Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

The Imperial City Saint Institute. In a rest area for the disciples.

"Breaking news! Lin Hao’s back, but the two Martial Artists who were supposed to go with him have bailed!" someone cried, rushing in from outside, unable to hold it in.

"Why did those two Martial Artists back out?"

"Some disciple popped up out of nowhere with shocking news: the Mo Yun Kingdom possesses an evil cultivation technique that drains a Martial Artist’s vital essence and spirit."

"I know that evil technique, the Blood Transformation and Bone Refining Skill. Once that technique is used, not even the dead are spared. They’re sucked dry into withered corpses."

"Now this is going to be a good show. Come on, let’s go take a look. Let’s see how this Lin Hao is going to complete his assessment."

As the disciples chattered excitedly, they all surged outside together...

Meanwhile, in the courtyard designated for new disciples of the Saint Institute, Lin Hao had only just walked in.

One had to admit, the disciples of the Saint Institute were remarkably well-informed.

Of course, this was partly Lin Hao’s own doing.

He strolled casually, not walking quickly.

When Lin Hao entered the courtyard, everyone’s eyes instantly fixed on him.

Lin Hao’s calm gaze swept over them, but it made everyone afraid to meet his eyes. This included the disciple who had just been acting so arrogantly in front of Ling Xiao.

Lin Hao possessed an aura that, without any deliberate display, was enough to make all of them unwilling to challenge him.

"Senior Brother Lin..." Seeing Lin Hao’s return, Ling Xiao quickly told him everything that had happened.

Lin Hao nodded, a faint smile constantly on his face.

"You’ve both had a hard time." After listening to Ling Xiao, Lin Hao acknowledged him and Yang Peng.

Ling Xiao seemed fine, though he looked a little embarrassed.

Yang Peng, however, hurriedly bowed in response.

Everything he had was given to him by Lin Hao. To have failed at even a simple task like this... frankly, Yang Peng would have preferred it if Lin Hao had just beaten him up.

Lin Hao walked over and patted Yang Peng’s shoulder. Then he turned to the new disciples and asked calmly, "Are you all certain you don’t want to go to Jumo City?"

"Jumo City is too dangerous. We can train just as well by staying at the Saint Institute," the same Martial Artist who had argued with Ling Xiao earlier replied.

Facing Lin Hao, he had lost all of his earlier confidence. His tone even carried a hint of pleading.

Although Lin Hao hadn’t been at the Saint Institute for long, he had alarmed the old monsters on his very first night in the Imperial City. After that, he had carved a path of slaughter, and many disciples had heard of his fearsome reputation.

Furthermore, word of his battle in the Trial Forest during the Saint Institute’s entrance test had been spread by the other Martial Artists who were there.

Yesterday, he had faced a Saint Master without a trace of fear and had even defeated him.

Any one of these incidents was astonishing enough on its own.

Lin Hao wasn’t afraid of the four great families, the Saint Institute’s Saint Masters, or even the royal family. Compared to such powers, they were utterly insignificant.

If Lin Hao decided to make a move, a few of them might die, and that would be the end of it.

Therefore, this Martial Artist didn’t dare to act presumptuously in front of Lin Hao.

"My fellow disciple, I believe you’re mistaken," Lin Hao said politely to the Martial Artist. "Think about it. If you can get all the training you need at the Saint Institute, why does the Chen family send all its disciples into the army? And the Wenren family—as far as I know, all their disciples enter the army to train as well."

"Well..." At Lin Hao’s question, the disciple was instantly at a loss for words.

SMACK!

Standing behind them, Ling Xiao smacked himself hard on the head. ’I knew all of this, too! Why didn’t I think to bring it up just now?!’

"The human body is profound and unpredictable, its potential limitless. Only through life-and-death trials can one truly unlock that potential. My Heaven-Stepping Sect has a forbidden land called the Demon Suppression Cave. Even Cang Yan barely escaped with his life after entering, and he later ordered it to be sealed. A while ago, Ling Xiao entered the Demon Suppression Cave. Before he went in, his cultivation was merely at the Blood Coagulation Realm. When he emerged about two or three months later, his cultivation had reached the Sixth Layer of Elemental Realm."

Lin Hao’s calm narration made everyone’s eyes widen suddenly.

To soar from the Blood Coagulation Realm to the Sixth Layer of the Elemental Realm in just two or three months—it was simply a miracle!

At that moment, a single question burned in everyone’s mind: ’How did he do it?!’

This included the official disciples of the Saint Institute, who had also arrived outside the courtyard by now. They had originally come to watch Lin Hao make a fool of himself, but instead, they overheard this shocking news.

Many of them had cultivation levels exceeding the Sixth Layer of the Elemental Realm, but to go from the Blood Coagulation Realm to the Sixth Layer of the Elemental Realm in two or three months was not just something they couldn’t do—it was something they had never even heard of.

For a moment, everyone’s gaze shifted from Lin Hao to Ling Xiao.

Before Lin Hao had appeared at the Heaven-Stepping Sect, Ling Xiao was used to receiving such looks. Back then, they always made him feel gratified. But this time, Ling Xiao’s face flushed slightly, and he felt more embarrassed than anything.

However, he understood what Lin Hao wanted. After giving him an apologetic glance, he began to speak:

"The Demon Suppression Cave is fraught with danger. Once inside, your life hangs by a thread. I often teetered on the brink of life and death, but that’s what unlocked my potential. More importantly, Senior Brother Lin came in later, and we..."

At this point, Ling Xiao’s voice came to an abrupt halt, as he didn’t know how to continue.

"We encountered a powerful enemy inside—a remnant soul that had existed for tens of thousands of years," Lin Hao immediately interjected.

As soon as he said this, many people’s eyes lit up.

’A remnant soul tens of thousands of years old? Could this be a fortuitous encounter?’

For a Martial Artist, nothing was more exciting than a fortuitous encounter, because it often meant a meteoric rise in cultivation.

"It was the remnant soul of a quasi-emperor. He called himself the Ten Thousand Blood Demon Emperor!" Lin Hao declared.

BOOM!

His words shocked everyone.

A quasi-emperor’s legacy! Forget about them; even the top experts on this continent would be tempted.

"The remnant soul was extremely powerful and wanted to devour us, but in the end, he failed, and we survived. I obtained his Cultivation Technique," Lin Hao said nonchalantly.

These words stirred up a monstrous wave in everyone’s heart.

Although Lin Hao had summed it up in a single sentence, he had defeated a quasi-emperor’s remnant soul. ’Just how powerful is he?!’

More importantly, Lin Hao had actually obtained a quasi-emperor’s legacy. ’How astonishing is that!’

For Lin Hao to speak of such a matter so openly, without any concealment—’How incredibly confident he must be!’

"That Cultivation Technique and the Blood Transformation and Bone Refining Skill that appeared at Your Highness’ Mansion tonight share the same origin. If I’m not mistaken, there is another part of the Ten Thousand Blood Demon Emperor’s legacy in the Mo Yun Kingdom," Lin Hao said, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

BOOM!

A quasi-emperor’s legacy!

The Mo Yun Kingdom has a quasi-emperor’s legacy!

When Lin Hao said this, everyone forgot everything else. Their minds were filled with a single thought: a quasi-emperor’s legacy!

"Using a peerless Cultivation Technique as bait—what a clever move. We all know the Blood Transformation and Bone Refining Skill is an evil technique, so the quasi-emperor’s legacy must be evil as well. Such Evil Demons and heretics should be slain by all." Just as everyone was about to lose their minds, a voice rang out.

As soon as this voice was heard, the flames of greed in everyone’s hearts were instantly extinguished.

But Lin Hao just smiled and said, "Merely parroting others without any understanding. Who told you his legacy is an evil technique?"

As Lin Hao spoke, he suddenly attacked...

PS: I said I’d release a bonus Chapter for monthly passes, but I didn’t get a single one today. My face is swollen from the slap. Well, I finished a Chapter, so I might as well post it.