The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

This new branch line unfolds in a fan shape, covering an area that has never been marked on a map before.

Xue Han looked at the new branch lines to the north and found that the end of one of the branch lines was very close to the branch line he had taken before.

He recognized the terrain of the area, which consisted mostly of low hills and low broad-leaved shrubs that were not common in the northern part of Aurora Plains.

In winter, the surface temperature is several degrees higher than other areas at the same latitude, as if a continuous source of heat is being transported upwards from the ground.

After receiving news of the discovery of the "Grey Rift" at Shuangjietai, the Linju tribe sent back a series of dense feedback signals over several days through the boundary markers. The waveforms of these signals were stable and repeated within the range that the Silver Frost Sword could receive.

After the signal was given, Elan personally went to the boundary marker and relayed the message to the patrol: "The area north of the Grey Rift has been marked as the 'End of the Road' in forest records from many generations ago."

The meaning of these markings is unclear, but they indicate that, at least at that time, this area was already a terrain unit requiring attention.

Xiao Fan reserved several extendable virtual lines in the array room for the end points of the new northern branch line, and incorporated the Silver Frost Sword's continuous monitoring of this area into the regular data collection process for the next season.

After discovering the grey rift, the North Tower direction included the area north of the Great Rift Valley in its monitoring scope for the first time and conducted subsequent surveys.

In early summer, Xiao Fan opened a metal scroll in the array room and spent an entire night studying it.

The red crystal on the short staff resonated faintly with the spiritual energy in the scroll. As he examined the branching paths on the scroll and their connection to the network of pipes on the Twin Realms Platform, he noticed some slight wear and folding marks on the scroll.

There is a line of small writing in the worn area, the color of which is very light and can not be seen at all without careful observation.

The note contained only a few simple coordinates and a line of small print: "On the north side of the last section of the corridor, there is a broken pillar connecting to the old road."

He compared the low hill terrain provided by Xue Han with the "Last Corridor" marker provided by Elan, and determined that the coordinates below the wear point were the area Xue Han had mentioned.

This area, marked as the northern end of the branch line, is more fluid and orderly than other places, unlike anything that appeared to have formed naturally.

Early the next morning, Bai Ye arrived at the magic laboratory. He noticed the faint resonance between the short staff and the scroll. He looked at the damage on the scroll and then at the small characters on it, and said, "The owner of this scroll wrote on it again after finishing the painting."

The repair was done later than the main image, and there are subtle differences in the font and pressure, indicating that someone noticed something and added coordinates and annotations.

Xiao Fan accurately marked a location on the map, which was the shallow pit that Xue Han had given him.

He drew a circle on the coordinates and wrote next to it, "The area where the scroll is worn overlaps with the 'Doomsday Passage' area."

In the second week of early summer, Xiao Fan and everyone finalized a trip to explore northern Xinjiang.

The five people—Xiao Fan, Bai Ye, Xue Han, Old Hunter Pei, and Song—went lightly equipped, carrying no supplies and focusing solely on speed.

Iron Anvil and Rust Rift maintain their daily operations, while Master Cheng and Ning Yao coordinate the allocation of supplies and the rotation of patrol battalions.

The cooperation between the Linju tribe and the Yanfu tribe is still in full swing.

On the first morning of his journey, Xiao Fan stood at the entrance of the main hall and fastened his luggage.

When Bai Ye stepped out of the array room, his Silver Frost Sword was already complete, its blade gleaming in the morning sunlight.

She walked to Xiao Fan's side, looked at the sky outside that was gradually brightening, and said, "The coordinates on the scroll overlap with the Doomsday Passage. The reason that area is listed as the edge area is because the terrain and spiritual energy structure there can easily form a connection point for convergence and dissipation."

If that old road truly exists, then it is highly likely to exist within a spacetime rift.

Xue Han was already waiting at the door, while Old Man Pei and the man surnamed Song checked their equipment and supplies before heading towards the meeting point.

The Earth Core Golden Mane Beast stood up and walked to the door. Its mane shimmered with a faint golden light in the sunlight. It did not follow, but stood at the door watching the group leave until the last figure disappeared from sight.

After everyone left, the array flags on the walls of the Twin Realms Platform automatically switched to daytime operation mode, stably covering the entire platform and connecting the gradually brightening sunlight with the facilities on the walls to form a light curtain.

The misty rift valley had quieted down under the early summer sun. The fog above the rift valley had receded to its lowest point, and the silvery-white crystal layer shimmered with a metallic luster under the sunlight.

The northern expedition had been traveling for five days on the low hills north of the Grey Rift when the messenger from White Camel Ridge finally arrived, bringing a gilded invitation stamped with the seal of the Silver Plains Central Chamber of Commerce.

The invitation was simple: "The Central Chamber of Commerce of the Silver Plains will hold the 'Heavenly Ranking' competition, which takes place every five years, at the end of summer. We invite cultivators with a certain level of cultivation from the area surrounding Aurora Plains to participate in the Heavenly Ranking competition."

The invitation letter contained a brief explanation of the eligibility requirements for the competition, and noted that Xiao Fan had already obtained official eligibility to participate in the Twin Realms Platform.

While looking at the contents of the invitation, Xue Han explained, "The Heavenly Ranking Competition is the largest public martial arts contest on the Silver Plains. Participants come from the Aurora Land, the Silver Land, the north of the Gray Domain, and even further north. The winner will receive priority access to spiritual materials provided by the Central Chamber of Commerce, as well as rewards from the Heavenly Ranking."

After confirming the method and authenticity of the invitation, Xiao Fan put it away.

Bai Ye glanced at the broad-leaved bushes not far away and said, "From the time the Silver Merchant Guild sends out the invitation to the start of the competition, it will take about a month. We can determine the location of the North Road first, and then come over after the competition."

The group had reached the edge of the bushes, but instead of continuing forward, they noted down the coordinates and then returned the way they came.

After returning to the Twin Realms Platform, Xiao Fan instructed Cheng Xiushi to make preparations, while he himself carefully analyzed the rules of the Heavenly Ranking Competition in the array room and finalized the competition rules.

In mid-summer, Xiao Fan, along with Bai Ye, Hunter Pei, and Xue Han, headed towards the central merchant guild of the Silver Plains.