If it’s yellow and white in color, then it’s definitely worth a second look—it means the ascended plane is still rapidly developing. That must be a plane unknown to others, and the newcomer not only has the great fortune of the plane’s growth protecting them, but there will also be a steady stream of people ascending in the future.

But knowing that this Earth is a declining plane, the two’s disdain was obvious. Just like the black-clad woman said, the inheritance is broken, the widow’s son is dead, there’s no hope left.

“Level one wandering immortal,” the man in white sneered, then his face darkened. “I told you to use immortal arts, who told you to use your fists?”

“I cultivate the Qi path,” Andrew Brooks replied confidently. According to the cultivation manual he’d obtained, the Qi path mainly relied on true Qi, momentum, and spiritual sense to win; spells and such were secondary.

“The Qi path also has immortal arts,” the man in white glanced at him, pondered for a moment, and spoke impatiently, “If you don’t know the rules, then let me tell you—ten spirit stones, and I’ll get you an identity.”

“You already know I’m from a declining plane, where am I supposed to steal spirit stones from?” Andrew Brooks retorted, eyes wide. He knew about spirit stones, but he’d searched the whole world and never seen one, let alone ten.

“Better watch out if you’re undocumented,” the man in white replied carelessly.

“I ascended fair and square, what right do you have to deny me an identity?” Andrew Brooks was furious. “I think you’re just fishing for a bribe, aren’t you?”

“Looking for a beating, are you?” The man in white was enraged. In fact, this brash newcomer had hit the nail on the head—he was indeed looking for a bribe. Working at the Ascension Pool in this immortal realm was incredibly dull and boring, and the key was, he couldn’t leave.

If a fake ascender or stowaway showed up, he’d be fired.

His asking price wasn’t high—ten spirit stones was just better than nothing, and wouldn’t hurt the ascender’s foundation. Most who ascended from the lower realms were dirt poor; no matter how much they’d lorded it over others down below, in the immortal realm, they were nothing.

“Try beating me and see what happens. I don’t believe there’s nowhere to appeal,” Andrew Brooks snorted coldly, feeling completely justified. “You already detected I’m from a declining plane—where would I get spirit stones?”

The man in white glared, but the woman in black gave a light cough and shook her head slightly—there weren’t just two receptionists at the Ascension Pool; there were also surveillance stones set up by inspectors.

Taking a small bribe wasn’t a big deal, but beating an ascender for no reason could easily be used against them.

This kid’s got a foul mouth, the man in white fumed inwardly, his anger having nowhere to go. Suddenly, the Ascension Pool flashed again, then twice more, and three people appeared in the pool.

At the front was a young gentleman, high crown and blue robes, dignified and elegant, holding a folding fan.

At his side were a boy and a girl, clearly a page and a maid.

The two receptionists exchanged a glance. The woman in black stood up, her face expressionless as she spoke, “Qingshi City Ascension Pool. Ascenders, you know the rules, right?”

“How did I end up in Qingshi City?” the high-crowned gentleman muttered softly, then snapped open his folding fan with a “pa,” waved it twice, and finally spoke slowly, “Sifang Realm’s Henry Sutton, accompanied by page Edward Sutton and maid William Grant, have ascended here. Please register us.”

“Hiss—” Both receptionists drew in a sharp breath. This young lord was clearly someone of status, even bringing attendants with him upon ascension. Still, they hadn’t expected his background to be so distinguished.

The man in white asked, voice trembling, “The Nangong family of the Sifang Realm… is it Wine Elder Nangong?”

“That is indeed my ancestor,” the high-crowned gentleman nodded, and without any visible movement, the three of them leapt out of the Ascension Pool.

The page raised his hand, and an orange gemstone flew toward the woman in black. Chin raised, he declared, “A reward from my young master.”

“A mid-grade spirit stone?” The woman in black and the man in white’s eyes both lit up. What they’d just tried to get from Andrew Brooks was only ten low-grade spirit stones, but this one mid-grade stone was worth a hundred low-grade ones.

“Thank you for your reward, James Sutton,” the two of them bowed with cupped hands.

“Please tell us where the nearest Nangong family contact point is,” the page said boldly.

“The Nangong family’s contact point is still some distance from here,” the man in white replied with a fawning smile. “We can summon an escort immortal for you… you can negotiate the price. Who would dare cheat Wine Elder?”

“Very well, then,” Henry Sutton nodded proudly.

The woman in black took out a paper crane, wrote a few words on it, and with a flick of her hand, the crane flapped its wings, let out a sharp cry, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

The man in white, meanwhile, took out something like a compass and waved it in front of the three. The compass spat out three jade tokens. He marked each one, put away the compass, and then handed out the three tokens with both hands. “These are your identity jade tokens. Please keep them safe—replacing them is a hassle… though of course, for Wine Elder, it’s nothing.”

Andrew Brooks watched coldly from the side, the corner of his mouth twitching, a trace of disdain rising in his heart—relying on ancestral glory, what skill is that?

Henry Sutton took the jade token, and only then noticed a stone tablet nearby. His eyes lit up instantly. “A testing stele… I should give it a try.”