There Is a Conspiracy

Qianshan Huo exited the Dream God Realm, feeling dazed and disoriented. His mind was filled with the Six Paths Divine Fist demonstrated by Lin Huang. The more he contemplated it, the more terrifying he found it to be. He desperately tried to commit it to memory, but it gradually blurred. It was only after three months that he finally jolted awake, sighing as he realized he could only comprehend it to this extent.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw his master, Mortal World Blade King, standing guard by his side.

"Master." Qianshan Huo immediately moved to rise.

"No rush. I saw you fall into an epiphany; it seems you have gained much from this preliminary tournament." Mortal World Blade King looked pleased and satisfied.

Qianshan Huo nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Master, have you ever heard of a peerless genius who, in just two days, could reinterpret the Blade Slashing the Six Paths and create an even more profound fist technique?"

Mortal World Blade King laughed dismissively and said with confidence, "How is that possible?! It took me a full century to reach minor success with my Blade Slashing the Six Paths, and another two sixty-year cycles to truly master it. Even for you, after twenty years of practice, you have only grasped eighty percent of its essence."

Qianshan Huo gave a bitter smile. "Master, I have met such a person."

Mortal World Blade King was stunned and flatly denied it. "Impossible!"

Qianshan Huo remained silent. Having witnessed Lin Huang's demonstration firsthand, he knew that while Lin Huang's Six Paths Divine Fist had more variations and was incredibly profound—bearing no apparent relation to the artistic conception of the Blade Slashing the Six Paths—his intuition told him that Lin Huang's technique was indeed a brand-new evolution derived from the Blade Slashing the Six Paths.

"Otherwise, why would he trade a blade for six fists just to demonstrate the technique to me?" Qianshan Huo sighed, feeling somewhat dispirited.

Observing his disciple's expression, Mortal World Blade King immediately realized that Qianshan Huo was not lying. His own face changed drastically as he took three steps back. Thoughts raced through his mind, and he still couldn't bring himself to believe it. "Unless the person you encountered possesses the comprehension of a Saint, or is fundamentally an existence who has already attained the Saint Realm."

"How old is this person?" As soon as he asked, Mortal World Blade King knew he had asked a foolish question. To be able to participate in the First Martial Arts Tournament, the person naturally had to be young, under thirty years of age.

Thinking of this, Mortal World Blade King's expression turned extremely grim.

At the Zhongnan Dojo, Ice-Sealed Sword Saint wore a dark expression as he looked at Saint Liehuo. "Is that Lin Huang still hiding in Daqian Prefecture, refusing to leave?"

Saint Liehuo nodded, his own expression equally grim.

"Damn it. If it weren't for the Three Holy Mothers... Forget it. Have Elder Huo Lie return. It seems this Lin Huang has made up his mind to seek shelter under the Three Holy Mothers," Ice-Sealed Sword Saint said with a wave of his hand.

Saint Liehuo pondered for a moment. "Better to let Huo Lie keep watch outside Daqian Prefecture. It is better to be safe than sorry. I refuse to believe this Lin Huang can truly hide in Daqian Prefecture for his entire life."

"If we cannot kill him, we must at least cripple him."

"Hiding in Daqian Prefecture may save his life, but it will also sever all his opportunities."

Ice-Sealed Sword Saint nodded, agreeing with Saint Liehuo's words. "Indeed, ginger gets spicier with age. Elder Liehuo, let us proceed as you suggested. It will just be hard work for you and Elder Huo Lie."

"No one can live comfortably after provoking our Zhongnan Dojo," Saint Liehuo sneered, his gaze shifting toward the void.

Ice-Sealed Sword Saint drew his sword, the sword energy surging and freezing the world for ten thousand miles. "Who is there?!"

"It's me. It's me." Hong Ying shivered, frost forming on his eyebrows and hair. The lollipop he was biting into shattered with a crisp crack, making him look utterly ridiculous.

"What are you here for?" Ice-Sealed Sword Saint sheathed his sword, his face showing displeasure.

"So cold, so cold." Hong Ying swallowed the lollipop, his cheeks puffed out like a frog's. He scurried over to Saint Liehuo's side to warm up before speaking. "I have a good thing for you. Do you want to hear it? If not, I'm leaving. A hint: it's about Lin Huang."

Ice-Sealed Sword Saint looked at Hong Ying with extreme disgust, but at the mention of Lin Huang, he suppressed his loathing, sat up straight, and said, "Speak."

Hong Ying took out another lollipop, licked it, and said, "You think you've trapped Lin Huang in Daqian Prefecture and cut off his opportunities, but you surely don't realize that you haven't trapped him at all. He is currently thriving; I fear it won't be long before he truly stands at the pinnacle of this age and becomes a real Saint."

"That's impossible! Just relying on those three women from the Three Holy Mothers?!"

Saint Liehuo simply did not believe it.

Hong Ying glanced at Saint Liehuo and said softly, "Don't forget the Dream God Realm."

The words struck like a bolt of lightning. Ice-Sealed Sword Saint stood up abruptly. "Bad, I had forgotten about the Dream God Realm."

"I have already locked onto a target," Hong Ying said, spreading his hands.

"I received news from the Mortal World Blade King. His disciple encountered a peerless genius. The first battle was unremarkable, and he was on the losing end, but in just two days, he grasped the Mortal World Blade King's ultimate technique and simultaneously created a peerless fist technique, slaughtering his way through the ranks and leaving the disciple in awe."

"There's more. The Daqian Prefecture Lord's mansion was attacked two days ago. Although it was kept secret, I know it was a young man who challenged Prefecture Lord Chen twice and escaped unscathed. He was praised by Prefecture Lord Chen as a supreme genius."

"Therefore, I have concluded that Lin Huang was not trapped by you at all. Instead, he participated in the First Martial Arts Tournament, learning from ten thousand paths and gaining much."

Hong Ying's deduction was meticulous and flawless. Ice-Sealed Sword Saint immediately confirmed that this must be the truth.

"Good brat. He really has no shame. A dignified Saint actually going to participate in a tournament for juniors," Ice-Sealed Sword Saint said, laughing in his fury, then let out a cold snort.

"Don't forget, he only turns twenty-six after the new year," Hong Ying added softly, causing everyone to fall silent.

"He must be killed, or he will become a grave threat," Saint Liehuo said.

Ice-Sealed Sword Saint nodded silently. Anyone could say that, but how to kill him?

"With the protection of the Three Holy Mothers, he hides in Daqian Prefecture; who can kill him? If we don't kill him, are we just going to watch him step by step complete his foundation and truly stand in the Saint Realm?"

Ice-Sealed Sword Saint felt a headache coming on. He looked at Hong Ying, knowing that since he had come to find him, he must already have an idea.

"It's simple. If he wants to steal techniques at the First Martial Arts Tournament, then find people to beat him to death. Let him fail at stealing and get ganged up on instead." Hong Ying crunched his lollipop, offering his suggestion.

"Hehe. Imagine an existence who has attained the Saint Realm being defeated by a group of juniors who are only at the peak of the Marquis Realm. Perhaps his spirit will be shattered directly." Hong Ying's words made the two Saints begin to think.

"It won't work. No matter how weak Lin Huang is, he is still a Saint. With his shamelessness, he will surely use his realm to suppress them. Even a supreme genius wouldn't be his match."

"Do you think a genius with the guts to challenge a Saint wouldn't have a soul-protecting divine artifact? Or an artifact to resist realm suppression?" Hong Ying smiled smugly.

"Look, if he were a true Saint, he would naturally sweep everything away; no one would last a single round. After all, true Saints like us have the Six Paths in One and have survived the three tribulations without any flaws."

"But Lin Huang is just an alternative Saint. His Six Paths in One is incomplete. As long as one can block his soul attacks and resist his realm suppression, even if he can still suppress his opponents, his Six Paths in One is far too lacking. Do you think Lin Huang might become the first Saint in history to be bullied to death by a junior at the Marquis Realm?"

"Perhaps this title of 'Disgrace of the Saints' will have to be given to him."

Hong Ying grew more excited as he spoke. Seeing that Ice-Sealed Sword Saint was tempted, he quickly added, "I've already told my little Yi Zi. Your disciple Hao Renjie can be included too. I'll go spread the news further; I'm sure many geniuses will be itching for a chance."

The Ice-Sealed Sword Saint clapped his hands, his expression twisted. "Not enough. If we're going to do this, we do it thoroughly. Only by shattering Lin Huang's dao heart can I vent the hatred in my heart."

"I recall that there are many geniuses in this generation across the myriad worlds who claim to have swept through their own realms. Surely, they would be very interested in challenging for a holy seat."

Hong Ying was startled, not expecting the Ice-Sealed Sword Saint to be even more ruthless, actually preparing to bring in peerless geniuses from outside the realm to snipe Lin Huang.

"That shouldn't be possible. After all, this is the First Martial Arts Tournament of our Human Realm. How could those geniuses from outside the realm participate?"

"Nothing is impossible." The Ice-Sealed Sword Saint sneered. "If our seeded players are defeated, someone will always have to step up to take their place."

Hong Ying nodded, understanding what the Ice-Sealed Sword Saint meant, and said, "You handle the Arbitration Bureau then; I won't be getting involved in that."

"Rest assured. There won't be any problems." The Ice-Sealed Sword Saint's face was expressionless as he clenched his fists. "That bunch of opportunists saw that the Divine Ancestor didn't kill Lin Huang and assumed he had some grand backing, actually acknowledging a piece of trash who hasn't even achieved Six Paths in One as a saint. It's simply absurd."

"This time, I want to see if they'll blush when the Lin Huang they think has such backing is beaten like a dog by a group of juniors."

"Furthermore, I need your Hong Clan to help me propose to the Arbitration Bureau that the champion's reward be changed from the Earth Calamity Scripture to the Salvation Sutra. We'll attack from both sides. Even if those geniuses can't stop Lin Huang, we must lure him out of Daqian Prefecture. I believe that with the Salvation Sutra as bait, Lin Huang will surely be unable to resist coming to White Jade Capital to participate in the finals."

With that decision made, a shocking piece of news soon began to spread secretly, passed from mouth to mouth among the peerless geniuses of the myriad worlds.