Then another voice cut in excitedly.
"Hey—wait. You're a player, right?"
Victor's gaze shifted.
The speaker was a young man in Violet Springs robes, but the faint player tag above his head made things clear.
"Yes," Victor said. "Why?"
The man's eyes lit up.
"Then you need to register."
Victor frowned.
"Register for what?"
The disciple blinked.
"You really don't know?" He glanced around, lowering his voice slightly. "The Azure Ember Empire is hosting a hidden legacy realm exploration..."
Victor's attention sharpened.
"Go on."
"Only cultivators under two hundred years old are allowed," the player continued. "No exceptions. Sects from across the empire—and even neighboring territories—are sending their best juniors. The rewards are ridiculous. High-grade cultivation resources, rare manuals, imperial recognition…"
Victor could already see where this was going.
"And Violet Springs?"
The disciple grimaced.
"That's the problem."
He sighed.
"We don't have enough strong candidates."
...
...
Victor was led deeper into the sect, toward one of the main halls where several elders were gathered. The atmosphere grew heavier with every step.
Inside, the conversation stopped the mont Victor entered.
Several pairs of eyes turned toward him.
So widened.
So narrowed.
One elder stood slowly.
"Fang Chen," he voiced with a asured tone. "You finally return."
Victor bowed slightly. "Elder Mo."
No reprimand followed.
That alone told him everything.
Another elder spoke with fingers tapping against the armrest of his seat.
"You returned at an… interesting ti."
Victor t his gaze.
"The hidden legacy realm exploration?" he mused.
A murmur rippled through the hall.
"So you have heard," the elder replied.
"Only fragnts."
The elder sighed.
"The Azure Ember Empire's hidden legacy realm exploration isn't rely am event. It is a statent of power. Sects that perform well gain influence, protection, and access to resources for decades."
"And those that don't?" Victor asked.
"They are sidelined," another elder said bluntly. "Ignored. Sotis… preyed upon."
Silence followed and Victor understood imdiately.
Violet Springs Sect was not weak. In fact, it was one of the most powerful sects in Bluefla City. However, Bluefla City was just one of the many cities under the Azure Ember Empire's reign. There were still many other cities much larger and reputable than it and such cities also had much prestigious sect.
And such sects, would no doubt have many prestigious juniors that insurmountable resources must have been spent on, in order to improve the speed of their growth hundreds of tis faster than their peers.
For Violet Springs to stand a chance, they needed juniors who were just as powerful but unfortunately, for the age requirent, there wasn't enough.
Just like any other sect, Violet Springs, relied on reputation, alliances, and careful positioning to survive among stronger factions.
Failing to present capable juniors now would mark them as declining.
"How many candidates do you have?" Victor asked.
The elders exchanged glances.
"…Not enough," the first elder admitted. "And fewer still who can compete at the highest level."
Victor exhaled slowly as a notification suddenly appeared in his line of sight.
[ New Objective: Register for the hidden legacy realm exploration ]
'Oh so that's why you madd hurry back... it has sothing to do with this huh?' Victor straightened.
"When does registration close?" he questioned.
A few elders' eyes sharpened.
"In three hours," ca the answer.
Victor nodded once.
"Then I'll register."
Silence gripped the Elders' Hall the mont Victor finished speaking.
The words were calm and simple...
But to the elders seated around the crescent-shaped table of violet jade, they sounded almost… reckless.
Elder Mo was the first to react. He slowly set down the cup of spirit tea in his hand and exhaled.
"Fang Chen," he said gravely, "you may not fully understand the requirents."
Victor t his gaze. "Then please enlighten ."
Elder Mo nodded once and raised a finger.
"Registration for the Hidden Legacy Realm is not symbolic. It is a test of qualification imposed by the Azure Ember Empire itself."
He gestured, and a translucent projection appeared above the table... an imperial decree rendered in burning blue script.
> Registration Requirent:
• Ten (10) Qilin Horns
• Each horn must be Rank 2 or above
• Submission deadline: Three hours remaining
A murmur rippled through the hall.
Another elder shook his head slowly.
"Even if we emptied every treasury under Bluefla City, we wouldn't be able to procure that many horns in ti."
"Qilin are not commodities," a third added. "They are territorial, intelligent, and rarely hunted."
Elder Mo looked back at Victor with an apologetic expression.
"And that is the problem. With only three hours left… it will be impossible for you to gather them."
The words hung in the air.
Victor blinked once.
Then calmly reached into his storage space.
One by one, ten objects appeared on the table.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Ten Qilin horns.
Perfectly preserved.
Each etched with natural frost runes and so glowing faintly with residual qi so dense it made the air whistle. One horn was pale blue. Another carried streaks of silver. A third radiated pressure so refined that even the elders' expressions tightened unconsciously.
Silence exploded into disbelief.
Several elders stood abruptly with chairs scraping against the floor.
"…Impossible."
"That aura—Rank 3… no, Rank 4?!"
"So of these are beyond the minimum requirent!"
Elder Mo eyes widened in disbelief.
"You… you already had them?"
Victor nodded. "I gathered them on the way here."
On the way here.
Those words hit harder than the horns themselves.
An elder swallowed. "You an… the Qilin Frost Mountains?"
"Yes."
"And you returned alive?"
Victor tilted his head slightly. "Was that in doubt?"
No one answered.
The spiritual energy emanating from the horns was undeniable. There was no fraud. No illusion. No substitution.
They were real.
They were powerful.
And they were here.
When Elder Mo recalled all of Victor's accomplishnts since he t him, he realized that it made sense. He was the savior of Bluefla City after all.
This youngster... Fang Chen... the inheritor of the Void Emperor's Bloodline.
Elder Mo took a deep breath and straightened before speaking with a firm voice.
"Prepare the registration seal. Imdiately."
---
Victor was escorted out of the Elders' Hall with urgency that bordered on reverence.
Word spread through the sect like wildfire.
Fang Chen submitted ten Qilin horns.
So above Rank 2.
He did it alone.
Disciples whispered as he passed and eyes followed him with awe and disbelief.
At the Registration Pavilion, formation masters scrambled into position as the final minutes ticked away. Imperial-grade arrays lit up the platform, projecting Victor's identity, cultivation realm, age, and sect affiliation in shimring light.
A city official representing Bluefla City personally oversaw the process, his expression remained composed due to professionalism but his eyes betrayed shock as the horns were verified one by one.
"Submission accepted," the official finally announced.
"Representative confird: Violet Springs Sect, Bluefla City."
The seal burned into the air.
> [Registration Successful]
The horns were carefully sealed in an imperial container and imdiately transported.
"To the City Lord," the official said.
"From there… they will be sent to the Emperor's Palace."
Azure Ember Empire.
The weight of that na settled quietly on Victor's shoulders.
---
Back in the Elders' Hall, the mood had transford completely.
What had once been anxiety was now sharp focus.
"The Hidden Legacy Realm will open in six months," Elder Mo said, pacing slowly.
'Six months in Ascendant Realms ti...' Victor thought. 'Only a little over a month in my world's ti...'
Elder Mo stopped before Victor.
"Fang Chen, whether we like it or not, Violet Springs Sect will be judged by your performance and your inner disciples juniors."
There was no sugarcoating... no false optimism.
"You are the only core disciple under the age threshold," another elder added. "Everything rests on you."
Victor nodded once. "I understand."
The elders exchanged looks.
"We will not hold back," Elder Mo continued. "Cultivation resources, rare minerals, spirit veins, manuals—whatever you need."
He leaned forward slightly.
"Say the word."
Victor didn't hesitate.
"I'll take everything you're willing to give."
Instead of offense, the elders smiled grimly.
"That's exactly what we hoped you'd say."
Elder Mo raised his hand.
"Prepare the Heavenly Pulse Chamber. Unlock the restricted mineral vaults. Allocate high-grade spirit stones."
He turned back to Victor.
"You were already nearing a breakthrough. With proper resources, you won't just reach Soul Transformation Realm—you'll do so with a foundation that can withstand monsters."
Monsters.
That was the word they all avoided... but everyone understood.
Bluefla City was one of the lesser cities under the reign of the Azure Ember Empire. With larger cities also participating, there was no doubt that the sect within these cities which were more prestigious would have ridiculously powerful disciples who t the age threshold.
Victor exhaled slowly.
'Six months.'
---
Later that day, Victor finally returned to his core disciple courtyard.
The space was quiet, untouched, just as he'd left it... except for the faint scent of old incense lingering in the air.
"Tarkos?" he called out casually.
There was no answer.
He frowned slightly and stepped inside the house.
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