Co-Ruling the Realm, the Langya Wang Clan

Yu Ke recalled the current cultivation realms.

The initial realm was called the [First Heavenly Ladder].

It was also respectfully known as "Heavenly Cycle Qi Gathering." Different sects had different names for it, such as meditation, qi refinement, Nourish the Vast Righteousness, and so on.

Though the paths differed, they led to the same destination: guiding the spiritual qi between heaven and earth into one's body to strengthen oneself.

One had to weave each fine strand of spiritual qi into every acupoint throughout the body, until all nine streams of spiritual qi were filled. Only then was it considered complete.

Geniuses could achieve it in a month; ordinary people needed half a year.

His predecessor had taken more than five months, placing him at middling talent.

The second realm was called the Body Cleansing Realm.

It drew in the spiritual qi of heaven and earth to scour the meridians and clear the acupoints, tempering the sinews and bones to make them tougher, thereby washing the marrow, remaking the bones, and shedding one's mortal frame.

It possessed three wondrous manifestations:

[Gold Muscle and Jade Meridians], [Copper Skin and Iron Bones], [Mercury Blood and Silver Marrow].

However!

Achieving all three at once was harder than ascending to heaven.

His predecessor had consumed great medicines since childhood and laid a solid foundation, thus cultivating [Gold Muscle and Jade Meridians].

One had to know!

Among the outer sect, cultivating [Gold Muscle and Jade Meridians] was already exceedingly rare.

It was also what had given his predecessor the confidence to reach Foundation Establishment.

The result... better not talk about the result.

Heartbreaking!

Yu Ke stepped outside at this moment.

This was also the first time he had left the courtyard since coming to this world.

There was not the slightest unease in him; instead, he was filled with curiosity.

Jade Balance Mountain.

Stretching tens of thousands of li from east to west, it was famed for its beautiful and magnificent scenery.

Like a giant dragon lying across the land, its layered peaks rose and fell without end.

The Divine Firmament Sect had established itself upon this mountain.

Yu Ke looked up at the clouds and mist billowing around the mountaintop, obscuring it from view. That was where the inner sect lay, the gathering place of the sect's elites.

The mountainside, meanwhile, was where the outer sect disciples lived. They cultivated diligently, hoping that one day they might squeeze into the inner sect.

Yu Ke was one of them.

"Even after transmigrating, I still have to grind!"

At the mountain's foot were the servant disciples, who dreamed of becoming outer sect disciples.

The hierarchy was clearly distinct.

Within these vast mountain ranges stood marketplaces large and small. Some buildings were built against the slopes, while others were hidden in deep valleys.

All of them belonged to the Divine Firmament Sect.

As Yu Ke walked along, his eyes were opened wide.

The place buzzed with voices, as though he had stepped into a bustling market.

He could not help comparing it to the commercial street by his university town in his memories.

There were no milk tea shops, phone stores, restaurants, or hotpot places lining the streets.

Instead, there were somewhat chaotic cries ringing in his ears.

"Premium secondhand flying swords! Minor flaws! Certified female immortal's first-hand goods, quality guaranteed!"

"The latest style of magical robes, crafted from rare materials, with uniquely elegant designs!"

"Buying demon cores! The condensed essence of century-old demon beasts, supreme treasures for cultivation!"

"Selling pet beasts..."

The vendors' cries truly had everything one could want.

He looked around, as if searching for the traces most familiar to him.

In his previous life, at the most conspicuous street corner, there would definitely have been—

"Foot baths, Thai-style, nourishing—"

That guy lying in bed in blue cloth underwear, ears pricked as he listened to high heels tapping outside the door, praying that the person who entered would be a...

Ah, in the blink of an eye, all things had changed!

Yu Ke strolled leisurely, and by then it was already dusk.

Immortal Delicacy Residence was quite famous among the outer sect. It did not take much effort for him to find it.

It was the most magnificent landmark in the area, thirteen stories tall and imposing beyond compare.

The higher the floor, the higher the spending level. The topmost thirteenth floor in particular supposedly required a minimum spend of tens of thousands of spirit stones for a single evening.

Extravagant indeed!

Within the outer sect, only high-ranking elders and a small number of disciples from wealthy families could afford to spend on the thirteenth floor.

Yu Ke stood before the towering, resplendent first-floor hall.

He straightened his robes. Unable to suppress a hint of nervousness, he drew a deep breath and stepped inside.

He was not worried that there was no such thing as a feast without ulterior motives!

Just do not tell him they were splitting the bill when it was time to leave.

He entered the eighth floor.

Naturally, there was no need to climb the stairs. A cleverly designed mechanism, much like an elevator, effortlessly carried him upward.

Yu Ke was astonished inside, but his face remained relaxed and composed.

"In a cultivation world, even productivity is different."

He had not seen any electrical devices at all. Instead, faint spiritual qi surged through the mechanism, involving certain runes that touched upon a gap in his knowledge.

The eighth floor had winding corridors, like private rooms.

A maid led Yu Ke to a door.

Yu Ke thanked her.

He gently pushed the door open, and the sight before him was completely different from what he had expected.

The space was immensely vast!

It was like an estate.

A stream had been dug into the floor, with living fish swimming within.

Above it stood a little bridge over flowing water, an arched bridge wreathed in mist.

Qin and se music played in gentle harmony, while dancers swayed gracefully.

A sense of serenity, elegance, comfort, and ethereality washed over him.

Yu Ke could not help thinking of that big brother surnamed Liu: "Keep the music playing, keep—"

At this moment!

Quite a few people had already gathered in the hall, all of them outer sect disciples of the Divine Firmament Sect.

Yu Ke swept his gaze around and found that most were familiar faces, old acquaintances.

His good friend Zhou Liang was already waving at him.

Yet at the center of the crowd stood a woman in green robes who was especially eye-catching.

Yu Ke had never seen her in his memories.

She appeared sixteen, seventeen, perhaps eighteen, graceful in bearing and stunningly beautiful. Her face was like congealed goose fat, her lips like touched cherry blossoms, her eyes like autumn waters.

Her emerald-green dress made her resemble jade lotus leaves struck by rain, a lone mountain veiled in thin mist—beautiful enough to steal one's breath away.

Like the pearl of the room, she was surrounded by the crowd as stars cradled the moon.

Even the conversations subtly centered around her, everyone seeming to lower themselves by a fraction.

Seeing this, Yu Ke came to a realization.

"Senior Brother Yu, you're here. Hurry and take a seat."

"Senior Brother Yu, long time no see."

"Junior Brother Yu, you came too."

As Yu Ke entered, quite a few people rose to greet him.

Yu Ke did not dare put on airs and responded to each of them.

"Senior Brother Chen, Senior Brother Chu, Senior Brother Gu Yue."

"And Zhou Liang, you brat."

The woman in green also looked toward Yu Ke along with the others. Her beautiful eyes were lively and radiant, while a faint glow like luminescent jade seemed to shine between her brows.

Yu Ke's gaze fell upon Zhou Liang, the person he knew best.

"Senior Brother Zhou, I do not believe I have seen this fairy before. Could I trouble you, Junior Brother, to introduce her?"

Without question!

The focus of this banquet was this woman in green.

The fact that she could draw so many people together here showed how much influence she possessed in the outer sect.

Everyone present, Yu Ke included, shared one identity—their families belonged to the Great Zhou Divine Kingdom.

Six great powers stood upon the lands of Lei Province.

Among them, the Great Zhou Divine Kingdom ranked third.

In the southeast of the continent lay five provinces, including Lei Province, Tai Province, and Qing Prefecture. Together, their twenty cultivation dynasties all fell under the Divine Firmament Sect's protection and jurisdiction.

The Divine Firmament Sect was a true behemoth.

This was an era in which dynasties and sects jointly ruled the realm.

Yet behind it all, with its deep foundations and unmatched strength, the sect was the true hand on the helm.

The identity of being descendants of aristocratic families from the Great Zhou Dynasty was like an invisible thread that bound them tightly together, forming a group.

However!

Even among these great aristocratic families, circumstances differed.

For example, the Luoshui Yu Clan to which Yu Ke belonged had declined somewhat in recent years, yet it still retained the foundation of an aristocratic house.

Likewise, many present came from poor families whose houses had already fallen, though their ancestors had once enjoyed prosperity.

Whether from humble families or aristocratic houses, they all belonged to the same category—descendants of aristocratic families.

"Wang Yunxi of the Langya Wang Clan. A pleasure to meet you, Senior Brother Yu."

Before Zhou Liang could speak, the woman was already smiling as she spoke.