Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

"Good! Very good! I’d like to see just what profound martial technique you learned in the Scripture Pavilion!" Qin Huayang’s handsome face twisted grotesquely.

Lin Hao had toyed with him time and again, and he had reached the end of his rope.

"Come on!" Lin Hao struck a pose and beckoned to Qin Huayang with his finger.

The onlookers’ eyes widened.

They realized Lin Hao’s stance was just an ordinary opening form, riddled with openings from head to toe.

"You have no one to blame but yourself for seeking death!" Before Qin Huayang’s words had even faded, he took a step forward.

Fast!

A seemingly simple step, yet it was blindingly fast.

Lin Hao didn’t even have time to react before he was sent flying.

"One move? Hahaha! For someone with such a sharp tongue, his skills are pathetic. He couldn’t even take a single blow." A Celestial Dui Peak disciple laughed, feeling a sense of vindication.

Lin Hao’s taunts had made many disciples eager to see how he would perform, but the current scene left them utterly speechless.

The disciples who had ranked in the top ten of last year’s sect competition had hoped Lin Hao could withstand a few more moves, allowing them to gauge Qin Huayang’s true capabilities. But who would have thought Lin Hao would be so pathetically weak?

"Trash!" a disciple finally spat with contempt.

And yet, on the stage, Qin Huayang’s face showed no sign of excitement.

’Lin Hao... he’s not to be underestimated.’

Only he knew the truth: he hadn’t been the one to send Lin Hao flying.

His Body Technique was fast, but Lin Hao’s was shockingly no slower. He hadn’t just neutralized the attack; he had completely evaded his movement.

This was something Qin Huayang found impossible to believe.

He had studied the Heaven-Stepping Step and derived his own Body Technique from it. It was this very technique that had allowed him to work miracles during the sect competition.

It was safe to say speed was his greatest asset.

But now, Lin Hao’s speed was not the least bit inferior to his own. This put Qin Huayang under pressure.

Lin Hao was sent flying backward, and he stumbled back several more steps before steadying himself. He patted his chest, a look of lingering fear on his face.

Although his reaction was exaggerated, Lin Hao had to admit he was impressed with Qin Huayang.

’His speed is incredible.’

’If I hadn’t studied the Heaven-Stepping Step and had to rely only on my old Ghostly Divine Step,’ Lin Hao admitted to himself, ’I would be no match for Qin Huayang’s speed.’

In a duel between Martial Artists, a hair’s breadth can be the difference between life and death.

And speed is what creates that crucial difference.

Aside from the Elemental Realm Martial Artists, no one present had seen clearly what happened. They all assumed Qin Huayang had landed a blow on Lin Hao.

This just went to show how fast the two of them were.

Seeing Lin Hao still on his feet, the spectating disciples all wore looks of surprise.

The fact that Lin Hao could take a blow from Qin Huayang and not fall was far beyond their expectations.

"Just look at his face. Senior Brother Qin has already scared him witless. His defeat is only a matter of time."

"Exactly. Senior Brother Qin is probably doing this on purpose, just to toy with him."

Disciples from Celestial Dui Peak murmured amongst the crowd.

In their minds, Lin Hao and Qin Huayang weren’t even in the same league. There was simply no comparison between the two.

"Hey, what just happened?" a disciple cried out in alarm.

He had been staring at the two on the stage without so much as a blink, yet he suddenly realized their positions had swapped.

Qin Huayang raised a hand with a cold sneer. In it, he held a torn piece of a sleeve.

Meanwhile, one of Lin Hao’s shoulders was bare. The sleeve clearly belonged to him.

"Lin Hao, if I hadn’t held back, that arm of yours would be crippled by now!" Qin Huayang jeered.

"So fast!" someone exclaimed. They hadn’t even blinked, yet they failed to see Qin Huayang’s movements. Such speed was terrifying.

"Haha, see? I told you! Senior Brother Qin is definitely toying with Lin Hao. He tore off a sleeve this time; next, it’ll probably be a pant leg. It won’t be long before Senior Brother Qin has stripped him bare!"

Seeing this, some disciples were even more excited than if they themselves were on stage.

But in the next moment, the smile froze on his face.

"Drop."

Lin Hao uttered a single word. And then, the entire lower half of Qin Huayang’s robes fell to the ground.

"What?!"

Even some of the eight Peak Masters cried out in shock.

They, of course, had seen the two exchange positions. They had originally thought Lin Hao had merely nicked a piece of Qin Huayang’s robes, but they never imagined he had taken the entire lower half.

’If even we couldn’t see his movements clearly, just how terrifying is his speed?!’

"If I hadn’t held back, do you think you’d still be standing here talking?!" Lin Hao retorted coldly.

Qin Huayang’s eyes flew wide, his face ashen.

"Impossible! This is impossible! I derived my Body Technique from the Heaven-Stepping Step. My technique is the pinnacle of what can be achieved! How could you possibly be faster than me?!"

Qin Huayang simply could not accept this reality.

He hadn’t felt a thing as Lin Hao sliced through his robes. Lin Hao’s speed was beyond his comprehension. For him, this was the most devastating blow of all.

’From my perspective,’ Lin Hao thought, ’neither of us has even grasped the basics of the Heaven-Stepping Step. For Qin Huayang to claim his technique is the pinnacle of the art... he’s like a frog in a well.’

Lin Hao shook his head at the thought. He realized he had overestimated Qin Huayang.

The crowd fell deathly silent, unable to believe what they were seeing.

It was common knowledge in the Heaven-Stepping Sect that Qin Huayang won his battles with speed. It wasn’t for a lack of trying; many had studied his Body Technique, but all had failed in dejection.

And now, Lin Hao had actually defeated Qin Huayang at his own game—speed. It was simply unbelievable.

The disciples who had initially favored Qin Huayang were all silent now.

"Sigh, Qin Huayang is such a disappointment. That top-ten ranking of his is clearly a sham."

"Seriously, it’s all inflated. If my father were a Peak Master, maybe I could’ve made the top ten too."

Sarcastic murmurs began to spread.

Hearing these comments, Qin Huayang finally snapped.

"Lin Hao, I’m going to kill you!"

"Bring it on! You think I’m afraid of you?!"

Lin Hao and Qin Huayang crashed into each other.

Their movements were so fast that the crowd could only hear the sound of fists and feet connecting, unable to make out their figures at all.

Lin Hao, at the Sixth Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm, was clashing head-on with Qin Huayang at the Seventh Layer. He held no advantage whatsoever.

However, when the motion ceased, Lin Hao stood tall and proud. Qin Huayang, beaten beyond recognition by Lin Hao, lay crumpled on the ground like a dead dog.

"Now that’s more like it." Looking at Qin Huayang’s face, which was swollen like a pig’s head, Lin Hao dusted off his hands and nodded in satisfaction.

The entire arena fell silent.

No one had expected Qin Huayang to be taken down so easily.

"Yang’Er!" Qin Tianlong roared, rushing toward the stage.

Wu Taichu’s figure blurred into motion, positioning himself to shield Lin Hao.

"Qin Tianlong, does Celestial Dui Peak have anyone else worth fighting? I haven’t had my fill yet." Lin Hao’s gaze was fiery as he stared down Qin Tianlong, utterly fearless.

Qin Tianlong glared back with rage.

"How about you and I have a go?" Lin Hao, brazen as ever, challenged Qin Tianlong directly.

Lin Hao had dared to challenge him even at the Third Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm. Now that he had reached the Sixth Layer, he feared him even less.

However, in the face of Lin Hao’s challenge, Qin Tianlong remained silent. He picked up Qin Huayang and vanished in a few quick leaps.

"What a buzzkill. Qin Tianlong, I gave you your chance! Since you won’t fight, don’t come bothering me again!" Lin Hao yelled in the direction Qin Tianlong had disappeared.

Then he shook his head and stretched lazily.

"Master, I’m still half-asleep. I’m going to go take another nap."

Lin Hao gave Wu Taichu a lazy salute, swayed onto the iron chain bridge, and vanished from sight shortly after. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Gu Qingyang, the Peak Master of Celestial Qian Peak, opened his eyes. He glanced in the direction Lin Hao had gone, then toward where Qin Tianlong had disappeared, before his expression returned to one of drowsiness.

But if one were to look closely, they would have seen a strange smile touch the corners of his lips.

Alchemy Master Shan Dan’s disciple had returned from War Dragon City long ago. The news they brought back had shocked the Alchemy Master, prompting him to personally seek out Wu Taichu to once again discuss a partnership.

Wu Taichu had apprehensively relayed the conditions Lin Hao had laid out, but to his surprise, Alchemy Master Shan Dan agreed immediately after only a moment’s thought.

And that wasn’t all. He immediately declared that he would also be staying at the Heaven-Stepping Sect for the time being to assist with Alchemy.

That had been two days ago. By now, the Pill Masters from the Danling Sect had already arrived.

Today, Alchemy Master Shan Dan had come specifically to watch Lin Hao’s bout. Although he had anticipated the final outcome, he still hadn’t expected Lin Hao to win with such ease.

Now that the match was over, he too had to hurry to Pill Cloud Hall.

As for Wu Taichu, he had been accompanying Lin Hao in the Scripture Pavilion for the past two days. Feeling it was only proper, he went with Alchemy Master Shan Dan to Pill Cloud Hall as well.

After everyone had departed from the stage, Gu Qingyang remained seated calmly in the pavilion.

He sat there for a whole day.

When night fell, Gu Qingyang rose and flitted away. His destination, surprisingly, was Celestial Dui Peak.

Celestial Dui Peak had hundreds of disciples, but Gu Qingyang moved as if through an empty land, arriving at a courtyard with practiced ease.

Then, he swaggered right through the door.

Clearly, this was not his first time here.

"Get the hell out—Gu..." This was Qin Tianlong’s residence. When he saw the visitor was Gu Qingyang, he scrambled to his feet, his expression becoming exceedingly respectful.

Gu Qingyang, however, grasped Qin Tianlong’s hand. "Brother Qin, I hope you don’t mind that I’ve come uninvited?"

"I couldn’t be more pleased. Brother Gu, please, have a seat."

"Brother Qin, I assume you have an answer to my proposal today," Gu Qingyang said as he sat down, getting straight to the point.

Qin Tianlong’s expression shifted several times before he gritted his teeth and nodded.

"Hahaha! Brother Qin, from now on, we’re family!" Gu Qingyang roared with laughter.

"Brother Gu, I can forgo the position of Sect Leader of the Heaven-Stepping Sect, but Lin Hao must die!" Qin Tianlong said with seething hatred.

Gu Qingyang nodded.

"Now that things have come to this, surely you can tell me your true identity, Brother Gu."

A cryptic smile played on Gu Qingyang’s lips as he dipped a finger in his tea and traced a single character on the table.

Staring at the character, Qin Tianlong’s face paled, his eyes filled with utter shock.

Gu Qingyang’s true identity was completely beyond his expectations.

"Mr. Gu... Mr. Gu, you’ve kept me in the dark for so long! If you had told me earlier, the Heaven-Stepping Sect would have been yours for the taking long ago."

Gu Qingyang shook his head. "The time wasn’t right then, but it is now. In the end, I suppose I have Lin Hao to thank. He has moved my plans forward."

"Lin Hao," Qin Tianlong snarled, "it won’t be long before you’re kneeling before me, begging for forgiveness!"

Meanwhile, in the room of the very same Lin Hao whom Qin Tianlong hated to the bone, an uninvited guest had arrived.