As Ye Chen and the others entered the elevator, the Young Master Long Xing, who was checking in nearby, dropped his identification card onto the counter. He stared blankly at the scene, and after a long silence, he finally turned back to the beautiful girl handling the registration, stammering, "Who—who was that? Why is Uncle Qian being so respectful to them...?"

The middle-aged man was his relative, a figure of immense importance in his mind. Even magnates who made his own father deferential treated Uncle Qian with humility. In fact, much of his family's wealth and connections relied on Uncle Qian's influence.

He had never seen the usually arrogant Uncle Qian act so utterly subservient to those three people... Just who were they?

The thought of his own earlier impatience sent a cold sweat down his spine, and he felt a surge of gratitude toward the beautiful girl in front of him.

Ye Chen followed Shao Hao to the observation deck on the highest floor of the Most Hotel. The view here was unique, reserved for the highest-tier guests. The deck was vast and expansive, staffed by attentive, beautiful servers, and equipped with various forms of entertainment and gourmet food. Standing here, looking down, one could survey nearly sixty percent of the entire Imperial Capital—an astonishing reach.

Ye Chen glanced around and felt a sense of awe. From this perspective and angle, the beauty of the city below far surpassed what he saw while flying overhead; it was all about the vantage point.

After enjoying several hours at the Most Hotel, Ye Chen and his group left the Most Building and headed to a famous tourist spot in the Imperial Capital called the Former Residence of Huang Xian.

In addition, they visited places like the Seven-Colored Lake and Huang Ling Island. After touring for the day, they finally arrived at the arranged residence with Shao Hao: a divine peak located within the Pangu Mountain Range.

"You will live here from now on. No one will disturb you. This mountain contains your cultivation hall, main chambers, guest quarters, and dedicated servants whom you can summon anytime," Shao Hao said with a smile as he brought Ye Chen to the lush, beautiful divine peak. "I have already completed the registration formalities for you; you can settle in with peace of mind. If you need anything, call me, or notify me directly in the virtual world. I have a virtual avatar in the virtual world, on standby 24 hours a day."

Ye Chen gazed at the magnificent scenery surrounding them and nodded. "Thank you for handling all these tedious matters."

"No trouble at all," Shao Hao laughed. He glanced at Bai Yijun and added cheerfully, "Miss Bai, why don't you rest here for a while? I need to take him to the Ancestral Fortune Pool. This is the core of our clan, off-limits to outsiders, so I hope you understand..."

Bai Yijun smiled sweetly. "It's fine; you two go ahead. The scenery here is wonderful; I'll look around."

Ye Chen held her soft, small hand and looked at her. Their eyes met, a silent communion of understanding passing between them—everything was unspoken.

They shared a knowing smile, and Ye Chen murmured softly, "I'll be right back."

"Mmm!" Bai Yijun nodded submissively, as docile as a virtuous wife.

Ye Chen felt comforted. He glanced at Shao Hao, and with a flash, their figures vanished into thin air.

Within a few breaths, Ye Chen followed Shao Hao to the front of a towering divine peak. This peak was situated to the left-center of the Pangu Mountain Range, surrounded by clusters of other peaks, its summit piercing the clouds. The mountainside was blessed with clear springs and verdant woods, offering pleasant scenery.

"Let's go!" Shao Hao led Ye Chen to the mountain gate. At the entrance, guarded by two stone doors, several sentinels stood watch, while mechanical warriors patrolled the skies. Upon seeing the two approach, the guards at the gate immediately bowed respectfully. "Greetings to Emperor Shao Hao!"

Shao Hao nodded slightly. "I am bringing him to the Pangu Creation Awakening Spirit Pool."

The guards glanced at Ye Chen and nodded respectfully. "Emperor Shao Hao, please present your identification token."

Shao Hao flipped his hand and produced a golden token. After a brief period, it passed the instrument authentication. This was followed by iris scans, bone scans, and a series of high-level genetic identification procedures. Low-level techniques like fingerprint identification were unnecessary; while everyone's prints differ, in the technology of the Ancient Continent, fingerprints could be easily fabricated.

After passing through the checkpoint, Ye Chen and Shao Hao proceeded upwards. Midway up the mountain, they underwent another authentication. Upon reaching the summit, they were checked again. Each subsequent check was stricter than the last, even scanning Ye Chen's body to confirm it matched the physical data filed in the system application before they were permitted to pass.

Ye Chen was quite astonished by the rigorous security, surprised that the clan's Awakening Spirit Pool was guarded so strictly.

Shao Hao seemed to sense his thoughts and smiled. "I am bringing you to the highest-grade Awakening Spirit Pool in the clan. The ordinary ones aren't checked this rigorously. However, the Pangu Creation Spirit Pool is the first energy substance to manifest in our clan; its preciousness is self-evident. Back when I sought to undergo awakening here, it required a vote before permission was granted."

Ye Chen gasped in shock. "No way? Your father is the Yellow Emperor, one of the Three Sovereigns of the clan. You needed a vote to awaken here?"

"Yes," Shao Hao said, a touch of helplessness in his voice, shrugging. "Even though my father is the Yellow Emperor, this Awakening Spirit Pool is exceptionally rare. From antiquity until now, only 17 people have awakened within it. Among those 17 were the three leaders, including my father. Four of the Five Emperors emerged from this pool; the fifth achieved the Great Emperor level through fortuitous encounters and arduous self-cultivation elsewhere. As for the others who entered this pool, they either perished midway or attained the rank of Pangu Divine General."

Ye Chen nodded, feeling a deep shock. He hadn't expected the Creation Spirit Pool to be so profound. Considering the countless ages since the dawn of spiritual civilization, only a handful had entered this pool—what did that signify? It was like no one had entered for tens of millions of years!

"Let's go!" Shao Hao led Ye Chen to the summit of the divine peak. From a distance, they saw a vast open space at the top, encircled by 12 crystal totem pillars. In the center lay a natural spirit pool filled with milky-white water, resembling stalactites, emitting a fragrant, delicate aroma.

Inhaling the faint, lingering fragrance, Ye Chen felt an inexplicable stirring within his blood, as if it yearned to boil. His eyes brightened. "Is this the Creation Pool?"

Shao Hao dropped his casual demeanor, his expression turning solemn. "Indeed. You can enter directly in a moment. This 12 Crystal System Array will scan you automatically. Your identity was stored by the system earlier, along with your records; nothing untoward will happen."

Ye Chen nodded slightly, gazing at the milky-white pool, and asked, "How long does it usually take for people to awaken here?"

Shao Hao considered this. "That's hard to say. Some take two or three days, others a week or two. The longest was Madam Wa Huang; reportedly, she spent an entire month inside before awakening. Once she emerged, her innate talent was terrifyingly astonishing—the most formidable aptitude among the leaders!"

Ye Chen suddenly realized. "I should let her know so she can wait for me for a few days."

Shao Hao waved his hand. "I will convey the message for you. The Great Saint War is only a million years away. Before then, I hope you can seize every moment to cultivate. If love is long-lasting, why fret over every day spent apart? I hope you both can focus on cultivation to face the impending great conflict!"

"Especially you!" His expression grew intense. "You possess the Heavenly Dao Scripture; you will be a significant force in the future war. I hope you can grow strong enough before then."

Seeing his serious expression, Ye Chen nodded. "I understand. I will come out as quickly as possible."

Shao Hao smiled. "Your aptitude is astonishing. I estimate that if you awaken, you might even surpass Madam Wa Huang's record of one month!"

"That remains to be seen..." Ye Chen rubbed his nose sheepishly.

"Haha..." Shao Hao burst into laughter. "Alright, you may go. The security here is the strictest; you need not worry at all."

Ye Chen nodded, turned back to look at the Creation Spirit Pool, his eyes focusing. He silently recited to himself, The future great war...

He quietly clenched his fists.

Under Shao Hao's gaze, he slowly began to walk toward the Pangu Creation Spirit Pool. He soon reached the formation enclosed by the crystal totem pillars. The moment he stepped into the grand array, he felt a gentle energy, like a ripple of water, wash over his entire body—a comforting sensation. He didn't pause but walked straight toward the Creation Pool.

The 12 crystal totem pillars scanned his body, finding nothing unusual. As he entered, the 12 Crystal Totem Pillar system activated, and a nearly transparent energy shield enveloped the entire area, shrouding everything within.

Watching Ye Chen approach the Creation Spirit Pool, Shao Hao suddenly stomped his foot, realizing something. "Damn it, I forgot to tell him to take his clothes off before entering!" Unfortunately, the 12 Crystal Totem Pillars had started up, cutting off outside sound and all external contact. It was too late to notify him now.

Ye Chen reached the edge of the Creation Spirit Pool, pulled off his clothes, and instead of storing them in his rune space, he casually tossed them onto the edge of the pool, jumping stark naked into the water.

Seeing this, Shao Hao finally breathed a sigh of relief, murmuring, "That was close. If the clothes had absorbed the Creation Spirit Qi and evolved rapidly into artifacts or even Dao implements, it would have been a terrible waste of the spirit energy."

Tomorrow will likely feature four, perhaps even five, chapters. My stomach is rumbling. Old Gu has eaten dinner and will resume writing tomorrow's updates after midnight, though it might be quite late. My mental energy is very poor after midnight, and my writing speed slows down considerably. Brothers, you should rest now; otherwise, it might be four or five in the morning before I finish.

Also, shamelessly begging for recommendation votes and monthly passes.