[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-ascending-to-divinity":3,"chapter-ascending-to-divinity-ascending-to-divinity-chapter-126":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Ascending to Divinity",{"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},2280676,4461,"Chapter 126: Puppet","ascending-to-divinity-chapter-126",126,"\u003Cp>“Sister.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian said softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve asked me this question twice already.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You should know me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood up and raised his wrist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The identity device scanned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The separating light screen dissolved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhao Jianxue, hello.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian stepped forward, offering a formal smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the porthole edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Jiang Jian speak, Zhao Jianxue turned her head, surprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hadn’t expected him to suddenly approach and greet her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing Jiang Jian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her emotions were complex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since childhood, her grandfather had told her he had arranged a marriage contract for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jianxue had long decided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter what he was like, whether he came from the Shadow Zone, or whether he had any good Divine Gift talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She would obey her grandfather’s wishes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fulfill the Divine Proof Covenant and marry him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zhao family head and her sister Zhao Chenshuang believed Jiang Jian was from the Shadow Zone and highly unlikely to obtain a good Divine Gift talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, while she was still underage and lacked a full identity device, they used their status as direct guardians to quietly terminate the covenant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the Divine Proof Covenant, she was required to marry into the Shadow Zone the moment she turned eighteen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that time, the Divine Gift Examination had just begun, and Jiang Jian’s Divine Gift talent was unknown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zhao family refused to take the risk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old Zhao family head had passed away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The current head was always stubborn and self-willed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though the old head’s Qi-Reading talent was renowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the current head had always resented his father.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just this matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the other major decisions the old head had arranged before his death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Were all overturned and redirected by him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jianxue’s Divine Proof Covenant was merely one of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We were strangers to begin with.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’re still strangers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just classmates.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jianxue suddenly felt light-hearted, as if clouds had parted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, she had resolved a long-standing emotional knot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Classmate Jiang Jian, hello.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jianxue stood up, smiling, and lightly shook Jiang Jian’s hand, “I’m Zhao Jianxue.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her emotions were utterly calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The deceased grandfather, the Zhao family’s sordidness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seemed to have drifted far away from her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian asked: “Do you know how your grandfather and my guardian first met?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jianxue shook her head gently and said: “My grandfather told me about this when I was ten.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Perhaps we should start by examining my grandfather’s identity device, and also thoroughly investigate the public care center in the Shadow Zone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She paused, her gaze steady, “Our only goal is to find your original household registration record.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After a person dies, the identity device is destroyed, but the city government usually keeps a data backup.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The public care center should also retain surveillance footage from seventeen years ago.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ll begin our investigation on these two fronts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Classmate Jiang Jian, what do you think?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian nodded and said: “Alright, I’ll assign this inspection squad to you. Return to the Zhao family first and search your grandfather’s belongings for any clues.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My sister and I will go to the public care center.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then we’ll go together to the city government to look for the data backup.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jianxue smiled faintly: “This arrangement is perfect.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finalizing the plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian greeted her and returned to his seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His sister was staring at him with a strange look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian asked: “What’s wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Zhao picked up the identity device and said: “I asked you again whether you liked Zhao Jianxue because I saw this video.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the holographic screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A clip was displayed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the footage, Jiang Jian’s gaze was desolate as he murmured softly: “I won’t give up on Jianxue!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Zhao burst out laughing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next second, she stopped smiling and waved her hand: “Don’t worry—this video hasn’t leaked. A friend sent it to me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian’s expression remained calm: “At the time, I was desperate to terminate the Divine Proof Covenant, so I played along to get more Alliance coins.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Zhao said: “Actually, my roommate Zhong Ling also likes you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian shook his head and said softly: “Jiang Zhao, I have a question for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Zhao raised an eyebrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian looked at her and asked: “My guardian is also your guardian—why are you completely indifferent to this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After several seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned her head away, as if avoiding Jiang Jian’s gaze, and said: “The only guardian I’ve ever had in my heart is Xu Laopo from the public care center.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She raised all those children, including you and me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ever since Xu Laopo died and the public care center was outsourced to non-citizens.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve had no guardian at all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Zhao’s tone was firm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she spoke, Jiang Jian stared coldly at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian suddenly spoke: “Jiang Zhao, you’re hiding something from me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the formation light screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dead silence, not even a pin could drop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two stared calmly at each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another dozen seconds passed in silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian spoke again, his voice softer: “Sister, have you remembered something?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as the words fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sister, so close, sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep in her gaze, a silver tide of moonlight surged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After I recovered, I did remember some things,” Jiang Zhao said. “I know who my guardian is.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I even know more.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl looked at Jiang Jian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In her pupils, reflected the surging silver-white.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within his pupils, reflected the surging silver-white.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian said calmly: “Tell me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Zhao shook her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian stared into her eyes, silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jiang Jian,” the girl suddenly spoke, “you’re hiding something from me too, aren’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Like my illness.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Like your sword.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Like—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl whispered, her eyes shimmering with silver tide, “my bloodline.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian stared at her, his expression shifting between light and shadow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Memories surged back abruptly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Past scenes flooded in, one after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you truly certain you want to cure her illness?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath the wide robe, the figure asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy nodded slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The figure chuckled softly: “But are you truly willing to pay the price?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy said: “She is my sister.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The figure said, “But her fortune is poor—her bloodline differs from yours.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You were born noble. Are you truly content to be a mortal?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a few seconds of silence,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the boy said: “Cure her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The figure nodded and said: “Once the bloodline is stripped, it can never be recovered. Will you not regret it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy smiled and said: “In my eyes, there is no high or low, noble or base.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She is my true sister, sharing the same blood and origin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let this bloodline go to her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It won’t be wasted.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy whispered, “Now, I am merely a mortal of Earth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This bloodline is not just a burden to me—it is a shackle.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stripping it away is a good thing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I do not wish to walk someone else’s path.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the figure beneath the black robe seemed to ponder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long while,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the figure extended a slender, pale hand and said: “After the bloodline is stripped, you must mend your soul alone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The four realms of Earth and Moon—star rings are thin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To cultivate here—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Soul Platform is utterly out of reach.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The figure’s tone carried a hint of jest: “Don’t die on the path of cultivation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy whispered: “I will not die.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The figure finally spoke: “Good.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sister walked over and sat beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jiang Jian.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice softened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian glanced at her, saying nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Zhao sighed softly: “Brother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jiang Zhao.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian was speechless: “What exactly are you trying to do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Zhao said: “I’ll tell you the truth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian cut her off: “No need to tell me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl blinked: “Really?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian nodded: “Really.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl asked again: “If one day I leave, you’ll have no family left—will you be sad?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes,” Jiang Jian replied succinctly, “you are my sister.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Zhao fell silent for a long moment, then said: “Then I’ll tell you what I know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The guardian doesn’t actually exist.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She drew in her school uniform sleeve, her slender, ivory fingers pointing toward Zhao Jianxue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In other words—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is nothing but a farce staged by Old Master Zhao himself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We landed in Guangling City and were picked up by the Zhao family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old Master Zhao possessed the Heaven’s Gaze talent and faintly sensed your talent exceeding Level Three.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So he simply made up a Zhao family member as guardian, forged a Divine Oath Contract.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old Master Zhao seized our flyer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And dumped both of us into the Public Care Center.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He hoped to bind you permanently through the Divine Oath Contract, to serve the Zhao family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But he never imagined he’d die so quickly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And he never imagined—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After his death, the Public Care Center was outsourced to non-citizens.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All the hidden surveillance lines he planted inside to watch us became useless.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And Old Master Zhao’s final safeguard—the Divine Oath Contract—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Should have enraged him even more.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Zhao smiled: “He never dreamed his own son would be so unfilial—he outright rejected everything he’d decided, including this Divine Oath Contract.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With those words,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>silence returned to the array’s light barrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian remained expressionless, as if lost in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Zhao continued: “This time we return to Guangling, we must find the flyer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The flyer Old Master Zhao seized and hid somewhere.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s still hidden somewhere in the Zhao family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Perhaps even the current family head doesn’t know it exists.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All those who knew back then were killed off by Old Master Zhao.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I hadn’t awakened my memories, I’d never have learned these secrets.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She kept talking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she didn’t notice—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian’s gaze had grown dim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jiang Zhao, enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl raised an eyebrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian said: “What do you intend to do with the flyer?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Zhao smiled: “Of course I want to uncover every hidden secret. You know—I hate being kept in the dark.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian stared at her: “I don’t believe that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I think the you now isn’t you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re a puppet controlled by bloodline instinct.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian’s voice was cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Between the black robes, golden threads scattered faint light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl remained silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moments later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Zhao’s face twisted in pain; she clutched her head, convulsing and struggling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In her eyes, endless silver light roared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1773,"2026-06-20T01:21:34.271Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","2bb2d99481c893871fd7d9ade3fd33e8aacaa71066e6d4482d28e2b5f7b8bb1e","ascending-to-divinity-chapter-127","ascending-to-divinity-chapter-125",306,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fascending-to-divinity-cover.jpg"]