Volume One, Chapter 8: Li Hanzhou Yearns for Transcendence

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Liu Dongyue felt as if some people wanted to devour him alive.
His gaze swept across the crowd, and he noticed that those glaring at him with murderous hatred were almost all the ones who had just stripped him bare in the Sandstorm Valley.
No wonder they harbored such deep resentment towards him.
Liu Dongyue chose to pretend he didn’t see it, for there was no way he could explain himself.
“Oh, my master uncle, your spirit treasure is indeed powerful, but it’s also the cause of my ruin,” he thought bitterly.
He could only shamelessly turn his eyes elsewhere.
The elders of the Supreme Mysterious Sacred Land looked at Liu Dongyue with clear dissatisfaction.
They had painstakingly arranged this grand examination, only to have it serve as a wedding gift for this sect disciple, even losing the Prajna Axe in the process. How could they possibly look at Liu Dongyue with favor?
Yet, faced with representatives from all sects, they couldn’t say a word.
Otherwise, where would the prestige of the Supreme Mysterious Sacred Land be?
Today, even if their teeth were broken, they had to swallow it.
“The examination has concluded. First, congratulations to the disciples who ranked within the top one thousand. We will now begin distributing rewards,” announced the Grand Elder of the Supreme Mysterious Sacred Land, stepping forward with blood still staining his chest from a recent cough.
“Disciples ranked 101 to 1000 will receive 1,000 taels of silver each. We hope you continue your hard work,” said the Grand Elder.
“Thank you, Grand Elder!”
Many disciples were overjoyed; 1,000 taels of silver was a considerable sum for them!
It could buy some cultivation pills.
“Disciples ranked 11 to 100 will receive 5,000 taels of silver as well as a Spirit Gathering Pill,” the announcement continued.
Upon hearing this, the crowd cheered once more. Such a reward, plus a Spirit Gathering Pill, was enough to elevate their strength further.
At this moment, Liu Dongyue’s eyes burned with anticipation. The top ten rewards must be even better—ten thousand taels? Or fifty thousand?
“Ahem,” the Grand Elder coughed twice, then addressed the remaining crowd: “As for the top ten, your rewards are even more generous.”
At these words, everyone’s eyes lit up.
“Disciples ranked in the top ten may become inner disciples of the Supreme Mysterious Sacred Land. They will receive personal instruction from our elders, be taught our top-tier martial arts, and gain access to inner disciple cultivation resources. When you wish to leave in the future, you may return to your original sect,” the Grand Elder said with a smile.
Everyone was astonished.
To enter the Supreme Mysterious Sacred Land?
Such an opportunity?
They could scarcely believe such a windfall would fall to them, for their talents hardly qualified them to enter the Supreme Mysterious Sacred Land, much less enjoy its cultivation resources.
For them, this was a life-changing chance!
Only Liu Dongyue was dumbstruck.
Is that it?
No money?
“Um...” Liu Dongyue awkwardly stepped forward and said, “Grand Elder, as the first-place disciple, is there no other reward?”
“You’re so greedy!” An angry disciple of the Supreme Mysterious Sacred Land stormed up. “You already have our Prajna Axe. What more do you want?”

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Liu Dongyue was nearly in tears. He had expected the first-place reward to be better, but all he got was a broken axe!
He didn’t want that thing at all; it would be better if it could be exchanged for money!
Liu Dongyue wanted to ask whether any high-ranking sect members around him would be willing to buy the Prajna Axe with silver, but he clearly saw that many were both envious and wary of the axe. He understood that while they coveted it, few dared to accept such a hot potato.
This treasure was originally reserved for disciples of the Supreme Mysterious Sacred Land. Liu Dongyue might be naive, but they were not, and none dared to take such a risky item.
“How on earth am I going to explain this to my master uncle...” Liu Dongyue shook his head helplessly.
As for becoming an inner disciple of the Supreme Mysterious Sacred Land, Liu Dongyue had no interest whatsoever.
Longevity Viewpoint.
Library.
Li Hanzhou had been submerged in the library for a full day and night. He had never been one for reading before, but now he found many fascinating books and discovered a topic that greatly intrigued him.
That was ascension.
According to the books, the vast universe was filled with infinite worlds, and when one’s cultivation reached a certain level, ascension meant leaving this small world to travel to others.
Li Hanzhou was thrilled.
If that was the case, wouldn’t he be able to return to Earth?
He hadn’t even spent his thirty million yet.
Luxury cars, mansions, beautiful companions—that was the life he deserved!
How could he waste his youth in this godforsaken place?
By noon, Li Hanzhou went out to eat. At the table, Shi Ming and Yun Qianzhu were devouring meat greedily. Yun Qianzhu looked fully satisfied, while Shi Ming appeared worried, eyeing the meat as if every bite made their situation worse. He feared that after this meal, someone would come to take them away—Li Hanzhou must have sold them out.
“Shi Ming,” Li Hanzhou suddenly said.
“Coming!” Shi Ming stiffened all over.
“What’s coming?” Li Hanzhou asked in surprise.
“Nothing. Master Uncle, you speak, your disciple listens,” Shi Ming quickly sat properly, trying to appear obedient.
“Do you know how one can ascend?” Li Hanzhou asked.
“Ascend?” Shi Ming blinked. Why was Li Hanzhou asking such an unrelated question?
Still, he earnestly explained: “Ascension naturally requires immense strength. I’ve heard it also demands vying for the Mandate of Heaven. Only those who seize this mandate qualify for ascension. Several predecessors in our Xuantian Realm have ascended, including the first emperor of the Divine Quelling Kingdom. He ascended to immortality after breaking through to the Supreme Fragmented Realm, ascending in broad daylight, which secured the unshakable status of Divine Quelling Kingdom today.”
“Supreme Fragmented Realm?”
“What kind of realm is that?”
Shi Ming put down his chopsticks and spoke seriously: “After the ninth grade comes Transcendence; beyond that is the Profound Dao; then one comprehends Heaven and Earth and steps into the Heavenly Gang Realm. Beyond Heavenly Gang, one can become an Ascendant, then gather half-step Divine Pool, and finally break through to the Supreme Fragmented Realm. Only then does one have the right to vie for the Mandate of Heaven!”
Li Hanzhou’s head spun. So complicated.
He was only a sixth-grade cultivator now—did he have any hope of ascending?
“Master Uncle...” Yun Qianzhu couldn’t help but say, “You’re just dodging a gambling debt; there’s no need to ascend, right?”
“Eat your food,” Li Hanzhou was speechless.
“Master Uncle, forget about ascension. The Seven Absolute Sword Immortal, once hailed as the greatest genius in the Xuantian Realm, took more than four hundred years to ascend with his whole family!” Shi Ming told Li Hanzhou.
“Wait, whole family ascension?” Li Hanzhou’s eyes widened as he looked at Shi Ming. “You mean you can ascend with your family?”
“Yes,” Shi Ming nodded.
“Then, Shi Ming, if you ever ascend, would you be willing to take your master uncle with you?” Li Hanzhou seemed to glimpse hope.
He might never achieve it himself, but his disciples could—it was his hope for them!
Shi Ming was stunned by the question, then plainly nodded. As long as Li Hanzhou didn’t sell him out, he would agree to anything.

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“Good!”
Seeing Shi Ming agree, Li Hanzhou resolved to find ways to help his disciples improve their strength. When one of them ascended, he could leave this place and return to Earth to enjoy his life.
Shi Ming saw Li Hanzhou’s joy and breathed a sigh of relief. Still, he thought Li Hanzhou’s hopes might be far-fetched. How could their third-rate Longevity Viewpoint cultivate anyone capable of vying for the Mandate of Heaven?
“Just wait for Master Uncle to make lots of money and then buy you pills and weapons. I refuse to believe you can’t be made into experts,” Li Hanzhou declared confidently.
Yun Qianzhu and Shi Ming exchanged a helpless glance.
Make money?
They feared their master uncle might just go gambling again.
They dared only to listen to Li Hanzhou’s promises but did not dare to take them seriously.
Li Hanzhou had no other options; he knew nothing about cultivation himself and could only hope to create experts through this method.
After all, in any world, money was hard currency.
Making money was crucial.
“By the way, your second senior brother should be back soon,” Li Hanzhou said, gazing into the distance as the day of debt collection at the gambling house approached.
Nightfall.
The Mansion of the White Cloud City Lord.
Ye Ziying was cultivating in her room, practicing the Jade Reflection Technique from the Supreme Clarity Sect. With every breath, her internal true qi circulated automatically. A radiant glow of true qi shimmered around her, enveloping her in a pure white aura like a holy spirit.
Although Ye Ziying was not considered a prodigy in the Supreme Clarity Sect, her talent was above average. At a young age, she had already reached the seventh grade.
Her Jade Reflection Technique had reached the third level, making her a rare match among the younger generation of the sect.
She had been home for a day, but the faint demonic aura in the house persisted without revealing itself.
Ye Ziying had no choice but to wait silently.
Suddenly, she heard a miserable scream from Ye Qingbei!
“It’s here!”
Ye Ziying stepped out at once, rushing toward Ye Qingbei’s room.
With a crash, Ye Qingbei’s door shattered. He stumbled out, writhing in agony, clutching his head as if life was unbearable.
The city lord’s guards rushed in but were completely baffled by the scene.
“Everyone, step aside!”
A streak of purple lightning flashed in Ye Ziying’s eyes as she saw a shadow clinging to Ye Qingbei, devouring his soul.
“A dream demon!”
Her expression changed sharply. She immediately circulated her true qi and struck Ye Qingbei with a palm charged with purple thunder, capable of dispelling all evil.
Bang!
With a muffled sound, the dream demon was blasted backward, its dark, ethereal form recoiling several steps before looking up with a cold sneer:
“Jade Reflection Technique? Your cultivation is insufficient. I thought a Supreme Clarity Sect expert had arrived, but it’s nothing special!”
“Hmph, I’ll deal with you thoroughly!” Ye Ziying said coldly, staring at the dream demon. “You wouldn’t appear here without reason. Who sent you?”