[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-ascending-to-divinity":3,"chapter-ascending-to-divinity-ascending-to-divinity-chapter-22":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},2280572,4461,"Chapter 22: Whalefall","ascending-to-divinity-chapter-22",22,"\u003Cp>A colossal vessel, blotting out the sky and sun, descended slowly and hovered above the ritual platform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around the vessel were engraved countless arrays.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Light interwove, flowing radiance surged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whalefin Vessel!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s the Whalefin Vessel!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Whalefin Vessel—the symbol of Linjiang Academy!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Linjiang Academy?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The top divine-gifted university of Linjiang Prefecture?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So many Level 3 talents appearing at once—did it really draw the attention of Linjiang Prefecture’s top university?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve only ever seen the Whalefin Vessel on television!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the vessel’s shadow fell, a thunderous wave of murmurs and exclamations erupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Linjiang Prefecture, seventeen states.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seventeen divine-gifted universities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Linjiang Academy ranks first!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Fuanhe Academy and Luoying Academy both fall outside the top ten!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are people from Linjiang Academy here…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The proctors from Fuanhe Academy and Luoying Academy exchanged glances, teeth clenched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ranking gap was too great.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their local universities simply couldn’t compete with Linjiang Academy!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under countless gazes,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the massive door of the Whalefin Vessel slowly opened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several figures leapt directly down, landing heavily on the ritual platform!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’re taking all Level 3 talents!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Below Level 3—art, martial, we’ll take them too!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The rest are yours!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The owner of the earlier commanding voice spoke again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a young man with a refined face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As his words ended,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the proctors from the divine-gifted universities turned pale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Other university admissions teams who had arrived earlier stood at a distance, too afraid to even approach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As representative of Guangling City, Li Huahai forced a smile and stepped forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m Li Huahai, Director of Education for Guangling. May I ask who this teacher is…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The refined young man smiled and said, “I’m not a teacher. I’m a third-year student of Linjiang Academy, named Gu Qi, here to recruit on behalf of the academy. Is there a problem?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Huahai froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qi stood there, merely standing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The aura he emitted was already immensely powerful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a deep abyss, a mountain unmoved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even stirred a faint sense of dread in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s just a student?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Linjiang Academy sends students to recruit?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two teachers in the chief proctor team stood at a distance, watching Gu Qi and whispering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qi smiled, turned his gaze, and suddenly slashed his palm!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sky darkened abruptly!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dark, rolling clouds surged forth, roaring and howling!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thunder exploded!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lightning split the heavens, radiating a terrifying, furious aura!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two teachers who had been whispering turned deathly pale and clamped their mouths shut in terror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Countless people raised their heads, staring in stunned horror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few seconds later,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qi snapped his fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thunder vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clouds retreated like a receding tide, gone without a trace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sky returned to clear blue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qi sighed and spoke to those behind him, “Every time I come to a new place, I waste so much spiritual energy. I’m done.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned to face Li Huahai.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let me reintroduce myself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m Gu Qi, third-year student of Linjiang Academy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he smiled, pausing slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Level 4 Art talent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Surging Spring Realm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As his words fell,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Huahai’s expression froze on his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The surrounding proctors stood motionless, stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pin drop could be heard in every direction!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The once noisy Feiguang Stage fell utterly silent!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not a sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hundreds of millions were watching the Guangling City examination live.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few seconds later,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>countless comments flooded and exploded across Anhezhou’s forums!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tens of thousands of comments scrolled every second!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Surging… Surging Spring Realm…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Surging Spring Realm?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Level 4 ‘Art’ talent?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How old is he?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How is this possible?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve only ever read about Level 4 talents in books!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My god!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gu Qi is still just a student!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He looks barely twenty!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Guangling has millions of people—and fewer than a hundred Surging Spring Realm cultivators!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A twenty-year-old student already at Surging Spring Realm?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is this what Linjiang Academy’s prodigies are like?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Unbelievable!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve never seen anything like this!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After standing frozen for a long while,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Huahai finally snapped out of it and immediately dialed Guangling City’s internal communications.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mayor!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you watching the exam livestream?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Someone from the Surging Spring Realm has arrived—I can’t handle this!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In just three sentences, Li Huahai spoke breathlessly, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Guangling City,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the Surging Spring Realm was an unreachable height.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even in the Divine Illumination Zone, only family heads who had lived nearly a century possessed the Surging Spring Realm cultivation level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All millions of Guangling’s people were Divine Gifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only a few dozen people were at the Surge Spring realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ordinary people had never even heard the term “Surge Spring realm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, if not for the live broadcast of the major exam…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ninety percent of Guangling City didn’t even know the next realm was called “Surge Spring.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need to call anyone!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Gu Qi couldn’t hear Li Huhai’s voice, he could see him dialing a communication.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced around, his gaze landing on Jiang Jian, Song Ling, and Du Fang, then walked over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Ling lowered her head slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Fang stood beside Jiang Jian, his heart uneasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian lifted his eyes, looking at the young man approaching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On Gu Qi, Jiang Jian sensed a terrifying aura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This thin, frail young man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seemed capable of unleashing unimaginable, terrifying power at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re Jiang Jian.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qi stepped before Jiang Jian, his tone softening slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I accessed Guangling’s grading permissions and reviewed your written exam.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your answers to every conceptual question were excellent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lowered his voice, “Originally, for this side job of mine—recruiting—I didn’t plan to come to Anhezhou, such a remote backwater, usually skipped entirely.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But I heard a Level 3 ‘Art’ appeared here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So I rushed here as fast as I could.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jiang Jian, you’re the second Level 3 Art I’ve encountered during this recruitment tour.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My quota’s covered.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this, Gu Qi nodded toward the whale-oar skimmer behind him, “Of the seventeen prefectures in Linjiang, I’ve visited six.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I found two Level 3 ‘Arts.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The rest of the Level 3 Talents: seventeen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Anhezhou is too remote.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I never expected three Level 3 Talents to appear here at once.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qi looked at Song Ling and Du Fang, “The three of you, contact your families immediately. Gather anything you need to bring.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Board the whale-oar skimmer within ten minutes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Guangling City government’s aerial skimmers began landing one after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them, an elderly man in lavish attire strode forward with a smile, engaging Gu Qi in conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Fang looked at Gu Qi in the distance and let out a bitter laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’re giving us zero choice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Ling nodded: “Linjiang Academy, the premier Divine Gift university of Linjiang Prefecture, always acts with brute force.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Fang pointed to the forty-three students nearby, saying, “Gu Qi just said all Arts and Martial Talents should bring everything—what about the rest of us? Aren’t we just out of luck?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Ling opened her identity device: “It’s none of our concern. Just take care of ourselves.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she dialed her family, she added, “Haven’t you realized yet?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Our Level 3 Talents aren’t even top-tier among Linjiang Academy’s new students.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In Guangling City, or even Anhezhou, Level 3 Talents are rare.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Linjiang Academy gathers countless geniuses from all seventeen prefectures of Linjiang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We need to change our mindset.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Song Ling’s words,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The arrogance Du Fang had worn on his face gradually faded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His pride in possessing the Level 3 “Martial” Talent was also suppressed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jiang Jian, Gu Qi seems to value you greatly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Fang turned his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Ling replied, “That’s obvious!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Arts are already exceedingly rare!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A Level 3 Art—even among Linjiang Academy’s new students—is impossible to overlook.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1289,"2026-06-20T01:21:34.271Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","a8a1bfc742d3b77ac62effa9d344b868b505e96821d99dd7aee806fad1b44ab8","ascending-to-divinity-chapter-23","ascending-to-divinity-chapter-21",306,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fascending-to-divinity-cover.jpg"]