to Gong Qing: "Advisor Gong, it’s time to showcase your smartness, I give you a little task."

Upon hearing this, Gong Qing was moved to the verge of tears.

You finally recognize my value?

Finally going to use my abilities?

She immediately boasted: "Go ahead, what’s the challenge?"

Brother Cheng smiled pleasantly and rubbed his hands together: "Can you figure out a way for us to break into Ice Origin Valley without needing the Heaven-Reaching Talisman?"

Though this brother believed that as the protagonist, he must be the most special one.

But seeing that Ice Origin Valley wouldn’t be issuing new Heaven-Reaching Talismans anytime soon.

Besides, he couldn’t afford to wait.

Poof!

Gong Qing almost spat blood.

No such thing has ever been done in Ice Realm’s history.

If there was a way, she would have entered herself long ago, instead of standing here.

She admitted honestly: "I can’t do it."

"I rarely ask you to do something, and you say you can’t?"

Brother Cheng looked disappointed, as if Gong Qing had let him down.

"Sigh, to think I believed you were capable."

Gong Qing was so irritated by his words that even her eyes hurt.

The task you’re asking of me, isn’t this difficulty a bit too absurd?

Is this something that mere skill can accomplish?

Ah?

Besides Ice Extreme Saint Venerable, can anyone complete this task?

How can one shamelessly use such a casual tone to entrust a hell-level task to subordinates as if it’s a trivial matter?

She gritted her teeth and replied with dissatisfaction: "Many have tried to enter Ice Origin Valley; daily, countless people attempt recklessly, but historically, none have succeeded."

She was almost about to say outright that you too wouldn’t be an exception.