The grand assembly of Earth Immortals in Jin Xia Cave Heaven officially commenced. The venue was thronged with people, with everyone, whether qualified to register or not, coming to witness the spectacle.
As for such a grand event, Xiao Fei, though he had no intention of joining the cave heaven, thought it would be good to see the excitement.
His original purpose for coming to Jin Xia City was to interact more with other Earth Immortals and broaden his horizons.
He also planned to acquire some immortal stones. He had accumulated over a hundred immortal stones, which would suffice for the time being.
However, he still had no leads regarding cultivation techniques.
From what he knew, most of the rogue immortals he associated with did not possess any decent cultivation methods. Having even half a fragmented technique to cultivate was considered fortunate.
The biggest difference between the Immortal Realm and the worlds below was that once one became an immortal, they would achieve eternal life.
Eternal life was a good thing, especially for those who held high positions, controlled vast resources, and were in a dominant ruling class.
This meant that as long as one had an initial advantage and held power, they could enjoy it forever.
Furthermore, to consolidate and maintain their status, these powerful individuals at the top would hoard all useful resources to prevent any successors from surpassing them.
It was as if the people ahead had already claimed all the benefits, and these individuals were all immortal.
Successors had no chance at all, only able to pledge allegiance to those ahead, receiving scraps while others feasted.
Therefore, only by joining a major force could one have the opportunity to obtain various resources.
The grand assembly of Earth Immortals in Jin Xia Cave Heaven set up a high platform in the city, allowing registered Earth Immortals to perform their talents one by one, showcasing their worth.
After passing the talent display, there would be over ten other assessments, followed by a final interview.
Only by passing all assessments would one be accepted by Jin Xia Cave Heaven. The difficulty of the process was palpable, even to the onlookers, who felt waves of despair.
Among all the assessment stages, the first one, the talent display, was the most visually engaging.
The registered Earth Immortals would exert their utmost effort, showcasing their signature skills and performing various dazzling feats.
Xiao Fei also squeezed into the crowd to watch. At this moment, an Earth Immortal was demonstrating a unique skill.
He was seen dismembering himself with a large saber, and then, in a very short period, his limbs were restored to their original state.
His particular law was quite interesting, and he successfully advanced to the next stage with this signature skill.
At this time, Old Man Zhou Yi, who had been enthusiastic just yesterday, walked down from the stage dejectedly.
"Alas! I have failed. Fellow Daoists, strive on! This path is too arduous!"
"Daoist Zhou, could you impart some of your experience? We can then pay more attention."
"Alas! It's no harm to speak of it. If only I had..."
Although Xiao Fei had not registered, he felt he could gain considerable insight by listening to Zhou Yi share his experiences.
Just as Xiao Fei and others were crowding to watch the talent display,
Shui Yue, along with several female immortals from Jin Xia Cave Heaven, were also observing.
They were situated in a tall building, from which they could overlook the entire city, offering an excellent vantage point from above.
Shui Yue watched the rounds of brutal assessments and chuckled.
"It's truly remarkable that you could come up with so many torturous little stages. I feel I might not be able to pass smoothly either."
"Hehe... Sister Shui Yue is too kind! Actually, I can't pass smoothly either!"
It should be noted that these women were all True Immortals, while the rogue immortals participating in the assessment below were only at the Earth Immortal cultivation level.
If even they could not pass smoothly, then the Earth Immortals below would have even less of a chance.
"Isn't what you're doing a waste of effort?"
"We can't help it. We only want to recruit five people, but there are over 500 applicants. They are all Earth Immortals, and their conditions are not significantly different. It doesn't matter who we choose, so we can only devise ways to eliminate everyone. In the end, it depends on who is lucky enough to pass these stages by chance," explained a doll-faced female immortal from Jin Xia Cave Heaven.
Shui Yue looked at the Earth Immortals performing desperately below, feeling as if she were watching free juggling.
"You're recruiting so many people at once. The immortal energy concentration in the Immortal Realm is getting lower and lower. Our Ying Yue Cave Heaven hasn't recruited outsiders for 10,000 years."
"Our Jin Xia Cave Heaven hasn't recruited for a long time either. It's just that a while ago, when the Cave Master was cultivating a certain divine ability, he accidentally killed 10 Earth Immortal servants. Now, there aren't enough hands for miscellaneous tasks, and we don't want to recruit too many back and waste resources, so we've settled on recruiting five. Alas! With fewer servant hands, there will be no one to serve us in the future!" The doll-faced female immortal expressed her helplessness. Recently, with insufficient manpower, she had to fetch her own bathwater, which was too difficult.
"It's unavoidable. The immortal energy concentration in the Immortal Realm is continuously decreasing, and it can no longer support so many immortals." Shui Yue recalled that due to the insufficient immortal energy, the number of servants in their Ying Yue Cave Heaven was also dwindling.
"I heard that the major cave heavens are tightening their belts, while only the Holy Lands are still overflowing with wealth," the doll-faced immortal said, with a hint of envy.
"The immortal energy concentration in the entire Immortal Realm is slowly declining. Even the Holy Lands are not much better off. It's just that they have vast territories and deep foundations, allowing them to sustain themselves for a longer period than us."
"Alas! I wonder why the immortal energy in the Immortal Realm is decreasing. If this continues, will the Immortal Realm perish?" The doll-faced immortal felt a surge of fear upon saying this, suddenly startled by her own words.
"This Immortal Realm is bound to perish. All things in the world are ultimately destined for destruction. When the Immortal Realm eventually collapses, everyone will die." However, Fairy Shui Yue was much more composed than the doll-faced immortal. The words that came from her fiery red lips were as cold as ten thousand years of profound ice.
"Sister Shui Yue, don't scare me!"
"I heard it from our Cave Master. It is said that the big shots in the upper echelons of the Immortal Realm are all aware of this matter. But since the sky will fall, the taller ones will bear the weight. We don't need to worry about it. Eat when you should eat, and drink when you should drink." As Fairy Shui Yue spoke, her gaze returned to the talent display below.
Suddenly, her pupils contracted, and her gaze fixed on the crowd of onlookers below. She spotted a somewhat familiar figure in the crowd. Wasn't this Zhu Yu, who had peeked at her bathing last time and whom she had ridden? He was indeed not dead yet!
"Hehehe..." Shui Yue couldn't help but laugh out loud. Although the Cave Master had instructed her to treat Zhu Yu with courtesy once she found him, she still wanted to "ride" him again. Last time, it was too fast, and she didn't get the feel of it!
Xiao Fei, who was watching from the crowd, suddenly felt a chill down his spine, as if he were being targeted by some terrifying entity. Just as Xiao Fei was about to turn and leave, two female immortals from Jin Xia Cave Heaven flew before him and bowed in unison.
"Greetings, Young Master Zhu. Our mistress requests your presence!"
What... what was going on? At this moment, not only was Xiao Fei utterly confused, but he also had no acquaintances in the Immortal Realm.
Zhou Yi and the others standing beside Xiao Fei looked at him with astonishment, envy, and a hint of jealousy. Previously, Xiao Fei had adamantly stated he wouldn't join or register, but it turned out he had already gone through connections and used a backdoor to directly join Jin Xia Cave Heaven. Only they themselves were foolishly kept in the dark, earnestly advising Daoist Zhu to seize the opportunity. It turned out they were the fools all along!