When Ji Jiayu was four years old, a work accident killed both of her parents, and she was sent to an orphanage called Leju in northern Guangming City.

Although it was called Leju, the orphans who grew up in Leju Orphanage were actually unhappy.

The orphanage, which had been in existence for over 30 years, was very old and, due to years of insufficient funding, could not be renovated. The dozens of children lived in a small, crowded three-story building.

Other than the director, the orphanage lacked proper staff; most of them were temporary employees or volunteers who suddenly arrived to help. They included slightly older orphans who had no psychological or physical problems but were unable to integrate into society normally.

As "big brothers and big sisters," they took on the responsibility of caring for their "younger siblings."

However, they had never received a proper education and guidance, and they had no idea how to care for dozens of troubled children. Their sudden "power" also corrupted their hearts.

So, for them, caring for an orphan is no different from feeding a rabbit or a dog. It's good to be fed and not starve, and to treat them if they're sick.

As for education, they haven't received it themselves, so why should others educate them?

Three meals a day are very simple, basically porridge and a few colorful vegetables, three hundred and sixty-five days a year, every day.

Living in such a place, Ji Jiayu would have developed a gloomy, withdrawn, and indifferent personality, but the arrival of full-time caregiver Fang Xing brought a bright light to Ji Jiayu, a new group of orphans.

Fang Xing has an optimistic and cheerful personality and a strong sense of justice.

When Ji Jiayu first arrived at the orphanage, he was forced into a corner of the second floor by a group of "old men," who demanded he hand over the toy bear he brought with him.

The toy bear was the only thing the dean allowed him to bring to the orphanage, and it was also a relic left to him by his parents. Although he was terrified and helpless, he still held onto the toy bear tightly, refusing to give it to the older children no matter how much he punched and kicked them. Seeing that the older children were gradually losing their minds and becoming increasingly insignificant, a tall figure suddenly stood in front of him, angrily stopping the bullying of the group of older children and punishing them.

Ji Jiayu would never forget that moment, when he was most isolated and helpless, the bright and cheerful young man reached out to him, pulled him up from the ground, gently patted away the footprints on his body, and carried him to the water room to wash and dry the toy bear.

In the following years, Fang Xing protected the weak in front of the older children in the orphanage almost as much as Ji Jiayu and the other children's brothers, sparing no effort in teaching them the truth to protect the weak. He fought for more rights and interests from the dean, collected more resources for them from the public, taught them to read and write, and sheltered them from the wind and rain.

It was under such an older brother's care that Ji Jiayu was able to grow up healthily.

Until more than a month ago, Fang Xing suddenly stumbled into Ji Jiayu's dormitory, covered in blood, and revealed a shocking secret with the last of his strength.

It turned out that Fang Xing was from Qixia City, south of the Blue Realm, and was a caretaker. In his early years, he received anonymous information that all the orphanages in Guangming City were connected to a major human trafficking ring. Driven by a strong sense of justice, he hid his strength, infiltrated Leju Orphanage, and became a full-time caretaker. After years of undercover surveillance, he finally obtained substantial evidence, and because of this, he was discovered and hunted down by human traffickers.

Although Fang Xing was powerful, he was weak and feeble compared to the evil forces entwined in the City of Light.

Before he died, Fang Xing told Ji Jiayu the evidence he had gathered over the years and instructed her to flee quickly. He was not to return to Guangming City until he had the ability, nor was he allowed to report on the evil forces in the city.

If Ji Jiayu was incapacitated for the rest of his life, then this matter would fester in his stomach forever, and he couldn't make any unnecessary sacrifices.

Holding Fang Xing's bloodied corpse in his arms, Ji Jiayu was overcome with anger and pain for the first time since he was born, and then he lost consciousness.

When he woke up, he was shocked to find that the Leju Orphanage and the surrounding area had become a black, lifeless wasteland, riddled with holes, as if it had been burned by fire hundreds of times, frozen hundreds of times, and blown by winds hundreds of times.

After that incident, Ji Jiayu also met Chen Miaoyi, who had come to investigate the situation, and discovered a sudden scar on his forehead.

From Chen Miaoyi, he learned the truth about some things. Later, he came to Chenghai Sacred Paradise Island and came to this selection camp.

In the courtyard.

Ji Jiayu remembered that everyone had gathered around He Yi, eagerly awaiting him.

He Yi glanced at Ji Jiayu, who was still in a daze, and didn't bother to pay attention to him. Instead, he turned his head and said with a smile, "The Guangming Clan's cultivation method is very simple. Remember the appearance of the Sacred Symbol. As long as you succeed, your body will naturally absorb divine power."

"But I don't remember what it looks like," a girl said with a frown.

"No, you've already felt it, and it will always be in your mind. As long as you try to remember it, you'll remember it."

After He Yi finished speaking, she looked at Ji Jiayu and said, "Xiao Yu, you just felt the sacred symbol, so it should be easier to remember."

Dozens of others looked at Ji Jiayu in unison. Ji Jiayu regained his senses and opened his mouth. Just as he was about to speak, He Yi clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention, and said, "Okay, then you can try it now."

"First, stay in the most comfortable position, either lying down or sitting. Then, relax your entire body, focus on something, or don't think about anything until you're completely calm. Then, remember what the symbol looks like."

Everyone obediently followed their instructions.

As orphans, they lacked the indulgent and petty temperaments of their peers, and life had long taught them to observe their words and expressions.

Suddenly, the courtyard fell silent.

Ji Jiayu also lay down obediently in the courtyard, closed his eyes, and tried not to think about anything. But like the nightmare he had been having for a whole month, Fang Xing, covered in blood, appeared before his eyes again.

However, this time, Ji Jiayu no longer felt fear. Instead, he "stared" into Fang Xing's empty eyes and said seriously, "Brother Fang, don't worry, I will cultivate well, and I will definitely seek justice for you!"

After Ji Jiayu finished saying this, Fang Xing's hideous face continued to stare at him, but as he looked at him, his expression gradually softened, until his entire face faded and disappeared.

At the same time, in the leftmost room on the third floor of the small building, five women in white robes stood by the window looking out, holding a book in one hand and a pen in the other, lowering their heads from time to time to write notes.

"This is so boring!" Suddenly, a woman with short hair and big eyes, about twenty years old, put down her pen and slumped on the sofa.

"Lingling, you've only been here for a few days and you're bored, so how are you going to live in the future?" Luo Xuan, a slightly plump and older woman, smiled kindly.

"Observation makes the job very boring. Observe, record, score, and then change groups until the right person appears." The third woman who spoke was named Kong Xue, with long hair and cold eyebrows.

"But in over 40 years, there have been over 500,000 voters! I haven't found one yet, when will this continue?" Feng Ling, a woman with short hair, complained.

"In short, work is work. There's no way around it. If you don't like it, just change jobs," another pink-haired young woman named Meng Jiu said.

"I can't change jobs, otherwise, my family won't say I'm dead." Feng Ling sighed, rolled her eyes, and suddenly said excitedly, "Why don't we make a bet?"

"What are you betting on?" Luo Xuan became interested.

"Betting on the specific time when Ye Zihang meditates on the Sacred Crest and begins to absorb divine power," Feng Ling said.

"I'll bet on a day and a half." Meng Jiu immediately responded.

"A day and a half?" Xie Ting, a woman who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up. She reached out and pushed the mirror chip against the bridge of her nose. She said, "In the forty-nine years of recorded selections, the person who meditated on the Sacred Crest the fastest took one day and four hours, and that was twenty-three years ago. Although Ye Hang performed very well in the preliminary test, in terms of probability, his chances are very small."

"It's just a blind guess." Meng Jiu smiled.

"I also think Ye Zihang is first, but the time is two days," Luo Xuan said.

"In terms of talent, he does surpass most of our people, but I think it will take at least two days and six hours," Xie Ting said.

"One day!" Feng Ling's voice drew shocked gazes from the other four. As her voice trailed off, Kong Xue said, "One day and ten hours."

"The slowest is two days. It seems everyone is very confident in Ye Zihang," Feng Ling said.

"So far, there are 939 voters this month. Judging by the past, he should be among the best," Xie Ting said.

"Then do you think he can pull off a miracle?" Meng Jiu asked with interest.

"There's a glimmer of hope," Kong Xue said.

"The people we select must be excellent in all aspects, and it's useless to cultivate only high talent." Luo Xuan paused after speaking, "But of course, cultivation talent is the first threshold. If you can't even pass this threshold, there's no point in talking about anything else."

"I don't know what kind of person the Great Prophet wants to choose. Is this person so important? It takes so much manpower, material resources, and precious time. It's difficult, so difficult!" Feng Ling sighed again.

The rest of the people fell silent.

As the five women chatted, the darkness before Ji Jiayu's eyes dissipated, and the Sacred Light Emblem he had just seen earlier and the Sacred Bone Emblem wrapped within it slowly appeared before him. The sacred bone emblem was like a mist, looming and difficult to discern.

Seeing them, Ji Jiayu was shocked. He had deliberately recalled many things before, but he had never presented them so clearly.

The Sacred Emblem was extraordinary! And indeed, as Grandma He had said, it was easy for him to memorize the sacred emblem. Ji Jiayu sighed in his heart.

Has your body begun to absorb divine power on its own?

Ji Jiayu's eyelids trembled slightly. When he opened his eyes, he looked up, but there was no light. When he looked down, there was no light. He couldn't help but feel a little strange.

"Xiao Yu, why, can't you calm down?" He Yi's voice sounded beside Ji Jiayu.

Ji Jiayu was startled by her loud voice. He turned to look at her, shook his head, and said, "No, Grandma He, I wanted to see if I had begun absorbing divine power."

He Yi laughed foolishly, "How could it be so fast? You have to comprehend the sacred emblem before you can absorb divine power."

Ji Jiayu said, "I've already seen the sacred emblem."

"How is that possible?" He Yi blurted out, "You only think you saw it. You have to remember that memories and meditative perception are different. Memories are vague, lacking color and light; they're just a kind of recollection. Meditative perception is different; it presents things before your eyes. At first, it's like looking at aquatic plants through a lake. You can only see vaguely, but as your abilities improve, you'll see very clearly in the future."

Ji Jiayu seemed to understand and followed suit, wanting to tell He Yi about his clear vision of the Sacred Light Emblem. But He Yi waved her hand and said, "You have to be patient. Don't worry. The first time you perceive the Sacred Emblem through meditation, it will take at least two or three days. It's only been half an hour now, and you shouldn't have entered the underworld yet."

Seeing He Yi so determined, Ji Jiayu couldn't help but doubt himself. Was it really just a memory, not meditation?

After all, he had only just come into contact with cultivation, and He Yi was clearly a powerful person, and he was also the camp manager, so he couldn't let stubbornness become He Yi's first impression of him.

So he nodded and said, "Okay, then I'll try again."

He Yi was very satisfied with Ji Jiayu's attitude and said, "Go ahead, be patient."

While the two were talking, in the leftmost room on the third floor of the small building, Xie Ting, who had a chip mirror on the bridge of her nose, approached the windowsill and looked at Ji Jiayu, who was sitting cross-legged and had closed his eyes again, looking a little confused.

She seemed to have just sensed a trace of divine power surrounding Ji Jiayu's body. Was it an illusion?

Xie Ting shook her head and left the window.

In the courtyard, Ji Jiayu closed his eyes, and two minutes later, the Sacred Light Emblem and the Sacred Bone Emblem reappeared in the dark world before him.

The scene before him was different from the two scenes He Yi had described; it wasn't faint or transparent, but clearly visible.

Ji Jiayu approached the Sacred Light Emblem and could even clearly see that it was composed of a combination of small, fish-like circles, which surrounded the Sacred Bone Emblem, enveloping it and immobilizing it.

Ji Jiayu subconsciously reached out to pluck it, and the aura suddenly spread to both sides, revealing part of the Sacred Bone Emblem's true form. He only saw silver patterns flowing across the surface of the sacred bone, flashing with a sparkling light.

Somehow, Ji Jiayu suddenly thought of what Chen Miaoyi had said earlier—"The phenomenon of sacred emblem attachment."

Although Ji Jiayu didn't know the specific meaning of this word, he had a feeling that if he removed all the sacred light aura, this phenomenon might disappear!

He did as he thought.

Next, he was like a deep-sea fisherman, shuttled among the aquatic plants, pushing the auras away one by one. It wasn't known how long it had passed, but as the Sacred Bone Emblem became clearer, a surprised voice rang in Ji Jiayu's ears.

"He's starting to absorb it!"

Ji Jiayu was overjoyed when he heard this, but when he opened his eyes, he was immediately stunned. He saw six women, including He Nong, surrounding a burly boy with his back facing him.

It turned out that it wasn't Ji Jiayu who had begun absorbing the divine power.