Translator: Fate Proofreader: Silavin “Changge presents his greetings to the elders and the Palace Master.” After wearing the successor robes, Gu Changge was finally the official successor of Skyward Schloss. He greeted the elders with an expression so gentle that the elders almost thought they were seeing things. [So, even the usually mischievous and stubborn Gu Changge actually has this side to him.] The elders found it difficult to believe. “Changge, from today onwards, you are the successor of Skyward Schloss. You are to lead your juniors and set a good example for them. With you around, we no longer have to worry about the Celestial Ancient Continent opening its doors.” Onstage, the Palace Master of Skyward Schloss smiled as he looked on, then spoke. With an easy grace, Gu Changge said, “Rest assured, Palace Master. With me around, no one would dare to cause any trouble in the territory of Skyward Schloss.” His words were vague and casual, but they also contained a strongly convincing tone, so that the elders and the Palace Master couldn’t help but nod. This was also their main reason for appointing Gu Changge to be the successor. Now that Gu Changge’s cultivation had arrived at the later stages of the Honoured King Realm, they couldn’t help but think that he truly was the Avatar of a True Immortal. When they were at his age, they were still bumbling about in the Honoured Nobility Realm. Just then, even the Great Elder couldn’t help but nod. To him, Gu Changge’s every expression and movement were masterful deception. Even his face seemed to be built to lie. He looked peaceful and calm, his features handsome and well-defined. Many women were even jealous of his beauty. It had to be said that with his true self usually hidden, after Gu Changge put on the robes of the successor of Skyward Schloss, the elders were very satisfied with him. Of course, the Great Elder and the others knew of his real self, and they would not be deceived by his surface appearance. Soon, in front of all the disciples and elders, the Palace Master of Skyward Schloss began bestowing treasures to Gu Changge. As the successor, of course he should have precious treasures befitting his identity! “Come and present the successor with the Golden Phoenix Lance.” As the Palace Master spoke, an elder came forward with a box in hand. The Golden Phoenix Lance lay quietly within, brilliant light shining forth from it, as if it were made with divine metals. It exuded a great and strong aura. “This is a weapon which once belonged to a predecessor of Skyward Schloss. The power and might of the Golden Phoenix Lance need no introduction. Once it is revived, even those mighty masters in the Sacred Realm won’t be able to touch you. However, you cannot activate it before reaching the Enlightenment Realm.” The Palace Master spoke smilingly, then handed to Gu Changge the Golden Phoenix Lance. “Thank you, Palace Master.” Gu Changge received the sword, for he had no reason to refuse. Then, he gave it a few quick glances and realised that this was indeed quite a good tool. Of course, it wouldn’t serve much purpose to him. It simply had a beautiful appearance, as if a pair of phoenix wings were lying quietly in his palms. After that, the Palace Master bestowed upon him a few other treasures, each of which possessed their own terrifying power. For example, there was the Yin & Yang Sword, the Dragon Seal, and the like. The Canonization Ceremony was nearing its end. Save for the disciples of the Skyward Schloss, the other influential and talented youths were gathered here in the spectator seats. For example, there was the successor of the Ancient Ye Family, Ye Langtian. He sat upright in his seat, and even his hair seemed to be burning as he was covered in divine light. He looked like the child of a Godly Spirit, not to be underestimated. Beside him sat a young woman in purple. It was none other than Ye Liuli. Other than that, there were other youthful prodigies with potential. There was Peng Fei, the Successor of the Golden-Winged Roc Clan, one of the Ancient Royal Families. The light he possessed was even more brilliant than Ye Langtian’s. His hair was bursting with a golden light, as if it were made from gold itself. There was also the Gifted Lady, Chi Ling, from the Vermillion Bird Clan. Despite her small stature, she was also a prodigy. She had exquisite features, and she looked only about 12 or 13. However, in reality, she was about the same age as Gu Changge. There were also a number of young prodigies from the human race present. There was a mysterious youthful prodigy from the Immortal Wang Family, Wang Wushuang. His entire body was shrouded in fog, and no one could see his real face. He was especially mighty. There were also the successor of the Cult of Immorality, and the Successor of the Undead Lake Clan in the forbidden area… These youthful prodigies all hailed from the areas near the Boundless Heaven, which were quite close by. So, they could come early and watch the Canonization Ceremony of the successor of Skyward Schloss. They were all powerful beyond comparison, and they were also very confident. They believed that they had no rival, and that they couldn’t find anyone on par with them when they fought countless times in their own regions. Now that they were roaming the world and sharing the same space, they were fighting amongst themselves in order to become the strongest of the young generation in this world. They were all curious about Gu Changge, who had always been famous. Now that they met him, they realised that he was indeed unusual. Putting aside his unfathomable cultivation, they could feel a sort of pressure just seeing him stand there. This was definitely a strong rival, one they shouldn’t ignore! In the future, Skyward Schloss would only get livelier as even more young prodigies poured in. When that happened, a fight would definitely break out among them. Meanwhile, on the stage, Gu Changge accepted all the treasures, a faint smile on his face as he swept a glance at the numerous Direct Disciples in front of him. Of those Direct Disciples, Jin Zhou was the one his eyes landed upon. There were a number of golden whirlpools surrounding the surface of his body, making him stand out from the crowd. Now, he had reached the Honoured King Realm, but he never thought that Gu Changge had surpassed him considerably. He wanted to get revenge for his brother Jin Yu, but apparently, he could no longer do that. Now, as Gu Changge’s gaze fell upon him, Jin Zhou couldn’t help the change in his expression. Cold sweat quietly broke out on his forehead as he averted his gaze, not daring to look Gu Changge in the eye. This scene naturally entered the sights of the numerous young prodigies in the spectator seats. Their eyes narrowed as complex emotions appeared on their faces, each privy to their own fleeting thoughts. [Even Jin Zhou, a prodigy of Skyward Schloss, dares not meet Gu Changge’s gaze. Isn’t this implying… that he lost even the motivation to fight against him? How terrifying!] They clearly knew this, so they were even more wary of Gu Changge. The rumours were real. They must never go up against Gu Changge unless absolutely necessary. [In Skyward Schloss, Gu Changge is the tyrant!] After that, Gu Changge asked indifferently, “My juniors and seniors, do any of you have questions to ask?” After all, it was Skyward Schloss’s rule, that on the day the successor was appointed, the other disciples had a chance to challenge them. So, for Gu Changge, he didn’t mind following the ritual for a bit. He didn’t think anyone would be so stupid as to come forth and challenge him. As soon as he spoke those words, the entire place fell silent. All the Direct Disciples clamped their mouths shut and made no noise, and even Jin Zhou was no different. Gu Changge let out a faint laugh and didn’t say anything else. Gu Xianer was also a Direct Disciple. She was also standing among the crowd of Direct Disciples, wearing the usual blue clothes that wrapped firmly around her body. She looked especially slender and frail. There was a cool expression on her small fragile face. Her features were detailed and flawless, with hints of pride in them. On her shoulder was a huge red bird which looked quite dumb, perched there as it rested. There were quite a number of male youthful prodigies who secretly sent gazes of admiration in her direction. Even though they knew that there was an unknown conflict between her and Gu Changge, they couldn’t help this feeling of admiration towards her. After all, Gu Xianer’s beauty was divine. If it weren’t for her age and slightly slimmer figures, which Gu Changge described as a bamboo board… If it weren’t for that, her admirers would definitely multiply in number. At this moment, her eyes were cold as they stared steadily forward at the stage. Despite this, she tried her best not to meet Gu Changge’s eyes. However, she was actually secretly sizing Gu Changge up. Ever since some time ago, when she accidentally injured Gu Changge, she had returned to the mountain top and concentrated on her cultivation. She hadn’t seen Gu Changge since. Of course, during that period of time, she had also never spoken a word to Gu Changge. Naturally, Gu Changge also didn’t have time to look for her. Hence, the Canonization Ceremony today was also the first time Gu Xianer met Gu Changge in a while. Gu Xianer had to admit that even though Gu Changge was despicable, he still looked attractive, and women were helpless against his handsome face. She noticed that many female disciples kept a steady gaze on Gu Changge. Of course, Gu Changge seemed to have recovered from the injury, so she secretly let out a relieved sigh. Gu Xianer knew how powerful that black blade was. Its destructive power was tricky and very difficult to remove. It would also greatly inhibit the recovery of the wounds it inflicted. It was torture for cultivators with strong physique. Even though Gu Changge said that he accepted the attack as retribution… Gu Xianer still felt a little uneasy and guilty inside. After all, when she struck him, she was furious from the embarrassment, and her rage had blinded her. If she were any less careful, Gu Changge might even have died right on the spot. This caused her to wonder why Gu Changge would just stand there, motionless, no even move to block the attack. However, she was too proud to ask Gu Changge about it. They were sworn enemies, after all. She was still young when Gu Changge removed her bone. The immense pain at her young age pushed her to the edge of death. But now, Gu Changge endured the cut she inflicted and almost died as well. At that time, she even saw in his body the bone that was once hers, cracking. So, Gu Xianer had very complicated emotions in her heart. Of course, she still harboured deep-seated hatred towards Gu Changge. It wouldn’t be so easy to resolve the very thing that empowered her for more than 10 years. Also, what about the suffering and humiliation she and her people endured? Who would she blame it on? She spent every single day of those years in hatred aimed towards Gu Changge. Now, even though it wasn’t as strong as before, the principles that sustained her still consisted of her will to beat Gu Changge in a fair fight, to take revenge for that time and to return all the pain back to him. Gu Changge was almost killed by her. Coupling that with his actions and words before, Gu Xianer was puzzled and confused. [What secrets lay behind the incidents that happened so long ago, secrets don’t I know? Why did Gu Changge remove my bone? Why is he now insisting that I work hard to cultivate in order to get revenge?] She had never once felt any murderous intent from Gu Changge. On the contrary, because she challenged him confidently that day, but was easily defeated by him in the end, Gu Changge seemed to be very disappointed. [Why was he disappointed in me? Was it because I wasn’t strong enough, and my cultivation was still not up to par?] These days, those questions kept circling around Gu Xianer’s mind. However, she still didn’t know how to pose the question to Gu Changge. After all, they were sworn enemies! Gu Changge even announced that only he could bully her, and he did indeed bully her quite a few times. The proud Gu Xianer already couldn’t bear this much, so of course she wouldn’t toss her pride aside and ask Gu Changge about it. “I see that no one intends to fight me. Thank you for your mercy.” Just then, Gu Changge’s voice rang out, pulling Gu Xianer from her thoughts. She was suddenly a little nervous as her pale slender hands gripped a corner of her dress because Gu Changge was looking at her. She got even more nervous as she assumed that Gu Changge intended to talk to her, because she hadn’t prepared what she was going to say to him about that incident. However, she still felt a little excited inside. After all, judging by Gu Changge’s actions before this… [If he takes the initiative to talk to me, it should mean that he no longer cared about that incident, right?] Gu Xianer couldn’t get used to the days of not seeing Gu Changge’s despicable face. She could more or less sense that she no longer hated Gu Changge as much as she used to. The hatred had dimmed out a little. Just then, she watched as Gu Changge walked towards her, a handsome and graceful smile on his face. It was flawless. Then, Gu Xianer froze because Gu Changge didn’t look at her. His gaze simply swept across all the Direct Disciples, which included her. Gu Xianer opened her mouth, speechless and dumbfounded. For some reason, she felt a little disappointed. “If so, then I’ll humbly accept the position of successor.” Gu Changge smiled faintly. With that, he walked off the stage, passing by Gu Xianer but seemingly failing to notice her. Meanwhile, the voices of the Direct Disciples rang out in an orderly and respectful manner. “Congratulations, Senior Changge.” As she watched this scene, Gu Xianer was stunned, a fleeting lost feeling in her heart. [Why did you… ignore me?]