Pan Sword Sect Inner Sect, Sword Heart Pavilion.

The windows were bright and clean, with a burner on the desk emitting wisps of Concentration Incense, and pale blue smoke curled upwards.

Chen Sheng was leaning against a wooden chair by the window, holding a palm-sized Jade Order in his hand.

The Jade Order was entirely a translucent white, not adorned with the usual dragon and phoenix motifs, but instead, it was carved with a mountain floating above a sea of clouds.

Golden light flowed faintly atop the mountain, and upon closer inspection, numerous dense runes could be seen carved amongst the mountain patterns, subtly forming the words "Suspended Void."

This precious order had been personally delivered three days ago by a Nascent Soul True Monarch wearing a cloud-patterned Daoist robe, who clarified that with this order in hand, access to the Suspended Void Mountain’s Dao Scripture Pavilion and the comprehension of its ancient texts were granted.

"Suspended Void Mountain?"

Chen Sheng looked up at Daoist Yuan Zhao standing in front of the desk.

Daoist Yuan Zhao’s face was, at this moment, full of barely concealed excitement. His gaze fell upon the Jade Order, filled with envy and solemnity:

"Fellow Daoist might not know, but the Suspended Void Mountain is no ordinary sect! It is the legendary Emperor’s lineage, existing since antiquity, with the duty of maintaining the operation of the Heavenly Dao."

"Within the sect, there are generations of Yin Soul Venerables stationed, and multiple True Immortal forefathers have ascended, holding a transcendent status amongst all the sects of the nations, always maintaining a reputation of noble integrity."

He paused, then added:

"Among the nations, whether it’s the giants of the righteous path or hidden noble families, all take pride in gaining the favor of the Suspended Void Mountain."

Chen Sheng raised his brow, holding the Jade Order up:

"Emperor’s lineage? What does that mean?"

Daoist Yuan Zhao explained:

"This is precisely the proud history of the Suspended Void Mountain."

"Legend has it that in ancient times, the Supreme Heavenly Emperor of the Profound Dome descended during a cycle of tribulations and left this lineage in the human realm, which is now the Suspended Void Mountain."

"However, such claims are too ethereal and unverifiable."

"Supreme Heavenly Emperor of the Profound Dome..."

Chen Sheng softly repeated the name, a sharp movement in his heart.

Although he knew nothing of the Immortal Realm’s situation in this world, he had come across some legends of dubious authenticity in the sect’s scriptures.

But the eight words describing the Heavenly Emperor, "rule the heavens, never sink," still sent a chill through his heart spirit.

Rapidly, he thought:

"Rule the heavens... such a realm, Integration Realm? Tribulation Crossing Realm? If such great power truly exists, might they have already discovered my whereabouts?"

It’s important to know that, theoretically, the world rules of a Middle Thousand World can at most support Void Refining, Integration realm cultivators, but theory is ultimately just theory.

Chen Sheng’s demon race Yin Soul was now at late-stage Void Refining cultivation, yet it was still able to cultivate steadily in the Small Thousand World, wasn’t it?

However, this thought flitted by quickly, and Chen Sheng soon suppressed the upheaval in his heart.

He had not come to this realm to seize any treasures, much less to harvest the essence of this world (mainly due to insufficient strength). He just wanted to use the opportunities here to break through a bottleneck.

As long as he didn’t perform any shocking actions, even if a great power were observing, they likely wouldn’t act lightly, at most losing an incarnation.

He thought to himself, "There’s no need to panic for now; let’s take it one step at a time."

Daoist Yuan Zhao didn’t notice the change in Chen Sheng’s thoughts, still immersed in the shock brought by the Suspended Void Mountain’s precious order, his tone increasingly solemn:

"The Suspended Void Mountain holds its standards high, ordinary geniuses can’t catch their attention at all."

"Only those truly endowed with the potential of True Immortals, top-tier geniuses with a chance to inquire about the Great Dao, will they actively present this precious order to form connections."

"Back then, our founder Pan Grandmaster shook Qingzhou after forming a High Grade Golden Core, yet he did not receive this precious order, which shows its preciousness."

Chen Sheng nodded slightly; he had seen related records in the sect’s Scripture Pavilion’s True Immortal biographies.

The True Immortals who eventually ascended to the Immortal Realm mostly had received the Suspended Void Mountain’s precious order, and many used this opportunity to join the Suspended Void Mountain, gaining top-tier resource support.

This Jade Order could be considered a stepping stone to a top-tier Dao lineage, but doubts also followed. He set down the Jade Order, looked at Daoist Yuan Zhao, and calmly asked:

"Since I emerged, I’ve only traveled within Qingzhou. During my training journey, I barely reached fourth on the Qingzhou prodigy list; why would the Suspended Void Mountain suddenly extend an olive branch to me?"

Daoist Yuan Zhao was initially stunned, evidently not expecting Chen Sheng to ask this question, but he quickly responded with a confident smile:

"You might not know, but even though Qingzhou is just one of the nation’s states, it has always been a land of outstanding talents, and the prodigy list here has far more weight than those in other state mansions."

"Moreover, you have now formed a High Grade Golden Core; throughout Qingzhou, you have probably long held the top position on the prodigy list. It’s just that the list hasn’t been updated yet."

He paused, then added:

"More importantly, the Viewing the Heavens Venerable of the Suspended Void Mountain is renowned across the nations for their predictive great power, proficient in the arts of fortune and heavenly secrets, able to perceive the flow of heaven’s luck."

"I suppose it was through divination that they discovered your extraordinary destiny and thus proactively presented the precious order for connection."

As he spoke, Daoist Yuan Zhao’s eyes were filled with pride, as if he himself had received the treasured order.

Chen Sheng, upon hearing this, simply nodded slightly without responding and once again gripped the Jade Order, the cool touch of the jade making his thoughts even clearer.

A thought quietly arose in his mind:

"If this Hanging Mountain is indeed related to the legendary Celestial Emperor, or if a Great Power needs me to make a move, I’ll temporarily accept this ’kindness’."

"At the same time, I should have my true self gather more knowledge on the path of fate, to better handle any potential changes."

Seeing him silent, Daoist Yuan Zhao wisely refrained from saying more and just stood quietly to the side.

In his heart, he was already convinced that the newly appointed Master Golden Core of their sect would, in the future, achieve accomplishments far surpassing Ancestor Pan and might even lead the Pan Sword Sect to unprecedented glory.

...

Zhongzhou, Yunxi City, serving as a crucial link between the three states, was bustling year-round, with taverns and teahouses full of cultivators coming and going from the south to the north.

Today it was exceptionally lively; nearly every tea table was surrounded by people, all eyes focused on the brand-new Water Mirror at the counter.

In the mirror floated a roll of shimmering golden rankings, none other than the "Longevity List" revered by cultivators across nations.

"Ding——"

The Water Mirror suddenly emitted a crisp ring.

As the golden light surged, the names on the list rapidly changed, the original rankings receding like tides, and new characters gradually became clear amidst the aura.

"The Longevity List has changed!"

The crowd exploded into a stir.

The Longevity List, also known as the Heavenly Pride List, takes the top one hundred heavenly talents from various sects, but most people were primarily concerned with those ranked at the top.

"Fourteenth on the Longevity List—Li Yan from the Heaven-Burning Palace, High Grade Golden Core, mastery in the path of fire..."

"Ninth on the Longevity List—Su Qingyao from the Blue Water Pavilion, High Grade Golden Core, slew a Nascent Soul..."

"Seventh on the Longevity List—Zhang Ling from the Pan Sword Sect, six years of cultivation, condensed a High Grade Golden Core, received the Hanging Treasure Order!"

"Wow!"

This statement caused the Gathering Immortals Tower to explode instantly, with sounds of gasping and heated arguments mixed together.

"The Hanging Treasure Order? Isn’t that the token exclusively given to those with the potential of True Immortals by Hanging Mountain? Who is this Zhang Ling to receive such an honor?"

A cultivator at a neighboring table, with a long sword slung over his shoulder, slapped the table standing up, his face full of disbelief.

The elder beside him stroked his beard and nodded: "To achieve High Grade Golden Core in just six years, even the True Immortal of Heaven-Burning in the old days couldn’t match that speed!"

Someone frowned and voiced a doubt, pointing his folding fan at the Water Mirror:

"But ranked only seventh? With the boost of the Hanging Treasure Order and the potential of a True Immortal, shouldn’t it be in the top three?"

This immediately drew a rebuttal, a cultivator in a purple robe sneered from the corner:

"Top three? I think seventh is too high! This Zhang Ling has only been active in Qingzhou; besides the treasure order and the ’Six Years of Core Formation’ fame, what real battle achievements does he have?"

This statement resonated with many, and they nodded in agreement.

"Exactly! The Longevity List competes on true strength. In the past, the ’Sword Addict’ Xiao Ce of Zhongzhou, after forming his core, cut down several Nascent Soul old demons, firmly holding the fifth place. Zhang Ling hasn’t even ventured out of the state, why should he be seventh?"

"I think it’s just that the treasure order from Hanging Mountain is too eye-catching, making the list compilers give a falsely high ranking!"

...

In a private room on the third floor, three figures walked out side by side, looking down at the discussions below with varied expressions.

On the left was the Young Palace Master Li Yan of the Heaven-Burning Palace, his brows knitted, and there was a hint of fiery irritation in his words:

"So what if you have the Hanging Treasure Order? Without the strength to back it up, it’s nothing but a fancy jade token!"

In the middle, a cultivator dressed in white softly waved a folding fan, none other than Su Qingyao of the Blue Water Pavilion, her clear beauty contrasted by a sharp gaze:

"Brother Li, don’t be impatient. For Zhang Ling to gain the favor of Hanging Mountain, perhaps he does possess genuine skills."

"However... his ranking is indeed peculiar. Just having formed their core without battle achievements to support it, yet surpassing those of us who have established reputations, seems unreasonable."

On the right, a young man with a silver crown remained silent throughout, none other than Shen Qinghan, the genius disciple of Zhongzhou’s Iharmonious Sword Sanctuary, whose ranking had just dropped from seventh to eighth, precisely displaced by Chen Sheng.

"Saying more is of no use, I must see if this ’genius’ who climbed the ranks with a treasure order can withstand my Taiyi Splitting Light Sword."

The discussions below continued.

Some resurfaced the old tales of Chen Sheng cutting down Golden Core cultivators back when he was in the Foundation Establishment, defending him logically, while others grabbed the achievements of heavenly prides across states to refute, arguing with flushed faces.

No one noticed that three figures from the third floor had already transformed into streaks of light soaring into the sky, heading directly towards Qingzhou’s Pan Sword Sect.