Aftermath

Star Blossom Alp, Summit.

Indeed, of the eight heaven chosen from the Sky Pill World, only 4 had made it to the final qualified 1,000. They were consequently assigned a ranking that matched with the order of their arrival on the top which was 4, 9, 13 and 909 respectively.

The 1st to step on the summit was none other than the handsome monk, Meng Hao. He was one of the many loose astral cultivators present and his brilliance was currently unmatched. He possessed a very extraordinary bloodline that has been passed down from ancient times.

The 2nd to pass the finish line was a core disciple of the Star Parasol Abode, Xu Qing. She was one of the most famous ascendant heaven chosen of the supreme power under the rule of the Star Parasol Immortal King, Interestingly enough, she was of humble origins.

The 3rd to be qualified was a young master of one of the many branch families within the Han Immortal Clan, Han Youdi. He carried the fate of his entire branch clan on his shoulders, their rise and fall was solely dependent on his success. A heroic young noble to say the least.

The 4th qualifier was none other than Di Yan, the most ruthless lunatic from the Skyflame Sect. The eldest of four prodigies, an example to follow.

The 5th to set foot on the red blossom covered summit was one of the numerous named disciple of Witch Ling, Fang Yu. She looked so ordinary in comparison to the other rankers that it was laughable yet the cultivation route that she had taken could not be more extraordinary, she was the ruler of numerous demonic beasts.

The 6th and 7th to have arrived were none other than two brothers, Bai Tian and Bai Yuan. The former heavily favoured fighting with his fist and the latter with his bow, they looked nothing alike too. They couldn't be more different. They were fresh recruits of the War Tavern under the War King and this was their first mission ever.

The 8th ranked qualifier was another brilliant loose astral cultivator, Cao Zhan. He was a formation genius who practised sealing type laws. He was the only one among astral diagrams users whose runic diagram didn't shatter upon the introduction of the endless gravity.

The 9th to arrive on the peak was none other than Kang Tian. The last loose astral cultivator of the top 10, a sabre enthusiast from a particle world.

The one who barely made it in 10th place was another young master of the Han Immortal Clan but from the main branch, Han Mu. He is the youngest son of the current acting clan patriarch, a direct descendant to the Immortal King Han. He has several older siblings and none of them could match his ambitions. His dream is to propel his clan to even greater heights. But if he ever wants to rule then he will have to prove he has sufficient talent to overshadow his already powerful siblings.

At a meagre 13th place was Ji Bolin, possessor of nigh peerless talent. He had impressive resolve greater than the masses and this despite the fact that he had always been somewhat sheltered by his Ji Clan. Nonetheless, his mental fortitude was lacking when compared to those of the top 10 as proven by his 13th place.

The 909th qualified ranker was also a person of interest as they were the last qualifier originating from the Sky Pill World, Xi Wenling. She was blessed with immense luck, an Immortal Emperor sprout.

All the 1,303 contestants made it to the summit as retreating was not automatic disqualification for the third phase of the trial. One after the other they laid eyes on the magnificent immortal palace peacefully floating within a gargantuan forest of red blossoms.

"Clap Clap Clap Clap!!!" The loud sound of ear-pleasing claps of the Star Parasol Immortal King dispersed throughout the red blossom forest on the peak. Soon after the various geniuses heard a voice.

"Congratulations to the 1,000 of you who successfully qualified! I am very pleased with your performances!" The somewhat cheerful yet authoritarian voice of the Redcloud Marquis was heard loud and clear.

Yi Dong, the Redcloud Marquis, paused for a brief moment before continuing.

"As for the 303 of you who couldn't make it, unfortunately you most definitely missed a bout of great luck. But still you made it to the summit and this proved you are somewhat talented so I will reward you as such. All of you can choose an immortal-level cultivation art or treasure present in my Myriad Blossom Palace's vault. Also, I have some guests here who would like to reward you as well." Redcloud spoke yet he wasn't in sight at all.

Abruptly the humongous palace gate swung open, all of the young astral cultivators were sucked in silently. They were warped in a splendid hall with slightly over a hundred tables prepared, filled with liquor and treasures from heaven & earth.

At the front most area of this banquet, there was a grand stage that could be reached after climbing ninety-nine stairs. On the stage, there were five thrones for major characters present arranged behind a massive table filled to the brim with fathomless delicacies. In the middle of these five regal seats, one stood out as more splendid, a black throne. Upon sitting there, one could see everything down below, every inch of this banquet.

That specific throne was naturally the seat for Redcloud Marquis.

On his right were both the War King and the Star Parasol Immortal king. On his left were the Immortal King Han as well as Witch Ling.

"Welcome to my palace. Everyone takes a seat." Yi Dong said

"To the 303 little devils who were not qualified, I have some good news. All of you will be able to choose to either enter one of our four supreme powers as a core disciple." the silky voice of the supremely beautiful Star Parasol Immortal King was heard by everyone the same as if she was seated next to them.

She then continued.

"My Star Parasol Abode will only accept maidens. The War King will accept anyone who is courageous enough to want to join. Han will only accept those who are willing to marry into his Immortal clan. Lastly, Ling will recruit anyone who is willing as a named disciple. Of course for the many of you who are already from our powers, you will have different rewards. You will be promoted to a minimum of core disciple as well as awarded massive contribution points to redeem the appropriate cultivation resources."

"Now that the formalities are over, enjoy yourselves with a well deserved feast." Yi Dong spoke.

The crowd of ascendants who were silent at first didn't stay so for long. In no time the banquet hall was filled with noise as the ascendants started to chat with each other.

Some were discussing what their plan would be now that they had been eliminated such as which power should they join. Others were anticipating how great the Immortal Ascension Selection would be.

𝛀 𝛀 𝛀 𝛀 𝛀 𝛀

Myriad Blossom Palace, Banquet Hall.

Seated at a table of ten were the eight young heroes of the Sky Pill World as well as two other ascendants who were also from particle worlds. Each of them were dazzling enough to be the hero of their own myths.

"I am thinking about joining the tutelage of Witch Ling. I think there would suit my disposition better than any of the other supreme powers. I am more accustomed to being unbound." Ji Yuan spoke lightly.

Outstanding as he is, Ji Yuan wasn't able to make it to the selected 1,000. His own greatness played against him as he was the first to flee and was also the fastest whilst doing so. Nevertheless, he would still do the same thing even if he was given a second try. His mindset has always be that as long as he continues to live there is hope. Consequently he will very rarely be as desperate as his younger cousin.

In the near future Witch Ling would test each of those that joined her side after the Star Blossom Alp trial. Ji Yuan would prove to be particularly outstanding. The immortal king would then decide to recruit him for the secretive sect she joined years ago, the Heavenly Talisman Realm.

This was just as she did with her nine True Disciples back then.

"Star Parasol Abode it will be for me!!! I realise that I lack in resolve. It seems that growing up as the Ji Clan princess subconsciously affected me more than I would've ever think. In this supreme power I will most certainly face great trials, grow stronger and above all else erase the shame of today. If not I do not mind die trying!" The cracking voice of Ji Meiling was heard by her table mates.

Who could have thought that there was such a side to the ethereal princess of the Ji clan. There was nothing more to say other than a father tiger does not have a puppy for child. Awakened by this setback, Ji Meiling wanted to prove this. How could she, the daughter of Ji Feng be any less than outstanding!

It would not be long before the rise of the Heavenly Parasol Fairy, later known as the Heavenly Parasol Empress. Her spear-like parasol strikes raining down from the heavens struck fear in the hearts of countless experts throughout the ages.

"I will be joining the War Tavern. I'll put in good work doing the tavern's mission." Shi Bai is a man of few words.

Another prideful ascendant who was awakened by this setback. He meant to participate in countless battles for the War Tavern to get rid of any cowardice from him. The most simple and effective method in his opinion. Being from a sect, he was all too used to the many mind games and plots within one. He had no time for such things no more! If anyone were to think of him as only a brute then they were in for a rude awakening after all he was a leading disciple back in his sect.

Shi Bai too would go on and achieve impressive things; 1,000 years later he would already be an Immortal Emperor after countless tribulations. One of his closest friends died when he would be in seclusion to break through to the Immortal Emperor realm. He fought side by side with their widow to avenge them, slaying numerous emperors for his first few battles in the realm. He would obtained the title — Dao Slasher Emperor Lord.

"I guess I'm left with the Han Immortal Clan then. He He He, Han Qingge doesn't sound too bad." For the first time ever, the group heard the melodious voice of Gu Qingge.

Obviously she was in no obligation whatsoever of choosing the Han Immortal Clan but she deeply desired it.

She was born and raised in the most vicious, barbaric side of the Sky Pill World. As such from a very young age she knew that the world was a needlessly cruel place. Many called her a vixen, if she was in Bolin's previous world she would most definitely be treated as a gold digger. Yet none of that mattered to her. If she only had her good looks going for her, how could she have made it that far; her beauty was second to her talent and strength. It did not matter which clan name she bore as long as it meant she could get stronger. She would always be Qingge.

In slightly more than 1,000 years, this woman would be one of the several Immortal Emperors born during the opening of the Heavenly Dao Sacred Academy. A true woman of legend in the eyes of many throughout the ages.

"This victory tastes as bad as a defeat!" Di Yan is yet another man of few words.

The fact that there are still three ascendants better than him is the second defeat of his whole cultivation career. The first time was back then when he didn't obtain one of the top three spots during the Dao Conference festival. Though it did not matter too much ultimately. He will prevail or die trying.

"Indeed!" Ji Bolin's ordinary voice could be heard right after.

This was his first real defeat in this life. They were all subjected to the same standards and he could not even enter the top ten. This ignited something deep within him. He was a prideful individual too. What made things hurt more was his circumstances. Indeed even as an otherworlder, blessed with countless top notch cultivation techniques and the top nurturing from his clan he still lost. There were some hints of melancholy perceivable within Bolin's unfettered demeanour but he was already on the recovery road.

Cultivation is a marathon with the end goal of going the furthest possible. A bump on one's cultivation road can either make one stop, make one slow or make one go faster. He had always looked forward to being the first at each checkpoints (new cultivation realms) along the road so much so that he was nearly forgetting that his mood and mind also needed to be tempered.

Ji Bolin imprinted the painful feelings of losing onto the very deepest part of his mind so that he would never forget how being "defeated" is unfathomably distasteful.

Of course Ji Bolin was being extremely hard on himself. He was the only one below twenty among the whole 1,303 summit trailblazers, a feat in itself. Being the youngest to achieve great things is always impressive but it also means that you have least the experience barring some rare cases. Unfortunately for him he was not one of those rare cases. Nonetheless, his resolve and will was still beyond admirable. In his previous life he was never confronted with such overwhelming fear for his life so in that regard he was as good as any other nineteen year old heaven chosen.

"Aaaaaaah!!! You guys are too much. We made it through the selection but here you are both nagging. Next we will do even better, you know! I am very positive about that much. At this table, we are all from Particle Worlds so we have already surpassed billions upon billions of others. A step at a time, we are sure to surpass everybody else even in the immortal realms." These were the boastful words of the ever joyful Kang Tian.

As a loose astral cultivator, Kang Tian had always had the role of challenger so every small or big victory only increased his thirst for more. He was one of those people who always saw the glass half filled.

There are ascendants better than me then so be it; tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, the day after that or even the day after that I'll make sure to change it — This was his mindset.

Two champions suffering defeat and a challenger obtaining victory, all of it stemmed from different perspectives due to different world views.

The only other successfully qualified person at this table was the maiden, Xi Wenling. She was listening to everybody but rarely doing the talking. This was simply her personality, neither cold nor hot. She was simply apathetic towards such social interactions.

The other two unknown heaven chosen would also give their opinion on the matter. Both young males decided to marry into the Han Immortal Clan. They had their own plans and whether they wanted to live an ordinary life or not, only themselves knew.

The table of ten heroes hailing from particle worlds continued to chit chat about everything but obviously mostly about their experiences and cultivation.

The food at the banquet was all made from various treasures from Heaven & Earth. The food and liquor were meant to allow the contestant to enjoy themselves but also consolidate their already rock-solid foundation even further. The amount of resources used for these 1,303 ascendants by the Redcloud Marquis was truly vast. This was true even when compared to the other ninety-nine cities hosting their respective qualification trials.

Yi Dong hoped that this would help them go further on their cultivation journey irrespective of whether they were the selected 1,000 or unselected 303.

The Banquet went on for a whole 33 days before the unselected ascendants were allowed entry to one of the palace vault which stored many immortal arts and treasures. They were to choose either one of those and then everybody would go on their separate journey.

Those who were selected were headed towards another location to receive their rewards. These were hard earned rewards would be much more splendid and heaven-defying.

A whole 33 days talking about cultivation with like-minded peers in presence of Immortal Kings who would from time to time lecture them was more than blissful.

𝛀 𝛀 𝛀 𝛀 𝛀 𝛀

Ji Bolin, Di Yan, Kang Tian and Xi Wenling alongside the other selected ascendants were brought to a different place inside a secret realm named the Heavenly Blossom Pagoda. This pagoda emitted golden blossom petals that illuminated the surroundings. Only people who had been granted access rights would be given a token which allowed them to enter. A black-robed figure with precisely such a token was their guide.

This was an indication that he had an extraordinary position under the Redcloud Marquis. Also during their short journey, he also introduced himself to them.

The black-robed figure was precisely one of the several great generals under the Redcloud Marquis.

Generals of the Redcloud Marquis monitor everything that happens inside and outside of the territory. They also pay close attention to the Darknorth Immortal Dynasty interest such as their travelling disciples. They are also the ones who pursue and kill those who broke the rules of the Immortal City. They are also responsible for keeping tabs on those who took on missions. Upon successful accomplishment of the missions, they would lead those who succeeded into the Heavenly Blossom Pagoda for their reward.

The generals could also be considered envoys of the Redcloud Marquis.

The rewards for being selected to participate in the Immortal Ascension Selection was that they could choose a cultivation art, an innate technique, or a secret art from up to the third highest floor of the pagoda.

"The cultivation arts here are all extremely inordinate." Kang Tian's eyes flickered with excitement as he stared at his surroundings.

"The Marquis seems to value our success in passing his testing, so the rewards given would naturally not be too inferior." Ji Bolin was trying to look around to find something he wanted.

"Nine Immortal Battle Art, one can create nine battle clones to fight your battles for you." At this moment, Di Yan's quiet voice sounded out. His eyes shone with a dazzling light as he spoke, "This Nine Immortal Battle Art is so powerful. With this, I can summon nine battle clones to fight with me against opponents simultaneously, making it a ten versus one. This is simply too terrifying. The techniques of our Sky Pill World cannot hold a candle to this."

"Obviously such a powerful cultivation art surely has its weaknesses." Di Yan was already skilled in the incarnation burst technique, although he can summon thousands upon thousands of incarnations in an instant, the consumption rate was simply too crazy every time he used it.

"The nine battle clones will sap the energy of the original body. Once the energy supply is used up, they will vanish." Kang Tian peeked his head over Di Yan's shoulder to read the introduction inscribed on the wall beside the cultivation art and could be heard mumbling to himself.

"This cultivation art is overwhelming yet when you fight against those weaker than you, it would be useless unless you plan on fighting on ten fronts. If you fight against those with speed much higher than you, its use would also be limited. It would be put to the optimal effect when fighting against opponents not that much stronger or a group of them. Considering the energy consumption rate, many would think that it would be better served to choose to cultivate some other techniques that could increase one's overall combat prowess. But I'm different from the masses, I have great use for such a technique!" Di Yan's inner monologue perfectly summed up the cultivation art.

Di Yan's heart had already truly been stirred and he chose it.

At the very least, in a short period of time, he could have nine more clones together with him. He was confident in his flawless foundation and had another technique which would pair really well with this. When they would be unleashed together, he didn't even dare to imagine how tyrannical the destruction caused would be.

"Guys, what do you think? I don't know which one to pick!" Kang Tian was visibly excited as he asked.

"Your heart is too easily excited. There are so many good things around us so unless you can be as decisive as Di Yan, why be so hasty?" Xi Wenling remarked in a hushed tone.

"Mhm, that's true. Alright I'll look around then." Kang Tian gave an awkward smile. He was impatient by nature, but luckily the apathetic maiden Xi Wenling could see the overall situation much clearer than him.

"Immortal Prison Art, one could use it to construct a powerful independent realm domain where even strong experts would also find it tough to escape. Using one's various attributes they could send attacks as if they were the will of heavens. The stronger the one who used it is, the more powerful it will be." Xi Wenling stared at a technique as she felt a stirring in their hearts.

This technique was basically a diagram of how to build a top-notch Constellation for ascendants and domain for immortals so she naturally picked it. It could even be used as a basis for creating her immortal foundation. So much so for lecturing Kang Tian.

As expected of the Redcloud Marquis, the rewards he offered are all so valuable.

"How good would it be if we can take all of them away." Kang Tian jested.

"Sacred Calamity Body Refinement Art. This cultivation art can allow one to evolve their physique to a supreme undying body by under the tempering of heavenly calamities, granting the person unimaginable power. In turn one would be able to infuse their attacks with the power of heavenly calamities." Kang Tian finally found an art extremely suitable for him. He decided to pick this one and was already dreaming of how powerful his sabre slashes would become.

Ji Bolin continued to search through the catalogue for the rewards he wanted.

"Ten Thousand Cauldron Canonical Text. One can establish immortal cauldrons in their Yuanfus, which would augment their attack power to unfathomable heights." Ji Bolin saw an innate technique as his heart trembled in excitement, as though he was no longer able to control himself. His Yuanfu was already a nine-layered one and almost boundless. If he added that on top, he would surely be able to produce truly sky-defying strength so his choice was made.

There were simply too many good items in the Heavenly Blossom Pagoda. The ascendants could not even imagine what items would be available on its higher floors. The heartbeats of Ji Bolin and the others quickened as they continued to look through the catalogue. Sadly, they can only choose one item. This was purely a form of window-shopping.

The black-robed general silently observed as these little devils benefitted from some of the loot that his master acquired from over 7,000 years of cultivation. He thoroughly was amused by their amazement. The Redcloud Marquis practised or had practised several of these arts himself so they could only imagine his strength.

An Immortal King who slays Immortal Emperor.