There are countless heroes in this Ziwei Immortal Court

There are still thirty days until the deadline for the World Ascension's First Assembly convened by the Tribulation Transcending Venerable.

The Purple Tenuity Celestial Court was like a wound-up clockwork. The host of celestial officials were so busy they barely touched the ground—though, of course, they flew or teleported directly—but it showed they truly didn't want to waste even a moment's chance to catch their breath.

Because the ascension of the world's rank would bring incomparable benefits to all celestial officials. At the least, they would receive a massive baptism of Heavenly Dao essence, easily saving them tens of thousands of years of arduous cultivation. At the most, they could ascend alongside the Heavenly Dao itself, breaking through the world's limits!

Whether the benefit was minor or major depended entirely on their contribution to the great endeavor of the world's ascension.

Greater contributions meant more merit. While merit was not the criterion for evaluating a celestial official's salary, it directly impacted their future prospects!

Take, for example, a certain probationary laborer from the Life, Reincarnation, and Birth Registry Department. Originally not even a full celestial official, but due to possessing sufficiently outstanding capability and sense of duty, and being adept at seizing opportunities, he shouldered the karma of recruiting an ultra-spec, top-tier talent—a crime for the present, but a merit for the ages. In the end, he was ostensibly demoted but secretly promoted, tossed into the Destiny Calamity-Pacifying Team on official assignment, serving as the Celestial Court's special liaison officer...

It could be said that as long as this probationary laborer performed well, after the Destiny Calamity-Pacifying Team's westward journey concluded, he could directly ascend to a fifth-rank deputy-celestial-level official!

If he performed poorly... how could he possibly perform poorly as a mere liaison officer?

And most importantly, as the Celestial Court's special liaison officer, he was not only the communication bridge between the Destiny Calamity-Pacifying Team and the various ministries of the Celestial Court, but also the spokesperson for the team's captain!

Need we say more about the caliber of that captain, Chen Dalei?

To serve as his spokesperson, that probationary laborer's future was boundlessly bright. After the world's rank ascended, his name would surely be inscribed on the Heavenly Dao's Divine Roll!

A true case of ascending to heaven in a single step!

Liu Xiaofeng, the fourth-rank true-celestial-level director of the Life, Reincarnation, and Birth Registry Department, was green with envy.

The gap between fourth-rank true-celestial and third-rank deputy-chamber level seemed just a step, but in reality, it was a chasm!

Reaching the deputy-chamber level meant becoming a centrally administered celestial official, eligible not only for more Heavenly Dao essence baptism but also to receive Heavenly Dao power blessings!

And most crucially, once a centrally administered celestial official, aside from the Tribulation Transcending Venerable, no one had the authority to dismiss him!

Unfortunately, he had lost this precious opportunity, backstabbed by an utterly ordinary probationary laborer from his own department!

"Chen Huaigeng, oh Chen Huaigeng, you have truly caused me great suffering!"

"If I had known this would happen, I would have rather worked harder myself and never hired anyone back then..."

Inside the Life, Reincarnation, and Birth Registry Department, Director Liu Xiaofeng watched Chen Huaigeng, who had come again to access life destiny and biographical records, and couldn't help but sigh repeatedly.

Of course, Chen Huaigeng's story was just a positive case; there were many cautionary tales as well.

The most classic among them was undoubtedly the former Chief Deity of the Matrimony Department, the second-rank true-chamber-level official, and even a Heavenly Dao directly-administered immortal—Bai Yujing!

This fellow's methods were too crude and direct. He had merits and faults, but merits and faults did not offset each other. Coupled with having angered the masses, he was directly voted out of his position by over 99% of the celestial officials during the First Plenary Assembly of Celestial Officials, reported to the Tribulation Transcending Venerable for approval, stripped of all ranks, and tossed down to the mortal realm to serve as a river god!

Of course, serving as a river god and benefiting the local beings wasn't a bad thing, but the Celestial Court offered him far vaster skies and seas!

Mainly, without his celestial official position, even as a directly-administered immortal, the Heavenly Dao essence baptism he could receive was extremely limited, completely mismatched with his cultivation realm. Cultivation became extremely arduous, and his magic power simply wouldn't increase!

Therefore, after bitter reflection, he resolved to thoroughly reform, turn over a new leaf, and strive to become an immortal anew!

And so, he went through Chen Dalei's backdoor, intending to return to the Celestial Court!

And Chen Dalei was very willing to let him use that backdoor. After all, having a directly-administered immortal serve as a river god was a tremendous waste of talent, and leaving him as a river god was also more likely to cause variables!

So, to avoid waste and mitigate harm, Chen Dalei directly tossed Bai Yujing into the Special Talents Management Department, reinstating him at the second-rank true-chamber level!

While this seemed like a good thing, perhaps too lenient on Bai Yujing, the celestial officials actually applauded Chen Dalei's move!

For no other reason than...

The Special Talents Management Department was a hot potato, a department specifically established to organize, coordinate, and manage special talents!

Originally, it was merely a secondary department within the Celestial Court, with a director position capped at fourth-rank true-celestial level. So why was it now over-specified to a second-rank true-chamber level?

It's really so hard to guess!

Everything was fine initially, but who could have expected the Tribulation Transcending Venerable to recruit... hire a bunch of ultra-spec talents from who-knows-where!

Because the Purple Tenuity Celestial Court's Heavenly Dao rank hadn't ascended yet, the highest cultivation realm among celestial officials was only True Immortal Perfection. Even counting some who held positions but weren't formally enrolled, the highest was only Mystic Immortal!

And those ultra-spec, top-tier talents... there were no True Immortals among them, Celestial Immortals were nowhere to be seen, Mystic Immortals were scarce. The lowest were Golden Immortals, a bunch of Taiyi Immortals, and even Great Luo Immortals were present!

Who could possibly manage that?

Even though these ultra-spec talents had been disciplined into obedience by the Tribulation Transcending Venerable, their cultivation realms were right there. If slightly displeased, they would throw a wrench in the works. Even if the matter was brought before the Tribulation Transcending Venerable, it would ultimately end inconclusively, and you'd still be labeled as incompetent in organization and coordination...

Simply put, it was a grinding job. Not only did you have to coordinate the needs of various departments, you even had to coax those grand masters into doing their work...

Whoever took it would be plagued by bad luck!

But this Purple Tenuity Celestial Court had countless heroes!

So what if it was dirty, difficult work? Plenty of people wanted it!

They just lacked a director who could command the scene!

And Bai Yujing was the perfect candidate!

"Hehehe... Star God Patriarch, there's a Level Nine variable here, with wide-ranging implications. What do you think..."

"Little Jingzi, this patriarch is weary. Go find Primordial Essence or Profound Abyss."

"Ah, come now, you know as well as I do that those two patriarchs are currently suppressing Level Ten variables and can't spare the time. This Level Nine variable can't be handled by a Taiyi mighty one; only you can manage it..."

Bai Yujing smiled humbly, even somewhat obsequiously. The former arrogance and condescension were gone without a trace. He had to seize this rare opportunity; he desperately wanted to advance!

So what if they're Great Luo?

What's so great about that?

Weren't they still crippled by Chen Yi?

They only dare put on airs in front of us celestial officials. Today I bow low; tomorrow I will make you bend your brow and bow your waist!

Bai Yujing firmly believed the humiliation was temporary. Chen Yi would surely lead the Purple Tenuity Realm to greatness and strength, even rivaling the long-coveted Immortal Realm of his dreams!

"Little Jingzi, it's not that this patriarch doesn't want to work, but this variable is truly too great, so great it makes this patriarch tremble with fear!"

The Great Luo Patriarch of the Void Star God Ancient Clan slowly rose to his feet. Gazing with profound depth at the sky veiled in immortal mists and radiant with myriad auspicious lights, he couldn't help but let out a deep, melancholic sigh:

"Sigh, it was originally just a world of True Immortal rank, but because a great variable has entrenched itself there, the infinite possibilities of the future have become extremely weighty!"

"Logically, for an Ancestor like me, erasing a world of True Immortal rank would be effortless, the karmic consequences insignificant. After all, a world of that rank simply cannot produce any existence capable of threatening me!"

"But your Purple Tenuity Realm is different. You are too terrifying. In just a few short decades, you've not only cleared away long-accumulated maladies but have even integrated laws that even I, an Ancestor, cannot fully comprehend. You've revitalized the Heavenly Dao, granting it boundless potential..."

"In such circumstances, it is highly possible that in the future you could catch up to the true Immortal Realm that reigns supreme above all heavens!"

"That is to say, your future might see the emergence of Taiyi Immortals, Great Luo Immortals, Dao Ancestors, even existences rivaling an Immortal Emperor!"

"And you, little Jingzi, you want me to suppress this variable, to eliminate one possibility of the future. Do you truly believe this Ancestor can withstand the karmic burden of that?"

Bai Yujing still wore his professional, insincere smile. "So, you're saying you don't want to do it?"

The Great Luo Ancestor of the Void Star God Ancient Clan smiled faintly. "According to your classification, a Ninth-Rank Variable carries karma sufficient to affect an entire domain. Among the infinite possibilities of the future, it could correspond to a Mystic Immortal, a Golden Immortal, a Taiyi, or even... a Great Luo."

"For this Ancestor to shoulder the karma of a potential Great Luo is possible, but... you must agree to a condition."

The meaning of the Void Star God Ancient Clan's Great Luo Ancestor was clear: the price must be raised.