[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-ancestor-the-times-have-changed":3,"chapter-ancestor-the-times-have-changed-ancestor-the-times-have-changed-chapter-56":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Ancestor, the Times Have Changed",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2299378,4498,"Chapter 56: Rankings of the First Trial","ancestor-the-times-have-changed-chapter-56",56,"\u003Cp>By noon, Chi Jiuyu was lying on his bed scrolling through the Spirit Web.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the only person besides his uncle who knew the truth behind this trial (in her own estimation).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She scrolled through the absurd and ridiculous speculations on the Spirit Web and launched into a barrage of mockery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially that “quietly cultivating Xiao Zhao”—she even created a new account just to troll him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After that, Chi Jiuyu posted several more threads herself; because she knew the real reason, her posts seemed far more credible than the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This drew many people to ask questions, but she refused to clarify anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hehe!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thought of those seekers clawing at their hearts, desperate for the truth but unable to get it, made her roll around on her bed in delight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the living room, Xu Xing sighed softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had told her to do as she pleased, but she seemed to be running wild.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whatever. Let her be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Xing’s eyes shimmered with shifting light and shadow; at this moment, the first trial had only a few candidates left, and none of them performed well enough to matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rankings were nearly settled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, names were listed in order according to each participant’s performance in the trial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one ranked first was not Zhang Yunlu, nor Xiao Fan, but…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Qiuxian! As one of the top sword disciples of the Sword Sect, he mastered countless sword techniques and possessed abundant combat experience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Against fellow Foundation Establishment body cultivators, he killed with three strikes—no one in the trial was faster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second was the wind-named sword cultivator who had been detained with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third was a body cultivator from the Dragon-Elephant Soaring Heaven Sect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fourth was Li Fengping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though unlucky, the three sword disciples from the Sword Sect were still impressive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fifth was Yu Ming, the headmaster of the Third Middle School of Xuanjian City—the old man Chi Jiuyu had pointed out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because his foundation was damaged, he had never truly entered Soul Transformation; under Xu Xing’s criteria, he still fell within the Nascent Soul realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The list continued downward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sixth was Jiang Jing, a disciple of the Sword Enforcement Hall, whom he had met during the previous mission; the other sword cultivators he had seen that day had already left Xuanjian City and did not participate in the trial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seventh and eighth were a teacher from the First Middle School of Xuanjian City and an official from the Law Enforcement Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ninth was Zhang Yunlu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was undoubtedly the most experienced among all participants, but her luck was average—she drew a body cultivator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Body cultivators had thick skin and heavy defenses; she had no experience dealing with them, so it took her time to wear him down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tenth was a disciple of Lingyin Workshop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eleventh was a disciple of Jisheng Valley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twelfth was a disciple of Shenji Artisan Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like the rankings at the Immortal Sect Grand Competition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The list continued downward until thirty-third, where came Jiang Yujiu of the Joyful Sect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the Taishang Dao Sect…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though none of their techniques were weak, each held back, so they hovered around the eightieth position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Further down were mostly local Xuanjian City Nascent Soul and Golden Core cultivators, along with disciples and officials from the Sword Sect’s Miscellaneous Affairs Hall and Law Enforcement Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among the Immortal Sect disciples, only one person failed to enter the top three thousand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was a pill alchemist from Jisheng Valley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was quite unlucky—he drew a body cultivator seven times in a row.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His poison arts were severely disadvantaged against body cultivators with thick skin and maximum resistance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the next three draws, he got two sword cultivators and one magic cultivator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Against the two sword cultivators, he managed only a mutually destructive stalemate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he finally won against the magic cultivator—unfortunately, his overall performance was too poor to rank within the top three thousand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Fan, backed by Huo, ranked just over a thousandth—neither high nor low, perfectly average.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the rankings were finalized, the shifting light and shadow in Xu Xing’s eyes vanished instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the gray, hazy trial space, Lin Qiuxian swung his sword, stirring faint wisps of gray mist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding! Ding! The gleaming blade clashed with a pair of withered, monstrous hands—blood-red, claw-tipped, like the claws of a vengeful ghost—sparking tiny embers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each time the withered figure swung its claws, it released an overwhelming stench of blood—this blood was a deadly poison that corroded the six viscera and corrupted spiritual power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Qiuxian’s expression remained unchanged; he waited until the sharp claws were about to strike before calmly raising his sword to counter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood Cultivator! A type of demonic cultivator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such practitioners were rare in this era, and the few remaining ones mostly dwelled on the Starfield Battlefield—there was almost no chance to fight them normally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【First Trial Ended】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sudden appearance of golden text startled Lin Qiuxian; the Blood Cultivator seized the opening, claws slicing through the air toward his throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Qiuxian sidestepped slightly, then swept his sword horizontally—the blade sheathed in thin spiritual light, tracing a graceful arc—as blood sprayed forth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud! The head fell, dissolving into a puff of gray mist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Qiuxian sheathed his sword and stood firm, eyes locked on the slowly forming golden text.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Name: Lin Qiuxian】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Realm: Nascent Soul Mid-stage (suppressed to Qi Refining Level 9)】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Current Rank: One】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A surge of uncontrollable joy exploded in his heart; the only sound in his ears seemed to be his pounding heartbeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He fiercely suppressed the urge to roar to the heavens, staring at the golden text, verifying it again and again, afraid he had misread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Second Trial will open in two days; the top five hundred will advance to the Third Trial】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Three thousand down to five hundred?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Qiuxian forced himself to calm down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But perhaps because his realm was suppressed, the effects of his cultivation method had lessened—he found it much easier to settle his mind than outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the drumming heartbeat gradually slowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh~ Lin Qiuxian exhaled a long breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They gave us two days—probably to see how much we can improve within this space.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the trial ended, all who passed could remain and choose different cultivators as sparring partners to hone themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, this trial space was incredibly realistic—the flow of spiritual power, the feedback during combat—indistinguishable from reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Set: Wu Li Sword Cultivator!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Creation Foundation requires Wu Li—a state impossible to grasp; every cultivator with a Creation foundation experiences Wu Li differently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some achieve it after near-death escapes, others in life-or-death battles, and some grasp it while dying—and then die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only commonality: this process demands extreme conditions, and only humans can achieve it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Qiuxian had once wasted years on this—he even tried ascending the Starfield Battlefield in his Qi Refining body, living alone for months on a planet surrounded by alien creatures, barely escaping death multiple times, yet still failed to attain Wu Li.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, he had no choice but to settle for a secondary foundation for his Foundation Establishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As his thoughts shifted, a figure emerged from the gray mist—holding a plain, ordinary longsword, walking slowly toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Enemy: Qi Refining Level 8 Sword Cultivator (Wu Li)】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from the simple suffix “Wu Li,” nothing else was shown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Qi Refining Level 8…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only by defeating a Qi Refining Level 8 Wu Li sword cultivator could he challenge a higher level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Qiuxian remained alert, prepared, mentally calculating the optimal way to strike first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sword cultivator’s shadow had already reached him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still unable to see his face, the figure appeared petite, even more “slender” than previous cultivator shadows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The figure raised a hand and curled a finger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh? Taunting me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Qiuxian’s expression grew even more serious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing he still didn’t move, the shadow seemed impatient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chi! A flash of swordlight erupted before his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So fast!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too fast—he couldn’t even raise his sword to block; all his training felt meaningless in this moment—could this really be the speed of a Qi Refining cultivator?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The world spun; a headless figure came into view.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sword cultivator’s shadow stood behind it, its blurred face turning toward him, swirling its blade in a flourish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Please collect, please follow!! (End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1381,"2026-06-20T06:44:12.591Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","5182476864dbeb48d9f3e8aaba04ffae6562250db21b68e1bb9c6107ec9a270f","ancestor-the-times-have-changed-chapter-57","ancestor-the-times-have-changed-chapter-55",648,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fancestor-the-times-have-changed-cover.jpg"]