Rising Through Competition, Growing Through Transcendence

He composed himself and turned to the general outline.

"Heaven and earth have their own way, and destiny is predetermined."

"A ring is a circle, which goes round and goes on endlessly, without beginning or end."

"Destiny is like a ring, and man is within that ring."

"Forging weapons is forging one's destiny; each ring represents a new realm."

Qin Wangchuan slammed the book shut.

What a coincidence! It's just too much of a coincidence.

"The Heavenly Mandate Ring"

"One ring, one world."

"Nine Rings Ninth Heaven Realm... Nine-Layer Profound Heaven Ring!"

He suddenly understood everything.

If I'm not mistaken.

The Nine-Layer Profound Heaven Ring is actually the precursor to the Wheel of Fate.

It's an experimental sample.

Or rather, it's a defective product that's missing something.

"System."

Qin Wangchuan silently recited this in his heart.

Where did you get these things from?

There was no response.

There was no time to think.

The afterimage had already descended the stairs, reaching the first floor.

He started flipping through the pages again.

One book after another, layer upon layer.

It's not about striving for perfection.

This is to ensure nothing is overlooked.

Even with these two books in hand, I still feel unsatisfied.

What's missing?

Not enough, still not enough.

That's why he went over it again and again, afraid of missing it.

Qin Wangchuan was completely absorbed in it.

In a daze, it felt as if I had become that afterimage.

I flipped through each book one by one, analyzing it again and again.

I don't know how much time passed.

Suddenly--

A voice rang in my ears.

"The Way of Ten Thousand Laws."

Qin Wangchuan suddenly opened his eyes.

The illusory figure stood right in front of him.

Then, it dissipated.

No words were spoken, but a sentence seemed to echo in my ears:

That's all I can do.

--It's up to you now.

Qin Wangchuan looked at the two cultivation manuals in his hands and remained silent for a long time.

Then he nodded.

"Um."

After obtaining the cultivation technique, Qin Wangchuan quickly took his leave.

But a strange emotion was spreading through my heart.

On the carriage, Ye Jianwei noticed her Young Master's displeasure and asked:

"Young Master, what happened?"

Qin Wangchuan shook his head.

It wasn't that he didn't want to talk about it, but rather that he didn't know how to describe the feeling.

The afterimage I saw at Myriad Scroll Tower.

Although the Wheel of Fate was no longer there, in that moment of mental immersion, I could still sense the other person's emotions.

Unwilling to accept it...

Why they were unwilling to accept it remains unknown.

More importantly--

Qin Wangchuan touched the two cultivation manuals in his hand.

'How many times did he go through the deductions before he finally found these two books?'

Another version of myself in another timeline is also taking action.

The expectations placed upon me have become much heavier.

The Wheel of Fate must turn again.

At the same time.

Inside the Wandao Academy.

The first-year students' Edge-Tempering Battle has begun.

There are no rewards or punishments for this battle.

As its name suggests, it is only for tempering and testing the waters, to verify the growth of the past year.

The Heaven Reversal Array was activated, and light shot into the sky.

Countless figures crisscrossed the arena, Law Technique roared, weapons clashed, and cheers and sighs rose and fell.

Without a doubt, this is the grandest day of the year for the Wandao Academy.

But the atmosphere just wouldn't get right.

Because the strongest students from the first year did not appear.

On a distant rooftop, several figures each occupied a corner.

Li Xuan sat cross-legged, with an invisible and intangible sword faintly floating behind him.

The sword had no physical form, yet it caused the surrounding air to distort slightly.

Ji Wuchen stood against the eaves, his aura deep and composed.

The Natal Dharma he comprehended after months of seclusion completely changed his demeanor.

Ye Lingchuan sat on the Nine-Bend Coffin, his legs dangling in the air, swaying gently.

That so-called dao companion didn't seem to cause any significant changes in him.

Yan Wujin crossed his arms and looked toward the distant arena.

Having entered the Dao with the Golden Crow Blood, he exuded a scorching aura.

Chu Wujiu sat at the very front, his back ramrod straight, gazing in the direction of the Qin Clan.

No one spoke.

They did not participate in that melee.

It wasn't that he was tired of the conflict or unwilling to participate in the banquet.

Instead, they are waiting.

Waiting for that person to come.

We await a great battle to wash away this shame.

After a while, Ye Lingchuan's swaying leg suddenly stopped.

"This day has finally come."

The voice was very soft, as if talking to oneself.

Hearing this, Zhao Lingyun looked over, raised an eyebrow, and teased:

"That doesn't sound like something you would say."

Ye Lingchuan remained silent most of the time, only uttering a few curses when he was pushed forward to take the blows.

It turns out he was also looking forward to this day.

"That doesn't sound like something I would say?"

Ye Lingchuan asked himself a question in a low voice, then nodded.

"Indeed."

"Becoming stronger is merely a means to avoid being devoured by the Immortal Burial Coffin."

Whether we win or lose, it doesn't really matter.

He paused, then lowered his eyes.

"That's how it should be."

"But every time I lose, I feel extremely resentful."

"I want to win. I really want to win."

He changed me.

"Many people have changed you," Zhao Lingyun looked at him and corrected him, "But he is undoubtedly the one who changed you the most."

The others nodded in agreement.

Ye Lingchuan did not deny it.

After a moment of silence, Yan Wujin, who hadn't spoken until now, suddenly spoke:

Will You Win??

Gone was his usual arrogance, gone was his usual boasting.

I just asked very seriously.

Because he genuinely believes he can win.

"The Three-Character Heaven and Earth Law —I wonder if I, clad in the Black Spirit Robe, can win?"

One cannot win against the Heaven and Earth Law.

But his son—the Golden Crow —also possessed the Heaven and Earth Law.

He entered the Dao with the Golden Crow Blood, and in battle, the Golden Crow entwines around him, and his Heaven-and-Earth Dharma Body in fire.

It's equivalent to combining one's own Heaven and Earth Law with the Golden Crow's Heaven and Earth Dharma Manifestation.

Dual Heaven and Earth Law.

They are far beyond the reach of ordinary people.

But Qin Wangchuan, that monster...

"I am the strongest now."

"If we can't even win this, then forget about the future."

"We will win."

Chu Wujiu, who had been sitting there the whole time, finally spoke.

He stood up and turned his gaze away from the direction of the Qin Clan.

A breeze blew in at just the right moment, ruffling his stray hairs.

What everyone saw was Chu Wujiu's arrogant smile, which was almost blinding.

"He attends to many things, while we focus on only one."

"Even if he were to follow the path of invincibility, he would still inevitably be defeated if many people joined together."

"But that's not because we're too strong, or he's too weak—it's because there are more of us."

"We lost, but we will become stronger."

"He lost, but he will become stronger."

"Therefore, this might be your only chance to defeat him."

Chu Wujiu paused, his smile fading slightly.

"To be honest, I really don't want him to lose."

"But he has helped us a lot; without him, we wouldn't be where we are today," Li Xuan interjected at the opportune moment.

"So, we should see him off, shouldn't we?"

"Certainly."

Chu Wujiu nodded emphatically and casually raised his hands.

One hand on top, one hand on the bottom, fingertips touching, gazing at each other across the distance.

Like an invisible spire.

"We started here."

The left hand falls.

"Qin Wangchuan is here."

The right hand is placed on top of the left hand.

"But we're up here now."

The left hand moves upward, over the other hand, and stops on top.

"Qin Wangchuan will be here."

The hand above fell down and stopped below.

He stared intently at those hands.

"But Qin Wangchuan will come up again later."

The lower hand rises again, over the one above.

"We'll be down there again."

The hand above fell down.

"Then come up again."

His hand rose again.

"Go any further."

Fall.

"Come up."

Lift it up.

"Go down."

Fall.

The two hands moved up and down, up and down, constantly alternating, faster and faster.

In the end, it became impossible to tell who was on top and who was on the bottom.

Only the trajectory of continuous climbing and surpassing flows between the fingertips.

"Doesn't it look like two mountains?"

"One is him, and the other is us."

"Once we take the lead, he will catch up."

Chu Wujiu stopped what he was doing, staring intently at the hand.

"But what I fear is, if we fall behind again—will we be able to catch up again?"