One Stance, One Slash, Instant Kill!

Qin Wangchuan did not respond, merely tapping his fingertip once more before speaking:

"Li."

As the word left his lips, the void trembled.

A ten-zhang-tall Spirit Energy Sword tip erupted from the ground, pointing directly at Qin Zhaoer!

Qin Zhaoer's pupils constricted, but she quickly let out a cold sneer. Her figure leaped up as lightly as a swallow, her toes tapping the side of the sword tip to gain leverage before she flipped backward, landing steadily several paces away.

"Heh, Ninth Brother, so what if you're in the Fourth Realm?" A smug curve tugged at the corner of her lips. "Your Spirit Art is too slow; you can't even touch the hem of my clothes—"

Before she could finish, Qin Wangchuan's gaze turned cold, his lips parting slightly:

"Slash!"

The upright Spirit Energy Sword tip shuddered violently. The blade instantly solidified, transforming into a complete giant sword before crashing down with the force of a thunderbolt!

"??"

Qin Zhaoer's expression changed drastically. She tried to dodge in her haste, only to realize that the sword's momentum had already sealed off all her paths of retreat.

"Boom—!"

Sword energy surged, carving a bottomless trench into the ground. Qin Zhaoer was sent flying by the shockwave of the sword energy, slamming heavily into the protective barrier at the edge of the Martial Arts Arena, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.

The sidelines erupted into an uproar.

"A five-year-old in the Fourth Realm!?"

The Qin Clan disciples and elders watching from the sidelines widened their eyes, faces filled with disbelief.

"And he defeated the Eighth Young Master in a single move, even while they were in the same realm!"

"The Eighth Young Master even has the blessing of a Saint Body!"

Those who didn't understand the situation chattered incessantly, but those with true insight stared at the trench carved into the ground by the sword, lost in thought.

Law Follows Words?

Sword Intent?

A Sword Technique?

But he is only five years old!

Qin Wenhe was not surprised by this scene. He looked at the crowd with a smile and said, "See? No matter what happens with him, it is nothing to be surprised about."

"The Longevity Immortal Body has a slow cultivation speed?" Someone gave a bitter laugh. "The Ninth Young Master has shattered that common knowledge."

"Not only that," another elder added, "don't forget, the Ninth Young Master possesses an Immortal Bone!"

"An Immortal Bone combined with a Longevity Immortal Body, plus the ability to foresee the future and heaven-defying comprehension..." someone muttered to themselves, "this can no longer be described as merely being gifted."

"It's simply..."

"A monster!"

Everyone thought of the same word in unison.

In the arena, there was no joy of victory on Qin Wangchuan's face; his youthful features bore a calmness that belied his age.

He walked slowly to Qin Zhaoer and looked down at her from above. "Eighth Sister, I concede the win to you."

Qin Zhaoer struggled to her knees, looking up at Qin Wangchuan.

She bit her lip, and suddenly, she burst into tears.

"Waa... Ninth Brother is the worst!"

"Why are you crying? Even the people who bullied me last time didn't cry." Qin Wangchuan looked at Qin Zhaoer, who was weeping like a flower in the rain. The corners of his lips lifted slightly. Instead of taking the opportunity to kick her while she was down, he gently brushed his fingertips across her reddened eyes.

His voice was very soft, carrying a hint of teasing, yet it was inexplicably reassuring:

"Alright, don't cry."

Qin Zhaoer's sobbing hitched. With teardrops still clinging to her eyelashes, she suddenly looked up and glared at Qin Wangchuan.

"Who, who asked for your fake kindness!" She sobbed, swatting his hand away. Her nails, painted with balsam, left red marks on the back of Qin Wangchuan's hand. "You were the one who bullied me first!"

As she spoke, she was about to shed tears again, but she suddenly caught sight of the red marks on the boy's hand, and her sobbing stuck in her throat.

She twisted her skirt hem unconsciously, her blood-stained lips parting and closing several times, until she finally managed to mutter with a nasal tone:

"...Does it hurt?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she wanted to bite off her own tongue—what a stupid thing to ask! Her own backside was still aching faintly, for heaven's sake!

With these few words, the atmosphere of the competition, which had been heavy just moments ago, instantly turned lighthearted.

[Task completed, simulation count +1]

[Check-in System has been activated.]

Helping Qin Zhaoer up, Qin Wangchuan ignored the task completion notification in his mind and stared blankly at the trench carved into the stage.

This was something he had realized after witnessing the Sword Seal.

Even without a sword in hand, by treating his body as a sword and his finger as the medium, he could achieve an effect akin to Law Follows Words.

With a tenfold bonus to his Origin, principles that would take others years to comprehend were grasped by him in an instant.

He could even draw inferences about other cases from one instance; it was simply heaven-defying!

In the distance of the Martial Arts Arena.

Eldest Young Master Qin Wudao and Second Young Master Qin Xuanji stood side by side, both watching the scene intently with complex expressions.

"What do you think of our ninth brother?" Qin Xuanji asked, toying with an ancient copper coin in his hand.

"Hmm..." Qin Wudao stood with his hands behind his back, his white robes fluttering without a breeze. He looked at the two stick figures on the stage and spoke indifferently:

"That sword strike was beautiful. Ninth brother did not lose unjustly."

As he spoke, he lifted his fingertip slightly, and an invisible sword aura condensed around him: "But if I were the one to strike—it could be even more beautiful!"

"Stop, stop, stop!" Qin Xuanji suddenly pressed down on his shoulder, pointing toward the Martial Arts Arena with his other hand, his voice filled with suppressed laughter: "Look closely! The one who won is our ninth brother, and the one who lost is our eighth sister!"

Qin Wudao's sword-like brows furrowed as he fixed his gaze on the stage—

He truly couldn't tell the difference; he could only see two stick figures standing on the stage.

"..."

The air suddenly turned silent.

Qin Xuanji sighed and pulled a jade box from his sleeve, shoving it into his hand: "Did you not consume the Innate Divine Source I gave you last time? You should actually use it!"

"You really need to nourish yourself properly. Otherwise, if you ask me, you might as well gouge those eyes out."

"I raised you so well since you were little... Sigh!"

"How did you end up growing so crooked?"

That's right, the Divine Source given to Qin Wangchuan last time was actually just a matter of convenience; it was primarily intended for Qin Wudao.

With a deep sigh, Qin Xuanji cast his gaze once more toward Qin Wangchuan in the distance.

His recent exploits flashed through his mind.

"Ninth brother, oh ninth brother..." he whispered to himself, a meaningful smile curling at the corner of his lips, "Just how many more secrets are you hiding?"

The eldest brother had grown crooked, so perhaps he could raise the ninth brother instead?

The copper coin flipped in the air, finally landing steadily back in his palm.

Heads up.

"Great fortune." Qin Xuanji narrowed his eyes. "Interesting."

"Become stronger. The brighter the light, the larger the shadow, and the easier it will be for me to hide."

Before his voice had even faded, a sneer came from his side—

"Hiding and skulking, the way of a rat."

"You, a blind man, have the nerve to say that to me?"

Meanwhile, at the Ten Directions Immortal Court, in the Cloud Sea.

Li Heavenly Emperor sat quietly atop the clouds, holding a green bamboo fishing rod. The fishing line descended ten thousand feet, plunging deep into the heart of the Cloud Sea.

Suddenly, his fingertips paused. The line trembled slightly, as if a fish had taken the bait.

But the next moment, he raised an eyebrow. His gaze pierced through the endless void, looking toward the direction of the Qin Clan.

"Interesting."

He chuckled softly, set the fishing rod aside, and turned to look at the person beside him—

"Old Man Qin, this little grandson of yours is truly heaven-defying."

Li Heavenly Emperor's voice carried a hint of admiration. He tapped his finger against the void, and as the Cloud Sea churned, it revealed the scene of Qin Wangchuan in the Martial Arts Arena.

"In just a few short days, not only has he fully grasped the sword manual, but he has also gone on to comprehend the prototype of a Sword Seal."

"Given time, he will surely master the Sword Seal, and perhaps even comprehend the Eighth Seal."

Qin Taiyi stood with his hands behind his back. Hearing this, he scoffed, "What he comprehends is his own business. Does it have anything to do with you?"

Li Heavenly Emperor was not annoyed; instead, he smiled even more meaningfully. "How could it not?"

"What's yours is mine, and what's mine is yours—won't we be one family soon enough?"

"Hmph!" Qin Taiyi sneered. "You certainly have a beautiful dream."

"You old man Li... you owe me a massive favor."

Hearing this, Li Heavenly Emperor immediately glared at him, his beard bristling as he waved a large hand. "Don't pull that stuff! I've already given you the girl with the highest talent in the Li Clan in nearly ten thousand years. What more do you want?"

"Not enough."

As these two words fell, the Cloud Sea surged violently, as if an invisible Sword Intent were stirring.

But the next moment, the Sword Intent dissipated as if it had lost its steam.

"Sigh, forget it." Li Heavenly Emperor waved his hand, picked up his fishing rod again, and looked into the distance. "There's no helping it, no helping it at all."

"If I can't do it, and the disciples of the Li Clan can't do it, then we have no choice but to find another way."

"Otherwise... the Li Clan will be destroyed."

As the only Imperial Clan that revered cultivation techniques as sacred objects, the Li Clan's situation was actually not very good.

Cultivation techniques would eventually be limited by the era and grow weaker; if they stagnated and the moves could not be updated, they would be surpassed in the blink of an eye.

By then, even a vast Imperial Clan could be wiped out with a mere flip of a hand.

"Then let us wait and see."

After Qin Taiyi finished speaking, his figure turned into a wisp of breeze and dissipated into the Cloud Sea.

Li Heavenly Emperor gazed in the direction of his departure and shook his head again. "Old fox... he really can't stand to lose even a little bit."

"Giving away people and cultivation techniques."

"You had better be able to comprehend the Eighth Seal, otherwise, my Li Clan will have truly suffered a loss to the point of no return this time."