The List
Late at night.
Tianshu Domain, Office.
Even though it was late at night, the office was still brightly lit. Over a dozen staff members were registering the list of participants one by one, dividing them into several categories, and registering them on a master sheet.
"How is the list organization coming along?" A figure who looked like a supervisor walked over quickly.
"It's almost done, just a little bit left..."
"How is the situation?"
"As of today, the number of registered applicants is approaching two hundred. According to the requirements of the higher-ups of the Five Great Realms, based on Rank, Path, and resume, we have conducted an initial rating for all participants..."
"Song Mu, male, 24 years old, Third Tier, Path of the Physician [Needle Whisper] path, Tianshu Domain civilian independent... Rating B-rank."
"Xie Shengmei, female, 22 years old, Fourth Order, Path of Strategy [Life and Death Card] path, origin unknown... Rating A-rank."
"..."
After the staff member at the side consecutively registered the information of three people, he let out a long sigh.
"Many of these civilian Divine Path Possessors from unofficial organizations hide their information, leading to inaccurate initial ratings... Many who originally had the potential to be rated S can only temporarily be classified as A-rank."
"How many S-ranks are there in total now?"
"Twelve."
"Are there any who need special attention?"
"Yes... For example, this Huai Meng, Young Sect Leader of the Esoteric Sect of Hanging Jade Domain. He is the only Path of the Puppeteer user in the world who has turned multiple personalities into 'puppets'. He is the Pathway Chief of the [Multiple Personalities] path. At just 19 years old, he stepped into the Fifth-Tier. In terms of talent, he is not below his brother Tian Huai.
And also this one, the [Assassin] path reappearing in the world after decades. His name, gender, age, and resume are all blank, only leaving behind the Rank of Fifth-Tier. According to the battle records of the [Assassin] path in history, he is also sufficient to be ranked as S-rank.
There is also the 'Qiankun Twins' of the Dragon-Strangling Warriors, one possessing the [Tu Tian] path and the other possessing the [Earth-Brushing] path. Both are rare Divine Pathways that haven't appeared in the world for a hundred years, and are the sole Pathway Chiefs of their respective paths, both Fifth-Tier.
As well as the [Pitch-pot] Pathway Chief of the Path of Strategy, that young girl [Translator] from the Pu Family..."
"Apart from that Assassin, the rest are all those people who were expected..." The supervisor had a bit of a headache. "Are there no civilian ones, surprises that make one's eyes light up?"
"Supervisor, see if this is enough to make your eyes light up?"
The staff member at the side handed over an application form with a strange expression.
"Sun Bumian, age unknown, Fourth Order, Path of the Actor [Big Lion] path... [Big Lion]?? What the hell is this?" The supervisor was stunned on the spot for a moment.
"It's a young man from the civilian side who didn't leave any resume. The name of this path was most likely made up blindly."
That staff member glanced at the two forms below, his expression becoming increasingly colorful.
"There are two more here..."
"Lin Yan, 20 years old, Fourth Order, Path of the Actor [Inhumane] path?"
"Jian Wubing, 20 years old, Fourth Order, Path of the Soldier... [Military Dog] path???" The supervisor looked up blankly. "The name of this path actually sounds somewhat reasonable... But is there really a [Military Dog]?"
"One Big Lion, one Inhumane, and a dog... Did these three discuss this beforehand?"
"..."
The supervisor only felt his temples ache. He simply threw all three of these application forms to the staff member, saying impatiently, "What a mess... Rate them all A-rank."
"Alright."
The supervisor let out a long sigh and was just about to leave.
Right at this moment, an exclamation suddenly came from another staff member.
The supervisor turned to look, only to see that staff member staring blankly at the last application form, his expression incredibly astonished...
"Supervisor, you... take a look at this..."
The supervisor took the application form, swept his gaze over the information on it, and murmured to himself:
"Name unknown, age unknown, resume unknown, Divine Path... Path of Ghosts?"
The supervisor froze for a moment, as if finding it hard to believe, he repeated it again, "Path of Ghosts?? How is this possible?"
"Path of Ghosts... Seems to be one of the four great Divine Pathways that had already been lost in the long river of time, right?" Other staff members also gathered around, speaking in surprise. "The four great lost Divine Pathways have appeared again??"
The supervisor stared fixedly at the words "Path of Ghosts", his expression changing repeatedly. He fiercely turned his head to look at that staff member:
"This application form, did you receive it? Did you see what he looked like?"
"... No, I seem to have absolutely no impression." That staff member shook his head blankly. "I don't remember when this application form appeared... It's like, like it suddenly popped out."
The supervisor didn't speak. After a long silence, he slowly put down the application form.
"Supervisor, this..."
"It seems that Pathway Chief of the Path of Divination was right." The supervisor murmured to himself. "Human Luck, Final Flash of Lucidity... The Path of Ghosts that disappeared for nearly a thousand years has actually appeared. The other three lost Divine Pathways will probably also reappear in the world one after another soon...
This battle for the [Heaven-Reaching Star Position] is destined to fall into great chaos."
...
The night grew darker.
Chen Ling sat alone in front of his desk and lit the oil lamp at the corner of the table. The orange light flickered silently in the darkness, reflecting the sky full of stars outside the window and that young and handsome face in the reflection.
Chen Ling solemnly tore open the Envelope. A letter written in elegant handwriting was revealed in the halo of the oil lamp.
"Little Junior Brother, seeing this letter is like seeing me in person."
"It has been some time since you left the Ancient Vault of the Drama Path. Second Brother, Third Brother, Fourth Brother, and Fifth Brother all miss you very much. First Senior Brother is also concerned about your safety. However, without Master's orders, we cannot leave casually, so we can only contact you by writing a letter."
"I heard that Little Junior Brother, you turned the Red Dust Domain upside down again, and even beat up Cessation Calamity and Calamity of Taboo? Worthy of being Little Junior Brother, easily accomplishing things that we senior brothers cannot do... But you still must pay attention to safety. Calamity of Mockery is not a kind entity. Borrowing its power excessively will make you lose yourself."
"Master said that you went towards Tianshu Domain. Tianshu Domain is a nice place, but recently we also received some news. I'm afraid it won't be peaceful there. Second Brother and the others said it's best to write a letter to let you leave early, but I actually feel that Little Junior Brother, you like this kind of chaotic place. And I believe with your wisdom and strength, even if you are in the center of the storm, you can win a place for yourself."
"However, there is one thing Senior Brother still has to remind you of... Two days ago, Fifth Brother discovered that the Ancient Vault of the Ghost Path, which should have been lost in the long river of time, actually shows signs of reappearing."
"Moreover, it seems to be right in Tianshu Domain."