Yu Longxuan stood stiffly, jaw clenched so tight it looked like he might crack a tooth.
His fists trembled by his sides—not with fear, but with the unbearable shame of being publicly humiliated.
That smug look from his brother, Yu Wenzhao—the Third Prince, whose cold eyes practically screamed 'weakling'.
The amused glance from Yu Qingya, his icy sister, who didn't even bother hiding her disdain.
And worse—everyone else had seen it too.
The mighty Second Prince, reduced to a joke.
He grit his teeth so hard that a thin trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
His voice filled with suppressed anger.
"Grandmaster Huang," he growled, stepping forward. "How long until the barrier opens?"
He tried to sound calm. Noble. But it came off as bitter, impatient. Desperate.
A few chuckles echoed from the crowd.
Yu Wenzhao arched his brow, his lip curling into a faint smirk.
Yu Qingya didn't even look at him.
Instead, she turned to one of the participants from Frost Lily Pavilion and muttered, "He's already lost composure before the real trial begins."
Her voice wasn't loud—but it was loud enough.
Yu Longxuan heard it.
He was going to make them all eat their words. All of them.
(Just wait. Once I get the inheritance… every last one of you will pay.)
His eyes burned with fury, seething with the promise of revenge.
(And the first one I'll kill… will be Mo Tianji. I'll tear that smug grin off his face and grind him into the dirt. Then we'll see who's laughing.)
He thought while waiting for the answer from Grandmaster Huang.
But Grandmaster Huang didn't respond.
Not because he was ignoring the prince.
With a sudden pulse of ancient, overwhelming power, the massive dome of jade-colored energy covering the Ancient Ruins began to shimmer—then crack.
Thin lines of golden light spiderwebbed across the barrier like lightning in reverse.
A sound like shattering glass echoed through the heavens.
The Formation which formed the barrier exploded in a cyclone of multicolored light, sending out a shockwave that even forced Nascent Soul cultivators to stagger slightly.
A blinding column of radiance surged into the sky, piercing the clouds and drawing everyone's gaze.
A single thought passed through thousands of minds at once:
The Ancient Ruin which is protected by Grade-8 formation—unsealed at last.
The excitement in the air was electric.
Eyes gleamed with ambition. Breaths quickened. Qi flared.
"Don't let down your guard. Push through with your strength!"
"Remember to get the Inheritance no matter what!"
Elders began barking orders to the younger generation.
The younger generation, equally impatient, flew off at insane speed.
With such a massive crowd, it was inevitable that some cultivators would bump into each other, and the tension only grew—but no one dared waste time on a fight.
They pushed forward, all focused on entering the Ancient Ruin.
However, not everyone was as hasty as them—like the Bai Clan and Royal Family—who knew that rushing in didn't mean much.
After all, the Ancient Ruins would be filled with trials and challenges. Those who went in first were simply testing the traps for others.
Of course, that didn't mean they'd sit back and waste time either.
They would enter eventually—but there was no need to be reckless from the start and waste their energy.
And of course, there were always those fools who didn't believe the warning—that the formation would reject anyone older than thirty.
Some didn't trust Grandmaster Huang's words and tried to sneak inside.
The unlucky ones were crushed under the pressure of the formation.
The "lucky" ones had their cultivation severely damaged—some even destroyed completely.
"I told you! Only those under thirty years of age are permitted inside, yet you all refused to listen,"
Grandmaster Huang said, shaking his head. There was no pity in his voice. They had brought it on themselves.
After the impatient ones rushed in, it was time for the others.
The Li and Zhao Clan participants, along with their allies, entered next, each one looking eager as more followed suit.
Bai Jian said eagerly.
But Bai Zihan stopped him and the other Bai Clan participants.
They wanted to go in immediately, but with their leader holding them back, they had no choice but to listen.
Next came the Imperial Family. The first to enter was the Seventh Prince, Yu Longxuan which was more like fledgling from the scene than actually going in for the opportunity.
Other royals followed behind, encouraged and praised by their supporters.
"Princess Qingya, you're sure to obtain the inheritance. The Desolate Heaven Empire is yours to rule!"
"Prince Wenzhao, crush your competitors. You are the future emperor!"
The last royal was the Ninth Princess, Yu Feiyan. Her only supporter—a Soul Formation Realm cultivator—who didn't shower her with flattery like the others.
"Princess, be safe. Return safely!"
That was the only thing the elder expected from the Ninth Princess—and even that would be incredibly difficult for her.
Yu Feiyan nodded and entered.
Then came the Heaven Sword Sect and other powerful sects.
Bai Xueqing and Chu Ziyan also entered together with them.
Mo Tianji grinned, and the Demonic Sect participants followed.
Saintess Dugu Lianxin followed with her own team.
Before entering, she glanced at Bai Zihan—who didn't even spare her a glance.
Whether it was fear of being backstabbed or something else, she seemed like the cautious type.
"Bai Zihan, how much longer do we need to wait? Everyone has already entered the Ancient Ruins!"
Bai Jian said, clearly impatient.
Bai Zihan narrowed his eyes.
(Still no System notification?)
He'd thought the Heaven's Chosen would go last, as they often did.
But maybe one had already entered. Or maybe... There was no Heaven's Chosen for this event, unlike what he had suspected.
Either way, there was no point waiting now. Everyone else had gone.
"Let's go," Bai Zihan finally said.
"Finally," Bai Ming muttered.
The others shared the same sentiment.
They were all too eager to enter the Ancient Ruins.
Even if entering first didn't guarantee anything, it was impossible not to get excited at a chance .
As Bai Zihan along with other participants stepped through the glowing barrier, the world spun.
There was no warning—just a flash of light and a sudden jolt, like his whole body had been yanked into another space.
Bai Jian hit the ground with a grunt.
They all looked around—and stopped.
This wasn't just some dusty ruin.
They had been teleported to a completely different world.