The Coronation Ceremony
"From this day forward, you will be the 1,683rd Clan Leader of the Jade Qilin Clan."
Si Lin stood there, his dark eyes reflecting the face of his father, whom he hadn't seen for ten years.
It reflected the gaze of the child in his father's arms, whose eyes were curving upwards towards him.
Reflecting the complex gazes of the clansmen present.
He took on the responsibility that was originally his.
Wuma Xiu patted Si Ting, who immediately understood and put him down.
With a casual gesture, Wuma Xiu summoned Flowing Cloud beneath him.
Divine Power, like a golden storm, swept out from beneath the Flowing Clouds.
In that instant, the testing platform was transformed into a smooth, mirror-like jade surface.
A magnificent coronation platform rose from the ground.
It is constructed from starlight that has condensed into a tangible form.
Each step is like a cut piece of golden crystal, with slowly rotating nebulae flowing inside.
Stepping on it creates ripples of light.
On both sides of the steps, golden Flower Trees formed from Divine Power burst forth one after another.
Flowers of light that never fade bloom on the branches.
The petals fluttered down, but before touching the ground, they turned into tiny golden specks and flew back to the branches.
The cycle repeats itself endlessly, as if eternal spring has been frozen in this moment.
At the top of the stairs stood the Goddess of Beauty.
Wuma Xiu has returned to his adult form, his black hair cascading down to his waist like a waterfall formed from the night.
A few golden starlight, which had appeared out of nowhere, adorned her hair.
It flickered in the light of the flower.
He was enveloped in a very faint golden halo.
The halo wasn't dazzling.
Yet it seemed to make all the Gemstone and starlight in the world pale in comparison.
Wuma Xiu stretched out his hands, and countless tiny golden points of light gathered in them.
Ultimately, they coalesced into a crown.
Behind him, a curtain of light formed from Divine Power descended from the sky like the aurora borealis.
One layer upon another.
The transition from pale gold to rose gold, and then from rose gold to deep amber, envelops the entire coronation platform in a grand yet silent symphony of light.
Wuma Xiu lowered his eyelashes, his eyes piercing through the rain of flowers and the flowing aurora, through the star-studded staircase, and landing on the black-haired boy below.
Then he curved the corners of his lips into a faint smile.
--bring it on.
This scene brought tears to the eyes of all the members of the Jade Qilin Clan; they could not hide their excitement.
This was a magnificent scene they had only read about in fragments of yellowed ancient books, a glory that could only be glimpsed in the faded murals, a scene that many of their people never witnessed in their entire lives.
Nobody told them what to do.
But when that golden rain of flowers fell from the sky, when the aurora-like curtain slowly unfolded on the long steps.
They immediately understood.
That's God.
They are the Gods the Jade Qilin Clan has worshipped and believed in for generations, from the Age of the Gods to the present day, and have never forgotten for a single day.
A sudden surge of bitterness welled up from the deepest part of their hearts, choking them and burning their eyes.
Hundreds of thousands of years of waiting
How many times have I felt the despair that the Gods would never awaken again? How many times have I felt the regret that I would never see the Gods return?
All of it turned into silent tears at that moment.
They were finally able to see God again.
Si Ting was the first person to kneel down on one knee.
The former Clan Leader, who had just stepped down, bowed his proud head before the Gods.
At this moment, without him needing to give any orders, the surrounding clansmen, elders, clan officials, outstanding young people... and even the guards maintaining order all lowered themselves down like a tide.
Only the soft rustling of fabric and the occasional suppressed sob echoed gently.
They couldn't describe their emotions at that moment.
Excitement is too shallow, piety too weak.
It's more like a rootless duckweed that has been drifting for too long finally finding its roots again.
Si Lin was the only one who did not kneel.
He raised his head and looked up at the figure holding a crown at the end of the long steps.
Then he lifted his foot and stepped onto the first step.
He had initially thought this coronation would be an inescapable burden of responsibility.
But at this moment, amidst a shower of golden flowers, under the tearful gaze of their people, and in the quiet contemplation of the god's amber eyes.
Si Lin realized that this was actually an honor he was willing to bear.
It wasn't because he escaped and then came back.
It's not because he owes anyone an explanation.
It was because that person was waiting for him at the end of the steps, their eyes filled with the same smile as when they first met.
After walking onto the coronation platform...
Si Lin finally understood.
The steps were so short that he hadn't even had a chance to fully appreciate the figure of the god standing against the light before he arrived.
And it's so long.
It took him a full ten years of the Li Clan away from home to escape, and then he willingly accepted it by climbing step by step with a vow.
Si Lin's right knee touched the ground, Dark Night was held horizontally in front of him, his hands were folded on the gun, and his head was slightly lowered.
This is the oldest oath of allegiance from the Jade Qilin Clan.
Wuma Xiu raised his hand and lightly tapped the air with his fingertips.
The crown fell and was placed on Si Lin's head.
The golden halo shone brightly against the dark Spear in his hand, creating a contrast of light and shadow.
This is just like the destiny that the Jade Qilin Clan has inherited for hundreds of thousands of years.
In the past, they waited through countless ages; in the future, they will follow in eternal light.
Wuma Xiu, "In the name of the Goddess of Beauty, congratulations on becoming the 1,683rd Clan Leader of the Jade Qilin Clan. Your life will be even more magnificent from now on."
The moment the crown settled, a warm golden halo rippled from the top of Si Lin's head, brushing across his eyebrows and shoulders like waves.
The aurora curtain over the entire coronation platform suddenly lit up in that instant, with thousands of points of light rising up like fireworks.
Si Lin raised his head, his dark eyes reflecting the flowing Flowing Light and the figure of the Gods before him.
He did not avoid Wuma Xiu's gaze, but spoke amidst this grand, almost unreal scene:
"I, Si Lin, the 1,683rd Clan Leader of the Jade Qilin Clan, hereby swear—for the rest of my life, I will not fail my clan, nor betray the grace of the gods. If I break this oath, may heaven and earth forsake me."
Wuma Xiu reached out and gently touched Si Lin's forehead with his index finger.
That fleeting warmth felt like a petal landing on my brow.
"This is a vow made before God; if I break it, I will truly be forsaken by heaven and earth."
He withdrew his hand, smiled slightly, and said again:
"However, I believe you."
Wuma Xiu looked down at the vast group of kneeling Jade Qilin Clan members below, gently raised his hand, and said:
"Get up, all of you."
As he finished speaking, a faint golden ripple silently spread from the coronation platform, sweeping across the area below.
Before the kneeling Jade Qilin Clan members could recover from their excitement, they discovered that an unseen force was gently and irresistibly lifting them up one by one.
That force was like a spring breeze brushing over the grass, like the warm sun melting frost and snow.
Although they appear mild-mannered, they do not tolerate any resistance.
The force was so great that they could no longer kneel and had no choice but to stand up obediently.
They looked up at the figure on the long steps.
The Goddess of Beauty looked down upon the people she had protected for hundreds of thousands of years, her face radiating a divine glow that made Gods pale in comparison.
"I am the Goddess of Beauty, the Gods of power, freedom, and beauty, and the Gods you have worshipped for generations."
"From now on, you will still be under my protection."
As soon as he finished speaking, a faint golden halo simultaneously shone on all the members of the Jade Qilin Clan.
The light shone through their skin, warm as the spring sun, as if a Gods stamp had been silently applied to their skin.
This is a pact made between the Goddess of Beauty and the Jade Qilin Clan during the Age of Age of the Gods.
By Divine Power, and by bloodline.
From this day forward, wherever the Jade Qilin Clan resides, that is the realm touched by the glory of the Goddess of Beauty.