I tricked you into thinking you had the makings of an emperor, but you actually did it?

Elder Yue's full name is Yue Pingzhi, and he is the Transmission Elder of the Qi Sect of the Taihao Sect.

It was rare to see him joke around normally, but now he was all smiles, chatting with Shen Ming about this and that.

Shen Ming didn't want to reveal too much, so he used his usual method and asked Bai Yujing about it.

"No rush, no rush. Once we've traversed the Heavenly Road, what we see and hear will be more effective than a thousand words," Elder Yue said.

So Shen Ming focused his attention on the test.

There were several hundred people in total, but only a dozen or so passed, which wasn't enough for nine points.

Master Qingxuan showed no impatience, while the sect elders who had not received any disciples only felt regret and did not have many complaints.

This puzzled Shen Ming, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Everyone, if you can traverse the Heavenly Road and reach the Jade Capital, you can directly become disciples of the Nine Sects. The Heavenly Road has Void Beasts, as well as Spacetime Turbulence, and most importantly, the Demon Race."

Please make thorough preparations before you depart.

Master Qingxuan reminded the other eliminated cultivators.

Then, this towering building rose from the ground in the square, with nine high platforms all situated on one platform.

Shen Ming found himself and others aboard a cloud ship.

The cloud boat moved forward almost skimming the ground, reminding Shen Ming of the phrase "traveling on land by boat."

"Although you are disciples of the Nine Sects, you still need to undergo reincarnation on the Heavenly Road to rebuild your foundation in order to adapt to the Upper Realm. All the major sects should do their best to help the new disciples complete this task," said Master Qingxuan.

"Yes."

The elders of each sect responded in unison.

Reincarnation is the transformation that Shen Ming had previously envisioned.

Cultivators in the lower realms develop great supernatural powers when the world is flawed and its laws are incomplete.

If one were to directly enter the upper realm, one might not be able to unleash their supernatural powers, or their power might be greatly reduced.

In addition, if one possesses an Ascension Token and enters the Upper Realm through the Heavenly Gate, one will undergo a baptism of heaven and earth, directly completing the cycle of reincarnation.

It sounds good, but the transformation of Tianmen will not be perfect. At the very least, it will allow cultivators in the lower realms to move freely in the upper realms.

The broken celestial path can undergo a perfect cycle of reincarnation according to its own will.

This is the main reason why Shen Ming joined the Nine Sects of the Human Race.

"The first stop on the Heavenly Road is the Return of the Four Symbols to the Void, a stage that none of you can skip," said Master Qingxuan.

The power of the Four Symbols is the most important foundation for every human cultivator.

This cloud ship, which travels close to the ground, is extremely fast, equivalent to a cultivator in the divine realm flying at full speed, and there is no need to worry about the dangers of the Heavenly Road.

"Senior Brother Shen Ming?"

At this moment, a pretty woman came to Shen Ming's side; it was An Ruoxi, who had joined the Qingxu Sect.

From the very beginning of her journey, An Ruoxi had been thinking about getting to know him.

After mentally encouraging myself, I finally mustered up the courage.

"Hmm? We're both in the realm of the divine, so I might not necessarily be your senior brother," Shen Ming said with a light laugh.

An Ruoxi breathed a sigh of relief.

When Shen Ming was silent, he stood there with an air of transcendence, as if he were sacred and inviolable.

Her smile makes her seem approachable.

"Senior brother's foundation is obviously much stronger than ours, and he is also a sword cultivator."

An Ruoxi said, "Senior brother, may I ask a question?"

"Go ahead," Shen Ming said, guessing what she was going to ask.

"Are you really letting the sword spirit re-enter the cycle of reincarnation?"

As expected, An Ruoxi asked this question.

Everyone else on the ship, including the disciples of the Nine Sects, involuntarily pricked up their ears.

Shen Ming had already realized this; in their eyes, this was something no one would do.

“Yes,” Shen Ming said.

"Why would Senior Brother do this?" An Ruoxi continued, voicing everyone's thoughts.

"Why not?" Shen Ming countered.

An Ruoxi opened her mouth, hesitated, and didn't know what to say.

"A sword spirit that can enter the cycle of reincarnation is at least a semi-immortal sword. The sword spirit will guide you through the realm of humanity, and the sword intent it leaves behind will pave the way for your divine realm through your further cultivation. If everything goes smoothly, your natal sword can help you reach the realm of immortality."

A senior brother from the Qingxu Sect walked up to An Ruoxi and said, "By abandoning your natal sword, not only has your swordsmanship plummeted, but you may even be unable to advance any further."

"What you're saying is too complicated. The only reason I did that was to see the sword spirit again," Shen Ming said calmly.

"what?!"

The senior disciples of Qingxu Sect and everyone else on the ship were all taken aback.

Just for that reason? Are you kidding me!

In particular, this senior brother from the Qingxu Sect noticed that An Ruoxi's eyes were sparkling after hearing these words.

Senior Brother Qingxu understands women's hearts very well and knows how Shen Ming is perceived by women at this moment.

They are loyal and devoted to their friends, something that most people cannot do.

Most importantly... Shen Ming is exceptionally handsome!

The premise is that this is true!

The senior disciple of Qingxu Sect felt it necessary to expose Shen Mingzhen's true colors to prevent his junior sister, who had just entered the sect, from being deceived.

"So, what do you plan to do now? Refine a new natal sword? You're already a sword god; ordinary swords won't satisfy you."

"Find another semi-divine sword? Leaving aside whether you can even find one, each sword represents a lineage of swordsmanship, which clashes with your own sword intent."

Sensing the tension, An Ruoxi immediately said, "Senior Brother Xiao..."

Senior Brother Xiao waved his hand to stop her and continued to say to Shen Ming, "I'm just curious, when you let the sword spirit re-enter the cycle of reincarnation, you must have thought about what to do, right? After all, you didn't have your natal sword broken by someone else."

"The sword intent resides within me. I will use my own swordsmanship as a seed to forge a new natal sword," Shen Ming said.

"You want to forge a semi-immortal sword?! Putting aside the materials needed, how could you possibly do it?" Senior Brother Xiao said.

"Then that's not something you need to worry about, senior brother."

Shen Ming naturally wouldn't further explain that the "Hengyu Jing" was a magic scripture for forging artifacts, nor would he mention that he was going to the forbidden zone.

"I'm looking forward to that day," Senior Brother Xiao sneered.

An Ruoxi looked troubled, not knowing how to apologize on behalf of her senior brother.

Shen Ming nodded slightly to her, indicating that he didn't take it to heart.

Shen Ming could tell that the woman meant no harm.

An Ruoxi felt relieved. Compared to Senior Brother Xiao, Senior Brother Shen Ming was perfect.

Over there, Elder Yue called Shen Ming to his side and praised him, "That's right, you should have such ambition. A half-immortal sword is not enough. The Sword Sect has materials that can forge immortal swords!"

As he spoke, Elder Yue handed him something.

A crystal radiating seven colors, seemingly a condensation of the Dao of Heaven, with flowing patterns of laws within, as brilliant as the Milky Way.

"A Heavenly Dao Crystal! And such a huge piece?!"

This treasure immediately attracted the attention of everyone on board.

Elder Yue provided such resources even before we arrived at our destination.

Master Qingxuan nodded in satisfaction, looked at the elders of each sect, and said, "Everyone, you should all learn from Elder Yue."

Elder Yue smiled broadly and said, "This crystal is enough for you to complete two and a half reincarnations in the Ruins of Return. Take it."

"Thank you, elder."

Shen Ming accepted the crystal and sighed, "There are still so many good people in the world."