Qin Ruqing was then directly transported outside the altar, where many people were already standing.

Scanning the crowd, she spotted her Third sister, Qi Rong and others, including Tang Zifeng.

Just as she was about to wave and call out, Tang Zifeng’s gaze seemed to detect her, and their eyes met from a distance.

Qin Ruqing instinctively shrank her head and avoided Tang Zifeng’s gaze—she really couldn’t help it.

After spending several decades as a “partner” with Tang Zifeng in the illusion, seeing the real person now made those illusions uncontrollably pop into her mind.

How could she not feel embarrassed!

Qin Ruqing averted her gaze and realized this might give Tang Zifeng a misunderstanding.

She forced herself to look up and put on a stiff smile.

Tang Zifeng’s expression was unreadable, his eyes dark and hard to discern.

Lu Wei and the others noticed Qin Ruqing and greeted her warmly, walking over to her.

The South Ridge team had finally reunited.

Lu Wei took Qin Ruqing’s hand and asked, “How is Qingqing?”

She leaned in and whispered, “I saw your name changing in various rule caves. After we came out, we heard people discussing that you might have failed. I knew you wouldn’t, but I still couldn’t help worrying.”

Qin Ruqing gave an “OK” sign, a gesture understood by the team members. “I’m perfectly fine. Let them guess whatever they want.”

Now, many people who had passed were standing on the altar.

With so many people, Qin Ruqing didn’t explain in detail.

Qi Rong looked at her with an intriguing expression. “Sister, did you—”

Qin Ruqing chuckled and winked, which was taken as a confirmation.

She felt a gaze on her and knew she couldn’t avoid it.

Turning her head, she raised her arm and said, “Hey, Xiao Tang, I saw from the rankings that you came out pretty late. I thought you’d have cleared it faster!”

The best way to avoid awkwardness is to start a conversation.

Tang Zifeng replied softly, “Because you didn’t come out, I stayed in a bit longer.”

Qin Ruqing’s smile faltered, and she inwardly screamed for help.

Help!

—Real-life Xiao Tang and illusionary Xiao Tang spoke with the same tone and mannerisms!

There was no way to tell them apart!

What’s worse, she didn’t actually find anything wrong with Xiao Tang’s actions—wasn’t this what he should be doing?

The illusionary Tang Zifeng had been incredibly considerate and gentle, always doing things for her.

So, this was just normal.

Qin Ruqing was caught in an ultimate internal struggle.

Fortunately, she seemed to be among the last to emerge.

Not long after she came out, the environment around the altar changed.

The golden barrier that had surrounded the altar disappeared.

Before them stretched a vast, white road. Additionally, six different colored light pillars rose from the depths of the Celestial Tomb.

A grand voice announced, “The path of inheritance is open!”

“Come.”

Come?

The path of inheritance?

The direction of the road seemed to lead deeper into the Immortal Tomb. Was this the beginning of the true inheritance?

Although the outstanding individuals on the altar remained patient and silent, their excited eyes betrayed their emotions.

After the grand voice spoke, no further instructions were given.

Some well-acquainted clan members exchanged glances.

With the path before them and the command to “come,” they felt it was time to move.

Instantly, all the outstanding individuals, as if in agreement, silently yet swiftly leaped onto the white road.

The path of inheritance immediately lit up with colorful lights.

The participants found that different colors of light were emerging from their bodies!

They noticed the colors on their bodies and the six light pillars in the Immortal Tomb, easily concluding:

“Different colors correspond to different inheritance doctrines.”

“Follow the direction of the light pillar with the matching color!”

Someone in the crowd voiced this idea.

Quickly, another person whispered, “But what about her?” pointing to Qin Ruqing.

Qin Ruqing, renowned as the top female cultivator across the Four Regions, was always the most striking figure in the crowd.

—Her body radiated six colors simultaneously!

Feeling the eyes on her from all directions, Qin Ruqing adjusted her skirt and sincerely smiled, saying: “Excuse me, I might have dazzled you.”

The crowd was left stunned.

“Just a moment, I’m coming through.”

Qin Ruqing said this with the most charming smile while making a rather cheeky remark.

Upon hearing this, Lu Wei couldn’t help but smile.

Qi Rong immediately covered his mouth but couldn’t stop a giggle from escaping.

Tang Zifeng’s gaze remained focused on Qin Ruqing, and even her usually cold and elegant face showed a hint of a smile.

The other young elites couldn’t help but twitch their lips.

How dare she say that!

Everyone present had been carefully trained by their families and possessed various special skills.

To say something like this right in front of us—does she really not fear any consequences?

The beautiful Ming Ying hadn’t noticed Qin Ruqing until now, and now it was impossible to ignore her.

She mumbled, “Peacock flower, can’t find peace anywhere…” drawing everyone’s attention to her.

At that moment, Qin Ruqing and Ming Ying made eye contact.

Ming Ying paused for a moment and then made a funny face at Qin Ruqing.

Feng Mingyue, standing with her arms crossed at the front, was tall and slender with a cool and sharp demeanor.

As a carefully nurtured gem of the Feng family, she stood at the very top among these elite families.

Therefore, no one dared to stand beside her, and everyone kept a respectful distance from her.

Feng Mingyue’s peripheral vision caught the six different lights shimmering from Qin Ruqing, and a trace of contemplation appeared in her eyes.

Someone with a top-tier vision would never underestimate anyone.

Because of her high standing, she could see everything clearly.

Feng Mingyue felt a peculiar sense towards Qin Ruqing.

She shouldn’t have paid attention to Qin Ruqing; it wasn’t about underestimating her but rather that Qin Ruqing currently had no connection to her and didn’t seem to have anything particularly interesting about her.

Yet, strangely, she found herself paying attention to Qin Ruqing, almost as if her instincts were focusing on her.

Feng Mingyue wouldn’t ignore such instincts.

The difference between top-tier and ordinary elites often lies in these instincts.

It’s like an intuitive grasp of fate or the way of the heavens.

Feng Mingyue trusted her instincts.

So far, only two people had given her this strong feeling: Lu Zhiyao, Fifth Lingyu, and now Qin Ruqing.

Even the young head of the Fifth Family hadn’t given her such a strong impression.

Looking at the six beams of light and recalling Qin Ruqing’s repeated appearances in the Rule Caverns, Feng Mingyue calmly concluded:

Qin Ruqing must have passed all the Rule Caverns.

In other words—she’s eligible for all the lineages’ inheritances.

…But, it doesn’t concern her.

Even if Qin Ruqing were to compete with her for the Xuanming Inheritance, Feng Mingyue was unafraid.

With a calm expression, she lightly tapped the ground and became the first to soar towards the depths of the Celestial Tomb.

Her action seemed to signal the start for the others.

They exchanged glances and began to move, understanding that at this crucial moment, every detail mattered.

The competition was too tight to afford any carelessness.

Seeing others moving, Qi Rong could no longer stand still. “Sister, should we move as well?”

Qin Ruqing nodded but added, “There’s no need to rush. If the competition for the inheritance was just a race to the end, it would be too trivial. Let’s proceed cautiously and keep a moderate position for now, observing the situation.”