I'll Wait for Genius to Catch Up at the Finish Line

[The Mountain and Sea Holy Land is located on the coastline in the eastern part of the continent.]

[Magnificent human cities are built along the coast.]

[The Holy Land does not refer to a single sect, but rather a human settlement centered around a powerful sect.]

[Just like anywhere else, there are mortals, markets, streets, government offices, and nations here.]

[At first glance, it feels like returning to the Five Domains.]

[The streets are bustling with traffic and streams of people.]

[However, the prosperity of each of the nineteen cities in the Mountain and Sea Holy Land far exceeds that of the Great Qian Capital, the most prosperous city in the Five Domains.]

[The commoners here dress decently, have abundant food and clothing, and pay great attention to etiquette.]

[The cities are orderly, neat and disciplined, with buildings closely packed in neat rows.]

[The cities are built right over spirit veins. Mortals and martial artists live together, yet there are no obvious conflicts to be seen.]

[After spending over a month gathering local customs in a major city, you feel that the folkways of the Holy Land are vastly different from the Five Domains.]

[Many etiquettes, clothing styles, and customs that have been lost in the Five Domains are not only perfectly preserved here, but every household also takes them very seriously.]

["It feels like the people of the Holy Land have preserved human culture much more completely, whereas the Five Domains are somewhat fractured, just barely getting by."]

[You figure that this difference is probably related to the great war from thirty thousand years ago.]

[The true Mountain and Sea Holy Land in a strict sense is a magnificent grand sect towering by the seaside.]

[It stands independent of those subordinate cities and is the ultimate cultivation sanctuary in the hearts of all martial artists within this region.]

[As for the so-called nations within the Holy Land, their kings can only be called 'professional managers'; the true ruler is the Lord of the Holy Land.]

[You notice that the cultivation realms of martial artists in the Holy Land are generally higher than those in the Five Domains.]

[In the mortal circles of the Five Domains, a Golden Body Realm cultivator is already considered a master.]

[But in the Holy Land, the Golden Body Realm is extremely common. Seeing their humble demeanor, it is obvious they do not consider themselves experts at all.]

[You have also encountered a few Martial Kings flying back and forth in the sky.]

[After a little asking around, you estimate that the total number of Martial Kings in the Holy Land might not match the Five Domains.]

[But considering that the base population of the Mountain and Sea Holy Land is far smaller than that of the Five Domains, their proportion of Martial Kings is staggeringly high.]

["The Holy Land indeed has a stable method for breaking through, which is why they can elevate martial artists stuck at the Spirit Condensation Realm to become Martial Kings!"]

[You conceal your aura and keep a low profile to avoid being discovered as a Martial King, which might cause unnecessary complications.]

[The Mountain and Sea Holy Land is not your destination; you are heading to the Carefree Holy Land located overseas.]

[In the Five Domains, information regarding the Holy Lands is outdated and insufficient.]

[Because the distance is too vast, there is very little communication between them.]

[However, the Mountain and Sea Holy Land is a neighbor to the Carefree Holy Land. The two are not far apart, so you can learn a great deal of information here.]

["Next year is the Carefree Holy Land's once-in-sixty-years Holy Son Apprentice Acceptance Ceremony?"]

["That's right!"]

["What is the difference between the Holy Son Apprentice Acceptance Ceremony and normal apprentice recruitment?"]

[You sit in a teahouse within one of the cities, chatting at a table with several Spirit Sea Realm martial artists.]

[Because you paid for everyone's expenses, these martial artists, seeing your generosity, are very happy to chat with you and answer any questions you have.]

[If you ask what you used to pay the bill?]

[Naturally, it was a pile of monster race materials—horns, claws, scales, tendons, and the like...]

[Don't ask how you got them.]

["Normal recruitment doesn't care about your aptitude; as long as you are willing to share honor and disgrace with the Holy Land and live or die with it, you can enter the outer sect as a disciple.

The Holy Son recruitment is different!

They only accept true geniuses!

The apprenticeship test is extremely difficult!

If selected, the Holy Land will heavily invest in your cultivation, and in the future, you can compete to become a candidate for the next generation's Holy Son or Holy Maiden.

If you succeed in the competition, advancing to the Martial King realm in the future is practically guaranteed!"]

[Hearing this, you are quite worried whether your high-tier bone structure can catch their discerning eyes.]

[After chatting more deeply, you discover that this Holy Son apprenticeship test isn't just a simple measurement of bone structure and physique.]

[Instead, it is a selection through competition.]

["It's a battle royale again. I'm good at this."]

[Eighth year, twenty-seven years old.]

[Extracting trait...]

[Extraction successful!]

[[Formation Master] (Purple Epic): Your speed in learning the Dao of Formations far exceeds others. Any formation arranged by your hands can reach the pinnacle of perfection, provided resources allow.]

[Adjust traits?]

[Yes/No]

"This is a good trait!"

In this simulation, Chen Yi intends to use the Seven Luminaries Immortal Formation to break the deadlock.

One can well imagine how important setting up formations is.

Originally, Chen Yi planned to find the most formidable formation master in the human realm to set up the formation.

Now, it seems he might be able to do it himself!

"Right now I am about to enter the Carefree Holy Land. Since I have to pretend to be an apprentice to sneak in, I must equip 'Playing the Pig to Eat the Tiger'.

After all, it makes no sense for a Martial King to seek an apprenticeship.

I will use my spare time outside of cultivation to study the Dao of Formations.

With the complete formation research notes obtained from the Shen Family Ancestor, coupled with the blessing of this trait, I can become self-taught even without a teacher!"

Chen Yi began to manipulate his traits.

How to choose and discard is truly a great science.

[You replaced 'Treasure-Snatching Strange Nose' with 'Formation Master'.]

[You replaced 'Aura of Ten Thousand Races' with 'Playing the Pig to Eat the Tiger'.]

Chen Yi estimated that he would be staying in the Holy Land for quite a long time.

Since he wouldn't be going out much and needed to pretend to be an obedient disciple,

'Treasure-Snatching Strange Nose' and 'Aura of Ten Thousand Races' wouldn't be needed for the time being.

Actually, there was also 'I've Learned a Mishmash of Knowledge' that needed to be equipped.

Only with this trait could he cultivate the monster race body-tempering technique he had obtained previously.

Unfortunately, the slots were limited, so it had to wait in line.

Moreover, the Chen Yi in the simulation wasn't a perpetual motion machine. There were many things to learn, and he had to take them one by one.

[Flying all the way across the sea, you arrive at an overseas archipelago.]

[On each of these islands, there are massive tower buildings, shining with brilliant golden light and circulating with formation patterns.]

[This archipelago is the Carefree Holy Land.]

[You had already heard in the Mountain and Sea Holy Land that those golden light towers are called 'Sea-Calming Divine Towers', used to suppress the sea level below the archipelago and prevent the islands from being battered by the seawater.]

[The closer you get to the Carefree Holy Land, the more ships, exotic beast mounts, and flying spirit artifacts you notice on the sea.]

[These people have all rushed over from the Mountain and Sea Holy Land, the Firmament Holy Land, the Five Domains, overseas, the Star Domains, and other places to participate in the Carefree Holy Land's Holy Son Apprentice Acceptance Ceremony.]

[Unlike the solitary you, almost all of them have family elders leading the way.]

[Those spirit artifacts and mounts are also being steered by high-realm martial artists.]

[As a Martial King, you directly fly through the air, sweeping right over their heads.]

[These heroic and spirited young talents watch your figure streaking across the sky. Their eyes do not show the envy of ordinary people, but rather a confidence that says they wish to compete with the heavens.]

["A true man should be like this!"]

["One day, I too will be able to do the same!"]

["When I soar into the highest clouds, I will look down and see how small the world is!"]

[These outstanding talents will all become your rivals in competing for the position of Carefree Holy Son.]

[What a pity. Although they are peerless geniuses blessed by heaven, they are just starting out, while you are already standing at the finish line waiting for them!]