The tremors in the secret realm have ceased, and the sect has returned to a state of apparent calm.
A jade slip, unnoticed by anyone, quietly entered Qin Yu's Spiritual Sense.
"Come to the Ancestral Palace Terrace."
The signature consisted of only one character: Zong.
That person was the only one in the entire Thousand Realms Sect who could write this name without needing to use the full title.
--Sect Master of the Thousand Realms Sect, father of Qian Ruishan.
At dawn, the clouds shone brightly on the myriad peaks.
Qin Yu stood alone atop the mountain behind the sect, facing a forbidden area accessible only to the sect leader and core inheritors— the Ancestral Palace Terrace.
The steps stretched for nine hundred and ninety-nine layers, shrouded in mist. With each step, a boundary mark would appear beneath one's feet, seemingly verifying the visitor's fortune, temperament, Dao soul, and destiny.
Without hesitation, Qin Yu silently took the first step.
--Buzz!
The first boundary seal trembled slightly, like a gentle spring breeze.
The second, the third... until the nine hundredth step, all the boundary seals voluntarily moved aside, as if unwilling to obstruct him and be impolite.
Qin Yu did not stop walking until he reached the top step, where a person was already standing with his hands behind his back.
His hair was as black as ink, his Daoist robe was simple, but his back view was like a mountain at the top of the world, without waves, yet people dared not approach him even an inch.
He was none other than Qian Xuancang, the Thousand Realms Sect leader of the Qian Ruishan and the father of Qian Xuancang.
Realm Lord Realm, Fifth Order Perfection: Divine Soul Unbound, Qi Flows Freely Within the Realm.
At that moment, the world seemed to freeze because of him alone.
⸻
"You've come." He didn't turn around, his words were simply low and indifferent.
"Disciple Qin Yu greets Sect Master." Qin Yu bowed slightly in greeting.
Qian Xuancang did not turn around, only saying, "You don't need to kneel, you are not beneath me."
"If our Thousand Realms Sect truly produces someone capable of wielding 'that pearl'... they should be established, not suppressed."
As the words fell, Qin Yu's eyes widened slightly.
He knew.
But he did not specify the name "Boundless Tribulation Heart Pearl," nor did he demand or seize it; he simply asked softly in the clouds:
"Have you sensed the true source of calamity beneath the Abyss?"
Qin Yu remained silent for a moment, then finally nodded. "I've sensed it."
"Very good." Qian Xuancang slowly turned around for the first time.
His appearance was not old, but rather extremely young, with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, and a complexion as white as jade. Yet, his eyes held countless phenomena of wind and thunder, like a young world emperor who had entered a period of silence.
"The Boundless Tribulation Heart Pearl belonged to any sect. Now that you have obtained it, it is bound to you."
"But I called you here not to ask you to take it, but rather—"
He looked up at the sky, his voice turning somber.
"This is to remind you that you have embarked on Bugui."
⸻
"Do you know that from the moment you shattered that one layer of rule, your destiny no longer resides within the Thousand Realms Sect?"
Above the Realm Lord Realm is the Silent Source Realm.
That layer... its rules cannot be broken.
Qian Xuancang's gaze was like a blade, "And you... you've broken."
Qin Yu remained silent.
Qian Xuancang did not press further, but instead uttered the second sentence in silence:
"You and my daughter, in the end... are both going against the 'established order of Heaven'."
Qin Yu's eyes widened slightly, but he did not reply.
He knew Qian Ruishan was extremely strong, but he never knew she was also...
--"Defying the will of Heaven".
But the sect leader smiled faintly at this moment:
"But it's alright."
"This world has not had a new order for far too long."
He stepped forward slowly and gently slipped something into Qin Yu's sleeve:
It is a sealed light blue jade token with a half-abyss seal pattern in the center.
"If you truly decide to take that step, think it through carefully before coming to the Thirteen Terraces Beneath the Abyss."
"At that time... it won't be you seeing me, but me drawing my sword for you."
⸻
Ancestral Palace Terrace is intensifying.
Qian Xuancang left with his hands behind his back, leaving only his silhouette blending into the clouds and mist on the horizon.
Qin Yu stood in the center of the stage, slowly lowering his eyes.
He had already put the pale blue jade token in his hand into his sleeve, and deep within his sea of consciousness, the Boundless Tribulation Heart Pearl seemed to tremble slightly...
It's not a shock, it's a response.
It echoes the departed figure, the powerful Realm Master who stood above countless people but never truly submitted to the "Heavenly Dao".
At this moment, Qin Yu whispered:
I know... I won't turn back.
The Ancestral Palace Terrace had subsided, and the figure of Sect Master Qian Xuancang had long since disappeared into the clouds. Qin Yu stood alone on it for a long time until the cloud platform formation rippled slightly, and a familiar figure slowly walked out from the mist.
Clad in a white-patterned Qingyi, with the Nine Realms Command Ring hanging at his waist, his sword unsheathed, his spirit was naturally subdued.
--Qian Ruishan.
"Congratulations."
She approached, her gaze as clear as the frost of early spring, and spoke softly, yet with a hint of complex emotion hidden beneath her words.
"You have become the true champion of this secret realm trial."
Qin Yu replied casually, "You found out too?"
"I am the sect leader's daughter. If I don't even know this, wouldn't I be wasting my status?" She raised the corner of her lips slightly, her tone calm but containing a hint of sharpness.
"The Boundless Tribulation Heart Pearl is now yours."
"The sect has no objections; you are the rightful owner."
She changed the subject, looked towards the distant main peak, and suddenly smiled:
Do you know your current ranking on the Soul Stele?
Qin Yu was slightly taken aback. "It's changed?"
Qian Ruishan gently raised her hand, and a boundary decree, as smooth as a mirror, spun lightly at her fingertips. In the light and shadow, a giant stele phantom appeared—it was the Soul Stele of the Sect's Heaven Ranking Master.
Amidst the shimmering golden light, a newly engraved line of characters suddenly appeared:
8th Place: Qin Yu, True Soul Realm Initial Stage, 7175 Realm Merit Points
"You weren't even in the top ten before, but now you've jumped straight to eighth." Qian Ruishan put away her Realm Token and smiled faintly. "You're less than ten Realm Merit Points away from seventh- Hua Yin."
Keep going, and you will surpass them one by one.
Her words, though soft, sounded like a public declaration.
Qin Yu is no longer someone who can be underestimated.
⸻
She turned to leave, but then stopped and said without turning her head:
"Since my father has spoken to you, you'd better understand one thing—from now on, many people will be watching you."
Those who truly stand above the boundaries of power will never let you off the hook just because you're weak, nor will they respect you just because you're strong.
"If one day you feel that the sect is no longer safe, remember to come find me."
Qin Yu raised an eyebrow and asked in a low voice:
Which side will you be on?
This time, Qian Ruishan finally turned back.
Under the sunlight, her cold and stunning face gained an unfathomable serenity. She left only four words:
"By your side."
The wind rises, and the shadows scatter.
And on the Soul Stele, Qin Yu's name can no longer be ignored.
At the same moment, on the east side of the main peak of the Thousand Realms Sect—at the Spirit Ranking Heavenly Stairs —dozens of disciples were practicing their daily cultivation by observing the stele.
Here is a "Soul Stele Projection Mirror" that projects the real-time ranking changes of the main Soul Stele onto the mountain wall for disciples to refer to, observe, and compare.
Suddenly, the mirror's surface shone brightly, and a clear sound, like the ringing of a sword, echoed forth—
"The Soul Stele has been updated; the eighth position has changed."
Everyone was startled and looked up.
On the mirror surface, the eighth line of gold text slowly transformed from "blank" to:
8th Place: Qin Yu, True Soul Realm Initial Stage, 7175 Realm Merit Points
"Who? Qin Yu??"
"Wait... Qin Yu, who just entered the inner sect not long ago? He wasn't even in the top ten yet, was he?"
"7175 Realm Merit Points? Are you crazy? Last time he wasn't even in the top 100, how come... he's already in eighth place?"
"Wait, is he Qin Yu, the one who went in during this 'Heavenly Chasm Formation Trial'?"
For a moment, all the disciples were shocked. From those who were observing the monument to passersby, everyone was shaken by the sudden renewal of the Soul Stele.
In particular, the expressions of some True Soul Realm disciples ranked between 30th and 50th changed slightly.
"I worked hard for two years to accumulate 4,000 Realm Merit Points, and he only got 7,000 in one Secret Realm run?"
"More than that, if Zhang Hao hadn't 'disappeared,' shouldn't he have been in first place?"
"Even someone of Zhang Hao's level couldn't come back, but this guy... what exactly did he get?"
A cacophony of gasps of surprise, whispers, and self-questioning filled the air, yet no one could find the answer.
All that is known is that at this moment, a name that was not previously valued has been engraved on the Soul Stele, standing alongside geniuses such as Qian Ruishan and Ming Ye.
⸻
In a corner of the side hall, a black-clad inner disciple stared at the name "Qin Yu" in the light and shadow, his face extremely gloomy.
"The sect... actually allowed him to make the list?"
He turned and left, taking out a communication crystal and whispering coldly:
"The plan has changed. Immediately notify 'over there' to move the target to the inner tier of the Soul Stele Ranking ahead of schedule... Yes, Qin Yu."
The light and shadow faded, and the wind rose beneath the Soul Stele.
And this wind has only just begun to blow.