The teleportation array from the Lesser Central World to the True Domain is located among the array clusters outside Heaven's Way City. In the Lesser Central World, only the Five Grand Sects and the Destiny Guild are qualified to participate in the True Domain Prodigy Trials. Besides these, there are eight additional spots up for contention.
By this calculation, the Lesser Central World has a total of twenty prodigies who can participate in the True Domain Prodigy Trials.
Because cultivators of the Lesser Central World are well aware of the gap between themselves and the prodigies of the True Domain, whether it’s a spot from the Five Grand Sects or one of those eight contested spots, none are considered particularly precious here.
In the past, those eight contested spots were decided through special competitions. But over time, people realized that even if they won a spot, they were merely there as bystanders, not even making it into the top thousand. Since traveling to the True Domain required vast amounts of spirit stones, eventually no one bothered to vie for the spots, and the contests faded away. Most of these spots are now given out through personal connections. Joel Sa's spot, for example, was acquired at an auction.
When Joel Sa and Xian Ze arrived at the teleportation array, many of the contestants had already departed for the True Domain. Each contestant was allowed one companion. If Phantom Mingzi had come, he likely wouldn't have qualified for teleportation to the True Domain.
Thinking about how the prodigies and cultivators from the True Domain could freely visit the Lesser Central World, Joel Sa sighed inwardly—fairness had never truly existed in this world.
......
Ascension City of the True Domain—though called a city, in reality, it contains only a handful of structures: a Trade Tower, a Rest Lodge, a Genius Hall, and a plaza...
If you think Ascension City is small because it has only these few buildings, you would be gravely mistaken. Not only is Ascension City not small—it’s enormous. Even ten Fivefold Cities combined might not match its size.
Likewise, even if you added up all the rooms in every Rest Lodge in Fivefold City, it still wouldn’t compare to the single Ascension Lodge in Ascension City. Every cultivator who comes to Ascension City is required to stay in the Ascension Lodge.
Ascension City has only one teleportation array, which connects the True Domain to the Lesser Central World. The True Domain is vast, but regardless of your status, if you wish to reach Ascension City, you must travel here on your own.
Ascension City gets its name because the gateway to the Immortal Realm from the True Domain is located here.
After Joel Sa and Sean Zell stepped out of the Ascension City teleportation array, the first thing they saw was a huge signboard. The sign stated that all participants in the True Domain Prodigy Trials should proceed to the Ascension Lodge and wait for further competition notices.
There was no registration, nor were there any detailed competition rules provided.
Joel Sa and Sean Zell could only head for the sole lodge in Ascension City—the Ascension Lodge.
“Get lost!” As soon as Joel Sa approached the lodge entrance, a furious shout rang out. A young cultivator in golden robes was kicked out of the lodge.
Then came an angry voice, “You can’t even afford the lodging fee, yet you dare to participate in the True Domain Prodigy Trials? Have you no shame?”
Sean Zell, standing beside Joel Sa, remarked, “That person is from the Swordcloud Sect. I’ve seen him once before.”
Joel Sa frowned slightly. He had some enmity with the Swordcloud Sect. Although the sect was one of the Five Grand Sects of the Lesser Central World, it shouldn’t be so poor as to be unable to pay the lodging fee for the competition.
“Senior, these people are shameless. Local cultivators of the True Domain only pay five thousand spirit stones per night, but those of us from the Lesser Central World are charged a million spirit stones per night.” The golden-robed cultivator saluted Joel Sa and spoke bitterly.
Judging by his expression, he seemed to recognize Joel Sa.
Joel Sa frowned. A nightly fee of a million high-grade spirit stones—perhaps the True Domain’s allowance of twenty spots for the Lesser Central World wasn’t for their benefit, but simply a way to profit from them.
“Two suites, three months.” Joel Sa and Sean Zell approached the massive counter in the lodge.
There were dozens of registration counters, but Joel Sa deliberately went to the one where the staff had just shouted.
“Where are you from?” The attendant glared at Joel Sa, his tone unfriendly. Many porcupines from the Lesser Central World had arrived these days—he had to fleece them.
Smack! Without waiting for Joel Sa’s reply, the attendant received a slap instead. Joel Sa struck him directly, sending him flying out of the lodge. The attendant spat blood midair, and when he landed, all his teeth were gone.
The attendant pressed the alarm almost as soon as he hit the ground. A shrill sound echoed, and a ninth-stage Tribulation cultivator landed in the lodge’s hall. “Who dares to cause trouble here?”
“I did.” Joel Sa replied calmly.
The ninth-stage Tribulation cultivator saw Joel Sa’s fearless demeanor and seemed uncertain of his background. He tentatively asked, “Who are you? Why did you attack someone in the Ascension Lodge?”
“Does the Ascension Lodge need to check a guest’s background before lodging them?” Joel Sa replied coolly.
“Naturally, there’s no need.” The Tribulation cultivator replied casually.
Joel Sa nodded. “Exactly. I’m here to stay at the lodge, and this ant dares to check my background. If not for the fact that this is Ascension City, I would have killed him already.”
By now, the area was crowded with cultivators, all shocked by Joel Sa’s actions. The Ascension Lodge was backed by powerful factions across the True Domain. Who was this red-saber-wielding cultivator with such a temper, daring to discipline the lodge staff?
The Tribulation cultivator frowned. He couldn’t gauge Joel Sa’s strength. After all, Joel Sa had slapped a late-stage Sea-Breaking cultivator away with ease, clearly no ordinary person.
Regardless of Joel Sa’s background, he had to ask. But before he could, Joel Sa’s murderous aura enveloped him.
Even as a ninth-stage Tribulation cultivator, he felt a chill run through him. He shivered instinctively, convinced that Joel Sa was a Transforming True expert. How could the Lesser Central World produce such a genius? Clearly, this red-saber-wielding cultivator was a prodigy groomed by some True Domain faction.
“What type of room would you like? The lowest is a thousand high-grade spirit stones per night, the highest is a hundred thousand per night—those are the top luxury cave dwellings.” Feeling Joel Sa’s powerful aura, the Tribulation cultivator made a quick decision.
[Irrelevant system message skipped.]
“The hundred-thousand-per-night ones. Give me two suites, each for three months.” Joel Sa said without hesitation.
The Tribulation cultivator didn’t find this odd at all. In fact, two suites at a hundred thousand per night for three months was only about twenty million high-grade spirit stones. For a Transforming True expert, that was nothing.
“I’ll stay for three months too, just like this senior.” The Swordcloud Sect cultivator saw Joel Sa get his lodging token and hurried to follow suit.
Joel Sa didn’t recognize him, but the other did recognize Joel Sa. In the Lesser Central World, Joel Sa was a prominent figure. His earlier words had been meant to inform Joel Sa of what had happened.
The Tribulation cultivator saw this man come in with Joel Sa and didn’t think much of it, so he helped arrange the lodging.
When Joel Sa took his cave-dwelling lodging token to find his room, the golden-robed cultivator quickly approached, bowed, and greeted, “Jake Gu of the Swordcloud Sect. Thank you, Sect Master Sa.”
Without Joel Sa, he probably wouldn’t have found a place to stay.
“You’re concealing your cultivation?” As Joel Sa’s spiritual sense fell upon Jake Gu, he immediately sensed that Jake Gu’s cultivation was above Sea-Breaking Stage—about the fifth layer of the Cauldron Ascendant Stage.
Jake Gu quickly replied, “Yes, Senior. I gained some opportunities on Little Central Star and am now at the Cauldron Ascendant Stage.”
Joel Sa said calmly, “Even if you’re at Cauldron Ascendant, you still don’t stand a chance.”
He had just noticed that Jake Gu had two souls within his body. The stronger soul hadn’t tried to seize him, likely hoping to use Jake Gu to claim a top-three spot. Regardless of whether Jake Gu could pass inspection, even if he did, he probably wouldn’t get the chance to enter the Immortal Realm.
Jake Gu sighed and bowed again, this time without further explanation.
Joel Sa ignored Jake Gu and found his room. The hundred-thousand-per-night rooms were all on the top floor.
“Joel Sa, what you did just now could have led to a major fight,” Sean Zell said, still a bit shaken.
If a fight broke out, Joel Sa would lose his qualification for the True Domain Prodigy Trials, and might not even survive. Sean Zell felt Joel Sa’s actions were somewhat reckless.
Joel Sa smiled slightly. “Don’t worry, we have a place to stay now, and we saved a lot of spirit stones.”
In fact, Joel Sa had intended to act from the start—this was the perfect place for a fight. He’d stayed at many lodges and never heard of one needing to check guests’ backgrounds. So he was in the right, and with his strength, even the Domain Lords wouldn’t dare revoke his qualification.
Ascension City was packed, and Joel Sa didn’t believe the True Domain’s factions would risk losing face by provoking him here.
If the True Domain really dared to do that, he wouldn’t hesitate to flatten Ascension City. His saber array was especially suited for group battles. He could handle a Domain Lord one-on-one, and even if two or three came at him, he wouldn’t be afraid.
[Irrelevant system message skipped.]