The indifferent voice fell. Qin Wangchuan didn't even have time to react before a streak of sword light slashed down from the sky!
Whoosh!
He jolted awake, drenched in sweat, his heart pounding like thunder. He had returned to where he'd been.
"That sword just now..."
Qin Wangchuan couldn't be bothered to wipe away his cold sweat. He rose with his sword in hand, instinctively trying to recapture that fleeting insight.
Yet in the instant it took him to come back to himself, the lingering impression of that sword had vanished completely.
"What a pity..."
Qin Wangchuan murmured, his mind a little lost.
Though he'd glimpsed it for only an instant, he had already faintly touched upon some supreme principle of the sword.
But the opportunity had vanished in the blink of an eye, and that feeling was now impossible to grasp.
"Unless... I take another sword from that person." Qin Wangchuan muttered to himself.
But he knew that was impossible. Wood Ancestor had said the fruit only ripened once every thirty thousand years, after all.
Qin Wangchuan shook his head with a rueful smile, a glimmer of starlight appearing in his eyes. "This chance to witness that sword was an unexpected boon."
"Since I was allowed to glimpse that sword, then it must have been fate..."
"One day—"
"I'll be able to wield a sword like that, too."
Only then did Qin Wangchuan turn his gaze to the Li Clan Ancient Sword in his hand.
This was the last congratulatory gift.
Inside was a drop of Essence Blood from the Li Clan's founding ancestor.
He could sense the Sword Intent within it, yet it seemed to be separated from him by something.
As for the drop of blood inside, he suspected it wouldn't be easy to extract, either.
"Looks like I'll have to visit the Li Clan."
"Perfect. The Li Clan is the destination for Sword Cultivators throughout the world, and its Sword Tomb is rumored to contain an Ancient God." Qin Wangchuan tapped the sword with his knuckle. "With the momentum of the Sword Tomb's ten thousand swords, I might be able to comprehend something."
He was still pondering when—
A clear shout suddenly rang out from outside the hall. "I'm here!"
Before the words had even faded, Seventh Sister Qin Miaoyan swept in, hiking up her skirt, her Jade Abacus at her waist jingling with every step.
"Why are you here so fast?" Qin Wangchuan raised an eyebrow.
"Other things can wait, but how could I be slow when money's involved?" Qin Miaoyan rubbed her hands together, her eyes shining alarmingly bright. "Is it really like you said in your message?"
She hurried a few steps closer, unable to wait any longer as she asked:
"The Eighty-six Prefectures are all mine?"
Qin Wangchuan looked at her with distaste. "What do you mean, all yours? I said you'd be in charge of them for now."
Qin Miaoyan nodded like a bobblehead. "Of course! Of course!"
Her eyes darted around as she pressed on. "Then how do we split the profits?"
"Same as before: a seventy-thirty split." Qin Wangchuan held up three fingers. "Seventy for me, thirty for you. No negotiations."
He'd expected Qin Miaoyan to haggle, but instead she rapidly flicked through the beads of her abacus with one hand.
"I won't make much from this," she said, then promptly nodded. "Deal!"
Her readiness took Qin Wangchuan by surprise.
He had no idea Qin Miaoyan was secretly overjoyed!
Such a vast territory, so many Secret Realms and ancient ruins, and all those powerful Lineages up above. Even with a seventy-thirty split, the taxes alone will amount to an astronomical sum every year!
After thinking it over, Qin Wangchuan still warned her, "Don't do anything reckless. The land deeds don't take effect immediately."
He had good reason to suspect his Seventh Sister, that wily merchant, would do anything for money.
"Got it, got it~" Qin Miaoyan rolled her eyes, twirling a strand of hair around her fingertip with an air of nonchalance. "These plots of land are my money bags. Do something reckless? Only if I've lost my mind!"
She suddenly stepped closer, narrowed her almond-shaped eyes, and lowered her voice.
"You have no idea—Third Sister suddenly had an idea a few days ago. She wants to build some 'Xuanqiong-class Sky Patrol Throne,' a special Flying Ship that can suppress an entire realm all by itself!"
As she spoke, she gritted her teeth in frustration. "The Old Ancestor actually agreed! Spirit Crystals are pouring out like water—and they're all coming out of my accounts! At this rate, I'll lose even my principal!"
"If you ask me, they're all useless trinkets..."
She suddenly stopped, her eyes shifting. Then she jerked her chin toward the hall entrance. "I got so caught up in money that I almost forgot the main thing."
"I didn't come alone. Look."
Following her gaze, he saw Eighth Sister Qin Zhaoer hiding behind a pillar outside the hall, cautiously peeking out with half her head.
The moment she realized she'd been spotted, she hurriedly pulled back.
But she accidentally knocked the hairpin in her bun, setting its beads clattering.
Seeing this, Qin Miaoyan's red lips curled into a sly smile.
"Someone's been so distracted these past few days thinking about the congratulatory gift she gave you that she can't even focus while meditating~"
Before she could finish, a sweet shout exploded in the distance, like thunder splitting the clouds.
"Sis—!"
Qin Miaoyan hurriedly covered her mouth. "All right, all right, I won't say anything~"
As she turned to leave, Qin Zhaoer tossed over a palm-sized Purple Jade Box from afar. A note was stuck to it.
When he looked up, she had already run off.
"Heh~ Seeing how pitiful you look, this lady shall show mercy and reward you with another gift. You'd better be grateful!"
The handwriting was messy, and there was even a silly face sticking out its tongue.
Inside the box was a ring made from Void Profound Crystal.
It contained its own formation, capable of storing all things beneath the mountains and rivers.
"Heh." Qin Wangchuan turned the ring over in his hand and shook his head with a rueful smile.
That girl clearly regretted giving me a piece of women's jewelry but couldn't bring herself to apologize, so she had to 'make up for it' with an even more valuable treasure.
Typical Little Female Demon behavior.
After finishing his inventory of the gifts, Qin Wangchuan sat alone atop Wangchuan Pavilion. The night wind lifted his tied-back black hair.
Below, Ye Jianwei played the zither, the melody lilting and graceful.
In the distance, the setting sun stained the horizon with blood.
The fading twilight, poised between falling and lingering, reflected in his eyes as Sword Intent surged within them. His thin lips pressed into a hard line.
"Sure enough... I still can't forget that sword."
"Since I want to become the strongest, then I have to walk the path of the strongest."
Qin Wangchuan's gaze was deep, as if it pierced the void and looked toward the unknown road to becoming an Immortal Emperor.
Suddenly, he rose to his full height, his robes billowing as the wind howled around him.
"Tomorrow, I'm going to the Li Clan!"
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