The Imperial Martial Pill Venerable

Silence. Utter silence.

Within the ruined palace, the only sound was the whistling of wind and sand.

The disciples from Purple Cloud Heavenly Mountain stared at the white-robed youth before them, a trace of disbelief flashing in their eyes. A Martial Artist of the same Realm had been killed with a single finger.

This young man’s combat prowess was far more terrifying than it appeared.

"Damn it! Go to hell!" The other Purple Cloud Disciple’s pupils constricted at the sight. True Essence surged as he raised his longsword, which flared with a dazzling Sword Light. He abruptly slashed at Qin Ya, the strike carrying a scorching heat.

This slash was actually imbued with a trace of the Fire’s Great Trend.

A cruel glint appeared in the disciple’s eyes. He could almost see Qin Ya’s blood splattering, could almost hear his wails for mercy. This strike was launched with his full power, enhanced by a Martial Skill; not even a Celestial Essence Realm Martial Artist would dare to face it directly.

But Qin Ya merely raised his eyes, his gaze as placid as if devoid of all emotion. That look of utter indifference sent a sudden jolt of panic through the Purple Cloud Disciple’s heart. The longsword in his hand couldn’t help but accelerate. "Die!"

A slender finger, as fair as jade, lifted and then streaked across the air like a shooting star.

The Purple Cloud Disciple’s vision blurred. A sharp pain lanced through his neck as blood sprayed forth. His last thought in this world was... ’What a fast finger strike!’

A strike just as blindingly fast, with the same shocking result.

The white-robed young man before them seemed like a god or a demon. Amidst his indifferent expression was a harsh coldness, and an aura as forbidding as the dead of winter slowly emanated from him.

A chill shot up from the soles of their feet, straight to the tops of their heads.

"Such a fast strike! How can he be that fast?"

"Impossible. He’s only at the Earth Element Realm."

The crowd looked at Qin Ya, all traces of contempt gone. Just two strikes had been enough to teach them that the young man before them was no ant to be crushed at will, but a ferocious beast powerful enough to devour them whole.

"Pathetically weak," Qin Ya said indifferently.

The strength of these two Purple Cloud Disciples was, at best, on par with the average prodigies of the Imperial Capital. They were still a far cry from the likes of Su Chang and Nangong Xinzhi.

Besides, Qin Ya had entered a two-month seclusion before entering Hidden Dragon Valley. During that time, he had improved not only his Cultivation but also his comprehension of the Great Trends.

In the first ten days of those two months, Qin Ya practiced his spear at least ten thousand times a day.

His speed steadily increased. From the tenth day onward, he practiced over a hundred thousand times daily. By the end of the first month, Qin Ya had gained a preliminary grasp of the Speed Trend and was able to barely execute the fourth form of the Solitary Yang Spear Technique... Star-Shattering.

By the forty-fifth day, his comprehension of the Speed Trend had deepened, and he was practicing at least two hundred thousand times daily. By the time his seclusion ended, Qin Ya’s understanding of the Speed Trend was verging on Minor Achievement, and his speed had long since surpassed the limits of the Earth Element Realm.

Comprehending the Speed Trend gave Qin Ya an all-around boost to his combat prowess: the speed of his Body Technique, his attack speed, his reaction time, and more.

It was precisely this comprehension of the Speed Trend that allowed Qin Ya to achieve the terrifying feat of easily killing two Martial Artists at Earth Element Realm Perfection with just two fingers.

The reason for Qin Ya’s terrifying improvement in just two short months, aside from consuming various Elixirs, was primarily the Ink Jade Divine Marrow he had obtained from Ku Mountain.

The substance was truly worthy of being compared to Ninth-Grade Marvels; its effects were extraordinary.

"I can’t believe we underestimated you. You were playing possum. But this is as far as you go." Brother Murong put the Sound-Breaking Bell in his hand into his Storage Ring and sneered, "Now, accept your death!"

With a flash, his figure moved, and a palm strike blasted toward Qin Ya!

Surging True Essence roiled, and a pale yellow Palm Seal materialized from thin air. Its immense power, as heavy as a mountain, bore down on Qin Ya.

"Overlapping Waves Palm—Wind Surge!"

In response, Qin Ya unleashed the Overlapping Waves Palm, a technique he hadn’t used in a long time!

Enhanced by both the Speed Trend and the Wind’s Great Trend, Qin Ya elevated the originally Profound-Level Upper Class Martial Skill to a power comparable to an Earth-Level Martial Skill.

Overlapping palm shadows fanned out like a torrential downpour, continuously neutralizing the power of the pale yellow Palm Seal. Finally, the downpour ceased, and the Palm Seal was destroyed.

"Hmph. Just as I thought, a country bumpkin who’s never seen the world. You’re actually using a Profound-Level Martial Skill. How utterly disgraceful," Brother Murong said with contempt.

Hearing this, Qin Ya retorted with a cold sneer, "And yet a Profound-Level Martial Skill was enough to neutralize your Palm Technique. Who, exactly, is the disgraceful one here?"

"You bastard!" Brother Murong’s face darkened. He shot out another palm strike, this one several times more powerful than the last. "That was merely a tenth of my true strength. Now, let’s see you block this!"

"How ignorant."

Qin Ya gave a cold laugh. He raised a single hand, and his True Essence surged. A frigid energy poured out, and the surrounding temperature plummeted as if it were the dead of winter.

"Heavenly Cold Earth Freeze!" Qin Ya’s comprehension of the Frost Great Trend had already reached Great Success. With the added boost from his Cold Flame True Essence, the power he now unleashed with this top-tier Earth-Level Palm Technique was in a league of its own.

It was as if Qin Ya’s palm held the very essence of winter. He thrust it forward, unleashing the might of heaven and earth. Brother Murong’s Palm Seal was frozen solid, inch by inch. CRACK! CRACKLE! The sound of shattering glass echoed through the air.

The Palm Seal disintegrated, exploding into a sky full of Frost!

The Frost blasted back toward Brother Murong of Purple Cloud Heavenly Mountain. His pupils constricted. Executing a Body Technique, he instantly shot back several dozen yards.

The other disciples behind him were not so fortunate. They tried to retreat the moment the Frost swept toward them, but they were nowhere near as fast as Brother Murong. Some had their legs frozen solid, others their arms, and one was turned into a complete ice sculpture.

"Brother Murong, save me! I’ll give you all my Sect Points!"

"Hurry and save me, Brother Murong!"

"Ah... ah, Brother... Murong, you can’t just leave us!"

Staring at his frozen comrades, Brother Murong’s face turned ashen. His gaze, now fixed on Qin Ya, was filled with venomous hatred. As a Celestial Essence Realm Martial Artist, his insight was sharp enough to know the truth: the frigid energy had already invaded his junior brothers’ bodies, severely damaging their meridians. Even if they could be saved, they would be completely bereft of fighting strength.

In this Secret Realm, those without any fighting strength were nothing but lambs to the slaughter. They were of no use to him. At this thought, a cold, indifferent light flashed in Brother Murong’s eyes. ’What’s the point in saving someone who’s useless?’

Seeing Brother Murong make no move, the eyes of the frozen Purple Cloud Heavenly Mountain disciples filled with panic. "Brother, save me!"

"Brother Murong, what are you doing? Hurry up and save us!"

...

But no matter how they cried out, Murong Hai remained completely unmoved.

Despair began to set in, and they started screaming curses at Murong Hai.

"Murong Hai, you despicable bastard!"

"You watch your own sect brothers die and do nothing! You’ll die a dog’s death for this!"

Watching this scene of betrayal among sect members, Qin Ya’s expression remained utterly indifferent. "Truly a heartless bastard, that Murong Hai," he commented.