Xuanwu War Sovereign

The waterfall thundered. Under a sea of astonished gazes, Qin Feng leaped into the frigid river.

The Snowfield was intensely cold. If not for the river’s great width and turbulent currents, it would have frozen over long ago.

Even so, the extreme cold was more than an ordinary Martial Artist could withstand.

"What is he doing?" On the bank, all eyes were fixed on Qin Feng in astonishment.

"Is he cultivating? It looks like he plans to use the terrifying cold of the glacial river to force out his potential and break through!"

"What? He has the nerve to be cultivating at a time like this? Instead of figuring out how to get through the Ninefold Ice and Snow Celestial Pass, he’s just sitting here cultivating. Has he got his priorities backward?"

"Has he given up? Is that why he’s just decided to cultivate here?" A murmur of discussion rose from the riverbank, and many began to look at Qin Feng with disdain.

"He hasn’t given up. This is what’s so brilliant about Qin Feng. He offended Liu Qinghe earlier. If he rushes out rashly, Liu Qinghe will definitely attack him. But now, he’s using the unique conditions here to cultivate without any interruptions. If he breaks through, his strength is sure to grow. It won’t be too late to face the pass then. It’s a classic case of sharpening the axe before chopping the wood!" A short, gloomy youth with a strange expression watched Qin Feng, having seen right through his plan.

After speaking, the short, gloomy youth shook his head. "A pity. He’s only at the Peak of Martial Arts Fourth Layer Heaven. Even if he breaks through to the Martial Arts Fifth Layer Heaven, it’ll be too little, too late. He won’t be able to change his fate! This is all just a pointless struggle."

"Let’s get moving. Instead of wasting time here, we should be thinking about how to get through the Ninefold Celestial Pass. Someone has probably already cleared the second pass by now!"

The short youth transformed into a streak of light and charged into the waterfall. Twenty breaths later, to the envy of all those left behind, he shot into the Holy Spring Palace.

At the same time, the remaining students charged into the waterfall one after another.

Half a day later, the once-bustling valley floor was empty save for Qin Feng. All the other students had successfully cleared the first pass.

"Good. At least there are no reckless Demon Fiends causing trouble this year." High in the sky, several figures watched as the young students shot past the Holy Spring Palace like a tempest and charged toward the Ice River Palace. They couldn’t help but nod in approval.

Some of the stronger ones had already cleared the second palace and were now rushing toward the third, the Heavenly Zither Palace.

Their momentum was unstoppable.

Their performance was dazzling to behold.

The few at the very front would be considered top-tier even among the students of previous years.

"What is that kid doing? He’s the only one who hasn’t cleared the first pass!" Frowning, Jiang Fei’s sharp gaze pierced through the air, studying the black-robed youth seated cross-legged in the bone-chilling river below.

The others exchanged glances, equally perplexed.

"Is there something fishy about that kid? Why else would he be too scared to enter the Refining Heart Waterfall?" A trace of doubt flickered in his eyes. The lazy young man’s languid gaze instantly turned sharp, like a dozing tiger baring its fangs. A sliver of cold energy shot forth, and the churning Evil Qi in his eyes was enough to make one’s blood run cold.

The scruffy middle-aged man glanced at the youth, his brow furrowed. "Junior Brother Le Ming, your Evil Qi is too overpowering! You need to focus on cultivating your temperament! If you continue like this, you’ll run into trouble sooner or later."

He then glanced at the black-robed youth sitting cross-legged by the river. "My Hundred Poison Demon Slaying Sword doesn’t sense any Demonic Qi on him. The boy has nothing to do with Demon Fiends."

Hearing this, the others relaxed. If the scruffy middle-aged man said it wasn’t so, then it certainly wasn’t.

The Hundred Poison Demon Slaying Sword in the scruffy middle-aged man’s hand had been forged by quenching it in the blood of countless Demon Fiends. It was a Spiritual Divine Weapon that would slay any fiend it encountered. Its ability to sense Demon Fiends was so powerful that none could ever hope to escape its notice.

Not even a member of the Demon King Clan.

The scruffy middle-aged man glanced down, a hint of surprise in his eyes. He then said lightly, "It seems the boy simply wants to cultivate here. He’s currently at the Peak of Martial Arts Fourth Layer Heaven and is practicing a rather miraculous Cultivation Technique. He’s on the verge of a breakthrough, so he’s using this place for secluded Cultivation. He’s a clever one!"

The others’ expressions shifted, their eyes drawn back to the black-robed youth. A Cultivation Technique that could earn praise from the scruffy middle-aged man was clearly nothing ordinary.

The red-clothed woman, who had been silent until now, fixed her limpid eyes on the black-robed youth bobbing at the river’s edge. "Senior Brother Jiu Qing, is that boy cultivating *that* particular technique?"

"Indeed. To think that after all these years, someone is once again cultivating that Foundation Establishment Technique." Jiu Qing casually raised his gourd to his lips. GULP, GULP. He closed his eyes, his black hair whipping in the wind, exuding a subtle but oppressive aura.

"Innate Primordial Qi!" The Silver Knight and the lazy youth exchanged a look, their eyes meeting as a flicker of recollection passed through both of them.

Innate Primordial Qi. One of the very best Martial Arts Foundation Establishment Techniques. A technique with thirteen layers. It had left a deep impression on all of them.

"That person from all those years ago... he cultivated Innate Primordial Qi as well," Le Ming muttered to himself.

"This kid has some nerve, daring to cultivate *Innate Primordial Qi*," Jiang Fei said, a cold glint in his eyes. "Though it’s hailed as the greatest of all energies and the supreme foundation, a top-tier Martial Arts Foundation Establishment Technique, it’s also the most difficult one to master."

"Consider this: even with the aptitude of *that person* back then, he only managed to reach the Twelfth Layer before he was forced to switch to a different Martial Arts Foundation Establishment Technique!"

At the mention of "that person," a complex mix of emotions flashed through their eyes simultaneously: surprise, admiration, respect, fear... and hatred.

The atmosphere nearly froze solid. As their gazes fell upon the black-robed youth in the river, their expressions took on a distinct chill.

The revulsion was as sudden as it was bone-deep.

Just then, several streaks of light descended from the horizon, revealing a group of handsome men and beautiful women. They wore Sun, Moon, and Stars Robes and Brocade Crowns of Mountains and Rivers, their sleeves fluttering gracefully.

"Senior Brothers, Senior Sister! We’ve come to see the show! How’s this year’s trial for All Stars Academy going?" a cheerful voice called out from the distance.

Their attention was immediately diverted. Watching the figures soar through the air toward them, Le Ming chuckled. "So, Junior Brother Zong Wuxiang is here. You’ve come at the perfect time. This year’s batch has quite a few promising talents. Someone has already made it to the fourth pass!"

A group of men and women in Sun, Moon, and Stars Robes landed gracefully. Their leader, a handsome youth wearing a Feather Crown, blinked in surprise. "So fast!" he exclaimed. "It hasn’t even been half a day, and someone’s already reached the Fourth Palace? That’s nearly halfway through the Nine Palaces. What incredible talent!"

The experts’ gazes fell upon the few figures who were advancing with unstoppable momentum, their eyes filled with admiration. One of them called out, "Senior Brother Zong, didn’t you learn the Formless Water Mirror Divine Power from the venerable Elder Shuijing? And didn’t Elder Shuijing claim there’s no place in heaven or on earth his Formless Water Mirror Divine Power can’t observe? Quick, use it! Let’s watch the action live!"

"Damn it, you know full well what happened! The last time I used my Formless Water Mirror Divine Power to peek at Senior Sister Ji bathing, she shattered it from miles away!"

...

Qin Feng stood in the icy river, the cold energy around him condensing to the point where faint wisps of ice began to form on his body.

Within his meridians, his Innate Primordial Qi began to circulate on its own as if stimulated. It transformed into a great tide, surging through his channels like a rushing river to instinctively resist the encroaching cold.

One wave, two waves!

RUMBLE! The flow of Innate Primordial Qi, at first a trickle, swelled into a mighty river. As the third wave approached, Qin Feng gathered all his strength. But in that instant, a searing pain shot through his meridians, as if they were being ground to dust inch by inch.

Qin Feng’s chest heaved. He took a sharp breath and quickly reined in his Innate Primordial Qi, halting the assault.

’Don’t rush, don’t rush. I can’t get impatient and damage my meridians. I have plenty of time. The most important thing is to control the pace of my Cultivation and achieve a stable victory. I have to use the stimulus of this cold to break through the limit of the three tidal waves before that important day arrives!’

’Let’s see... there are still a few days until that momentous day. I have enough time to break through the three-wave tide realm before then. I don’t need to rush. I’ll let the others get ahead for now. Once I seize that destined opportunity, it won’t be impossible for me to surpass them all!’

Qin Feng’s eyes were calm as he took a deep breath, silently steeling his resolve.

A fiery glint appeared in Qin Feng’s eyes. ’If I can gain an advantage on that crucial day, maybe... just maybe, I can ascend to the Innate realm in a single step.’

*(I see a lot of you voted and even donated today. I’ll release an extra Chapter tomorrow! ~)*