With a sense of curiosity, Ian Song stepped into the grand hall.
Inside the hall stood a white-haired man in blue robes with his back to him. Above, thirteen statues were enshrined—seven male and six female—each so lifelike that even their temperaments seemed vividly carved.
Ian Song felt a chill in his heart, recalling that Chad Zhao and Logan Wang had once told him the Phoenix Heaven Church was founded by thirteen ancestors.
Those thirteen all came from an ancient, untraceable great church. It’s said that when a primordial calamity struck, their old sect was destroyed. The thirteen inheritors survived countless tribulations and ultimately founded the Phoenix Heaven Church, now dominant across the Southsky Continent.
The next moment, Ian’s gaze landed on the white-haired man in blue. The man’s aura was just as obscure, impossible to probe—meaning he was at least Tribulation realm or higher.
Suddenly, the man slowly turned around, a faint smile on his lips. "Let me introduce myself. I am Gideon Skyreach, an elder of the Male Phoenix Line in the Phoenix Heaven Church!"
Hearing this, Ian felt another chill. Disciples of the Phoenix Heaven Church are divided into Outer Sect, Inner Sect, Elite, and Core.
Above these four ranks are the Phoenix Two Lines: the Female Phoenix Line and Male Phoenix Line.
Only disciples of these two lines are the true essence of the Phoenix Heaven Church. They do not take part in church administration—their sole purpose is to cultivate toward immortality.
The Female Phoenix Line accepts only women; the Male Phoenix Line, only men.
"Junior Ian Song greets Elder Gideon!"
Ian Song quickly bent and saluted.
"No need for such formality." Gideon Skyreach lifted his hand, helping Ian up.
"May I ask why you’ve summoned me, Elder?" Ian asked respectfully.
"I’ve had your background investigated. There’s something that puzzles me: does the Divine Temple sect actually exist?" Gideon asked, looking at Ian.
"It doesn’t exist. I was just waving the tiger’s skin as a banner!" Ian answered honestly. With the Phoenix Heaven Church’s resources, investigating him would be all too easy.
"You’re quite straightforward." Gideon smiled. "Have you formally joined any sect yet?"
"Not yet," Ian replied.
Ian replied again, vaguely guessing the elder’s purpose in summoning him.
"Then would you be willing to join our Phoenix Heaven Church and become a disciple of the Male Phoenix Line?" Gideon asked again.
"I couldn't ask for more!"
As the saying goes, it's good to rest in the shade of a big tree. Despite the reputation he’s made for himself in the capital, Ian currently has no real foundation. If any major figure from the High Zhou Imperium decided to move against him, his only option would be to run for his life.
"Excellent! I like straightforward people like you!" Gideon Skyreach smiled with satisfaction, then pointed to the thirteen statues above the hall. "First, pay your respects to the thirteen founding ancestors. When you’re done, I’ll take you to meet the Grand Elder."
"Yes, sir!"
Ian nodded, then knelt directly on the ground and solemnly kowtowed to the thirteen statues.
Once the ceremony was complete, Gideon Skyreach gestured for Ian to follow him.
Gideon Skyreach led Ian deeper into the Phoenix Heaven Church. His pace was steady and measured, carrying a unique grace. Along the way, many disciples of all ranks greeted Gideon with utmost respect.
At the same time, they all looked at Ian with envy, guessing he must be the Male Phoenix Line’s newest disciple.
The Phoenix Two Lines have no special rules for selecting disciples, but it’s undeniable that all their members are extremely talented. Any one of them can dominate their peers at the same realm.
There’s also a saying inside the Phoenix Heaven Church: the Phoenix Two Lines are the church’s true direct inheritance.
However, none of the senior leadership have ever openly confirmed this, nor have they denied it.
They walked for over an hour.
At last, Ian and Gideon arrived before a towering mountain peak.
Gideon casually formed a hand seal, and a passageway suddenly appeared before the mountain.
The passage wasn’t deep—you could see right through it.
"Follow me." Gideon glanced at Ian and stepped into the passage, with Ian close behind.
"What is this place?"
As Ian passed through the passage and entered the world within the mountain, he was shocked to discover that the energy here wasn’t just spiritual qi, but something even more advanced—immortal essence!
"You can feel it, can’t you?"
Gideon Skyreach smiled.
Ian nodded, deeply shaken.
But Gideon Skyreach showed no pride; instead, his expression was tinged with melancholy. "To create this Lesser Immortal Realm, our Phoenix Heaven Church spent enormous manpower and resources, and made many sacrifices. Sadly, this realm can’t hold many people, so we choose disciples for the Phoenix Two Lines with utmost care. If you fail to meet the requirements, you’ll be expelled from the lines."
Immortal essence exists only in the Immortal Realm. Creating a place filled with immortal essence in the lower world is extremely difficult—like dropping a single drop of ink into the sea, which eventually disperses completely.
When immortal essence falls to the lower world, it’s thoroughly diluted and can’t be preserved in its original state. That’s why it’s so difficult to create a place saturated with immortal essence down here.
"Come with me!"
Gideon spoke again and strode forward.
This space wasn’t large; two small mountain ranges stretched almost the entire length of the realm.
"That range belongs to the Female Phoenix Line; this one is ours, the Male Phoenix Line." Gideon pointed to each range in turn, then led Ian toward the one on the left.
The tallest peak on the left range was less than a thousand meters high.
Gideon led Ian up to the highest peak, where six grass huts stood. Five of them each housed a person sitting cross-legged; the one on the far right was empty, presumably Gideon’s own.
"You’re back, Gideon!"
Someone called out.
"That’s right, I brought this young man back. What do you think of him?" Gideon laughed, then introduced each of the five elders: "This is Elder Chen (Nathan Chen), Elder Solitude (Marcus Solitude), Elder Bloodsun, Elder Zhou (Adrian Zhou), and finally Elder Foxwell (Grace Foxwell)."
Ian didn’t dare slack off—he greeted each elder respectfully as Gideon introduced them.
"Young Ian looks so youthful and handsome—he doesn’t seem the type to cause trouble!" Elder Foxwell laughed.
"Elder Foxwell is right. I rarely cause trouble—usually it’s other people who come looking for me!" Ian replied, not nervous at all.
The elders were all taken aback, then burst out laughing.
These elders were all easygoing, and their attitude toward Ian was gentle. After chatting for a while, Gideon said, "Ian, let me explain the rules of our line. First, you must reach the Fusion stage before age one hundred. If you fail, we’ll have to expel you. If you do succeed, you may choose any one of us as your master."
"Rest assured, elders—I won’t let you down!" Ian promised earnestly.
"Good. I have high hopes for you. Here’s a cultivation manual—you may choose to study it, or continue with your original method." As he spoke, Gideon Skyreach waved his hand, and a jade slip appeared before Ian.
"Thank you, Elder Gideon!" Ian accepted the jade slip with gratitude.
"There’s one more benefit for new disciples: you may choose any one of us to personally guide you for a month. You can make your choice now!" Gideon continued.