Immortal of the Nine Realms

Those cultivators wearing bronze jade tokens were all members of Yu Tiange’s small alliance. Their quick arrival meant they’d been nearby, most likely coordinating with Yu Tiange to explore the area together.

Now, surrounded by seven or eight Tribulation Realm cultivators—each bearing bronze jade tokens—the Ascension Realm cultivator tensed up.

It wasn’t that he was scared by a bunch of Tribulation Realm opponents. With his cultivation, he could crush them purely through realm suppression. But every one of these cultivators had a bronze jade token, and that was the key. Each came from an extraordinary background. Offending one was fine, but offending a whole bunch of them at once definitely wasn’t. Even he didn’t feel entirely confident.

“They’re all bronze jade token geniuses... and with that silver-token holder among them, together they might even stand against an Ascension Realm cultivator.”

“I’d say he should just admit fault, say it was a misunderstanding and call it a day.”

“Mm, a little pride isn’t worth much here.”

Whispers rippled among the nearby onlookers.

Hearing this, the Ascension Realm cultivator’s expression darkened.

Admit fault? They want him, an Ascension Realm senior, to apologize to a bunch of juniors?

He, too, was an external cultivator of the Enlightenment God Palace. Years ago, he had missed qualifying for a bronze jade token by only a hair. He’d been cultivating steadily since, venturing into Qingming several times. With enough achievements, he could exchange them for a first-transformation immortal herb and become a true immortal.

How could he be inferior to these so-called juniors?

Yu Tiange smiled faintly as he watched the man, whose expression was a storm of shifting emotions. He already knew he had him cornered.

After several breaths, the Ascension Realm cultivator waved a hand. “Forget it... Just a misunderstanding. I’m Chen Mingxiong, from Expedition Star No. 234. And you are?”

“Yu Tiange, Expedition Star No. 431.”

“This is Fang Chen, Expedition Star No. 432,” Yu Tiange replied calmly.

Chen Mingxiong gave the two of them a meaningful glance, then nodded slightly. “Until next time.”

He quickly left with his team, clearly embarrassed to linger any longer.

“Daoist Fang,” Yu Tiange said, “I don’t think that man will let this go easily. Would you like to travel with us?”

Before Fang Chen could answer, Little Immortal Honglian spoke first. “Daoist Fang and I plan to explore on our own.”

“Oh...”

Yu Tiange seemed to understand something, smiling knowingly.

Then his gaze shifted to the exposed spirit stone vein nearby. “Everyone, we didn’t interfere in your personal conflict earlier, but as for this vein...”

A bystanding Ascension cultivator stepped forward. “We shall split it evenly.”

“Exactly,” Yu Tiange said. “Let’s mine it now. The longer we wait, the more people will show up, and the less each of us will get. What do you all think?”

The crowd quickly agreed.

“Split it evenly!”

Once a vein was claimed, anyone who came later could only watch helplessly—that was the rule of the Enlightenment God Palace. In smaller places, someone might still try to rob it, but here, with hundreds of the palace’s core disciples gathered in the Formless Purgatory, no one would dare openly break the rules.

Fang Chen and Little Immortal Honglian helped excavate as well, each taking a share.

“This piece of top-grade spirit stone should yield at least eight hundred pieces once polished. Not a bad haul at all,” Lin Yuan said in delight.

Even after handing in seventy percent, he’d still keep over two hundred pieces, an enormous fortune for a cultivator not yet an immortal. It was more than enough to fuel years of cultivation.

Just as they divided the vein evenly, Chen Mingxiong returned. This time, he was not alone. Dozens of figures followed him, several wearing bronze jade tokens, and even two bearing silver jade tokens. All of them surrounded a single cultivator in their center, a Tribulation Realm expert at the grand completion stage.

At his waist hung a jade token that shimmered with golden light.

Yu Tiange and the rest were astounded.

“A golden jade token!? What kind of monster is that!?” shrieked Lin Yuan, drawing a sharp breath as he glanced at Fang Chen and the rest.

“He’s probably from the previous generation, or the one before that,” Meng Qingling said gravely.

“How could there be a golden jade token? Someone like that... isn’t he already a core disciple?”

“Anyone heard of him? Who is he?”

“I... I think it’s Nanming Shaoze, from Expedition Star No. 87.”

“It’s him?! Yes, it must be! He’s the only one in recent years to earn a golden jade token. I heard he’s already been preselected as a core disciple. Once he reaches the Ascension Realm, he’ll immediately receive an immortal herb!”

“Daoist Shaoze, that’s him,” Chen Mingxiong said, bowing respectfully and pointing toward Yu Tiange.

Nanming Shaoze looked at Yu Tiange, his eyes briefly scanning the silver jade token on Yu’s waist. A faint trace of disdain flickered in his gaze, one that he didn’t bother hiding.

Yu Tiange clearly saw that disdain. A surge of anger rose in his chest.

If such contempt had come from anyone else, he might have ignored it, but from this man?

“So it was you,” Nanming Shaoze said with a smile. “When Chen Daoist mentioned it, I didn’t expect he meant you, Yu Tiange.”

Chen Mingxiong froze.

The crowd broke into murmurs.

The two of them knew each other?

“I didn’t expect to see you here either, Daoist Shaoze,” Yu Tiange replied, suppressing his anger. “What, have you come to defend this Ascension Realm cultivator?”

“Not to defend him,” Nanming Shaoze said lightly. “I simply heard that someone’s been using their jade token to humiliate others. I wondered who’d do such a thing. After all, in our world, what truly matters is the size of one’s fist. If a token can be used to humiliate others... then tell me, Yu Tiange, with this golden token of mine, can I humiliate you?”

He held up the golden jade token and smiled faintly.

Yu Tiange’s face twitched slightly.

The bronze jade token holders beside him exchanged uneasy looks, their expressions tense. The situation had clearly turned bad.

The man had left and returned with a golden jade token prodigy to back them up. Who would dare act rashly now? They couldn’t risk offending a man like that. Once he became a core disciple, one word from him would be enough to drown them in all sorts of trouble.

“Say it, what do you want?” Yu Tiange said slowly.

Nanming Shaoze ignored him and turned his eyes to Fang Chen and the others. “This matter originally involved all of you, but now I’ll allow you to leave. Don’t concern yourselves with what happens between me and Yu Tiange. Rare chances like this... it’s best to seize them while you can.”

Yu Wuxia and the others exchanged glances, their eyes turning to Fang Chen.

Then Nanming Shaoze looked at the bronze-token cultivators near Yu Tiange. “You all may go as well.”

“This...”

They hesitated, exchanged looks, and finally gave wry smiles.

Bowing to Yu Tiange, they turned and left, though not too far.

Nanming Shaoze’s lips curled upward. Seeing Yu Tiange’s expression darken further, his smile grew ever brighter—until... he noticed Fang Chen.

He frowned. “You’re not leaving?”

“You all go ahead,” Fang Chen sent through a quiet transmission to Little Immortal Honglian and the others.

“Captain, you just advanced.... Your cultivation is not stable yet.”

“...We understand. Take care, Captain.”

The group retreated, but, like the others, didn’t go far.

“Daoist Fang, you don’t need to stay,” Yu Tiange said. “You just broke through to the late stage of the Tribulation Realm. You need time to stabilize your foundations.”

Though he urged Fang Chen to leave, his expression clearly softened. In his eyes flickered a trace of gratitude.

He was thankful for the gesture. If everyone had left his side, he would’ve completely lost face in front of Nanming Shaoze.