Time shifted to two hours later.
Inside the hall.
Five Golden Core enshriners surrounded the table, their gazes falling upon that entirely jade-green Azure Cloud Token.
The Azure Cloud Token lay quietly on the table, its cloud patterns flowing, gleaming with a faint, dark luster.
They had already been studying it for half a day.
Turning it over and over, examining it inside and out, probing it with divine sense, testing it with spiritual power; they had used almost every method available to them.
But the more they studied it, the more bizarre this Azure Cloud Token seemed.
If they said it was real, the material was absurdly coarse, with clear traces of casual carving, completely lacking the exquisite and magnificent qualities a supreme treasure of the immortal clan should possess.
If they said it was fake, that trace of immortal energy lingering around it was absolutely genuine.
Anyone who had come into contact with a true immortal artifact could feel that it was real.
So what was the conclusion?
The several Golden Core enshriners exchanged glances, all seeing the complexity in each other's eyes.
Elder Qiu was the first to speak, his voice low:
"Whether this legacy token is real or not, this old man cannot tell, but the immortal energy on it..."
He paused, his gaze landing on the Azure Cloud Token, a trace of burning passion flashing in his eyes:
"Is real."
The other four Golden Core enshriners nodded in succession.
They felt it too.
Although this trace of immortal energy was faint, it was incomparably pure.
It was completely different from the auras contained in those incomplete cultivation methods of today's cultivation world.
This was an ancient aura, the aura of the immortal clan, it was...
The aura of the complete immortal Dao.
Among the two Golden Core enshriners from the Divine Capital's Celestial Master Mansion, the younger one looked at the Azure Cloud Token.
His brows were slightly furrowed, as if pondering something.
Suddenly, he raised his head, his gaze falling on Gu Chengyin.
"Junior Preceptor Gu."
"I remember, don't you also have an Azure Cloud Token?"
As soon as these words came out, the room instantly quieted down.
Everyone's gazes fell upon Gu Chengyin.
Elder Qiu narrowed his eyes, his gaze profound.
The other three Golden Core enshriners also had varying expressions, ranging from surprise and curiosity to a hint of scrutiny.
They had all heard about Gu Chengyin using an Azure Cloud Token to prove he was a descendant of the immortal clan.
But Jiang Qingshan had just said that this Azure Cloud Token was found by the Azure Sword Sect.
Then between these two...
The Golden Core enshriners from the Divine Capital fixed their eyes on Gu Chengyin's face, waiting for his answer.
Gu Chengyin's expression remained unchanged, but Lin Qingyan, who was beside him, felt her heart tighten.
She subconsciously looked at Gu Chengyin, her fingers curling slightly.
She didn't know why, but whenever she encountered a situation now, she subconsciously considered things from Gu Chengyin's perspective.
She completely forgot that, in terms of factions, she was Jingzhe of the Celestial Master Mansion.
She should be standing on the side of the Golden Core enshriners from the Celestial Master Mansion.
But Lin Qingyan didn't care; she only cared about Gu Chengyin.
She had even started calculating in her heart: if Gu Chengyin couldn't explain it clearly, how should she help smooth things over?
Should she pretend to interject casually, or use her identity as Jingzhe of the Celestial Master Mansion to divert their attention?
However, Gu Chengyin was already prepared.
He nodded, showing no intention of hiding anything, and said with utmost sincerity:
"Yes."
"This junior did indeed display an Azure Cloud Token during the morning court assembly back then."
The Golden Core enshriners from the Divine Capital frowned and were about to continue questioning.
Gu Chengyin had already reached out and picked up the Azure Cloud Token from the table.
He tossed it lightly in his hand, as if weighing an ordinary stone.
Then he looked up and said as a matter of course:
"This Azure Cloud Token is, in fact, my token."
Silence.
The room fell into a deathly silence.
Including Elder Qiu, all the Golden Core enshriners were stunned.
They looked at Gu Chengyin, looked at the Azure Cloud Token in his hand, and looked at his matter-of-fact expression, momentarily at a loss for words.
The Golden Core enshriner from the Divine Capital opened his mouth, but swallowed the words that reached his lips.
He looked at Gu Chengyin, then at Jiang Qingshan, who had a calm expression beside him, a trace of doubt flashing in his eyes.
Finally, he couldn't help but ask:
"But didn't Sect Master Jiang just say that this Azure Cloud Token was found by the Azure Sword Sect?"
Gu Chengyin nodded, without the slightest bit of a guilty conscience, and answered extremely naturally:
"That's right."
"Sect Master Jiang found me, and then found the Azure Cloud Token on me."
Gu Chengyin paused, tilted his head slightly, and asked with a bit of confusion:
"Is there a problem with that?"
Everyone: ......
Is there a problem?
The Golden Core enshriners looked at each other, words stuck in their throats, wanting to say something but unable to speak.
The Azure Sword Sect did indeed find an incomplete Azure Cloud Token; this was what Jiang Qingshan had said.
But who stipulated that this Azure Cloud Token couldn't have been found on Gu Chengyin?
As the descendant of the Azure Cloud Immortal Clan, Gu Chengyin had a token proving his identity as a direct descendant of the Azure Cloud Immortal Clan on him.
This was a fact.
Jiang Qingshan found him, and then found this Azure Cloud Token on him.
Logically, it made perfect sense and was even well-founded.
But the problem was...
The problem was...
The Golden Core enshriner from the Divine Capital opened his mouth, finding that he actually couldn't find any words to refute it.
The reasoning was indeed like this, and there was no problem with the logic.
But why did it feel so frustrating?
He looked at the other Golden Core enshriners and found that they also had constipated expressions.
Elder Qiu narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Gu Chengyin and Jiang Qingshan, as if judging something.
The other three Golden Core enshriners had complex expressions that seemed to say the words were fine but something felt wrong.
The room fell into silence once again.
Ultimately, it was Jiang Qingshan who spoke.
He coughed lightly, his voice unhurried:
"Just as Junior Preceptor Gu said."
Jiang Qingshan's gaze swept over the Golden Core enshriners:
"This Azure Cloud Token is indeed the proof of his direct lineage identity."
The Golden Core enshriners did not interrupt, patiently waiting for the rest.
Jiang Qingshan's voice continued:
"Although there is immortal energy lingering around it, it was not activated."
"It wasn't until Junior Preceptor Gu came to the Azure Sword Sect that this sect sensed something. Upon inquiring, we finally obtained this incomplete Azure Cloud Token."
Jiang Qingshan paused, his tone becoming solemn:
"It was only after irrigating it with the Azure Cloud Divine Water passed down in this sect that it was re-activated."
"Only at this moment can it be considered a true Azure Cloud Token."
These words made the Golden Core enshriners feel much more comfortable.
With a cause and effect, and a specific process, it sounded very reasonable.
Elder Qiu noticed the key point in Jiang Qingshan's words and couldn't help but ask:
"Sect Master Jiang, are you saying that this Azure Cloud Token was watered with... what was it, Azure Cloud Divine Water?"
Jiang Qingshan's expression remained unchanged as he nodded:
"Exactly."
At the same time, he secretly thought to himself: Actually, there is no Azure Cloud Divine Water at all. Gu Chengyin just found a random pond and soaked it for a bit.
Elder Qiu narrowed his eyes: "This Azure Cloud Divine Water is?"
"An item passed down through the generations of this sect."
Jiang Qingshan took over the conversation: "According to ancient records, it is the spiritual liquid used by the Azure Cloud Immortal Clan to unlock their inheritance."
"It's just that for many years, we could never find the Azure Cloud Token, until today..."
He looked at Gu Chengyin: "We met the true descendant of the immortal clan."
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
