A Conspiracy

Qianshan Huo left the Dream God Realm in a daze, his mind filled with Lin Huang's demonstration of the Six Paths Divine Fist. The more he pondered it, the more terrifying it seemed. He tried desperately to commit it to memory, but it gradually grew hazy. Only after three months did he suddenly come to, sighing as he realized he could comprehend no further.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw his master, the Mortal World Blade King, keeping watch by his side.

"Master." Qianshan Huo immediately tried to get up.

"Take your time. I saw you fall into a state of sudden enlightenment. It seems you gained a great deal from this preliminary tournament." The Mortal World Blade King beamed with satisfaction.

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

The Mortal World Blade King let out an incredulous laugh. "How could that be possible?! It took me a full century to achieve a minor mastery of Blade Slashing the Six Paths, and another two sixty-year cycles to master it completely. Even you, after twenty years of practice, have grasped only eighty percent of its essence."

Qianshan Huo smiled bitterly. "Master, I met someone like that."

The Mortal World Blade King froze, then flatly denied it. "Impossible!"

Qianshan Huo said nothing. He had witnessed Lin Huang's demonstration with his own eyes. Lin Huang's Six Paths Divine Fist had far more variations and was broader and more profound; its artistic conception seemed to have nothing to do with Blade Slashing the Six Paths. Yet Qianshan Huo's instincts told him that Lin Huang's Six Paths Divine Fist had indeed evolved from Blade Slashing the Six Paths, reinterpreted as an entirely new fist technique.

"Otherwise, why would he trade one slash for six fists and demonstrate the technique to me?" Qianshan Huo sighed, his spirits flagging.

Reading his expression, the Mortal World Blade King immediately knew he was telling the truth. His own expression changed drastically, and he staggered back three steps. His thoughts churning, he still couldn't bring himself to believe it. "Unless the person you encountered has the comprehension of a Saint, or is already someone who has attained Saint Rank."

"How old was he?" The moment he asked, the Mortal World Blade King knew it was a foolish question. Anyone eligible to enter the First Martial Arts Tournament had to be young—under thirty.

Realizing this, the Mortal World Blade King's expression turned dreadful.

At Zhongnan Dojo, the Ice-Sealed Sword Saint looked grimly at Saint Liehuo. "Is Lin Huang still hiding in Daqian Prefecture?"

Saint Liehuo nodded, looking just as displeased.

"Damn it. If not for the Three Holy Mothers... Forget it. Tell Elder Huo Lie to come back. It seems Lin Huang is determined to shelter under the Three Holy Mothers." The Ice-Sealed Sword Saint waved a hand.

Saint Liehuo pondered for a moment. "We should leave Huo Lie guarding the outskirts of Daqian Prefecture. Better safe than sorry. I refuse to believe Lin Huang can hide in Daqian Prefecture for the rest of his life."

"If we can't kill him, we'll cripple him."

"He can escape death by hiding in Daqian Prefecture, but he'll have cut himself off from every opportunity."

The Ice-Sealed Sword Saint nodded in agreement. "As they say, the older the ginger, the spicier it is. Elder Liehuo, we'll do as you suggest. But I'm afraid you and Elder Huo Lie will have to work hard."

"No one can provoke Zhongnan Dojo and still live comfortably." Saint Liehuo gave a cold laugh, then turned his gaze toward the empty air.

The Ice-Sealed Sword Saint drew his sword. Sword Qi surged in every direction, freezing ten thousand miles. "Who's there?!"

"It's me. It's me." Hong Ying shuddered. Frost covered his eyebrows and hair, and the lollipop in his mouth cracked apart with a sharp snap, making him look utterly ridiculous.

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

"So cold, so cold." Hong Ying swallowed the lollipop whole, his cheeks puffing up like a frog's. He darted over to Saint Liehuo, where it was a little warmer, before speaking. "I've got good news for you. Want to hear it? If not, I'm leaving. Here's a hint: it's about Lin Huang."

The Ice-Sealed Sword Saint shot Hong Ying a look of utter loathing. But at the mention of Lin Huang, he immediately swallowed his distaste, sat up straight, and said, "Speak."

Hong Ying pulled out another lollipop and licked it before saying, "You think you've trapped Lin Huang in Daqian Prefecture and cut off his opportunities. But you have no idea that you haven't trapped him at all. He's thriving now, and it probably won't be long before he stands tall in this age and truly becomes a Saint."

"That's impossible! Because of those three bitches—the Three Holy Mothers?!"

Saint Liehuo refused to believe it.

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

His words jolted them awake. The Ice-Sealed Sword Saint shot to his feet. "Damn, I forgot about the Dream God Realm."

"I've already identified a likely candidate." Hong Ying spread his hands and began to explain.

"The Mortal World Blade King heard that his disciple encountered a peerless genius. In their first fight, the genius was ordinary and fell behind. But in just two days, he comprehended the Mortal World Blade King's supreme technique, then reinvented it into a peerless fist technique and slaughtered his way through the opposition, leaving the Blade King's disciple able only to look up to him."

"Also, the Prefecture Lord of Daqian Prefecture was attacked outside his manor two days ago. They kept it under wraps, but I know the attacker was a young man. He challenged Prefecture Lord Chen twice and left unscathed. Prefecture Lord Chen called him an unparalleled genius."

"So here's my conclusion: not only have you failed to trap Lin Huang, he also entered the First Martial Arts Tournament, learned from the myriad paths, and gained a great deal."

Hong Ying's deductions were airtight, without a single flaw. The Ice-Sealed Sword Saint immediately concluded that this had to be the truth.

"Good lad. He really has no shame. A dignified Saint actually went to compete in a tournament for juniors." The Ice-Sealed Sword Saint laughed in fury and scoffed.

"Don't forget, he'll only be twenty-six after the New Year." Hong Ying's quiet remark silenced everyone at once.

"We have to kill him. Otherwise, he'll become a grave threat," Saint Liehuo said.

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

"With the Three Holy Mothers protecting him, who can kill him while he's hiding in Daqian Prefecture? If we don't kill him, are we supposed to watch as he gradually fills in the gaps in his foundation and truly stands at Saint Rank?"

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

"Simple. He wants to steal lessons at the First Martial Arts Tournament, so find people to beat him to death. Let him try to learn and end up getting dogpiled instead." Hong Ying crunched his lollipop and offered his suggestion.

"Heh heh. Just imagine a being who has attained Saint Rank, beaten by a bunch of juniors who haven't even reached Upper-Stage Marquis-Sealing. He might even have his will shattered outright." Hong Ying's words set the two men thinking.

"That won't work. No matter how weak Lin Huang is, he's still at Saint Rank. With his shamelessness, he'll just use his superior realm to crush them. Even an unparalleled genius couldn't beat him that way."

"Do you think a genius bold enough to challenge someone at Saint Rank would go without a soul artifact to protect them? Or an artifact capable of resisting suppression by a higher realm?" Hong Ying grinned triumphantly.

"Look. A true Saint would sweep all before them and have no equal, because a true Saint like us has perfected all Six Paths in One and all Three Tribulations, without a single flaw."

"But Lin Huang attained Saint Rank by an unorthodox path. His Six Paths in One are incomplete. As long as they can block his soul attacks and resist the suppression of his realm, he may still be able to suppress his opponents—but his own Six Paths in One are far too lacking. Do you think Lin Huang could become the first Saint in history to be slaughtered by juniors at Marquis-Sealing?"

"Looks like I'll have to hand him my title of 'Shame of the Saints.'"

The more Hong Ying spoke, the more excited he became. Seeing the Ice-Sealed Sword Saint beginning to waver, he hurriedly added, "I've already told my little Yi Zi. Your disciple Hao Renjie can join in too. I'll spread the word further. I'm sure plenty of geniuses will be itching to take part."

The Ice-Sealed Sword Saint slapped his hand down, his expression twisted. "Not enough. If we're doing this, we'll do it thoroughly. We have to shatter Lin Huang's Dao Heart outright—that's the only way to soothe my hatred."

"I remember that this generation in the Myriad Worlds has plenty of geniuses who claim to sweep an entire world. I'm sure they'd be very interested in challenging someone at Saint Rank."

Hong Ying was taken aback. He hadn't expected the Ice-Sealed Sword Saint to be even more ruthless, going so far as to bring in peerless geniuses from beyond their world to ambush Lin Huang.

"That can't be right. This is, after all, the Human Realm's First Martial Arts Tournament. How could geniuses from other worlds take part?"

"Nothing's impossible." The Ice-Sealed Sword Saint sneered. "If one of our seeded contestants is defeated, someone has to take their place."

Hong Ying nodded, understanding what the Ice-Sealed Sword Saint meant. "Then you handle the Arbitration Bureau. I'm not getting involved."

"Don't worry. It'll be fine." The Ice-Sealed Sword Saint clenched his fist, his face expressionless. "Those turncoats saw that the Divine Ancestor didn't kill Lin Huang and decided he must have powerful backing. They even acknowledged a half-baked Six Paths in One failure as a Saint. What a joke."

"This time, I want to see if they'll blush when the Lin Huang they think has powerful backing gets torn apart by a bunch of juniors."

"And that's not all. I want your Hong Clan to help me propose at the Arbitration Bureau that we replace the Earth Calamity Scripture with the Salvation Sutra as the champion's prize. We'll hit him from both sides. Even if those geniuses can't stop Lin Huang, we can still draw him out of Daqian Prefecture. With the Salvation Sutra as bait, I'm sure he won't be able to resist coming to White Jade Capital for the finals."

The decision was made. Before long, astonishing news began circulating in secret among the peerless geniuses of the Myriad Worlds.