Heaven! Earth! Mystic! Yellow!
Four primordial immortal-seal characters blazed like four scorching suns, branded atop the four-colored curtains of light. Each character shone like the stars, illuminating three thousand worlds! Majestic Dao resonance swept through the cosmos, proclaiming the opening of an event unparalleled through the ages.
Countless living beings raised their heads, bearing witness to this mighty power of heaven and earth.
Across the four-colored curtains, names flickered like stars, lighting up one after another! Whenever a name appeared, a pillar of light descended from the boundless heavens, ignoring all barriers of space to envelop the corresponding person with perfect precision!
The Yellow List moved first!
Earth-yellow pillars of light, imbued with a deep, simple strength, spilled down upon the mortal world.
In a market district of a small city on the Southern Jambu Continent.
"You dare ask three low-grade spirit stones for this spirit melon? Two! Two at most!" A rogue cultivator in a threadbare Daoist robe was arguing with a melon vendor, his face flushed and spittle flying.
Suddenly, without warning, a yellow pillar of light descended and enveloped him.
The rogue cultivator haggling with the vendor went rigid, still clutching half a spirit melon he had yet to pay for.
High in the heavens, within the Yellow List's section, a name slowly emerged: "Yellow List · Li Ergou."
The cultivator whose real name was Li Ergou froze for a moment, then leaped three feet into the air. Stuffing the spirit melon into his sleeve, he thumped his chest and shouted, "I made the Yellow List! Put this melon on my tab! Once I strike it rich, I'll come back and build you a melon shop out of spirit stones! I made the list! Hahahaha!"
The vendor was dumbstruck too. Holding a melon, he watched Li Ergou rave inside the pillar of light, his mouth opening and closing.
The surrounding crowd erupted in an uproar. Looks of envy, jealousy, and disbelief all but drowned Li Ergou.
In a restaurant in Flowing Light Immortal City in the Eastern Region, the young cultivator who had just been pestering the old man about how to make the lists stood frozen. He stared at the yellow spiritual radiance shooting skyward from his body, and the low-grade flying sword he treasured fell from his hand with a clang. His face was filled with disbelief.
Inside a third-rate sect, an outer disciple of mediocre aptitude who spent his days sweeping the scripture pavilion was enveloped in yellow light as he cleaned away the dust. His broom fell from his hand, and he gazed up at the sky, tears blurring his eyes...
The myriad lives of the world displayed every imaginable reaction.
Though the Yellow List was the lowest, earning a place on it was already a fish leaping through the Dragon Gate. It would change the course of countless lowly cultivators' lives!
For a time, the leaders of countless small and medium-sized factions across the continent began turning over possibilities. Some offered daughters in marriage or sought brides, while others adopted sons or accepted disciples, all eager to place their bets early!
The scene was remarkably similar to the Immortal Dynasty's custom of "snatching sons-in-law beneath the rankings."
Winning over Yellow List talents now was undoubtedly a venture that promised ten thousandfold returns. These factions did not need them to make a name on the Azure Cloud List. As long as their names remained on a list, the factions could use them to stabilize their own fortune!
As the Yellow List's radiance gradually steadied, the deep, dark curtain of the Mystic List burst into shadowy brilliance! Jet-black pillars of light struck the earth like lightning in the darkest night.
In a sinister mass graveyard on the Northern Kuru Continent.
"Boy, hand over that stalk of netherworld grass, and we'll spare your life!" Three black-clad men formed a triangle, cornering a blood-soaked man whose aura had grown feeble.
The man leaned against a broken gravestone, his eyes fierce. He was already an arrow at the end of its flight.
Yet just as a blade was about to strike him-
Boom!
A jet-black pillar of light plunged straight down! Not only did it block the fatal blow, but the spiritual power pouring into him instantly filled his dried-up meridians. His wounds healed at a speed visible to the naked eye!
High in the heavens, within the Mystic List's section, the words "Mystic List · Zhao Polu" shone brilliantly!
Zhao Polu froze at first, feeling the long-absent strength within him. Then he threw back his head and laughed with unrestrained exhilaration. "Hahahaha! Heaven hasn't forsaken me!" His lightning-sharp gaze swept over the three black-clad men, who had gone deathly pale and were turning to flee. "Heh heh, now it's my turn to hunt you down!"
In the Martial Arena of a medium-sized lineage, a young heir sparring with a younger clansman was enveloped in dark light, prompting cheers from the entire clan. His father's aged eyes streamed with tears as he repeatedly kowtowed toward the ancestral shrine. "Our ancestors have manifested their blessings! Our clan has a worthy successor!"
At the edge of a secret realm where a spiritual-power storm had just subsided, a lone wanderer had narrowly survived to pluck a spirit herb. As the dark light enveloped him, he warily surveyed his surroundings and gripped the herb more tightly, ambition flashing in his eyes.
Those on the Mystic List were already outstanding figures in their own regions! If they survived this age of great contention, founding sects and becoming revered patriarchs would be far from an empty dream!
Before the Mystic List's radiance had fully steadied, the Earth List's blue-green curtain abruptly lit up, its glow as clear and translucent as jade!
Once again, it was Flowing Light Immortal City in the Eastern Region. Perhaps the restaurant's feng shui was exceptionally good that day, for when the jade-like blue-green radiance descended, it landed squarely upon yet another table inside.
A talented young man engaged in animated conversation with his friends was suddenly bathed in blue-green light. He paused in surprise, then raised his wine cup with soaring spirits and laughed aloud, drawing cheers from the entire restaurant.
High in the sky, "Earth List · Jiang Zhiyuan" stood prominently among the names.
An elite inner disciple of a great sect calmly accepted the Earth List's pillar of light beneath his elders' gratified gazes, his aura growing ever deeper and more composed.
A gifted member of an ancient aristocratic clan's collateral branch had carved a bloody path through his own efforts. His standing within the clan rose instantly, drawing sidelong glances from the direct descendants.
Deep within desolate mountains and vast marshes, the Earth List's blue-green light also found many outstanding rogue cultivators.
Almost everyone on the Earth List was a prodigy regarded as a future titan of their region! To many who knew them, their inclusion was richly deserved.
But the greatest sensation, and the focus of the most attention, was undoubtedly the Heaven List!
The Heaven List's blood-red curtain blazed with overwhelming brilliance, carrying an air of fierce dominance.
A beam of red light plunged into the depths of a secret realm overrun with savage beasts on the Western Ox-Ho Continent. A boy gnawing on a demonic beast's inner core was wrapped in the pillar of light and lifted into the air,
The boy blinked blankly, half an inner core still held between his teeth, and mumbled, "What's this thing? It's getting in the way of my advancement... huh? The Heaven List?" He looked at the words "Heaven List · Shi Zheng" floating overhead and scratched his head, seemingly finding the pillar of light something of a nuisance.
At the same time, another beam of red light struck the busiest street on the Central Continent.
A young man wore an ornate enchanted robe, the radiance of treasures flowing around him. Numerous lackeys crowded around him, bustling ahead and behind in a lively procession.
The instant the crimson pillar descended, uncontrollable ecstasy erupted across the young man's face! Waving his arms, he pointed wildly at the words "Heaven List · Wang Hu" overhead and screamed at the bustling crowd around him, "The Heaven List! Do you see that?! I'm a prodigy of this generation! A future True Immortal! Which blind fool dares step up and test me?!"
Well, who knew why making a list gave people this sudden urge to swagger and boast? It almost seemed contagious, with several people in succession falling into the same habit.
The lackeys around Wang Hu took their flattery to the extreme, loudly chiming in:
"Brother Hu is mighty!"
"Congratulations on your glorious entry onto the Heaven List, Brother Hu!"
"The hidden dragon has left the abyss-now you'll soar straight into the heavens!"
This display drew sidelong looks from passersby, their expressions varying.
However, this newly crowned "Prodigy Wang" had kicked an iron plate this time.
"Pfft-"
A distinct scoff rudely interrupted his smug self-congratulation.
"The Heaven List? A frog at the bottom of a well dares proclaim himself invincible?" A cool voice rang out.
Wang Hu flew into a rage, and even the crimson pillar trembled with him. "You dare look down on a Heaven List prodigy?!"
A boy in a moon-white brocade robe slowly emerged from the crowd, his bearing elegant and noble. Light flowed across the jade pendant at his waist, making his distinguished origins plain. He stood with his arms folded and swept an indifferent gaze over Wang Hu, as though looking at a clown capering on a stage.
"A petty braggart. Laughable, utterly laughable." The brocade-robed boy's voice carried undisguised contempt. "Don't be so quick to swagger. The lists have only just opened. Many true monsters are still cultivating in forbidden lands and secret realms, and the Heavenly Dao has yet to fully capture their auras. Besides, this is merely a little warm-up for the grand event. These four lists-Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow-haven't even assigned rankings yet. Who knows whether you stand near the top of the Heaven List or merely occupy its very last seat?"
He raised a hand and pointed higher into the heavens, toward a place that seemed to touch the very source of the universe. His voice abruptly turned solemn. "Do you know that above these four lists, there is yet another, called-the Immortal List!"