Chapter 1278: Ascension Immigrants Arrive at the Immortal Gate

In the starry cosmos, a fair and graceful woman who had undergone the baptism of Lei Gao Jie stood before the gate of immortality.

She drew a deep breath and stepped into that gate in a single stride.

Her figure vanished from everyone's sight, never to be seen again, and the various ascension phenomena gradually subsided.

The starry cosmos fell silent for an instant.

"She has become a citizen."

"When I shall see Daoist Huateng again, I know not when that will be…"

Dong Xue He Wang stared blankly at the starry sky, then suddenly sighed softly.

"When that time comes, we must address her as an emissary of the Immortal Gate, and no longer dare to treat her as a peer and friend."

"Even if she does not mind, we cannot forgo propriety, for this is clearly stipulated in the Minor Thousand Worlds management regulations of the Immortal Gate's code, and may not be violated."

"Etiquette alone would be fine."

"But what of it? What truly makes us envious—"

Fire Leopard Three revealed an expression of boundless longing: "Huateng now already possesses the qualification for Refinement of the Void, the qualification to achieve Great Emperor—no longer any restriction!"

"No, restriction?"

"In the very instant she became a citizen, she already possessed hundreds of millions of inheritances; obtaining a Refinement of the Void opportunity will no longer face any deliberate obstruction—so long as her ability is sufficient, her meritorious deeds sufficient, she can certainly exchange for it!"

"Is Huateng's ability sufficient?"

"It is!"

"One might say this is a future Great Emperor, a future Refinement of the Void—even a Sovereign or a Dao-Unifying cultivator may not be beyond her reach; this is truly terrifying."

His voice was Gao Ang, his eyes burning like flames.

Every Soul Transformation cultivator around was no different.

Their hearts surged with overwhelming excitement, for they had truly glimpsed a sliver of hope for achieving Refinement of the Void, though it was only a tiny sliver.

But the Refinement of the Void realm was meant to be thus!

Even without the Immortal Gate's suppression, in this lifetime they had no possibility whatsoever of achieving Refinement of the Void—a stretch of utter darkness and chaos, with no light to be seen.

And now, a path to Refinement of the Void had truly appeared—a path that was, in theory, viable!

How could this fail to stir one's heart?

"Moral character, Dao heart…"

"Founding new Gong Fa, techniques…"

"Meritorious deeds and achievements…"

Countless Soul Transformation and Nascent Soul cultivators of the Minor Thousand Worlds ceaselessly repeated these words in their hearts, all manner of thoughts rising and falling, being born and dying.

They had already decided that in the future they would surely pass all of this down as family learning.

Even if this generation failed to become Immortal Gate citizens, the next generation, the generation after that… descendants without end—could it be that not a single citizen would ever appear?

Even if none appeared, moral character, meritorious deeds, and the ability to found new Gong Fa still carried tremendous advantages within the Immortal Gate system.

High office and generous emolument, heavenly materials and earthly treasures, opportunities at the Soul Transformation realm and below—these incomparably precious things, Minor Thousand Worlds cultivators with higher moral-character scores possessed tremendous advantages in obtaining.

……

Amid a sea of verdant, dewy banyan clouds.

A fair and graceful woman opened her eyes.

Mist swirled around her, the air was fresh, and all manner of Dao resonances spontaneously arose in the void—especially Soul Transformation cultivators could perceive them, their hearts filled with awe.

This was a world that vastly surpassed the Minor Thousand Worlds!

Being here was of great benefit to a cultivator's training, advancement, and growth.

"This… is the Immortal Gate?"

Huateng murmured to herself, as if in a dream.

"Yes, the Immortal Gate."

"The environment here is somewhat inferior to that of the Nine Spirit Realm; if you have higher demands for your cultivation environment, you may consider applying to be transferred to work in the Nine Spirit Realm in the future. If the approval doesn't go through, just apply a few more times."

A youth in blue stood quietly beside the banyan tree.

He did not employ any concealment arts, but only when he spoke would he appear in the world; ordinarily he seemed to exist in another spatial dimension, with no trace of any causal presence.

"Greetings, Master Canghai Canghai Tianjun… Teacher!" Huateng bowed deeply.

Teacher—this form of address held special meaning for people like them who had studied and grown up in the Fire Spirit Academy.

They could address the Great Sun Canghai Tianjun as Teacher.

But only within the Fire Spirit Minor World and the Fire Spirit Academy; outside, addressing the Great Sun Canghai Tianjun as Teacher would earn no response at all—the Great Sun Canghai Tianjun would only become the Teacher of Immortal Gate cultivators.

In the past, Huateng had striven to restrain her instinctive habit.

Now, however, there was no need.

"Good morning, classmate Huateng."

Jiang Ding nodded slightly.

He walked down toward the sea of clouds, and Huateng hurriedly quickened her pace to follow.

The two moved with great speed, soon arriving above the Immortal Capital, descending at the city's edge and coming to a bus stop, on which was written Wutai Station, along with a certain route, stops passed through, and so on.

Jiang Ding and the other stood properly beside the stop.

There had originally been people there—a few children and office workers. They glanced over instinctively and saw a young, beautiful woman and a fairly good-looking high-school boy.

They stole a few more glances, then looked away.

"Wutai Station has been reached. Passengers who need to alight, please disembark from the rear…"

The two boarded.

Jiang Ding swiped his card.

Hua Teng had no transit card; she quietly dropped the one yuan Jiang Ding had given her into the fare box and boarded the bus, taking a seat in the back.

The bus lifted off, flying toward the center of Immortal City, stopping at every station along the way.

People got on and off at each stop.

"Teacher, are these the mortals of the Immortal Sect?"

Hua Teng whispered.

"Yes."

"But not all aboard are mortals—some cultivators who favor concealment techniques also ride, like me, and many Immortal Sect sword cultivators; it's an instinctive habit for them."

Jiang Ding explained.

"Among citizens, all are equal—even between me and a mortal."

"You've studied this, but never practiced it. You should observe it carefully."

"Understood, Teacher."

Hua Teng's heart tightened.

"If you feel your rights have been violated, seek help from the Central Array Spirit Computer, seek help from Immortal Sect law—this is as natural to Immortal Sect citizens as breathing."

Jiang Ding slowly explained the ways of the Immortal Sect.

"Not 'the strong dominate,' not 'insects,' not 'kill at will'… none of these should exist, not among citizens, not between citizens."

"The Immortal Sect's law is both a restraint and a protection for citizens—you must grow accustomed to it."

Hua Teng listened intently, occasionally asking a question or two.

The bus stopped and started, and after several minutes, it pulled into a newly added stop named "Immortal Sect Ascension Immigration Administration." The two disembarked with the crowd.

Jiang Ding accompanied Hua Teng to complete various procedures at the Immortal Sect Ascension Immigration Administration.

Not long after, Hua Teng emerged, her face flushed with excitement, cradling an identity card and a household registration book, holding them as if they were priceless treasures.

In fact, it wasn't just like it.

They were priceless treasures!

From this moment on, she was, in law and in fact, a citizen of the He Dao-level power, entitled to equal standing with anyone—even a Cultivation Void cultivator.

Countless legacies, vast as oceans, now lay open before her, with no barriers, for this was the most basic right of a citizen.

(End of Chapter)