My Five Bigshot Seniors: I am The Most Coddled Junior!-Chapter 321 - 1: Purple Sunset City

Immortal Realm.

Tianlin State.

Purple Sunset City.

Purple Sunset City ranks second in Tianlin State, just behind the state capital Tianlin City, and is ranked eighth among the eighteen cities in the Immortal Realm, making it a medium-sized city.

Each city in the Immortal Realm has an Immortal Ascension Pool, which allows those who ascend from mid-to-low-level planes to convert their Spiritual Power into immortal power.

The Immortal Ascension Pool is guarded by special individuals, not only to prevent disturbances outside the pool but also to guide newcomers who have just ascended to the Immortal Realm. Thus, those who guard the Ascension Pool are also called guides.

Some factions also send people to guard here in hopes of discovering talented individuals to attract to their forces.

Everyone who ascends from the Lower Realm appears in the Ascension Pool, and the longer they stay in the pool, the better their talent is considered. This standard is also applied by these factions to recruit people.

Li Hui and Zhang Qiang are the guides on duty at the Ascension Pool today. Their work is not particularly complicated, and they spend most of their time chatting. Both have worked here for a long time and have seen many people emerging from the pool, so they often discuss these encounters during their idle chats.

"I heard yesterday someone spent five hours in the Ascension Pool before coming out. That’s quite a talent," Li Hui said softly, nudging Zhang Qiang with his elbow.

"Yes, I heard they were taken by the Wu family in the city. Typically, those coming from the Lower Realm can stay in the pool for three hours at most, which is already quite impressive. It’s been several months since we’ve seen anyone last five hours," Zhang Qiang said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Indeed, it’s been several months. After all, a place like the Lower Realm rarely produces people with such talent," Li Hui said with a touch of pride.

As natives of the Immortal Realm, although they didn’t show it outwardly, they didn’t have high expectations for those ascending from the Lower Realm. After all, even if the Lower Realm has abundant Spiritual Power, how can it compare to the immortal power of the Immortal Realm?

"Speaking of remarkable, it’s Lu Wushuang who ascended from the Vientiane Continent a year ago. I heard he stayed in the Ascension Pool for a whole day, then joined the Bihai Heavenly Palace and is now an Inner Sect Disciple there," Zhang Qiang said with a hint of envy.

Bihai Heavenly Palace is one of the four great Immortal Sects in the Immortal Realm, and countless people aspire to join it every year. Becoming an Outer Disciple is already boast-worthy for many, let alone an Inner Disciple. For people like him and Li Hui, becoming an Inner Disciple of Bihai Heavenly Palace would be impossible in their lifetime!

"Alas, it’s been a long time since a talented ascender appeared in Purple Sunset City. Even though the families in the city often claim to have promising young members, few have joined the four great Immortal Sects over the years. If this continues, Purple Sunset City’s ranking among the eighteen cities in the Immortal Realm might drop again," Li Hui sighed with a touch of sentiment.

Though he was just a minor figure, he grew up in Purple Sunset City and had a deep affection for it, knowing that if its ranking declined, the resources available to Purple Sunset City in every aspect would also decrease, which wouldn’t be good for the people coming to the city.

The two exchanged a look, and their interest in the conversation quickly waned, leading them to fall silent.

Just then, a figure appeared not far from them in the Ascension Pool.

That person looked about eighteen or nineteen years old, but stunningly beautiful, wearing a purple ruqun, with long hair adorned by a simple and elegant ruby Phoenix Tail Step Shake—none other than Gu Qingqing, who had ascended from the Sub-immortal Realm to the Immortal Realm.

Just as Gu Qingqing appeared in the Ascension Pool, she was about to open her eyes to look around when a sudden description flashed through her mind, detailing the place she was in and what she needed to do.

She paused, choosing not to open her eyes, and instead sat cross-legged in the pool, beginning to operate her Cultivation Technique to transform her Spiritual Power into immortal power.

With her eyes closed, she didn’t see that as she operated her Cultivation Technique, Immortal Qi visibly entered her body.

The movement immediately caught the attention of Li Hui and Zhang Qiang, and since Gu Qingqing was the only person in the Ascension Pool, they immediately noticed her.

Surrounded by Immortal Qi, they couldn’t make out her features, only her general outline, yet the sight of the surrounding Immortal Qi left them somewhat astonished.

"This movement is a bit exaggerated," Li Hui looked at Gu Qingqing and then at Zhang Qiang, speaking with a slight stutter.

"It is a bit. Typically, those who just ascend are expected to go through an adaptation period, but she’s directly absorbing immortal power. Just how good is her talent?" Zhang Qiang rubbed his eyes, seemingly incredulous.

The two exchanged another glance, both finding it hard to remain calm.

"How long do you think she can stay in the Ascension Pool?" Li Hui nudged Zhang Qiang’s arm again, suddenly asking excitedly.

"It’s hard to say. Maybe she just absorbs immortal power more efficiently, but her talent might be average," Zhang Qiang hesitated for a moment, cautiously replied.

"I reckon she might be one of those who are particularly gifted, and she might even break the record here." Li Hui seemed very confident in Gu Qingqing, speaking excitedly.

"That’s impossible. The record in our Purple Sunset City is spending eighteen hours in the Ascension Pool, and that’s not something just anyone can break." Zhang Qiang wasn’t as optimistic as Li Hui about Gu Qingqing, and said with a frown.

"Why don’t we make a bet then? How about betting one immortal coin?" Li Hui proposed.

Seeing Li Hui’s confidence, Zhang Qiang hesitated a bit. He looked at the figure sitting in the Ascension Pool, still feeling that the other party couldn’t break the record.

"Alright, I’ll bet with you." He gritted his teeth and said to Li Hui.

Li Hui smiled, squinting his eyes as he watched the figure in the Ascension Pool, praying in his heart for Gu Qingqing to last more than eighteen hours.

At this time, Gu Qingqing was sitting with her eyes closed, transforming the Spiritual Power within her to immortal power, oblivious to the fact that two people outside were betting on how long she could last. She was fully focused on experiencing the differences between immortal power and Spiritual Power, as well as extracting the heritage that appeared in her mind after ascending.

Half an hour later, another figure appeared beside Gu Qingqing. This person clearly wasn’t as endowed with heritage and didn’t know what to do. After a glimpse of the scene nearby, he hesitated.

It was only after Li Hui and Zhang Qiang reminded him that he sat down in the Ascension Pool and began to transform his Spiritual Power into immortal power.

However, he did not stay in there for long, opening his eyes after just four hours, leaving Li Hui and Zhang Qiang somewhat disappointed.

At that moment, the person did not understand why they were disappointed. After Zhang Qiang and Li Hui dutifully informed him about some things concerning the Immortal Realm and Purple Sunset City, he left.

Li Hui and Zhang Qiang continued to keep an eye on Gu Qingqing sitting in the Ascension Pool.

An hour later, yet another person appeared in the Ascension Pool, leaving after two hours. At this moment, Gu Qingqing had been in the Ascension Pool for seven and a half hours.

The day quickly passed, and Gu Qingqing showed no signs of opening her eyes in the Ascension Pool. Li Hui and Zhang Qiang were somewhat surprised to see this.

Originally, they were only scheduled for one day, but after discovering Gu Qingqing, they both wanted to know if she could break the eighteen-hour record, so they did not switch shifts but continued to stay on guard.

On the second day, several more people emerged from the Ascension Pool without Gu Qingqing budging, still showing no inclination to open her eyes.

The vortex of Immortal Qi around her never diminished, and apart from Li Hui and Zhang Qiang, many forces in Purple Sunset City noticed this scene, speculating on when Gu Qingqing would open her eyes.

The eighteen-hour mark quickly passed, with Li Hui and Zhang Qiang maintaining their vigil by the Ascension Pool, while Gu Qingqing still did not show any signs of opening her eyes, leaving them stunned.

"See? I told you she might be able to break the record of our Purple Sunset City." Li Hui nudged Zhang Qiang, speaking with pride.

"Alright, I get it. It’s just an immortal coin. I’ll give it to you now, no need to flaunt it in front of me." Zhang Qiang could see through Li Hui’s thoughts, directly taking out an immortal coin and handing it to Li Hui to shut him up.

"Hehe!" Li Hui accepted the coin, smilingly putting it away. "You said she’s been sitting in the Ascension Pool for so long, why hasn’t there been any movement? Could she possibly sit there for more than two days?" Although confident in Gu Qingqing, Li Hui couldn’t believe it.

Because, in history, only a few people from the Lower Realm ascended and stayed in the Ascension Pool for more than two days, and those people were extremely powerful figures in the history of the Immortal Realm. Li Hui couldn’t believe he would ever meet such a person.

"Weren’t you quite optimistic about her? Why do you think it’s impossible now?" Zhang Qiang glanced at him, teasingly.

"There’s a limit to everything. It’s not so easy to stay in the Ascension Pool for more than two days," Li Hui dismissed Zhang Qiang’s teasing, speaking earnestly.

"Who knows, maybe today we’ll witness a miracle." At this point, Zhang Qiang was quite confident in Gu Qingqing too.

Or perhaps, deep down, he hoped that Gu Qingqing could endure the two days, indicating that Gu Qingqing’s future achievements would be extraordinary. Having such a person leave from Purple Sunset City’s Ascension Pool would be a good thing for Purple Sunset City.

Li Hui looked at Zhang Qiang, moved his mouth, but ultimately said nothing more.

In truth, just like Zhang Qiang, he secretly hoped that the person in the Ascension Pool would surpass two days.

No matter how much they discussed, Gu Qingqing within the Ascension Pool remained unaware. Her Cultivation Technique was frantically operating within her, all Spiritual Power already transformed into immortal power, yet she continued to fiercely absorb the surrounding Immortal Qi, converting it into immortal power, storing it within her Dantian, while her cultivation continued to increase.

After three days, Gu Qingqing’s eyelashes fluttered. Under the tense gaze of Li Hui and Zhang Qiang, she finally opened her eyes.