I only reached the Foundation Establishment stage at eighty years old, and then the system appeared.

When Yang Hongbo emerged from the ascension passage, he saw a magnificent palace, but one that contained little divine power, and not a single divine being was to be seen inside.

In the main hall of the temple, I saw a guy at the Divine Weapon Realm fast asleep! Holy crap! Even gods sleep so soundly? They don't even know someone has ascended to the God Realm?

Yang Hongbo stepped forward and kicked the guy's thigh twice. The guy immediately yelled, "Which bastard dares to kick me?"

Upon opening his eyes, he saw a divine general whose divine power far surpassed his own, and he immediately stood up and bowed.

"I'm so sorry, sir, I didn't know you were coming. I've been very unhelpful!"

"I just ascended here, and I don't know what procedures I need to go through?"

"Ah! You just ascended to heaven? How come your divine power is so strong?"

"Oh! I absorbed a treasure in the lower realm and directly advanced from Immortal Emperor to Divine General!"

"Wow! Your luck is incredible!"

"Isn't this the realm of gods? Why is there no divine power here? And why are you the only one in this huge palace?"

"It's because your Shilang Realm has too few ascensions. It takes about ten million years for only three or four people to ascend, while the neighboring Kelan Realm has one every one hundred thousand years."

"Each of us stationed envoys must complete the task of receiving one hundred ascendants before we can leave this ascension passage."

"That passage to the Kelan Realm will only take ten million years to complete the mission, after which you can get promoted and make a fortune. Only those of us without any connections can only suffer here!"

"Things are a bit better now. A senior came up with a good idea: to encourage the sects in the lower realms. If ten of them ascend, we will reward them with a demigod-level warship."

"I heard that before this method was used, less than two people would ascend to immortality every ten million years. The one who stayed here the longest, I heard, stayed for nearly a billion years!"

"Damn! If this were the mortal world, his title of 'ancestor' would be followed by tens of millions of other 'ancestors'!"

"I've noticed you talk a lot!"

"If you were left here alone for hundreds of millions of years, you'd want to talk to everyone you met!"

"Why is there no divine power here?"

"Oh, we've gathered our divine power to cultivate materials for building warships."

"How will you cultivate without divine power here?"

"The divine power here is very thin and not suitable for cultivation at all. We all use divine crystals to cultivate, and we need about one hundred low-grade divine crystals a year."

"So, what's your salary for staying here for a year?"

"Heh, only two thousand low-grade divine crystals a year!"

At this moment, the garrison commander saw a hint of disdain in the eyes of the ascendant, and felt his weak heart was deeply struck.

He hurriedly explained, "Don't look down on these two thousand low-grade divine crystals. Even ordinary divine weapon-level beings only earn six or seven hundred low-grade divine crystals a year. This is considered a high-paying job!"

"You just ascended from the lower realm, don't look down on these divine crystals!"

Seeing that the other person was getting impatient, Yang Hongbo tossed him a storage bag, saying, "Here, this is all the tips for you. Spend it slowly!"

The garrison commander looked at the storage bag in his hand, then at Yang Hongbo, and opened the storage bag.

When he saw what was inside, he suddenly shouted, "Holy crap! One hundred million low-grade divine crystals! My lord, what is this...?"

"Don't be so surprised, I already said it was a reward for you!"

Yang Hongbo registered here. "Could you tell me about the forces here?"

"Thank you, sir. This is Qingluan Prefecture, which is under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Dragon Divine Dynasty. Qingluan Prefecture has a total of 108 ascension channels."

"Each ascension passage belongs to a prefecture, and we are under the jurisdiction of the White Crane Prefecture!"

Yang Hongbo frowned slightly and asked, "White Crane Prefecture? That sounds like an elegant name. What's the size of the prefecture?"

The garrison commander looked embarrassed and helpless, and quickly said, "Sir, Baihe Prefecture is quite large. However, although the prefecture city is also large, the buildings inside look very desolate. Don't be fooled by its large area; its prosperity is far less than that of those wealthy prefecture cities."

Yang Hongbo raised an eyebrow with interest, then asked, "Oh? That's rather strange. A large region should theoretically have more abundant resources, so why is the prefectural city so desolate?"

The garrison commander sighed and said, "My lord, you are unaware of this. Although White Crane Prefecture is vast, most of it is barren mountains and wilderness, yielding very few resources. Moreover, the terrain here is complex, and many places are unsuitable for large-scale development. The places that can produce resources are mostly occupied by powerful forces, who control the resources, making it impossible for ordinary gods to even get their hands on them."

Yang Hongbo stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "What is the distribution of power here? Which powerful forces are involved?"

The garrison commander hurriedly replied, "My lord, in White Crane Prefecture, the most powerful force is undoubtedly the White Crane Clan. They control the prefectural city and a vast expanse of fertile land in the surrounding area. The family boasts numerous experts, and it is said that they even have a Divine King Realm expert in charge. Besides the White Crane Clan, there are several other powerful sects, such as the Clear Wind Sect, the Profound Moon Pavilion, and the Blazing Fire Sect. Although these sects cannot compare to the White Crane Clan, they also have many Divine Venerable Realm experts and are considered powerful figures in White Crane Prefecture."

Yang Hongbo nodded slightly and then asked, "What are the relationships between these forces? Do they often clash?"

The garrison commander said with a wry smile, "My lord, the relationships between these forces are quite complex. The White Crane Clan, relying on its strength, has always suppressed other forces. Although those sects are dissatisfied, they dare not easily clash with the White Crane Clan head-on. However, sometimes, in order to compete for some scarce resources, these forces will have some minor frictions. Just recently, the Qingfeng Sect and the Xuan Yue Pavilion had a small-scale fight over a divine crystal mine, and both sides lost a lot of manpower."

A hint of curiosity flashed in Yang Hongbo's eyes as he asked, "So what was the final result? Who took over the divine crystal mine?"

The garrison commander said, "Alas, neither side gained an advantage in that fight. In the end, the White Crane family had to step in to mediate and divide the divine crystal mine into three parts, with each of the three forces taking one. However, this is only a temporary peace, and who knows, another conflict might break out again someday due to other matters."

Yang Hongbo smiled and said, "The power struggles in the God Realm are somewhat similar to those in the lower realms. What are some of the lively places in the city of Baihe Prefecture? I'm new here and would like to take a look."

The garrison commander hurriedly said, "My lord, although the prefectural city looks desolate, there are still a few lively places. For example, the trading market in the center of the prefectural city, where many divine beings come every day to trade all kinds of items, from ordinary divine artifacts to precious divine metals, you name it. There is also the Drunken Immortal Pavilion in the east of the city, which is the most famous restaurant in the prefectural city. The wine and delicacies there are superb, and many divine beings go there to relax."

Yang Hongbo's eyes lit up, and he said, "Oh? Then I'd like to check out this trading market and Zuixianlou. Take me there."

The garrison commander looked troubled and said, "My lord, I still have garrison duties to perform and cannot leave. However, I can give you directions. Just follow this road straight ahead, and after leaving the palace, fly for about half an hour, and you will see the prefectural city. Once you arrive in the prefectural city, just ask anyone for directions, and you will find the trading market and the Drunken Immortal Pavilion."

Yang Hongbo waved his hand and said, "Alright, I'll go by myself then. By the way, you've been in Baihe Prefecture for so many years, you should be very familiar with this place. Is there anything I should be careful about?"

The garrison commander thought for a moment and said, "Sir, in White Crane Prefecture, it's best not to offend the White Crane family easily. Although you are powerful, the White Crane family's influence in White Crane Prefecture is deeply entrenched. Offending them will inevitably bring unnecessary trouble. As for those sects, try to avoid conflicts with them as well. After all, even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. You've just arrived in White Crane Prefecture, so it's best to keep a low profile."

Yang Hongbo nodded and said, "Thank you for reminding me. I will be careful. I'll be off now." With that, Yang Hongbo vanished from the palace in a flash.

The garrison commander stared in the direction where Yang Hongbo had disappeared, muttering to himself, "This lord is so powerful and so generous; I wonder what kind of waves he will stir up in Baihe Prefecture..."

Following the direction indicated by the garrison commander, Yang Hongbo flew all the way and soon saw the capital city of Baihe Prefecture. From a distance, the capital city did indeed appear to be grand in scale, but upon closer inspection, he found that most of the buildings were dilapidated and the streets were deserted, with only a few divine beings walking around, just as desolate as the garrison commander had described.

Yang Hongbo asked a fortune teller in the city for directions to the trading market and the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, then headed towards the trading market. Upon entering, he found it bustling with activity, filled with a dazzling array of stalls where fortune tellers were busy trading. Yang Hongbo strolled around the market, finding some decent items, but nothing particularly appealing to him.

After leaving the trading market, Yang Hongbo went to Zuixianlou. Inside, the restaurant was quite luxurious, and many powerful figures were drinking and making merry. Yang Hongbo found a seat by the window, ordered a pot of fine wine and several delicacies, and while enjoying the food and drinks, he observed the situation inside.

Just then, a quarrel suddenly erupted from inside the building. Yang Hongbo turned his head and saw several divine beings surrounding a young divine being, seemingly extorting him. The young divine being looked terrified, yet dared not resist. Yang Hongbo frowned, thinking to himself: Is the security in Baihe Prefecture this bad? They dare to extort others in broad daylight. Just as he was about to intervene, he saw a cunning glint flash in the young divine being's eyes. A flash of light appeared in his hand, and a divine force shot out, repelling the divine beings who were extorting him.

The other deities, enraged that the young one dared to defy them, drew their divine weapons and attacked. The young deity, equally defiant, brandished his weapon and clashed with the others. Yang Hongbo watched the battle with interest, silently assessing the strength of the individuals.

Just then, a commotion suddenly erupted outside the building, followed by a group of powerful figures rushing into the Drunken Immortal Pavilion. Leading them was a Divine General Realm expert dressed in magnificent robes. Seeing the fighting group, he frowned and shouted, "Stop it! Fighting inside the Drunken Immortal Pavilion is utterly disgraceful!"

Upon seeing the newcomer, the extortionists immediately stopped what they were doing and ran to the Divine General realm expert, saying, "Sir, this brat dares to defy us! You must do us justice!"

The Divine General Realm expert glanced at the young divine being, then at the few extortionists, and said coldly, "I've long heard of your rampant bullying in the city. Today you dare to cause trouble in the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, what is your punishment!" With that, he waved his hand, and several Divine Weapon Realm experts stepped forward and took the extortionists away.

The powerful general then approached the young man and said, "While your resistance was justified, it was wrong of you to take action inside the Drunken Immortal Pavilion. However, considering you were being extorted, we will not pursue the matter this time. In the future, you must still abide by the rules within the city."

The young deity quickly bowed and said, "Thank you for your keen insight, sir. I will certainly abide by the rules from now on."

The powerful general nodded, then looked at the other immortals around him and said, "Everyone, disperse. Let's not let this happen again." After saying that, he led his men away from the Drunken Immortal Pavilion.

Watching this scene, Yang Hongbo gained a new understanding of the power of the White Crane Prefecture. It seemed that although the White Crane Prefecture was desolate, there were still some upright deities maintaining order. Just then, the young deity walked up to him, bowed, and said, "Thank you, senior, for not intervening earlier, allowing me the opportunity to resolve this matter myself."

Yang Hongbo smiled slightly and said, "No need to be polite. I can see you're quite capable; it's only right that you handle this yourself. What's your name? And why are you here at Baihe Mansion?"

The young immortal said, "Senior, my name is Lin Yu. I came to Baihe Prefecture from another prefecture for training. I heard that although Baihe Prefecture is poor, it also has many opportunities, so I came here. I didn't expect to encounter these bullies so soon after arriving."

Yang Hongbo nodded and said, "Baihe Prefecture is indeed a place where opportunities and dangers coexist. Now that you're here, make the most of your experience. However, you should still be more careful in the future. If you encounter an even stronger enemy, things could get dangerous, like what happened today."

Lin Yu quickly replied, "Thank you for the reminder, senior. I will be careful. Senior, you seem to be a person of great strength. May I ask your name?"

Yang Hongbo smiled and said, "My name is Yang Hongbo. I just arrived from somewhere else not long ago. I'm considered a newcomer in Baihe Prefecture."

A hint of surprise appeared in Lin Yu's eyes as he said, "So you're a senior from somewhere else. No wonder you're so powerful. Senior, you've just arrived at White Crane Manor and aren't familiar with this place yet. How about I show you around and introduce you to the area?"

Yang Hongbo thought about it and decided that it would be good to have someone familiar with the area to show him the way, so he nodded and said, "Alright then, thank you for your help."

So, Lin Yu led Yang Hongbo on a tour of the city of Baihe Prefecture, explaining the layout and features as they walked. With Lin Yu's guidance, Yang Hongbo gained a deeper understanding of Baihe Prefecture…