If You Want to Become the Strongest, You Must Walk the Path of the Strongest

As the indifferent voice fell, Qin Wangchuan didn't even have time to react before he saw a sword light slash down from the firmament!

--Swish!

He snapped his eyes open, drenched in cold sweat, his heart hammering like thunder. He had actually returned to his original spot.

"That sword strike just now..."

Qin Wangchuan didn't even bother to wipe away his cold sweat. He gripped his sword and stood up, instinctively wanting to recreate that momentary epiphany.

However, in the mere instant it took for him to regain his focus, the lingering resonance of that sword strike had completely vanished.

"What a pity..."

Qin Wangchuan whispered, feeling somewhat dazed.

Although he had only caught a glimpse for a fleeting moment, it had allowed him to faintly touch upon a certain supreme sword principle.

Unfortunately, the opportunity was fleeting, and that sensation was now impossible to recapture.

"Unless... I take another strike from that person." Qin Wangchuan muttered to himself.

But he knew that was impossible; after all, the Wood Ancestor had said this fruit only bore once every thirty thousand years.

Qin Wangchuan shook his head and chuckled, a deep starlight flickering in his eyes: "This encounter with that sword strike was an unexpected joy."

"Since it allowed me to catch a glimpse of that strike, then it must be fate..."

"One day—"

"I will also be able to unleash a sword like that."

With that thought, Qin Wangchuan finally turned his gaze to the Li Clan Ancient Sword in his hand.

This was the final congratulatory gift.

Inside it was a drop of Essence Blood from the Li Clan Progenitor.

Although he could sense the Sword Intent within, it felt as if it were separated by something.

As for the drop of blood inside, it likely wouldn't be easy to extract.

"It seems I must make a trip to the Li Clan."

"That works out well. The Li Clan is the ultimate destination for all sword cultivators in the world, and rumor has it that an ancient deity resides within their Sword Graveyard." Qin Wangchuan tapped his knuckles against the blade. "By borrowing the momentum of the ten thousand swords in the Sword Graveyard, perhaps I can comprehend something."

Just as he was pondering this.

A clear shout suddenly came from outside the hall: "I'm here!"

Before the words had even faded, Seventh Sister Qin Miaoyan had already lifted her skirts and stormed in, the jade abacus at her waist clinking and clattering.

"How did you get here so fast?" Qin Wangchuan raised an eyebrow.

"I can be slow with other things, but how could I be slow when it comes to money?" Qin Miaoyan rubbed her hands together, her eyes shining with a frightening intensity. "Is it really like what you said in the voice transmission?"

She stepped closer, asking impatiently:

"The Eighty-six Prefectures are all mine?"

Qin Wangchuan looked at her with disdain. "What do you mean 'all yours'? I said they are temporarily under your management."

Qin Miaoyan nodded like a bird pecking at grain. "Of course! That's perfectly fine!"

Her eyes darted around, and she quickly followed up: "Then how do we split the revenue?"

"It's still a three-seven split." Qin Wangchuan held up three fingers. "I take seven, you take three. No room for negotiation."

He had expected Qin Miaoyan to haggle, but to his surprise, she began nimbly clicking away at her abacus.

While muttering, "I won't be able to make much off this," she decisively nodded. "Deal!"

This straightforwardness actually caught Qin Wangchuan off guard.

He didn't realize that Qin Miaoyan was ecstatic inside!

With such a vast territory, so many Secret Realms and ruins, and so many family factions on top of that—even with a three-seven split, the tax revenue alone would be an astronomical figure every year!

After a moment of thought, Qin Wangchuan still offered a reminder: "Don't go doing anything reckless. These land deeds don't take effect immediately."

He had good reason to suspect that his Seventh Sister, a profiteer at heart, would do anything for money.

"Understood, understood~" Qin Miaoyan rolled her eyes, twirling a strand of hair around her fingertip with a nonchalant air. "These lands are my money bags. Reckless? I'd have to be crazy!"

She suddenly leaned in closer, her almond-shaped eyes narrowing as she lowered her voice:

"You have no idea—Third Sister had a sudden whim a few days ago to build some kind of 'Xuanqiong-class Sky Patrol Throne,' claiming that a single one of these special Flying Ships could suppress an entire realm!"

As she spoke, she gritted her teeth in frustration. "And the Old Ancestor actually agreed! Spirit Crystals are flowing out like water—and it's all coming out of my accounts! If this keeps up, I won't even have my capital left!"

"If you ask me, it's all just useless junk..."

She suddenly paused, her gaze shifting, and she gestured with her chin toward the palace entrance. "I was so focused on money, I almost forgot the real business."

"I didn't come alone, look."

Following her gaze, he saw Eighth Sister Qin Zhaoer hiding behind a pillar outside the palace gate, cautiously poking half her head out.

Upon realizing she had been spotted, she hurriedly ducked back.

She accidentally knocked against the pearl hairpin in her bun, causing it to clatter and chime.

Seeing this, Qin Miaoyan curled her red lips into a sly smile.

"Someone has been so restless during meditation these past few days, all because they keep thinking about the congratulatory gift they gave away~"

Before she could finish, a sharp cry suddenly exploded from the distance like a thunderclap breaking through the clouds:

"Sister--!"

Qin Miaoyan hurriedly covered her mouth. "Alright, alright, I won't say it, I won't say it~"

The moment she turned to leave, Qin Zhaoer threw a palm-sized Purple Jade Box from afar, with a note stuck to it.

Looking up, the person had already vanished without a trace.

"Heh~ seeing how pathetic you look, this young lady will show mercy and bestow another gift upon you. Be grateful!"

The handwriting was scribbled, and a tongue-poking ghost face was drawn at the bottom.

Opening the box, inside was a ring forged from Void Profound Crystal.

It contained an internal formation capable of storing mountains, rivers, and all things.

"Heh." Qin Wangchuan toyed with the ring, shaking his head with a chuckle.

--This girl clearly regretted giving him a piece of women's jewelry, but couldn't bring herself to apologize, so she had to "remedy" it with an even more precious treasure.

A typical bratty girl's behavior.

After counting the gifts, Qin Wangchuan sat alone atop the Wangchuan Pavilion, the night breeze whipping through his tied-back black hair.

Below, Ye Jianwei was playing the zither, the melody drifting melodiously.

In the distant sky, the setting sun looked like blood.

The twilight, neither fully set nor fully risen, reflected in his eyes, causing his Sword Intent to surge. His thin lips pressed into a cold, hard line.

"As expected... I still can't forget that sword strike."

"If I want to become the strongest, I must walk the path of the strongest."

Qin Wangchuan's gaze was profound, as if piercing through the void to look toward the unknown path of the Immortal Emperor.

Suddenly, he rose to his full height, his robes billowing with a sharp, snapping sound in the wind.

"I'm going to the Li Clan tomorrow!"