“Congratulations, Crown Prince.”

Hearing this, Xie Lian looked up, smiling before speaking, “Thank you. But may I ask what I’m being congratulated for?”

Ling Wen Zhenjun stood with his hands behind his back, “Congratulations on winning first place in this cycle’s ‘Most Desired God to be Demoted to the Mortal Realm’ ranking.”

Xie Lian replied, “Regardless, it’s still first place. But since you’re congratulating me, there must be something to celebrate?”

Ling Wen said, “Yes. First place receives one hundred merits.”

Xie Lian immediately said, “If there’s another ranking like this, please include me again.”

Ling Wen said, “Do you know who came in second?”

Xie Lian pondered, “Too difficult to guess. In terms of strength, I should be able to sweep the top three.”

Ling Wen said, “Close. There was no second place. You were far ahead of everyone else.”

Xie Lian said, “I’m flattered. Who was first in the last cycle?”

Ling Wen said, “There wasn’t one. This ranking started this year, or rather, today.”

“Oh,” Xie Lian was startled, “So, this wasn’t specifically created for me?”

Ling Wen said, “You could say you just happened to win.”

Xie Lian said with a smile, “Thinking of it that way makes me happier.”

Ling Wen continued, “Do you know why you won?”

Xie Lian said, “Popular demand.”

Ling Wen said, “Let me tell you the reason. Look at that clock.”

She pointed, and Xie Lian looked, seeing a beautiful jade palace, pavilions, towers, celestial clouds, flowing springs, and birds.

But after looking for a while, he asked, “Did you point in the wrong direction? Where’s the clock?”

Ling Wen said, “I didn’t. It’s there, do you see it?”

Xie Lian looked again, honestly saying, “I don’t see it.”

Ling Wen said, “That’s right. There used to be a clock, but it fell when you ascended.”

“…”

“That clock is older than you, and it loves excitement. It rings whenever someone ascends. When you ascended, it rang wildly and uncontrollably, finally falling from the bell tower and hitting a passing god.”

Xie Lian said, “Oh… is it okay now?”

Ling Wen: “No, it’s still being repaired.”

Xie Lian: “I meant the god who was hit.”

Ling Wen: “It was a war god, who immediately split the clock in two. Next. Look at that golden palace over there. Do you see it?”

She pointed again, and Xie Lian looked, seeing a glittering golden roof in the clouds. “Ah, I see it this time.”

Ling Wen said, “Seeing it is wrong. There was nothing there before.”

“…”

“When you ascended, you shook many gods’ palaces, causing pillars to collapse and tiles to shatter. Some can’t be repaired easily, so they’ve temporarily built new ones.”

“It’s my fault?”

“It’s your fault.”

“Hmm…” Xie Lian confirmed, “Did I offend many gods when I first arrived?”

Ling Wen said, “Maybe not, if you can make amends.”

“How can I make amends?”

“Easy. Eight million eight hundred and eighty thousand merits.”

Xie Lian smiled again.

Ling Wen said, “Of course, I know you can’t afford even a tenth of that.”

Xie Lian said honestly, “To be honest, even one ten-thousandth is impossible.”

Mortals’ faith becomes the gods’ power, and their offerings are called “merits.”

After laughing, Xie Lian seriously asked, “Would you mind kicking me down from here right now and giving me eight million eight hundred and eighty thousand merits?”

Ling Wen said, “I’m a literary god. If you want to be kicked, find a war god. The harder the kick, the more merits.”

Sighing, Xie Lian said, “Let me think about what to do.”

Ling Wen patted his shoulder, “Don’t worry, everything will work out.”

Xie Lian said, “My ship will inevitably sink when it reaches the bridge.”

Eight hundred years ago, during the peak of Xian Le Palace, eight million eight hundred and eighty thousand merits wouldn’t have been a problem. The Crown Prince would have spent it without blinking. But times have changed. His temples in the mortal realm were all burned down. No believers, no offerings, no merits.

Nothing!

After pondering for a long time, he realized he’d been in the Celestial Realm for three days without entering the spirit communication array. He’d forgotten the password.

The Celestial officials had set up an array for instant communication. Ascension required entering the array, knowing the password to access the specific array. Xie Lian’s last time was eight hundred years ago, and he’d forgotten the password. He searched, found an array that looked similar, and entered. He was immediately bombarded with shouts:

“Place your bets! How long will the Crown Prince last before being sent down again?!”

“I bet a year!”

“A year is too long, last time it was only incense, three days. Three days!”

“No, idiot! Three days are almost over!”

Xie Lian silently retreated.

Wrong. Definitely not this one.

The Celestial Realm was filled with powerful officials, all well-known and busy. They were all proper ascended officials, maintaining their dignity and composure. Only he, during his first ascension, had excitedly greeted every official, introducing himself thoroughly.

He exited and searched again, randomly entering another array. This time, he relaxed, thinking, “This is quiet, this must be it.”

A voice softly said, “Crown Prince, you’re back?”

The voice was initially pleasant, gentle, and polite. But upon closer listening, it was cold and indifferent, making the gentleness seem sinister.

Xie Lian intended to enter quietly, but since someone spoke, he couldn’t ignore them. He was happy that someone was willing to talk to him. He replied, “Yes! Hello everyone, I’m back.”

He didn’t know that every official in the array heard him.

The official said slowly, “Crown Prince, your ascension was quite a spectacle.”

The Celestial Realm was filled with powerful figures.

To become a god, one must first be a remarkable person. Those who achieve great things in the mortal realm have a greater chance of ascension. Sovereigns, princes, princesses, generals—these are commonplace. Everyone is a prodigy. They address each other politely, using titles like “Your Majesty,” “Your Highness,” “General,” etc. But this official’s words were off-putting.