The Boundless Sky Profound Ark floated in the skies above the Shen Immortal Mountain Range, its shadow covering entire valleys and peaks beneath it.
Forged from divine ores that no longer existed in the current age, its hull shimmered with countless inscriptions, each rune pulsating with ancient power that bent space itself.
Entire cities could fit within its decks, and yet it moved as lightly as a feather, carried by currents of spatial law.
This ark was not merely a treasure, it was a supreme weapon of war.
Once unleashed, its cannons could erase entire regions the size of a planet, and its spatial warping array allowed it to traverse light years in a single breath.
To travel from the Shen Clan to the Huo Clan would normally take several lifetimes, but with the Profound Ark, it was no more than a brief journey of tea time.
The Primal Origin Realm was vast beyond comprehension.
Even the most powerful sects only ruled small fragments of its territory.
The Shen Clan's domain alone was the size of a living planet, complete with oceans(actually just a really big salty lake), mountain ranges, and boundless skies.
Yet compared to the total expanse of the realm, it was only a droplet in an endless sea.
As the Profound Ark prepared for departure, countless Shen Clan cultivators stood in formation, bowing in reverence.
The runes along the ark's body lit up in a dazzling sequence, resonating with the stars above.
A deep hum filled the air as space itself twisted.
Shen Haoran stood at the bow of the ark, white robes fluttering, golden eyes fixed in the direction of the Huo Clan's territory.
His aura was calm, but beneath it rumbled the will of a dragon waiting to ascend. Qing'er stood silently behind him, her presence sharp and watchful.
Then, with a thunderous crack that split the skies, the Profound Ark vanished.
In the next instant, it had crossed a gulf of countless stars, soaring toward the Huo Clan's domain, leaving only silence in its wake.
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"Body Refinement. 9th Stage."
The deafening sound of the elder's announcement echoes throughout the field.
A stone tablet the size of a normal man stood, displaying what the elder had just announced.
Before the towering ancestral tablet, a woman stood silently.
Her crimson hair flowed like a river of fire, reaching past her waist, each strand glowing faintly under the dim light of incense.
Her red eyes, clear yet heavy, reflected both sorrow and frustration.
She wore a long red dress, loose enough to conceal her curves, but it could not fully suppress the mature allure of her form.
Her delicate hands were clenched at her side, nails biting into her palm, as if she were holding back emotions she dared not show before the ancestors.
This woman was Huo Yue, the heiress of the Huo Clan.
Once, she had been hailed as a peerless genius, destined to soar above her generation.
But fate was cruel.
One night, while preparing to break through to Core Formation Realm, her Qi suddenly dropped to just mere 9th Stage of Body Refinement realm.
One night, the once in a generation genius turned into a waste who couldn't advance a level.
Now, she stood bitter and helpless, as the whispers of the clan elders pressed down on her like an invisible storm.
Her lips parted slightly, as though she wanted to speak to the elders, but no words came out.
Only silence, and the quiet burn of humiliation in her heart.
She walked down of the platform, dejected. However, she had long since expected this, so it didn't really affected her that much.
"9th Stage, as expected, this genius is really something else."
"Heh, look at her, once so arrogant, now she couldn't even lift her head."
"I can't believe this woman wouldn't even look me in the eye when I pursuing her back then. Hehe, look at her now. If it wasn't for her father being the clan head, she'd probably already been tied to bed and used every day."
Huo Yue was already used to this. Those words didn't even cause any ripple in her heart.
During the three years where she lost her talent, she had long since realized the cruelty and darkness of human heart.
"Next up, Huo Lin!"
Hearing the elder's voice, a young man immediately ran up from the crowd. He was quite handsome, with short black hair and red eyes, wearing a white robe.
The moment he appeared on the platform, the eyes of the girls immediately lit up as they squeeled.
The young man, Huo Lin, quickly put his hands on the stone tablet, causing it to light up.
Words immediately appeared on the stone tablet.
The elder glanced at it in shock and declared, "Huo Lin, Qi Gathering, 7th Stage!"
This immediately caused a sensation.
"7th stage!? Isn't he only 20 this year?!"
"As expected of Brother Lin! Definitely one of the most talented of our generation!"
"Ai, what a pity, if only Huo Yue...haaa~"
Huo Lin smiled proudly. Vanity was the feeling many young people couldn't resist feeling, especially after hearing all these unanimous praise and applause.
His eyes landed on the corner, where Huo Yue stood alone, her eyes as cold as always.
Thinking for a moment, he decided to walk over to her. This woman was, after all, someone he had pursued for many years.
"Sister Yue, what do you think? Can you accept my feelings now?"
Of course, for Huo Lin, this Huo Yue was no longer worthy of him. He just wanted to play with her for a few years and abandon her.
After all, he is destined to be a Core Formation Realm expert in the future, while Huo Yue would just be another woman.
His eyes wandered at Huo Yue's body. Despite the loose dress, he knew she was hiding a package under that all.
This is the body he has dreamed of caressing every day before. But back then, he can only dream, as Huo Yue was so distant and unattainable.
But now...
"Please mind your words, Senior Brother Lin. I have a fiancé." Huo Yue glared at him coldly.
Truthfully, she doesn't really think much about this fiancé of her. She hasn't even seen him. And aside from a piece of paper and a word from her grandfather, she doesn't have much connection to him.
That man probably doesn't even know about this engagement. She heard from her father that her fiancé was from a big family in the imperial capital.
People from that place don't care about a backwater place like this.
She believes that it won't be long before they came to break the engagement.
"You—!" Huo Lin glared at her. "Huo Yue, do you think I've been kind to you? You are nothing now. Don't think that you are still that genius from before."
Huo Lin snorted, "Senior Brother Lin is a genius of this generation, I am not worthy of your affection."
"Huo Yue you—!"
Huo Yue shook her head, turning around and walking away.
This man, once polite and gentle, have become like this because of a little talent.
She remembered the past, where Huo Lin would smile gently, even preparing poetry and confess his love.
He was neither arrogant nor conceited. Instead, he was very affectionate, as if in his eyes, only she exists.
Although she never entertained him and his confessions, the contrast of the past him and the present him was really too much.
She left the testing field, wandering around aimlessly.
In her mind, she had imagined her talent returning and how she would slap those who had humiliated her in the face.
But in the end, it just that, her imagination.
"...how frustrating."
She muttered, standing on the cliff, overlooking the vast forest down below.
She wondered, if she jumped from this cliff, would she find some inheritance of an immortal and would have her talent restored?
She had heard many stories of people like that.
There is even a saying, 'If you survive after falling from a cliff, don't panic, look around, and you might soar and become an expert'.
Of course, that's just her wishful thinking.
Only those who are blessed with divine luck can actually achieve that.
Her talent was completely wasted and her cultivation regressed. What's so lucky about her?
Just then, a voice sounded from her mind.
"Young lady, it seems you're in trouble."