Chapter 1008: Abyssal Rift! Netherrealm Dungeon!
In the lower realm, Level 200 is both an end and a new beginning.
Because reaching Level 200 grants a chance to ascend to the upper realm.
Most Professionals outside the Holy Continent may never know that once you reach Level 200, you can go to the Abyssal Rift and enter the Netherrealm Dungeon.
Clearing the Netherrealm Dungeon opens the path to the upper realm.
This is the most traditional method of ascension.
As for the untraditional method...
That's when emissaries from the upper realm descend to select exceptionally talented young prodigies to bring back.
But emissaries don't come on a fixed schedule.
Sometimes every five years, sometimes every ten-plus.
Of course...
At the most frequent, they've come once a year.
It's been three years since the last emissary arrived.
And there's still no sign of the next one.
So in the absence of emissaries, Level 200 Professionals can ascend on their own by clearing the Netherrealm Dungeon at the Abyssal Rift.
The catch: you must actually clear the dungeon.
Fail, and you die there.
It's like the tribulation ascension from cultivation novels.
Succeed, and you ascend.
Fail, and you perish in the Netherrealm.
There were already a few Level 200 Professionals now.
Azure Dragon Meng Zhang had reached Level 200.
Bi Fang Taiyin had also reached Level 200.
The divine beast patriarchs of the Dragon Kingdom had all reached Level 200.
Plus several veteran powerhouses.
So why haven't they ascended?
Simple reason.
They had too many attachments here.
Like Azure Dragon Meng Zhang...
His daughter Meng Shuang was still in her teens, not yet an adult, and hadn't reached Level 200.
These top-tier powerhouses were all deeply tied down.
Family, friends, siblings...
Or perhaps their duty to their kingdoms.
After all, until recently, the Abyssal threat hadn't been eliminated. The demonic plague still raged across the lower realm.
If these powerhouses all ascended, the allied legions would be left with no strength to resist the Abyss.
So for all these reasons, they hadn't ascended.
But now that the Abyss has been handled.
The remaining three forbidden zones pose far less threat.
The only exception: the Dread Mountain Range.
That forbidden zone remained shrouded in mystery, but its monsters were definitely weaker than the Abyss.
These top powerhouses had explored it before, but found nothing noteworthy.
Even the monsters hid away when they entered, not daring to show themselves.
Maybe to avoid provoking them.
But more likely, those monsters just weren't strong.
The zone's fog mechanics simply made it feel more intimidating than it was.
If the allied legions launched a proper campaign, they could likely clear it out easily.
"When do you plan to ascend?"
At that moment—
Yun Man's mother, the graceful and mature Taiyin, stepped over toward Ling Zhan.
Her daughter was now contracted to Ling Zhan.
Technically speaking, her daughter was Ling Zhan's contract beast.
So even though Yun Man wasn't Level 200, she could follow Ling Zhan into the Netherrealm Dungeon and ascend with him.
Xinyou Jade Rabbit Chang Xi also walked over, smiling.
Her gaze toward Ling Zhan was full of satisfaction.
Like a mother-in-law admiring her son-in-law—more satisfied the longer she looked.
She too wanted to ask when he planned to ascend.
The Netherrealm Dungeon was the hardest dungeon in the lower realm.
Any other Level 200, and they'd have doubts about success.
But if it was Ling Zhan...
No need to guess—he'd clear it for sure.
With her daughter following such a reliable master, they felt at ease.
"Planning to depart in two days," Ling Zhan replied calmly.
The Abyssal Rift lay in the northernmost part of the Holy Continent.
That was the farthest north of this world.
The Endless Sea lay beyond.
A boundless ocean as vast and unfathomable as the cosmos.
Countless Professionals had tried to sail across it in ships, yachts, or war vessels.
Seeking the end of the Endless Sea.
But all had failed.
Some even vanished entirely, their fates unknown.
Mm...
Truthfully...
The Endless Sea felt more like a void frontier never explored.
It stretched infinitely, showing no end, not even islands.
And...
Its depth had never been measured.
Even with the most advanced magical submersibles, no one had reached its bottom.
Clearly, the Endless Sea wasn't part of the lower realm anymore.
For if it were, it would connect to the planet's core.
But even the core had been explored now—while the Endless Sea remained unreachable.
That meant it likely belonged to the upper realm's domain.
Some even believed it was the barrier space between realms.
Those who failed to clear the Netherrealm Dungeon would never reach its end.
"Two days?"
"So soon?"
Taiyin was briefly stunned.
But she didn't try to dissuade him.
With her daughter following this non-specialist, she had full confidence.
Though it was sudden, it was fine.
Besides...
She'd been Level 200 for a while but hadn't ascended, worrying about her daughter being left behind.
Now that her daughter was ascending with her master, she could prepare too.
The fall of the Abyss would likely accelerate ascension among the lower realm's top powerhouses.
Many veterans would seize the opportunity to head for the Abyssal Rift and fulfill their dream.
"Go then."
"They say the upper realm is vaster and grander."
"And a freak like you will no doubt shine even brighter."
"Even in the upper realm, I doubt there's anyone else walking the path of the non-specialist."
"Once again, you'll shock all the Professionals up there."
Chang Xi said with a smile.
"Alright, you two should let Ling Zhan go pack now."
At that moment, Azure Dragon Meng Zhang also walked over smiling.
Only then did Ling Zhan take his leave.
Watching his tall figure disappear, Chang Xi sighed softly, "If I were 2,000 years younger, I'd definitely try to chase him myself..."