Knowing It's Impossible But Doing It Anyway

The little girl was stunned by Qin Wangchuan's imposing aura and froze in place, afraid to move. Only after he had walked a few steps away did she regain her senses.

She looked down at her skirt embroidered with gold thread, her small face turning bright red. Suddenly, she let out a cry and stumbled towards Li Qingluan's seating area.

"Sister! He not only used our Li Clan Sword Seal, but he also..." The little girl tugged at Li Qingluan's sleeve, sobbing, "He yelled at me!"

Li Qingluan's hand, which was pouring tea, paused slightly.

"Shhh~"

The little girl was startled and looked up at her sister, only to see her with a solemn expression, her gaze never leaving Qin Wangchuan.

The youth's dark robe cast a long shadow outside the hall entrance. With every step he took, the bluestone floor cracked, forming spiderweb-like patterns.

"Didn't you hear?" Li Qingluan placed a hand on her sister's trembling shoulder, her fingertips tightening on the intricate palace sash. "He said not to block the way."

Her voice was very light, but it instantly silenced the little girl.

Her eyes widened in disbelief, and half of her anger dissipated.

Her elder sister, who had always doted on her, now seemed somewhat unfamiliar. Her phoenix eyes were fixed on Qin Wangchuan, as if afraid of missing anything.

"You're angry..." Li Qingluan murmured, a hint of complexity flashing in her phoenix eyes.

"Is it because someone dared to attack you? Or because... that person named Han Han?"

She thought that after more than a year together, she had already seen through him—

That young master who was always composed and dealt with things calmly.

He acted flawlessly, with a touch of tenderness amidst his maturity, making people naturally fond of him.

But at this moment, he stood beneath shattered clouds, sword energy still lingering around him, his eyes sharp and revealing, making her feel a sense of unfamiliarity.

So he could also get angry.

So he could also be this overbearing.

That sword slash had not only cut open an Emperor Artifact but also shattered her preconceived notion of him.

Li Qingluan suddenly realized that she had never truly understood him—or rather, he had never shown her this side.

Is this the real you?

"Tsk tsk."

A flippant scoff came from the seating area.

Qin Zhaoer leaned against a jade table, toying with a Spirit Fruit with her fingertips, her red lips curling into a mocking arc. "Little girl from the Li Clan, you dare to stand out without understanding anything, and now you're feeling wronged after being yelled at?"

"I think you should just go home and drink milk!"

She deliberately swayed the tip of her shoe embroidered with a golden phoenix, her gaze sweeping over the little girl's flushed face. "Or why don't you beg me? Maybe I'll help you if I'm in a good mood?"

After speaking, Qin Zhaoer didn't wait for the little girl's response, covering her mouth and laughing until her body trembled.

As they were joking, the banquet guests, seeing the few people subdued, finally reacted to what had happened.

"Someone wanted to assassinate the Ninth Young Master?"

"It's only natural." Another person sneered. "The Longevity Immortal Body is too monstrous, it might even break the current three-way balance. It would be strange if no one coveted it."

"It's the Qin Clan's reaction, though..." That person narrowed his eyes, his voice sinking slightly. "It's too fast."

"It's as if they were waiting for these people to walk into a trap?"

Everyone's hearts tightened, and they inwardly marveled at the Qin Clan's power.

Their gazes, however, involuntarily turned to the sky—there, the clouds torn apart by Qin Wangchuan's sword had not yet healed, as if the sky had been ripped open with a hideous wound.

The evening breeze howled, scattering the residual sword energy, but it couldn't blow away the oppressive aura left by the sword mark.

The edges of the clouds still flickered with fine golden light; these were fragments of Dao principles left behind by the shattered Immortal Emperor Weapon, like dying stars, unwillingly flashing their last brilliance.

"To be able to open a Heavenly Eye under our noses, they must have used at least an immortal-level stealth Emperor Artifact."

"Although such Emperor Artifacts have no defensive capabilities, they are still Emperor Artifacts..."

"The power of that sword just now is beyond what ordinary Dao Techniques can explain. Could it be... a Supreme?"

"You're talking about a Supreme Dao Technique?" Another person gasped. "Could the Ninth Young Master possess two heaven-defying physiques??"

"Wait!" someone suddenly exclaimed. "Let's not talk about Supreme for now, look at his aura!"

Everyone focused their gaze, and saw a faint immortal light lingering around Qin Wangchuan, his aura surging with each breath.

Even with the Immortal Bone and his second brother's pendant concealing it, it couldn't be completely suppressed.

Just a wisp revealed was enough for everyone to capture his cultivation level.

"Fifth Realm?!" someone exclaimed.

"No, it's half-step Sixth Realm!" an Old Man said in a deep voice. "He could break through at any moment."

"Sixth Realm at ten years old?!"

Everyone was horrified.

Qin Xuanji, hidden in a corner, listened to everyone's exclamations and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

Turning his head, his fifth sister Qin Qingzheng also parted her lips slightly, too shocked to speak.

'This is only natural. After all, even a monstrous talent like Eldest Brother took a full sixteen years to reach the Fifth Realm. Ninth Brother has truly broken common sense this time.'

Seeing everyone's reaction, Qin Xuanji felt a surge of secret delight.

'Surprised, aren't you?! He's mine!'

'I just don't know why he would call out that kid from the Ji Clan...'

Ji Wuchen slowly rose from the jade table.

The hidden patterns on his black robes flowed like living things under the candlelight, as if countless tiny runes were wandering within the fabric.

He raised a hand to stop the attendants who wanted to follow, his figure pausing slightly.

Then, he bowed deeply in Qin Wangchuan's direction, his posture respectful yet not lacking in sharpness.

"Young Master Qin."

His voice was deep and clear, echoing in the hall.

"I've heard that you possess peerless talent. Today, I am fortunate to witness it. May I ask for some guidance?"

Although Ji Wuchen didn't know why Qin Wangchuan had suddenly called his name.

No matter what, his purpose for coming would not change.

He had come today precisely to compete with the monstrous talent that everyone spoke of!

The hall instantly fell silent, all eyes focusing on Ji Wuchen.

"Is Ji Wuchen crazy?" an old man stroked his beard and shook his head, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"At thirteen, he's only Fourth Realm with a Saint Body. While that's already extraordinary, but..." A man in brocade clothes beside him scoffed, "Young Master Qin is three years younger than him, yet he has already touched the threshold of the Sixth Realm."

The crowd nodded in agreement, their gazes unanimously turning to the figure in the center of the hall—Qin Wangchuan's spiritual energy surged around him, and it wouldn't be strange if he broke through the next second.

"To choose to challenge at this time..." The purple-robed female cultivator lightly fanned herself, sighing meaningfully before finishing her sentence.

"He's simply asking for humiliation." Finally, someone voiced the thoughts of everyone present. Though the voice was soft, it caused the entire great hall to fall silent.

A Fourth Realm cultivator at thirteen, while still a step away from true monstrous talent, was still a top-tier prodigy.

But compared to Young Master Qin, it was like comparing heaven and earth.

The outcome was clear!

"Heh, this one from the Ji Clan has always been arrogant. It's time he learned the ways of Heaven Beyond Heaven."

Discussions rose and fell, but soon returned to silence—because Qin Wangchuan moved.

He quietly listened to Ji Wuchen's words, then slowly spoke:

"Good."

A simple word, yet it caused the atmosphere in the hall to suddenly become tense.

After speaking, he said no more, turned, and walked straight out of the hall.

His black robe fluttered slightly in the night wind, his back solitary and sharp, like a drawn sword, its edge fully revealed.

Ji Wuchen followed closely behind.

The two arrived outside the hall.