Realizing this, Qin Ruqing decided to change into the delicate, ethereal fairy attire she wore during the previous interview—just a simple white outfit.

Fifth Lingyu scrutinized her from head to toe, sneering meaningfully like a deflated balloon.

Qin Ruoqing held her head high, unbothered.

Sneer all you want, I’m not bothered by your ostentation.

Sometimes, the pure white flower outfit is quite effective.

This time, she’d be a little white flower.

A number of small wooden boats were docked at the shore.

Fifth Lingyu stepped onto one of them, and after Qin Ruqing boarded as well, the boat set sail autonomously towards the heart of the sea.

The boundless blue waves were excessively calm, as if afraid to stir up a storm.

With the enhancement of spiritual energy, they traveled for over ten miles until a massive shadow appeared on the sea surface.

Using spiritual sense to explore was useless; they had to rely on their eyes.

Only upon getting closer did they realize the shadow on the sea was a colossal, towering divine mountain resembling a Xuan Turtle.

Standing at the foot of the mountain, one’s body and mind felt immeasurable, like a pebble unable to measure the vast ocean.

The divine mountain was mostly submerged in the sea, but even the part visible above the water seemed unattainably high.

The mountain top shimmered with golden light, and upon closer inspection, it was discovered to be a palace made of gold and jade.

Fifth Lingyu introduced, “This is Penglai.”

The divine mountain in the sea, Penglai in the Middle Region.

Qin Ruoqing felt an indescribable tremor in her heart.

Before Qin Ruqing could say anything, Fifth Lingyu had already pulled her into the mountains with a single leap.

It was strange.

From the outside, it looked like a regular mountain, but once inside, it felt like walking on solid ground.

The sea and the mountain’s appearance had vanished, as if they had entered a mystical space within the mountain.

Inside was a small courtyard.

There was a gurgling spring, bamboo shadows, and two spirit springs—one in the front and one in the back.

There was also a small waterfall, but instead of water, it seemed to flow with mist-like spiritual energy.

Fifth Lingyu said, “This will be your residence in Penglai from now on.”

Qin Ruqing nodded, feeling pleased.

It had a five-star hotel vibe, better than her family’s Xinghua Hotel.

She remained calm, and this composure made Fifth Lingyu look at her several times.

“Aren’t you going to ask what you’ll be doing next? How you’ll be trained? Or if you need to meet some people?”

Qin Ruqing smiled, “Isn’t this the Director’s domain? Since we’re here in the Divine Mountain, I’ll follow your arrangements. I’ll do whatever the Director says!”

Her words sounded pleasant, but her rebellious eyes didn’t match the tone.

Fifth Lingyu said, “Since it’s your first day, if you want to rest, you can take a couple of days off. The environment here is as good as any high-level secret realm; it’s a great place for cultivation.”

“What if I don’t want to rest?” Qin Ruqing replied.

There’s no real rest here; staying at home is rest.

Here, one must always stay alert.

So why not get on with what’s to come and finish it as soon as possible?

Fifth Lingyu looked at her with a smile, “Then follow me.”

It felt like walking through a series of unique barriers within the Divine Mountain.

One moment they were in the spring-filled courtyard, and the next, they were stepping into thin air.

Below them was an abyss.

Fifth Lingyu led her to jump into the abyss. The sensation of freefall was overwhelming.

Fifth Lingyu glanced at her, intending to help, but Qin Ruqing declined.

A golden lotus appeared beneath her feet, firmly supporting her.

After falling for ten breaths, she landed on solid ground.

Before her stood a giant copper door covered in steel spikes.

The door’s plaque had two ancient characters written on it: “Hell Road.”

The copper door was tightly shut, with no one at the entrance, only two black hounds with slender limbs and pointed ears, their eyes glowing with red flames, guarding one on each side.

When they approached, the fiery black hounds instinctively bared their sharp fangs.

Fifth Lingyu waved his sleeve, and the hounds immediately became docile, lying back down.

Fifth Lingyu pushed open the door.

Qin Ruoqing was prepared for some terrifying scene behind the door, but there was nothing of the sort.

Inside the copper door was still empty, though the lighting was dimmer.

They discovered a cliff.

Peering down into the abyss, it seemed filled with a darkness so dense that it was impenetrable; vision and spiritual sense alike could not penetrate it.

Fifth Lingyu said, “This is the First Prison of the Four Prisons.”

Qin Ruoqing recalled the words on the plaque earlier and asked, “The Hell Path?”

Fifth Lingyu nodded, “The Hell Path is also a place for testing in the Immortal Grade. Although you were brought here by me, not everyone in the clan agrees with or acknowledges you.”

“Many of the disciples within the Immortal Grade actually don’t care, and they don’t recognize the Golden List, only acknowledging the Four Prisons.”

At this point, Qin Ruoqing understood and smiled with interest, “So, if I want to gain similar respect or make things easier in the future, I need to traverse the Hell Path and prove myself with results that you recognize?”

Fifth Lingyu looked at her with appreciation, “You’ve always been smart.”

Qin Ruoqing took a step forward, eager to begin, but Fifth Lingyu stopped her.

Qin Ruoqing turned around and saw a copper bell in front of her.

Fifth Lingyu shook the copper bell in his hand, saying, “This is the identity token of the Fifth Family, and it also serves as your token for traversing the Four Prisons.”

He used his fingertip as a pen, personally inscribing her name onto the bell, and then solemnly placed it into Qin Ruoqing’s hand.

“The Four Prisons are more dangerous than you can imagine, and even the Hell Path’s difficulty far exceeds the Great Conference’s tests, with constant life-threatening risks. You still have the chance to refuse now.”

Qin Ruoqing smiled, “Director, do you have any further instructions?”

Fifth Lingyu seemed to sense something and slowly shook his head.

Qin Ruqing turned around and, without hesitation, leaped down the cliff in front of Fifth Lingyu.

It seemed as though time skipped a beat.

Fifth Lingyu took two steps to the edge of the cliff and peered down, seeing Qin Ruqing’s dress fluttering like a white butterfly, being swallowed by the thick darkness.

The white butterfly is delicate, but this leap was incredibly heroic!

A sound echoed.

It seemed to be in the ear, yet also in the heart.

“Dingling~”

The identity bells hanging from the waists of all the disciples of the Fifth Immortal Grade suddenly began to ring.

They all looked in the same direction.

During non-examination periods, who was reckless enough to enter the Four Prisons?

In a small secret realm, there were no mountains, only clouds and mist.

A group of disciples in white were cultivating on the mist.

When they heard the copper bell ring, they all picked it up to check.

“Who’s entered the Four Hells?”

“Could it be Jing He? He’s the only one in the clan who’s such a cultivation fanatic.”

“It’s not him; Jing He just met me a few days ago. He plans to cultivate at the bottom of the Divine Mountain Sea!”

As they spoke, someone turned the copper bell’s round bottom towards themselves. On the bottom, a scene gradually appeared.

First, there was the familiar Hell Road copper door.

Then the scene changed to a white-clad woman descending gracefully from a darkened sky.

The woman landed in the Five-Color Sea, her expression alert as she surveyed her surroundings.

Her slightly upturned eyes sparkled like cold stars, both cold and striking.

The murmurs among the mist gathered disciples stopped momentarily, and then resumed.

“Who is this? She looks unfamiliar.”

“It’s strange. With such a appearance, I should have some impression.”

“Could she be the daughter of an elder who has never left seclusion?”

The Fifth Heaven family had twenty-two elders, and not all disciples had met every elder.

Some elders had never left seclusion, while others had traveled outside Penglai and had not returned home.

So, if there were daughters of some elders whom they had never seen, it was quite possible.

Only one of the celestial figures in the mist, named Fifth Yingjun, looked at the white-clad woman on the copper bell and her eyes widened.

It’s her… She actually came to Central Domain Penglai!

Yingjun was an example of what they were speculating.

Indeed, discussions among the people turned to her, “Yingjun, do you recognize this female cultivator? Is she your sister?”

This question wasn’t without reason.

Yingjun’s mother was an elder who traveled frequently and was quite famous in Penglai.

This elder especially favored beautiful partners and practiced a combined cultivation method.

It was said that the elder had more than ten lovers, and if she encountered someone particularly handsome or whom she liked, she would have a child with them.

So, if a beautiful female cultivator suddenly appeared in the clan without a known background, it was indeed very likely to be the child of that elder.

Fifth Yingjun’s expression was very subtle and awkward, clearly because her mother had been teased more than once.

She shook her head, “No, it’s not my sister…”

Those people scoffed.

“But, this fairy, I recognize.”

Hmm?

Fifth Yingjun continued, “A while ago, the Hundred Clans Conference was held in the Eastern Domain. This fairy is the number one on the Golden List of this conference, named Qin Ruqing.”

“Ah, the Hundred Clans Conference? Number one on the Golden List? She shouldn’t be from our Fifth family. How did she get into Penglai?”

“The Golden List, is that the artifact on Mount Buzhou? It’s exposed to wind and sun every day. Is it accurate or not!”

Fifth Yingjun replied, “It should… be quite accurate.”

“How do you know that, Yingjun?”

“It’s just that I was bored and paid a little attention to the recent conference.”

Unlike these disciples of the Immortal Grade who were focused only on cultivation, Fifth Yingjun had been brought back from the outside world by her mother and had lived an ordinary life for a while.

However, after entering the Divine Mountain, she found the lives of these Immortal Grade disciples to be—extremely dull!

Besides cultivation, there was only arena competition!

Yes, cultivation is important, but don’t you have any entertainment activities at all!

Fifth Yingjun was not used to this, so when the Hundred Clans Conference started, she obtained recordings from the Hui Cui Building through some channels and, without any controversy, became a fan of Ruqing.

Who wouldn’t love her!

Fifth Yingjun had hidden a dozen or so recordings of Ruqing, and was surprised to actually see her in person now!

She almost jumped up in excitement when she saw her in the clouds.