“Immortal Emperor, what is the meaning of this?” Grand Heavenly Venerate Wu Feng’s eyes narrowed, fixing upon the celestial cultivator who levitated from the ground, his form wreathed in the spectral image of the Immortal Emperor.

“Wu Feng, hold your ire. Netherpath has caused no true harm; there is no violation of the edicts,” the Immortal Emperor’s image responded with a subtle smile, yet its presence held an undeniable authority, wholly disregarding the mortal Wang Lin who stood outside the teleportation array below.

“No harm, you say? Had Wang Lin not fled the array, that single touch would have surely shattered his divine sense mid-transit. Such action is not merely a transgression against the Ascendant’s Accord, but a deed steeped in craven dishonor!” Grand Heavenly Venerate Wu Feng retorted, his sleeves billowing, his eyes blazing with an unyielding light.

“Wu Feng, your words are a trifle harsh. Does this fledgling bear any true wound?” the Immortal Emperor gently inquired, a smile still dancing on his visage.

Wu Feng regarded the Emperor with a glacial stare, offering no reply.

“Since no harm has been wrought, where is the act of violence? Wu Feng, I know you hold this one in esteem, seeking to claim him as a subordinate. I will not contest you for him. Such a cultivator…” The Immortal Emperor glanced down at Wang Lin.

“He is but a trinket. He wears a Soul-Woven Carapace, allowing him to breach the Thirteen Heavens, but stripped of it, he would scarce attain the rank of a Leaping Ascendant!” The Immortal Emperor’s words resonated with a chilling finality.

He was an Emperor, one of the Eight Extremes, and his pronouncements carried a weight that overshadowed any Leaping Ascendant. His decree unleashed a storm of murmurings across the Ascendant’s Tribunal!

The existence of Wang Lin’s Soul-Woven Carapace was unknown to nearly every Ascendant and Leaping Ascendant present. They had believed he had scaled the Thirteen Heavens through his own sheer power, yet the Immortal Emperor’s revelation triggered a cacophony of astonished whispers.

“He possesses a Soul-Woven Carapace?! The charlatan!”

“I knew it! How could he possibly have surged from the Fifth Heaven to the Thirteenth? It was through the Carapace’s power! Even I could achieve such a feat thus armed!”

“So that is the reason for his speed! His true strength likely lingers around the Fifth Heaven. The Carapace has fooled us all, yet he could not deceive the Grand Heavenly Venerate!”

“We were nearly beguiled! This Wang Lin is utterly without honor! A Leaping Ascendant? He is but a common Ascendant, capable of being slain in a single breath without his enchanted armor!”

“Nay, I doubt he even holds the strength of an Ascendant. He is here solely because of the Carapace. Observe his cultivation; it is merely the Empty Tribulation stage! I thought he concealed his true strength, but he is just a lowly Empty Tribulation cultivator!”

“No wonder he bypassed the Thirteen Heavens. Grand Heavenly Venerates Mo Youdao and Wu Feng came to witness, yet Grand Heavenly Venerate Jiu Di never appeared. He must have seen through this fraud and found him unworthy of patronage!”

“What talent? He is but a trickster, who has deceived us all! Had I known the truth, I would not have bothered to come!”

The Ascendants’ anger stemmed from envy, a jealousy suppressed by the perceived disparity in power, but now, knowing the deception, it erupted with a vengeance.

The Leaping Ascendants wore strange expressions as they gazed upon Wang Lin below.

“He wears a Soul-Woven Carapace…yet even so, to conquer the Thirteen Heavens speaks to a modicum of skill…”

“Alas, it was so shallow…”

“That just as he was rising in fame, gaining the reputation of being amongst the strongest of the Leaping Ascendants, the Immortal Emperor revealed his secret, could there be some animosity between the two…”

“Something is amiss. If it were so simple, Grand Heavenly Venerates Dao Yi and Wu Feng would not have bothered to watch.”

The clamor of voices reached Wang Lin, his face pale. He stood there in silence, the focus of all eyes, but the sentiment had shifted from admiration to scorn.

This was the Immortal Emperor’s design; to prevent Wang Lin from easily attaining glory. He had revealed the truth at this crucial moment, and a faint smile played upon his lips as he listened to the jeers of the crowd.

“So you wore a Soul-Woven Carapace to breach the Thirteen Heavens. I wondered why you fled so hastily, avoiding the Fourteenth. Did your Carapace’s enchantments wane, leaving you unable to prolong the charade?

Bah, you are not worthy of my attention. Begone!” The Netherpath Venerate sneered and flicked his sleeve dismissively.

“Such a bore!”

Faced with the scorn of the crowd, Grand Heavenly Venerate Dao Yi opened his mouth as if to speak, but sighed inwardly. He knew this cultivator named Wang Lin had earned eternal infamy amongst the celestials.

“For the Immortal Emperor to reveal such a truth at this juncture, there must be some deeper connection… He is now both famous and infamous… Ah, it is better not to offer him patronage. Although he is different from the rest, he is ruined now.” Dao Yi sighed and abandoned his former interest in Wang Lin.

Suddenly, a voice rose above the din, laced with fury. The female voice carried the full force of her cultivation, and it reverberated across the Ascendant’s Tribunal.

“Silence! You know nothing! Decades ago, without the Carapace, Wang Lin was already capable of battling me! He is nothing like the weakling you describe!

Even if he wears the Carapace, what does it matter? It is proof that the spirit of the Outer Heavens deems him worthy, granting him its power. It is a part of his strength!

He has the strength to conquer the Thirteen Heavens! Which of you scoffers dares to face him in battle? If you envy him, then acquire a Carapace and see if you can earn its favor. The difficulty is akin to the Ascendant’s Trial itself!” The voice belonged to Heavenly Venerate Hai Zi, whose reputation in the celestial realm was vast, owing to her master, Grand Heavenly Venerate Jiu Di, and her own cultivation.

Her words silenced the crowd.
Wang Lin remained a silent sentinel, standing apart from the shimmering portal, his face ashen. He endured the scornful gazes of the assembled host, before finally lifting his head towards the distant figure of Hai Zi, his visage a storm of wounded pride and simmering rage.

“Silence, young Hai Zi,” intoned the Xian Emperor, his voice resonating with an ancient authority. “Whether they be Heavenly Venerates or Transcendent Venerates, all should strive to cultivate their own essence. Reliance on external power is a path with a finite end. This Wang Lin, at thirteen layers, has reached his limit. He may well stagnate for centuries. What worth is such a fleeting attainment?” The Emperor shook his head, his expression one of measured disappointment.

“Mark well this lesson, disciples,” he continued, “lest you allow yourselves to be consumed by external influences, hindering your own true growth. Wang Lin is a cautionary tale, a lesson for you all.”

“External power, you say?” boomed Wu Feng, the Grand Heavenly Venerate, breaking his long silence. “Is not the very title of Grand Heavenly Venerate itself a borrowed strength, passed down from the ancient realm of the Gods? If your words hold true, then which of us has not tasted such external aid?”

He turned his gaze, sharp and piercing, upon the Xian Emperor. “Even you, Xian Emperor, the Eight Extremes Grand Heavenly Venerate, were but a mere Heavenly Venerate in your youth. Were it not for the legacy of the Xian Ancestor coursing through your veins, could your Xian Imperial line so readily inherit the mantle of the Eight Extremes?

External force is still force, and so long as it can blast open any barrier, none dare say it is less!” Wu Feng’s voice was cold as glacial ice.

“You deem him a trifle, a bauble,” Wu Feng continued, his voice laced with disdain, “yet in the eyes of the Xian Ancestor, perhaps *you*, his descendant, are but a bauble yourself!” His words were delivered with scathing impudence.

The Xian Emperor regarded Wu Feng, his countenance darkening with gathering shadows.

“The title of Grand Heavenly Venerate cannot be compared to this Soul Armor,” he retorted, his voice edged with steel. “Wu Feng, that you still place value in such a one surprises me. This youth, clad in Soul Armor, has already reached his peak at thirteen layers. But if he possessed the title of Grand Heavenly Venerate, he would easily surpass nineteen! Is it not a stark difference?

Indeed, if he could but conquer fifteen layers, I would proclaim him, here and now, as Dao Zhen, issuing a decree for all the Xian lands to know that he is the foremost amongst those beneath the Grand Heavenly Venerates!

But can he?” A flicker of amusement danced in the Xian Emperor’s eyes.

Huan Feng remained impassive, his expression unreadable.

The Xian Emperor offered a faint smile, seemingly unmoved by Wu Feng’s sharp words. He turned, his ethereal form beginning to dissipate.

“Ming Dao, return to the Imperial Palace. Our business here is concluded.”

Dao Yi sighed inwardly, turning to leave the Trials of Heavenly Ascension. The other Heavenly Venerates and Transcendent Venerates, too, began to drift away, the spectacle concluded.

Ming Dao Venerate cast a final, chilling glance at Wang Lin, who remained silent below, a cruel smirk playing on his lips, before turning to depart.

But at that moment, Wang Lin let out a long, drawn-out sigh. He raised his head, meeting the fading gaze of the Xian Emperor.

“Fifteen layers, you say? Observe, Xian Emperor!” Wang Lin’s voice was now clear and strong. Though his expression remained serene, a potent force was surging within him, gathering with frenzied intensity. With a deafening roar, it erupted, transforming him into a streak of light that soared towards the heavens!

His sudden action brought Dao Yi to an abrupt halt. The Xian Emperor, his form half-dissipated, frowned, his essence solidifying once more, his gaze tracking Wang Lin’s ascent.

Wu Feng’s eyes blazed with renewed interest as he watched Wang Lin, like a dragon unleashed, streak towards the celestial heights.

Not only them, but everyone within the Trials of Heavenly Ascension now craned their necks, their eyes fixated on Wang Lin’s soaring figure.

“What is he doing?”

“Surely he doesn’t intend to continue! His Soul Armor has reached its limit. With what power does he hope to proceed?”

Ming Dao Venerate, watching Wang Lin’s ascent, felt a sudden pang of unease, a chilling premonition of misfortune.

Meanwhile, upon Emperor Mountain, the Grand Heavenly Venerate Jiu Di, startled, rose to his feet, his gaze riveted upon the falling autumn leaves before him.

He had witnessed everything, and had, in truth, found himself in agreement with the Xian Emperor’s assessment. Now, seeing Wang Lin’s defiant action, a flicker of astonished disbelief appeared in his eyes.

“With what does this youth hope to accomplish?”

And in the Eastern Continent, at the Ziyang Sect, the Twin Grand Heavenly Venerates, having tired of their play, had returned. They had witnessed the humiliating scorn Wang Lin had endured and burned with righteous anger. Now, seeing him take flight, soaring towards the heavens, they felt a surge of fervent anticipation.

“Wang… Wang Lin?!” Behind the Twin Venerates, the tormented and abused disciple, Tan Lang, stared blankly at the mirror, his mind reeling in disbelief.