“The Elder Dongbo from the Assembly Masters has also submitted his list.” This news spread rapidly among the genius cultivators, who immediately rushed to the Starry Sky Assembly. According to the assembly’s rules, once all five Assembly Masters submitted their lists, the Starry Sky Assembly would publicly announce the final selections.
“I hope I’m on the list.”
“I must be, I must be.”
Many genius cultivators entered the assembly grounds and gazed toward the Starry Sky Tower, anxiously awaiting the final announcement. Some were nervous—would they remain ordinary among the countless cultivators of the vast Sacred Realm, or would they ascend to the Holy Land in a single step? Those who had cultivated for less than a trillion years still had a chance to participate in the next Starry Sky Assembly.
But for those who had cultivated longer, missing this opportunity meant no second chance.
Relying solely on oneself to break through to the Chaos Realm amidst countless dangers was incredibly difficult. How many Chaos Realm powerhouses existed in a single Sacred Realm over the eons? In the two major Sacred Realms, nearly half of the Chaos Realm experts belonged to Holy Land factions. The rest were either former members of Holy Land factions that had dissolved after the fall of their Cosmic Gods or those who had managed to rise through sheer luck.
Strictly speaking, seventy to eighty percent of Chaos Realm powerhouses were nurtured by Cosmic God factions. The remaining twenty to thirty percent usually had extraordinary encounters.
Without sufficient fortune, reaching the Chaos Realm alone was nearly impossible.
Even when venturing outside, most wouldn’t dare kill disciples of Holy Land factions. But those without backing? Countless had perished unnoticed.
“I must get in.”
“My name has to be there, it has to be!” The genius cultivators looked up expectantly, hearts pounding.
**Boom!**
A majestic aura surged as five lists appeared in the sky beside the Starry Sky Tower.
At the top of each list was the name of an Assembly Master.
Dongbo Xueying’s selections were in the fifth row—**”Elder Dongbo: Swordmaster Yunchen, Xunhuo Xunyi, Mou Jia…”**
“My name, my name!” The cultivators scanned the lists intently.
In the sky, the names of the five Assembly Masters and one hundred genius cultivators were displayed—twenty names per master.
“No…” Some stood frozen, unwilling to believe it, scanning the lists again and again.
“It’s me!” A few selected cultivators couldn’t hide their excitement. Others remained outwardly composed, though the faint curve of their lips betrayed their joy.
But true elation was rare.
Only two hundred were chosen—one hundred by the Assembly Masters and another hundred from the Starry Sky Tower’s preliminary selection. Out of over sixteen thousand participants, the rest had failed.
“I was chosen by Palace Master Jiangfu.” Fu Jun, clad in simple robes, gazed upward, his eyes blazing with light. He glanced at a red-robed woman in the distance—his former Dao companion. “Xunhuo Xunyi was selected too? With his strength and the guidance of Emperor Xunhuo, many rogue cultivators surpass him in potential. How did he make the list?”
Seeing Xunhuo Xunyi’s name among the selections, Fu Jun sneered inwardly.
Though Xunhuo Xunyi had exposed his wife’s deception, Fu Jun felt neither gratitude nor hatred—just a desire to never see him again. Yet, upon spotting his name, Fu Jun couldn’t help but scoff, convinced it was only due to his father’s influence.
“Useless. The path of cultivation depends on oneself. Even if he enters the Holy Land, he’ll go nowhere.” With a dismissive glance at the golden-robed youth, Fu Jun turned away.
He wanted nothing more to do with his ex-wife Ni Yan or Xunhuo Xunyi.
—
Xunhuo Xunyi looked up at the names, immediately recognizing Dongbo Xueying’s selection.
“Elder Dongbo acknowledged my potential?” His heart raced. “But he said he’d assess my performance throughout the assembly. Perhaps after it ends, I can officially become his disciple.”
—
Ni Yan, dressed in red, scanned the lists. Unsurprisingly, her name was absent—her ranking was mediocre, and her cultivation years too long. Yet both Fu Jun and Xunhuo Xunyi, once close to her, had been chosen.
“Fu Jun’s potential is extraordinary, and Xunhuo Xunyi’s background is formidable. But for someone ranked lower than me to be selected… What a shame I was undone by him.” With a cold laugh, she turned and left the assembly grounds, her defeat bitter.
—
The colossal names floating beside the towering Starry Sky Tower were visible even from afar.
In his residence, Palace Master Jiangfu sipped crimson wine, his frail, pale frame gazing upward. His eyes lingered on Dongbo Xueying’s list.
“Strange. Dongbo Xueying doesn’t seem foolish. Why would he choose Xunhuo’s son? To curry favor?” He shook his head slightly.
—
“He picked Xunhuo Xunyi?” Island Master Zitu also stepped out, staring at the distant names in surprise. “Emperor Xunhuo wouldn’t force this, would he? If he wanted his son in the Holy Land, there are other ways. This looks… unseemly. Did Dongbo Xueying deliberately owe Emperor Xunhuo a favor?”
Though Emperor Xunhuo could have secured his son’s entry through other means, it would have cost him dearly. By doing this, Dongbo Xueying had made the emperor indebted to him.
“Still just a Unity Realm cultivator after all.” Island Master Zitu scoffed and turned away, uninterested.
—
General Tianguang remained seated in meditation. Upon hearing the news, he merely muttered, “Ridiculous.”
—
“I knew he’d disgrace the Voidsky Palace.” The stern and righteous Five Marsh Snake Ancestor glanced at the names before returning to his wine, silent.
—
Since Xunhuo Xunyi focused solely on the Path of Illusions, he had only sought Dongbo Xueying’s guidance, ignoring the other four Assembly Masters. Naturally, Palace Master Jiangfu and the others had ranked him outside the top five thousand. To them, Dongbo Xueying’s choice was blatantly improper.
“Ha! So proud in front of me, yet it turns out he just wanted more.” Palace Master Bayun, residing in a nearby residence arranged by the Blade Emperor City, smirked at the distant names. “Emperor Xunhuo wouldn’t stoop to this. His son must have bribed Dongbo Xueying with treasures.”
A thousand or two Source World Stones could tempt even an ordinary Chaos Realm expert—let alone Dongbo Xueying.
For Xunhuo Xunyi, scraping together such a sum would be difficult but possible. After all, Emperor Xunhuo’s wealth dwarfed that of figures like Palace Master Bayun.
—
Most observers merely found Dongbo Xueying’s actions distasteful, tarnishing the Voidsky Palace’s reputation.
But for Voidsky Palace’s **Hall Master Wentian**, this was outright infuriating.
“Dongbo Xueying… How could he?” Hall Master Wentian stared at the list in disbelief. After verifying Xunhuo Xunyi’s name under “Elder Dongbo” repeatedly, his expression darkened.
“How could he do this? The Ancestor trusted him, favored him, made him an Assembly Master representing our Voidsky Palace!” Though unaware of the selection details, he knew elevating a Unity Realm cultivator to this position must have required Ancestor Tianyu’s considerable effort.
“And this is how he repays the Ancestor? He can discard his own dignity, but our Voidsky Palace still has its pride!” His fury grew.
He had once held high hopes for Dongbo Xueying—the strongest rising star of their sect. The hall masters had protected him, even personally intervening across vast distances when he was in danger. They had eagerly awaited his ascension to their ranks.
But now? Hall Master Wentian was livid.
**Your greatest backing is the Voidsky Palace itself! Why grovel before Emperor Xunhuo? Our sect surpasses him tenfold—no, a hundredfold!**
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