Upon hearing this, a surge of uncontrollable excitement flickered deep within Qin Tian's eyes.
Any request?
It struck at the very core of Qin Tian's heart.
Three years had passed.
He had always wanted to know what had caused the downfall of Northern Yan and who was responsible for it.
The grievances of his father, the Queen Mother, and all the subjects of Homeland—who were they to be avenged upon?
These questions had troubled Qin Tian for three long years.
They had remained hidden in the depths of his heart.
No one could pry them open.
"First..."
Qin Tian slowly savored these two words, a glimmer of determination flashing in his eyes.
No matter what, he would strive with all his might for this first opportunity.
The vengeance of Homeland could not be overlooked!
Beside him, no one noticed the change in Qin Tian.
Dressed in a snow-white robe, Gong Xueyi's beautiful eyes flickered, as if she had seen something.
The competition officially began.
Over three hundred Inner Sect Disciples stood in unison on the Arena.
Each one was a true genius.
Each had stepped over countless bodies to reach the pinnacle.
The Xuan Yang Sword Sect had tens of thousands of Outer Sect Disciples, yet there were only three hundred Inner Sect Disciples.
This alone spoke volumes!
Even the elders and Heavenly Pride from the other two Sects looked at the more than three hundred with genuine envy.
This was a force that could not be ignored.
"Hey? That person looks familiar."
From the direction of Lingxu Daozong, a Black-Clad Youth suddenly changed color.
"Purple Mountain, what’s wrong?"
The elder looked at the Black-Clad Youth in confusion.
"My brother Sun Zixiao, before he died, transmitted a soul message, and the figure that appeared was him!"
The gaze of the Black-Clad Youth pierced through the crowd, locking onto Qin Tian from several paces away.
The elder followed his line of sight and also spotted Qin Tian.
"Sun Zixiao really did die at his hands?"
His rough palm tightened into a fist, producing a creaking sound.
The elder's breathing grew heavier.
"It wasn't just Sun Zixiao; even Meng Chuan and the disciples who went out to search for the Treasure all perished at his hands."
The Black-Clad Youth's eyes turned even colder.
"Heh, the Ziyang Immortal Sect has suffered similarly. That day, at least several hundred disciples went out, and not a single one returned."
The elder chuckled lightly as he glanced toward the Ziyang Immortal Sect's seats.
The Ziyang Immortal Sect had naturally also noticed Qin Tian.
That day, in the shocking battle, they had lost many disciples as well.
Among them was a genius at the Seventh Layer of Meridian Opening.
"Heh, I’m curious to see if this fellow truly has what it takes to enter the top three and face me!"
The Black-Clad Youth smiled wickedly and spoke.
"It seems that this year, we can't just take one head! If he enters the Nine-Man Battle, we must eliminate him directly!"
Leaning heavily against the Grandmaster Chair, the elder from Lingxu Daozong sneered in disdain.
"As you wish."
The Black-Clad Youth replied defiantly.
...
Qin Tian felt a sudden flutter in his heart.
Powerful cultivators have an instinctive awareness of danger.
His Double Pupil appeared unnoticed, and he looked towards the direction of Lingxu Daozong and Ziyang Immortal Sect.
There, indeed, several people were secretly watching him.
"I've been discovered after all!"
Qin Tian forced a bitter smile, straightening his posture even more.
His fists suddenly clenched tightly.
Back then, when he had just broken through, he had encountered a heavy siege.
If it weren't for the acceptance of the Martial God Inheritance, he would have been utterly defeated that day.
Truly, he would have regretted it on the spot.
Given another chance, he would still take action.
However, he would be much more cautious this time, leaving no room for regret.
"Enter the secret realm!"
At the elder's command, a spatial rift appeared at one end of the Arena.
Upon closer inspection, several figures could be seen on the Elder Seat, surrounded by flames that scorched the heavens.
Clearly, opening this spatial rift required a significant cost.
"Each person will receive a token that can be freely seized. After one hour, the top one hundred sixty will advance."
Elder Zhao spoke, and someone began distributing tokens to each disciple.
"Junior Brother, let's team up later. As long as nothing unexpected happens, we can definitely advance together."
Gao Jian leaned against Qin Tian in a rather sly manner.
"Alright!"
Qin Tian nodded. Teaming up in such a secret realm was certainly much better than going solo.
Whoosh!
Figures rushed toward the secret realm, disappearing into the rifts in space.
"Fifth Junior Brother, I hope you don't fall at the first hurdle!"
Du Ziheng smirked as he brushed past Qin Tian, not looking back as he stepped into the rift.
Qin Tian didn’t respond, but his fists suddenly clenched tightly.
"Stay alive!"
Gong Xueyi, dressed in white like snow, seemed to be speaking to Qin Tian, or perhaps to herself.
She stepped directly into the rift.
"Let's go, Junior Brother."
Gao Jian didn’t think too much and pulled Qin Tian along as they left this place together.
"Brother Tian, good luck! Lian Miaoyi, good luck!"
Qin Tian didn’t see that thousands of spectators in the stands were watching intently, with Shen Tianming and the Yan family sitting together, eagerly focused on the arena.
"Who is Lian Miaoyi?"
Yan Qiqi licked her lips shyly as she glanced at Shen Tianming.
"Cough, cough, she is..."
Shen Tianming lowered his head, his entire face turning red.
Ling Miaoyi walked into the spatial rift with the crowd, and just as she was about to step in, she caught sight of Shen Tianming.
However, upon seeing Yan Qiqi beside him, she clearly froze for a moment. Then, she stomped her foot and disappeared in a huff.
...
Towering trees stood tall.
The rugged mountains stretched endlessly.
Qin Tian and Gao Jian appeared in a remote area of the secret realm.
"Junior Brother, while ensuring that our tokens are not snatched away, we also need to grab as many tokens as possible. Only then can we guarantee that we won't be eliminated."
Gao Jian looked around furtively, afraid of being discovered.
"Okay!"
Qin Tian nodded and pulled Gao Jian toward a dense forest.
One hour!
Time was extremely precious.
The two of them walked forward, and there were no signs of people or even beasts around.
A moment later.
A loud explosion echoed from the side.
Gao Jian was startled, his plump body jumping up as he hid behind Qin Tian.
"Who is it?"
Gao Jian clutched Qin Tian tightly, peeking his head out to look in the direction of the sound.
"Junior Brother, we meet again. Tsk tsk..."
A figure slowly emerged from beside the mountain forest.
Du Ziheng.
"We are all Sky Peak Disciples; shouldn't we stand united?"
Qin Tian smiled slightly.
"Yes, we are all Sky Peak Disciples, so it's not appropriate to make a move. Therefore, come out!"
Du Ziheng chuckled lightly, standing with his arms crossed, motionless.
Then, from all around the forest, a dozen figures rushed out swiftly.
"Kid, we meet again!"
A figure walked down the narrow path.
Qin Tian looked up and instantly recognized the newcomer as Luo Tianxuan.
"Heh heh, a defeated foe, back for more punishment?"
Qin Tian shook his head lightly.
"I admit, I can't beat you. So what? Just take a look, who is this..."
Luo Tianxuan chuckled and subtly stepped aside.
A group of over ten people parted to create a path, and a figure emerged, carrying a large sword and walking slowly forward.
"Forty-Third Place, Di Feng, Xu Shi. Earth Peak, Xu Shi."
As this figure stepped out, Gao Jian behind him trembled all over.
"Oh. I don't know him!"
Qin Tian shook his head; he had only focused on the top nine in the rankings. He hadn't even looked at who the Tenth Place was, let alone Forty-Third Place, Di Feng, Xu Shi!
"Heh heh, you can only blame your ignorance."
Xu Shi lightly twisted his neck, producing a crisp crack before thrusting the large sword forcefully into the ground.
“Channeling Realm, Eight Heavens, not bad!”
Qin Tian looked the person up and down, instantly recognizing that this individual possessed the cultivation of Channeling Realm, Eight Heavens.
In the past, he truly would not have been able to defeat a strong opponent from Channeling Realm, Eight Heavens.
But now...
“Brother Stone, defeat him for me!”
Luo Tianxuan looked at Xu Shi with anticipation.
Xu Shi smiled lightly and extended a hand.
“Hand over the token obediently. Otherwise, neither of you will escape.”
Gao Jian gripped Qin Tian's hand, trembling slightly.
“Junior Brother, maybe we should just...”
A hand gently pressed down on his chubby hand.
“Don’t be afraid, I’m here!”
Qin Tian pushed Gao Jian aside and stood firmly in front of Xu Shi.
“How about this? You let your lackeys hand over all the tokens to me for safekeeping. At the end, I can reward you with a few. I’ll ensure you won’t be eliminated. This deal is quite advantageous, isn’t it?”
The gentle breeze and light clouds surrounded Qin Tian as he smiled faintly.
"Facing death, you still dare to speak such wild words. Tear him apart!"
Xu Shi commanded with a wave of his finger, and a dozen figures around him erupted in flames, charging toward Qin Tian.
Gao Jian was in a panic; these individuals were all at the Seventh Layer of Meridian Opening in their cultivation. Each one ranked within the top hundred, and dealing with one was already challenging, let alone so many. He knew he would be at a disadvantage.
Just as he reached out to pull Qin Tian's sleeve, a gentle force unexpectedly pushed him back a distance of ten feet.
"Junior Brother!"
Gao Jian struggled to break free from the force and rushed forward, only to find a figure standing in his way.
"I advise you to take care of yourself. Don't get dragged down with him. He is self-inflicted misfortune!"
Du Ziheng said coldly to Gao Jian.
"He is your junior brother, yet you help outsiders deal with him. Are you even human? I, Gao Jian, am ashamed to associate with you. From now on, we have no ties whatsoever. Get lost!"
Gao Jian, who usually smiled and acted lecherously toward others, was now furious, his body trembling with rage as an overwhelming power erupted from within him.
"For the sake of an outsider who has been with Sky Peak for less than a year, you dare to sever ties with me after so many years? Hmph, then don’t blame me for taking action against you!"
Du Ziheng turned around, his gaze as cold as a blade, directed at Gao Jian.
"Come on, who’s afraid of you!"
Gao Jian thrust his palm forward, unleashing a powerful force that surged with overwhelming fury, attacking the close-range Du Ziheng.
Du Ziheng was not one to back down either; a long sword was drawn from his waist, and he struck fiercely.
The sound of clashing echoed through the air.
A series of sharp explosions resonated in the forest at that moment.
Dozens of figures shot out violently, and in an instant, they were sent sprawling in all directions, each one propelled backward over ten feet.
Several towering trees crashed down with a thunderous roar.
What was happening?
Even Luo Tianxuan and Xu Shi, who were nearby, were stunned.
"If you had given me those ten tokens earlier, we wouldn’t have to go through this! Now, it’s your turn."
Standing still, Qin Tian held tightly onto the ten tokens, looking calmly at Xu Shi and Luo Tianxuan.
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