The cold moon hung like a hook, its clear glow like a dream, all around was quiet, a serene scene that could inspire poets and scholars to sing softly, yet Gan Ruoxu only felt the chill of the night near the water, the coldness enveloping his body. His vision was filled with blackness, as if he were seeing his own future, and the silvery light seemed like icy snow piercing through his heart.
Shenjuan Kingdom ranked among the top three powers in the world, built upon the foundation of “Divine Communication Techniques” for thousands of generations. They believed that every person, breathing naturally within heaven and earth, could harmonize with the heavens. Through cultivation and refinement, one’s spirit could resonate with a certain immortal or deity, receiving their protection and drawing power and supernatural abilities from them or their corresponding heavenly authority. As one’s cultivation advanced, one might even directly invite the deity to possess one’s body, manifesting divine might, capable of flying through the skies or burrowing into the earth, with no limit to one’s abilities.
However, not everyone could successfully cultivate and resonate with a deity. Some, due to their innate talent or temperament, failed to receive any response, becoming known among the people as “impure ones” or “the forsaken,” facing discrimination. Without power or supernatural abilities, their status naturally became lowly.
Therefore, whether one could sense the existence of a destined guardian deity was the most crucial turning point in a citizen’s life in Shenjuan Kingdom!
Gan Ruoxu’s eyes burned with anxiety, his expression dazed and helpless. Tomorrow was his sixteenth birthday—the annual ceremony for free induction and communion with one’s “guardian deity,” a crucial day. If he failed this time, not only would he be branded an outcast, mocked and scorned, but he would also have to pay an exorbitant price in the future to attempt the ritual again, presided over by a star-priest. Even if his parents toiled their entire lives and he sold his future to dark forces, he might still never afford it.
The consequences of failure were terrifying, yet in his private attempts, he had received no response at all. According to conversations with his classmates, normally, after years of cultivation, even without a ritual, one would experience subtle resonance, leading to some signs or phenomena.
If there were none, Gan Ruoxu knew exactly what that meant.
With a dazed look, he gazed at the clear moon and muttered, “Even a Jade Rabbit Immortal would do. I wouldn’t mind.”
The long night dragged on, filled with hesitation. Gan Ruoxu’s heart raced, unable to calm down. Only when the rooster crowed at dawn and his parents rose did he finally return home with a tight mouth.
His mother, slightly aged with hidden silver strands, looked at him with concern and tenderness: “Xu’er, don’t worry. If you can’t sense it, then you can’t.”
His father sat at the table, puffing on his pipe, his voice low: “It’s our fault. If you had been born into another family, you surely would have gained a guardian deity.”
They were both “forsaken ones,” living a life of hardship.
Gan Ruoxu occasionally had such thoughts, but now, hearing his father say it aloud, his face flushed red with embarrassment: “It has nothing to do with you! I will definitely succeed!”
With that, he turned and ran toward the county academy without looking back, not pausing along the way, as if he could leave his worries and fears behind.
The county academy was already packed with people, mostly curious onlookers wanting to witness which guardian deities would be sensed this year.
“I heard a young man from the capital resonated with the Black Emperor and gained the Black Water Divine Ability, becoming a direct disciple of the National Protection Temple,” someone bragged loudly, causing Gan Ruoxu to instinctively slow his steps.
Resonating with the Black Emperor? That was one of the Five Emperors of the Directions, ranked highly among the divine hierarchy. To receive his protection was practically ascending to the heavens in one step.
“Really? To resonate with the Great Emperor Zhenwu? Isn’t that a prodigy who appears only once in thousands of years? Our nation’s founding ancestor only resonated with the Purple Star Lord and still managed to build such a glorious empire. Resonating with the Black Emperor, wouldn’t that turn the world upside down?” someone exclaimed in shock.
The one who first spoke sighed: “In the past few thousand years, the number of prodigies who could resonate with the Five Emperors of the Directions could be counted on one hand. I only remember our nation’s previous emperor who resonated with the Green Emperor during the revival period. Unfortunately, heaven envied his talent, and he died young before unifying the land.”
“There’s also someone overseas who seems to have resonated with one of the Five Emperors of the Directions, but the government and temples have kept it secret, making it hard to know the truth…”
Hearing these stories of resonance, Gan Ruoxu felt both excited and uneasy. As he reached the front of the academy’s high platform, he met several classmates.
“Gan Ruoxu, which level of deity do you think you can resonate with?” asked a chubby, round-faced little fellow with a grin.
Gan Ruoxu suddenly felt annoyed, wanting to leave, but he couldn’t bring himself to offend a smiling face. He mumbled: “I hope for at least the seventh level. How about you?”
The eighth level consisted of attendants like the Golden Pages and Jade Maidens, while the ninth level included heavenly soldiers and local deities, whose names were unknown, only represented by titles. Resonating with them granted only weak powers and abilities, barely better than being a “forsaken one.”
Round-faced Fatty Wu Ju laughed: “Last night, I felt a subtle connection with a star in the sky. Maybe it was a fifth-level star official.”
A fifth-level star official? That definitely promised a bright future, possibly managing affairs in a province or prefecture! Gan Ruoxu felt a wave of disappointment. Wu Ju was usually lazy, not as diligent as himself, yet now he could already chase after fifth-level star officials while Gan Ruoxu hadn’t even seen a glimmer of hope. Comparing oneself to others was truly unbearable.
“Seventh level?” Just then, a tall, thin man beside Wu Ju suddenly sneered, his eyes narrow and seemingly always half-closed. “I’ve never heard you mention any unusual sensations before, Gan Ruoxu. What makes you think you can resonate with a seventh-level general? Hmph, the son of two forsaken ones can achieve nothing. Not that you don’t want to talk about it, but you have nothing to say, right?”
Gan Ruoxu felt a rush of blood to his head, as if his pants had been ripped off by someone, and he blurted out:
“Xue Lian, you’re talking nonsense!”
His voice was loud, echoing around, drawing many gazes—fellow students and curious elders alike—making Gan Ruoxu feel both ashamed and embarrassed.
“Nonsense?” Xue Lian coldly replied. “I’m likely to resonate with a Heavenly Master, ranking sixth. I’ll see which deity you resonate with. If you fail, don’t blame me for making you kneel and apologize!”
“Hmph!” Gan Ruoxu suddenly felt insecure, didn’t answer, and let out a cold snort before walking away, his heart even more anxious.
After a while, the county magistrate and the academy’s Taoist master arrived together, and the crowd fell silent.
“Selecting talents for the nation, inviting deities with proper rites. Heaven above, Earth below, bear witness…” The magistrate and the Taoist master each took three incense sticks and prayed sincerely. Then, they carefully retrieved a scroll from a jade box, made of thin silk, shimmering with silver light.
The scroll, three feet tall, bore the names of various deities, each exuding a different aura—the Divine Hierarchy Chart. Standing before it, one would quiet their mind and sense for a tea-time duration. If a deity was willing to respond, their name would emit golden light and descend into the crown of the head.
The Divine Hierarchy Chart was respectfully hung on the wooden board of the platform, fully revealed to Gan Ruoxu and the others.
At the top level were only the Three Pure Ones, with the Central being the most honored, namely the Lord of the Numinous Treasure, the Lord of the Primordial Beginning, and the Lord of the Dao and Virtue.
The second level consisted of the Five Emperors of the Directions and several Heavenly Venerables of the Daoist sect, with the Central being the Supreme Emperor of Heaven, the left being the Green Emperor Golden Sovereign and the Venerable of Many Treasures, and the right being the Black Emperor Fire Sovereign and the Immortal Master Zhenyuan.
The third level included ancient Thunder Gods, the Queen Mother of the Nine Heavens, the Star Lord of the Purple Stars, the Primordial Mother of the Constellations, the Venerable Guangcheng, and the True Lord Erlang.
The fourth level consisted of the Northern and Southern Dippers, the Twenty-Eight Constellations, and various legendary immortals from the Thunder, Fire, and Constellation Divisions.
The fifth level included other star officials, sea emperors, various generals, and the Four Heavenly Masters.
The sixth level included remaining heavenly masters, immortal elders, and venerables.
Beyond this level, there were no specific names or immortals, only corresponding divine titles. The seventh level included the Six Jia Heavenly Generals. Generally, those considered talented and promising were those who resonated with the fifth and sixth levels. The seventh level was considered average. Resonating with a fourth-level deity would immediately cause a sensation in the province or prefecture, with the name sent directly to the emperor and the national temple master. As for the third level, it was truly rare—a single resonance would mark one as a prodigy destined to stir the heavens, becoming a national treasure.
The second level was encountered once every few thousand years, while the first level was merely listed out of respect, with no one ever successfully resonating with it.
After the rituals, the coming-of-age ceremony officially began. Gan Ruoxu watched as one familiar or unfamiliar peer after another stepped onto the platform, closed their eyes, and sensed. Most of them succeeded, but almost all were at the eighth and ninth levels. Only a few managed to resonate with seventh-level heavenly generals, making the ceremony rather uneventful. Similarly, a few failed to resonate, either bursting into tears or fleeing in despair, making Gan Ruoxu empathize deeply, his anxiety growing.
At this moment, the round-faced Fatty Wu Ju stepped forward, closed his eyes, and began to sense.
Only a few breaths later, a divine name on the Divine Hierarchy Chart emitted golden light—revealing itself as the “Marshal Tianpeng.”
“Marshal Tianpeng?” Gan Ruoxu felt a pang of envy. This was a powerful fifth-level deity, the legendary commander of the Ten Thousand Water Soldiers of the Milky Way. Wu Ju was truly fortunate—his future was bright!
The county magistrate stroked his beard and nodded with satisfaction: “Very good, very good.”
Finally, there was a fifth-level deity from this county, making this ceremony worth reporting.
Bathed in golden light, Wu Ju radiated joy as he rushed down the platform, receiving congratulations from classmates and elders. Next, Xue Lian also stepped forward, standing before the Divine Hierarchy Chart, eyes closed, mind calm.
Half a tea-time later, the scroll finally emitted golden light—it was the seventh-level Six Jia Heavenly General.
Xue Lian couldn’t hide his disappointment, feeling both angry and frustrated. As he descended the platform, he saw Gan Ruoxu preparing to go up and sneered: “Seventh level is still better than you, because you won’t have anything at all!”
Gan Ruoxu’s heart pounded like a drum. He had no time to argue with him as he climbed the platform toward the Divine Hierarchy Chart, his steps unsteady, nearly tripping and drawing laughter.
He closed his eyes, his vision plunged into darkness, as if trapped in an endless abyss of despair. He desperately tried to sense the different divine presences on the chart, reaching out to them.
But there was no response from the seventh-level heavenly generals.
A wave of disappointment washed over Gan Ruoxu. He had no choice but to continue sensing downward, attempting the eighth and ninth-level deities one by one.
Time flew by, and he still felt nothing. His heart was filled with anxiety and panic, sweat already forming on his forehead.
“It’s almost been a tea-time, and he still hasn’t responded. He must be a forsaken one.”
“Just like those before him.”
“Heh, I wonder if he’ll burst into tears or flee in despair?”
The words pierced his ears, making Gan Ruoxu feel as if he were going mad, already imagining Xue Lian’s mockery and the humiliation of kneeling to apologize.
Just then, a sudden warmth surged in his heart, as if sunlight had pierced through the darkness.
What is this? Following the warmth, Gan Ruoxu suddenly found himself surrounded by light, as if he had opened his eyes.
The Divine Hierarchy Chart fully illuminated, its surface shimmering with ethereal light, golden lotuses blooming around as a sacred and majestic presence poured into one of the names.
There was a response! Gan Ruoxu was overjoyed.
The name radiated golden light, clearly revealing itself to be:
Yuanshi Tianzun (Primordial Beginning Heavenly Venerable)!
Yuanshi Tianzun? Gan Ruoxu was stunned. His joy was completely swallowed by shock as he doubted whether he had already fainted and was now dreaming.
“Yuanshi Tianzun!” On the high platform, the county magistrate and the Taoist master exclaimed in shock, their eyes nearly popping out. The surroundings fell silent, like a city of death.
Someone had actually resonated with one of the Three Pure Ones!
This had never happened before!
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