Chapter 593: Ascension and the Dao Source

After all, this kid nearly died because of me due to that Death-Stealing Pill.

As a morally upright, high-quality cultivator of the new era, I ought to make amends and make his future path a little smoother.

Of course, that's all there is to it.

If you think I've developed any fondness for this kid because of it…

That's hardly the case.

Since beginning cultivation, through failure in merging with the Dao and becoming a shattered soul, how many people have I not seen in all these years?

"Since you've made your choice," Xu Xing tossed the blood jade in his hand.

Leng Rou hurried to catch it, but the vivid red jade passed straight through her hand, transforming into a crimson stream that flowed into her soul-body.

Instantly, she felt her spirit grow warm.

Gentle streams of warmth spread from deep within her soul-body, continuously nourishing her fractured and weak spirit.

The vitality she felt each second was a thousandfold greater than what she gained during her prior slumber and recovery.

It was like a man on the verge of dying of thirst drinking cool, sweet spring water—an indescribable bliss that left her intoxicated.

Awesome!

Fortunately, her consciousness remained clear; she knew Xu Xing was nearby, so she quickly suppressed the urge within her and bowed respectfully.

"Thank you, Ancestral Master."

The Sword Ancestor bestowed a celestial fate.

This was something she had only heard of in legends—yet now she had somehow been lucky enough to encounter it herself.

Once I return to the Tai Shang Dao Sect, I must brag to my senior brothers and sisters, and the new junior disciples!

Hehe!

Xu Xing said no more, gave a slight nod, and his figure gradually faded and vanished.

The surrounding white, endless, lonely space began to contract, and the scenery that had just receded rapidly restored itself.

In the blink of an eye, Gu Wangjun found himself back in the bustling Free Trading Zone.

People came and went, noisy voices constantly reaching his ears.

Yet no one noticed his sudden disappearance or sudden reappearance.

"Don't zone out, kid."

Leng Rou floated beside him, her soul-body noticeably more solid than before.

"Let's leave this place first, then see what this Nine Li Zhen Zhang the Ancestral Master mentioned."

Hearing this, Gu Wangjun snapped out of it, glanced at Leng Rou still beside him, and felt considerably more at ease.

"Oh."

He immediately stopped delaying and walked straight out of the Free Trading Zone.

Leng Rou floated beside him, slightly behind, as if lost in thought.

Nine Li Zhen Zhang…

The book picked up from that brainless, low-quality body cultivator's stall must be something valuable.

According to what the Ancestral Master said earlier:

"Harvest the Three Lights as fermentation, cut the rainbow as mash."

From the wording alone, this Nine Li Zhen Zhang—could it possibly be a wine recipe?

If the Ancestral Master values it, could this wine recipe be from the founder of the legendary Drunken Immortal Sect?

If it's true…

Then we've hit the jackpot!

…

…

Meanwhile.

Zhou Kongming had just exited the Ascension Hall and was preparing to return to rest, readjusting to the rules of the Tai Xuan Realm, and also preparing a vessel for Heng to inhabit.

On the way back, he couldn't help but send a message in the group where he and the first batch of Ascension Envoys were.

That is, the group called "Whoever Voluntarily Competes Is a Fool * Real Names Only."

Zhou Kongming: "Anyone here?"

His current feeling was exactly like most people after an exam.

He kept telling himself not to compare answers, yet couldn't resist wondering how many points others scored.

But his message sank without a trace—no one replied.

With no choice, he put his phone away and hurried toward the Sword Sect's inner precincts.

Soon, Zhou Kongming arrived at his cave entrance.

Just as he was about to open the door, his phone in his pocket rang.

He pulled it out and opened it.

Chen Xuanqing: "1"

What the hell are you "1" about?

Why is it this weirdo Chen Xuanqing?

Zhou Kongming suddenly didn't want to keep talking in the group, but his curiosity still burned.

Zhou Kongming: "Are you the first one to complete the task?"

Chen Xuanqing: "Who else could it be?"

Chen Xuanqing: "Getting first place so easily—no challenge at all. How boring."

"..."

Being the first to finish the mission is useless — this mission isn't about who completes it fastest.

Chen Xuanqing: "I know you're definitely thinking that finishing the mission quickly this time is useless."

Chen Xuanqing: "But how do you know the first person to finish the mission doesn't get a reward?"

Tch~

Isn't it just an extra reward?

As if nobody else has one!

Of course, the reason he himself got the extra reward was too bizarre — better not to say it out loud.

He opened the door and walked into the cave dwelling.

Zhou Kongming used his divine sense to activate the gentle spiritual energy flow system, readjusting the internal spiritual energy frequency so he could more comfortably adapt to the heavy, stringent laws of the Xuan Realm.

He walked to the window, sat down, and continued typing.

Zhou Kongming: "There's still a reward?"

First, pretend he hadn't asked around, and see what this guy's extra reward actually is.

Chen Xuanqing: "Heh."

Heh your *ss!

The corner of Zhou Kongming's eye twitched, but to verify his own guess, he patiently kept typing.

After probing from the side for quite a while, he finally managed to pry the information he wanted from Chen Xuanqing.

Both tacitly avoided mentioning how many Ascension Points they had each received after settlement.

At this stage, probably only the two of them had chosen to settle and return to the Xuan Realm from the mission world.

Additionally, the extra reward Chen Xuanqing got for being the first to settle the mission was, just like his own, a Chaos Sea observation after 'Perception Sublimation.'

Looking at it this way...

Could it be that they just made up some excuse to hand out extra rewards?

However...

Why would they do that?

Zhou Kongming's fingers lightly tapped the armrest; he thought for quite a while but couldn't figure it out.

Forget it.

He put down his phone and pulled out the Jin Dan—entirely composed of data—that he had stored in his portable cave heaven.

Buzz buzz buzz~

The moment she emerged from the portable cave heaven, Heng felt the omnipresent, stringent, and heavy laws all around her.

The consciousness network that had originally been able to cover an entire Qixing was now suppressed by the immense pressure, unable to even detach itself from this tiny data Jin Dan.

Fear stemming from the 'unknown' made her utterly terrified; she wanted to call out to Zhou Kongming for help, but found she couldn't even open her mouth to speak.

She could only anxiously tremble and buzz in the air.

"An artifact-born spirit requires a physical foundation as its anchor in order to perceive the heavens and earth and reflect the eight directions."

Zhou Kongming explained briefly, then flicked out a hiltless flying sword whose form was barely visible, almost illusory.

A faint hissing sound came from the air.

"Any artifact-born spirit that can leave its physical foundation and walk the world in a purely spiritual form is an extremely high-ranking one among artifact-born spirits."

"Although your Jin Dan is ingenious, in the Xuan Realm it cannot yet count as a physical foundation."

"So for now, just reside within this flying sword."

Having said that, Zhou Kongming raised his hand and made a slash.

The data Jin Dan hovering before him, as if drawn by something, sank into that nearly illusory hiltless flying sword.

A ripple, like a water wave, spread across the body of the flying sword.

The entire flying sword then stretched, enlarged, and lit up with a hazy gray glow.

Soon, a tall, slender figure landed lightly and nimbly.

Silver-gray pupils, a head of chestnut short hair, a silver skintight outfit outlining her delicate curves.

Exactly the same as Heng's appearance in Mission World 1.

A trace of lingering terror still remained in her eyes.

That feeling of being compressed into a tiny space — perception, self-existence, everything...

Since her spirituality had been awakened, she had never experienced anything this terrifying.