Chapter 1: The Newcomers of the Ascension Pool

Nangong Buwei took the jade tablet and then noticed a stone tablet nearby, his eyes immediately brightening. "A testing tablet... it certainly warrants a test."

In the pool of guidance, a flash of white light appeared, and a tall young man, dressed in tattered clothes, materialized out of thin air

Then it shall be so, Nan Gong did not nod proudly.

However, what he did not know was that ever since that aquamarine planet was referred to as Earth, no ascendant had appeared there again

In the next moment, he took a deep breath and instantly felt a bit intoxicated, "Truly worthy of the Immortal Realm, such a rich aura of immortality."

Therefore, he needs to first examine the jade tablet to understand what kind of place Earth is

He understood that at this moment, the Earth had already become depleted of spiritual energy, and the aura of immortality was exceedingly thin. However, it was only upon sensing the rich and almost tangible celestial energy here that he deeply realized what it meant to be in the age of decline.

I am certain," Chen Taizhong replied impatiently. He was not one to excel in social interactions, and having suffered a minor setback, his tone was understandably less than pleasant

Chen Taizhong let out a muffled grunt, then took a step back, his face turning pale. After gasping for breath a few times, he spoke with great dissatisfaction, "Do you feel a sense of accomplishment by using such spiritual awareness to bully me?"

The man in white spoke淡淡地, "Take out your most powerful celestial technique and strike the test monument"

The man in white took out an object resembling a compass, shaking it in front of the three individuals. The compass emitted three jade tokens, on which he marked some identifiers. He then put away the compass and handed out the three jade tokens one by one, saying, "These are the identity jade tokens; please keep them safe. If lost, it can be quite troublesome to replace... Of course, this is not a concern for the wine merchant."

Hehe, Nangong did not show much pride in his eyes as he smiled lightly. At the time of his ascension, he had used countless spiritual materials and elixirs; if he were merely at the first level, it would indeed be quite embarrassing

However, knowing that this Earth is a realm of decline, one can easily imagine the disdain of the two. It is as the woman in black said, the lineage has been severed, her son has died, and there is no hope left

The contact point of the Nangong family is still quite far from here," said the man in white with a smiling face. "We can arrange for a bodyguard for the young master... the price is for you to negotiate. Who would dare to deceive the wine uncle?

The price he offered was not high; ten spirit stones were merely a token amount, insufficient to harm the foundation of ascenders. Many of those who ascended from the lower realms are quite impoverished. Although they may have ruled and dominated in the lower realms, they truly do not measure up upon arriving in the celestial realm

"How did we arrive at Qingshi City?" Young Master Gao Guan murmured softly, then snapped open the folding fan in his hand with a sharp sound. After shaking it twice, he slowly spoke, "In the southern realm of the Four Directions, Nan Gong does not serve. Accompanied by the book boy Nan Gong, the sword attendant, and the maid holding the zither, we ascend to this place. Please record it."

The woman in black took out a paper crane, wrote some words on it, and with a flick of her hand, the paper crane flapped its wings, let out a sharp cry, and disappeared in the blink of an eye

The man in white trembled as he asked, "Is the Southern Palace family of the Four Directions the same as the Jiu Bo Nan Gong?"

Regulations... ? ... rules. ? Chen Taizhong furrowed his brow, surprised as he turned to look in the direction of the voice, only to find a young man and woman sitting at a stone table not far from the circle, casually watching him. The man was dressed in white, while the woman was dressed in black.

This is Chen Taizhong, who has just transcended and become an immortal. He has endured two hundred years of arduous cultivation in the mortal realm and has finally achieved his long-cherished wish of ascending.

If there are any smugglers who have illegally ascended with the books, they will be fired

Impudent! The man in white snorted coldly. A mere newly ascended individual actually dared to release their divine sense to observe an immortal. This is not merely a matter of rudeness; it is an outright provocation.

If a false ascendant were to devise a guiding pool, it would naturally trigger an alert

Is this a test monument? Chen Taizhong pondered, turning over the jade stone wall, and arrived at the monument.

This fellow has a really foul mouth, the man in white felt angry inside, with a surge of frustration that had nowhere to go. Suddenly, the Pool of Reception lit up again, followed by two more flashes, and three individuals appeared in the Pool of Reception.

Middle-grade spirit stone? The eyes of the woman in black and the man in white brightened simultaneously. Just a moment ago, they had asked Chen Taizhong for ten low-grade spirit stones, but this one middle-grade spirit stone could be worth a hundred low-grade spirit stones

"I practice the Qi Path," Chen Taizhong replied confidently. According to the explanation of the technique he obtained, the Qi Path primarily relies on the use of vital energy, momentum, and spiritual awareness to achieve victory, while spells and other such matters are of secondary importance

The appearance of this stone tablet is somewhat peculiar, resembling a washboard on Earth, with its ridged surface.

For the connecting guides, loose cultivators have always been quite challenging. Those who can reach ascension as loose cultivators are all individuals of great determination, perseverance, and wisdom, and some are even blessed with great fortune

In an instant, the light at the base of the stone tablet faded away

"Go ahead and hit me if you dare? You won't find a place to reason with me," Chen Taizhong snorted coldly, feeling quite justified. "You have already deduced that I come from a world of the end of the law; where would I get spirit stones from?"

"The realm of the end of the Dharma has arrived," the woman in black finally spoke, her expression one of disdain. "It seems the inheritance has been severed"

Then the attendant raised his hand, and an orange gemstone flew towards the woman in black. With his chin held high, he spoke, "This is a gift from my young master"

This is indeed strange, the man in white murmured, waving his hand, and a black stone tablet appeared beside him

If it is of a yellow and white hue, it is certainly worthy of a glance, indicating that the plane of ascension is still rapidly improving—definitely an unknown plane. Those who arrive not only possess the great fortune of the plane's development but will also have a continuous stream of individuals ascending in the future

Just as he was looking around, a cold snort was heard, "Kid, have you seen enough? If you have, come over to register your identity... You know the rules, right?"

"Indeed, it is the ancestor of the family," the young man in a high hat and green robe nodded, and then, without any further ado, the three of them leaped out of the welcoming pool

Isn't it a bit of a hassle? The man in white was infuriated. In fact, this brash newcomer who had just ascended was indeed correct; he really did want to collect red envelopes. The work at the guiding pool in our celestial realm is truly monotonous and tedious, and the key point is that one cannot leave.

He had just swept this angle earlier but did not notice anyone here. Suddenly, a man and a woman appeared, startling him. To confirm that his vision was not mistaken, he released his spiritual sense to scan the area.

The man in white widened his eyes, while the woman in black merely cleared her throat and shook her head slightly—there are not only two guides at the guiding pool, but also the recording stones set up by the inspectors.

It turns out he comes from a small place, and the man in white became increasingly disinterested, "State your sect and background."

I ascended openly and with great dignity, so what right do you have to deny me an identity?" Chen Taizhong felt a surge of anger in his heart, "I see you, kid, are trying to collect a red envelope, aren't you?

"Second-level Immortal, " the man in white exaggeratedly gasped, "Young Master Nangong, with your family's profound scholarly background, having ascended just once, you are already at the second level. I am truly impressed."

It appears that he is not a spy, as the man in white observed that the jade-green stone wall showed no reaction—this receiving pool is equipped with several complex formations, which not only serve to guide ascended immortals but also play a role in identifying spies.

Without a moment's hesitation, he unleashed his spiritual pressure and met it head-on with great force

However, at the same time, scattered practitioners are the most difficult to discipline. Not only do they lack understanding, but they also have no ties to sects or families, living in a manner where one person's satisfaction does not affect the hunger of the entire family, and their actions are extremely reckless.

Receiving a small red envelope is not a major issue, but assaulting an ascendant without reason can easily be used by others to create a narrative

You deserve it! The man in white couldn't be bothered to explain, "I'm asking you, do you know the rules?"

Level One Immortal, the man in white let out a cold laugh, then his expression darkened, "I told you to use immortal techniques, who told you to use your fists?"

Hiss, the two guides simultaneously inhaled sharply. This young master clearly had a distinguished background, even ascending with attendants. However, they truly did not expect that this person's status was so exalted

Chen Taizhong, however, did not pay attention to those matters. He stepped forward and struck the stone tablet with a powerful punch. A flash of blue light passed over the testing tablet, and a square at the bottom lit up, displaying a grayish-white color

On his side stood a man and a woman, clearly a scholar's assistant and a maidservant.

"The airway also has its mystical arts," the man in white glanced at him, pondered for a moment, and then spoke impatiently, "If you don't understand the rules, let me tell you, ten spirit stones will grant you an identity."

Chen Taizhong coldly observed from the side, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth revealing a hint of disdain in his heart—relying on the legacy of one's ancestors, what kind of ability is that

The solitary cultivator, with a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, contemplated the book for a moment before finally taking out a piece of jade slip.

At the forefront is a young gentleman, wearing a tall hat and a blue robe, with a dignified appearance and graceful demeanor, holding a folding fan in his hand

The two guides exchanged glances, and the woman in black stood up, her expression unchanged as she spoke, "You are aware of the rules at the Ascension Pool in Qingshi City, aren't you?"

Why should I tell you? Chen Taizhong was increasingly furious, but the opponent's strength was clearly superior to his own. He could only swallow his anger and respond, "Loose cultivator, from Earth."

Please inform us of the nearest contact point for the Nangong family," the attendant spoke boldly

With a muffled sound, two squares on the test monument lit up, radiating a dazzling white light— the most vigorous spirit energy.

This test monument can assess more than one aspect. The bottom section indicates the foundational level after ascension, which is the first level of the wandering immortal. Grayish-white represents a decline in the quality of spiritual energy, while yellowish-white signifies a surplus in quality.

Chen Taizhong was taken aback for a moment before slowly shaking his head, "I don't know"

Is this the realm of immortals? He looked around and found himself standing in a circle made of jade, about half a person high, with a diameter of approximately five to six meters

The man in white flipped through a jade slip, his eyes suddenly narrowing as he coldly asked, "Are you sure you come from the Earth realm?"

"Be careful of being caught as an illegal resident," the man in white replied nonchalantly

"You know I come from the realm of the end of the Dharma, where can I steal spirit stones?" Chen Taizhong replied with wide eyes. He knew what spirit stones were, but he had searched the world and had never seen one, let alone ten.

Having spoken, he did not wait for the guide's response. With a flick of his hand, he conjured a weapon resembling a shuttle, which swiftly flew towards the stone tablet

The young master Xie Nangong bestowed a gift, and the two raised their hands in a bow