Jiang Qingwan returned from the center of the Taixu Mirror Sea, walking across the water.
Silver-white ripples spread in circles beneath her feet, yet not a single drop of water stained her purple robes.
The people of the Tianyuan Sect had long since gathered at the end of the long bridge by the sea.
Su Qianqian was the first to hurry forward.
Her gaze swept rapidly over Jiang Qingwan, and only after confirming that her aura was steady did she truly let out a sigh of relief.
“You nearly scared me to death when you jumped in just now.”
Jiang Qingwan thought for a moment.
“I was ten out of ten certain.”
Su Qianqian fell silent for a moment.
“You really didn’t have to tell me that.”
Jin Buhuan had already circled Jiang Qingwan halfway, her gaze shifting repeatedly between the faint moon-mark lingering between Jiang Qingwan’s brows and the Purple Thunder Sword.
“Now this is more like it.”
She flicked open her folding fan, barely able to contain her smile.
“The Myriad Manifestations Champion, renowned across the Four Provinces.”
“Once we return to Xuan Province, I’m afraid the people coming to visit you will be lined up from the mountain gate all the way to the outer sect.”
At this point, Jin Buhuan’s tone grew more serious.
“If anyone wants to meet the Taixu Champion in the future, remember to let me arrange it.”
“I’ll charge you a little less.”
Xie Bugui added from the side, “She probably won’t agree.”
Jin Buhuan turned to him with a smile.
“Then I’ll charge you first.”
Xie Bugui considered this for a moment.
“I won’t agree either.”
“That’s all right.” Jin Buhuan snapped her folding fan shut. “A debt is still a debt.”
The surrounding disciples of the Tianyuan Sect burst into laughter.
That brief laughter dispelled some of the exhaustion left by the trial, and at last brought the breathtaking Moon-Seizing Ascension back down to earth, where everyone could share in it.
At the top of the final Taixu rankings was the name of a Tianyuan Sect disciple.
That honor was enough to make every one of them stand a little straighter.
Once the final rankings were established, representatives from various factions began arriving one after another to congratulate the Tianyuan Sect.
The Xuan Province sects who had come to witness the ceremony were naturally the most enthusiastic—one might even say obsequious.
Some factions that had originally treated the Tianyuan Sect with indifference now took the initiative to lower their stance.
With smiles on their faces, they praised the Tianyuan Sect for having successors worthy of its legacy. They praised Jiang Qingwan as the most dazzling prodigy of Xuan Province’s younger generation.
The sects from the other three provinces were more astonished than anything else, their curiosity plain to see.
Jiang Qingwan’s performance in the three trials could no longer be summed up by the words “exceptionally talented.”
In the first trial, when names were inscribed according to destiny, she surpassed countless other prodigies and ranked just below Tantai Jingyue.
In the second trial, the Hundred Cities Tide, she claimed first place on the merit rankings with the highest overall score in the Ninth City.
In the third trial, while everyone else was still pursuing the waning moon in the sky, she was the first to uncover the secret of the Mirror Sea, pass through the inverted heavens and earth, and seize the ultimate championship.
This was no stroke of luck.
Nor was it an upset in a single trial.
Across all three trials, she had proven herself again and again.
True Lord Huaiyin stood before the Tianyuan Sect’s seats, exchanging pleasantries with the various guests one by one.
Her expression remained composed enough, but the corners of her lips were pressed down several times without ever being fully subdued.
Whenever someone remarked that the Tianyuan Sect possessed unfathomable foundations, she would reply, “It’s merely that our disciple lived up to expectations.”
After saying so, she could not help glancing once more at the final rankings above the Mirror Sea.
The name looked pleasing no matter how many times she saw it.
Yet whenever her gaze happened to sweep toward the elevated platform of the Cangming Divine Palace, the smile in her eyes would fade slightly.
Jiang Qingwan’s victory was a source of glory for the Tianyuan Sect.
But for the Cangming Divine Palace... it meant far more than merely losing a single grand ceremony.
The high platform of the Cangming Divine Palace stood on the northern side of the Taixu Mirror Sea.
The High Priest, Cang Xuanzi, sat at the center.
Below him were nine jade seats arranged in order, symbolizing the authority of the Divine Palace’s nine halls.
Yet at this moment, three of the nine seats already stood empty.
The Life-Destiny Priest Zhu Changli, the Tide Priest Wu Tingchao, and the Punishment Priest Li Fuyuan, who had originally occupied those seats, had all departed before the final rankings were inscribed.
Those three vacant seats were impossible to miss.
Naturally, the guests from the four provinces could see them.
But at a moment like this, no one dared to discuss them openly.
Jiang Qingwan’s victory meant that, to the other sects, the Tianyuan Sect had risen like a dark horse, allowing Xuanzhou’s legacy to hold its head high at the Four Provinces Grand Ceremony.
To the Cangming Divine Palace, however, it was an ear-splitting crack in their facade.
The Divine Palace had spent years preparing for this Taixu Myriad Phenomena Ceremony.
Tantai Jingyue was supposed to establish her destiny through it and reveal the foundations of the Cangming Divine Palace to the four provinces.
That was to say, she was meant to display the absolute might of the so-called “divine proxy.”
She should have stood at the very top of the final rankings.
She should have made the young prodigies of Xuanzhou, Youzhou, and Yunzhou understand that the Divine Maiden of Cangzhou was untouchable.
She should also have made the countless believers of Cangzhou even more convinced after the ceremony that the one chosen by the Divine Palace would become the Hairuo of the future.
Yet in the end, the person standing at the highest point of the final rankings was Jiang Qingwan.
A disciple from an outside sect.
A Dao successor from the Tianyuan Sect of Xuanzhou.
While the Heir to Hai Ruo whom they had placed their hopes in had been forced into second place.
Without a doubt, this was a resounding slap across the divine authority of the Cangming Divine Palace.
Cang Xuanzi slowly rose to his feet.
His expression remained calm, giving no indication of what he truly felt.
The Ritual Priest, Shui Guanlan, stood behind him and reminded him in a low voice:
“High Priest, the award ceremony still needs to continue.”
The other priests also lowered their heads slightly.
They all understood that the more difficult the circumstances, the less the Cangming Divine Palace could afford to lose its composure.
If the Divine Palace could not even acknowledge the results of a grand ceremony it had hosted itself, the impact of Jiang Qingwan’s victory would only become even more unmanageable.
Cang Xuanzi nodded.
He stepped onto the water and walked toward the award platform at the center of the Mirror Sea.
“The three trials of the Taixu Myriad Phenomena Ceremony are complete.”
“With the final rankings decided, the champion shall receive the ceremony’s awards.”
His aged voice spread across the three guest islands and the floating platforms in every direction.
The arena gradually fell silent.
Everyone’s gaze settled on Jiang Qingwan.
Under the watchful eyes of the Tianyuan Sect, Jiang Qingwan stepped onto the award platform.
The platform had been formed from waterlight and moonlight, and the aura of the Taixu Mirror Sea still lingered across its surface.
Jiang Qingwan reached the center and gave Cang Xuanzi a slight nod.
The Cangming Divine Palace had prepared three rewards for the champion of the Taixu Myriad Phenomena Ceremony.
The first was a Taixu Token.
The token was deep blue throughout. A pattern of the Mirror Sea and moon was engraved on its front, while the back bore the ancient mark of a library.
The bearer of this token could enter the Canghai Repository of the Cangming Divine Palace once and read the highest-level cultivation arts, travel records, and ancient texts among the Divine Palace’s publicly accessible collection.
For any sect disciple, this was an exceedingly rare opportunity.
The Cangming Divine Palace possessed an ancient and far-reaching heritage. The Canghai Repository recorded a wealth of ancient history from the Eastern Sea, strange accounts of primordial water veins, and numerous cultivation texts that could be found nowhere else in the outside world.
The second was a piece of Canghai Mystic Crystal.
This crystal was born in the extreme depths of the Eastern Sea, where it had been tempered for countless years beneath the pressure of waters ten thousand zhang deep and refined by the essence of the water veins.
The blue light within the crystal flowed like a miniature sea sealed inside it.
It could be used to forge treasures, or to nourish and temper the soul.
Even a Nascent Soul Lord would be moved by such a treasure.
The third item was a scroll of the <i>Myriad Manifestations Dao Slip</i>.
The jade slip’s color was never fixed. At times it was transparent; at others, it took on a faint silvery-white hue.
Sealed within it was a strand of the Myriad Manifestations Dao Insight accumulated throughout the ages by the Grand Ceremonies of the Sea of the Void Mirror.
When a cultivator entered secluded meditation to comprehend the Dao, they could use it to briefly reflect upon their own Great Dao, aiding them in breaking through certain bottlenecks too profound to put into words.
When the three rewards were revealed, envy appeared in the eyes of many of the young prodigies.
Even disciples born into the most powerful factions had to admit that the Cangming Divine Palace had indeed prepared an exceptionally weighty reward for the champion.
The Master of Ceremonies, Shui Guanlan, personally brought the three rewards before Jiang Qingwan.
With a dignified smile on her face, she said warmly,
“Daoist Jiang’s victory is richly deserved.”
“May your path to the Great Dao shine brightly in the years to come.”
The words were beautifully chosen.
At the very least, before the guests from the Four Provinces, the Cangming Divine Palace had maintained the dignity expected of it.
Jiang Qingwan accepted the three rewards and bowed in thanks.
“Many thanks to the Divine Palace.”
On the other side of the award platform, Tantai Jingyue stood silently beneath the moonlight.
Her white robes were purer than snow, her eyes cold and clear.
She showed no unwillingness at placing second, nor did she reveal the slightest hostility upon seeing Jiang Qingwan receive her rewards.
Compared to the three vacant priestly jade seats atop the elevated platform, Tantai Jingyue herself appeared almost detached from it all, calm to the point of seeming like an outsider.
Standing among the Divine Palace disciples, Shui Lianyi gazed at Tantai Jingyue’s back, and the unease in her heart deepened.
She knew that this was not the outcome the higher-ups of the Divine Palace had wanted.
They had originally hoped for Tantai Jingyue to stand at the very top of the final rankings.
But Tantai Jingyue had not won.
She remained powerful.
She remained cold and aloof.
She remained impossible to fathom.
But she was not the “god” the Divine Palace wanted the world to see.
At least in this grand ceremony, she had been bested by Jiang Qingwan.
Shui Lianyi instinctively looked toward the three empty jade seats above the platform.
She suddenly realized that the three priests’ early departure might have been prompted by more than anger.
Perhaps there was fear as well.
After the awards ceremony ended, Cang Xuanzi once again announced that the Cangming Divine Palace would fulfill its duty as host by entertaining guests from all directions and celebrating the grand occasion together.
The cultivators from every faction could remain in Cangzhou for several days to rest before departing.
During this time, the Divine Palace would open some of its island secret realms and trading water markets, allowing everyone to visit and explore at their leisure.
The arrangements were gracious and thorough.
Even the expressions of those who had originally come intending to watch the Divine Palace make a fool of itself softened somewhat.
Whatever they might think in their hearts, at least on the surface, the Cangming Divine Palace had neither denied the final rankings nor lost the composure and bearing expected of a host.
……
Yet deep within the Divine Palace, where no one could see, true undercurrents had already begun to surge.
In a side hall by the sea,
the three priests who had departed early entered one after another.
The doors closed silently behind them.
Layer upon layer of deep-blue wards lit up simultaneously across the floor, walls, and dome, completely sealing away every sound and strand of divine sense.
The Life-Destiny Priest, Zhu Changli, wore a grim expression.
He presided over the ritual for establishing the Divine Maiden’s destiny.
This grand ceremony had originally been pushed forward by him alone.
He had laid out the path for Tantai Jingyue, intending to use the great momentum gathered by the convergence of prodigies from the Four Provinces to complete a true establishment of her destiny.
Yet Jiang Qingwan’s victory meant that the path he had paved for Tantai Jingyue had failed before everyone’s eyes.
Zhu Changli stood in the center of the hall, saying nothing for a long while.
The Tide Priest, Wu Tingchao, was the most hard-nosed of the three and was the first to break the silence.
“The Divine Maiden has lost her prestige.”
“An outer-sect disciple has taken first place.”
“If word of this spreads across the Four Provinces, the prestige our divine palace has built over the years will be diminished by at least two or three parts.”
The Punishment Priest, Li Fuyuan, did not speak at once.
He was calmer than the other two.
Even so, a chill weighed upon his brows.
Zhu Changli slowly raised his head.
“As for what happened today…”
“The divine palace cannot pretend that nothing happened.”
Wu Tingchao let out a cold laugh.
“What else can we do?”
“The final rankings have already been decided, and that old fool announced Jiang Qingwan as the winner in front of everyone.”
“If we change them now, the divine palace will only lose even more face.”
Zhu Changli’s voice was low.
“I’m not talking about the final rankings.”
The side hall fell silent.
Li Fuyuan finally raised his eyes to look at him.
Zhu Changli spoke one word at a time:
“I’m talking about… Jingyue.”
“She was supposed to establish her destiny through this grand ceremony.”
“But after three trials, although she proved herself powerful, she still failed to overwhelm that Jiang Qingwan.”
“If she truly possesses perfect compatibility with the Hairuo divine nature, the Mirror Sea would certainly have helped her.”
“After all, she will be the master of the Mirror Sea in the future.”
As those words fell, the air in the hall suddenly turned cold.
Wu Tingchao’s gaze darkened.
Li Fuyuan did not immediately refute him either.
There were certain things they had not dared to say before—and should not have said.
But Jiang Qingwan’s victory had forcibly placed the question the higher-ups of the divine palace had deliberately ignored before them all.
If Tantai Jingyue truly was the next perfect Hairuo—
why had she been defeated in the Mirror Sea by a disciple from an outer sect?
Could it be that…
the Mirror Sea did not acknowledge the next Hairuo?
Once the grand ceremony’s results were revealed, this question would certainly arise among the upper echelons of the divine palace.
Yet no one would dare voice it openly.
For that would be an absolute affront to the majesty of the current Hairuo, a grave offense amounting to blasphemy against the divine.
Outside the side hall, waves crashed against the shore.
The sound was blocked by the wards, leaving behind only the faintest muffled rumble.
Li Fuyuan let out a soft sigh.
“For now, the most important thing is to first sound out Lord Hai Ruo’s attitude…”
Zhu Changli looked toward the distant hall doors, shrouded behind the wards.
After a long while, he spoke slowly:
“What if Lord Hai Ruo remains silent?”
No one answered.
The side hall sank into silence.
And the undercurrent within the Cangming Divine Palace had only just begun.
