First Rank, Life Controller!

In the illusory world of darkness, Gu Jianlin descended once again to that ancient megalithic altar.

Above the vast firmament, dark clouds rolled like the deep, oppressive surges of a tidal sea. Accompanied by the howling of a gale, a bottomless vortex storm brewed, filling the air with flying sand, moving stones, and drifting dust.

The horizon was an endless, desolate wasteland, covered in dried-up fissures, barren and lonely.

Countless wandering souls roamed the wilderness.

Some were as massive as giants, others were the size of ordinary people, and some were as small as ants.

There was only one void staircase reaching toward the heavens, disappearing into the deepest part of the dark clouds as if it led straight to the sky.

Gu Jianlin stood upon the megalithic altar, draped in white sacrificial robes covered in pitch-black incantations.

Moreover, he remained in his Ancient God state: the pitch-black Kirin Mask, burning golden vertical pupils, and dragon scales sprouting all over his body.

Between his brows, the pale Divine Sacrifice Fire burned.

"This is the place where I first became a Divine Priest. I don't know the nature of this space, but one thing is certain: it is inextricably linked to the Divine Priest Path."

Gu Jianlin surveyed his surroundings, feeling quite calm; after all, this was not his first time here.

Those wandering souls in the wilderness were likely other Ascenders of the Divine Priest Path.

The size of their forms was likely related to their rank.

All Divine Priests were on this path together, seeking the way to ascend to heaven.

Wait, that wasn't quite right.

Gu Jianlin recalled the heaven-supporting behemoth he had seen the last time he visited this world.

That figure walked at the end of the heavenly staircase, a back as high as the sky, blocking out all light.

The reason it was night here was because that behemoth blocked all the light.

"How strong must one be to be that massive? Is that the peak of the Divine Priest Path?"

Gu Jianlin could not see that heaven-supporting behemoth, but he could vaguely sense that majestic existence.

Wherever the darkness reached, it was omnipresent.

Gu Jianlin fell silent for a few seconds. He did not continue looking up at the sky, but instead silently felt the changes within himself until his spirituality broke through its shackles once more, and a roar of the soul echoed deep within his mind.

The time for advancement had come!

Before him, a pale, flame-like light ignited, converging into a staircase of void.

In the real world, without the suppression of the Candle Dragon Venerable, this should be possible.

He took a deep breath and attempted to step onto the stairs.

Boom.

In that moment, Gu Jianlin's mental consciousness seemed to soar beyond the heavens, and the Divine Sacrifice Fire on his forehead erupted violently.

Deep, ancient whispers, hiding the mysteries of the universe, echoed in his ears.

Those ancient, forbidden pieces of knowledge belonging to the Ancient God Race poured into his mind like a tidal wave!

He succeeded!

In this moment, he completed his first advancement as an Ascender.

—From this point on, he was a First Rank, Life Controller.

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

And it was an ability specifically for combat.

Ghost Humanization!

When Gu Jianlin regained consciousness, the sky had already brightened.

Having completed the promotion, his mental state was not as lethargic as before. Although his spirituality was recovering slowly and the sensation of being torn apart still lingered throughout his body, it at least did not affect his mobility, and he no longer needed to remain bedridden.

"Awake?"

Lu Zicheng's voice sounded from nearby, sounding very exhausted.

Gu Jianlin turned his head and was startled.

He saw Lu Zicheng sitting at the table, holding a cup of hot coffee.

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

For some reason, the parrot had its beak tied shut and was perched on her shoulder.

The reason Gu Jianlin was startled was not because he hadn't sensed their presence.

It was because of Lu Zicheng's state. A dignified Fourth Rank Mad King, he looked as if he had been drained dry, his face sallow and withered, sporting a pair of dark circles under his eyes. His mental state was clearly in trouble.

"Are you alright?"

Gu Jianlin got up, hesitating for a second: "Should I get up and you lie down?"

For some reason, the way Lu Zicheng looked at him always carried a trace of resentment. He waved his hand and said, "No need. I just had a nightmare last night. I'm on the Ancient Martial Arts path; I'm not that weak."

Chen Qing kept her cold, beautiful face expressionless, though she cast a subtle glance at him.

Seeing his kidney-deficient appearance, Gu Jianlin felt this explanation was open to debate.

"I said, I'm fine!"

Lu Zicheng said with a straight face: "You don't need to worry about me!"

Chen Qing glanced at him again.

Gu Jianlin found it increasingly strange: "I wasn't trying to worry about you. Why are you so worked up?"

"Who's worked up?"

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

Gu Jianlin hummed in acknowledgment.

Lu Zicheng yawned and nodded slightly: "Judging by the Tribunal's reaction, Lin Wanqiu didn't find anything. Perhaps there will be a few more mental screenings later, but you should be fine. If I'm not mistaken, did she try to probe you into joining her squad last night?"

Gu Jianlin did not deny it: "Yes. And she told me that if I didn't need those two Mythic Armaments, she could apply to her superiors to exchange them for corresponding resources."

"Why didn't you go?"

Lu Zicheng said with rare seriousness: "You have to know that in the world of Ascenders, Alchemists are the scarcest resource, followed by Priests. Lin Wanqiu must have told you that for an Ascender, the most important things are resources and logistics. Her squad's captain is a Fourth Rank Holy Mother, and the vice-captain is a Second Rank Alchemist."

"This combination itself implies resources, because as long as people need them to do things, they have to pay. For some things that money can't buy, one must provide resources. For example, more cost-effective Alchemy Armaments or promotion materials."

He smiled: "If you join their squad, your promotion before the Super-Dimensional level will basically be worry-free."

Gu Jianlin was silent for a second: "Is it 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 interface.

Now that his clearance had been upgraded, in addition to personal data, general knowledge queries, and the resource exchange library, the official forum belonging to the Feng City branch was also open to him.

He clicked on the forum. Countless posts instantly flooded the screen with various red-highlighted titles.

"Hiring a First Rank Herb Expert for three days, daily wage of fifty thousand!"

"C-level hunting mission, urgently need a Second Rank Nun, can keep half the mission reward."

"Resource exchange, urgently need a Sword Sect path, Second Rank promotion material, budget is sufficient, serious inquiries only."

"Squad recruitment! Urgently need Priest or Alchemist path..."

Seeing these posts, Gu Jianlin felt as if he were looking at the bulletin board of an online game.

Countless posts.

Either a squad was missing a healer, or someone was stuck at a promotion node and seeking spirit potions or materials.

Among them, the demand for Spirit Potions was the highest.

"See that?"

Lu Zicheng said calmly: "This is the importance of Alchemists and Priests. If there is no Priest in a squad, casualties are very likely. And Alchemists determine your promotion speed."

Gu Jianlin scrolled through the forum and nodded: "The most frequent posts are hiring Alchemists. If an Ascender has an Alchemist behind them, their promotion speed will definitely be much faster than others."

From the forum, seeing so many Ascenders flocking to Spirit Potions, one could see the importance of Alchemists.

However, he suddenly remembered that the mentor in the ancient tomb was a Fourth Rank Alchemist.

And he could also refine Super-Dimensional Spirit Potions.

In that case, Gu Jianlin already had a resource tycoon behind him!

"Right, that's the logic."

Lu Zicheng laughed: "Zero Rank requires the fewest resources, but once you promote to First Rank, the Spirit Potions required increase geometrically. Not only are they more numerous, but you also need promotion materials. Lin Wanqiu's squad has the best resources in the Feng City branch, especially the Alchemist in their team. Ever since the CMJ-113 Spirit Potion went out of print, the Spirit Potions he refines can be considered top-tier goods."

He paused: "Don't think the Alchemist path is that simple. Many people have suffered mental collapse and become Fallen because they took inferior Spirit Potions."

Gu Jianlin was silent for a long time. He felt inexplicably annoyed whenever he heard the word "Fallen" now.

"And Lin Wanqiu is a beauty, too."

Lu Zicheng said lazily: "You really missed out on a rich woman. I'm just a newly appointed captain with no connections in Feng City, only an unreliable older sister. And our Lu Family only produces Ancient Martial Arts and Celestial Master paths. We did hire an Alchemist, but he only specializes in refining Super-Dimensional Spirit Potions."

Gu Jianlin shook his head: "It's fine, Sister Chen Qing is also a beauty."

This was a rare moment of humor for him.

Chen Qing had been expressionless the whole time, but upon hearing this, her eyes softened silently.

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

Gu Jianlin said politely: "Thank you."

"You kid know how to talk."

Lu Zicheng sighed: "Actually, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't even want to be a captain."

Although Lin Wanqiu offered such generous conditions, her goal was also very obvious.

It was for the Mythic Armament.

If Gu Jianlin didn't hand over the Mythic Armament, he certainly wouldn't get those benefits.

And once he handed over the Mythic Armament, he would be useless.

Autonomous Ascenders were rare, but he wasn't the only one.

Moreover, there were people eyeing his father's legacy.

"By the way, I have something very important to say."

After thinking it over, Gu Jianlin decided to voice his suspicions.

Because if some ghost from the Immortal Palace had really infiltrated the human world, it would be too dangerous.

If left unchecked, heaven knows how many people would be implicated.

"About Joker?"

Lu Zicheng narrowed his eyes and asked.

Gu Jianlin hummed: "I obtained two Mythic Armaments from him, one of which..."

"Stop."

Lu Zicheng said calmly: "Don't tell me the effects of your Mythic Armaments. Those are your things, your secrets. Remember one thing: whether it's the Alchemy Armaments you carry or the Mythic Armaments, don't tell anyone if conditions allow. The deeper you hide, the safer you are."

Gu Jianlin was silent for a few seconds and nodded slightly.

"I obtained some intelligence from Joker."

He omitted the matter of the Kirin Immortal Palace and said directly: "According to his confession, the person who caused the Blood Moon Massacre doesn't seem to be Old Gu, but someone else. If I'm not mistaken, someone impersonated him and took his place."

Hearing this, Lu Zicheng frowned.

Chen Qing pursed her red lips and said softly: "But for that incident, there was surveillance footage, as well as palm prints, fingerprints, DNA comparisons, blood tests, and many other pieces of evidence. High-level mediums were also on-site to reconstruct the sequence of events."

In other words, the evidence was ironclad.

"I know."

Gu Jianlin said word by word: "But in this supernatural world, is there a possibility that some ability exists that can perfectly imitate or copy a person, thereby replacing them?"

Lu Zicheng and Chen Qing were slightly stunned.

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

Gu Jianlin said in a deep voice: "There is something fishy about this."

Lu Zicheng crossed his arms and remained silent for a long time.

"Sounds a bit eerie."

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 collect more evidence."

"Right, as long as we find Joker's accomplices, we might get some clues."

Lu Zicheng looked at the boy and smiled: "If we don't eliminate Joker's accomplices, you'll still feel uneasy, right? Even if we promise to protect your family, as long as they aren't dead, this thorn will always be stuck in your heart."

"Exactly."

Chen Qing took out a tablet, tapped it a few times, and brought up some information: "Joker had someone behind him, and his accomplices are still at large. The Feng City jurisdiction has already issued a hunting bounty. As captain and vice-captain, we are going to participate."

She said with rare gentleness: "Little Gu, if you want to rest, you can skip this mission..."

Gu Jianlin had been thinking yesterday about using the power of the Ether Association to wipe out the organization behind Joker; he hadn't expected an opportunity to arise so quickly.

He could just use this mission to collect more Ancient God blood.

"No, I want to participate."