The ancient return was exposed by his sister's live stream.

Pengcheng High School, Award Ceremony.

Yun Wanlan stood in front of the equipment counter, and a staff member handed her a tray. On the tray were two things: several crimson crystals and a palm-sized wooden box.

Flame Spirit Stone. A magical artifact.

She picked up the Flame Spirit Stone first. The crystal was warm to the touch, its surface shimmering with magma-like patterns. The energy was pure, just what she needed for her cultivation.

But she didn't lack that. In the Sushen tribe, every adult member was allocated a share of Flame Spirit Stones. What she lacked was something she could bring back to the tribe so that more members could use it.

Her gaze fell on the wooden box.

Open it. Inside lies a small jade ruler, pure white, with fine runes engraved on its surface. The energy fluctuations aren't strong, but its exquisite design makes it suitable for setting up formations or assisting in spellcasting.

It is a rare treasure for ordinary cultivators, but for the Sushen tribe, the number of people in the tribe who possess magical treasures can be counted on one hand.

She can take this magical artifact back for her people to use.

If she could go back.

The thought popped into her head, and she carefully put away the magic item and looked up.

Yun Wanlan carefully put the jade ruler into her bosom.

The staff member behind the counter looked at Yun Wanlan, who was standing there, and asked, "Yun, is there anything else you need?"

"No, thank you."

She turned and left the equipment area.

The school was bustling with activity. Students gathered in small groups, discussing their gains from the trials. Some talked about the Wutong Secret Realm, while others boasted about their kill records. The cacophony of voices mingled with the hum of aircraft.

Yun Wanlan walked to the edge of the balcony and found a secluded spot.

Before me stretched the skyline of Shenzhen.

High-rise buildings stand in clusters, their glass curtain walls reflecting a blinding light in the setting sun. Drones fly overhead, trailing streaks of light behind them.

Further away, flying cars crisscrossed the city's elevated roads, their engines emitting a low-frequency hum, like some kind of giant insect she had never seen before.

This is what she saw when she first came into this world.

She was standing on a small hill in the suburbs of western Guangdong, still carrying the scorching aura of a boundary-breaking power. Everything before her made her freeze in place.

It wasn't shocking.

It's incomprehensible.

The Sushen people have lived in the Taiyin Realm for generations. Their most prosperous cities are nothing more than wooden palaces, and the streets are filled with carts pulled by spirit beasts.

The city before us is a vast expanse of towering buildings, where iron and light intertwine to form a massive net that envelops everyone.

She stood on that hill, with only one thought in her mind.

Is this really Kyushu?

The ancient Nine Provinces that the clan leader spoke of, a land teeming with powerful beings?

Then she went into the city.

There are no strong ones.

The people walking on the street were all ordinary people. Most of them had not undergone any tempering, and their spiritual energy was so thin that it was almost imperceptible.

The highest cultivation level was only at the early stage of Body Tempering Realm, which is the level of a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy in the Sushen Clan.

The clan leader only told her that the person with the highest cultivation level in the Nine Provinces, the person who governs the entire Nine Provinces, is the person she is looking for.

However, the Nine Provinces before us are divided and controlled by countless countries, with warlords ruling their own territories and each acting independently. There is no supreme ruler who can unify the Nine Provinces and govern the world.

At first, she was desperate, not knowing how to find the person who ruled over the entire Nine Provinces.

She had only heard the word "despair" before. That night, she tasted it.

On the fifth day, she knocked on a door, offering to stay temporarily in exchange for Flame Spirit Stones.

It was an old residential building where a middle-aged couple and their eighteen-year-old daughter lived.

They were a simple and kind family of three. The parents were hardworking and honest, and their daughter was an ordinary student preparing for the martial arts college entrance examination. She was pure-hearted and warm-hearted.

She stayed at that family's house.

The woman's surname is Zhao, and she runs a breakfast shop at the entrance of the residential complex. The man's surname is Liu, and he is a taxi driver. Their daughter's name is Liu Xiaoman, and she is a senior in high school.

Sister Zhao was very warm-hearted. On the first day, she served her a big bowl of pork rib soup and held her shoulders to make her finish it. Uncle Liu didn't talk much, but before each trip, he would ask, "What would you like to eat today, Xiao Yun?"

Liu Xiaoman was even more direct. On the first night, she dragged her to watch three episodes of a TV series. After watching them, she put her arm around her and said, "Sister, you can stay in my room. I'll sleep on the floor."

Yun Wanlan refused the suggestion to sleep on the floor, but she couldn't refuse the TV series.

It was during those few days that she learned how to use a "cell phone".

The way information spreads in this world far exceeds her understanding. A thin, luminous panel can reveal everything happening in the world, from the secrets of heaven and earth to the mundane affairs of everyday life.

She first saw Chen Hao's name on something called "DouLe".

The cultivation levels of the people in the video are unclear. However, the comments section is full of information, including references to "High God," "Penglai," and "Honorary Principal of Pengcheng Martial Arts Academy."

Countless videos, live streams, trending topics, and documentary reports all corroborate one fact—Chen Hao is currently the only person in the entire land of Kyushu who transcends the mortal realm and possesses unparalleled, heaven-reaching power!

Even though the information online is a mix of truth and falsehood, and even though she still worries that there might be hidden masters in the world, she has no other choice but to go out of her way. Based on the information currently available online, Chen Hao should be the person with the highest cultivation level.

She watched videos and news for two days straight.

Then she found Sister Zhao and got straight to the point: "I want to see a man named Chen Hao."

Sister Zhao was kneading dough at the time, her hands covered in white flour. Upon hearing the name Chen Hao, she paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Girl, you want to see Chen Hao? He's a god."

"I know."

"For an ordinary person to see him? Difficult." Sister Zhao patted the flour off her hands, thought for a moment, "But... isn't he the honorary principal of Pengcheng Martial Arts Academy? If you can get into that school, maybe you'll have a chance."

"Taking the college entrance exam?"

"Yes, the advanced martial arts exam." Sister Zhao wiped her hands, picked up her phone and scrolled through it. "Look."

Yun Wanlan looked at the admission brochure on her phone screen.

"But the exam requires identification," Sister Zhao said. "Do you have one?"

"no."

"So, where are you from?"

Yun Wanlan remained silent for a few seconds.

"A very far place."

Sister Zhao looked at her for a while and didn't ask any more questions. The next day, Sister Zhao went to him to register that he had become the adopted daughter of Sister Zhao's family.

And so, Yun Wanlan used the identity of Zhao Jie's adopted daughter to participate in the advanced martial arts exam.

His mid-stage Meridian Opening Realm cultivation level crushed everything in the examination hall, and his absorption rate of 13.5% broke the record.

She entered Pengcheng Martial Arts Academy.

Then she waited. Waiting to see Chen Hao.

This wait lasted for several months.

Yun Wanlan withdrew her gaze and stuffed the Flame Spirit Stone in her hand into her bosom. The jade ruler pressed against her chest, its cool touch calming her for a moment.

The tribe is still at war.

Every day that passes, a member of the tribe may die.

Here she was, eating compressed spirit fruit chunks, watching the sunset over Pengcheng, and holding a magical artifact that had nothing to do with the battle.

She closed her eyes briefly.