The sound of the bell announcing the end of the Golden Staircase trial rang out across the vast plaza. The dignified voice of Mu Nansi, the current leader of the Immortal Water Domain, echoed throughout the space.
"The time for the Golden Staircase trial has come to an end! Those who have failed to meet the requirements will now be sent out immediately."
In that instant, a golden radiance formed above the plaza, and those who could not reach the required step were expelled from the area one after another, leaving only those who had passed the trial remaining.
Han Ming's gaze shifted to the plaza below, his eyes locking onto the five final participants who were now being removed.
Bai Jingshen, the Peak Master of the Immortal Formation Peak, glanced toward Han Ming and asked,
"So, brat, which ones caught your eye?"
Han Ming replied without hesitation.
"All five of those on the Golden Staircase."
Zhao Honglong, Peak Master of the Heavenforge Peak, narrowed his eyes and said,
"All five? Why?"
Before Han Ming could respond, Zhao Honglong activated his spiritual sense to examine the five. The moment he received information about their special constitutions, his expression shifted, and he chuckled softly.
"Your eyes are as sharp as ever, brat."
Upon hearing Zhao Honglong's words, the others immediately followed suit, scanning the five youths with their own spiritual sense. What they discovered left them speechless. All five possessed Emperor-grade special constitutions, and one of them had a particularly shocking innate power. None of them had paid attention to these five before, assuming that anyone who failed the Golden Staircase trial had no value worth considering.
Mu Nansi narrowed her eyes as she looked over the five youths before turning back to Han Ming.
"Peak Master Han, do you truly intend to accept all five of them as your disciples?"
Han Ming shook his head slightly and replied,
"Let them take the Trial Tower test first, to prove their sincerity."
Mu Nansi gave a slow nod before continuing,
"You do realize that all five of them are essentially crippled?"
Han Ming smiled faintly and responded in a calm voice,
"I am already a Saint-tier alchemist. Moreover, I have tested a new formula in collaboration with Peak Master Luo Yunhai of the Royal Medicine Peak. I am confident I can heal them."
The hall fell into complete silence.
Everyone was stunned. A Saint-tier alchemist was already considered the pinnacle of this era. To become an Emperor-tier alchemist would require cultivation at the level of a Great Emperor, which was virtually impossible for most. More often than not, a person would die of old age long before ever reaching that point. Yet the young man standing before them had already achieved such a level within less than ten years.
Many among them began to understand something they had never considered before.
"No wonder he required all disciples of the Purelight Peak to possess a comprehension level of ten stars."
Within the Immortal Water Domain, only 511 individuals throughout its vast history had ever been recorded to have ten-star comprehension. This out of millions of cultivators who had joined the sacred land.
Even a comprehension level of nine stars was already considered a rare genius. Yet currently, there might be as many as one hundred thousand with such a level in the Immortal Water Domain.
Mu Nansi smiled faintly and asked,
"In that case, Peak Master Han, do you have anything to prove that you are indeed a Saint-tier alchemist?"
Han Ming did not leave them in doubt for long. He closed his eyes and began gathering his spiritual power.
Boom!
A dense spiritual aura condensed and transformed into a brilliant golden flame. It was a sacred alchemic flame, one that only Saint-tier alchemists or higher could summon and wield.
Luo Yunhai let out a long sigh before speaking.
"As expected of someone whose comprehension exceeds ten stars... he crushed the effort I've put in over a thousand years in less than ten."
Han Ming chuckled softly and replied,
"I must also thank Peak Master Luo for his guidance."
Luo Yunhai smirked mischievously and shot back,
"I'll accept your thanks in spirit stones. Think you can afford it?"
Laughter echoed throughout the hall, but everyone present knew the truth deep down.
Another Great Emperor was about to be born.
Though some elders had initially opposed Han Ming's appointment as Peak Master, if the price for that was the rise of a future Great Emperor within the Immortal Water Domain, then there was no room left for objection. Their loyalty to the domain was absolute. The Immortal Water Domain was everything to them.
All elders had passed the Tower of Truth trial before assuming their positions, and anyone to become an elder or a peak master had to undergo a binding oath ceremony to never betray the Immortal Water Domain. Their loyalty ran deeper than anything else.
Allowing someone with low cultivation to hold a position of such high importance had seemed like a disgrace an affront to the sacred land they devoted their lives to. It felt as though it invited ridicule toward the domain, and by extension, toward themselves.
That had been the reason many of them had opposed Han Ming's appointment in the beginning. His cultivation was only middling at the time, and the timing felt far too early.
But now… many of them were already beginning to think about what gifts they could prepare to offer as an apology to Han Ming.
Mu Nansi gave a slight nod to Han Ming before personally leading the five candidates toward the Ten-Floor Trial Tower. The surrounding area still buzzed with the chatter of the countless participants who had come for the selection.
However, as the five individuals were being guided toward the tower, some of the other participants began to express their discontent.
"What's the meaning of this? How come they're being allowed into the tower trial even though they failed to pass the Golden Stairway?"
A young man's voice rang out in protest.
Another quickly added on,
"Yeah! Isn't this unfair to the rest of us? If they can take the next test without clearing the first one, then why did we even bother trying so hard?"
The murmuring grew louder, echoing across the open area. Many began questioning the decisions of the sacred land.
But just then, the commanding voice of one of the outer elders thundered through the air, cutting through the uproar.
"Silence!"
With that single word, his powerful aura swept across the crowd, forcing everyone to swallow their complaints.
"This is a decision made by the elders of the sect. The next trial will begin in five minutes instead of the originally scheduled thirty. Prepare yourselves!"
Upon hearing this, the murmurs died down. Though many were still dissatisfied, none dared speak up again.
Amid the crowd, Lei Chen, his body covered in wounds and his eyes blind, clenched his fists tightly.
"I... I still have a chance…"
He whispered to himself, then bowed his head low and shouted with heartfelt emotion,
"Thank you, Elder!"
The outer elder waved a hand dismissively and replied,
"No need to thank me. Save your gratitude for when you make it through the tower."
Lei Chen fell silent for a moment, then tears of gratitude streamed down his cheeks.
The other four standing beside him also offered their thanks, their expressions now burning with even more resolve than before.
In the special reception hall
Mu Nansi sat with the peak masters and the Grand Elders. She took a light sip of tea before speaking.
"If Peak Master Han truly can craft a pill to restore their bodies, then our sect may well gain five new half-emperors. Or perhaps even five future Great Emperors."
She paused for a moment in thought. Even if Han Ming failed to heal all five, the Immortal Water Domain would take over their treatment regardless. After a brief silence, she continued.
"More importantly, that blind boy... he's quite intriguing. Even more so than the one who carries a shard of the Red Flame Alchemy Emperor's soul."
Han Ming gave a faint smile and replied calmly,
"I won't disappoint you, Sect Master."