A clear sound of waves,
passed through the silver-white firmament, through the inverted mirror, and through the entirety of the Grand Void Mirror Sea.
Upon the mirror’s surface, all the prodigies still lingering on the Endless Moon Steps simultaneously looked up.
Their hearing had only just returned. The sounds of the sea breeze, rustling robes, and the collapse of the Moon Steps remained hazy, but this surge of waves was incomparably clear.
It came from far away, drawing nearer.
As if a true ocean were slowly awakening on the other side of the mirror.
Wherever the sound spread, the silver-white Moon Steps beneath everyone’s feet began to tremble, inch by inch.
Countless concentric ripples spread across the surface of the Grand Void Mirror Sea.
The fragments of the phantom moon that had fallen from the firmament earlier suddenly halted in midair. Then, one after another, they transformed into fine streams of moonlight and flowed down into the mirror sea.
On the four floating islands and the three reception islands, every spectator heard the sound of the waves as well.
Countless people instinctively turned their gazes toward the center of the mirror sea.
The Divine Palace priests who had been seated calmly on the elevated platform rose one after another.
High Priest Cang Xuanzi tightened his grip on the staff in his hand. For the first time, his aged eyes revealed unmistakable ripples of emotion.
They could all clearly sense it—
This sound of waves was not an illusion originally arranged as part of the “Pluck the Moon and Ascend to Heaven” trial.
It seemed more as though the Grand Void Mirror Sea itself were responding to someone.
A Divine Palace priest asked in a low voice, “High Priest, what happened?”
Cang Xuanzi gazed at the silver-white ripples continuously spreading across the center of the mirror sea. After remaining silent for a long while, he finally let out a soft sigh.
“The mirror sea is sending someone out.”
And what was more, it was the first person to truly emerge from the Realm of Mirror Moon.
…
At the center of the Grand Void Mirror Sea.
The perfect reflection of the full moon, which had remained submerged in the water, suddenly split apart.
Moonlight spread slowly to either side from the surface of the sea, forming a gate.
A violet figure rose from the depths of the silver-white radiance.
Jiang Qingwan stepped onto the water.
Not a single drop of seawater touched her violet robes.
Her long hair and flowing sleeves stirred gently in the sea mist of the Mirror Sea. The three moon marks between her brows had vanished, leaving behind only a faint silver-white crescent.
The violet thunder sword, covered in deep-blue water patterns, hovered quietly at her side.
The sound of the tide within the sword also returned with her to the surface of the mirror, gradually falling silent.
The entire Mirror Sea descended into a brief stillness.
Countless gazes fell upon Jiang Qingwan at once.
When she had leapt from the ten-thousand-zhang Moon Stairway earlier, many had assumed that she could not withstand the deprivation of her five senses and had lost her way.
Some had even believed that she had voluntarily abandoned the final trial.
Yet now, the prodigies still on the Moon Stairway had not found the true moon.
Jiang Qingwan, meanwhile, had already returned from the depths of the Grand Void Mirror Sea.
This meant that she had not fallen.
She had truly found the path leading to the true moon.
And it also meant—
She was the first person to complete “Plucking the Moon and Ascending Heaven.”
Below, Shui Hua practically leapt into the air the instant she saw the violet figure.
“Elder Sister Jiang!”
“First place!”
She waved the battered flag in her hand, her eyes curving into delighted crescents.
The flag’s edges had long since curled from being battered by the sea wind.
Old Jiang stood beside her, gazing up at the violet-robed woman in the center of the Mirror Sea. After a long while, he finally smacked his lips.
“Remarkable.”
“Truly remarkable…”
After a brief silence, the Reception Island where the Tianyuan Sect was stationed suddenly erupted in cheers.
The ninety-nine disciples rose to their feet one after another.
Some had been stopped at the first trial.
Some had failed to pass the Hundred Cities Tide.
Others had never even earned the right to participate in the final trial.
But at that moment, they all stood at the edge of the island, gazing at the purple figure who had been the first to return from the Grand Void Mirror Sea.
Ever since the Tianyuan Sect had arrived in Cangzhou aboard their flying vessel, they had been the subject of no small amount of curious attention.
There had been no grand procession, no imposing display.
No one had expected them to truly make it all the way to the front of every other faction.
…
Not long after Jiang Qingwan returned, ripples spread across the Grand Void Mirror Sea once more.
A second beam of moonlight broke through the surface.
Tantai Jingyue stepped barefoot out of the water.
Her white dress fluttered gently in the moonlight, her long hair as dark as ink, her expression as cool and composed as ever.
The disciples of the Cangming Divine Palace soon erupted in cheers.
Their goddess had returned, having likewise completed the Realm of the True Moon.
Yet those cheers had still come a step later than those of the Tianyuan Sect.
Tantai Jingyue lifted her eyes and looked toward Jiang Qingwan, who was already standing at the center of the Mirror Sea.
Jiang Qingwan looked back at her as well.
The two gazed at each other from afar.
Neither said a word.
But in the final step, Jiang Qingwan had ultimately been faster than her.
After that, ripples continued to spread across the Mirror Sea one after another.
Chu Tianque, Lu Changsheng, and the other prodigies also returned in succession.
Some had awakened after the Phantom Moon shattered, then turned around and leaped into the Mirror Sea.
Others still failed to take that true step by the time the endless lunar steps completely collapsed, and could only be sent out by the trial itself.
When Xie Bugui returned, the usual languidness was gone from his expression.
He landed on the surface of the water and lowered his head to look at his long sword. He remained silent for a long while.
It seemed he had seen something in the Realm of True Moon.
He told no one. He simply walked off to the side and sat down alone.
And with that—
“Pluck the Moon and Ascend to Heaven” officially came to an end.
…
While cheers rang out below, the atmosphere on the elevated platform was oppressively tense.
Several Divine Palace priests dressed in deep-blue ceremonial robes stared at Jiang Qingwan, who had been the first to return. None of them looked pleased.
In name, this year’s Grand Taixu Myriad Phenomena Ceremony had gathered the young talents of the four provinces.
But the Cangming Divine Palace had spent many years preparing for it.
Especially for Tantai Jingyue.
She was the prospective Hai Ruo whom the Divine Palace had selected long ago.
The destiny in the first trial.
The identity in the second.
And even the third trial, “Pluck the Moon and Ascend to Heaven,” which was highly compatible with the Way of Water and Moon—all of these were closely connected to her own path.
This grand ceremony had been prepared as a rite to establish her destiny.
So long as Tantai Jingyue claimed the final championship in all three trials, she would be able to draw upon the fortune of the four provinces gathered by the Myriad Phenomena Ceremony and completely stabilize her destiny.
Once the current Hai Ruo reached the end of the road, she could naturally and properly take over that position.
But now—
The first person to emerge from “Pluck the Moon and Ascend to Heaven” was Jiang Qingwan.
A disciple from an outer sect in Xuanzhou.
And she had even stepped on the Cangming Divine Palace’s next Hai Ruo to seize the final championship.
This was no different from giving the Cangming Divine Palace a vicious slap in the face before cultivators from all four provinces.
One of the priests spoke in a deep voice:
“High Priest, the final result has yet to be fully revealed.”
“Plucking the Moon and Ascending Heaven is not judged solely by who returns first. One must also consider the moon imprint, the state of one’s heart, and what one ultimately gains.”
“To declare Jiang Qingwan the victor simply because she returned first would be far too hasty.”
Another priest immediately followed up:
“Goddess Jingyue is naturally attuned to the Grand Void Mirror Sea.”
“What she gained in the Realm of the True Moon may not be inferior to Jiang Qingwan’s.”
“This matter concerns the goddess’s destiny and cannot be decided lightly.”
Someone nearby lowered his voice:
“This matter is of the utmost importance. Why don’t we postpone announcing the rankings?”
“Once we have paid our respects to Hai Ruo, we can make a final decision.”
Another priest could not help but speak up:
“High Priest, in all previous grand ceremonies, there has always been a direct confrontation.”
“This time, however, we have only had some muddled nonsense, without a true arena battle. It is hardly proper.”
“In my opinion, we should add a fourth trial.”
“Let Jiang Qingwan and the goddess face each other directly, and then determine the champion.”
The atmosphere atop the elevated platform grew increasingly heavy.
Cang Xuanzi remained silent.
He merely gazed at the Grand Void Mirror Sea, which was gradually returning to calm.
The final rankings had never been determined by the Divine Palace.
No matter how many years they had spent preparing for this grand ceremony.
And no matter whom they had originally hoped would become the champion.
The one that truly passed judgment had always been the Grand Void Mirror Sea.
…
Above the surface of the sea, moonlight began to gather once more.
A colossal silver-white final ranking slowly emerged, far larger than the ones from the first two trials.
The final ranking stretched across the Mirror Sea.
For the moment, it bore no names.
Only countless fine moon-patterns continued to intertwine, calculating every merit, choice, and evaluation from the three trials.
The priests on the elevated platform fell silent at the same time.
Everyone was waiting for the final result.
The moon-patterns cycled round after round.
The light at the very top wavered several times.
A strand of moon-white light.
A strand of purple-gold light.
The two lights of destiny intertwined, seemingly still vying for the final position.
But moments later, the purple light gradually overwhelmed the moon-white.
It settled firmly at the top of the final rankings.
One priest with a notoriously violent temper could no longer maintain his composure.
“Absurd!”
He rose abruptly to his feet.
His broad priestly robes billowed in the tidal wind.
“The Divine Palace has gathered the greatest prodigies from the four provinces and opened the Mirror Sea of the Grand Void with the divine power of Hai Ruo.”
“And in the end, we’re actually going to make a wedding dress for a disciple from an outside sect?”
“I’m furious!”
After saying this, he turned and left the elevated platform without another word.
The other two priests wore equally grim expressions.
One of them glanced at Tantai Jingyue, let out a long sigh, then looked toward the purple light of destiny that continued to gather atop the final rankings. In the end, he flicked his sleeve and departed.
Before leaving, the third priest stopped beside Cang Xuanzi.
“High Priest.”
“You’d better think this through carefully.”
“Once the champion of today’s rankings is announced, what Goddess Jingyue will lose will be more than just first place in a trial.”
“She will also lose the momentum the Divine Palace has spent years building for her.”
Cang Xuanzi did not turn around.
He merely said淡淡ly, “The ceremony has begun. The final rankings shall decide the outcome.”
The priest’s expression darkened. In the end, he too turned and left.
The three priests withdrew one after another.
Only Cang Xuanzi and a handful of Divine Palace elders who were still willing to wait for the final rankings remained on the high platform.
Cang Xuanzi wore an expressionless face and did not stop them.
If the Cangming Divine Palace could not even abide by the rules it had established itself,
then this grand ceremony, which had drawn the eyes of the four provinces, would truly become a laughingstock.
…
At the top of the final rankings,
the fate-light of the first trial appeared first.
[First Trial: Inscribing Fate in the Mirror Sea.]
[Tantai Jingyue—First.]
[Jiang Qingwan—Second.]
Immediately afterward, the achievements from the second trial, “One Tide Across a Hundred Cities,” appeared as well.
[Second Trial: One Tide Across a Hundred Cities.]
[Jiang Qingwan—First.]
[Tantai Jingyue—Second.]
The overall fate-lights of the two once again intertwined.
For a time, the moon-white and violet radiance were evenly matched.
At last,
the moon-glow representing the third trial slowly rose from the depths of the Grand Void Mirror Sea.
[Third Trial: Plucking the Moon to Ascend Heaven.]
[Jiang Qingwan was the first to see through the Phantom Moon.]
[The first to enter the True Moon Realm.]
[The first to emerge from the Endless Moon Stairway.]
[Final Assessment: Illuminate the Heart, Behold the Self.]
The violet fate-light suddenly blazed brighter,
completely overwhelming the moon-white radiance as it rose to the very top of the final rankings.
Jiang Qingwan’s name slowly emerged.
Tantai Jingyue’s name appeared beneath hers.
After them came Chu Tianque, Lu Changsheng, and the other prodigies who had completed the final trial.
The complete evaluations for all three trials were finalized at this very moment.
Moonlight from the heavens converged into a silver-white divine inscription stretching across the Mirror Sea.
[First Place in the Final Rankings of the Grand Ceremony of the Myriad Manifestations of the Grand Void—]
[Tianyuan Sect, Jiang Qingwan.]
This time, there was no possibility of any further change.
Cang Xuanzi stood atop the high platform, silent for a long while.
His gaze first settled on Tantai Jingyue.
The woman in white stood beside the Mirror Sea, her expression as calm as ever.
There was no anger, no unwillingness to accept the result.
It was as though, no matter who claimed the top spot in the end, it had little to do with her.
Cang Xuanzi then turned his gaze toward Jiang Qingwan.
The woman in purple stood at the center of the Mirror Sea.
The Purple Thunder Sword hung quietly at her side.
Under the gaze of the towering final rankings and the cultivators from the four provinces, her expression remained unchanged.
Cang Xuanzi let out a soft sigh.
The final rankings had been decided.
No one could deny them.
He took a step forward and brought his divine staff heavily down upon the platform.
A deep, solemn voice instantly resounded across the entire sea.
“The three trials of this year’s Grand Ceremony of the Void’s Myriad Phenomena have all concluded.”
“According to the verdict of the Tai Xu Mirror Sea’s final rankings—”
All cheers and discussion fell silent at once.
Cang Xuanzi raised his eyes.
“The champion is—”
“Jiang Qingwan of the Tianyuan Sect!”
The moment his words fell, the guest island where the Tianyuan Sect was stationed erupted into complete celebration.
Su Qianqian stood at the very front of the crowd.
She gazed at the name displayed at the very top of the final rankings, the corners of her lips slowly curving upward.
From the moment Jiang Qingwan had leaped down the ten-thousand-zhang Moon Steps, her heart had remained suspended in anxiety.
Only now did all her worries finally transform into a long, relieved breath.
“You really did call it.”
“The top spot.”
Standing beside her, Jin Buhuan repeatedly slapped his folding fan against his palm, laughing so hard that he had completely forgotten his usual composure.
“Hahahaha!”
Xie Bugui looked up at Jiang Qingwan’s name high above on the final rankings. After a moment of silence, he suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter.
“You old coot.”
“You really did take on a fine disciple.”
With that, he fell backward and lay down on the ground.
As though he could finally sleep in peace.
The other disciples of the Tianyuan Sect could no longer hold back their emotions.
Cheers rose in wave after wave.
Perhaps not everyone would remember their names just yet.
But now, one of them had already surpassed the prodigies of the Four Provinces, claiming the highest place on the final rankings of the Grand Void Myriad Phenomena.
Above the Mirror Sea.
Jiang Qingwan looked up at her own name.
Silver moonlight fell into her violet eyes.
At last, the corners of her lips curved into a faint smile.
