At a branch base of the Company, the atmosphere was heavy.
The Temporary Workers were gathered together, a rare sight.
Xiao Zizai leaned against a corner, his fingers rhythmically tapping the metal wall. A faint, lingering smile played on his lips, but deep in his eyes, an uncontrollable excitement flickered. Black Tube sat in a chair, smoking in silence; amidst the swirling haze, his weather-beaten face showed little emotion, though a pile of cigarette butts had already accumulated at his feet. Chen Duo sat quietly to the side, her eyes vacant as she stared ahead, seemingly lost in thought—or perhaps thinking of nothing at all.
Wang Zhenqiu was much more active, pacing around the room and rubbing his hands together, his face full of curiosity. "Magnetic Field Rotation? Tsk tsk, sounds interesting."
Old Meng knit his brows and let out a worried sigh, whispering, "I'm afraid the world is truly about to change."
On the screen, Gao Erzhuang's virtual avatar was playing a full recording of the upheaval at Dragon-Tiger Mountain: the defeat of the Old Taoist Master, Zhang Zhiwei; the miserable destruction of the Quan Xing outcasts; and finally, that inconceivable, divine mountain hanging upside down in the sky. Every frame of the footage hammered at the nerves of everyone present.
The old order of outcasts appeared so fragile before Ian's absolute power. A brand new era, full of unknowns, seemed to have arrived. Black Tube lit another cigarette, and Old Meng sighed again. They all knew that from now on, life would never be the same.
Ten days passed in the blink of an eye, and the day of the ten-day promise arrived.
At the foot of Dragon-Tiger Mountain, a literal sea of people had gathered. Outcasts from all corners of the world had converged—major domestic sects, hidden clans, and rogue cultivators were nearly all present. Even many foreign outcasts had rushed over to investigate; after all, the mountain in the sky was far too conspicuous for news not to leak out.
In the crowd, Wang Ye yawned, looking like he hadn't quite woken up, though his eyes remained exceptionally clear. He looked up at the sky as if he were merely here for a spring outing. Zhuge Qing narrowed his eyes, wearing his usual smile as he scanned the diverse crowd, finally fixing his gaze on the sky. The silhouette of that man appeared in his mind; perhaps what he had seen that day wasn't a hallucination after all.
Zhang Lingyu, dressed in white, looked calm, but a trace of complexity flickered in his eyes as he gazed upward. He wondered if this Magnetic Field Rotation required one to be a virgin.
Feng Shayuan stood beside her father, Feng Zhenghao, curiously observing her surroundings. Feng Baobao was expressionlessly gnawing on a special-issue giant drumstick from Ian; she had discovered after returning last time that this drumstick would automatically replenish itself, making it impossible to finish. The Company had noticed the anomaly of this drumstick, but since it was a gift from Ian to Baobao, they didn't dare ask to study it. Xu San and Xu Four stood on either side of her with solemn expressions, whether to guard her or the drumstick in her hand, it was hard to tell.
Everyone who could see the divine mountain looked toward the sky. That Inverted Dragon-Tiger Mountain radiated a majestic light. Waterfalls flowed upward, palaces were inverted, and vegetation grew downward—it was like a miracle descending upon the world. It hung there quietly, a silent proclamation of a power that transcended the mundane.
However, not everyone could witness this wonder. Commotion and uneasy murmurs soon broke out in the crowd.
"What's going on? Why can't I see anything?" "The sky is clearly empty. Where is this inverted mountain?" "Baka, is there something wrong with my eyes?" "Baka! Don't blow our cover!"
A significant portion of the outcasts—no matter how hard they concentrated, how they circulated their Qi, or even what mystical pupil techniques they used—saw nothing but a vast, empty sky or ethereal mist. To them, the divine mountain that shocked so many simply did not exist.
In particular, a group of foreign outcasts from Japan—dozens of them, each with a strong aura—now had ashen faces. Their eyes were full of frustration and confusion, which eventually turned into deep resentment. Not a single one among them could see the Inverted Dragon-Tiger Mountain.
At this moment, being "able to see" seemed to become a mark of honor, a symbol of qualification. Those who couldn't see were ruthlessly excluded, deprived even of the right to look up.
Just as the crowd was lost in their varying thoughts and discussions, a figure silently appeared on the platform at the very peak of the Inverted Dragon-Tiger Mountain. It was Ian.
He stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at the dense crowd below like a deity gazing at ants. His voice rang out calmly, clearly reaching the ears of everyone who could see the divine mountain.
"If you wish to learn Magnetic Field Rotation, it is very simple." "Starting from the peak of the original Dragon-Tiger Mountain below, follow the 'Stairway to Heaven' I have left behind. Rely on your own strength and climb up, step by step."
The rule was simple and clear.
Yet, some had ulterior motives. "Heh, it's just climbing some stairs. Why be so tedious!" An old man skilled in Object Manipulation sneered. A flash of light erupted from the flying sword beneath his feet, and he turned into a streak of light, attempting to fly directly to the platform at the top of the inverted mountain.
Several others followed suit—some using movement techniques, some using magical artifacts, and someone even used a helicopter—trying to reach the summit directly. However, just as they approached an invisible boundary near the Inverted Dragon-Tiger Mountain, an abrupt change occurred.
Those few felt the scene before them distort. The world spun, and an irresistible force violently hurled them backward. In the next moment, they had crashed miserably back onto the ground at the foot of Dragon-Tiger Mountain, covered in dirt.
To their horror, when they looked up again, the divine mountain that had been so clear just moments ago had vanished. No matter how they rubbed their eyes or focused their minds, only the empty sky remained. Those who tried to take shortcuts were forever stripped of the qualification to behold the divine mountain and learn Magnetic Field Rotation.
This scene ensured that those harboring lucky thoughts didn't dare move a muscle.
Among the crowd, the Japanese outcasts looked even worse. They were already resentful because they couldn't see the mountain and had been thinking of trying a shortcut. Seeing others lose their qualification for trying to cheat left them both shocked and furious. Seeing that learning Magnetic Field Rotation was completely hopeless and feeling greatly insulted, a few of the Japanese outcasts finally couldn't hold back.
"Baka! Just cheap tricks and illusions!" A middle-aged man began to shout loudly, trying to incite the others who had also lost their qualifications.
"What Magnetic Field Rotation! I bet it's just some deceptive trickery by the Chinese outcasts!" "Exactly! Even that supposedly 'unrivaled' Old Taoist Master was defeated. I see the Chinese outcast world is nothing special!"
Their foul language was unbearable, not only insulting Ian but belittling the entire Chinese outcast world. Their voices grew louder, attracting many eyes.
At the summit of the inverted mountain, Ian's eyes turned cold. He casually waved a hand toward the shouting Japanese outcasts below.
In the next second, the arrogant expressions on the faces of those troublemakers froze. Their bodies seemed to be gripped by a massive invisible hand, and their bones emitted an ear-grating cracking sound. Before the horrified gazes of the onlookers, their bodies were forcefully twisted and compressed into irregular lumps of flesh. They couldn't even let out a scream.
Immediately after, a portal shimmering with ominous blue light appeared out of thin air. The lumps of compressed flesh were heartlessly tossed into the portal. On the other side of that portal was Chaos; they would now enjoy the "soul services" of professionals.
The portal closed and vanished, leaving only a faint scent of blood in the air and a deathly silence. This decisive, even cruel, display of overwhelming power instantly suppressed the entire field. All the clamor, discussion, and dissatisfaction stopped abruptly. No one dared to move.
Everyone's gaze turned with awe toward the calm figure at the summit of the inverted mountain. They finally understood deeply that this newly ascended supreme powerhouse possessed not only the power of gods and demons but also a majesty that brooked no provocation.