First Tier, Life Controller!

In the illusory Dark World, Gu Jianlin once again descended upon that ancient megalithic altar.

The vast sky above was churning with dark clouds, deep and oppressive like a roiling ocean. Amid the howling wind, a bottomless vortex of a storm was gathering. Sand and stones flew through the air, and dust swirled everywhere.

The boundless wasteland was riddled with dry cracks, barren and desolate.

Countless ghosts wandered the wilderness.

Some were as huge as giants, others the size of ordinary people, and still others tiny as ants.

Only a single, insubstantial stairway reached into the heavens, vanishing into the deepest clouds as though it led straight to the firmament.

Gu Jianlin stood atop the megalithic altar, clad in white ceremonial robes covered in black incantations.

He was also in his Ancient God Transformation state, wearing a black Kirin Mask. His golden pupils blazed like flames, and dragon scales covered his body.

The Divine Sacrifice Fire burned pale at the center of his brow.

"This is where I became a Divine Priest. I don't know what kind of space this is, but one thing's certain: it has an intricate connection to the Divine Priest Path."

Gu Jianlin surveyed his surroundings calmly. It wasn't his first time here, after all.

The ghosts wandering the wilderness were probably Ascenders from the Divine Priest Path.

Their size was likely related to their tier.

All Divine Priests followed this path together, seeking a way to ascend to heaven.

Wait, no. That wasn't quite right.

Gu Jianlin remembered the towering behemoth he'd seen the last time he came here.

The figure had walked to the end of the stairway to heaven. Its back, taller than the sky itself, had blocked out all the light.

The reason it was nighttime here was that the behemoth had blocked out all the light.

"How powerful would someone have to be to grow that huge? Is that the strongest Divine Priest?"

Gu Jianlin couldn't see the towering behemoth, but he could faintly sense its imposing presence.

Wherever darkness reached, it was there.

Gu Jianlin fell silent for a few seconds, then stopped looking up at the sky. He quietly felt the changes within himself until the spirituality in his body broke through its limits once more, and a rumble of the soul echoed deep in his mind.

It was time to advance!

Before him, a flame-like pale light appeared, gathering into a step of insubstantial stairs.

In the real world, without Candle Dragon Venerable's restraints, it should work.

He took a deep breath and tried to step onto the staircase.

With a boom,

Gu Jianlin's consciousness seemed to ascend beyond the heavens. The Divine Sacrifice Fire on his forehead suddenly flared.

Deep whispers, as if from primordial times, rang in his ears, concealing the mysteries of the universe.

Ancient, forbidden knowledge belonging to the Ancient God Race flooded into his mind like a tide!

He'd succeeded!

At that moment, he completed his first advancement as an Ascender.

—From then on, he was a Tier One Life Controller.

Almost at the same time, he comprehended a brand-new ability.

One made specifically for battle.

Ghost Humanization!

When Gu Jianlin came to again, dawn had broken.

After his advancement, his mental state was no longer so depleted. His spirituality was still recovering slowly, and the tearing sensation throughout his body remained, but at least it didn't stop him from moving. He no longer had to lie helplessly in bed.

"You're awake?"

Lu Zicheng's voice came from nearby, sounding exhausted.

Gu Jianlin turned his head and was startled.

Lu Zicheng was sitting at the table with a cup of hot coffee in his hand.

Chen Qing was still dressed in a business suit and skirt, standing behind him like a secretary with two bags of breakfast.

For some reason, the parrot's beak had been tied shut. It perched on her shoulder.

Gu Jianlin wasn't surprised because he hadn't noticed them there.

He was surprised by Lu Zicheng's condition. The dignified Tier Four Mad King looked as if he'd been drained dry. His face was drawn, dark circles ringed his eyes, and he seemed to be in a pretty bad state.

"Are you all right?"

Gu Jianlin got up, hesitated for a second, then said, "How about I get up and you lie down?"

For some reason, Lu Zicheng always looked at him with a hint of resentment. He waved a hand and said, "No need. I just had a nightmare last night. I'm on the Ancient Martial Arts Path. I can handle it."

Chen Qing, her beautiful face set in a cool expression, glanced at him without a word.

Looking at Lu Zicheng's thoroughly worn-out appearance, Gu Jianlin couldn't help thinking his explanation was questionable.

"I said I'm fine!"

Lu Zicheng's expression hardened. "Stay out of it!"

Chen Qing glanced at him again.

Gu Jianlin found it even stranger. "I wasn't trying to get involved. Why are you getting so worked up?"

"Who's worked up?"

Lu Zicheng raised an eyebrow. "Enough with the nonsense. I heard Lin Wanqiu came to see you yesterday?"

Gu Jianlin nodded.

Lu Zicheng yawned and gave a slight nod. "Judging by the Tribunal's response, Lin Wanqiu didn't find anything. They might give you a few more mental evaluations later, but you should be fine. If I'm guessing right, did she also try to recruit you into her team last night?"

Gu Jianlin didn't deny it. "Yes. She also said that if I didn't need those two Mythic Armaments, she could apply to her superiors to exchange them for the corresponding resources."

"Why not join them?"

Lu Zicheng said seriously, for once. "You should know that in the Ascender world, Alchemists are the scarcest resource, with Priests coming second. Lin Wanqiu must have told you that resources and logistics are the most important things for Ascenders. Her team's leader is a Tier Four Holy Mother, and the deputy leader is a Tier Two pharmacist."

"That lineup alone means resources. If people want them to do something, they have to pay. And for some things, money won't do—you have to offer resources. Things like more cost-effective Alchemy Armaments and advancement materials."

He smiled. "If you join their team, you won't have to worry about advancing before the Transcendent tier."

Gu Jianlin fell silent for a second. "Is it really that important?"

Lu Zicheng shrugged. "You can connect to the Deep Sky Network and check the forums."

Gu Jianlin took out his phone and connected to the Deep Sky Network.

Now that his access level had been upgraded, he had access not only to his personal profile, general knowledge searches, and the resource exchange, but also to the official forum for the Feng City branch.

He opened the forum. Countless posts flooded the screen, their titles highlighted in red.

"Offering a hefty reward for a Tier One Herb Expert, for three days. Daily pay: 50,000!"

"C-rank hunting mission. Urgently need a Tier Two Nun. Half the mission reward is yours alone."

"Resource exchange: urgently seeking Tier Two advancement materials for the Sword Sect Path. Ample budget. No time-wasters."

"Recruiting for a team! Urgently need a Priest or someone on the Alchemist Path..."

Looking at the posts, Gu Jianlin felt like he was staring at a video game's announcement board.

There were countless posts.

Some teams were missing a healer, while others were stuck at an advancement bottleneck and looking for potions or materials.

Requests for Spirit Potions were the most common.

"See what I mean?"

Lu Zicheng said calmly. "That's how important Alchemists and Priests are. If a team doesn't have a Priest, people can easily get killed. And Alchemists determine how quickly you advance."

Gu Jianlin scrolled through the forum and nodded. "Most of the posts are looking to hire Alchemists. An Ascender with an Alchemist backing him will definitely advance much faster than others."

The many Ascenders on the forum clamoring for Spirit Potions made it clear just how important Alchemists were.

Then he remembered that the mentor in the ancient tomb was a Tier Four Alchemist.

And he could also refine Transcendent-grade Spirit Potions.

That meant Gu Jianlin already had a major resource provider backing him!

"Exactly."

Lu Zicheng smiled. "Tier Zero requires the fewest resources. Once you reach Tier One, you need geometrically more Spirit Potions. Not only that, you also need advancement materials. Lin Wanqiu's team has the best resources in the Feng City branch, especially the Alchemist on their team. Ever since CMJ-113 Spirit Potion went out of production, the Spirit Potions he makes have been among the best available."

He paused. "Don't think the Alchemist Path is that simple. Plenty of people have lost control of their minds and become Fallen after taking low-quality Spirit Potions."

Gu Jianlin was silent for a long time. Whenever he heard the words "Fallen," he couldn't help feeling annoyed.

"Besides, Lin Wanqiu's a beauty."

Lu Zicheng said lazily, "You really missed out on a rich woman. I've only just become a team leader, and I don't have much of a network in Feng City. I've only got one unreliable older sister. And the Lu Family only produces people on the Ancient Martial Arts and Celestial Master Paths. We did hire an Alchemist, but he only knows how to make Transcendent-grade Spirit Potions."

Gu Jianlin shook his head. "It's fine. Sister Chen Qing's a beauty too."

It was a rare attempt at humor from him.

Chen Qing had been expressionless the whole time, but after hearing that, her eyes softened almost imperceptibly.

She placed the breakfast bags on the table and said flatly, "Eat breakfast first. I bought soy milk, fried dough sticks, and tea eggs."

Gu Jianlin replied politely, "Thanks."

"You've got a way with words, kid."

Lu Zicheng sighed. "Honestly, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't even want to be team leader."

Although Lin Wanqiu had offered such generous terms, her goal was obvious.

She wanted the Mythic Armaments.

If Gu Jianlin didn't hand them over, he wouldn't get those benefits.

And once he handed them over, he'd be of no use to her.

Self-awakened Ascenders were rare, but he wasn't the only one.

Besides, people were still coveting his father's belongings.

"By the way, I have something important to tell you."

After weighing it over, Gu Jianlin decided to share his suspicions.

If something from the Immortal Palace really had slipped into the human world, it was too dangerous.

If they let it go, who knew how many people would get dragged into it?

"About Joker?"

Lu Zicheng asked, narrowing his eyes.

Gu Jianlin nodded. "I got two Mythic Armaments from him. One of them..."

"Stop."

Lu Zicheng said calmly, "You don't need to tell me what your Mythic Armaments do. They belong to you. They're your secrets. Remember this: whether it's an Alchemy Armament or a Mythic Armament you carry, don't tell anyone if you can help it. The more carefully you hide them, the safer you'll be."

Gu Jianlin fell silent for a few seconds, then nodded slightly.

"I got some information from Joker."

He left out the Immortal Palace and went straight to the point. "From his testimony, it seems the person who caused the Blood Moon Massacre wasn't Old Gu. It was someone else. If I'm not mistaken, someone impersonated him and took his place."

Lu Zicheng furrowed his brow.

Chen Qing pressed her red lips together and said softly, "But there are surveillance recordings, palm and fingerprints, DNA comparisons, blood tests, and plenty of other evidence from that incident. A high-tier medium was also at the scene in person and reconstructed what happened."

In other words, the evidence was conclusive.

"I know."

Gu Jianlin spoke each word distinctly. "But in this supernatural world, is it possible that some ability could perfectly imitate—or even copy—a person and take their place?"

Lu Zicheng and Chen Qing were both taken aback.

"At the time of the Blood Moon Massacre, my father should have been trapped in the Kirin Immortal Palace."

Gu Jianlin said gravely, "There's something strange about this."

Lu Zicheng folded his arms and fell silent for a long while.

"That does sound pretty strange."

He scratched his head. "Chen Qing, what do you think?"

Chen Qing pondered for a moment. "In this crazy world, anything is possible. We need to gather more evidence."

"Right. If we find Joker's accomplices, we might get some leads."

Lu Zicheng looked at the young man and smiled. "If we don't eliminate Joker's accomplices, you'll keep worrying about it, won't you? Even if we promise to protect your family, as long as those people are still alive, that thorn will keep digging into your heart."

"That's right."

Chen Qing took out her tablet and tapped it twice, bringing up some information. "There are people behind Joker pulling the strings, and his accomplices are still on the run. A hunting bounty has already been issued for the Feng City jurisdiction. As team leader and deputy leader, we have to take part."

She rarely spoke so gently. "Little Gu, if you want to rest, you can sit this mission out..."

Just yesterday, Gu Jianlin had been thinking of using the Ether Association's help to wipe out the organization behind Joker. He hadn't expected to get the chance so soon.

This mission would be a perfect opportunity to gather more Ancient God Blood.

"No. I'm going."