The maiden in green robes was peerless in grace, her sleeves fluttering as her eyes occasionally sparkled with狡黠 (mischief), making her appear quirky and精灵 (elfish). Yet the aura she exuded demanded attention.
At the sight of her, the crowd buzzed with excitement, eager to forge a connection. However, the guards and attendants surrounding her deterred anyone from approaching.
"That's Qian Yao, the little princess of the Great Qian Dynasty and the Human Emperor's most favored daughter!"
"No wonder! It's said Qian Yao has a special physique and extraordinary talent, cultivating the *Qian Emperor Ancient Scripture*."
"Yes! The *Qian Emperor Ancient Scripture* is the Great Qian Dynasty's supreme scripture. Qian Yao will surely become a renowned powerhouse and a future天之骄女 (heaven's favored maiden)!"
The onlookers trembled. The Great Qian Dynasty was a colossal superpower in the Profound Domain, and their supreme cultivation technique was so fearsome that few other top techniques could surpass it.
Dao Ling touched his hair. This was the first he'd heard of such a force, but he could tell the phoenix bird and carriage were extraordinary—definitely rare treasures.
"Strange, isn't the little princess entering the Spirit Channeling Pagoda?" someone wondered, seeing Qian Yao walk past. Everyone wanted to enter the pagoda, which held life essence beneficial to the body. The higher one climbed, the denser the life essence became.
A crowd followed, including Dao Ling and Ye Yun. The guards ahead were tightly stationed, with powerful escorts preventing anyone from approaching the little princess. Many young talents lamented, longing to ingratiate themselves with such a heaven's favored maiden.
"I get it! The little princess must be heading for the Small Martial Dao Stele. Let's go watch!" someone shouted.
"My god! She's going to the Small Martial Dao Stele! She must be confident of engraving her name. I wonder where she'll rank?"
A group of elders rushed to witness the spectacle—engraving a name on the stele was a rare honor.
"What's the Small Martial Dao Stele?" Dao Ling frowned, asking Ye Yun. This was the first he'd heard of it.
Ye Yun smiled. "There's a Small Martial Dao Stele in Qingzhou City, a mysterious treasure that tests strength—among peers. If you outmatch those on the ranking list, your name will be inscribed."
"Is there a reward?" Dao Ling's eyes lit up eagerly.
Ye Yun was speechless—this was an honor! But she still replied, "Wait and see."
Soon, Dao Ling saw a golden stele ahead, towering like a mountain and radiating golden light, with many names inscribed on it. He was startled, then looked up. The higher he looked, the more fearsome the names became, each emanating a terrifying martial will that made his heart quiver.
Finally, his gaze reached the top, and his mind shook. He felt his body might explode under the overwhelming martial will, as if commanded to submit!
"Scram!" Dao Ling's eyes widened as he roared inwardly. His dormant blood qi rumbled, blasting away the domineering aura pressing on his mind, but冷汗 (cold sweat) still trickled down his back.
Gasping for breath, Dao Ling saw Cheng Miaofu looking up and quickly tugged her sleeve. "Don't look!"
"Why?" Cheng Miaofu was confused but obediently averted her gaze, trusting Dao Ling wouldn't harm her.
"Don't. The top names are terrifying," Dao Ling said gravely, his blood still boiling. He couldn't even make out the top two names—how fearsome must they be? Encountering those people in person would likely mean being crushed by their aura alone.
"The first is 'Martial Emperor,' inscribed five years ago when he was ten," Ye Yun murmured.
Dao Ling's face twitched. Ten years old and ranked first? What a逆天 (heaven-defying) person! Strangely, the aura he'd felt was familiar, as if he'd encountered it before...
"Wow, 'Martial Emperor'—what a domineering name!" Cheng Miaofu clenched her jade-like hands in shock.
Ye Yun fell silent. The Martial Emperor was indeed terrifying—a future supreme who would surely suppress countless prodigies and stand alone. Who else in the world would dare take such a name?
Below the stele, Qian Yao's beautiful eyes studied it. She suppressed her aura to the Body Forging Realm, then her jade-like palms erupted with terrifying power. Her arms, like a true phoenix's body, unleashed surging force as she struck the golden stele.
Dong! The stele vibrated, its golden light dazzling. The crowd gaped as Qian Yao stood there, wrapped in divine radiance like a heavenly maiden, engraving her name with finger strength—each stroke imbued with martial will.
Qian Ling at rank 89 vanished, replaced by Qian Yao! Dao Ling was stunned to see the少女 (maiden) flash a playful smile after engraving—she'd apparently come just to oust that name.
Some quickly realized the little princess didn't want to reveal her strength. Many prodigies were hidden away to avoid being hunted by rival forces.
Dao Ling was flabbergasted when the Martial Dao Stele spat out a treasure wrapped in dazzling energy. Qian Yao happily collected it and left.
"My god! The stele rewarded her with a treasure! Her potential is far beyond rank 89!"
"Yes! It's been years since the stele gave a reward. I remember the Martial Emperor took one at age ten, shocking the entire Profound Domain. Wonder what it was?"
The crowd marveled, eager to know the treasure's nature. The stele rarely rewarded even top-30 engravings—it depended on chance. The treasures it吐出 (spat out) were always extraordinary: ancient supreme treasures, cultivation techniques from ancient sages, or造化圣液 (creation holy liquids).
"Who owns these treasures? Does the stele hold many?" Dao Ling wondered. If so, why didn't强者 (powerful cultivators) break the stele to take them?
Ye Yun didn't know much either, but Dao Ling found the world increasingly神奇 (mysterious). He looked at the Spirit Channeling Pagoda. "Can anyone enter?"
"If you want, I can help you in," Ye Yun said, biting her red lips. "Once you join Star Academy, you can enter with a token."
"So the pagoda requires an identity token. No force, no access," Dao Ling clicked his tongue, deeper understanding of the world's hierarchy.
Near the pagoda, Ye Yun spoke to the guards, then turned to him. "Go in. Don't overdo it. If something happens, no one can save you."
Her grave expression made Dao Ling wary—the pagoda wasn't safe; there might be conflicts.
It was a corridor bustling with people. Stepping inside, Dao Ling was amazed—it was huge, like a space stretching beyond sight, shrouded in mist.
"I see! It's a spatial treasure as rumored!" he gasped, feeling faint heaven-earth pressure upon entering.
Some young teens struggled to walk, but Dao Ling rejoiced: "Perfect! This is made for me!" He'd been seeking ways to temper his body, and the pagoda was a godsend.
After exploring, he entered the second floor, where the pressure was double the first—but still trivial. He kept climbing until the fifth floor.
Stepping onto the fifth floor, the pressure felt like a ten-thousand-catty boulder, stiffening his body. Yet the heaven-earth here amazed him—smoke and霞 (rosy clouds) rose, rich with life essence several times denser than the fourth floor. Inhaling, he felt the mysterious energy automatically tempering his body.
"A paradise!" Dao Ling thought. Long-term cultivation here would greatly improve his physique, but for most, it was impossible—the constant pressure required an extremely strong body.
"Get out of my young master's way!"
As Dao Ling used the surrounding pressure to打磨 (polish) his body, a cold shout rang out. It came from a tall, godlike少年 (youth),一丈 in height, with copper-bell eyes and a head like a bucket, exuding凶煞之气 (fierce aura).