Xuanwu War Sovereign

Harboring ulterior motives, the two of them burst out laughing almost simultaneously, their smiles full of malice.

"I never would have thought... I believed I was the first to find the Ninth Palace, but it seems you’ve been hiding your strength all along, Brother Qin. You must have secretly found this place ages ago. If I hadn’t stumbled upon you, I imagine the position of Elder for this All Stars Academy trial would have been yours for the taking!"

"What? The Ninth Palace is here?" Qin Feng’s expression was calm, as if he had everything under control, but inwardly he was screaming.

A dusty gray hall appeared in the corner of his vision. It had been hidden within a glacier, but the crisscrossing Sword Qi from Qin Feng’s battle with Zhao Mingcheng had shattered the ice, revealing the hidden structure only several hundred feet from the ice cave below.

Qin Feng’s eye twitched. He never imagined he would stumble upon the final palace of the Snowfield Trial by complete accident.

It was a classic case of finding something when you weren’t even looking for it. A pleasant surprise!

Seeing the poorly concealed surprise in Qin Feng’s eyes, Xiao Yuchan’s expression soured.

’He’s just putting on an act!’

’He obviously found the Ninth Palace a long time ago, yet he’s pretending he knows nothing and acting all surprised!’

’That scheming bastard!’ Xiao Yuchan cursed internally.

"Qin Feng, we’ve come this far. There’s no need for either of us to pretend anymore. I’ll be frank with you: I am determined to win the position of Elder of the All Stars Academy, and no one will stand in my way! You’d best know your place and not force my hand!" Xiao Yuchan’s smile slowly faded, replaced by a cold hardness in his voice.

At the same time, several figures appeared behind Xiao Yuchan. There were seven or eight of them, and not a single one was weaker than the Late Stage of Martial Arts Eighth Layer Heaven.

"Trying to bully me with numbers?" A cold smirk touched Qin Feng’s lips. With blood still damp in his hair, his face held a devilish charm.

Xiao Yuchan heard the sarcasm in Qin Feng’s tone and gave a faint smile. "Qin Feng, we are enemies now. This isn’t a duel!"

Qin Feng shook his head and pointed a finger at the figures behind Xiao Yuchan, scoffing, "With just them?"

The faces of the youths behind Xiao Yuchan instantly darkened, furious at Qin Feng’s disdainful tone.

Standing proudly with his hands clasped behind him, Xiao Yuchan waved to stop the furious youths. He looked completely assured, as if victory was already in his hands.

"Qin Feng, I know you’re strong. You defeated Liu Canyang, so you have every right to be proud!"

"Everyone says Liu Canyang is the strongest among us. They’re all wrong. And so are you. Terribly wrong. In my eyes, Liu Canyang is nothing!"

"I could kill him as easily as crushing an ant!"

With his hands clasped behind his back, Xiao Yuchan was the picture of elegance and composure. He had a natural, imposing air, and his gaze was distant and cold, like that of a King.

Completely ignoring Qin Feng’s look of surprise, Xiao Yuchan spoke with feigned sincerity. "Qin Feng, I truly admire your aptitude. To have come this far from being a complete nobody shows that both your talent and your temperament are far beyond the average person’s. I’ll give you one last chance: submit to me. Follow me, and I guarantee you a place not only in the All Stars Academy, but in the Star Sect itself!"

Xiao Yuchan’s gaze made Qin Feng feel estranged and uncomfortable, as if he were some beggar who needed to immediately latch onto a powerful patron to make something of himself, lest he remain a beggar for the rest of his life.

"And what if I say no, Xiao Yuchan?" A sharp glint entered Qin Feng’s eyes as his hand came to rest on the hilt of his Ancient Sword.

"If you’re so incapable of recognizing when to back down, then I’ll have to show you my true strength!" Xiao Yuchan turned his head slightly, a chilling glint in his eyes.

Qin Feng looked away. ’His act is so over the top it’s making me sick. Where does he get this confidence?’

"Young Master Xiao, you are far too important to get your own hands dirty. It would be giving him too much credit. Since this Qin Feng insists on doing things the hard way, just leave him to us. Let us teach him a lesson first!" A youth in gray robes stepped forward from the group, a vicious expression on his face.

Back in the Refining Spirit Hall, this same youth had been hunted by Qin Feng until he had nowhere left to run. He had only managed to save his own skin by pledging his allegiance to Xiao Yuchan.

Over the past month, the youth had received a number of advanced Martial Arts Secret Techniques from Xiao Yuchan and felt his cultivation had improved by leaps and bounds. Unable to restrain himself, he immediately jumped forward.

"Very well. Qian Kai, with the Secret Techniques I’ve given you, your strength is far beyond what it once was. However, you must be careful of that Divine Ability of his!"

"But you needn’t worry too much. I’ve observed it; his Divine Ability has significant tells. As long as you coordinate well, he won’t be able to touch you!" Xiao Yuchan instructed the gray-robed youth, Qian Kai, right in front of Qin Feng, completely disregarding him.

Qin Feng sneered, but thought to himself, ’What in the world happened to Xiao Yuchan? What’s the source of all this confidence?’

’According to the information from Du Pingxia, Xiao Yuchan has rarely made a move since entering the Snowfield. He’s only acted once, but that one time was earth-shattering. He defeated a top-tier genius at the Late Stage of Martial Arts Eighth Layer Heaven in a single move! That’s how he became known as one of the Five Great War Gods!’

"Rest assured, Young Master Xiao! Nurtured by your Secret Techniques, we’re on a completely different level now. Capturing an arrogant brat who’s only at the Martial Arts Eighth Layer Early Stage like Qin Feng will be child’s play!"

Qian Kai smiled smugly. At the same time, seven other figures stepped out from behind Xiao Yuchan and formed a line, their eyes fixed on Qin Feng with cold sneers, like predators watching their prey.

"Ignorant ants." Qin Feng repeated a line from Zhao Mingcheng, not even bothering to look at them as he extended one hand.

In an instant, the expressions on Qian Kai and the other seven froze. The next moment, a look of absolute terror filled their eyes.

CRACKLE! CRACKLE!

Wisps of frigid air rose from their bodies as they were frozen solid like popsicles, toppling over, ramrod straight, and crashing to the ground.

THUD! THUD! THUD! 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

The bodies hit the ice one after another, the impacts echoing with loud thuds!

"What is this?" The proud expression on Xiao Yuchan’s face stiffened.

An instant kill!

Qian Kai, who had just been so full of confidence and acting like a completely new man, was instantly killed!

And not just him—eight experts at the Late Stage of Martial Arts Eighth Layer Heaven were killed in a single instant!

"What kind of Barbaric Beast ability did Qin Feng refine? Wasn’t it Water Element before? How is it Ice Element now?" Xiao Yuchan was stunned.

Clearly, Qin Feng’s strength was far greater now than it had been back in the Refining Spirit Hall.

He had underestimated Qin Feng!

"A bunch of buffoons. How dare such small fries provoke me!" Qin Feng retracted his outstretched hand. Ever since he obtained the Cold Soul Spirit Spring and established his Blue Sea and Heaven...

...the Innate Origin Rune of his Innate Divine Power of Ocean Control had been stimulated by a High-Grade Spiritual Object like the Cold Soul Spirit Spring. It seemed to have completed a portion of its Innate Rune, advancing to a Second Order Divine Power.

As a Second Order Innate Divine Power, Ocean Control’s range had doubled, and it also came with a new ability.

Frost Ice Solidification! It could freeze the water vapor within his range into solid ice.

Qin Feng had just used it to freeze the Qi and Blood in the bodies of Qian Kai and his seven cohorts all at once, turning them into popsicles!