[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-ascending-to-divinity":3,"chapter-ascending-to-divinity-ascending-to-divinity-chapter-294":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},2280844,4461,"Chapter 294: Its Leaves Are Lush","ascending-to-divinity-chapter-294",294,"\u003Cp>“So that’s how it is.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian nodded slightly. “Take out your identity device. I’ll pay you for your clothes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s scorching hot outside. You’re dressed like this for cosplay? You don’t look rich. Just forget it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl let out a bitter laugh, finally giving up on wiping her white shirt, and tossed the tissue into the trash. “Guess I’m just unlucky.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian’s expression turned peculiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he realized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The café was filled with numerous cosplayers dressed in varied outfits, sitting in small groups, whispering to each other as if waiting for something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earth Gold Bank’s public recruitment had drawn great excitement beyond the Seventh Realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many shrewd merchants, eager to ride this wave of traffic, chose to hold events here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The large hall not far away was the venue for an exhibition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the white-shirted girl, seeing his ancient-style robes, mistook him for a cosplayer who had come here to earn money by posing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hello, classmate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a boy wearing glasses stepped forward and addressed Jiang Jian. “Have you considered joining our venue for posing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pointed ahead to the hall. “Just stand for about two hours and pose for photos.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The pay is 120 Alliance Coins total.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The glasses-wearing boy spoke with rigid seriousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian stared at the boy, silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside him, the white-shirted girl had calmed down, a smile returning to her face. “Wash it again—it’s still wearable. Let’s just leave it at that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment’s hesitation, she extended her wrist. “Add me as a contact. Pay me 20 Alliance Coins. Just to cover it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she said this,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>her emotions were complicated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ancient-style cosplayer before her was too handsome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She inexplicably wanted to look at him a little longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian glanced at her. “No-contact transfer. No need to add friends.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl clenched her teeth, her tone sharpening. “Then just transfer it to me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He opened his identity device and swiped it before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian saw on the holographic screen that the inter-realm shuttle was drawing nearer, descending toward the Seventh Realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Received transfer: 2000 Alliance Coins.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A mechanical voice chimed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl froze, instinctively rubbing her eyes. “2000 Alliance Coins! Did he input the wrong amount?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For an ordinary person, this was no small sum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she finally snapped back to reality, she hurriedly looked up, scanning the area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? Where’d he go?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white-shirted girl, unable to find him, turned her gaze to the boy with glasses. “Did you see that guy just now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy with glasses looked bewildered, shrugging. “I don’t know—he vanished in the blink of an eye.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white-shirted girl fell silent, turning her attention back to her identity device.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the transfer record, there was the sender’s contact card.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jiang Jian.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stared at the holographic screen, whispering softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unconsciously,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>her slender white fingers slid across the screen, hovering over Jiang Jian’s contact card, then tapping “Add Friend.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next second,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>she stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Would this make me seem too forward?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her mind wrestled with itself as she stared blankly at Jiang Jian’s contact card.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stood there for minutes, unable to decide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Congratulations! You’ve been officially accepted by Earth Gold Bank!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A strong voice suddenly came from beside her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl looked up, dazed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sharp-looking man in a suit smiled at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Me? Accepted by Earth Gold Bank?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She pointed at herself, mouth slightly agape, eyes wide with disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man nodded, smiling. “Yes, you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though his expression remained unchanged, his mind was already calculating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long ago,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he had seen with his own eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy in the black robes step down from the Lu family’s skyship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the Lu family’s guards had treated him with utmost respect, escorting him all the way to the gangway’s bottom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And just now,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he had seen from afar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This girl, rejected and dressed in a white shirt, had clearly spoken with that nobleman—and seemed familiar with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This opportunity must not be missed!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man in the suit resolved inwardly: he must seize every possible chance to climb higher in his bank’s rank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>several hundred meters away,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the inter-realm shuttle spat out its exhaust flame, slowly rising into the air, heading toward the border of Chang’an Prefecture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your current cultivation level is truly terrifying.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Qingyue squinted, scanning Jiang Jian from head to toe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her spirit,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>however, trembled constantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was an instinctive, irresistible warning from her soul—telling her this man was extremely dangerous!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian sat on the sofa, silent, leaning back against the soft cushion, relaxing slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For some reason,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>being inside the inter-realm shuttle, he felt a long-missed sense of peace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if, in an instant, he had returned to his days of diligent cultivation at Linjiang Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Head to Taiping Prefecture.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brief rest, Jiang Jian opened his eyes and spoke softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside him,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the gray fox wagged its tail and replied obediently. “Alright.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It raised its paw, activated its auxiliary identity device, and tapped repeatedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within seconds, the shuttle’s route was set.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lately, the ghost’s appetite has grown bigger than mine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Xue shut off her device, sprawled on the sofa, leaning against Jiang Jian’s side, her tone resentful. “Just send her back to the Zhou family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian swept her aside with his sleeve, raised his gaze to Zhou Qingyue, and said, voice slightly stern: “Use your auxiliary identity device to call Zhou Lingling.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Qingyue raised an eyebrow, understanding. “Is this about that girl?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian nodded. “This matter is important.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Qingyue replied: “I’ll ask Zhou Lingling if she has any new information.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She lifted her wrist, pulled up her contact list, and dialed Zhou Lingling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After several seconds,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the call connected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ancestress!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Lingling’s voice rang out, clearly delighted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Qingyue cleared her throat. “Don’t call me Ancestress. You’re making me sound ancient.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Lingling said: “But Ancestor, you are one of our Zhou family’s ancestors, and you’re already over three hundred years old.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you count the time when you were a princess during the Shang Emperor’s reign, you’re thousands of years old.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ghost’s expression darkened, and it changed the subject: “Has there been any movement from the girl I had you watch?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Lingling replied, as if fiddling with something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long pause, a voice came from the other end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ancestor, I’ve checked it out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The girl has no parents; she was raised in the Anhezhou Public Care Center. After graduating high school, she didn’t pass the Divine Gift Exam and became a clothing store clerk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Later, during the spatial current disturbances, Linjiang Prefecture underwent a mass relocation. She was assigned by the prefectural government to Shangzhou in Taiping Prefecture and settled there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Her background is ordinary.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But there is one odd thing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Lingling sounded puzzled as she spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When she graduated high school, she took the Divine Gift Exam with her classmates.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“During the Divine Gift Ceremony.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The talent she received was very strange.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Qingyue glanced at Jiang Jian, her expression tightening slightly. “What talent?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Lingling said: “Ancestor, I’ll send you the files.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next instant, her accessory device beeped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A message arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to Earth’s laws.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Divine Gift Exam is mandatory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every Earth citizen undergoes one Divine Gift Ceremony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The process of the ceremony and each citizen’s acquired talent are meticulously recorded and stored in the database.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zhou family holds immense power in Taiping Prefecture; for Zhou Lingling, as a direct descendant, accessing the archival video footage was no difficulty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Earth Citizen: Yao Tong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Date of Birth: March 15, 3210.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Citizen ID: Hidden.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Residence: Anyang Community, Yanshun Road, Shangzhou, Taiping Prefecture.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Registered Residence: Anhezhou Public Care Center, Linjiang Prefecture.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Original Guardian: None.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Jiang Jian viewed this on his identity device, his pupils suddenly contracted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yao Tong’s date of birth was identical to his own!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was impossible!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This registration data is all fake.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian’s gaze turned icy; he immediately reached a conclusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to his speculation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The physician passing through Earth and discovering him and Jiang Zhao was merely coincidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If his guess was correct,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yao Tong’s records must have been tampered with!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside him,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Qingyue blinked. “How do you know it’s fake? This data was obtained by Zhou Lingling through connections inside the Taiping Prefecture government.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian shook his head slightly, opened his identity device, found the identity card for Lu Qingqing, and initiated a live call.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The call connected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the noise of the auction, Lu Qingqing’s surprised voice came through: “Lord of Yinshan!?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>she hadn’t expected Jiang Jian to call her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian said gravely: “I need a favor. I want to investigate someone’s records.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Qingqing snapped back to attention and replied bluntly: “Sure. Send it to my identity device.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1484,"2026-06-20T01:21:35.424Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","18a7295194626eb24a3947e2d751f5a7564cf96ac760d50943fc7218f3a80f0b","ascending-to-divinity-chapter-295","ascending-to-divinity-chapter-293",306,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fascending-to-divinity-cover.jpg"]