ISWI Chapter 339-340

Chapter 339: Ascension Peak Values Quality Over Quantity!

Watching Mo Yuzhu's ecstatic reaction, Li Feihuang felt a pang of regret. She could still step forward and pledge to join Ascension Peak, but being second was worlds apart from being first. She'd missed yet another chance.

The crowd of disciples was utterly shocked by Ye Chen's gift of the half-volume immortal scripture. An immortal scripture! Mo Yuzhu had merely been the first to join Ascension Peak, and she received such a reward? The fourth Holy Son's generosity was staggering.

This sparked excitement among the Holy Land's prodigy disciples. Ye Chen had received many precious gifts earlier—would he bestow them on those who joined his peak? If joining Ascension Peak meant such rewards, they wanted in.

Moreover, Ye Chen's profound fortune was evident, wielding top-tier techniques like the True Dragon, True Phoenix, and Kun Peng Treasure Techniques, even if incomplete. With his magnanimity, a single technique from him could benefit them immensely.

Mo Yuzhu's bold move set off a chain reaction. Hesitant disciples could no longer hold back. Nearly a hundred figures flew out from the crowd, bowing to Ye Chen.

"Direct disciple Lin Dong wishes to join Ascension Peak and follow the Holy Son!"

"Elite disciple Wang Teng wishes to join Ascension Peak and follow the Holy Son!"

"Direct disciple…"

The group included several renowned prodigies of the Holy Land. Mo Yuzhu's friend, who'd stood beside her, stared at the jade slip in Mo Yuzhu's hands, her eyes red with envy. She'd thought her friend had made a mistake, but this was a golden opportunity. Without hesitation, she too flew forward, declaring her intent to join Ascension Peak.

All eyes watched eagerly, wondering if Ye Chen would continue his lavish gifting. But under their expectant gazes, he merely glanced at the crowd, his expression calm.

"Ascension Peak will not recruit many disciples," he said, his voice resonating like thunder across the Cloud Summit Divine Palace. "We'll open the peak for recruitment once a year. The first session begins in seven days. Those interested may register then—no latecomers will be accepted."

Ye Chen had no intention of accepting them now. A bunch of male disciples—what use were they? There were a few female cultivators among them, but their multipliers were only two or three hundred, worthless to him.

Mo Yuzhu's 300-fold was an exception only because she was the first. Future female recruits needed at least a 500-fold multiplier, exceptional talent in one of the six cultivation arts, or unique traits like the little demoness's fascination with human anatomy. Otherwise, they wouldn't set foot on Ascension Peak.

As for giving more gifts today? Out of the question. The earlier scripture gift served two purposes: to attract the female cultivators he truly needed—buying the horse's bones with a thousand gold—and to test if the first disciple of his peak had a grateful heart, especially since his system's cooldown allowed a gift.

The feedback was immensely satisfying.

"Gift successful…"

"Recipient: Mo Yuzhu!"

"300-fold feedback processing…"

"Detected extreme emotional resonance in recipient… Triggering top-notch critical hit reward…"

"Reward: Complete Hundred Flowers Immortal Scripture!"

"Hundred Flowers Immortal Scripture: Created by a female true immortal in ancient times, not focused on combat but offering rapid breakthroughs, remarkable recovery, enhanced physical beauty, and extended lifespan. Lifespan exceeds same-realm cultivators by a third, with countless profound benefits. Only female cultivators can practice it."

A top-notch critical hit! Ye Chen's satisfaction with Mo Yuzhu grew even stronger.

Though the Hundred Flowers Immortal Scripture was useless to Ye Chen himself, it was perfect for the female cultivators around him. Not only did it extend lifespan and enhance physical beauty, but it also accelerated breakthroughs—ideal for someone like Lu Jing.

The scripture's lower combat strength? Hardly a flaw. Compared to other immortal scriptures, its combat prowess was lackluster, but against Heaven-tier techniques, it held its own, even surpassing them. An immortal scripture's baseline, however low, was still the ceiling for many Heaven-tier methods.

Moreover, it had no restrictions on sharing—anyone could study it. With this scripture, Ye Chen no longer needed to worry about his companions' cultivation or longevity. The only pity was that it was exclusive to female cultivators. Otherwise, he could've gifted a copy to Green Cloud Sect's old sect master to boost his lifespan.

Regardless, Ye Chen was thoroughly pleased with his first Ascension Peak disciple. His advertisement had been sent out; now, he just needed to wait for the talent he sought to come knocking.

With that in mind, Ye Chen bid farewell to the Holy Lord, elders, and his senior brothers and sisters. Under countless gazes, he summoned a war chariot from his brow, carrying An Miaoli, the other women who'd accompanied him, and the newly joined Mo Yuzhu. With a thunderous roar, they sped toward Ascension Peak.

…

Ye Chen departed, and the Holy Lord, elders, Holy Sons, and Holy Maidens drifted away, leaving countless disciples buzzing with discussion. The fourth Holy Son hadn't recruited more disciples, disappointing the prodigies who'd been ignored.

Yet, a Holy Son who casually gifted a half-volume immortal scripture was undeniably alluring. Many resolved to register at Ascension Peak in seven days, confident their talents would secure a spot and earn them similar rewards.

Mo Yuzhu's friend, however, was seething with regret, nearly grinding her teeth. Mo Yuzhu had tried to pull her along, but she'd refused. Now, she frantically sent a transmission talisman, hoping Mo Yuzhu could help her join the peak.

Not all prodigies were swayed, though. Some suspected Ye Chen's lavish gift was a deliberate ploy to lure them, doubting later disciples would receive such treatment. Ascension Peak's actual benefits remained unclear, so they decided to wait and observe the first batch of disciples before deciding. For cultivators, a year was a short wait.

…

Ye Chen arrived at Ascension Peak with his entourage, marveling at the palaces scattered across the immortal peak and the abundant spirit qi. He and An Miaoli were thoroughly satisfied. A Holy Land elder soon arrived, respectfully delivering Ascension Peak's annual resource allocation. Ye Chen glanced at it briefly before handing it to An Miaoli without a second thought.

Though now a Holy Son, Ye Chen's focus remained on gifting. Everything else? He'd leave to those around him.

Chapter 340: Is the Holy Son Building a Harem?

Ye Chen had brought seven female cultivators to Heavenly Evolution Holy Land. Lu Jing, Lin Ke'er, Sun Ruoxin, Caidie, and Yun Qianyue had relatively poor aptitudes.

Though Ye Chen was sentimental and intended to nurture them, it would take time. For now, they remained at Ascension Peak as his maids. An Miaoli and An Yuyi, however, seamlessly became Holy Land disciples. Lin Qingtan and Li Feihuang also moved to the peak that same day. Lin Qingtan was Ascension Peak's sole Deity Transformation elder.

As for Li Feihuang, Ye Chen felt indifferent—neither fondness nor dislike. He agreed to accept her as a disciple. While her personality wasn't to his liking, her strength was undeniable. With an Earth Spiritual Root and Moon Phoenix Body, she was above average in the Holy Land and could secure a respectable ranking in the Holy Land's quinquennial competition.

Mo Yuzhu, the newest addition, didn't hold much of Ye Chen's attention. He viewed her as a fallback option for gifting if no better candidates were available. Without prior bonds or history, her 300-fold multiplier was barely worth his notice.

…

A week passed since joining Ascension Peak. Mo Yuzhu remained anxious, half-expecting the half-volume immortal scripture to be a dream or a show, fearing the Holy Son might send someone to reclaim it. But her worries never materialized, solidifying her resolve to follow him loyally.

Early that morning, she arrived at the Holy Son Hall at the peak's summit, bowing respectfully. "Holy Son, today is the day Ascension Peak opens its gates to recruit disciples. Two hundred disciples have expressed their desire to join. Here is their list and aptitudes."

Ye Chen emerged from the hall, glancing calmly at the list before nodding. At Ascension Peak, he focused solely on gifting and recruitment. The Holy Land's resources? He didn't care. No matter how generous the Holy Land was, could it compare to his system's feedback? His approach was simple: quality over quantity.

With a grand wave, divine light shimmered as Ye Chen, accompanied by Mo Yuzhu, soared to a large plaza halfway up Ascension Peak. This was where the 200-plus Holy Land disciples hoping to join the peak had gathered, waiting eagerly. Among them were prodigies far surpassing Mo Yuzhu, brimming with confidence that the Holy Son would select and nurture them.

At the forefront stood a female cultivator with striking blue hair and a confident smile. Her Heavenly Spiritual Root and Merfolk Demon bloodline made her certain of catching the Holy Son's eye. Behind her, several prodigies—male and female—stood in order of strength, equally self-assured.

In the Holy Land's competitive environment, peaks relied on performance, like rankings in the quinquennial competition, to secure resources. These prodigies believed their voluntary pledges would guarantee acceptance.

After receiving their salutes, Ye Chen scanned the crowd, his brow furrowing slightly. His gaze settled on a white-robed female disciple at the early Golden Core stage. "You may join Ascension Peak. I grant you this spiritual liquid—consume it to break through to mid-Golden Core."

With that, he presented a vial of Star Essence Water from his Star Pool. The female cultivator's eyes widened with joy, and she bowed deeply. "Thank you, Holy Son!"

The crowd erupted in murmurs. A spiritual liquid that could propel someone from early to late Golden Core was rare even in the Holy Land. Though not as valuable as the half-volume immortal scripture, it was still a top-tier resource, and the Holy Son had given it so casually? It was astonishing.

Her Heavenly Spiritual Root and 500-fold multiplier barely met Ye Chen's standards. He continued scanning, ignoring the expectant prodigies at the front. His eyes landed on a blue-robed female disciple, also at the Golden Core stage, with a fuller figure.

"You're already a perfected third-grade array master?" he asked.

Suppressing her excitement, she nodded eagerly. Despite her Earth Spiritual Root, lack of physique, and mere 200-fold multiplier, Ye Chen nodded approvingly. "You may join Ascension Peak. This contains insights from a fourth-grade array master, obtained from Elder Wu of Array Peak. May you soon break through to fourth grade."

He tossed her a jade slip. The blue-robed disciple caught it clumsily, overwhelmed with joy. Fourth-grade array master insights were typically reserved for direct disciples of elders. For the Holy Son to gift it so freely? She bowed deeply, her voice trembling. "Disciple thanks the Holy Son for this gift!"

Ye Chen nodded, pleased by the system's notification. His own third-grade array mastery had advanced to fourth grade upon gifting the insights. The past week hadn't been idle—Ye Chen had visited other peaks, leveraging his Holy Son status and gifts to request insights.

The Holy Land's wealth of talent meant no one refused him. In just a week, he'd collected fourth-grade insights for all six cultivation arts and was close to securing fifth-grade ones. With a bit more gifting, his mastery would soar.

This reinforced his appreciation for the Holy Land's advantages: abundant talent and resources. With his status and spirit stones, he could acquire treasures unattainable in Divine Will City. It was the perfect place for him.

Scanning the crowd again, Ye Chen selected two more female disciples. Both had modest 200-fold multipliers, but one was a perfected third-grade refiner, the other a perfected third-grade alchemist. Though he didn't gift them anything, the two were overjoyed, bowing on the spot.

…

As for the others, especially the prodigies at the front, Ye Chen had no intention of accepting them. The men were irrelevant, and the women didn't trigger his system—utterly useless to him. With a wave, he declared, "This recruitment is over. Please leave."

The remaining disciples erupted in shock, especially the leading prodigies, who couldn't accept their rejection. Though they didn't voice it, resentment simmered within. They felt humiliated, convinced the fourth Holy Son was being reckless.

The four chosen disciples were all women, the best among them merely possessing a Heavenly Spiritual Root. Win a ranking in the Holy Land competition? Fat chance. Worse, all four were strikingly beautiful. This wasn't disciple selection—it looked like he was building a harem!

Was the fourth Holy Son giving up, neglecting Ascension Peak's development to turn it into his personal pleasure palace? If so, Ascension Peak would undoubtedly become Heavenly Evolution Holy Land's most pathetic peak, bar none.

As the rejected disciples left, grumbling, rumors about Ye Chen spread rapidly through the Holy Land. Many cautious female disciples, who'd planned to wait a year before deciding, felt a pang of regret upon hearing the gossip. To think their dashing, elegant fourth Holy Son was that kind of person! Had they known, they would've flocked to Ascension Peak today.