Chapter 98: The Ancestral Hall

The Ancestral Hall loomed dimly amidst layered seas of clouds. Players without permission to enter found they couldn’t advance even a step farther, let alone get inside.

Ye Rong stepped forward. A spinning yin-yang tai chi symbol shot a beam of light onto him. After verifying qualification, the sea of clouds parted on its own.

A system notification came: “Player Yijian Kurong may enter the Ancestral Hall. You currently possess one day of refinement time. Do you choose to enter immediately?”

“Immediately!”

Ye Rong pressed confirm. Instantly, swirls of mist wrapped around him, and he vanished.

Outside, though the dense sea of clouds blocked much of the view, one could still see the Ancestral Hall occupied only a few hundred square feet—modest at best.

But upon entering, Ye Rong realized reality unfolded differently. Inside, a grain of sand was a world, and a flower was a heaven. The Ancestral Hall stretched endlessly. Gazing into the distance, he could only see black and white seas of clouds churning, extending without limits.

Underfoot lay pathways of gold and jade, stone steps climbing upward. To Ye Rong, they looked strikingly similar to the ten-thousand-step staircase at Qingcheng Mountain Gate.

This path alone existed. To the left swirled the black sea of clouds, to the right, the white sea—both vast and directionless.

Flying by sword remained impossible here too. Ye Rong sprinted honestly up the steps. Fortunately, training in the Qingcheng Qi-Refining Art had boosted his character’s stamina. Without it, climbing these thousands of steps would have exhausted him.

At the stair’s peak stood three colossal light gates, each dozens of feet high. From left to right they were: Yuqing Gate, Taiqing Gate, Shangqing Gate.

A soft, ethereal system voice announced: “Enter Yuqing Gate to cultivate Yuqing Dao spells. Enter Taiqing Gate to cultivate Taiqing Dao spells. Enter Shangqing Gate to cultivate Shangqing Dao spells.”

No further information came. Clueless about the spells behind each gate, Ye Rong muttered in dismay, “Rash move. Should’ve sent Dongliu Cangshui a Flying Sword Message before coming.”

He stubbornly attempted to cast Flying Sword Message. His Self-Restraint Sword trembled, emitting a feeble buzz before falling powerless.

Dongliu Cangshui had entered this hall twice during Closed Beta. He surely knew secrets here far beyond Ye Rong’s grasp.

Ye Rong hadn’t expected such complicated steps. It totally defied his predictions.

“Well, I do have a magic treasure called Shangqing Blessing Token. Probably linked to Shangqing. That’s my pick!”

Hesitating for ages with no better choice, Ye Rong finally picked a gate on impulse and walked through.

Beyond Shangqing Gate was a circular room woven from shimmering light. At its heart towered a giant statue. Approaching it, Ye Rong barely reached its toes. Radiating blinding golden light—Shangqing Tianlingbao Tianzun himself.

A majestic voice boomed through the chamber as Ye Rong approached: “Qingcheng Disciple Yijian Kurong, upright in conduct, diligent in cultivation, supportive of peers, vanquisher of demons—your Dao attainments and Merit suffice. You may now come forth and select a Shangqing Dao spell for training and empowerment.”

The Tianzun’s massive hand flickered with iridescence. Thirty-six jade slips flew out, hovering mid-air and encircling Ye Rong. Yet try as he might, miniscule characters carved on them stayed blurred by a hazy mist.

System Notification: Choose one volume of the Shangqing Dao spell to study.

“Seriously? Can’t even preview? Not even book titles? What a forced transaction!”

Defeated by the overwhelming System Deity’s will, Ye Rong gave up spotting clues. Eyes aching, he shut them and randomly grabbed a jade slip.

It held baffling, arcane writings utterly incomprehensible to him. Following the system prompt, he pressed the slip against his forehead. Only then, as information flooded his mind, did understanding dawn.

Yejian Kurong hadn’t snagged some potent Dao book or secret Shangqing art. His prize was titled Subtle and Profound Empowerment Incantation—an enhancement mechanism. In short, the incantation would shower him with endless Dao Scrolls experience points, rapidly leveling up one chosen skill.

His choices: Qingcheng Qi-Refining Art, Qingcheng Sword Art, or Chongxu True Scripture. Who gets the Subtle and Profound empowerment? No hesitation. Ye Rong swapped Chongxu True Scripture into the Dao Scroll cultivation slot. Confirm.

Before entering the Ancestral Hall he’d deliberated long. Chance granting another artifact like the Ancestral Hall Manuscript meant pouring everything into Chongxu True Scripture. Chasing Chongxu Sword Qi? That skill tempted him endlessly. Only its colossal experience cost held him back before.

A clear bell chime resounded. Thousands of strands of mystic yellow qi cascaded down around him. Starry heavens unfolded as astral energy beamed upon him.

Only inside did he learn: the promised “one day of refinement time” was symbolic—one hour would suffice.

Makes sense. Otherwise, players saving up ten or fifteen days’ access could miss normal gameplay forever.

Caressed by streams of yellow qi and star power, players could while away the hour diversely—browsing forums, chatting, or watching game CG trailers. To Ye Rong, it felt like soaking in hot springs—warmth washing over him wave after wave.

And Chongxu True Scripture? Every few moments, its experience bar jumped—each hop worth about five thousand points.

“This feels amazing! Like using a cheat!”

Soon, Chongxu True Scripture’s first layer maxed out. Swiftly, Ye Rong placed its Volume 2 in the cultivation slot.

Near the hour’s end, its second layer also completed. He replaced it with Qingcheng Sword Art, lacking the next volume.

Effects of Chongxu True Scripture: 15% boost to Sword Flight offense. Unlocks derived spell—Chongxu Sword Qi. Conjures swords with focused qi, range: 300 meters, damage 250–320. Chance to bypass defensive spells. Cooldown: 10 mins.

“Haha! Finally, I’ve got an ordinary attack technique!”

That True Scripture offered more than flight attack buffs. Chongxu Sword Qi’s command itself freed Ye Rong tactically, opening fresh combat possibilities.