Quota

After hearing their conversation, Little Yu asked, "With the Great Ascension cultivators present, how do we get past them?"

Little Yu pondered whether sneaking past might work.

"Just go straight through. I'm also at the Great Ascension stage," Jiang Ningshu said with a chuckle. She was just a step away from her final breakthrough and had nothing to fear.

"Yeah, just walk right through. I doubt they can stop us," Su Luo remarked in her usual lazy tone—though she wasn’t joking.

"Ah, has Su Luo gotten stronger again?" Little Yu suddenly felt she hadn’t been working hard enough.

"Not too bad," Su Luo replied with a hint of pride before brushing it off.

"Seems like you're almost catching up to me. But once my strength fully recovers, I’ll be even stronger," Jiang Ningshu said.

"That’s true. You’re so powerful—I’ll have to rely on you to protect me in the future."

"No problem at all."

Though there was some jest in their words, Jiang Ningshu took it somewhat seriously. She didn’t believe Su Luo could surpass her at full strength.

But she was mistaken. Su Luo was already strong enough.

Not that it was their fault.

Su Luo hadn’t displayed her full power in a long time. They knew she was growing stronger, but they likely never imagined just how fast.

Meanwhile, the discussion in the tavern continued.

"Ah, in the end, it all comes down to not being strong enough. If I were at the Great Ascension stage, would I still be here drinking and chatting with you?"

Even if it meant clashing with Di Haoran, they had to go—after all, it was an immortal’s legacy!

"Actually, there might be a way."

"What?"

"You’ll find out soon enough," the man said mysteriously—before quickly caving under the pressure of the crowd.

"Alright, alright, I’ll talk!"

"Spit it out already!"

After taking a sip of wine, he finally explained, "Recently, the major sects are planning to form a team to retrieve the immortal’s legacy from the Wildlands."

"What does that have to do with us?"

Their team wouldn’t include random people like them.

"Since it’s an immortal’s legacy, no one knows what kind of person the immortal would favor. More people mean more chances of someone receiving the inheritance."

"But aren’t they blocking us from going now?"

"How would you even get there on your own? You’d die before reaching the place. But if you join that team, you’ll have strong escorts."

"Would they even let us join?"

"That’s the good news—they’ll assess people along the way and take those with potential. So we still have a shot."

"Really? That’s amazing!"

Just then, someone entered holding a notice.

"Exactly! Di Haoran has announced that anyone who wants to try for the immortal’s legacy should register at the North Heavenly Gate."

The notice detailed an organized expedition to the immortal’s legacy, with limited spots available.

"Seriously? That’s great!"

"Don’t celebrate too soon. The selection will be tough."

"But at least there’s hope."

With this news, even more people would flood into the North Heavenly Gate—though it was already crowded enough.

All to compete for a spot.

Su Luo and the others merely listened, unaffected.

After finishing their drinks, they wandered around leisurely, as if on vacation.

Because they were.

Such was the freedom of strength.

If this were the Su Luo from the original plot, she’d have to take a long detour, sneaking through the farthest edges of the North Heavenly Gate—back when Di Haoran hadn’t arrived yet.

What a hassle.

......

A little earlier...

Meanwhile, Lin Xuan had already returned to the Seven Stars Sword Sect. Upon hearing of the North End Demon Lord’s death, he sighed.

He remembered how shocked he was upon learning the North End Demon Lord was a spy—never expecting such an end.

But before he could dwell on it, news of the immortal’s legacy spread.

Naturally, he couldn’t pass up such an opportunity.

However, the sect master deemed it too dangerous—venturing into non-human territory meant they might die before even seeing the legacy.

With Lin Xuan being such a promising disciple, the sect master refused to let him go, even confining him.

But Lin Xuan wouldn’t give up. He began scheming—what if they gathered a large group?

With enough strong cultivators, success was more likely.

Besides, securing an immortal’s legacy would benefit humanity, especially with the recent anomalies among demonic beasts hinting at their growing power.

It was necessary.

Eventually, the sect master relented.

Thus, the alliance was formed again—though numbers were limited. Of course, the more experts, the better.

Soon, Lin Xuan’s group journeyed north, their ranks swelling.

Major sects like Tian Guang and Yun Yan lent their support, each sending a Great Ascension expert for protection.

The team grew stronger by the day, and confidence surged.

But truthfully, they were still outmatched—this was the Wildlands, after all.

The weakest in the group were two Golden Core cultivators, only included due to their exceptional talent.

Normally, only those at Nascent Soul or above were allowed—this was no place for dead weight.

In human territory, even Foundation Establishment cultivators might get a chance.

After all, who knew what criteria the immortal’s legacy would judge by?

......

Back in North Heavenly Gate City...

News of the expedition to the Wildlands spread like wildfire.

More and more people arrived, hoping to secure a spot—though most were just spectators.

How many Nascent Soul experts could there be?

No one dared cause trouble, though—Di Haoran himself oversaw the selection.

No one would dare defy him.

The criteria were simple:

First, talent—the younger and stronger, the better.

Second, cultivation—if one was powerful enough, they’d be taken.

Those willing to join as escorts could also come—though they wouldn’t enter the legacy’s secret realm.

Someone had to guard the outside.

The selection process was in full swing.

"Young lady, you’re here for the Wildlands expedition, right? I’ve got something that’ll guarantee you a spot."

"No need, thanks."

Little Yu walked away—she was just passing by and didn’t need a spot.

"I’m serious! With your talent and my treasure, you’ll definitely get in. All it takes is—... Ugh, another failed scam. But someone’ll bite."

Disappointed, the man turned—only to bump into Di Haoran.

"Ah! N-no, I wasn’t scamming anyone!" he stammered.

Di Haoran ignored him, watching Little Yu’s retreating figure with a sense of familiarity.

A demonic cultivator? Or just a mistaken impression? He wasn’t sure.

But her talent was undeniable. If she applied, she’d pass.