As Wan Lei's thoughts wandered, a spatial通道 opened ahead of the train, and the train directly entered it.
The next moment, the scenery outside shifted. The overcast sky transformed into a boundless blue expanse.
Wan Lei looked down. Below lay a verdant plain dotted with numerous straight avenues, interspersed with forests and grasslands. It wasn't chaotic but rather orderly and beautifully planned.
The train emerged from the spatial jump point and glided into the station. People streamed out, with the vast majority flying towards the north.
Confused, Wan Lei assumed the exit was in that direction and followed them.
After flying north for about fifteen minutes, he sensed something was amiss. In his line of sight appeared a colossal…
Steel city!
Even from mid-air, the city was so vast that he couldn't see its boundaries. Its walls were lined with defensive fortifications, various defensive towers, and particle cannons—technological marvels.
Within the city, tall buildings stood in profusion. Countless small airships crisscrossed the sky. The city was bustling, with people shoulder to shoulder, and shops of every description lined the streets—a magnificent panorama of prosperity.
Peering further in, Wan Lei spotted a vast palace complex at the city's center. If he wasn't mistaken, that must be the imperial palace of the Great Tang Empire.
To the west of the city stood a structure even taller than the palace, the only one in the entire city daring to surpass it in height.
It was a tower, crowned with a lifelike sculpture of a wild goose with wings spread, as if about to take flight.
If his guess was correct, that must be the Swan Tower Academy, renowned as the "preschool of the Five Elements Hall."
The Five Elements Hall only admitted disciples of the Immortal Realm. For exceptional disciples of the Mortal Realm, the Swan Tower Academy in Chang'an City was their prime cultivation sanctuary.
For fifty thousand years, the Swan Tower Academy had consistently ranked first in the Immortal Realm for its outstanding "university entrance rate."
It was said that the Five Great Immortal Venerables, the master of the Sword Hall and his wife, the master of the Illusion Hall, and many elders of the Five Elements Hall had all studied at the Swan Tower Academy in their youth.
Of course, that wasn't the most important point.
The most important thing was that Wan Lei had finally realized his mistake.
Damn it, these people weren't heading for the exit at all; they were going directly to Chang'an City!
He was supposed to be going to the Five Elements Hall, so why was he being led astray like this?!
Rolling his eyes, Wan Lei changed direction. He bypassed this foremost majestic city of the Immortal Realm and flew directly eastward.
Beneath him stretched an endless plain. After flying east for a full quarter of an hour, undulating mountain ranges finally appeared before his eyes.
The Yinglong Mountain Range!
The location of the Five Elements Hall.
Continuing forward, Wan Lei gradually discerned the interior of this mountain range.
It was protected by an enormous, resplendent formation that seemed to stretch beyond the horizon.
Standing in mid-air, the scene below was laid out before him.
Within the Five Elements Hall, numerous peaks stood tall, each adorned with countless buildings. Many disciples were seen moving to and fro within them.
The tallest peak was shrouded in a haze, making its appearance unclear. Only an immensely powerful aura could be felt emanating from it.
Apart from that one peak, ten other mountains stood out as exceptionally tall, unmatched by any others. These were presumably the legendary Five Elements Ten Halls.
Other peaks also hosted numerous structures. Within this mountain range, there were valleys and basins, rivers and waterfalls. Most striking of all was a massive four-story tower.
Before he could examine it further, a voice reached him from behind.
"Greetings, fellow cultivator. Prying into the Five Elements Hall is not permitted. What brings you here?"
Wan Lei turned to see a handsome young man with flowing long hair, hovering in mid-air on a flying sword, looking at him with a smile.
This young man wore the disciple attire of the Five Elements Hall. The robes were silver-white, and the Five Elements Hall emblem on his chest bore a sword symbol.
A disciple of the Sword Hall of the Five Elements Hall!
The other party spoke politely, so Wan Lei naturally responded with courtesy. He cupped his fists and said,
"Greetings, Senior Brother. I am here to participate in the Five Elements Hall assessment. I am simply unsure of the location."
"Oh, then you've come to the wrong place. This is the West Mountain Gate; the assessment location is at the South Mountain Gate."
"Thank you, Senior Brother, for the information."
"Haha, call me Senior Brother after you pass the assessment. Since I have nothing else to do, I'll escort you there."
This disciple of the Five Elements Hall was exceptionally enthusiastic, his face beaming with a smile. He rode his flying sword, tracing a graceful arc in the air, then spun steadily on the sword, displaying remarkable flair.
"Follow me quickly."
The young man called out with a smile and sped south.
Wan Lei chuckled and followed his junior brother towards the assessment location.
They weaved through the clouds around the outer perimeter of the Five Elements Hall, taking a considerable amount of time to reach the South Gate of the Five Elements Hall.
Wan Lei was a hundred percent certain that the Five Elements Hall occupied a far larger area than Chang'an City.
The Liu and Fang families of the Leifeng Realm, with their ancestral lands spanning an entire prefecture, were vast and powerful. However, compared to behemoths like Chang'an City and the Five Elements Hall, they were merely a speck of dust.
In terms of sheer area, the Five Elements Hall resembled not a city or a prefecture, but rather a nation.
And this place served as the administrative, cultural, and military center of the Immortal Realm, the Origin Plane, and indeed, the entire Positive Plane.
Upon arriving at the southern part of the Five Elements Hall, Wan Lei looked up and immediately spotted the assessment location.
It was unavoidable; the hundred-li long, several-li wide, seven-colored passage was simply too conspicuous, like a rainbow fallen upon the earth.
"This seven-colored passage, when the Five Elements Hall was founded, was actually five-colored. Later, two more passages were added, for Leifeng.
You didn't see it when the hall was founded; the passage was packed with people, fighting tooth and nail, everyone eager to enter the Five Elements Hall."
Wan Lei glanced at the young man in surprise.
"Have you seen it?"
The young man faltered upon hearing this. After a long pause, he said,
"Brother, I am only a little over a hundred years old, so of course, I haven't seen it. Talking like this can easily kill a conversation."
Yes, Wan Lei had also noticed this habit of his.
He loved to argue.
"Elder Jin, I've brought a newcomer to participate in the assessment. Please register him."
Upon landing, the young man led Wan Lei directly into a large hall and called out to a white-bearded old man inside.
"Oh, it's Little Jin. What brings you here today? The white-bearded old man was also very cordial.
"You're hard of hearing again. I already told you I brought a newcomer for the assessment. Hurry up and retire. At your age, still working so diligently is truly exhausting."
"Oh, I've already had lunch. Have you eaten?"
The old man replied.
"..." The young man.
Wan Lei looked at the old man in surprise, wondering if this fellow was reliable.