A huge thanks to Katy for the Kofis. Enjoy the bonus chapters!

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

“The selection for this Tongtian expedition will take the form of a tournament. I hope everyone remembers this: to gain the approval of Lord of the Heavens, character comes before martial prowess. You are here to compete for admission qualifications; both strength and character are equally important. Winning a match does not guarantee you a spot…”

Song Juming stood on the stage speaking, his voice resonating throughout the entire Sword Sect Peak, ensuring every cultivator present could hear him.

But his words naturally sparked some skepticism—

“If might makes right, why bother with character… Does good character help me find the Dao?”

“Isn’t the Sword Sect being a bit too righteous? If that’s the case, does that mean cultivators who were once disciples of the Demon Sect have no hope of being selected?”

“That’s not quite right—isn’t the Supreme Patriarch of the Demon Sect still here at Sword Sect Peak? It’s entirely possible that the Sword Sect might favor those former Demon Sect disciples this time around.”

“Did the Sword Sect set these rules themselves, or were they established by the Lord of the Heavens?”

“Why Lord of the Heavens? Wasn’t it said that the one determining eligibility is Qin Zhou, the Savior?”

Song Juming’s expression remained unchanged as he continued, “Those who harbor doubts about these rules are free to leave the Sword Sect’s peak. During the Grand Gathering of the Heavens, the Sword Sect will show no leniency toward anyone who causes trouble within its grounds!”

As soon as he spoke, the crowd fell silent, though behind his back, they continued to grumble about the rules.

“To ensure the smooth running of this grand gathering, the Sword Sect has also invited many elders from Zhutian to preside over the event. Naturally, these elders will also serve as judges to determine whether you qualify for the Path of Enlightenment in the Tongtian Secret Realm.”

Song Juming pulled out a small slip of paper and read the names one by one—

“First, the former Grand Elder of the Demon Sect and current Guest Grand Elder of the Sword Sect. Known throughout the Zhutian Zhutian Realm as the ‘Number One on the Ascension Rankings’… Senior Wen Jue.”

The cultivators, who had been complaining about the unfairness, froze in shock.

Who?

Who did you say the Sword Sect invited?

Hey, hey, hey! The Good and Evil factions may be united now, but that’s Wen Jue! The Demon Lord Wen Jue!

However, ever since the Demon Sect disbanded, it’s been extremely rare to see Wen Jue appear in any public setting… and now, the Sword Sect has actually managed to invite him.

The fearless Demon Lord is actually here to serve as a judge…

The Sword Sect doesn’t have that much clout; perhaps it’s due to the connections of Zhutian…

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Wen Jue flew onto the stage and leisurely made his way to the VIP seats by the arena.

Clearly, he wasn’t the least bit nervous.

“That’s Wen Jue…” No matter what, when people saw Wen Jue, they were still utterly captivated by his face.

“He’s… just too handsome.”

Someone muttered under their breath.

But while they marveled, no one dared to harbor even a hint of impure thoughts. In fact, most looked away after just a single glance.

Good-looking or not, you’d better still be alive to look.

Though Wen Jue had been in seclusion for a thousand years, his name was still renowned far and wide.

“Why can’t I see him…” Ji Hicheng stood among the Sword Sect disciples, gazing longingly. He couldn’t see Wen Jue’s face, only his white robe.

He didn’t dare look any longer. Instead, he quietly whispered to his companion nearby, “Garlic Head, that’s Wen Jue. According to the Sword Sect’s ancient texts, before he became a demon lord, Wen Jue was the senior disciple of the Cangyun Sword Immortal—a figure who left an indelible impression on an entire generation. Later, after the Spirit Realm revived, the Sword Sect even issued a special statement confirming that Senior Wen had only become a demon lord for the sake of Zhutian. However, the label of ‘Demon Lord’ has taken deep root in people’s minds, and there are still many misunderstandings about him.”

“I’ve heard of him too. He’s actually someone who made it onto the Tongtian Rankings.” ‘Garlic Head’ from the Wuji Sect nodded, “But I can’t seem to see what he looks like…”

“Me neither. Maybe the elder is using some sort of illusion.”

The two exchanged a few quiet words, then fell silent again to continue watching the grand event. Up above, Song Juming continued reading ——“Ladies and gentlemen, the Grand Elder of Cangyun Sword Sect, the Cangyun Sword Immortal.”

A sword shot straight out, piercing through the clouds before finally landing on the judges’ platform. By the time they looked up, the figure as straight as a sword was already seated beside Wen Jue. At the very least, the sight of the two sitting together was something the cultivators of Zhutian dared not even imagine.

“The third is the Ancestor of the Haoqi Sect, the Forging Ancestor.”

As soon as the words fell, the disciples of the Haoqi Sect, their eyes shining with admiration, surrounded the tallest and most imposing figure as he took the stage. Their Patriarch was also a judge!

Lu San arrived at the judges’ table and sat down in a chair that felt slightly cramped for him. 

Though he was clearly a large man, his posture was remarkably demure—his hands resting on his lap, his head bowed quietly. 

Wen Jue and Lu Er thought silently—‌this kind of scene was still too crowded for the Third Brother.

“Fourth, the Supreme Patriarch of the Wuji Sect.”‌

A name that might sound unfamiliar to many cultivators. But when the Fourth Brother took the stage, no one raised any objections. As a Great Perfection-stage powerhouse, it was only fitting that he be given a seat. The disciples of the Wuji Sect all had their eyes shining. After thousands of years of obscurity, their sect was finally about to re-enter the spotlight of the cultivation world!

Garlic Head rubbed his head and nudged his partner, Ji Hecheng: “Chicken, that’s our Wuji Sect’s Supreme Patriarch!”

Ji Hecheng nodded, “Has your sect seen him in all this time?”

“No, Master and the others said the Supreme Patriarch’s whereabouts are unpredictable. I didn’t expect him to be here either.”

As the two chatted, Song Juming continued reading the names on stage.‌

Fifth: Xinglin Danxian.‌

Sixth: The Patriarch of the Fanhua Sect.‌

Seventh: The former Supreme Patriarch of the Demon Sect,

‌Eighth,

…the ninth…

All the way up to the twentieth.

A grand gathering of the highest order—the Sword Sect had invited twenty elders at the Fusion Realm and above to serve as judges. With such a lineup revealed, all doubts in the venue had long since vanished.

“The final one: the Lord of the Heavens.”

The crowd held their breath, looking around in anticipation. 

The Lord of the Heavens

The the Lord of the Heavens they had been waiting for!

On the opposite side of the arena, separated by the stage, a figure slowly rose into view.

The entire venue fell deathly silent—

What? He’s still wearing a mask!!!

Seeing this, Wen Jue whistled. Like an unrestrained madman, he whistled at the legendary figure in the midst of such a grand and solemn occasion, seeking to draw attention.

Everyone looked up and, for the first time, saw a warm smile on the face of the “Demon Lord” Wen Jue.

And “Zhutian” seemed genuinely drawn by the whistle, turning his head in that direction.

The moment he saw Wen Jue, a resigned curve seemed to form at the corner of his mouth, then, with steady steps, he slowly made his way toward the last seat at the judges’ table.

‌‌The atmosphere and their exchanged glances confirmed everyone’s initial suspicions.

The two clearly knew each other. Not just knew, but were quite close.

For a moment, many began to quietly speculate about the identity behind the mask.

But no one dared to ask.

Because of Qin Zhou’s cultivation level, they couldn’t fathom it either.

It was precisely this inability to fathom him that served as further proof of his status as a Zhutian.

“With that, all the elders are present. The recruitment trials for the Ascension Team shall now officially begin,” said Song Juming.

The cultivators’ hearts were filled with excitement; they were eager to prove themselves!

The Tongtian Secret Realm! 

They’re here!

The trials in the Tongtian Secret Realm will ultimately determine ten teams.

One hundred people is the maximum number Qin Zhou can bring to the Tongtian Arena.

However, the maximum number of teams that can be matched is 1,320. Of course, not every one of the 132 worlds will have ten teams.

Although the World Tree has begun to sprout in every world, it is impossible for every world to overcome all its hardships at once.

The revival of the spirit is a process.

In this first Tongtian Arena, the victor will undoubtedly be Zhutian—that much is a foregone conclusion.

This grand event serves as the inaugural public unveiling of the Tongtian Arena trials.

In the future—perhaps much later—the Tongtian Arena will no longer be limited to villagers from small mountain villages.

It will be open to the entire multiverse.

That is Qin Zhou’s vision.

“Shen Zhaozhao of the Blossoming Flower Sect, I seek your guidance.”

“Wuning Daoren of the Alliance of Independent Cultivators, I humbly request your guidance, Fellow Daoist Shen.”

Seated at the banquet, Qin Zhou watched the spirited young cultivators on the stage; to him, many of their faces were unfamiliar. Some were older, some younger; some were male cultivators, some female—but all their faces radiated youthful vigor.

Just like a world where spiritual energy is reawakening, full of vitality.

Youth: A strong youth means a strong nation. 

This saying holds just as much truth in the Zhutian Realm.

This is likely the scene the Divine One wished to see.

【Congratulations, Host. The Zhutian Realm’s Civilization Level has reached Tier 3】

The sudden notification startled Qin Zhou.

Civilization Level.

This is a concept from the Book of Civilization Progress.

In the Book of Civilizational Progress, every world is assigned a civilization level. Qin Zhou had originally assumed that the civilization level would be linked to “power level,” but clearly, that was not the case.

Over the past thousand years, the civilization level had risen only once—when, on a whim, he founded the Zhutian Academy and decided to devote his spare time to teaching and nurturing students.

Escaping the primitive and ushering in civilization.

Qin Zhou understood that the current Zhutian Realm was still part of the Game Universe. It remained within the framework of a game.

The Zhutian Realm still had a long way to go before it could become an independent, civilized world.

Perhaps one day, Zhutian will also have the rule of law and equality.

All that is archaic will eventually be discarded.

It is even possible that technology will become a part of the future Zhutian.

Although he knew that would take a very, very long time.

But that should be the meaning of civilizational progress.

Qin Zhou clasped his hands together and watched intently as the two young men fought on the stage.

Although he didn’t know how long it would take for the modern civilization and the cultivation world to adapt to each other, Qin Zhou found himself looking forward to such a future just a little bit.

Suddenly, he spoke up: “ Wen Jue.”

Wen Jue, bored enough to fidget with his fingers: ?

“You called me?”

“If you have time, come back to the outer worlds with me.”

Wen Jue froze for a moment, then hesitated, “Why do you suddenly want to go back and take a look?”

“I want to take you back to see it,” Qin Zhou asked him. “Don’t you want to?”

Let Lu Yi get a glimpse of the interdimensional civilization; maybe it’ll spark some chemistry early on.

Wen Jue: “!”

“Why do you suddenly want to go back?”

“To go back and learn.”

Wen Jue: ?

Qin Zhou smiled.

To learn how to develop a world?

After all, aside from their power, Zhutian currently has nothing else.

At this moment, among the myriad realms under the God’s gaze, the Zhutian Realm also radiated its own unique brilliance.

That once dim starlight had, at some point, grown increasingly bright.

The God gently tapped that star. 

Just like Qin Zhou, the God also looked forward to it becoming the brightest star in the sky.