The reason is none other.

Bai Cantian and Wang Zihuang are all Tianjiao talents.

And Ye Jiang? Merely extraordinary.

Such potential in being extraordinary, if he ascends to Tianjiao in the future, his future is boundless.

"Top three in the Hundred-Star Divine War?"

"Bai Qiong, you still overestimate him too much." The vast will shook its head: "Among the White Dragon Star System Group, there are over a hundred secondary starry sky civilizations, many of which have a long heritage, with some civilizations continuing for hundreds of thousands of years, having an incomparably profound foundation."

"The emergence of heavenly talents, the gathering of prodigies."

"Some Tianjiao have already touched the threshold of godhood, some inherit ancient divine powers, some possess special constitutions, like ’Chaos Body’ and ’Star Body,’ capable of fighting across great realms without falling behind."

"Although Ye Jiang’s talent is not ordinary, to stand out among them is as difficult as ascending the heavens." The vast will said: "Let alone the top three; entering the top ten is already the limit."

The Lord of Huanglong’s perspective is higher and looks further than Venerable Bai.

He knows better the level of those top talents in the Hundred-Star Divine War.

"The king is absolutely right."

Venerable Bai sighed lightly: "I also know the difficulty among them."

"What I’m doing is just to encourage him, without holding much expectation."

"But perhaps this child has profound opportunities and might create miracles too." Venerable Bai still held a glimmer of expectation.

...

Jiang Ye, carrying the Dragon Ruins Order and the rule divine crystal, quickly returned to the Bright Heart Hall.

"This time’s harvest is immense."

"It’s time to go back and cultivate." Jiang Ye was full of anticipation in his heart.

However, as soon as he arrived at the entrance of the Bright Heart Hall, he saw a figure in white gracefully standing in front of the door, her clothes whiter than snow, the hem of her skirt lightly fluttering.

Her appearance was stunning, with a slight chilliness between her eyebrows, completely different from the lively, laughing girl of the past, only those clear eyes still carried a few traces of purity.

"Wang Zilu?" Jiang Ye stopped in his tracks.

"Fellow Taoist Ye Jiang."

"Congratulations on securing third place in the Nine Clans Meeting." Wang Zilu stepped forward with lotus steps, a faint smile appearing on her face, breaking the usual coldness like the initial melting of ice and snow.

Jiang Ye nodded slightly, "Want to come in and talk?"

The other party specifically waited here, obviously to inform something important.

Wang Zilu nodded her head and quickly stepped forward.

Inside the Bright Heart Hall.

"I’m here today indeed to inform you of something." Wang Zilu said directly.

She paused, her expression becoming serious: "I saw pictures of Chen Zilu again."

"Chen Zilu?" Jiang Ye’s expression tensed: "You saw her? Where?"

The whereabouts of Chen Zilu had always been his greatest concern.

Since losing contact, despite Jiang Ye’s continuous search for clues, he had heard nothing, and now that there’s finally news, how could he not take it seriously?

"The images were vague." Wang Zilu recalled carefully: "She was in an extremely dark space, with chains seemingly wrapped around her."

"In the image."

"Her eyes were tightly closed, brows furrowed, as if trapped in some inescapable nightmare, her whole body trembling."

"Moreover." Wang Zilu hesitated for a moment, and continued: "She kept muttering a name over and over."

"Oh?"

"What name?" Jiang Ye was slightly stunned.

"Jiang Ye."

Wang Zilu softly uttered those two words, her tone gentle but like a thunderbolt exploding in Jiang Ye’s heart.

Jiang Ye stood frozen, his heart in turmoil, an inexplicable sadness welled up.

Chen Zilu, chanting his name in the darkness?

What exactly did she encounter? And what is that dark space?

Countless thoughts flashed through Jiang Ye’s mind, and he looked at Wang Zilu again.

"Do you know where exactly she is? Does the dark space have any noticeable features?" Jiang Ye forcefully suppressed the thoughts in his mind and asked solemnly.

"I don’t know the exact location."

"But judging from the environment in the pictures, she should still be inside that inverted sky tower." Wang Zilu said: "The tower’s aura is consistent with what I saw before; only this time’s space seems to be deeper inside the tower, and the dark and cold atmosphere is even denser."

Inverted sky tower!

Jiang Ye silently recited these words, engraving them firmly in his mind.

That tower must be the key; no matter the cost, he must find it, find Chen Zilu.

"Thank you for the information, fellow Taoist." Jiang Ye took a deep breath and thanked earnestly.

Though the information is still fragmented.

It is exceptionally critical to Jiang Ye.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ye looked at Wang Zilu in front again.

Looking at the beautiful face that was eerily similar to Chen Zilu, Jiang Ye couldn’t help but have a thought.

"Fellow Taoist."

"Have you encountered anything recently?" Jiang Ye suddenly asked.

"No, I haven’t." Wang Zilu shook her head, her eyes carrying some doubt, as if curious about why he asked.

Jiang Ye pondered for a moment and then honestly said: "I feel you’re somewhat different from before."

"Different?" Wang Zilu blinked her beautiful eyes.

She raised her hand to touch her cheek: "Is it? I haven’t noticed. Perhaps my cultivation of late has brought a change in mindset."

"Perhaps I was mistaken." Jiang Ye smiled and didn’t ask further.

He could feel that Wang Zilu wasn’t lying; she seemingly was unaware of her changes.

Soon.

Wang Zilu got up to leave, under the vast starry sky, moonlight shrouded, her silhouette appeared even more cold and thin.

Watching Wang Zilu’s departing back, Jiang Ye fell into contemplation.

Wang Zilu’s changes, could they be related to Chen Zilu? What exactly is the connection between them? Why can Wang Zilu frequently see images related to Chen Zilu?

These questions lingered in his mind but had no answers.

Jiang Ye shook his head, temporarily suppressing these thoughts.

The urgent matter is to improve his strength, secure the top three in the Hundred-Star Divine War; only then can he gain the qualifications to go to a tertiary civilization, having sufficient ability to find Chen Zilu’s whereabouts.

...

Entering the Bright Heart Hall, Jiang Ye carefully kept the Dragon Ruins Order close to him, his gaze landing on the law divine crystal.

The crystal radiated multicolored halos, the internal law resonances circulating, just being near it made his comprehension of the Spear Path, Ashes, and Void Law a bit clearer.

"Cultivate." Jiang Ye sat cross-legged, holding the law divine crystal in his palm, closed his eyes, and began absorbing the power within.

Whoosh~

The resonances within the divine crystal flowed into Jiang Ye’s body like gentle streams, circulating along the divine veins, merging into the Five Great Mysteries and the Two Great Laws.

The originally sluggishly operating laws now flowed smoothly, and those bottlenecks in the past, difficult to comprehend, began to subtly loosen.

While absorbing the power of the divine crystal, Jiang Ye reviewed the battles of the Nine Clans Meeting.

Prince Wang instantly defeated the Tier Four peak genius from the Black Clan, the unmatched dominance of the Emperor’s Law left a deep impression on him.

And Bai Cantian, though he did not take action, always gave an unfathomable feeling.

"These top talents truly live up to their reputation." Jiang Ye sighed in his heart.

He knew very well that defeating Qinggu had much to do with luck; if it weren’t for Qinggu’s eagerness to win, forcibly breaking through the realm triggered his "Mayfly Shaking the Tree," the outcome would still be undetermined.

And in the Hundred-Star Divine War, the opponents encountered would only be stronger, with deeper foundations, and to stand out, he must not have the slightest slackness.

More importantly, to rely on the system to be promoted to Tianjiao talent, one must accumulate enough fame.

"The word fame."

"If only obtaining places in the top dozens of the Hundred-Star Divine War, it will not suffice." Jiang Ye understood this: "Only by securing the top three, or even the first, can he have absolute assurance."

Moreover.

According to Venerable Bai, only by securing the top three can he obtain the qualification to advance in the Caikun civilization, which is his only clue to finding Chen Zilu.

"No matter what, I must secure the top three!" A hint of determination flashed in Jiang Ye’s eyes.

He knew well that this is by no means easy.

The prodigious talents of over a hundred secondary civilizations all have aces up their sleeves, and to stand out from them, he must surpass his current self, continuously break through the limits.

Jiang Ye took a deep breath, stopped thinking further, and devoted his whole being to cultivation.

The power from the law divine crystal continuously surged into his body, enhancing the Five Great Mysteries at a visibly increasing speed, his surrounding aura becoming increasingly condensed, pushing endlessly toward the Tier Four peak’s limit.

While Jiang Ye was immersed in cultivation.

A crisp system notification sound suddenly rang in his mind:

[You have achieved a new accomplishment: securing third place in the Upper Realm Sect Competition, your strength recognized by tens of millions of people]

[Title unlocked: Emerging Immortal Appearance]