246: A quick rise to fame in the star field

Outside the light gate was a massive white jade platform suspended in the cold starry sky.

Around the platform, several Spirit Boat Warships of various designs were docked, and the flags of the major powers fluttered in the Void Realm without wind, radiating solemn authority.

Dozens of powerful Cultivators stood solemnly on the platform, their gazes uniformly fixed on the white light gate, which was violently twisting and could collapse at any moment.

These people were the Elders sent by the major powers to receive their respective Prodigies.

The leader, an old man wearing a crimson cloud-patterned Daoist robe, had the most sullen expression.

He was Elder Jieyin Sun Xuan of the Heavenly Sun Sect, the organizer of this trial. His cultivation had reached Soul Transformation Perfection, making him a prominent figure in this Star Domain.

The Heavenly Sun Sect had sent the most and the most elite Disciples on this trip to the Myriad Realms Small World, yet now, the soul fires representing their lives in the Soul Lamp Hall had extinguished by over ninety percent.

A suppressed rage was brewing in his chest.

Just then, the light gate trembled violently, and two figures stepped out, stumbling onto the platform.

It was Lin Fan and Yue Xi.

Sun Xuan's gaze was like lightning, instantly locking onto the two of them.

When he saw that only two people had escaped first, and one of them was not a Heavenly Sun Sect Disciple, the gloom in his eyes almost solidified.

He strode forward, and the pressure belonging to a Soul Transformation Perfection expert ruthlessly crushed down on the two of them, ready to assert dominance.

"What exactly happened inside? Why are only the two of you out? Where are the others?"

His voice carried a condescending interrogation.

However, that pressure, which was enough to terrify ordinary Nascent Soul Cultivators, silently melted away like spring snow meeting the scorching sun when it reached three feet in front of Lin Fan.

Lin Fan didn't even spare him a glance; he merely lowered his head to tidy the slightly messy hair of the pale-faced Yue Xi beside him.

Sun Xuan frowned, a hint of displeasure rising in his heart.

A Junior of unknown Origin dared to ignore him.

He let out a cold snort, and his Divine Thought transformed into an invisible spike, ruthlessly probing towards Lin Fan's Sea of Consciousness, intending to forcefully investigate the other party's background.

But the moment his Divine Thought touched Lin Fan's body.

Sun Xuan's expression instantly froze.

The color drained visibly from his dignified face, turning it deathly pale.

His pupils contracted to the size of pinpricks in that instant.

What did he sense?

That was not a Sea of Consciousness.

That was a dead, silent, vast Universe containing ten thousand stars.

Profound.

Boundless.

It resonated with the Laws of Heaven and Earth, and aligned with the profound truths of the Great Dao.

His Divine Thought, before that Universe, was as insignificant as a speck of dust, unable to even stir a ripple, and was instead pressured by that invisible Dao rhythm to the point of almost collapsing instantly.

This is... this is the Void Refining Realm.

A genuine Void Refining Realm, deep as an abyss and vast as the sea.

"Pfft."

Sun Xuan's body trembled violently, his throat felt sweet, and he forcefully swallowed a mouthful of rising blood.

His feet seemed to be nailed to the spot, unable to move forward even an inch.

Cold sweat poured down his forehead.

What did he do?

He actually used his Divine Thought to probe a Void Refining Realm mighty expert.

This was no different from a Mortal punching a Heavenly God, an act of foolishness that could invite a fatal calamity.

On the platform, the Elders from other powers, who had originally been watching the show, now sensed that something was wrong.

They clearly saw that Elder Sun Xuan of the Heavenly Sun Sect froze the moment he made contact with the young man, and an expression of extreme horror, which they had never witnessed before, appeared on his face.

The entire scene instantly fell into a deathly silence.

Under the gaze of the astonished and uncertain crowd.

Sun Xuan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and respectfully bowed to the man who looked younger than his own grandchildren, performing a standard Daoist salute between equals.

"This Junior, Sun Xuan, failed to recognize Mount Tai. I did not know which Senior was before me. I beg Senior to forgive my offense."

His voice carried an uncontrollable tremor.

Boom.

This single word, "Senior," exploded in everyone's minds like a clap of thunder.

On the entire white jade platform, all the Elders and Disciples were instantly petrified.

What did they see?

Elder Sun Xuan, a Soul Transformation Perfection expert considered a top powerhouse in this Star Domain, was actually calling himself "Junior" and performing such a grand salute to a young man who had just emerged from a trial Small World.

Had the world gone mad?

Just then, the light gate violently fluctuated again.

Yao Tianqi, Lu Xinghe, and several other figures in disarray rushed out, scrambling and tumbling, and fell onto the platform.

Their faces were filled with the joy of surviving a catastrophe.

But when they raised their heads and saw the bizarre scene before them, their relief instantly froze, turning into boundless fear and confusion.

They saw Lin Fan.

They also saw Elder Sun Xuan, bowed ninety degrees towards Lin Fan, his posture utterly humble.

Yao Tianqi's body began to tremble uncontrollably.

The last sliver of Luck and the last hint of unwillingness remaining in his heart were utterly crushed at this moment.

Fear finally transformed into fatalistic bitterness and despair.

A chasm.

A chasm that they could never cross in this life had already opened between them.

Lin Fan finally raised his eyelids and glanced indifferently at Sun Xuan.

"Ignorance is not a crime."

He spoke.

His voice was not loud, but it clearly entered everyone's ears, carrying a rhythm that merged with the nature of Heaven and Earth, causing their minds to tremble.

"I did not intend to hide it; I simply just achieved a Breakthrough, and my aura cannot yet be completely restrained at will."

He spoke lightly.

But to the ears of the Elders, it was nothing less than another bolt from the blue.

Just achieved a Breakthrough?

Achieved a Breakthrough to the Void Refining Realm inside that Small World that was about to be destroyed?

What kind of Prodigy is this?

"May I ask, Senior..."

The Elder Jieyin of Yue Xi's Sect, a beautiful woman, cautiously stepped forward and asked respectfully.

"What exactly happened within the Myriad Realms Small World?"

Everyone pricked up their ears; this was the question they cared about most.

Lin Fan's gaze swept across the scene, taking in everyone's expressions before he slowly began to speak.

"This matter is a long story."

"The remnants of the Blood Shadow Sect were actually pawns of an evil Cultivator power called the Netherworld Palace."

"They set up a Blood Sacrifice Grand Array covering the entire Myriad Realms Small World, attempting to awaken a Forbidden Existence suppressed at the world's core."

He recounted the "facts" he had fabricated in a tone devoid of any emotion.

"Ultimately, the ritual went out of control, and the world's Origin was detonated, leading to this apocalyptic catastrophe."

"As for me..."

Lin Fan paused, displaying a perfectly timed look of regret.

"I merely managed to seize a sliver of Opportunity amidst that destructive storm, surviving by the skin of my teeth to achieve a Breakthrough."

Dead silence.

The entire platform was deathly silent.

Everyone was so shaken by this earth-shattering news that their minds went blank.

Netherworld Palace.

Sacrificing the entire world.

Awakening a Forbidden Existence.

Every word sent a chill deep into their bones.

But when they looked at Lin Fan again, their eyes had completely changed.

No longer shock and doubt.

But intense fervor and zeal.

In such a terrifying desperate situation, not only did he survive, but he achieved a Breakthrough against the odds, ascending to Heaven in one step and entering the Void Refining Realm.

What Heaven-Defying talent is this?

What magnificent Luck is this?

What terrifying strength is this?

This person is absolutely an unparalleled Prodigy, rare even in ten thousand years.

In an instant, all the Elders' minds became active.

Buzz.

Buzz.

Buzz.

Streaks of spiritual light, difficult to see with the naked eye, lit up from the hands of the Elders. They were using their respective Communication Magic Treasures to send the earth-shattering news back to their Sect headquarters as quickly as possible.

It was foreseeable that soon, the entire Tianxuan Starfield would be swept up in an unprecedented massive storm because of the name "Lin Fan."

Only a few breaths passed.

An short, sturdy Elder from the "Divine Armament Pavilion" was the first to rush forward, his face full of enthusiastic smiles.

"Senior Lin. I am Wu Sanchui of the Divine Armament Pavilion. My Divine Armament Pavilion is willing to offer Senior the position of Guest Elder, providing an annual tribute of one million High-Grade Spirit Stones, and three Heaven Rank Magic Treasures of your choice, only asking that Senior lend our Pavilion your name."

As soon as he finished speaking, another Elder from the great Alchemy Sect, the "Hundred Herbs Hall," immediately squeezed over.

"Senior Lin, what are mere Magic Treasures? My Hundred Herbs Hall is willing to present three 'Void Origin Dao Pills' that can aid Void Refining Cultivators in improving their cultivation, and promise Senior the position of Chief Guest Elder. All Spirit Medicine resources within the Sect will be yours for the taking."

"Senior Lin, my Myriad Dao Sect..."

"Senior, please consider our Heavenly Secret Tower..."

The scene instantly spiraled out of control.

The Elders of the major powers, who had previously been condescending and mutually wary, now swarmed around Lin Fan like the most enthusiastic vendors in the Mortal world, desperately offering increasingly tempting prices.

Elder positions.

Massive resources.

Top-tier Immortal Caves.

Divine Abilities and Dao techniques.

They wished they could lay out every benefit their Sect could offer before Lin Fan.

The value of such a young, infinitely potential Void Refining mighty expert could no longer be measured by any amount of resources.

As long as they could win him over, the prosperity of their Sect would have the most solid guarantee for the next few thousand years.

Yao Tianqi and the others, pushed to the outer circle, stared blankly at this scene.

Looking at the man who was being frantically courted by countless great figures yet remained calm, only numbness remained in their hearts.

Ascending to Heaven in one step.

This was truly Ascending to Heaven in one step.