From the misty Southlands rose the bastion of Dao’s disciples, the Dao-Yi Sect. Its renown echoed throughout the realm, not only dominating the Southlands, but also claiming its place as a formidable power within the entire Xian race. This eminence was owed to the presence of a Grand Celestial, Dao-Yi himself!

Behind the main halls, a cascading waterfall roared its ancient song. Beneath the watery deluge, a serene pool lay nestled, and beside it sat a robed youth, as still as the stones around him. A willow branch dangled in his hand, plunged into the pool as if he were fishing in a dream.

The moment Wang Lin pierced through the eighth layer of the Celestial Trial, the young master of Dao-Yi opened his eyes. He lifted his gaze to the cerulean sky, a placid expression upon his face.

“He has conquered the eighth layer…” A faint smile touched his lips. With a flick of his wrist, the willow branch danced upon the water’s surface, sending ripples across the placid expanse. Within those concentric circles, visions emerged: echoes of Wang Lin’s trials within the Celestial Crucible.

Far to the north, in the frozen wastes of the Northlands, blizzards howled, their icy breath carrying a mournful dirge that sent shivers down the spines of newcomers. At the very heart of this frigid domain stood a mountain range of ancient glaciers, their jagged peaks thrusting skyward like frozen blades. Bathed in the wan sunlight, they shimmered with a cold, ethereal light.

Here lay the hidden sanctuary of Wu Feng, Grand Celestial of the Northlands. Beneath one of these towering glaciers, a hulking, shaven-headed warrior sat in silent meditation. Before him, the ice refracted the sunlight, casting a shimmering illusion that mirrored the events within the Celestial Crucible.

With a serene gaze, the mighty warrior watched the phantom figure striving towards the ninth palace. A spark of anticipation ignited in his eyes.

The conquest of the eighth layer of the Celestial Crucible resonated throughout the celestial realms. Grand Celestials were immediately alerted to the feat. Far away, upon the Emperor’s Mountain in the Central Lands, a woman of breathtaking beauty stood motionless, a crimson autumn leaf suspended before her. Within its delicate veins, she glimpsed the battles within the Crucible.

Beside her sat an aged master, his posture languid, his eyes half-closed in an apparent state of disinterest. Even as his gaze flickered over the spectral visions in the leaf, it seemed to hold no spark of enthusiasm, as if the Crucible held no interest for him.

“Master,” the beautiful woman murmured, her voice as soft as the falling leaves, “If he were to conquer the ninth layer, would you extend an invitation?”

The old master stirred, his rheumy eyes settling upon the autumn leaf. “If I were to welcome every cultivator who conquers the ninth layer, this Emperor’s Mountain would become a chaotic rabble. Dao-Yi and Wu Feng may take interest, for they are Celestials newly risen, eager to expand their influence and nurture a sixth Grand Celestial to safeguard their future reincarnations.”

“But to me, those who overcome the ninth layer are like ants upon the ground, merely a little larger than their brethren. Only those who achieve the heights of the冥道尊 (Ming Dao Zun), those who conquer the fifteenth layer, shall I deign to court.”

The beautiful woman fell silent, biting her lip as she gazed upon the spectral visions.

Likewise, within the Imperial City of the Central Lands, a lavish palace stood strangely empty. Within its grand hall, a shimmering curtain of water materialized, vividly portraying Wang Lin’s trials within the Celestial Crucible.

Far to the east, in the lands of Dongzhou, the Ziyang Sect of Nine Sects and Thirteen Gateways was the most prosperous.

Within a secluded stone chamber in the Ziyang Sect’s forbidden grounds, a middle-aged man clad in purple robes stared intently at a massive mirror, reflecting the scenes of the Celestial Crucible. Within it, however, a golden light obscured the details, revealing only a vague silhouette.

Beside him sat two young girls, one in red and one in purple, both no older than seven or eight. With their rosy lips, ivory teeth, and bright, intelligent eyes, they were the picture of innocence. Yet the girl in red yawned, feigning interest in the mirror, while her thoughts drifted toward games and adventures. Her eyes flickered to her sister in purple, and both exchanged a knowing wink and pout.

Near the girl in purple squatted a cultivator, his face etched with sorrow, a chain fastened about his neck. His despondent posture betrayed a history of stifled frustration and lingering gloom.

“Oh, Little Wolf, what ails you? Be a good Little Wolf and obey,” the girl in purple chided, patting the crouching cultivator repeatedly upon the head. With each blow, his head bowed lower, and tears threatened to spill from his eyes.

“My little grandmasters…” the middle-aged man sighed, his voice laced with weariness. “Please, cease your… ah… antics. Look at this cultivator! I’ve investigated him thoroughly. He hails from Dongzhou, just as you do, and has conquered the eighth layer of the Celestial Crucible. Whether he overcomes the ninth or not, he is someone we must recruit.”

“Oh, just decide yourself,” the girl in red said flippantly, ignoring the man. “Sister, you must teach 玉 (Yu) this disobedient Little Wolf some manners. Perhaps we should toss him into the Nine Yin Pool once more. Last time, after a few days, he learned to be docile and even found a delightful bell-spinner.” So saying, she joined the girl in purple in vigorously thumping the poor cultivator upon the head.

The middle-aged man stood in stunned silence, watching the scene unfold. With a deep breath, he rose and bowed deeply before the two playful girls, his expression grave.

“Twin Grand Celestials!!”

The two girls continued to pummel the head of the cultivator named Little Wolf, and finally, tears streamed down his face.

“Oh, 娃娃 (Wa Wa), is he crying?”

“He is feigning it, surely! This Little Wolf is disobedient, he must be putting on an act!”
“Twin Grand Celestials!!!” The middle-aged cultivator felt madness creeping in, his roar tearing through the very fabric of existence as he turned to the two small girls. The sound boomed, shaking the heavens and earth until, at last, it drew the attention of the children, their gazes settling upon him.

“Little Orphan Cliff, you disobey as well?” The girl called Wawa frowned, a flicker of annoyance crossing her face as she regarded the cultivator.

“Twin Grand Celestials, this one is worthy of recruitment!” Ignoring the girl’s displeasure, the middle-aged cultivator drew a deep breath, his voice heavy with purpose.

“Then recruit him, silly. Go get him yourself and bring him back for us to see,” the other girl, Hanhan, waved a dismissive hand, scooping up a forlorn wolf cub. With a flicker, she and Wawa vanished from the stone chamber.

The middle-aged cultivator remained, running a hand through his hair, a wry smile playing on his lips.

In the Land of Celestial Nirvana, on the eighth level, bathed in a golden radiance and watched by hundreds of Celestial cultivators below, Wang Lin inhaled deeply. He moved towards the ninth level, veiled in swirling mists. Without hesitation, he strode into its embrace.

The instant he crossed the threshold, every cultivator below, even the Bamboo Grove Celestial, held their breath, their eyes riveted on the ninth level.

“The seventh level held sixty-three Cultivation Stars, but the eighth boasted eighty-one! This ninth level, said to grant the pinnacle of Celestial power upon its conquest, perhaps… perhaps ninety-nine stars await!” Upon entering the ninth level, Wang Lin found himself in a silent, star-strewn void. He remained calm, focusing ahead.

Suddenly, ninety-nine stars shifted their trajectories, hurtling towards Wang Lin with impossible speed. Nine of them blazed with blinding golden light.

Wang Lin’s eyes narrowed. Without pause, he unleashed his Five Elements and Thunder True Bodies, bolstering them with the three Essences of Illusion. In this way, he augmented his own body, stacking Essence and True Bodies atop his twenty-three innate Divine Abilities, achieving a terrifying resonance of ninety-two Abilities!

This was Wang Lin’s limit without his Soul Armor. Each fist, each finger, contained the power of ninety-two Abilities, pushing him to the very brink of Celestial pinnacle.

He raised his right hand, golden light shimmering in his eyes. His hand throbbed as the Bone Yin Blade materialized, its presence raw and ancient. With a simple, brutal motion, he slashed at the oncoming ninety-nine stars!

In that single slash, ninety-two phantom blades appeared, merging in an instant into a single, devastating strike that ripped through the void.

A deafening roar echoed as ninety-two of the ninety-nine stars detonated, scattering cosmic debris. Before their destruction was complete, Wang Lin’s form shimmered, and his Five Elements True Body separated, his Thunder True Body exploding forth. In an instant, they were upon the seven remaining golden stars.

The Five Elements True Body split into Water Essence, Fire Essence, and Earth Essence True Bodies, each lunging toward a golden star. As thunderous explosions filled the void, Wang Lin’s Thunder True Body unleashed a cataclysmic surge of Mitian Lightning, engulfing the remaining four stars. The lightning consumed them, shattering them like glass.

Though the ninety-nine stars did not shatter in perfect unison, Wang Lin had, through sheer force of will and speed, minimized the temporal gap. To a distant observer, it would appear as though all ninety-nine stars exploded as one.

In the wake of their destruction, a wave of pure golden energy erupted, spreading outwards like a magnificent, gilded bloom.

In the Land of Celestial Nirvana, under the gaze of all present, the ninth level hall, silent for so long, erupted with an incandescent golden light, a sight that defied belief!

“He has conquered the ninth level!! From this day forward, the name of Wang Lin shall resonate throughout the Five Continents!”

“The ninth level… the ninth level! To conquer the ninth level is to reach the pinnacle of Celestial power, to stand on the cusp of Transcendent Celestialhood! Could it be that we will witness the birth of the forty-ninth Transcendent Celestial of the Immortal Clan today?!”

“Even the Grand Celestials must be watching this with bated breath!”

The cultivators below gasped, Bamboo Grove Celestial bowing his head in humbled acknowledgment.

“Congratulations, Daoist Wang Lin, on conquering the ninth level!” It began with one voice, but quickly swelled until every cultivator present bowed towards the heavens in unison.