[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-ascending-to-divinity":3,"chapter-ascending-to-divinity-ascending-to-divinity-chapter-33":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},2280583,4461,"Chapter 33: Flickering Shadows, Floating Light","ascending-to-divinity-chapter-33",33,"\u003Cp>Fifteen minutes passed quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Forty minutes remain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Ling glanced at her identity device and stood up. “Jiang Jian, let’s go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her face was still pale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you recovered?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian said softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Ling nodded: “My spirit has regained some strength—it won’t hinder my talent activation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then let’s keep going.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian gripped his wooden sword and stepped first onto the swaying lantern staircase. “The first floor and second floor should have no non-citizens left.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Fang followed behind him and asked: “Jiang Jian, how do you know?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian smiled: “On the first floor, the strongest thing was that dummy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“On the second floor, it was that toy octopus monster.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Both are dead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The rest, frightened, naturally fled elsewhere.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian climbed two more levels of the lantern staircase.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stopped at the third-floor landing and looked up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around him,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Countless shelves and goods lay overturned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A scene of utter chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s nothing left on the third floor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian spoke gravely: “The shops on both sides were destroyed by powerful blade qi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It must be Shi Xuan’s doing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Fang clenched his teeth and said: “That Shi Xuan—why didn’t he come to meet us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian sneered: “Even though we’re on the same team, everyone has their own evaluation score.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shi Xuan holds the Moon-Seeking Blade—he could cut through them like melons. Why should he help you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Fang froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian shook his head in silence and continued upward toward the fourth floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long silence, the alert tones suddenly began chiming in rapid succession!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Team Alert: Storekeeper Ghost has been slain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Non-citizen kills: 40.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Team Alert: Storekeeper Ghost has been slain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Non-citizen kills: 41.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Team Alert: Storekeeper Ghost has been slain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Non-citizen kills: 65.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the alerts,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Fang’s eyes widened in shock. “He killed over twenty storekeeper ghosts at once—is this Shi Xuan’s work?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian nodded: “Likely so.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Ling scanned the surroundings and said: “Shi Xuan is clever—he must have used the Moon-Seeking Blade to herd them together.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then used his Divine Gift, Return-to-Origin Storm Qi, to wipe them all out at once.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In this way,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shi Xuan’s evaluation score will mostly be attributed to his Divine Gift.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Listening to Song Ling,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Fang couldn’t help but look surprised, turning to her: “Song Ling, when did you get so smart?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Ling rolled her eyes: “Didn’t Jiang Jian say that if Shi Xuan kills them with the ‘Moon-Seeking Blade,’ it barely adds to his evaluation score?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shi Xuan isn’t stupid—he knows more than we do.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How could he not think of this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Fang grumbled: “Fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fourth floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian halted and studied the area carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were no non-citizens here either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xu Yu went to the sixth floor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The sixth floor has a powerful hanger ghost.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian continued upward along the spiral lantern staircase.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just past the fifth-floor landing,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A deafening crash erupted beside Jiang Jian’s ear!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dozens of meters away, Shi Xuan swung the Moon-Seeking Blade hard against a steel shipping container!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sparks flew everywhere!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spotting Jiang Jian, Shi Xuan’s face lit up with relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jiang Jian!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come help me—there’s a stubborn ghost here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It can turn invisible!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Xuan planted his blade in the floor, gasping for breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His clothes were torn to shreds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His wounds were grotesque, oozing blood, some already crusted over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Ling climbed the staircase, saw this, and immediately activated her soul healing ability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>White light surged forth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wounds on Shi Xuan’s body began healing slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Xuan exhaled, sitting down on the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the white light, his expression remained wary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This ghost is powerful—appears and vanishes at will. I can’t even hit it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you hadn’t come, I’d have already failed the evaluation!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian frowned slightly, studying the empty fifth floor, saying nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This level was filled with steel shipping containers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were piled haphazardly, severely obstructing vision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Fang stepped forward and asked: “When the lights went out, were you taken away by the elevator ghost?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Xuan shook his head: “I don’t know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One moment my vision went black, the next—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was on the third floor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Xuan pointed to the spiral staircase. “I stood on the third floor and heard no sound from any other level.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I wasn’t even sure if you were still on the first floor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So I just kept fighting my way up with the Moon-Seeking Blade.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Xuan fell silent, his pupils contracting sharply as he stared past Du Fang: “Get out of the way!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having been ambushed before, Du Fang reacted swiftly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pushed his sword energy to its absolute limit, summoning a shimmering barrier of blades behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A grotesque ghostly face suddenly appeared!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It opened its bloody maw and instantly shattered Du Fang’s blade barrier!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blackened ghost head kept its momentum, swift as lightning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It slashed across Du Fang’s shoulder!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It hurts!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A large chunk of flesh was torn away!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood sprayed everywhere!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Fang collapsed to his knees, face as white as paper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian’s gaze flickered with cold light as he said, “Found you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exterminate the Spirit!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Pure Spirit True Flame, long concealed, erupted in blazing heat!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The grotesque ghost head, having struck its ambush, was just reveling in its success, about to vanish again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was instantly engulfed by the ferocious crimson sea of fire!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>SIZZLE!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ghost head thrashed wildly, emitting a venomous, piercing shriek.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thick black smoke billowed from its entire body!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn thing, you’ve tormented me long enough!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Shi Xuan beamed, snatched up the Moon-Seeking Blade, and leapt into the air!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While the ghost head was exposed by the True Flame’s burn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Moon-Seeking Blade slashed through with a sonic crack, cleaving horizontally!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blade’s aura spiraled and shredded the ghost head into dozens of pieces!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian activated the Pure Spirit True Flame, draining his Qi rapidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crimson flames surged over, gathering the fragments, emitting a grating sizzling sound!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thick black smoke rolled within the gaps of the display cabinets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After several seconds,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black smoke cleared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The identity device also emitted a notification.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Team Alert: Model Ghost Head is dead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Number of non-citizens eliminated: 66.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Special Alert: Eliminating the Model Ghost Head grants bonus assessment points.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the voice,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Xuan’s expression relaxed, finally letting out a breath of relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jiang Jian, no wonder you’re a Level 3 ‘Art’ user!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Without your Pure Spirit True Flame, this thing would’ve slipped away!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Xuan had noticed long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Jiang Jian reached the fifth floor, he hadn’t uttered a word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, he’d been secretly activating his talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d buried the Pure Spirit True Flame around them all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment the ghost head appeared, he’d trigger it instantly to trap it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian smiled and turned to Du Fang: “Du Fang, you alright?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Fang winced, tore a strip from his clothing, and pressed it to his shoulder. “Jiang Jian, I really have to quit the assessment now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Ling activated her talent to aid his recovery, her expression troubled: “I’m mentally exhausted—forcing Mind Healing now, I could collapse at any moment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The brief rest earlier\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hadn’t restored her fully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian nodded. “Then you two should end your assessment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With the bonus points from the Model Ghost Head,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You should both make it into the First Academy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Ling nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through gritted teeth,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She activated Mind Healing once more, accelerating Jiang Jian’s Qi recovery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next instant,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her face turned deathly pale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She staggered violently, nearly collapsing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The proctor descended, catching Song Ling, and said gravely:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Du Fang, choose to voluntarily end your assessment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You will be removed from the assessment zone and await scoring.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Song Ling, choose to voluntarily end your assessment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You will be removed from the assessment zone and await scoring.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He finished speaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He grabbed Du Fang immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One in each hand, he left the shopping mall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian sensed briefly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He realized his Qi had dropped to only forty percent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Xuan stepped forward, holding the Moon-Seeking Blade horizontally, his expression unreadable: “Jiang Jian, I knew you were on the first floor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian’s gaze remained calm, unsurprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Xuan said: “But I thought clearing two floors alone would earn more assessment points.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So I didn’t come down to join you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian said: “It’s understandable. No need to explain to me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Xuan smiled. “Were you the one who killed the mannequins on the first floor and the octopus on the second?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words were phrased as a question,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But his tone carried certainty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian fell silent for a moment, then said: “What are you getting at?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Xuan wiped his hands on his clothes, then extended them toward Jiang Jian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let me reintroduce myself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m Shi Xuan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Level 3 Talent, Martial, Guiyuan Gangqi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Third son of the Shi family, Lord of Linjiangzhou.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at his hand,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian paused, then\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reached out and gave it a light shake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you’re from Linjiangzhou. No wonder you know so much.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian looked at Shi Xuan. “If that’s true, why did you go to Shaoshuizhou and enroll as an outsider?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Xuan’s face was streaked with blood, his smile twisted. “Of course—I was disliked, exiled there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He seemed unwilling to elaborate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lifted his head, gazing at the stairway leading to the sixth floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s still a hanger ghost on the sixth floor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s take care of it together.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Perfect end to this assessment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Xuan held the Moon-Seeking Blade, brimming with confidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian murmured: “The hanger ghost isn’t easy to handle.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Xuan grinned: “I can hold it off for a while.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian raised an eyebrow: “Xu Yu, with his Strength Like Bear talent, got swatted away by one slap. What makes you think you can stand it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1661,"2026-06-20T01:21:34.271Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","8e7a5f2ee311b1b6cad6f0b84c61fa4acb4d191aa8ca4c14bc9bb8df60f864a7","ascending-to-divinity-chapter-34","ascending-to-divinity-chapter-32",306,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fascending-to-divinity-cover.jpg"]