I Was Forced to Marry a “Trash” Cultivator, But She Turned Out to Be a Reborn Empress!

Over thirty survivors emerged one after another from the Li Realm. Each bore burns of varying degrees, yet their faces were alight with irrepressible excitement.

Even more astonishingly, as soon as these individuals stepped out of the teleportation array, they simultaneously turned toward Shen Xian and dropped to one knee in unison.

“Thank you, Third Young Master, for your assistance!”

The voice of the leading late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator trembled as he slammed his forehead onto the ground, sending a swirl of dust rising into the air.

This time, after Shen Xian had mastered the Li Fire True Seal, his subsequent insights had influenced the very rules of the Li Realm. This shift had granted those who passed through it newfound enlightenment and transformation.

This extraordinary opportunity had inspired them to pay such profound respect.

The plaza erupted in uproar.

These were all elite members of the Shen family’s younger generation, including many prodigies who usually looked down upon others. Yet now, they were performing such a grand gesture of submission before the very “worthless fellow” they often mocked.

Shen Li’s pupils contracted sharply.

What on earth is going on?

“Have you all lost your minds?” Shen Quan, Shen Li’s loyal subordinate, bellowed fiercely. “To show such reverence to this waste…!”

“Silence!”

A female cultivator, her face marred by scorch marks, suddenly raised her head and shouted. Her entire body erupted in blazing golden flames. “If not for the Third Young Master’s mastery over the Li Realm’s essence, how could we have attained such insight?”

With a flick of her palm, a crimson-gold lotus bloomed out of thin air, its aura immense and boundless.

Shen Quan was pushed back three steps by the overwhelming pressure. Upon recognizing her, his face turned pale with shock. “You… you were only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment just moments ago…”

“Now, I’m at the mid-stage,” the female cultivator sneered coldly.

Everyone was stunned.

How could such a rapid transformation be possible?

Shen Xian lazily reached up to clean his ear with a pinky finger. “Don’t get so worked up. I merely casually pondered the rules of the Li Fire.”

With a flick of his fingertip, a wisp of flame coalesced in mid-air, transforming into a nine-fold golden lotus—the ultimate form of the Li Realm’s core technique, the Nine Cycles Li Fire Art!

After comprehending the rules, he had automatically gained control over this power.

Hiss—

The entire crowd gasped in shock. Several disciples who had previously mocked Shen Xian collapsed to the ground, legs turning to jelly.

No one had ever imagined that the one who had grasped the essence of the realm would be the “worthless fellow” they had derided.

Ye Qingxian’s beautiful eyes sparkled with unusual brilliance.

She recalled her own experience communicating with the essence of the Qian trigram. Because she wasn’t a blood member of the Shen family, the essence had clearly been somewhat resistant to her.

In the end, she hadn’t forcibly seized it, but rather allowed things to unfold naturally.

Now, it seemed this seventh-level magical array had already chosen a new heir.

Ye Qingxian’s gaze fell upon Shen Xian.

This little fellow was even more unexpected than she had imagined.

Even though he was only at the Qi Refining Realm, he possessed such remarkable fortune. Now that he had obtained the essence of the Li Realm, it was likely he would also receive the so-called blessing afterward.

Shen Li’s knuckles turned white as he clenched them deep within his sleeves, his joints emitting faint cracking sounds.

On his face remained the composed smile expected of a noble young master, but the chill in his eyes was almost palpable.

“My third brother has indeed… made something of himself,” he said slowly, his voice laced with a brotherly sense of gratification, yet causing the temperature around him to plummet.

He gently raised his right hand, and a perfectly translucent jade pendant appeared faintly in his palm, swirling with mysterious void energy.

Though he hadn’t fully activated it, the subtle pressure it exerted already caused the surrounding disciples to instinctively retreat several steps.

“The Void Guiding Jade Pendant…” Shen Xian narrowed his eyes, his lazy smile unwavering. “Big brother truly cares for you.”

This object was part of the ancestral treasure, capable of wielding tremendous power within this magical array.

Shen Li chuckled softly, the pendant gracefully twirling between his fingers. “Since my third brother has earned the Li Realm’s approval, he must surely have gained considerable insight into the ancestral lands’ rules. However…”

He suddenly closed his fingers over the jade, its glow abruptly dimming, his voice growing colder. “The third trial, the Ten Thousand Arts Pavilion, tests one’s true cultivation foundation. My third brother had better… be careful.”

Those final three words were spoken softly, yet they sent a chill through everyone present.

Ye Qingxian gazed thoughtfully at Shen Xian, only to see him lazily stretch his limbs. “Second brother, rest assured. I value my life above all else.”

Shen Li stared deeply into Shen Xian’s eyes, a faint, mocking smile playing on his lips, already formulating a plan in his heart.

The third trial—he would ensure this waste remained trapped inside forever!

Behind Shen Li, his loyal followers’ expressions shifted unpredictably, their eyes gleaming with incredulous envy. They stared intently at Shen Xian as if they wished to devour him alive.

“How could this waste…” Shen Quan gnashed his teeth, his fingernails digging deeply into his palms.

He recalled his own thirty years of arduous cultivation, barely managing to break through to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. Meanwhile, this waste, whom they had once freely mocked, could effortlessly grant others opportunities for breakthroughs.

A sharp-faced cultivator suddenly let out a cold laugh. “It’s merely a stroke of luck.”

He deliberately raised his voice. “No matter how powerful the Li Realm’s essence may be, it cannot change someone’s fundamental worthlessness at the second level of Qi Refining.”

“That’s right!” Another loyal follower immediately echoed, his eyes filled with venom. “The third trial tests one’s comprehension and talent. Someone who relied on luck to get this far should finally meet their end.”

Shen Li’s personal guard wore a ferocious expression, lowering his voice to whisper, “Young Master, rest assured. Once he enters the Ten Thousand Arts Pavilion… this subordinate will ensure he does not leave alive.”

As he spoke, he mimed slitting his throat, his eyes blazing with malice.

Meanwhile, outside the formation.

The light screen atop the bronze cauldron rippled like water, gradually revealing the rankings of the second trial.

When the name “Shen Xian” leaped to the top of the list, the viewing platform fell utterly silent. Every breath was audible.

The Fifth Elder’s chess piece clattered onto the board, the sharp sound piercing the stillness.

He stared at the screen, his wrinkled face showing bewilderment for the first time. This waste, whom he had declared would not survive the first trial, had actually managed to surpass all others?

The Second Elder fixed his gaze on Shen Li’s name, ranked third, and the accompanying comment: [Kun Realm · Excellent Performance].

This should have been a proud achievement, yet now it seemed utterly ironic.

“Hmph…” The First Elder suddenly chuckled lightly, his gaunt fingers tapping gently against the armrest. “It seems we’ve all misjudged.”

Nangong Wan’s jade hairpin trembled slightly.

As a mother, she knew better than anyone that her youngest son had never received any special cultivation resources.

So what about this result…?

“It’s merely opportunism.” The Second Elder suddenly sprang to his feet, his voice laced with suppressed anger. “The third trial, the Ten Thousand Arts Pavilion, is where the real test lies!”

His words were full of confidence, yet his gaze involuntarily flickered toward the small line beneath Shen Xian’s name on the screen: [Li Realm · Essence Alignment].

Though its exact meaning was unclear to the masses, it was evident that Shen Xian had received a higher evaluation than anyone else.

The Fifth Elder quietly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

He recalled his private assertion just days ago that Shen Xian was certain to die. Now, his face burned with shame.

In a corner of the viewing platform, several young attendants whispered among themselves.

“Wow… the Third Young Master is actually ranked first?” A round-faced attendant’s eyes widened, nearly dropping the recording tablet in his hand. “That’s two ranks higher than the Second Young Master!”

The youngest attendant suddenly lowered his voice. “Do you think the Third Young Master might have…”

He made an ambiguous gesture. “Used some special method?”

“Nonsense!” An older attendant immediately rebuked him, yet couldn’t help glancing again at the screen. “But… it is indeed strange. The Third Young Master doesn’t even practice cultivation normally…”

The group exchanged glances, each seeing the same confusion in the others’ eyes.

How could this well-known waste of a young master suddenly become so outstanding?

Unlike the shock and confusion of the others, Shen Xiong, who had remained expressionless throughout, had a flicker of something unusual in his eyes.

As the head of the Shen family—one blessed by the First Patriarch—he understood perfectly well what the words [Li Realm · Essence Alignment] implied.

He just hadn’t expected that it would be his least favored, youngest son who received this honor.

This did not bring him even a trace of joy, but rather a hint of dissatisfaction.

An ancestral opportunity falling into the hands of a waste with a ninth-grade spiritual root—what kind of absurdity was this?