Chapter 670

Regarding the matter of Master Splendid Azure Emperor asking him to strive for the Candidate Daoist position, Xu Jin was somewhat uncomprehending when he first saw the message.

From the intelligence Xu Jin had obtained, those who could compete for the Candidate Daoist position were one in a hundred, not to mention being more eye-catching, and there would certainly be background checks on their identities.

In Xu Jin's view, the Gold Guards or Silver Guards were more suitable.

But after listening to the reasons explained by his master, Splendid Azure Emperor, Xu Jin broke out in a cold sweat.

Caution was indeed a good habit.

Otherwise, he might have been hunted down by the experts of the entire Eastern Profound Star Realm.

The reason was very simple: the Eastern Profound Star Realm was famous for its conquests, its military strength was extremely strong, especially the Profound Heart Dao Army under its command, whose combat power was astonishing, and even more terrifying after forming military formations.

As long as they formed a military formation according to a certain scale, they could contend against the world's top experts.

It was said that if thirty thousand Profound Heart Dao Army soldiers formed a formation, they could contend against an invading Emperor.

Of course, that was only for defending in place!

Hunting down and actively attacking was more complicated.

But even so, it was very astonishing.

With thirty thousand troops defending, it was equivalent to an Emperor sitting in the star domain.

It was among the top-tier combat forces of the Dao Armies in the Great Luo Ancestral Court.

And Splendid Azure Emperor happened to know the mystery behind this.

Eastern Profound Emperor was skilled in artifact refining and had refined a complete set of Profound Heart Nine Palaces Flags. The Profound Heart Dao Army, which formed formations based on the Profound Heart Nine Palaces Flags, was as nimble as an arm, like a single entity, with terrifying power.

But to enter the Profound Heart Dao Army, one had to send a wisp of soul origin into the Profound Heart Nine Palaces Flags, only then could they be of different bodies but the same origin, instantly becoming one army, bringing the power of the military formation to the extreme.

This method could be called control, or it could be called the foundation for entering the Profound Heart Dao Army.

For cultivators aspiring to build a career in the Eastern Profound Star Realm, this was an opportunity.

But for top-tier geniuses, it was a huge constraint and control.

Once one entered the Profound Heart Dao Army, regardless of whether you were an Iron Guard, Silver Guard, or Jin Wei, there were only two possibilities to lift this constraint: first, death and soul destruction, in which case the wisp of soul origin invested in the Profound Heart Nine Palaces Flags would naturally vanish.

Second, the refiner and highest authority holder of the Profound Heart Nine Palaces Flags, which was Eastern Profound Emperor himself, would personally grant favor and perform the ritual to release them.

For Xu Jin, if he obtained the Jin Wei qualification and then discovered he needed to invest a wisp of soul origin, effectively being controlled, wouldn't he have to resist?

Once he resisted, under the watchful eyes of everyone, he would almost be destroying the foundation of the Profound Heart Dao Army; it would be strange if Eastern Profound Emperor could tolerate him.

He would inevitably be punished according to the law.

At that time, I'm afraid no one could save Xu Jin.

Conversely, the Candidate Daoist was the true cradle for the core high-level personnel of the Eastern Profound Star Realm.

Over ninety percent of the True Persons and Star Lords in the Eastern Profound Star Realm had Daoist backgrounds.

Among the five Emperors under Eastern Profound Emperor, four were of Daoist background.

They would absolutely not impose such things as seizing soul origin, which would damage one's Dao path, upon them.

Therefore, Xu Jin must become a Candidate Daoist.

If he could not, the end of the selection would be the moment Xu Jin fled for his life.

However, becoming a Candidate Daoist was not a permanent solution; setting aside long-term risks, in the short term, identity screening was a big trouble for Xu Jin.

A Candidate Daoist had a noble status in the Eastern Profound Star Realm and a bright future, so their identity would inevitably be verified.

【Jin'er, you must go all out to obtain the Candidate Daoist identity. Regarding the identity issue, we will prepare two plans. First, during the process of obtaining it, try to capture a few Eastern Profound Star Realm selection geniuses to see if you can impersonate them or obtain an identity. Second, I have also prepared for the worst; if your identity is eventually discovered, I will be prepared to entrust someone to intercede. As long as I pay a price that can move Eastern Profound Emperor, I should be able to get you out.】

【Thank you, Master, I have caused you trouble.】

【Additionally, if you solve the identity issue yourself and there are no problems, continuously activate your grand-uncle's Youyu Sword three times to report your safety to me. If there is danger or an emergency, activate your grand-uncle's Youyu Sword once, and I will actively contact you.】 Splendid Azure Emperor said.

Seeing this starlight message, Xu Jin's heart stirred, and his expression changed, instantly becoming solemn. Could it be that contacting his master once required his master to pay a huge price?

【Master, is it difficult to contact here? Does every contact require you to pay a huge price? If so, I will not contact you again unless necessary.】 Xu Jin said considerately.

In the Imperial Palace, seeing this starlight message, Splendid Azure Emperor felt a little comforted.

At least he was a disciple who knew how to care, not an ungrateful wretch.

It seemed the possibility of purging the sect in the future was very, very small.

【That's not the case, just a small price, not worth mentioning to me. However, do not contact unless there is an emergency; after all, if the frequency of contact is too high, it might expose you.】

The reserved Splendid Azure Emperor hurriedly added a sentence, but a bitter expression appeared on his face—it had already been five months.

But judging by the current situation, five months was probably not enough.

I don't know if one year will be enough in the future!

In the Gu-Raising Domain, after communicating with his master Splendid Azure Emperor, Xu Jin's heart settled.

The basic direction was clear, and he was no longer lost.

Two things: first, obtain the Candidate Daoist identity.

Xu Jin had Eighth-Tier cultivation; originally, he only needed to collect ten Ninth-Tier Gu crystals to obtain the Candidate Daoist identity, but Xu Jin no longer had the substitute command token, which was equivalent to having consumed it, so he needed to collect one hundred Ninth-Tier Gu crystals.

Currently, he had only collected three.

And this Eastern Profound Star Realm selection would last for ten days in total.

Second thing, the identity issue.

His master Splendid Azure Emperor had given two plans, but Xu Jin leaned toward the first one.

It wasn't that Xu Jin had much confidence.

On the contrary, the difficulty of impersonating an identity was extremely high, and it was before a True Person.

He had already learned that the person presiding over the selection was named Commander Tian Zhang True Person, who was also the true ruler of the Eastern Profound Star Realm.

He did not choose the second plan mainly because Xu Jin understood that Splendid Azure Emperor's solution was to beg others.

Begging others was too difficult.

Never having begged others, he didn't know the difficulty in this.

It is easy to catch a tiger on the mountain, but difficult to open one's mouth to beg others!

It is also said that begging others is like swallowing a three-foot sword!

Only after experiencing it do you know how difficult it is!

Xu Jin didn't want his master Splendid Azure Emperor to lower his head to others for his sake.

If he could solve the identity issue himself, he would solve it himself.

"Ten days, slowly look for opportunities! If I want to impersonate an identity, first I must find someone with cultivation similar to mine..."

After making the decision, Xu Jin flapped his Thunder Wings and instantly rushed toward a place where Ninth-Tier Gu beasts appeared in the distance.

Man proposes, God disposes; take it one step at a time.

The types of Gu beasts in this Gu-Raising Domain were extremely numerous, with strange and bizarre appearances; some even grew together with mountain rocks, launching sudden attacks that were impossible to guard against.

It was only because Xu Jin had the Bright Epoch Star Pattern that he didn't suffer.

But at their root, they could not escape the five categories of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.

There were powerful Gu beasts that simultaneously knew two or three types of star arts.

A single Ninth-Tier Gu beast was not scary.

It was just at the level of a normal Ninth-Tier expert.

But these Gu beasts were all gregarious; a single hiss could summon more than a dozen or even hundreds of Eighth-Tier Gu beasts, and even Xu Jin had to deal with them carefully. Along the way, Xu Jin had already discovered several instances of selection participants being ambushed and killed.

Some selection participants, because they had the substitute command token, were instantly teleported thousands of miles away.

But some selection participants, because their substitute command tokens had already been consumed, died miserably on the spot.

They became food for the Gu beasts.

Xu Jin seized the opportunity to save the soul of a Ninth-Tier selection participant.

According to the intelligence obtained earlier, this selection could be participated in multiple times.

Therefore, asking some participants who had participated multiple times made it easier to know the inside story.

What Xu Jin needed to do now was to clarify as much as possible the process after becoming a Candidate Daoist, including identity authentication and the like, so that he could have corresponding measures.

This time, Xu Jin did not use the Warm Dream interrogation, but asked directly while the other party was conscious.

Warm Dream interrogation was fine for asking questions with strong directional answers.

But for things that required comprehensive thinking about multiple factors, the effect of Warm Dream interrogation was very poor.

Because this required thinking.

"Brother, although it's useless, I still want to thank you for saving me." This was a middle-aged man named Wu Bei, with Ninth-Tier mid-stage cultivation and a Fifth-Tier late-stage soul, his face miserable.

When Xu Jin rushed over, his physical body had already been eroded by the poison of the flying Gu until only white bones remained.

Only his soul was saved.

Xu Jin, who was collecting Gu crystals, remained silent upon hearing this.

He understood what Wu Bei meant.

Although the soul could briefly leave the body, once it lost the nourishment of the physical body, unless it was long-term sealed and then locked into a Sumeru space, the soul origin would not be lost.

In other words, the soul could not survive for a long time either.

As for occupying the corpses of other newly dead people, that was also a last resort; those without major obsessions would not choose this path.

"I have a few questions; you answer them for me. Afterward, I can help you fulfill your wish, or help you find a newly dead corpse to assist you in a brief resurrection." Xu Jin directly offered the price.

Upon hearing this, Wu Bei showed a look of surprise, "Brother, don't you know the Living Dead Prohibition? In my Eastern Profound Star Realm, if anyone dares to seize a body, their clan will be exterminated!"

"Then don't you have any wishes?" Xu Jin asked with an unchanging expression.

"Wishes, of course I have. I am the future hope of my entire clan. I hope you can send my Seven-Star Spirit Treasure back to my family and give the wealth I have accumulated over the years in my Sumeru space to my wife, children, and elderly mother." Wu Bei answered after considering for a few moments.

"Good."

"Wealth moves people's hearts; you must swear a Great Dao oath." Wu Bei said.

"Good." Xu Jin agreed immediately.

Intelligence is priceless.

As long as he could clarify the situation, doing one or two small things along the way didn't matter.

It was just that seeing Xu Jin agree so readily, Wu Bei's soul instead gave a bitter smile, "It seems the things you want to ask are not simple. I come from a medium-sized family and don't know many secrets. I don't know if I can help you. Why don't you ask first, and after I confirm I can answer, you can swear the Great Dao oath, so as not to bring trouble upon yourself." Wu Bei said.

Xu Jin's gaze stirred upon hearing this, and he said regretfully, "Wu, it is a pity for you."

"Time and fate, life and death are determined by fate..." Wu Bei gave a bitter smile.

"Because of certain reasons, I participated in this selection, but I don't have a normal identity. I want to know, after the selection ends, if I become a Candidate Daoist, what is the procedure for identity verification? Is there any possibility of impersonation? If impersonation is impossible, are there any other ways to solve the identity issue?" Xu Jin asked.

As soon as these words were spoken, Wu Bei's expression changed repeatedly, and his gaze toward Xu Jin was extremely astonished.

And in Xu Jin's hand, a wisp of thunder light was already shining.

Although Xu Jin had already determined that participants in the selection could not communicate with the outside world, if this Wu Bei dared to have any abnormal movements to warn others, Xu Jin would definitely kill him at the first opportunity.

And Xu Jin asked this to plan before acting.

In this world, where does so much luck come from?

"For the first two questions, I can give you a definite answer. For the third question, I can only give you a train of thought or an idea; whether it can succeed depends on your luck." Wu Bei said.

"Good, then I will swear the Great Dao oath now."

In front of Wu Bei, Xu Jin swore the Great Dao oath, and the latter also detailed it.

"Brother, I won't ask much about the source of your identity; I will only talk about the problem! First, after the selection ends, especially the identity screening for Candidate Daoist is extremely strict; they must verify the Eastern Profound Token one by one, and then verify the origin and background to prevent spies from mixing in. Therefore, the possibility of impersonation is basically non-existent. The main point is this Eastern Profound Token, which cannot be faked at all." Wu Bei said.

Xu Jin nodded helplessly upon hearing this.

He already knew about the Eastern Profound Token earlier.

It could be considered the ID card and communication method of the Eastern Profound Star Realm, with a function similar to the Star-Plucking Token in the Kunling Domain, but it was much stronger than the Star-Plucking Token.

This point was Xu Jin's fatal weakness.

"You don't have an Eastern Profound Token?" Wu Bei saw Xu Jin's helplessness.

Xu Jin nodded slightly.

"That's troublesome. Without an Eastern Profound Token, you will be treated as a spy! However, it's not that there is no solution." Wu Bei said.

"How to solve it?"

"In the entire Eastern Profound Star Realm, not everyone can possess an Eastern Profound Token. The Eastern Profound Token can communicate and is a symbol of identity; many Sixth-Tier and Seventh-Tier ones don't necessarily possess an Eastern Profound Token. However, it is just a token, and the Eastern Profound Star Realm has five Middle Worlds and thousands of Small Worlds. There are a large number of institutions or... powerful figures qualified to issue Eastern Profound Tokens!" Wu Bei said.

"What do you mean?"

"The Iron Guards, Silver Guards, and Gold Guards in the selection have no attraction to those powerful figures, but the Candidate Daoist is also one of the ways for those powerful families to maintain their status, so a large number of powerful clans have sent their clan elites to participate in the selection, among whom there is no lack of direct-line disciples in power. Find them, and you can easily obtain an Eastern Profound Token and obtain an identity. I can only give you this train of thought; I don't know the specific implementation." Wu Bei said.

"Then what kind of powerful noble clans are qualified to issue Eastern Profound Tokens?"

"Marquis clans!"

While speaking, Wu Bei handed Xu Jin a star jade tablet, "The relevant intelligence of the Eastern Profound Star Realm is all here. Whether you can find them and whether you can obtain their trust depends on yourself."

"Good, thank you, I understand! Give me the information related to your family and wife and children; as long as I leave the selection alive, I will definitely fulfill your last wish." Xu Jin said.

"Thank you!"

While speaking, Wu Bei had already taken out all three of his Seven-Star Spirit Treasures, and all the wealth in his Sumeru space, then divided them into several portions and handed them to Xu Jin.

"Brother, return this portion to the clan, this portion is for my mother's old-age care, this portion is the cultivation resources for my children, and this portion is for my wife, if she doesn't remarry."

Xu Jin felt a headache upon hearing this; why did it feel like handling family affairs was quite complicated? He hurriedly asked Wu Bei to leave a last will and testament for him.

With the last will and testament in hand, doing things for him in the future would be considered to have proof, avoiding trouble.

"Brother, it's fine, give me a quick end; the thing in your hand is fast." After finishing his instructions, Wu Bei let out a long sigh and looked at the thunder light in Xu Jin's hand.

Boom!

Thunder light flashed, and Wu Bei's soul instantly turned into a wisp of light smoke!

"Then what kind of powerful and wealthy clan is qualified to issue a Dongxuan Token?"

"A clan of princes and marquises!"

While speaking, Wu Bei handed Xu Jin a star jade tablet, "The relevant intelligence on the Dongxuan Star Realm is all here; whether you can find it and whether you can gain their trust depends on yourself."

"Alright, thank you, I understand! Give me the information regarding your family, wife, and children; as long as I leave the selection alive, I will definitely help you fulfill your last wish," Xu Jin said.

"Thank you!"

While speaking, Wu Bei had already taken out all three of his seven-star spiritual treasures, as well as all the wealth in his Sumeru space, and then divided them into several portions and handed them to Xu Jin.

"Brother, this portion is to be returned to the clan, this portion is for my old mother's retirement, this portion is the cultivation resources for my children, and this portion is for my legal wife, if she doesn't remarry."

Xu Jin felt a headache upon hearing this; why did it feel like dealing with family affairs was quite complicated? He hurriedly asked Wu Bei to leave him a suicide note.

With a suicide note in hand, going to handle things for him in the future would count as having proof, so as to avoid trouble.

"Brother, it's alright, give me a quick end; that thing in your hand is fast," Wu Bei, having finished his instructions, let out a long sigh and said, looking at the thunder light in Xu Jin's hand.

Boom!

A flash of thunder light passed, and Wu Bei's primordial spirit instantly turned into a wisp of light smoke!

(End of chapter)