Chapter One, my name is Wei Zhi

The gazes of the crowd were like knives and arrows, causing me to lower my head and curl up into a ball

Then, a man in golden armor appeared in the golden light

Having just moved to Weidu a few months ago, I suddenly became a person known to all, yet looked down upon by everyone as a despicable individual.

It should be said that everyone is eagerly watching the young ladies of the Wei Minister's residence

At that moment, when the golden light flashed, we all fell silent like cicadas in winter

I have long heard people speak of how beautiful the upper realm is, yet I can only pityingly await this day, only to find that I cannot even enter the door

Boom

Everyone is looking at us with anticipation.

The sounds of clamor and mockery surged in like the tides

They all have the surname Wei and are all children of the nobility from the State of Wei

Wei Hong gave me a big eye roll, "What do you know? Liang Shao must definitely be a celestial bone with a divine fetus," she scrutinized me in my gray attire, "He is nothing like you; someone like you, regardless of whether you have been tested for your root bone, is just a lowly ant among the common people."

More than one hundred elegantly dressed noble youths were whispering to each other, while the cloud car floating on their respective trajectories occasionally merged with another cloud car under the direction of their owners, forming a larger and more luxurious treasure cloud dream car

I held my breath, watching the golden-armored man as he slowly turned towards me from the right while holding a mirror.

As I gazed up at those esteemed individuals who were usually beyond my reach, delighting in the tension and excitement on their faces, Wei Hong, sitting to my left, gave me a heavy elbow jab. Ignoring my grimace of pain, she pointed excitedly at several luxurious cloud carriages ahead and whispered, "A Zhi, guess who I just saw? I saw Liang Shao! Unbelievable! A person as exalted as Liang Shao has actually come here." She took a deep breath, her face filled with intoxication and elation, "In this lifetime, I, Wei Hong, have actually had the chance to walk the same path as him. Truly, I could die without regret!"

As soon as the rumbling voice fell, the golden-armored giant hand made a sweeping motion with its right hand

The golden-armored giant's gaze was like lightning, and wherever he went, arcs of silvery-white electricity crackled and sparked.

On the leading cloud vehicle, there are a number of elegantly dressed young men and women, all exuding excitement and tension. Upon a brief count, there are at least one hundred and fifty to sixty of them

I can't even enter the Yunhua Gate

Just as we were chattering away to vent our frustrations, a beam of golden light shot straight up into the sky from the wide-open Yunhua Gate

At that time, the surrounding crowd was filled with complaints and exclamations. At this moment, the golden-armored man took out a mirror. Those noble youths who still had a chance to enter the Yunhua Gate to seek the immortal for the assessment of their innate talents remained silent, while we commoners, who had only one opportunity in our lives, dared not move at all.

I did nothing

In response to this, the armored giant did not even furrow his brow, nor did the onlooking celestial beings find it unusual

I am, after all, too insignificant; after everyone laughed at me for a while, they simply changed the subject

The discussions around continued, "What happened?" "Don't you know? She is that Wei Zhi." "Which Wei Zhi?" "She is the one who shamelessly sought to marry Young Master Ming San at his birthday banquet." "Ah, so it's her. This woman is utterly shameless. Young Master Ming San is a noble gentleman, and she doesn't even look at herself. How dare she publicly pressure Young Master Ming San to marry her!"

Indeed, this noble realm is merely in the lower world, confined within the borders of the State of Wei. Considering the vastness of the great wilderness, even if the State of Wei occupies nine oceans, a celestial steed could fly for ten years without escaping its boundaries; yet, it remains just a small mortal kingdom within the lower realm

I swayed my body

From a distance, we saw our cloud vehicle, and the commotion outside Yunhua Gate was deafening. In contrast to their excitement, we felt somewhat dejected and disappointed.

I have always claimed to have thick skin, indifferent to the insults and shaming from others, but at this moment, I find it somewhat difficult to bear

Outside the Yunhua Gate, white clouds spontaneously formed into palaces, cloud bridges, walkways, cloud rivers, and roads. On those palaces and bridges, rivers and roads, there stood or floated celestial beings from the upper realm, or mortals born from the upper realm who had come specifically to join the festivities

It is a spring afternoon, with wisps of cotton-like clouds occupying the entire sky. Beneath the vast expanse, above the green mountains, a fleet of cloud cars, composed of thick, overlapping white clouds, slowly glides through the void

I looked at my fingers, a buzzing sound filled my ears, yet my eyes were dry and gritty, devoid of any tears

I lowered my head, tightly gripping my fingers. As I held on too tightly, the blood drawn from my palms by my nails dripped silently, drop by drop, onto the cloud carriage beneath me

The cloud chariot moved majestically, drifting through the void for three days and three nights. During these three days and nights, we had one meal each day, consuming the fasting pills distributed by the official in charge of the roads, which were free from the impurities of the mortal realm and would not provoke the desire for relief in mortals. At night, the official would draw the cloud layers below us to cover the light above, allowing us to enter the realm of sleep. This cycle continued until the morning of the fourth day, when we arrived at one of the heavenly gates of the upper realm—Yunhua Gate

The young men were all very excited, and it was impossible for them not to be. Considering the several hundred people present, it is likely that ninety percent of them would only have this opportunity once in their lives—to ride this cloud carriage leading to the upper realm, witnessing the endless green mountains and vast oceans beneath their feet, while entering the ethereal and unpredictable upper realm, to test their innate potential, or, like the lowly ones such as myself, to take a glance in the mirror of appraisal.

On the cloud car that stretched for several miles, hundreds of children aged fourteen to seventeen were chattering away.

The Great Wilderness, a boundless land that even divine beings cannot traverse, is home to numerous nations like Wei, with at least several dozen existing within its expanse

Now, I am even more likely to implicate my family

The armored giant clearly possesses remarkable martial skills; as he stands there, the surroundings have fallen silent as night, and everyone bows their heads, not daring to meet his gaze directly

As his right hand swept across, a beam of golden light surged out for several miles, and within that golden light, we were divided into two groups.

Receiving her praise, Wei Hong was very excited. Her face flushed, and in a fluster, she bowed to the young lady, stammering, "I have met the Fourth Miss of the Xiang residence."

It is often said that among a hundred thousand ants, it is rare to see a celestial being. This remains true today. When the brilliant light of the mirror shines upon the heads of those hundred or so youths on the right side, what appears in the void is merely a group of neatly arranged old men and women, with not a single extraordinary figure in sight

The Mirror of Appraisal, as the name suggests, is the Mirror of Immortals. For commoners like myself, it is not our place for the celestial envoys to expend their energy, assessing each individual and determining their celestial lineage. We can only be herded to the Mirror of Appraisal like ducks in the mortal realm. It is said that this mirror can reveal the appearances of all beings a hundred years into the future with just one glance. Therefore, although there are many ducks, and although people have a lifespan of one hundred and fifty years, the distinction between the worthy and the unworthy can be discerned at a glance. From there, the outstanding individuals can be selected to enter the Heavenly Palace of Hua to further assess their potential, ensuring that no few with celestial affinity are overlooked. Thus, despite the multitude of ducks and the longevity of the people, the worthy and unworthy can be roughly identified at a glance, allowing for the selection of the exceptional to enter the Heavenly Palace of Hua for further assessment of their potential, ensuring that no few with celestial affinity are missed.

The only regret is that, whether it is the celestial beings of the upper realm or the ducks of the mortal world, in this life, the effect is only valid the first time one gazes into the mirror; thereafter, it is merely an ordinary mirror.

The golden light fell fifty zhang in front of me, gradually converging.

I lowered my head to look at my hands, making an effort to shrink into a corner where others would not notice me. I cannot tell them that before my mother, younger brother, and I moved to Weidu, I grew up as childhood friends with the Young Master Ming they speak of. I cannot even tell them that when my grandfather was still alive and my father was present, at the age of thirteen, I met the seventeen-year-old Young Master Ming for the first time after growing up, and we became the best of friends. Moreover, during his three years of subtle hints and gentle treatment, I had long since accepted the marriage that my grandfather had arranged for us.

As soon as Wei Hong finished speaking, a series of five or six synchronized chuckles floated from the cloud car ahead of us. Among the laughter, a beautiful girl with her hair styled in two pigtails arrogantly turned her head back, nodded her chin towards Wei Hong, and said, "You do have a bit of discernment."

Indeed, Wei Zhi is the most shameless woman I have ever encountered in my life

It has been three years. I have spent three years accepting that person's tenderness and affection, gradually developing feelings for him. As he instructed, on the day of his twentieth birthday, I inquired with his parents about our wedding date... I have dreamed of all the beautiful futures, yet I never knew that he would suddenly change his expression, using a strange and disdainful tone to humiliate me, this shameless and unknowing woman of such ugliness, in front of numerous guests

This is truly excessive

The fourth young lady of the Xiang residence fixed her beautiful gaze upon me, her lips curling into a smile as she said: "The disgrace of the commoners lies in their willingness to go to any lengths. You, bearing the surname Wei, are truly a disgrace to the Wei family. Upon my return, I will have my father issue an order to have your entire family change your surname to 'Common'!"

Wei Hong's elbow was indeed a bit heavy, so when I turned to look at her, my face was contorted quite severely. I looked at her and said, "As the celestial classic states, one must measure the root bone and enter the celestial gate in order to distinguish between ants and celestial beings. Therefore, you should wait until Wei Liang has measured the root bone before getting excited."

Not only Wei Hong, but also the dozens of cloud cars floating nearby, all the young men and women turned their heads respectfully and enviously towards the Fourth Miss of the Xiang residence. Similarly, because of the Fourth Miss's affirmation of Wei Hong's words, I, who had been ridiculed by Wei Hong, was also mocked with disdain and contempt by the crowd

He glanced over the crowd with indifference and thunderously said: "Immortals are very busy, you mere ants can just take a casual look."

At any time, social status is insurmountable; under public scrutiny, even my attempts at justification would infuriate these privileged offspring. Moreover, as my true potential remains untested and my reflection yet to be revealed, I still hold a glimmer of hope to rise above others

Then, the armored giant took out a bronze mirror from his sleeve, flew into the sky, raised the bronze mirror with his right hand, and directed it towards us

It seems that after a person has been humiliated and scolded too many times, they become numb even to pain