Qin Zhi was a true inner disciple of the Omega Sword Sect. His cultivation had reached the initial Cyclic Derivation stage, and he was a descendant of the Ancient Wasteland Domain Azure Crane Clan.

He possessed the first-grade talent, ‘Peerless Azure Battle Qi’, and was one of the Omega Sword Sect's most outstanding rising stars, boasting incredible talent and astonishing combat power.

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

A few days ago, Qin Zhe had followed Omega Sword Sect Elder Gu Dongting to the Ziyao Empire and received a grand reception from the imperial family.

During the banquet, a shocking event occurred.

A bigwig of the imperial family called Zhao Guangxiu had wanted to toast Qin Zhe only to end up being rejected by him. “I don’t mind toasts, but you aren’t qualified.”

The sentence changed the atmosphere in an instant.

Zhao Guangxiu suddenly found himself in a difficult situation and felt humiliated and angered.

He, a marquis from the imperial family, had tried to give a toast only to be rudely shut down by the other party because he supposedly wasn’t qualified. He lost all face in front of everyone, and the other party was clearly trying to humiliate him.

“What about me?”

Someone else immediately stood up in disapproval. He was a respected and reputable prince.

However, no one could have anticipated that Qin Zhe would reject again without even batting an eyelid. “You aren’t qualified either.”

The atmosphere immediately became silent and stifling. Everyone present was a powerful and influential figure in the empire, and there was no lack of top-class individuals here.

All of them were beginning to grow annoyed by Qin Zhe’s proud and arrogant attitude.

One of the bigwigs icily asked, “Then who among those present has the qualifications to toast you?”

Qin Zhe was unflustered from start to end. He continued to eat and drink as he nonchalantly said, “Anyone who can receive three sword attacks from me will have the qualifications to toast me.”

Only then did everyone realize that Qin Zhe’s arrogance and rudeness were attributed to his confidence in himself. He believed that the marquis and prince were unable to block the power of his three sword attacks!

What a crazy person.

The bigwigs present did not merely possess high status, but were also powerhouses who possessed cultivation no weaker than the Cyclic Derivation stage.

As such, Qin Zhe’s wildly arrogant claim was naturally quite upsetting.

If he weren’t from the Omega Sword Sect, they would have already expelled the arrogant bastard.

In the end, the South Fire Army Major-General, Yu Wenzhong, stepped up, seeking to prove his qualification through strength and teach Qin Zhe a lesson.

Yu Wenzhong was a peak Cyclic Derivation expert who had spent years on the battlefield and possessed ample battle experience.

Even with all that, he was defeated by a single sword attack from Qin Zhe under the shocked gazes of the crowd!

To be more precise, Yu Wenzhong failed to properly block the attack, causing him to stagger more than a dozen steps backward before coughing blood.

Moreover, Qin Zhe did not even get up from his seat or put down his cup. In fact, not a single drop of his drink had been spilled when he swung his sword.

His confident demeanor shocked everyone.

“My first sword is called ‘Daybreak’ because it is like the rising sun that covers the land in its light and chases away all of the darkness. You can’t even withstand my first sword, so what right do you have to toast me?”

Qing Zhi sighed softly, seemingly losing interest.

He spoke like an elder lecturing a junior, causing the expressions of the bigwigs present to grow increasingly ugly.

Yu Wenzhong wanted to die from embarrassment and immediately left in a huff.

“Haha, what an arrogant kid!”

Another bigwig soon stepped forward. He was a marquis with perfect Cyclic Derivation cultivation who had slayed a real scaled dragon when he was young. He was most definitely a ruthless individual with amazing combat ability.

However, although he succeeded in blocking Qin Zhe’s first sword attack, it inflicted heavy injuries on him. Hence, he withdrew before Qin Zhe could unleash his second sword attack, not daring to face it.

This shocked everyone even more.

An older-generation perfect Cyclic Derivation expert was only able to block Qin Zhi’s first sword attack?

It was shocking even to imagine something like that.

Everyone could see that Qin Zhi’s cultivation was only at the initial Cyclic Derivation stage, and he was at most in his twenties.

Was this the capability of an Omega Sword Sect inner true disciple?

Qin Zhi nonchalantly remarked, “My second sword is called ‘Remnant Frost’. When used, everything returns to zero and all life is extinguished. You should be proud that you almost made me use it.”

A mighty marquis of the empire had not only lost but was also given such an evaluation. It sounded no different than ridicule to everyone present.

In the end, the marquis’ face turned green with rage, and he angrily stomped away.

Next, bigwigs stepped forward one after another to take on the three swords. Although they were all notable figures among the older generation, each was crushed by Qing Zhe without exception!

In the end, not a single person was able to stop Qing Zhe’s second sword!

By this juncture, the atmosphere had fallen to its lowest point. The empire bigwigs had ashen expressions and had all been silenced.

It was a devastating blow to them.

A young man from the Omega Sword Sect had successively defeated the top experts among them, making them feel shocked, frustrated, and sullen.

At the same time, it also showed Qing Zhe’s horrifying strength. From start to end, he had not stood up from his seat and continued to eat and drink as he swung his sword, appearing extremely relaxed.

However, this only made it harder to gauge his strength. No one could estimate how terrifying his power would be if he were to go all out.

In the end, the banquet ended on a very low note.

News of Qing Zhe’s feats during the banquet rapidly spread, causing the many factions of the Forbidden City to be shocked like never before.

He was way too strong!

It was hard to believe that a true inner disciple from the Omega Sword Sect could easily overwhelm so many bigwigs of the empire one after another all the while continuing to enjoy his meal.

This was why such a huge commotion occurred when the news spread that Qing Zhe of the Omega Sword Sect had issued a challenge letter to the master of Mind Cleansing Peak.

It seemed very inconceivable since Qing Zhe had firmly rejected all of the bigwigs who had tried to toast him during the banquet without giving them any face.

But now, that same Qing Zhe was trying to challenge Lin Xun to a duel?

There was no one who didn’t know that Lin Xun was a supreme heaven pride among the empire’s younger generation.

At the end of the day, however, he still only had Heaven Ascension cultivation.

Instead of challenging an opponent with higher cultivation, the initial Cyclic Derivation stage Qing Zhe wanted to challenge Lin Xun, who was an entire greater cultivation stage lower than him. Of course there was something wrong with this!

“Something big is going to happen!”

Numerous cultivators were worried. They viewed Lin Xun as one of their own since they were all cultivators from the empire while Qing Zhe was an ‘outsider’ from the Ancient Wasteland Domain.

Under these circumstances, they would definitely stand on Lin Xun’s side.

However, when they recalled Qing Zhe’s terrifying strength, the empire cultivators began to doubt whether Lin Xun had any chance of victory if he were to accept.

Some cultivators were furious.

“Qing Zhe is too much. Lin Xun is our best younger-generation expert. If he is defeated, wouldn’t it imply that Qing Zhe stands above all of the younger-generation empire cultivators?”

“This matter is not so simple. Don’t forget that the bloody incident that occurred to the Mind Cleansing Peak Lin Clan more than a dozen years ago was the handiwork of an Omega Sword Sect disciple! Now, another Omega Sword Sect disciple has pointed his sword at Lin Xun. Could they be…trying to tie up loose ends?”

One of the older-generation cultivators believed that Qing Zhe’s goal was to destroy Lin Xun!

“Ugh, who could have imagined that Lin Xun would be targeted by Qing Zhe the moment he appeared? No one can predict how this will end.”

“Thankfully, I’ve heard that Lin Xun has rejected the duel and declared that he has no time to play around with Qing Zhe.”

“But the challenge has already drawn the entire city’s attention. If Lin Xun refuses to fight, it won’t merely be a matter of dishonoring himself!”

Various discussions rose like a storm from every corner of the Forbidden City, causing the challenge to become the hottest topic in a single night.

Would Lin Xun agree?

Everyone was paying close attention to potential developments.

……

On the summit of Mind Cleansing Peak.

A mountain rose amidst the mist and beautiful scenery.

Lin Xun was seated before a large rectangular black jade. Beautiful colors flowed along it as it pulsed with mysterious and cryptic undulations.

A little girl was lying inside the jade.

She wore a black robe and black cloak and had a beautiful face that could take anyone’s breath away. Such beauty could only be a true masterpiece of the heavens and would make the entire world look dull in comparison.

She silently lay there inside the jade with her hands forming a strange seal atop her abdomen. Her eyes were closed, and she wore a serene expression on her face as she breathed to the unique rhythm of someone in an eternal deep sleep.

Wisps of eternal night-black divine light danced around her body like the rain.

The little girl was naturally Xia Zhi, who was undergoing her second ‘obliteration’ cycle.

“I wonder when she’ll wake up…”

After a long time, Lin Xun withdrew his gaze and sighed inwardly.

Xia Zhi practiced the mysterious heaven-defying secret art, the Nine Cycle Obliteration Art. Every awakening of her power was accompanied by obliteration, producing a transformation that was similar to reincarnation.

It was Xia Zhi’s second ‘obliteration,’ which had begun while Lin Xun was in the Spirit Burial Sea.

Unfortunately, the ‘obliteration’ process still wasn’t over yet. It honestly felt far too long…

In the end, Lin Xun carefully put the black jade stone that contained the sleeping Xia Zhi into the first floor of the Nameless Pagoda. He had already decided that he would bring her along when he headed to the Ancient Wasteland Domain.

It was because all of her past memories would be erased when she awakened from the ‘obliteration’ process. The only thing she would remember was him.

“Young Master, this doesn’t look good. The Omega Sword Sect disciple, Qing Zhe, has personally come and is waiting outside Mind Cleansing Peak at this very moment!”

Lin Zhong was suddenly seen rushing over from far away.