Chapter Thirteen: Miss, do you know of a palm technique that descends from the heavens?

This is a pen.

A pen so enormous it would leave anyone utterly astounded.

Its shaft, thick as a tree trunk, gleams with a dark metallic luster. There’s not a single superfluous decoration or pattern, yet it exudes an ancient, dignified grandeur.

At the top, a delicate purple cord hangs, marking its extraordinary nature.

The brush tip is something never before seen—so white it’s almost blinding, fashioned from a type of hair Wang Ran had never encountered.

At the very tip, the bristles are stained with a touch of black ink. This ink seems innate to the pen—it appears from nowhere, inexhaustible; whenever the pen moves, ink spills forth.

Wang Ran had never seen a brush this colossal. If it were an ordinary pen, that would be one thing, but what set it apart was its aura—so sharp it felt less like a pen and more like a sword!

Even a blind man, deprived of sight, would sense the pen’s extraordinariness.

Standing beneath its immense form, Wang Ran seemed infinitesimal—smaller even than one of its bristles.

This alone showed how vast its length and breadth truly were.

But for it to be constructed so large, was it meant for giants?

Clearly impossible.

Drawing on countless stories and tales from his previous life, Wang Ran surmised this pen was no common artifact—it must possess the ability to shrink and enlarge.

“Could it be, I need to drip blood to claim it?”

With a flash of inspiration, Wang Ran sliced his palm, letting a drop of blood fall onto the pen.

With a gentle splash, the blood dripped onto the shaft and slid slowly down to the ground, showing none of the expected signs of absorption—no blood-bonding ritual.

Wang Ran blinked, tried another approach, and recited with a ringing voice: “Supreme Elder, heed my command and make it small, small, small…”

Yet the pen remained utterly unmoved.

“Damn it, ‘Journey to the West’ was a lie! I thought you’d shrink like the Golden Staff!” Wang Ran rolled his eyes and abandoned this slightly foolish act.

He tried several other methods, all to no avail.

Finally, in a fit of frustration, Wang Ran leapt onto the shaft, channeled his strength, activated the ‘Only I Transform’ technique, and hugged the pen, intending to lift it.

But then, unexpectedly, the pen seemed to sense something—it slipped from Wang Ran’s control and began to soar through the air!

In the blink of an eye, it carried Wang Ran out of the grand hall, out of the Thirteenth Tower, and up into… the sky!

They were already in an underground space; Wang Ran felt the pen accelerate with incredible speed, wind roaring past his ears. He clung tightly to the shaft, desperate not to be thrown off.

The pen shot upward, straight toward the ceiling of the underground chamber, and as it neared the rock and soil above, it made no attempt to dodge—in fact, it looked as though it would crash right into it!

Wang Ran watched, heart pounding, hurriedly activating his Diamond Glaze Body for protection. But then, a strange sight—a circle drawn in ink appeared on the rock wall, conjuring a patch of void.

Then, the pen carried Wang Ran through the void, vanishing entirely, only to reappear within the spirit sea of the fiery red bamboo forest.

Wang Ran marveled at the phenomenon, peering downward: the ground beneath, where the tides of the spirit sea converged, bore no sign of a gaping hole—it was completely unscathed.

Clearly, this pen was truly extraordinary. Its ability to traverse nothingness far surpassed the burrowing arts of the Luoyang Shovel.

As Wang Ran pondered this, he realized he was ascending ever higher—the pen below him sped up, racing straight toward the sky!

The wind battered him so fiercely his skin quivered; instinctively, he hugged the pen even tighter. Looking down, he could see the entire Only I Sect spread out below.

Strangely, it seemed no one in the sect could perceive the pen or Wang Ran atop it—it flew about with impunity.

The pen, as if reveling in newfound freedom, soared and looped through the air, like someone imprisoned for years suddenly tasting fresh air.

After a bout of exuberance, it gradually slowed, its body leveling out, floating leisurely in the high sky.

Wang Ran’s mood settled as well. He stood atop the shaft, hands clasped behind his back, as if riding a sword.

Before him stretched endless clouds. Above, the moon shone upon the earth, stars scattered like jewels—a breathtaking sight.

Such scenery could never be glimpsed from the ground!

Wang Ran’s gaze deepened as he stared into the distance; birds flew past, clouds drifted by.

He sighed, murmuring, “The great roc rises with the wind, soaring ninety thousand miles… I, Wang Ran, have truly ascended to the heavens this time. Ah, the loneliness of a master, the solitude of a king…”

At those words, a nearby bird’s wings trembled, barely avoiding a tumble.

The clouds parted as well.

“Ding-dong. Congratulations, Host Wang Ran, for inflicting a powerful psychic shock on the bird. You are awarded ten Dao Points!”

“Ding-dong. Congratulations, Host Wang Ran, for inflicting a powerful psychic shock on the clouds. You are awarded ten Dao Points!”

“Ding-dong. Congratulations, Host Wang Ran, you have earned the title ‘Pretentious to All Things’!”

“Pretentious to All Things: Not even heaven and earth can escape the host’s pretentiousness!”

Hearing these prompts in his mind, Wang Ran arched his brows and chuckled, “System, you’re being sloppy. Since when do clouds have minds?”

System: “……”

“Enough, I won’t argue with you.”

Amidst heaven and earth, Wang Ran strode the pen at speed. At some point, he produced a jug of clear wine from the system’s pack, standing atop the shaft, robes billowing, starlight and moonlight swirling—a figure of unmatched grace.

He recited softly, “In ancient times there was Li Bai, now there is Wang Ran. I raise a cup to the moon, gaze upon the world, the sky vast and earth boundless—drunk with joy…”

Just as Wang Ran basked in this rare scenery, the pen beneath him suddenly shuddered, then wobbled, plunging straight downward.

His posture faltered, the air of a peerless master instantly shattered. He clung desperately to the shaft, staring at the terrifying height, heart beating wildly.

Soon after, Wang Ran realized the shaft he gripped was growing thinner and smaller. Looking closely, he saw the pen was shrinking—within moments, it had transformed from a giant to a normal brush, resting quietly in his palm.

Now, plummeting from several thousand meters above, Wang Ran was bewildered.

“What the hell are you doing? Hurry up, get bigger, fly!” Wang Ran shouted at the brush in his hand, but it remained unchanged.

He glanced down at the rapidly approaching ground and felt a pang of dread.

At his current speed and trajectory, he was headed toward a mountain peak—likely the southern bank of the Only I Sect, though he’d never been there.

Stranded in midair, Wang Ran had no leverage, forced to watch as the mountain grew from a tiny speck to a looming presence.

Soon, he could make out the details: grass, bamboo groves, and a courtyard.

And his landing site was precisely that courtyard!

“Damn—”

Staring at the rapidly enlarging rooftop, Wang Ran cursed, activating the Diamond Glaze Body with trepidation.

This fall, even with the protective technique, would surely injure him—after all, he’d only just begun cultivating, his body still weak. Dropping from ten thousand meters, he’d be lucky to avoid becoming a pancake.

He gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, shielded his head, and with a thunderous crash, plummeted straight into the pavilion.

Afterwards, a splash reached his ears—Wang Ran felt a sudden wetness but not the expected pain.

He opened his eyes in confusion and looked around. The pavilion was lavish and imposing, and he was standing in a broad pool, steam rising from the water—clearly a bath.

Wiping the moisture from his face, Wang Ran slowly turned, and froze.

Before him stood a breathtakingly beautiful woman, utterly unclad, like a lotus emerging from water, staring at him in disbelief.

Instinctively, Wang Ran’s gaze lingered: a graceful neck like a swan, flawless skin, and twin peaks half-veiled by steam…

From head to toe, perfection incarnate!

But at this moment, both were utterly shocked, staring at each other wide-eyed.

The atmosphere was frozen.

One second…

Two seconds…

Wang Ran was the first to recover. Embarrassed, he blinked, pointed to the gaping hole in the roof, and offered what he thought was a kindly smile.

“Miss, do you know there’s a technique called ‘Descending from the Heavens’…”