Beyond the heavens lies the Immortal Gang, and upon the Immortal Gang exist countless Immortal Souls.
To become a powerhouse, one must communicate with the Immortal Souls on the Immortal Gang, receive their inheritance, and cultivate the supreme Dao!
Once every three years, the Immortal Gang descends upon the world.
Each time it descends, countless dazzling geniuses are born!
...
The sunset burned in the west. It was dusk.
Yi Xiaoyao sat cross-legged, a pained expression on his face. His eyes were shut tight, his hands forming a Sealing Technique.
A breathtakingly beautiful young woman in a snow-white gown sat cross-legged across from Yi Xiaoyao, her eyes also closed as she formed a Sealing Technique.
"Ruoxue, tonight is the night the Immortal Gang descends. You must succeed!"
Yi Xiaoyao’s forehead was beaded with sweat, but he still softly encouraged the young woman before him.
The next moment, a look of intense joy blossomed on the young woman’s flawless face.
"Xiaoyao, I did it!"
"Congratulations, Ruoxue."
Yi Xiaoyao dotingly wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead and smiled faintly.
This young woman was Tang Ruoxue. Her soul aptitude had been extremely poor since childhood, allowing her to communicate with a Second Grade Immortal Soul at best.
But over the years, with Yi Xiaoyao’s help, he had managed to elevate her soul to the point where she could communicate with a Seventh Grade Immortal Soul.
Now, in the entire Tang Family Castle, Tang Ruoxue’s soul aptitude was second only to Yi Xiaoyao’s.
"Xiaoyao, by fusing your soul with mine... won’t that cause your own aptitude to decline?" Tang Ruoxue asked suddenly.
"It won’t. You don’t need to worry."
Yi Xiaoyao’s soul aptitude far surpassed that of an ordinary person. He was widely acknowledged as a peerless genius.
The amount of soul energy consumed to help Tang Ruoxue might have been an unbearable cost for others, but to him, it was a mere drop in the bucket.
However, the process of fusing one’s soul into another was excruciatingly painful. He had grown accustomed to it over the years and was willing to make such a sacrifice for the woman he loved.
"Then... Xiaoyao, once you inherit the title of Fortress Master, can we get married?"
A blush crept onto Tang Ruoxue’s cheeks as she lowered her head toward Yi Xiaoyao.
Yi Xiaoyao chuckled. "Ruoxue, I’ve had that planned for a long time. Once I receive an Immortal Soul’s inheritance tonight, I can inherit the title of Fortress Master! And the very first thing I’ll do after becoming Fortress Master is marry you!"
As he spoke, he took out a Jade Bracelet from within his robes, then took Tang Ruoxue’s hand and placed it in her palm.
"Xiaoyao, what is this?"
"This bracelet is the only keepsake my mother left me. It’s the most precious thing I own. Today, I’m giving it to you as our betrothal gift."
Her face filled with happiness, Tang Ruoxue whispered, "Xiaoyao, you’re so good to me."
"Ever since my grandfather passed away, I’ve had no one to rely on in the Tang Family Castle. I owe everything to the care you and your father have shown me all these years. So please, rest assured, I will always treat you well!"
As they were speaking, a smiling, middle-aged man walked toward them.
"Xiaoyao! Ruoxue!"
The middle-aged man called out to them from a distance.
Yi Xiaoyao was taken aback for a moment, then quickly replied, "Long."
"Father! Why are you here?"
Tang Ruoxue ran to Tang Long’s side, tugging on his arm as she asked.
Tang Long chuckled. "I came to see whether Ruoxue’s soul enhancement was successful. But seeing how happy you both are, I don’t need to ask."
He then added, "Since that’s settled, you two, come with me to the altar at once. We’ll await the descent of the Immortal Gang!"
...
That night, countless people across the Immortal Gang Continent gazed up at the sky.
First, the heavens were seemingly devoured, plunging the world into darkness. Then, a ring of multi-colored light illuminated the land once more.
The light then spread across the sky, growing ever larger and brighter until it covered the entire firmament.
The Immortal Gang had descended!
The sky was filled with orbs of light of varying colors and sizes, as countless as the stars.
These orbs of light were the Immortal Souls!
Immortal Souls were said to be the souls of Immortals who had fallen in the great war of antiquity.
These Immortals varied in strength, and so their souls were naturally graded as well.
Immortal Souls were divided into nine grades, with First Grade being the lowest and Ninth Grade the highest.
By gaining the recognition of an Immortal Soul, one could receive the inheritance of the Cultivation Technique the Immortal possessed in life.
The higher the grade of the Immortal Soul, the better the inherited Cultivation Technique.
Furthermore, an Immortal Soul could also help its inheritor advance their Cultivation.
This, too, was inextricably linked to the quality of the Immortal Soul.
For example, inheriting a Third Grade Immortal Soul would allow one to instantly become a Cultivator at the Third Realm of Qi Condensation, while a Ninth Grade Immortal Soul could elevate one all the way to the Ninth Realm of Qi Condensation!
But the higher-grade the Immortal Soul, the greater the difficulty in communicating with it. This was the ultimate test of one’s so-called soul aptitude.
The reason Yi Xiaoyao was called a peerless genius was that previous tests had shown his soul aptitude far surpassed that of his peers in the castle, even meeting the requirements to communicate with a Ninth Grade Immortal Soul.
The inheritor of a Ninth Grade Immortal Soul would be considered a dazzling genius anywhere!
Before long, beams of light shot down from the Immortal Gang in every direction—a sign that people in other places were receiving their Immortal Soul inheritances.
"Xiaoyao, let’s begin too!"
Tang Ruoxue said, leaning close to Yi Xiaoyao’s ear.
Yi Xiaoyao nodded, closing his eyes gently. He began to focus his soul, attempting to communicate with the Immortal Souls.
An instant later, Yi Xiaoyao’s soul arrived above the Immortal Gang. It drifted among countless Immortal Souls with immense auras, searching for a suitable Ninth Grade Immortal Soul.
Communicating with an Immortal Soul was not guaranteed to succeed. Everyone had only three chances in their lifetime. Fail three times, and one could never receive an Immortal Soul’s inheritance.
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, joyous cries erupted from the crowd.
"I did it! I received the inheritance of a Third Grade Immortal Soul!"
"Me too! I got a Fourth Grade Immortal Soul inheritance!"
"I failed to connect with a Seventh Grade Immortal Soul, so I had to settle for a Sixth Grade one. But I succeeded."
"What? You actually managed to get a Sixth Grade Immortal Soul inheritance?"
...
Gradually, everyone’s gaze turned toward Yi Xiaoyao—the peerless genius!
Yi Xiaoyao’s maternal grandfather was the old Fortress Master of the Tang Family Castle. Ten years ago, his grandfather brought him to the Tang Family Castle. Before passing away, his grandfather left a will stating that Yi Xiaoyao was to inherit the position of Fortress Master.
However, Yi Xiaoyao did not share the Tang surname. None of the Tang Clan Members acknowledged his status, ostracizing him at every turn.
Thus, he was merely the Young Master of the Castle in name only.
But as long as Yi Xiaoyao obtained an Immortal Soul inheritance tonight, it would signify he was qualified to assume the position of Fortress Master. After that, no one would dare treat him with disrespect.
Most of the people present had ostracized Yi Xiaoyao in the past, so they now wore complicated expressions, wondering how they could secure their future within the Tang Family.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Yi Xiaoyao remained perfectly still, his eyes shut, showing no signs of movement.
Tang Ruoxue, on the other hand, had beads of sweat trickling down her forehead, dampening the strands of hair on her cheeks and making her look exceptionally beautiful and captivating.
Suddenly, a silver beam of light shot down from the sky and entered Tang Ruoxue’s body. She snapped her eyes open, a silver glint flashing within them, and in the next instant, her face was filled with delighted surprise!
"A Seventh Grade Immortal Soul! Ruoxue, you actually received the inheritance of a Seventh Grade Immortal Soul! This is wonderful!"
Tang Long walked toward Tang Ruoxue, laughing heartily.
Overcome with excitement, Tang Ruoxue hugged Tang Long. "Father! Your daughter has succeeded!"
The surrounding clan members broke into a flurry of discussion.
"A Seventh Grade Immortal Soul inheritance! That’s the best result the Tang Family has seen in years!"
"Indeed. Our Tang Family has finally produced a genius."
"But I remember Tang Ruoxue’s soul aptitude used to be terrible. How did she suddenly become a genius overnight?"
As soon as this was said, the others murmured in agreement, their faces filled with confusion and disbelief.
Little did they know that Tang Ruoxue’s ability to receive a Seventh Grade Immortal Soul’s inheritance was entirely thanks to Yi Xiaoyao.
Tang Long was beaming as he heard the crowd’s praise, but his expression suddenly turned to one of confusion as he looked toward Yi Xiaoyao.
"Why has everyone else succeeded, while Xiaoyao alone shows no sign of movement?"
"Father, Xiaoyao’s soul aptitude is even greater than mine. If I can receive a Seventh Grade Immortal Soul’s inheritance, he can definitely receive a Ninth Grade one!"
Tang Ruoxue said with a confident smile.
At her words, the young Tang Family members who had just received Third and Fourth Grade Immortal Souls looked crestfallen. A Ninth Grade Immortal Soul was something they wouldn’t even dare to dream of.
Compared to Yi Xiaoyao, they felt deeply ashamed and incredibly resentful.
Just then, as all eyes were on him, Yi Xiaoyao finally stirred.
"PFFT!"
A mouthful of fresh blood sprayed from his lips. At the same time, an enraged roar echoed from the sky above!
"GET LOST!!!"
...