[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-ascending-to-divinity":3,"chapter-ascending-to-divinity-ascending-to-divinity-chapter-99":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},2280649,4461,"Chapter 99: Desolation","ascending-to-divinity-chapter-99",99,"\u003Cp>Jiang Jian said softly: “But if you don’t cultivate, how can you glimpse the Spirit Platform?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Xue said: “I just want to live one day at a time—I have no desire to cultivate, or to glimpse any Spirit Platform.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Staying here with you, cultivating occasionally, is already at my limit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this, Ji Xue flicked its tail. “Am I not saving you cultivation resources?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you switched to another guardian demon, who came every few days to demand a packet of cultivation herbs, could you endure it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian fell silent for a moment, then said: “Continue organizing the communications.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Xue extended its claw, took the auxiliary identity device, and swiped away the ranking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Next one is from the Second Academy of the Academy, Du Fang’s communication.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian raised an eyebrow. “What does he say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Xue said: “Asking if you want to join them for a team combat tournament.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It swiped its claw downward. “Du Fang says he and Song Ling have been cultivating hard and have already found two teammates—they want to know your thoughts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian thought for a moment. “Reply that I’ll consider it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tiezhu’s study team stands alongside Shi Luohua’s study team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both are the most brilliant study teams among this year’s freshmen at Linjiang Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Xuan’s departure from the team has spawned many rumors among the freshmen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Fang noticed there was trouble in Jiang Jian’s study team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he knew the chance was slim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, he sent Jiang Jian a communication, trying to make a bid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Reply sent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Xue swiped its claw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sent the message to Du Fang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gray fox scrolled up and opened Gu Qi’s communication, inquiring about event details.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a dozen seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qi’s message arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Xue’s gaze brightened. “Gu Qi replied!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian asked: “What exactly is the event?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Xue opened the message and read it carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Five days from now, at Jiangcheng Combat Arena, there’s a faction gathering.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gu Qi will take you to attend and introduce you to some senior faction members.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There will also be high-ranking dignitaries present.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A rare opportunity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After the gathering, Gu Qi will give you another ten-hour trial pass to a cultivation-exclusive facility.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Xue lifted its head. “Jiangcheng Combat Arena isn’t a good place.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian said softly: “Reply to Gu Qi—I accept the invitation. Contact me in five days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Xue nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian opened his identity device and checked the data on Jiangcheng Combat Arena.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiangcheng Combat Arena.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Located on the slopes of Tianzhu Mountain, Fifth Tier Jiangcheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hundreds of combats occur here daily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before each fight, countless spectators may use Alliance Coins to bet on their favored combatants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the bet succeeds, they receive Alliance Coins as a return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the bet fails, the stake is absorbed by the arena.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The arena is also the largest casino in Fifth Tier Jiangcheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most combatants here are non-citizens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Combat in the arena—life or death is irrelevant.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian stared at the arena’s information, eyes thoughtful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Non-citizen combatants include both volunteers and those forced into it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before each fight, they sign agreements proving full voluntary consent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under temporary agreements, they bypass the Non-Citizen Protection Law—death in the arena incurs no legal consequences.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A faction gathering held in a place like this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian opened his identity device.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the lower right corner was Gu Qi’s latest communication.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A lavish golden-edged invitation, vividly rendered, rotated gently on the holographic screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Linjiang Academy, First-Year Campus, Jiang Jian.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The invitation bore Jiang Jian’s gilded name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pondered for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian closed the holographic screen and set the matter aside for now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spiritual energy around him surged, gradually sinking into cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Shen Que, the Mountain Spirit’s origin floated in stillness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Occasionally, dark yin energy seeped out on its own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the heat of true fire, it transformed into pure spiritual energy, flowing into the meridian’s spiritual circulation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cultivation chamber supplied spiritual energy without end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The miniature array on Jiang Jian’s wrist, the Feishuang Bracelet, continuously enhanced his cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His cultivation speed increased again!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under all these stacked effects, it even surpassed the efficiency of a single cultivation-exclusive facility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Shen Que’s spiritual essence slowly increased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Without sufficient spiritual essence, killing the Mountain Spirit is impossible.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian cultivated while recalling events at the foot of Tianzhu Mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Mountain Spirit was immensely powerful—its ghostly offense and defense, its external incarnations, all flawless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its only weakness was its overwhelming yin energy, its dense ghostly aura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its singular nature made it easily countered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tiezhu’s “Soul Stabilization,” and Jiang Jian’s Hanguang Sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both had amplified suppression effects against yin spirits and ghosts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian had estimated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Mountain Spirit’s ghostly power equaled roughly 75% of a Divine Bestowal realm cultivator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Barely enough to injure him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If its ghostly power rose further, reaching 90% of Divine Bestowal level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian would have to risk his soul trembling and activate his final trump card.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, he could find no other way to break the deadlock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because such an opponent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Has nothing to do with combat methods or techniques.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It is pure, overwhelming superiority due to a vast gap in spiritual essence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cultivation knows no days or months.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At some point, he did not notice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian had begun to enjoy the feeling of cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The quiet solitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The comforting monotony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the visible, constantly rising spiritual essence he could sense at every moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Spirit Platform realm…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Jiang Jian’s heart, his belief in restoring his soul had become nearly obsessive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over the years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian had endured too many terrifying moments of soul tremors, losing consciousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That dread of losing oneself, of consciousness dissolving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every time he recalled it, his spirit shuddered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though after the Divine Bestowal Ceremony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His fragmented soul had been held together by the icy blue light, temporarily preventing outbreaks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Jiang Jian knew better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is merely a temporary measure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cracks on the soul remain slowly expanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when reaching the Spirit Platform realm does one have the qualification to begin mending the soul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before that, if the soul cannot hold out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cracks spread, collapsing and shattering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One would instantly perish, soul and spirit extinguished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The soul shatters, consciousness fades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is something Jiang Jian constantly guards against in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is cultivation boring?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is cultivation lonely?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian smiled faintly, shaking his head to himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not at all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Each time I cultivate, and sense the enhancement of spiritual essence.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I feel lighter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My heart even conjures the illusion of escaping death.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That feeling.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s addictive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cultivation chamber gradually fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the faint sound of surging spiritual energy remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the snoring of the gray fox, curled up on the floor, fast asleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten hours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thirty hours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fifty hours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eighty hours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One hundred hours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time flowed, slow yet swift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow returned and departed dozens of times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian sat cross-legged on the ground, like a statue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from occasional meals and washing, he barely moved his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten large boxes of cultivation herbs diminished at a visible rate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>in the corner of the cultivation chamber,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>only a pile of empty boxes and countless torn paper packets remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1210,"2026-06-20T01:21:34.271Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","cd5f068e86d45eb8ab670f01a831a1c4ec459461bac72d7f740f07f6c481bb73","ascending-to-divinity-chapter-100","ascending-to-divinity-chapter-98",306,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fascending-to-divinity-cover.jpg"]