At this moment, the two men who had arrived at the Ascension Pool were quietly watching the situation inside. "Big brother, how long have we been here?" one of them asked.
"Big brother, you're really clueless. We've already been here half an hour, so that kid in the Ascension Pool has also been inside for at least that long. Don't you get what that means? Normally, people can only stay in the Ascension Pool for half an hour at most before being forced out, but right now, that's not happening. I think our assignment is about to end soon."
"About half an hour. Second brother, why are you asking? Can't you handle even half an hour?" the other replied, sounding both impatient and suspicious. Jared Jiang frowned, clearly doubting the effectiveness of the Ascension Pool after so long without anyone ascending.
These two were from Coldriver City in the Martial Spirit Dominion—the elder was Jared Jiang, and the younger was Terry Jiang. When Jared heard Terry say this, he immediately understood and his face lit up with excitement. "Let's wait a bit longer. It's extremely rare for someone to last this long in the Ascension Pool. If the City Lord hears about this, it'll be a huge merit for us! We'll see what he's like in a moment. If he's really a heaven-defying talent, then we brothers will finally be free!"
Evan Chu had no idea what was happening outside. He was frantically absorbing the Immortal Essence and medicinal energy from the pool, gradually replacing all the Chaos Dragon Force in his body with Chaos Immortal Force. He sensed that the Immortal Essence in the pool was running low, and staying any longer wouldn't help much.
"A whole day, big brother! That kid has actually stayed in the Ascension Pool for a full day—how is that even possible? Could he be some Immortal Emperor who descended to the lower world and is now ascending again? This is no ordinary case," Terry Jiang couldn't help but say.
Just as Terry finished speaking, Evan Chu flew out of the Ascension Pool. The two brothers were instantly startled, staring at him in shock. Evan glanced at them and realized they were both Earth Immortals, so he immediately suppressed his cultivation to the level of an ordinary Immortal. This way, he could avoid unnecessary trouble; if real danger arose, he could restore his true strength for a surprise advantage.
When Terry Jiang saw Evan appear, he immediately used Divine Sense to scan him and found that Evan was just an ordinary Immortal, nothing special. If there was anything unusual, it was that the kid was very young and quite handsome.
"Kid, what's your name? We need to register you!" Terry Jiang said to Evan. He had wanted to treat Evan politely, but his strength was so unremarkable that all excitement vanished. With so many like him in Coldriver City, there was no way the City Lord would value someone so mediocre. It felt like falling from the clouds straight to the ground.
Evan glanced at the two and replied, "My name is Lin Feng. May I ask how you two brothers are called?" He didn't want to cause trouble the moment he arrived in the Immortal Realm, so it was best to stay low-key.
Jared Jiang quickly wrote Lin Feng's name in the ledger, then asked sternly, "How did you manage to stay in the Ascension Pool for a whole day? Normally, people can only last half an hour in there. You need to tell the truth, or you'll face severe punishment."
Jared was deeply disappointed by Lin Feng's apparent strength. He found it strange—maybe the Ascension Pool had lost its effect after so many years without anyone ascending? Otherwise, how could this happen?
"I remember being struck by lightning during my tribulation and getting seriously injured. I was knocked unconscious, and I don't even know how I got here. I just woke up and was pulled out of the water by a powerful force. As for how long I was in the Ascension Pool, I really have no idea," Lin Feng replied earnestly.
The Jiang brothers exchanged glances, half believing and half doubting Lin Feng's words. Jared asked, "Do you feel any discomfort now? Any signs of breaking through to the next realm?"
"No strange feelings. It seems I can absorb some of this Immortal Realm energy now, but only a little—then it stops," Lin Feng said.
"Big brother, looks like we got excited for nothing. This kid's just an ordinary Immortal. I'm really not happy about this!" Terry Jiang grumbled, his face darkening.
"I'm not happy either. Coming to this damn place was already bad enough, and now I thought we'd get a pleasant surprise, but it's just more disappointment. Why don't we just send him straight to the Coldriver City Mines? At least that'll help us vent some of this frustration," Jared Jiang said gruffly.
"Good idea! You know the overseer at the Coldriver City Mines—let him help us teach this kid a lesson. I was already dreaming about getting the City Lord's reward and drinking with pretty fairy maidens at Drunken Heaven Pavilion, but now that's all gone up in smoke. I'm really pissed off," Terry Jiang complained.
Lin Feng watched the two mutter to themselves, clearly dissatisfied with his strength. He remembered Sword Spirit once said that when you ascend, people will check your power level. Looks like he really disappointed them. Getting sent to the mines was probably inevitable.
"So your name's Lin Feng? Even though you're just an ordinary Immortal now, you still have to take the test on the Ascension Platform. It's something everyone who ascends to the Immortal Realm must do. We're disappointed, but we still hope you can surprise us with a miracle," Jared Jiang said.
"Thank you, big brother, for giving Lin Feng a chance. If I ever make it big, I definitely won't forget you," Lin Feng said, laying it on thick. Sometimes a little flattery works wonders—even if he'd suppressed his strength and disappointed them, he might still learn some basics about the Immortal Realm from their mouths.
After all, Sword Spirit has been away from the Immortal Realm for tens of thousands of years, so there’s a lot she doesn’t know either. Glancing at the Ascension Platform, Lin Feng immediately stepped up.
"You sure know how to talk. Hope you really do make it someday. But in the Immortal Realm, without enough strength and a strong background, it’s basically impossible to achieve anything. Survival of the fittest is the rule everywhere—only the strong earn respect and have the right to survive here," Jared Jiang lectured.
Lin Feng took a look at the Ascension Platform. It was a circular stone dais, but he didn’t recognize the material—probably something unique to the Immortal Realm. He asked, "How do I take the test? Please, big brother, tell me the method."
"It's simple. Just circulate your Immortal Essence and press your hand on the stone platform. The platform will light up in different colors depending on how much energy you absorbed in the Ascension Pool. That'll show whether you're a trainable talent and if you're worthy of being cultivated by the Imperial Palace Sect. That's the whole point of the Ascension Platform," Jared Jiang explained.
Hearing this, Lin Feng instantly understood—it was basically the same as the test back at Heavenly Dragon Academy, where the color showed your strength. Maybe the Ascension Platform and that screen worked on similar principles. Now he hesitated, wondering if he should reveal his true cultivation level.