Song Miaozhu had now been formally enshrined by the Heavenly Dao as the Divine Artisan Sovereign. She was now the ruler of the Hundred Arts Heavenly Realm and the guardian of all crafts and artistry in the human world.
Her life and power became intrinsically tied to the Hundred Arts and the Heavenly Realm that embodied them.
As the arts flourished, so would the Heavenly Realm. And as the Heavenly Realm thrived, so too would her divine strength grow.
As long as even one artisan remained in the human world, as long as even one crafted item existed, she would remain eternal.
As the Master of the Hundred Arts, she now held the Authority of All Crafts. Every skill and technique known to humanity could now be summoned at her will.
The three rainbow-colored orbs that had descended earlier were gifts from the Heavenly Dao—artifacts of immense power, given to aid her stewardship.
The first was the Heavenly Art Codex, a golden tome containing the supreme knowledge of every craft and art from ancient times to the present.
Whenever a new technique was born, fresh pages would appear, ink flowing as if alive. When an art was lost, the ink would gradually fade, leaving the page blank. This book served as the highest instrument of record and observation.
The second was the Spirit-Tipped Brush, a tool that, with a single stroke, could restore the luster of decayed wood, reforge shattered porcelain, and breathe life into the lifeless.
Ordinarily, only objects of masterful creation could be elevated to the status of spirit-crafted entities within the Hundred Arts Realm. But this brush could bestow spirit upon even crude items, granting them consciousness and form.
The third was the Thousand Mechanism Compass, a device capable of calculating the rise and fall of every craft's fate.
With each turn, it could point her toward destined revelations, allowing her to bestow enlightenment upon worthy artisans in the mortal world, helping them break through bottlenecks and advance in skill.
Her newly manifested garment, the rainbow-hued Robe of a Thousand Crafts, was no ordinary attire—it was forged directly from divine authority.
This robe was known as the Patchwork Robe of Infinite Hands. It could not be stained by dust nor pierced by any weapon. Its defense was absolute.
Its sleeves hid vast inner realms, able to store treasures or even serve as dwelling spaces.
Upon closer inspection, one could see every known art and craft embroidered into its fabric.
Song Miaozhu stood in stillness among the clouds, quietly absorbing the gifts she had received from the Heavenly Dao.
Holding the three divine artifacts in her hands, she looked down at the Hundred Arts Heavenly Realm spread out beneath her.
At that moment, a ripple stirred in the space beside her. The boundary gate shimmered and gave a gentle knock.
With a graceful wave of her sleeve, the rainbow gate reappeared.
This was the only gate into or out of the Hundred Arts Heavenly Realm, now bound directly to her soul.
Whether welcoming visitors or setting off to the mortal world—or other realms entirely—she would travel through this door.
As the gate opened, two ceremonial invitation scrolls drifted out from the radiant light.
Now that she had fully digested the knowledge and mysteries of the Heavenly Dao, Song Miaozhu was not surprised in the slightest.
Since the first division of chaos, the mortal world had gone through several waves of spiritual revival and distinct cultivation eras.
Each revival, in truth, was an entrance exam. The Heavenly Dao would test the world, seeking those worthy of acting as its emissaries.
To "ascend and become immortal" was the final test. Only those who surpassed their peers and achieved enlightenment could be chosen by the Heavenly Dao to govern one of its domains.
But the path to immortality was treacherous. Only those whose essence matched the role could pass.
Many times, the era would end, spiritual energy would fade, and every cultivator would die, with no one ever passing the test.
Across all of history, including herself, the Heavenly Dao had only ever appointed three sovereigns—despite this being the ninth spiritual resurgence.
She was the Divine Artisan Sovereign, ruling over mortal crafts and the Hundred Arts Heavenly Realm.
Of the other two, one was the Sovereign of Ten Thousand Spirits, governing the cycle of life. His domain was the Primordial Verdant Realm, where every plant and creature thrived with sentience.
He had ascended in the previous cultivation era.
The other was the Sovereign of the Nether Passage, who oversaw the cycle of souls. Her ascension dated back several eras, and her realm was none other than the Ninefold Netherworld.
The Primordial Verdant Realm was still unfamiliar to Song Miaozhu, but the Ninefold Netherworld?
She knew it well.
After all, it had played a crucial role in her own rise to immortality.
Yes—what mortals called the underworld was, in truth, the Ninefold Netherworld.
And she still owned property there.
She couldn't help but wonder, now that all her spirit-crafted creations had followed her into the Hundred Arts Heavenly Realm, would her ghost employees down there be able to handle things on their own?
A faint smile touched her lips as she recalled the SEIU's relentless investigations into underworld activity.
They had guessed correctly. The ruler of the underworld really was an immortal.
The two floating invitation scrolls—one white, one black—hovered before her.
The white one, crafted of flawless jade, glowed with the gentle shimmer of growing plants. The black one, as dark as night, gleamed with a faint blue light, the image of underworld blossoms faintly visible beneath the surface.
These were greetings from her two fellow immortals.
She tapped them lightly with a fingertip. The scrolls unfurled together.
Their messages were nearly identical, full of polite congratulations on her ascension. But beneath the formal language lay sincere warmth.
The Sovereign of Ten Thousand Spirits wrote with a hand as fluid as drifting clouds, each stroke brimming with life.
The Sovereign of the Nether Passage wrote in firm, elegant script that carried the solemn grace of the underworld.
What caught her attention, however, was the same invitation tucked at the end of both messages.
They had each invited her to return to the mortal realm with them one year from now.
Song Miaozhu couldn't help but laugh softly.
So even immortals liked to travel with friends in their downtime.
From what she now understood, the Sovereigns had very light workloads. The Dao itself ran on its own rhythm. They only needed to act at critical moments to keep things on course.
Most days, they wandered leisurely through their realms—or visited each other for a change of scenery.
But of all realms, it was the mortal world they favored most.
The bustling streets, the scent of cooking fires, the constant change and surprise—none of their territories could match the charm of the human realm.
Of course, even in leisure, the rules remained strict.
They could not reveal their identities. They could not interfere with fate. These were unbreakable laws.
As she thought this, Song Miaozhu smiled again.
Solo travel had its perks, but wasn't it more fun to go as a group?
Previously, there had only been two of them. The other two Sovereigns often traveled together already.
Now that there was a third, she would naturally be invited to join their little "immortal tour group."
The immortal road was long. With companions, it would not be lonely.
She folded the two invitations. The white one transformed into a spirit butterfly, the black one into a dark-winged bird. Both slipped into the sleeves of her Patchwork Robe of Infinite Hands.
She was truly looking forward to that meeting a year from now.
A year would be plenty of time to get familiar with her duties and the workings of the Hundred Arts Heavenly Realm.
There was just one curious detail: the place they had chosen for the meeting.
The outer courtyard of the Celestial Maiden Shrine on Xiaozhu Mountain.
Both Sovereigns said they would revisit the place with her first, then take her out for tea and wine.
The Sovereign of Ten Thousand Spirits loved tea and frequented ancient tea houses on sacred mountains.
The Sovereign of the Nether Passage preferred alcohol, and was intimately familiar with the bars and taverns of the mortal world.
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"Divine Artisan Sovereign" (or alternatively, "Spirit-Paper Celestial Sovereign" for a more literal translation)
灵楮璇玑真君 (Líng Chǔ Xuánjī Zhēnjūn)
灵楮 (Líng Chǔ) – "Spirit-Paper" (referring to her mastery of paper crafting)
璇玑 (Xuánjī) – "Celestial Mechanism/Jade Pivot" (symbolizing precision, artistry, and cosmic order)