[Returning to the Holy Land, you hold the Free and Unfettered Token, making your journey unimpeded all the way.]

[You first head to Nine Palaces Island, intending to pay your respects to your long-missed masters and the island master.]

[A group of old men, overjoyed to hear of your return, enthusiastically come to the coast to greet you.]

["Masters! Your disciple has returned!"]

[Everyone beams with joy and laughter.]

["It's good that you're back! Good that you're back! Hahaha!"]

["After training out in the world, your entire demeanor has changed!"]

["You already have the bearing of a dragon and phoenix, the appearance of the sun and heavens! I say the next generation of Free and Unfettered Saint will definitely be someone from our Nine Palaces Island!"]

[The atmosphere is lively and cheerful.]

[But as you count the crowd, you notice someone is missing.]

["Island Master Xie, why hasn't Master Zhao come? Is he busy?"]

[The smiles on everyone's faces fade, and they look around at each other.]

[Xie Guihong speaks in a deep voice.]

["Elder Zhao Hanzhou has already passed away..."]

[Zhao Hanzhou died of exhausted lifespan at the age of one hundred and nine.]

[He had not broken through to the Martial King Realm. Given a mortal's fate, if he weren't a Spirit Condensation Realm martial artist who had consumed many precious medicines, living past a hundred would have been no easy feat.]

[Standing before Zhao Hanzhou's tombstone, you observe a moment of silence.]

["Why wasn't I informed of my master's passing?"]

[Xie Guihong stands behind you.]

["Old Zhao didn't want me to tell you."]

["Did my master have any unfulfilled final wishes?"]

["Old Zhao only hoped that you would soon surpass us, become an Immortal-tier Formation Master, inherit Nine Palaces Island's legacy, and ensure our lineage thrives forever within the Free and Unfettered Holy Land!"]

[You feel that Zhao Hanzhou had transcended worldly desires, his heart filled only with a pure pursuit of the Dao of formations.]

[He wanted you to become an Immortal-tier Formation Master, not solely for the legacy of Nine Palaces Island.]

[What he wanted even more was to see a Formation Master stronger than himself, to witness what a true Immortal-tier formation truly looked like.]

[This is a pursuit and long-cherished wish for the "Dao."]

[It is the innate talent of intelligent beings—curiosity.]

["Chen Dong, in this world, there are Immortal-tier forgers and Immortal-tier alchemists, but there is no Immortal-tier Formation Master! Our Dao is the most profound and mysterious, so it's difficult for the world to grasp its entirety. We are old and useless now. The wish to reach the Immortal-tier can only be entrusted to outstanding juniors like you."]

[You kneel before Zhao Hanzhou's tombstone and perform three full bows.]

["Master above! Your disciple will definitely decipher the mysteries of Immortal-tier formations, fulfill the grand ambition of Formation Masters everywhere, and step into the ranks of the Immortal-tier!"]

[Xie Guihong is deeply gratified.]

["Alright, go quickly and compete for the Saint position. Break through to the Martial King Realm as soon as possible! Your master was also a formation genius, but Heaven did not grant him more time. You must never let such a regret befall you!"]

[In reality, even if you fail to obtain the Saint position and miss out on the personal assistance of the Free and Unfettered God,]

[the old men of Nine Palaces Island would still fight to secure one more opportunity for you.]

[However, the latter option would require them to trade in their face and many favors. It's best not to resort to it unless absolutely necessary.]

[The final competition for the Saint and Saintess of the Free and Unfettered Holy Land finally begins.]

[Martial forces from the Three Great Holy Lands, the Starry Domains, and various Overseas regions all send people to witness this once-in-sixty-years historic moment.]

[Even people from the Five Regions travel thousands of miles, braving the Great Wastes to come.]

[This force from the Five Regions is called the Celestial Intelligence Pavilion, one of the Eight Pillars of the Five Domains.]

[You once gave a speech there, so you have some understanding of them.]

[The Celestial Intelligence Pavilion deals in intelligence.]

[Anyone, as long as they pay, can get the information they desire from them.]

[You also tried asking them for information on the Blood Moon.]

[The Celestial Intelligence Pavilion did provide quite a lot of information about the Blood Moon, but mostly about their assassination operations. Using this to track down the Blood Moon organization itself is still unlikely.]

[This force usually has a weak presence in the Five Regions.]

[Their appearance here is not surprising, though.]

[They are like a group of reporters, chasing breaking news.]

[The finals are still presided over by the Holy Land's Chief Commissioner, Dongfang Shuo.]

[Today, the island masters, elders, and masters of the Free and Unfettered Holy Land's eighteen inheritances have all arrived, both to bear witness together and to ensure fairness.]

[It goes without saying which inheritance produces the Saint; the positive impact on that inheritance is immeasurable.]

[The eighteen island masters each look down on one another. They maintain a surface-level harmony while secretly harboring their own chains of contempt.]

[At fifty years old now, you have entered middle age, and you look somewhat out of place standing among the twenty candidates.]

[Because you aren't wearing a male god trait tag, and you haven't made any special effort to maintain your appearance.]

[So, your features are consistent with a fifty-year-old man.]

[Your skin is no longer fair and smooth; fine wrinkles have appeared at the corners of your eyes; your gaze is filled with the weariness of time.]

[Those who came to participate in the selection back then, like Long Yang, Baili Su, Wang Mingbai, and others, are no longer young either.]

[However, these people all come from illustrious families, each with personal attendants who use specific methods to preserve their youthful looks. So, compared to back then, they haven't changed much.]

[A bunch of men and women in their thirties and forties competing for the titles of Saint and Saintess sounds somewhat absurd.]

[But once someone breaks through, they will soon be arranged to advance to the Martial King Realm.]

[With a two-hundred-year lifespan at the Martial King Realm, being thirty or forty years old is considered quite young.]

[What surprises you, however, is]

[that Wu Yue doesn't seem to have made any deliberate effort to maintain her appearance.]

[She is already over fifty. Since she hasn't reached the Martial King Realm either, the marks of time are already visible on her face.]

[You heard from Island Master Xie]

[that Wu Yue had the conditions to break through to the Martial King Realm, but she has always refrained, stubbornly clinging to her goal of becoming the Saintess.]

[Because once you become a Martial King, you must withdraw from the competition.]

[You wonder what attraction the position of Saintess holds for her.]

["Brother Chen, long time no see. Are you doing well?"]

[Wang Mingbai, standing next to you, greets you.]

[You turn your head to look at this wealthy patron.]

["Brother Wang, safe and sound. By the way, did you ever win over your goddess?"]

[Wang Mingbai shyly lowers his head and lowers his voice.]

["Not yet... but I won't give up!"]

[This guy is surprisingly persistent. How many years has it been now?]

[Dongfang Shuo's voice spreads across the entire Yunshu Island.]

["The ten Saint candidates and the ten Saintess candidates, after more than a decade of accumulation, have made remarkable progress in martial arts and their respective specialized fields! Today, we will no longer distinguish your cultivation realms. Everyone will compete on the same stage for the title of the next-generation Saint and Saintess of our Free and Unfettered Holy Land! The arena for today's competition is no longer the dueling platform that limits your performance. Everyone, look to the east! Eighty miles from Yunshu Island lies Tide Wind Island. Shortly, you will depart from here and head to Tide Wind Island. The first to find the 'Saint Token' and 'Saintess Token' at the center of the island and insert them into the Sea-Calming Divine Tower on Tide Wind Island will be declared the victor!"]

[As a brilliant burst of fireworks explodes in the sky above Yunshu Island,]

[it signals the start of the finals.]

[All twenty candidates move at the same time, each displaying their divine abilities, crossing the sea towards the neighboring Tide Wind Island.]

[At the same time, strange thunderclouds appear in the sky. The cloud layer is very low, making people feel extremely oppressed.]

[Your 「Traffic Light」 tags the entire field of vision around you as yellow, showing a strong tendency to transition to red.]

["Is this some kind of trial arranged by the Holy Land...?"]

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