But he didn't feel happy at all. He wanted to ascend to the Immortal Realm too!
Now that Song Wanníng was leaving, he couldn't help but envy Xuan Yan from the bottom of his heart.
"Baili Shang, I'll be counting on you to look after the Song Family from now on."
Song Wanníng smiled softly, her eyes filled with warmth as she looked at him. She wasn't a fool, of course she understood what Baili Shang felt for her. But her heart didn't waver in the slightest.
Feelings… they held no real weight in her life.
Only strength—that was her true pursuit.
So this affection was destined to be one she couldn't return.
They would always just be friends.
"Keep cultivating well. I'll be waiting for the day we meet again."
"Alright, wait for me." Baili Shang smiled too.
The two of them didn't need many words. Everything between them was already understood.
Once the farewells were over, Song Wanníng turned and walked out of the main hall with her people.
Outside, countless guests were already seated, craning their necks, desperate to catch a glimpse of the legendary woman herself. After all, Song Wanníng had cultivated for just over ten years and was already about to ascend to the Immortal Realm. It was something most of them didn't even dare to dream of.
Still, many couldn't help feeling uneasy. Wasn't she afraid that her tribulation thunder would damage the Song Family? How could she dare to ascend right above her own clan's estate?
"Take care, everyone!"
She'd already said her goodbyes, so she didn't bother repeating herself. With one last wave, she leapt into the sky.
In the next instant, she released every bit of the power she'd been suppressing.
That moment, heaven and earth changed.
But instead of tribulation clouds gathering, countless streaks of multicolored light blossomed across the horizon.
Birds soared into the air, circling in graceful patterns.
Beasts across the land dropped to their knees, letting out deep, resonant cries.
Before anyone could recover from the sudden transformation, an even more shocking scene unfolded.
The radiance in the sky shifted and solidified into the forms of four ancient divine beasts.
The Black Tortoise, the Vermilion Bird, the White Tiger, and the Azure Dragon!
They circled above, their massive forms weaving around Song Wanníng again and again.
At that moment, she looked like a deity descending upon the mortal world, her presence sacred and untouchable.
Everyone was stunned into silence, their gazes locked on the breathtaking sight before them. None of them had ever seen, or even heard of, such a phenomenon accompanying someone's ascension.
And then, something even more unbelievable happened.
The four divine beasts slowly descended and knelt before Song Wanníng. Their mighty heads lowered in reverence, their voices merging into a deep, resonant hum. Through the sound, she faintly heard a single word—
"Thank you."
In that instant, the Three Lives Mirror shattered.
The final strand of the lower realm's Heavenly Dao dissolved into pure light, disappearing into the depths of the clouds. It was the Heavenly Dao of the lower realm—the power that had watched over her, that had given her a second life.
Song Wanníng smiled, though tears shimmered in her eyes.
"No… it's me who should thank you. May you prosper, and continue to shine ever brighter."
From that moment, the two realms were fully restructured. The lower realm would no longer be a fragile, broken world. And the Heavenly Dao of the Immortal Realm would be a higher existence, no longer connected to the one below.
So, this was their final farewell.
Her voice was low and soft, carried away by the wind.
The next instant, the clouds above her bloomed with countless blossoms, filling the sky with brilliant color.
The heavens themselves seemed to celebrate her ascension. Then, the four divine beasts turned into streams of light, merging one after another into her body. A dazzling radiance erupted from her form, so bright that no one could keep their eyes open.
The Light of Ascension appeared, enveloping her in a halo of seven-colored glow. She looked down at the familiar faces below, all filled with longing and reluctance, and waved with a smile.
The Light of Ascension slowly lifted her higher and higher until she vanished into the clouds.
Song Wanníng had ascended.
As the last of the light faded, the sky returned to calm. It was as if the world had just woken from a dream.
From that day on, Song Wanníng's ascension would be forever recorded in the annals of the lower realm.
A cultivator who transcended without tribulation thunder—only divine beasts bowing in reverence and all living creatures offering their blessings.
Back in the lower realm, Song Qingyun and the others looked up, their eyes burning with determination.
They would follow her path, no matter how long it took.
They'd ascend one day too.
And silently, they prayed that everything would go smoothly for her in the Immortal Realm.…
Immortal Realm, Ascension Pool of the South Islet.
Song Wanníng's figure suddenly appeared, her entire body submerged in the shimmering waters.
Her arrival drew immediate attention.
"Tsk, another one's ascended. Wonder how talented this one is?"
"Yeah, let's see how long she lasts in the Ascension Pool."
"The girl from a few days ago lasted seven days. Too bad I couldn't snatch her from those guys from Tengyun Immortal Mountain. What a waste!"
"Wasn't that girl from the Cloud Region?"
"Yeah, I think so. Wonder where this one came from?"
They chatted openly in front of her, their gazes casually sweeping over her form.
To them, every new arrival from the lower realm was just another 'fresh recruit.' Unless someone was truly a genius, they didn't even bother remembering faces.
And real geniuses were rare enough that lasting seven days in the Ascension Pool was already astonishing.
Song Wanníng listened without expression.
The Ascension Pool was the first trial after arriving in the Immortal Realm. It refined the body and tested the heart. Every cultivator who ascended had once been powerful, respected, even revered in the lower realms.
But upon reaching the Immortal Realm, they became nothing—judged, dismissed, and mocked. Many couldn't endure it and let anger cloud their hearts.
Song Wanníng only cast the crowd a calm glance before stepping out of the pool. She'd already been baptized by the Ascension Pool once before, so her body no longer needed the transformation.
With a light leap, she landed gracefully outside the pool, glanced at the gathered onlookers, and walked toward the open space beyond.
"Pfft, seriously? She's out already? What trash."
"Yeah, I thought she might be a genius, but she couldn't even last a day!"
The group shook their heads in disappointment.
They were disciples stationed at the Ascension Pools on behalf of various factions, tasked with recruiting promising new arrivals.
Clearly, this time, their hopes had been crushed.
"What a pity. Pretty face, average talent, no background… she'll probably end up as someone's concubine."
"Yeah, the Immortal Realm's no place for the weak. Even getting a few spirit stones is hard enough for them."
"What a waste."
They pitied her, imagining how she'd struggle to survive in this harsh new world.
But Song Wanníng didn't care in the slightest.
She sat down casually, pulled out some dried meat, and started eating, completely at ease.
===
"The Black Tortoise, the Vermilion Bird, the White Tiger, and the Azure Dragon" the instant I read this, my mind goes back to Su Min 👀