Gu Changyuan did not linger on the streets with Gu Xing'er. With a mere thought, his figure vanished once more.
The next moment, holding Gu Xing'er in his arms, he appeared atop the spire of the tallest tower in the center of Tianren City.
The vantage point here was excellent, offering a panoramic view of the entire city.
The city was meticulously planned. The central area was a bustling commercial and administrative district, while the surrounding areas were filled with expansive, tranquil residential and cultivation zones.
He had learned from Su Tianhui that disciples who joined the Sacred Land would have their own residences within their respective peaks.
The residential areas here were likely for those disciples to purchase or acquire through missions, serving as a secondary home or a place to settle their families.
After all, non-disciples were not allowed inside the Sacred Land. Cultivators with families would probably choose to buy a residence here to be closer and have peace of mind.
Gu Changyuan nodded slightly, once again acknowledging the Sacred Land's governance capabilities.
Gu Xing'er leaned against his chest, curiously looking down and letting out a gasp of amazement. Her little finger pointed toward a distant building emitting savory aromas and displaying a massive banner with the word Food, looking up at Gu Changyuan with eager eyes.
Gu Changyuan chuckled and rubbed her little head.
I'll take you to eat later.
He did not stay on the tower for long. Having seen enough of Tianren City's scenery, he took a step forward.
Space shifted.
The scenery before his eyes instantly transformed.
The noisy clamor of the marketplace abruptly faded away, replaced by a solemn, majestic, and boundless aura.
They were no longer in Tianren City.
Beneath their feet lay a gigantic plaza, unimaginably vast.
A sea of people covered the plaza.
At a rough glance, at least several thousand cultivators had gathered here, yet perhaps less than one percent of them would successfully gain entry.
Gu Changyuan looked up and clearly saw that on the far right of the testing grounds on both sides of the plaza, there was a three-tiered white jade staircase extending upward.
The end of the stone steps connected to three different pavilions, corresponding respectively to the three trials: Testing Spirit, Asking the Dao, and Questioning the Heart.
This was the testing point for the Three Celestial Trials that the majority of cultivators chose.
Currently, long lines formed beneath each set of stone steps. Cultivators stepped forward in turn to undergo preliminary verification by the Sacred Land's disciples. Only after passing the verification could they step onto the stairs and begin the trial.
On the far left of the plaza, a bizarre, pitch-black high platform rose from the ground. It was the Immortal Ascension Platform.
At this moment, dozens of figures were struggling forward at various heights on the Immortal Ascension Platform, looking as if they were climbing. Every step up appeared extremely strenuous.
Surrounding the two staircases were endlessly lush spiritual plants, brimming with vitality.
At the very top sat a row of high viewing seats, occupied by ten elders and one supreme elder.
They gazed calmly at the testing grounds on both sides, waiting for the disciples who passed the trials to come forward for the final assessment and selection.
The changes are truly immense.
Gu Changyuan's gaze swept across the entirety of Tianyuan Mountain, and a photograph visible only to him appeared before his eyes. It was an image of how this mountain peak looked a thousand years ago.
In the past, keeping his old habits, he had used the system to take photos and record these scenes, wanting to see the changes later on.
He never expected that the once dilapidated mountain peak would now be so lush and flourishing.
Look! That person is almost at the 80th step!
Right then, a sudden exclamation rang out from the direction of the Immortal Ascension Platform, instantly drawing the eyes of all the cultivators present.
Following the crowd's cries, Gu Changyuan also cast his gaze toward the Immortal Ascension Platform.
There, on the eightieth step of the pitch-black platform, a slender yet perfectly straight figure stood firmly.
It was a young woman who appeared to be about twenty years old. She wore a simple cyan martial outfit that outlined her agile figure.
Her long hair was tied up simply with a wooden hairpin, revealing a smooth forehead and a face that, though devoid of makeup, was exceptionally beautiful and refined.
At this moment, her face was slightly pale, fine beads of sweat seeped from her temples, and her chest heaved slightly. Clearly, reaching the eightieth step was no easy feat for her.
However, her eyes were astonishingly bright, filled with unyielding will and firm conviction.
She did not pause for long. Taking a deep breath, her gaze shifted to the eighty-first step above. She leaned forward slightly, preparing to continue her ascent.
The eightieth step! She actually reached the eightieth step!
It's only the morning of the first day! And a monstrous genius capable of reaching the eightieth step has already appeared?!
Looking at her, she seems to still have energy left! Is she going to push for eighty-five? Or even ninety?!
On the plaza, exclamations and discussions rose like a tidal wave. Countless burning gazes focused on the young woman in cyan.
Even the eyes of the eleven Sacred Land higher-ups in the viewing seats lit up.
In particular, the supreme elder seated in the center stroked his long beard and nodded slightly, revealing a rare look of approval.
Name: Dugu Shiling
Talent: Grade Nine
Physique: Profound Ice Jade Bone Physique
Cultivation Base: Early Nascent Soul Stage
The system's information timely floated before Gu Changyuan's eyes.
Profound Ice Jade Bone Physique... quite a good seedling.
Gu Changyuan nodded slightly, giving his evaluation.
With Grade Nine talent, coupled with this special ice-attribute mutated spiritual physique and a rather resilient will, she was indeed qualified to be called a genius.
Watching the young woman named Dugu Shiling climb the Immortal Ascension Platform with difficulty yet determination, and feeling the amazement and anticipation of the surrounding cultivators, a thought suddenly arose in Gu Changyuan's mind.
Although this Immortal Ascension Platform was granted by the system back in the day, he had never personally experienced its specific testing rules and details.
Why not... go up and try it out himself?
Gu Changyuan had absolute confidence in his own strength and foundation.
He actually wanted to see what was so profound about this legendary hundred-step Immortal Ascension Platform, and what exactly it could test out.
It would inevitably cause a sensation, and his disciples who had now become patriarchs would naturally show up.
Without hesitation, Gu Changyuan shifted the posture of Gu Xing'er, who was curiously looking around in his arms, holding her securely in the crook of his arm.
Then, with a light step, his figure instantly appeared on the first step of the Immortal Ascension Platform.
Huh? Someone else is going up the Immortal Ascension Platform?
No! Look! He's holding a child in his arms!
Is he trying to... undergo the Immortal Ascension Platform trial while carrying someone else?!
Gu Changyuan's highly unusual action instantly attracted the attention of the surrounding cultivators, causing cries of alarm to erupt!
The Immortal Ascension Platform tested an individual's aptitude, will, and potential, strictly forbidding any form of trickery or outside assistance.
If someone attempted to join forces or carry another person, the special restrictions of the Immortal Ascension Platform would activate, superimposing the pressure meant for two people onto them.
Therefore, no one had ever dared to attempt climbing while carrying someone else; that was tantamount to seeking death.
Even the Sacred Land deacon disciples responsible for maintaining order and registration were stunned, momentarily unsure of how to handle the situation.
The rules did not explicitly forbid bringing someone along, simply because no one had ever thought anyone would actually do so.
The moment he stepped onto the first step, Gu Changyuan indeed felt a slight pressure acting upon his body.
It might hold some weight for an ordinary Qi Condensation cultivator, but to him, it did not even count as a tickle.
"Nothing more than this," Gu Changyuan thought to himself.
Since the pressure was so slight, he couldn't be bothered to slowly experience it step by step.
Thus, under the astonished gazes of countless onlookers, Gu Changyuan, holding Gu Xing'er in his arms, raised his foot once again.
This time, he did not merely advance a single step.
Instead, with one stride, he stepped directly onto the fourth tier.
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
