Chapter 12: The Ascension Ceremony

On the second day, the sun had not fully risen, its orange-red glow spilling over half its face, as if it were the color of dusk at sunset. It seemed today would be another bright, cloudless day.

Inside the inn, Lin Yang finished his cultivation and walked to the window, gazing at the sky outside. Suddenly, a whimsical urge took hold of him and he shouted toward the heavens.

“Ah—!”

Instantly, everyone on the street was drawn to the sound. Their eyes fixed on Lin Yang, all staring at him as if he were a fool. Embarrassed, Lin Yang quickly shut the window.

“Why did I do that? Am I out of my mind? This is the street, how did I suddenly get the urge to shout?”

He washed his face and straightened his clothes, making himself look spirited, then checked out of his room.

Lin Yang made his way to the arena. Today, the Tai Nan Valley was teeming with people. The plaza, several acres in size, still could not contain them all. Many stood on rooftops, and though they were far away, the vision of cultivators was exceptionally keen; even from a thousand meters, they could see clearly.

“So many people from Tai Nan Valley today,” Lin Yang thought, forced to move forward with the crowd, shoulder to shoulder and foot to foot. Above, several Foundation Establishment cultivators glided on flying swords.

Those in the sky represented the seven great sects of Yue Country. At the arena, dozens of Qi Refining disciples maintained order.

Most were from the Moon Veil Sect, which made sense; as the foremost sect in Yue Country, they set the tone.

The seven sects of Yue Country were Moon Veil Sect, Yellow Maple Valley, Spirit Beast Sect, Clear Void Gate, Blade Transformation Manor, Heaven Tower Fortress, and Giant Sword Gate.

The victors of the Ascension Tournament would be chosen by these sects to join them. Of course, it was the sects that chose the people, not the people who chose the sects—unless someone possessed dual spiritual roots or heavenly spiritual roots. Those with high talent were usually hidden by their families or entered the sects directly.

Representing Yellow Maple Valley was a stunning woman in red. Just by standing there, she exuded a seductive aura, and most of the men below had their eyes drawn to her. Yet her formidable presence kept them from entertaining further thoughts. Lin Yang, who had traveled far and wide in the past three years, had seen many Foundation Establishment cultivators, but this woman’s aura was powerful even among them.

In Lin Yang’s judgment, she was at least a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, perhaps even at the peak—a Pseudo Core stage.

Representing Moon Veil Sect was a young, beautiful woman radiating a gentle, virtuous air. Lin Yang found her face familiar, as though he had seen her somewhere before.

She was a Qi Refining peak disciple, using spiritual energy to amplify her voice:

“All fellow cultivators wishing to participate in the Ascension Tournament, please come to the arena to register.”

Many people squeezed through the crowd, heading toward the stage.

From the inn, several Foundation Establishment cultivators brought their juniors, flying directly to the arena.

Lin Yang queued up with the others.

Ahead of him, a burly man grumbled that these family disciples could enter the sects directly, yet still came to vex the rest. Did they not know there were only so many spots? They were deliberately making things difficult.

His companion replied,

“For the families, the fewer rogue cultivators in the major sects, the more resources they can claim.”

“If they weren’t afraid of closing off all advancement channels for rogue cultivators and causing public outrage—”

“There wouldn’t even be an Ascension Tournament.”

“And the tournament helps the sects sift through rogue cultivators who might reach Foundation Establishment. That’s how they expand and control Yue Country.”

“They draw in any rogue cultivators capable of resistance; the rest are just fodder, cut whenever they please.”

“That’s true, it’s been ages since any rogue cultivator managed to reach Foundation Establishment.”

“I think the last one was decades ago. Every year, the country produces a dozen or two new Foundation Establishment cultivators, but none are rogue cultivators. It’s quite tragic.”

Lin Yang listened for a while, then leaned forward, taking out a small bun from his storage pouch and offering each man one.

“Brothers, do you know who the woman leading today is?” Lin Yang asked.

“You don’t know? That’s the rising genius of the Moon Veil Sect, Nangong Wan, only twenty years old and already a Foundation Establishment cultivator,” the burly man replied.

“What about the woman in red from Yellow Maple Valley?” Lin Yang continued.

“That’s Senior Red Whisk, a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Dong family of Yellow Maple Valley. Word is she’s one of the most likely to reach the Core Formation stage in the sect,” the man said, eager to share gossip.

Lin Yang compared their ages to the original story and felt relieved. This should be forty or fifty years before Han Li’s birth, meaning the great war between righteous and evil would be at least seventy or eighty years away. By then, Lin Yang was confident he’d have at least Core Formation cultivation, enough to survive the chaos.

The crowd of ten thousand chatted with great enthusiasm.

The burly man pointed out various Foundation Establishment cultivators for Lin Yang:

“That one is from the Yan family, that’s from the Lu family, and there’s the Chen family, and Li family.”

Lin Yang joined in, conversing quietly.

“Brother, may I ask your name? How do you know so much?”

“Hah, they call me Tai Nan’s Little Almanac. There’s not a Foundation Establishment cultivator in Yue Country I don’t know about. I know a bit about everything.”

“My name is Wan Xiaolou. You can call me Old Wan or Fellow Wan.”

“What’s your name, little brother? You’re so young and already so accomplished—I haven’t heard of you before.”

Lin Yang, feeling the man’s warmth, replied,

“My name is Lin Yang. I’ve spent years cultivating in seclusion, not very active in the cultivation world. I’m not well known, so it’s no surprise you haven’t heard of me, Brother Wan.”

Lin Yang chatted with Wan Xiaolou as they waited. Soon, it was their turn.

“Name?” The Qi Refining disciple at the registration desk asked without looking up.

“Wan Xiaolou, Qi Refining tenth layer.”

The disciple marked it down and called, “Next.”

“Lin Yang, Qi Refining eleventh layer.”

The disciple looked up at Lin Yang.

“Who are you? So young and already so advanced—I haven’t heard of you,” he asked, surprised.

“Let me give you a word of advice. The tournament is usually arranged so the strong eliminate the weak early on, only after all the low-level cultivators are weeded out do the real contenders get chosen,” he said, seeing Lin Yang’s age and talent.

“Thank you for the tip, may I ask your name?”

“I’m Liu Ming from Heaven Tower Fortress. With your cultivation, you should make it to the finals. If you choose our sect, I’ll help you out.”

“Thank you, I appreciate your kindness. I’ll consider it,” Lin Yang replied gratefully and left.

…