The woman was none other than Zi Ling, the champion of the previous ranking competition.
Her purple dress accentuated her graceful figure, her youthful beauty radiating allure at twenty years old. Her delicate, oval face carried a hint of playfulness, both charming and captivating.
Zi Ling’s appearance drew countless gazes from the street.
“Uh… you’re looking for me?” Lin Xiao asked, slightly stunned, his eyes scanning her.
Noticing his appraising look, Zi Ling felt a flicker of embarrassed anger but suppressed it. “My master wants to see you!”
“Master An Miao?” Lin Xiao paused, then nodded. His possession of two spiritual energies would naturally pique any spirit controller’s interest.
“Exactly!” Zi Ling’s face lit with pride at the mention of An Miao.
“Lead the way,” Lin Xiao said calmly, as if it were an ordinary summons.
“You!” Zi Ling bristled. Was this guy dense?
An Miao was someone countless longed to meet, yet he acted as if he were doing them a favor by agreeing to go.
But considering his enviable spiritual energies, Zi Ling bit back her retort and led the way.
Following Zi Ling, Lin Xiao soon arrived at An Miao’s residence.
It was a large lake in the quiet cultivation zone, its waters crystal-clear, fish darting within. At its center lay an island, shrouded in mist, alive with birdsong and fragrant flowers—a paradise on earth.
“How many contribution points would a place like this cost?” Lin Xiao mused, smirking.
“Country bumpkin, this is my master’s residence. You think contribution points can buy it?” Zi Ling shot him a disdainful glance, her opinion of this ranking champion plummeting.
“Let’s go, to the island!” Zi Ling prompted, then soared toward the island.
Lin Xiao followed, and as he flew, a distant melody reached his ears. Transparent butterflies fluttered from the island.
“Spiritual force manifestation!” Lin Xiao’s heart jolted. These weren’t real butterflies but forms condensed from pure spiritual force.
Spiritual force manifestation was a hallmark of sixth-grade spirit controllers.
Beyond the strength of spiritual force, each grade of spirit controller had distinct abilities.
First and second grades weren’t vastly different—controlling people or objects. At third grade, flight became possible, a signature of the rank.
Fourth-grade spirit controllers could externalize spiritual force, attacking with pure spiritual constructs like seals.
Fifth-grade spirit controllers could control minds, briefly manipulating an opponent’s psyche.
At sixth grade, not only could mind control last longer, but spiritual force could be shaped into forms.
Unlike mere externalization, spiritual force manifestation condensed force so densely it seemed tangible, each shape brimming with immense power.
It was a primary attack method for sixth-grade spirit controllers, versatile and devastating, overwhelming opponents.
Even a low-tier sixth-grade spirit controller was someone mid-tier Martial Lords avoided, and high-tier Martial Lords dreaded.
This was one reason spirit controllers were so formidable.
Seventh-grade spirit controllers could enslave minds permanently, turning others into puppets.
Eighth and ninth grades amplified these abilities, even allowing control over ambient heaven-and-earth energies, with increasingly versatile techniques.
Long ago, at the peak of his power, the Devouring Heaven Spirit Emperor spent 365 days manifesting a girl he’d loved in his youth. Infusing it with his essence blood, he created an alternate life form.
Upon formation, she was a seventh-grade spirit controller, occasionally wielding the Emperor’s ninth-grade power, her spiritual force boundless.
Most remarkably, this manifested woman gained consciousness, her intelligence growing until she was indistinguishable from a human. She accompanied the Emperor, a substitute for the girl he couldn’t protect in his youth.
Her name was Miao Ling, the same as the manifested woman.
Creating her drained the Emperor immensely, requiring three years to recover.
Afterward, he ventured to the Divine Demon Graveyard. She insisted on following, even unto death, but he sealed her, preventing it.
Until his fall, that was all he knew.
What followed, neither the Emperor nor Lin Xiao knew.
Now, seeing the dancing transparent butterflies, Lin Xiao felt an inexplicable stir, the Emperor’s memories resurfacing.
It must be the resonance of the Emperor’s memories.
Shaking it off, Lin Xiao and Zi Ling crossed the lake, landing on the island.
Orchids bloomed vibrantly, and amid them stood a woman, poised as if ready to ascend to the heavens. Her jade-like face, snowy skin, and natural grace were ethereal. Her white dress flowed, long hair dancing in the breeze, her slender form swaying gently. She played a zither, soft waves of sound rippling, like a celestial maiden descended, formed of soft light, perfection incarnate, breathtakingly beautiful.
The scene was a painting come to life!
Beside this poetic beauty, the zither’s waves condensed into transparent butterflies, fluttering in a dazzling display.
Staring at this otherworldly woman, Lin Xiao was awestruck. This was Zi Ling’s master?
She looked barely twenty!
Her beauty surpassed Zi Ling’s, flawless to the point of seeming unreal, like a true immortal.
As the woman lifted her crystalline gaze, Lin Xiao’s mind quaked. A familiar sensation flooded him, memories surging, emotions overwhelming.
“You… you’re Miao Ling!” Lin Xiao’s heart roared with shock. This woman was the Emperor’s manifested creation.
Seeing her, the long-dead Emperor’s mental imprint surged so strongly that Lin Xiao felt as if he were the Emperor, emotions flooding him—a testament to the depth of his love for her.
The Emperor had been dead for over a millennium, yet she still lived?
It made sense. As a life form of manifested spiritual force, her longevity was natural.
With high cultivation or spiritual force, living a thousand or two thousand years was feasible if one didn’t fall.
Still, encountering her here was unexpected.
But what puzzled Lin Xiao was her strength. With the Emperor’s true power, she shouldn’t be merely sixth-grade. After a millennium, starting at seventh-grade, she should have reached ninth-grade by now.
Yet, observing this perfect woman, something felt slightly… different.
