Yuan’s Ascension

A swarm of Amethyst Cradle cultivators suddenly surrounded the white-robed young man, escorting him directly to the figure in blood robes. They bowed respectfully.

The man in blood robes smiled, his voice smooth as silk. "Wu Yuan, I am Pu Yang."

Wu Yuan returned a slight bow. "Greetings, Immortal Pu Yang."

Inwardly, he sighed with relief. Initially, he felt some apprehension, fearing Daoist Long's claims regarding the Bloodforge Devil Hall were untrue. However, the presence of an immortal personally greeting him assuaged his fears. After all, if an immortal wished him harm, such elaborate deception would be unnecessary.

"Good," Immortal Pu Yang continued, his eyes gleaming. "I've come under the High Immortal's orders to conduct the initial assessment. Wu Yuan, your vital aura reveals an incredibly strong immortal root - likely third-degree. Your soul is equally impressive."

The surrounding Amethyst Cradle cultivators listened with trembling hearts. A third-degree immortal root? To them, it was the stuff of legends.

Pu Yang chuckled. "It seems Protectorate Xiong Yuan's information was accurate. Regardless of your performance in the Golden Core Dark Star evaluation, as long as you swear an oath to the Taiyuan Divine Court, you qualify as an elite disciple of my Bloodforge Devil Hall."

"Here is your token." With a casual flick of his wrist, Immortal Pu Yang materialized a token and sent it floating towards Wu Yuan.

Wu Yuan grasped it, feeling its weight. "Thank you, Immortal."

Pu Yang turned to address another figure. "Xiong Yuan, I leave him in your care." Then, to Wu Yuan: "From now on, follow Protectorate Xiong Yuan. Remember, give it your all. Don't disappoint the High Immortal."

"Understood." Wu Yuan nodded.

Don’t disappoint the High Immortal? Even though he was new to this place and did not fully understand the situation, Wu Yuan had previously interacted with Daoist Long and several others.

Thus, he vaguely grasped the complex power dynamics at play within the Bloodforge Devil Hall. High Immortals ruled over numerous worlds, engaging in fierce overt and covert battles. Their subordinates also clashed with each other. He had likely just been assigned to a High Immortal’s camp.

In a blink, Immortal Pu Yang led his subordinates and quickly departed, leaving behind a burly man clad in black armor and a few Amethyst Cradle cultivators.

The man in black armor stepped forward, his smile seemingly honest. "I am Xiong Yuan. Follow me to the Dark Star Spacetime. Once you've completed level seven, I'll explain everything in detail."

"Let’s go." Protectorate Xiong Yuan led the Amethyst Cradle cultivators and flew off into the distance.

Wu Yuan quickly followed.

Dark Star? Wu Yuan was clueless, but since he was in the Bloodforge Devil Hall, he could only obey.

"Farewell, Immortal."

"Farewell, Protectorate." The dozens of Amethyst Cradle cultivators guarding this space all bowed respectfully.

The scene left the hundreds of thousands of waiting immortal cultivators in shock. Though they couldn't hear the conversation, the visual spectacle spoke volumes.

Whispers rippled through the crowd: "That person is only at the Golden Core phase."

"He’s a Spiritual Body cultivator with a powerful aura, but no matter how strong, he’s still just a Spiritual Body cultivator."

"He isn't wearing the attire of a devil hall disciple, he must be a newcomer."

"A newcomer arriving at the devil hall for the first time, and an immortal personally comes here to greet him?"

What they witnessed today was beyond their understanding.

Among the group of blue-robed Golden Core cultivators, one couldn't contain his curiosity. "Senior Brother, do you know who that is?"

The blue-robed bald youth's eyes gleamed with a mix of curiosity and fear. "A peerless genius. Likely the sort of prodigy our ancestor spoke of - the most monstrous talent among millions. His status in the devil hall might rival a Void Refiner Protectorate."

"If he can rival a protectorate now, he has a chance of becoming an immortal in the future."

He continued solemnly, "Memorize his soul aura. If you encounter him in the Bloodforge Battle, keep your distance."

The other cultivators exchanged shocked glances. Their Senior Brother had never behaved like this before.

A timid voice piped up, "How powerful can he be, Senior Brother?"

"I estimate that if we don't form an array, slaughtering thousands of us alone won't be a problem for him," the blue-robed bald youth replied gloomily.

Silence fell as the implications sank in. One man, capable of slaughtering tens of thousands of them effortlessly?

…

Whoosh! Whoosh! Wu Yuan and Protectorate Xiong Yuan soared ahead.

Four Amethyst Cradle cultivators trailed behind, yet their faces were devoid of any trace of discontent, their hearts free of dissatisfaction.

Before they set out, Protectorate Xiong Yuan had informed them that the individual they were about to receive was a hopeful contender for the title of first-tier division Bloodforge Seed, a peerless genius.

They naturally understood what that implied. The greatest of top-tier geniuses!

Just now, an immortal descended in person for a preliminary assessment, further confirming this.

"Wu Yuan, Long Guang and Jing Shan have already reported your information to me, and I have passed it on to High Immortal Wu Tian." Protectorate Xiong Yuan said.

"High Immortal Wu Tian values you very much. He hopes that you can become a Bloodforge Seed." Protectorate Xiong Yuan stated.

"Bloodforge Seed?" Wu Yuan's face was filled with confusion.

"The Bloodforge Battle is not just a simple trial, it will also attract the attention of countless high-ranking individuals from my Bloodforge Devil Hall." Protectorate Xiong Yuan explained.

"The so-called Bloodforge Seed is a disciple with immense power and potential. They will receive an extra life in the trial."

"Ordinary participants, once defeated in battle, are doomed to death. But the first time Bloodforge Seeds are defeated in battle, they will be moved to a safe area, with a chance to start over." Protectorate Xiong Yuan said.

"After all, geniuses of this caliber are rare. Even though the Bloodforge Devil Hall is cruel in its tempering process, it also has its considerations."

"A chance to start over?" Wu Yuan's eyes brightened.

Naturally, he must strive for such an important opportunity.

"However, the devil hall has stringent criteria for the selection of Bloodforge Seeds," Protectorate Xiong Yuan stated.

"In our Redmoon division, a total of thirty-six High Immortals are responsible for raising disciples, with millions of worldlets under their command. They have trained over a million Golden Core disciples."

"In the upcoming Bloodforge Battle, our Redmoon division alone will send over a hundred million Golden Core participants."

Over a million? Over a hundred million Golden Core cultivators?

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuan was not overly surprised. After all, the Dragon Star Immortal Sect, just one of the many sects on the Redmoon Immortal Continent, already had tens of millions of Golden Core disciples, what more the Bloodforge Devil Hall?

Wu Yuan also understood the difference between these figures. The former million disciples were nurtured directly by the Bloodforge Devil Hall, and their abilities were likely stronger on average.

The recruited hundred million Golden Core cultivators were likely loose cultivators, with varying abilities.

“Despite such immense numbers of Golden Core cultivators, we have only managed to select just over eighty Bloodforge Seeds at the Golden Core phase," Protectorate Xiong Yuan lamented. "As for High Immortal Wu Tian, he has yet to select a single one."

"Not even a single one?" Wu Yuan was taken aback.

He suddenly understood why High Immortal Wu Tian valued him so highly, even going so far as to send an Earth Immortal to assess him.

The Bloodforge Devil Hall likely requires these High Immortals to select a certain number of elite disciples every hundred years. This must be one of their assessment criteria. Wu Yuan thought to himself.

Disciples had their hardships, but those in the upper echelons had their own troubles too.

Given the philosophy of the Bloodforge Devil Hall, how could the high-ranking individuals be allowed to have it easy?

With over eighty Bloodforge Seeds, it means that on average, each High Immortal is able to send just over two. But, not having selected even a single Bloodforge Seed as the Bloodforge Battle draws near, High Immortal Wu Tian’s reputation is likely at stake. Wu Yuan thought.

But, how difficult was it to become this so-called Bloodforge Seed?

"To become a Bloodforge Seed, there's only one criterion — outstanding combat power," Protectorate Xiong Yuan said, "You must pass the Dark Star assessment."

"Once you've passed level seven, you can become a Bloodforge Seed."

Dark Star assessment? Level seven? Wu Yuan listened in silence.

Time passed as Wu Yuan followed Protectorate Xiong Yuan.

After a teleportation array transfer, they arrived in an entirely different space.

"Wu Yuan, look, there is the Dark Star." Protectorate Xiong Yuan pointed into the distance.

Wu Yuan's gaze followed. In the endless space, he saw a huge dark red star with a diameter of over a million li, emitting a chilling aura of blood.

From the naked eye, he could make out a large number of immortal cultivators lining up to enter the Dark Star.

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