"Heheh, that’s just my nature. Force of habit. By the way, Princess Xinqin, you’re also about to enter the Void Realm. Why not just go through with Stepping into the Void? What are you waiting for?"

Ye Tianling changed the subject, having noticed that Xia Xinran was about to fly into a rage.

’A gentleman doesn’t pick fights with women,’ he thought.

Right now, he was only somewhat interested in Xia Xinqin. As for Xia Xinran and Jiang Xiangning, he couldn’t be bothered and had no desire to provoke them further—he’d just let them be.

"Stepping into the Void directly? It’s very difficult. In this era, every Void Realm holds immense opportunities and fortunes, so it’s extremely important to solidify one’s Realm and foundation. The saying ’the weak do not enter the Void’ seems particularly cruel in today’s World. The Void Realm initiates a consolidation of Battle Power; the stronger your foundation, the more you can temper your Battle Power. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"Once you enter the Void, your Battle Power becomes nearly fixed. It’s incredibly difficult to improve it further.

"Therefore, anyone who can achieve Stepping into the Void in this day and age is a truly astonishing genius, and their Battle Power is bound to be immense."

Once the conversation turned to serious matters, Xia Xinqin’s expression grew much more solemn.

"That sounds similar to what they say in the outside world. Master Level geniuses have a Battle Power of up to three; True Profound Level geniuses have one from Breaking Four to six; and True Spirit Level geniuses are at seven to eight? And then there’s the Nine Forbidden? Are the Nine Forbidden called ’Divine Children’?"

Ye Tianling recalled the knowledge about ’Battle Power’ that Long Tianyu had once shared with him, finding that it fit the current situation perfectly.

He then voiced his question.

"Yes, and no."

Xia Xinqin replied softly.

"Oh?"

Ye Tianling was a little surprised.

"A Divine Child generally has the Battle Power of a Spiritualist; ’Spiritualist’ is just a title of respect. In reality, some Divine Sons and Divine Ladies only have a Battle Power between four and six. Not all Divine Children can achieve the Battle Power of a True Spirit Level genius. As for the Nine Forbidden, that’s just a legend; it doesn’t really exist. This classification system isn’t actually that strict.

"After all, under the complete rules, every Cultivator who can advance their Realm must have undergone a Perfection Transformation for that Realm, so their Battle Power naturally won’t be weak. It’s truly difficult to fight an opponent who is several Realms above you."

Xia Xinqin didn’t look down on Ye Tianling for being a ’local’, explaining everything in detail.

"I see. In that case, Princess Xinqin, what... is your current Battle Power?"

Ye Tianling asked curiously.

From his bloodline’s perception, Ye Tianling felt he could still kill Xia Xinqin with a single palm strike.

If Xia Xinqin was considered one of the outstanding members of the younger generation among the Ten Thousand Spirit Races, then the Battle Power of their younger generation wasn’t so exaggerated after all.

Upon hearing this, Xia Xinqin’s eyes dimmed a little. "If everything goes smoothly, I should be able to get close to four, or maybe even reach Breaking Four. That would make me a Profound Level genius. However, I’m not a real Princess. That’s just a respectful title people use to be polite.

"After all, Luoyun Town is just a small town, only a hundred thousand miles in area."

"A hundred thousand miles in area? A *small* town?"

This time, it was Ye Tianling’s turn to gasp.

A hundred thousand miles, and that’s still a small town?

Then how big is an Ancient City?

"Yes, it is a bit small, being only a hundred-thousand-mile region. So, for a Princess to appear in a place like this, how good do you think her Talent could possibly be?"

Xia Xinqin sighed, then her tone became earnest. "Young Master Tianling, what... what channel did you use for your Descent? Can you still get out? If you can, could you take me with you? I really want to see the outside world."

Her tone was completely sincere, without a hint of pretense.

Perhaps her being ’nice’ to Ye Tianling did come with an ulterior motive, but at least she was upfront about it.

Ye Tianling preferred this kind of direct, unpretentious personality.

"Alright. If I leave, I’ll definitely take you with me."

Ye Tianling agreed.

Then, he added with a smile, "Actually, there’s an even better way."

"Hm?"

The trace of joy in Xia Xinqin’s beautiful eyes turned to surprise.

"For example, we could engage in Yin Yang Harmony. I’ll transmit the Supreme Dao to you, you’ll step into the Void Realm, and forge a Battle Power of Breaking Six or even Breaking Seven, rising to prominence in one fell swoop. After that, leaving this place would be simple."

Ye Tianling said with a straight face.

"..."

Xia Xinran and Jiang Xiangning were utterly speechless. ’This local’s vile nature is showing itself again!’

"Young Master Tianling... jokes like that are fine in private, but once we enter Luoyun Town, you absolutely cannot say such things. You’ll anger the Royal Race and offend their dignity. If word reaches the Great Xia Emperor, or if the core Guardians of the Royal Race overhear you, you’ll face a great disaster."

Xia Xinqin sighed helplessly and shot Ye Tianling a look of mild reproach, which served as a small warning.

Because their cultures were rather different, Xia Xinqin didn’t take offense. She had heard a little about the cultural traditions of the outside world, and they seemed to be very... free and open? When a male and female Cultivator took a liking to each other, it seemed they would just... do that... unlike her people, who were so conservative.

Of course, Xia Xinqin had only heard rumors; she didn’t really know for sure.

’This girl is still so naive... If the Ten Thousand Spirit Races are all like this, they won’t be so hard to get along with... She’s quite sincere and has a forgiving heart. Even Xia Xinran and Jiang Xiangning aren’t bad people. They aren’t as brutal and vicious as I imagined!

’I just wonder if the other members of the Ten Thousand Spirit Races are also this forgiving.’

Ye Tianling felt a stir in his heart. In truth, he also knew that teasing them repeatedly upon their first meeting was indeed going a bit too far.

"Alright, although I don’t really care about some Emperor, I’ll stop joking with you."

Ye Tianling smiled and added, "If you want to go see the outside world, I’ll definitely take you with me when I leave. I just hope you won’t be afraid of me then."

Hearing this, Xia Xinqin gave a gentle smile, her expression breathtakingly beautiful.

"You jest, Young Master. You are kind, approachable, sunny, and free-spirited. Why would Xinqin be afraid of you?"

Ye Tianling laughed out loud. "A Princess is a Princess, after all. Your judgment and intuition are both excellent."

His words immediately displeased Xia Xinran, who let out a heavy "Hmph!" through her nose to express her dissatisfaction.

Jiang Xiangning, however, just smiled wryly and didn’t react much.

Ye Tianling couldn’t be bothered to pay Xia Xinran any mind.

As the group chatted, a full half an hour passed before they finally emerged from the dense forest.

Outside the forest, a terrifyingly vast Ancient City that seemed to connect heaven and earth stood quietly, piercing the clouds.

The Ancient City was weathered and mottled, radiating an ancient aura.

Within the Ancient City, an even more ancient and impossibly huge Ancient Tower stood like a giant between Heaven and Earth. It looked as if it had raised its hand and punched a hole through the sky, piercing the space between Heaven and Earth.

The moment Ye Tianling saw it, he felt as if his very Soul had been stunned.

"That is Luoyun Town’s Royal Family’s Celestial Tower, one of the branches of the Heaven and Earth Divine Tower. The reason I came to Luoyun Town this time was to challenge the lower levels of this Royal Family’s Celestial Tower and gain experience, in order to step into the Void Realm."

Xia Xinqin gazed at the massive Ancient Tower, her eyes filled with reverence and piety.

’This World is not as simple as it seems.’

Ye Tianling had the distinct feeling of his heart pounding in his chest.

Stepping out of the forest and seeing the terrifying, boundless world before him, he couldn’t help but feel utterly shaken.

At the same time, a vague sense of crisis began to slowly take root.

Yes, a sense of crisis—the complexity and sheer scale of this land far exceeded his imagination.