? Qin Feng counted the number of people and asked, “.” Mei Hui replied, “They’re still working hard in the small tripod. Right now, only these two haven’t advanced to the Yuan Sheng stage.” “All of you have reached it,” he said, eyes narrowing. “Yes,” Mei Hui nodded. He looked at Fang Fei with a look of disbelief, “You’re also at the Yuan Sheng stage, aren’t you?” “What do you mean, husband of my brother-in-law? Why can’t I make it?” Fang Fei pouted, “I’m the most diligent one—my sister hasn’t seen it coming.” His gaze immediately shifted to Huang Xiaozi and Wang Yuja, “And you two are also at the Yuan Sheng stage?” Huang Xiaozi, not satisfied, said, “What’s going on, husband of my brother-in-law? Why don’t you believe in us three? Are we being held back just because we’re younger and still in school? That doesn’t seem fair.” Fang Fang smiled, “Husband, you don’t know—these three have been working incredibly hard. Though they weren’t among the very first to reach the Yuan Sheng stage, they’ve still managed to "Oh, that's all. He doesn't mean anything else—just surprised." He smiled warmly. "If you three had stayed in the Small Stele, I wouldn't have been at all surprised. It seems you've been working really hard—well worth a reward." "What kind of reward?" Wang Yujia asked with genuine interest, thinking that after so many years in the heavenly realm, Qin Feng must have gathered quite a collection of treasures. "Ah, tonight you'll be both the first and the last." "Ugh, really!" With nights filled with music and dancing, and days equally busy, Qin's life had been nothing short of comfortable. A few days later, Qingzi and Liu Su successfully advanced to the Yuan Sheng stage and were eager to ascend to immortality. Each of them received a specially improved Immortal Ascension Pill. Before taking it, Qin felt it necessary to visit the heavenly realm personally to register their official heavenly records, so as not to face any difficulties from the celestial officials later on. And there he was, already smiling slyly, standing before the Emperor of the Heavenly Realm. The Emperor looked at him, listened to his request, and couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth. "You really think I'm running an identity office here? Seventeen or eighteen immortal scrolls? Honestly, I'm not doing this for credentials. But then again, your disciple did make a prior request—myself, I agreed to it, so refusing now would be unreasonable." As he stamped the scrolls onto the specially crafted ledgers, he sighed with growing pain. "Disciple, you wouldn't believe how expensive these scrolls are. Unlike the Celestial Court, where they earn gold by the day, here at my office, each scroll is a precious asset. We've used so many that we're nearly out of stock." Qin lightly waved his hand. "When I go to the Celestial Court, I'll have someone fetch some back." "Will they provide them? These scrolls are truly costly." "Can't they honor me at least? If they don't, I'll personally go and confront them—after all, if they don't give me face, how can they expect me to give you face? If they refuse, I'll take matters into my own hands and bring them back myself." "Hmm, The Supreme Heavenly Emperor frowned, thinking that if it were so, people would think I had arranged it for you, and that would be a serious embarrassment. Within a matter of moments, he had completed the several immortal scrolls and smiled happily, placing them all into his storage talisman. Then he said, "Master, I still have one small matter that I'd like to ask you to assist with." "Go on, what is it?" the Emperor thought—having already finished the scrolls, it should not be too difficult. He chuckled and added, "Master, your disciple's wife holds a special status. Upon arriving in the heavenly realm, she's likely to encounter many difficulties. My suggestion is that you kindly protect her." The Emperor raised an eyebrow, "What status exactly? Is she merely an ordinary person? That simply won't do—ordinary people absolutely cannot enter the heavenly realm. This is non-negotiable." "Of course not an ordinary person. My own wife—how could she possibly be ordinary?" He insisted firmly. "Then perhaps she is a cultivator who has not yet met the requirements for ascending to the heavens—still, that won't suffice." "The Emperor shook his head and said, 'Even the documents you just received—should their owners fail to meet the requirements for transcendence, they will be completely ineffective. Only the blood of the transcendent can activate the celestial registry.' He looked up carefully and added, 'Not a cultivator, but a bloodline.' 'What? A bloodline related to the demonic race?' the Emperor exclaimed, eyes widening. 'You've gone and chosen a bloodline as your girlfriend! Your head must have been kicked by an ox!' He leapt to his feet, serious now. 'Doesn't it matter that she's related to the demons? Are there no good people among the demons? Are there no villains among the immortals? After all, she's already my wife. Master, you decide what to do. If she's treated unfairly, you'll lose face too.' The Emperor gritted his teeth and said, 'Well, you've certainly shown grit. I'll lend you a hand. From then on, you can publicly declare that I'm supporting your girlfriend—anyone who disrespects her is disrespecting me, the Emperor of Heaven, and my Heavenly Palace.'" Qin Shao was pleasantly surprised and quickly flattered, saying, "I always knew my master was the most understanding and reasonable person—so rest assured, as soon as today's cloud mist tea arrives, I'll personally send you ten or even twenty packages." "This is what you said—don't back out!" The Emperor brightened, finally managing to coax a few feathers out of his iron-scaled disciple. Qin Feng, following the momentum, added, "In fact, I also have a girlfriend of pure magical lineage—why don't you take her under your protection as well? After all, it's just one sheep, whether it's one or a flock, it's still just a flock." "Wait a minute—another magical descendant? You're fired right now! How could I have ever accepted you as my final disciple? You stay right there—I'm going to give you a good scolding. Today, you're not leaving without a proper lesson!" With the Emperor's roar, the Star Shuttle swiftly broke free from the boundaries of the Haotian Palace. In the Star-Spinner's chamber, he gently ran his hand along his chest while saying, "It was truly brutal. I never thought my master would get so angry. Fortunately, we have some divine artifacts at our disposal; otherwise, this beating would have been impossible to escape." Since the Heavenly Emperor has already pledged his protection to Isabella, he will surely extend the same protection to Meili in the future. This matter will surely be settled without much difficulty. Holding several divine scrolls in his hands, he returned happily to Huaxia. "Ladies, you may now take the elixirs," he excitedly distributed the documents while saying, "After ascending to the heavens, simply apply a small amount of your blood to the scrolls—just enough to activate them. With so many of you, I may not be able to attend to everyone personally. If anyone asks, simply present your scrolls and don't get overwhelmed by the details. Have you all got that?" "Yes, we have," the women responded in unison. They each took the elixir into their mouths at the same time, though naturally, due to differences in their physical constitutions and cultivation levels, the timing of the elixir's effects would vary. Lin Caivai's body was the first to begin rising—just as he had anticipated. Next came Fang Fang, then Ling Er, followed by Mei Hui... A group ascent! It's likely the first time in the heavenly realm's history spanning tens of thousands of years.