The Divine Son Emerges from Seclusion, the Coming-of-Age Ceremony

Time flew, and ten years passed in the blink of an eye.

In a room in the main hall of the Divine Son Palace, a young man's white hair was bound up with a jade hairpin. His features were handsome and flawless, as though he were heaven's finest masterpiece. Coupled with his pupils, which shone like stars in the cosmos, they could only make one marvel that such a person belonged in heaven alone.

This was none other than the fifteen-year-old Yuan Zhexian. In this world, fifteen was already considered adulthood, and Yuan Zhexian's cultivation had now reached the ninth stage of the Dao Body Realm.

His Double Pupils shone with a purple starlight, and the divine radiance of his six Supreme Bones had condensed into a golden Supreme halo bearing mysterious symbols.

The golden Supreme halo floated behind Yuan Zhexian's head, emanating an exceptionally powerful presence. Chaos light radiated from his entire body, having evolved from the Chaos Qi he once possessed.

A closer look would reveal a faint little golden bell mark on Yuan Zhexian's forehead. This was the Chaos Bell, and over the past ten years, Yuan Zhexian had learned to wield twenty percent of its power.

Such a tremendous change was also thanks to the three drops of Heaven Essence Blood Yuan Zhexian had fused with. It had taken him several years to learn that Heaven Essence Blood was also called Heavenly Dao Origin. Taking it not only strengthened the body and enhanced talent, but also allowed one to draw upon a trace of the Heavenly Dao's power to strengthen techniques.

But Yuan Zhexian was an exception. Rather than take it normally like an ordinary person, he had fused it directly with his Double Pupils, Supreme Bones, and Chaos Physique.

After the fusion, all three physiques grew stronger, and even their former characteristics changed. Overall, the three drops of Heaven Essence Blood had greatly increased Yuan Zhexian's strength.

After studying the Six Paths of Samsara Fist, Yuan Zhexian also discovered that it was neither an Emperor technique nor an immortal technique. It was somewhat like his Divine Elephant Suppressing Hell Scripture, a technique from beyond this world.

When the Six Paths of Samsara Fist was unleashed, the path of heaven, the path of hell, the path of humans, the path of asuras, the path of hungry ghosts, and the path of beasts would turn into six enormous black holes with mysterious and bizarre effects. If someone with the Samsara Physique used the Six Paths of Samsara Fist, its power would surely shake heaven and make ghosts and gods weep.

The Divine Elephant Suppressing Hell Scripture had also reached the fourth level, granting him the strength of ten thousand divine elephants. One divine elephant possessed a million jin of strength, and ten thousand possessed ten thousand times a million jin. Yuan Zhexian estimated that a single punch from him could now kill an expert at the peak of the Samsara Realm.

During his ten years in seclusion, the system had rewarded Yuan Zhexian with mission points every time his cultivation rose. In the Divine Ability Realm, it had awarded him 1,000 points for each stage he advanced. Advancing to the Dao Body Realm had earned him 10,000 points, and each stage in the Dao Body Realm had earned him 5,000 points. By now, Yuan Zhexian had saved a total of 74,000 mission points, not even enough to buy Amaterasu. The system still had not issued a mission, and his points were far from sufficient.

He then examined his excellent condition and smiled faintly. It was time to emerge from seclusion.

At the Divine Son Palace, a handsome, serious-faced young man of fifteen or sixteen, dressed in a black robe, was discussing recent events in the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands with a beautiful girl of about the same age. She had an exceedingly sweet face and a slender, well-proportioned figure. Just then, a voice interrupted them. "Zifeng? Yan'er?"

Yuan Zifeng and Yuan Yan'er looked toward the voice and fell silent in surprise. In their eyes, the person's appearance could only be described as perfect. He was like a banished immortal descended from heaven, perfect in every way.

"D-Divine Son??"

"Who else could it be? Who besides you two could appear in the Divine Son Palace?" Yuan Zhexian smiled faintly. That smile left Yuan Yan'er staring in a daze.

The two then gathered their wits and bowed. "Divine Son."

"No need for formalities. It's been ten years. Now that I've come out of seclusion, tell me what major events have happened in the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands over the past decade." With that, he sat down in the main seat. Yuan Yan'er immediately went behind him and began massaging his shoulders. Yuan Zifeng could handle the report alone. He then said, "Divine Son, many major events did occur during your ten years in seclusion, most of them involving the younger generation."

"First, something you know about: Su Yi, a holy son of the Su Lineage, has been taken as a disciple by a grand elder of the Sword Sect. He is now its second holy son."

"Su Yi? The one from the Su Lineage with the Azure Lotus Sword Physique?" Yuan Zhexian asked, recalling him.

"Su Yi himself is nothing much, but the Sword Sect's sword scion is different. As soon as he came out of seclusion, Dao Wudao of the Highest Purity Sect challenged him by name. They fought for three days and three nights, and Dao Wudao defeated him by a single move."

"Oh?? One has the Innate Dao Body, and the other has the Innate Sword Physique. The Heavenly Dao Ancient Tablet rewarded one with a peerless golden pill and a Great Emperor technique, and the other with a peerless Emperor weapon and a Great Emperor secret technique. By rights, the Sword Sect's sword scion should have been a little stronger. At worst, it should have been a draw. How did he lose?" Yuan Zhexian asked in puzzlement.

Yuan Zifeng continued, "That's not the strange part. What's strange is that a year later, the Sword Sect's sword scion challenged Dao Wudao and defeated him within a thousand moves."

"Oh, now that's interesting. They were evenly matched at first, yet the gap between them was so obvious a year later. There must be a reason for it," Yuan Zhexian said with interest.

"That's right, Divine Son. People later learned that the Sword Sect's sword scion was dealt a heavy blow when he first lost to Dao Wudao. He was lost for a while, then stumbled into a canyon by accident. When he reappeared, he defeated Dao Wudao within a thousand moves, displaying the bearing of a king."

"Afterward, experts heard about it and rushed to the canyon, but its entrance was blocked by golden light, and they couldn't get in. Recently, though, I heard that the light has faint signs of fading. Some say there may be a secret realm inside, and many people have been going there lately."

After hearing this, Yuan Zhexian asked, "How much longer until the golden light fades?"

"About three months," Yuan Zifeng said.

"It actually made such a difference in a year between two people with innate physiques who were originally evenly matched. Interesting. We'll set out in three months, then, and take a look at this mysterious canyon." Yuan Zhexian then asked another question.

"What else happened?"

"Yes. A year ago, the divine son of the Ji Family of Grand Firmament Heaven came to our clan and challenged you by name, Divine Son. Since you were still in seclusion, Yuan Ruochu, the first sequence, who happened to have returned to the clan, fought in your place."

"And the outcome?"

"In the end, the Ji Family's divine son was injured, and Yuan Ruochu fell unconscious and has yet to wake. If the Ji Family's divine son hadn't relied on the might of an Emperor weapon, he could never have beaten Yuan Ruochu."

At this, Yuan Zhexian said, "Oh?? My elder clan brother actually managed to injure the Ji Family's divine son while he had an Emperor weapon. It seems our first sequence is quite strong too. I also remember that the Ji Family head seemed to have lost to my father several times when they were young. He's always wanted to beat my father just once.

"His son probably came to challenge me this time because he wanted to beat me and fulfill his father's wish.

"But if he wants to challenge me, he'll have to pay the price." Yuan Zhexian smiled faintly again. Seeing that familiar smile, Yuan Zifeng and Yuan Yan'er silently prayed for the Ji Family's divine son, because he was in for it.

Yuan Zifeng continued, "In recent years, peerless and eternal monstrous geniuses from many immortal imperial clans, dynasties, and holy lands have appeared. There are even forbidden monstrous geniuses among them."

"Forbidden monstrous geniuses? Who?"

"Ao Xu, the dragon scion of the True Dragon Clan in the Imperial Mountain Range of the Demon Domain, in Grand Sovereign Heaven. I hear he's the foremost member of the True Dragon Clan's current younger generation. I also hear he's a six-clawed golden dragon."

"A True Dragon's innate talent and potential are determined largely by its number of claws and the kind of dragon it is, which signifies its status. Golden dragons are the imperial bloodline, while silver and black dragons are royal bloodlines. Six claws already signify the potential to become a Great Emperor. The True Dragon Clan's patriarch is only a five-clawed golden dragon, and he has already reached the peak of the Quasi-Emperor Realm."

"There's also the Little Peng King of the Golden-Winged Peng Clan in the Imperial Mountain Range. His bloodline has reverted eighty percent to its ancestral state, and he has mastered the Law of Speed. He also has the potential to become a Great Emperor."

"Why is there another descendant of someone my father once defeated?" Yuan Zhexian said helplessly.

"There's also Xuan Tianji, the divine son of the Mystic Sect in Grand Purity Heaven. He's said to be another forbidden monstrous genius. The Mystic Sect is even older than the Highest Purity Sect, and he seems to be stronger than Dao Wudao."

"And there's Cang Qi, the divine son of the Cang Clan in Grand Dawn Heaven. He has both the Azure Heaven Tyrant Physique and the Heaven-Chaos Demon Ape Physique, and he's a forbidden monstrous genius. The Cang Clan is also the only human clan that intermarried with the Demon Race. If such a marriage produces someone with the Azure Heaven Tyrant Physique, his nine divine-form phenomena become ten, making him exceptionally powerful. He also possesses a Demon Race physique. Cang Qi's mother was the previous-generation divine maiden of the Heaven-Chaos Demon Ape Clan."

"A Desolate Ancient Sacred Body like the clan head's has appeared too. It belongs to someone from the Jun Lineage, an ancient hidden lineage in Primordial Heaven."

"The divine son of the mythical Zhang Lineage has appeared as well..."

"It seems many monstrous geniuses from hidden lineages and holy lands have appeared in this golden age. Now things will be interesting."

"Divine Son, there's one more thing. The clan head said that if you came out of seclusion, you should go to the main hall."

"Mm, got it." He then waved his hand and vanished from the spot.

The Yuan Clan's main hall was where its upper echelon met to discuss affairs. Yuan Changsheng sat in the main seat, listening to the clan elders and elders below report on recent events.

"Clan Head, since the golden age began, the prodigies and monstrous geniuses of the major clans have appeared one after another. And the canyon the Sword Sect's sword scion visited is definitely a peerless secret realm."

"Even an eternal monstrous genius like the Sword Sect's sword scion emerged with a great increase in cultivation. The place is already packed with people. Our clan should also send its young members to a secret realm like that."

After hearing the clan elder's report, Yuan Changsheng said softly, "Elder, there's no need to hurry. I hear that even Quasi-Emperor experts cannot break through the golden light guarding the secret realm. We can only enter after it fades on its own."

"Our clan has been in the limelight lately, and there has been no end to the younger generation coming to challenge us. If we set out early, I fear our young members will face a continuous succession of challenges before the canyon secret realm even opens, either exhausting their spiritual power or suffering injuries."

"The losses would outweigh the gains. It won't be too late to go when it's about to open."

"Also, this time I plan to have Ruochu take Changkong, Su Yu, and Xingchen. As for the other sequences out traveling..." Before he could finish, a voice interrupted him.

"Father, you wanted to see me?"

A young man of utterly perfect appearance appeared in the middle of the hall. This is... the Divine Son. Has the Divine Son come out of seclusion?

At the sight of his son, Yuan Changsheng felt joy rise in his heart. He looked him over again and again after ten years apart. His presence was restrained both within and without, powerful without being ostentatious.

"Zhexian, you've come out just in time. We were discussing having Ruochu take Changkong, Su Yu, and Xingchen to the canyon secret realm. Since you're here, you can lead them instead."

"Father, I was just about to speak to you about that. I already know about the canyon secret realm. Jade must be carved to become a useful object, and I was planning to go take a look. It's time I traveled the world and gained some experience."

Ding...

"The doggy system has finally issued a mission."

"Host, please watch your language. This system is the supreme system of all the heavens and myriad worlds. You keep calling me 'dog system' and 'doggy system.' You're making me lose face."

"Please call me the Supreme System from now on, all right?"

The Supreme System spoke in dissatisfaction.

"Sure thing, dog system."

"Got it, doggy system."

The system in his mind actually conjured an arm holding a knife and pointed it at itself.

"I *******!"

"Say it. Say it again. Believe it or not, I'll splatter blood all over your face!"

"Shut up! Keep yapping and I'll beat you up!" Yuan Zhexian shouted, a little impatient. "Stop dragging your feet and tell me the mission."

"Hey?"

"Doggy?"

"Dog system?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."

"Say something."

"Wasn't it the host who told me to shut up?"

"Sigh, there's a mission, and I'm keeping quiet. I just won't issue it. I'm only playing around..."

"When it comes to being shameless, who can beat me? Who can beat me?"

Yuan Zhexian was utterly speechless. "Stop fooling around. Hurry up and issue it."

Ding...

Host, please complete the mission: obtain the inheritance of the canyon secret realm.

Reward: 500,000 mission points.

"Accept."

Yuan Changsheng was delighted to see Yuan Zhexian so eager to make progress. He then said to him, "There's one more thing. You've reached adulthood now, so we're planning to hold a coming-of-age ceremony for you in a month."

"A coming-of-age ceremony?"

"That's right. The divine sons of immortal imperial clans, dynasties, and holy lands all have coming-of-age ceremonies when they reach adulthood. As the divine son of our forbidden lineage, you must have one too. The immortal imperial clans, immortal dynasties, and immortal holy lands of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands will all attend."

"Mm, I understand. Father, elders, I'll return to the Divine Son Palace now." Yuan Zhexian cupped his hands and bowed, then walked out.

"Clan Head, I'm afraid quite a few prodigies and monstrous geniuses of the younger generation will challenge the Divine Son by name at his coming-of-age ceremony."

Yuan Changsheng said unconcernedly, "At the same realm, Zhexian could even defeat the Human Ancestor, who was previously first on the Eternal Rankings. Now his cultivation is about the same as that of most of the younger generation in the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. If they want to make trouble at Zhexian's coming-of-age ceremony, I'm sure Zhexian will be happy to make things unpleasant for them."

Everyone in the hall smiled at that. They had absolute confidence in Yuan Zhexian's strength.

At the Divine Son Palace, Yuan Zhexian sat in the main seat and said to Yuan Zifeng and Yuan Yan'er, "Father says he's planning to hold my coming-of-age ceremony in a month. We'll go to the canyon secret realm after that."

Purple light flashed in his Double Pupils as he swept his gaze over the two of them, seeing their cultivation clearly. "Yan'er is at the first stage of the Dao Body Realm, and Zifeng is at the third.

"Not bad, not bad.

"You can easily defeat the prodigies and monstrous geniuses going to the canyon secret realm in three months, but if you run into those eternal monstrous geniuses, or even forbidden monstrous geniuses, you won't even be able to protect yourselves."

"As my attendants, unlike Changkong, Su Yu, and Xingchen, you can't go out traveling and gaining experience. You stay in the Divine Son Palace year-round, so your realms are naturally a little lower than theirs."

"But there are still three months, so it's fine. As my attendants, you'll get some special training from me. I'll help you raise your strength properly." With that, his lips curled up and he smiled faintly.

Goosebumps broke out all over the two of them, and they trembled slightly. Yuan Zifeng stammered, "R-Red... Red Lotus Space?"

"Hehe, that's right, but there's no reward." Yuan Zhexian smiled wickedly.