At the moment, Quinn Shepherd really did look like a sleepwalker—charging through the mountain in a dream, yet somehow aware enough to dodge obstacles and take in the scenery around him. What baffled Wayne Shen was that, even while sprinting, Quinn kept unleashing punches and kicks with ferocious force!
Every so often, he'd whip out his pig‑slaughtering knife and hack away as he ran.
"Quinn is so strong, yet even more diligent than the rest—he doesn't stop training, not even in his sleep. His talent may be lacking, but that kind of hard work is something I should learn from!"
Inspired, Wayne Shen hurried back to his quarters to train even harder.
But Quinn wasn't truly asleep—his state was different from sleepwalking. This was his unique cultivation method: the Overlord Three‑Core Art. When he trained, he would sprint at full tilt, increasing his cultivation speed, while his mind rested and his fists and kicks flowed purely from muscle memory.
For years in the Great Ruins, Quinn had relied on this method to make rapid progress. Only after arriving in the Everpeace Empire did he start following local customs and stop training this way.
After running for two hours, Quinn woke up feeling completely refreshed.
Just then, a familiar voice called out with a laugh, "Had enough rest?"
Quinn spun around and greeted, "Patriarch."
At this hour, there was no one else on the mountain. Even the libationers, Imperial Supervisors, and secretaries had gone off to rest. After two days of the Imperial Preceptor's teachings without sleep, they all needed a break.
The Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch smiled and asked, "What did you think of the Imperial Preceptor's lecture?"
Quinn marveled, "The Imperial Preceptor is like a god—doing what no one dares imagine, accomplishing what no one dares attempt. Truly unmatched."
The Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch began walking down the mountain. "How did you fare with the sword techniques he taught?"
"I wouldn't say I've mastered them, but I did gain some insight."
Quinn said, "I learned swordsmanship from the Village Chief and thought I'd grasped all its mysteries. Turns out there are still things I've never touched."
The Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch replied, "The saying 'learning has no limits' is wrong. It should be 'creation has no limits.' If you only learn, you'll spend your whole life learning and never make anything your own. Creation is boundless. You're still young and need to absorb what others have created, but once you've built up enough, you must try creating for yourself. If you keep learning, you'll always be a student—but the moment you create even one move, you become a master."
They walked to the jade cliff, where two Daoists—one old, one young—still sat at the Imperial Academy's mountain gate.
The Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch smiled slyly. "I invited the Imperial Preceptor here precisely to preach the dao for you. He's lectured for two whole days. After getting such a windfall, aren't you going to act?"
Quinn replied solemnly, "As long as you give the word, how could I dare disobey?"
The Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch snorted, then kicked him off the cliff. "Brat, you talk a good game! Those two have been blocking the gate for ages and you still haven't moved. If I didn't give you enough benefits, would you be so eager? Now get down there!"
Quinn landed, rubbed his backside, and headed toward the academy gate.
At this moment, there were no Imperial Academy scholars anywhere near the gate—they were all still sleeping. Only the two Daoists remained outside. Not far away, a chained beast with a dragon's head and a qilin's body dozed by the gate.
Dao Heir Lucas Lin saw Quinn approaching and felt a slight shock. He glanced at Master Danyang. "Uncle..."
Master Danyang lifted his eyelids and looked Quinn over. "Go on. The Imperial Preceptor taught the scholars for the sake of cultivating this one—you don't need to worry about gain or loss."
Lucas Lin acknowledged the order, got up, and walked to meet Quinn. Their qi resonated, and both stopped to bow in greeting.
Quinn said, "Imperial Academy scholar Quinn Shepherd, greetings to Dao Heir Lucas Lin. I am at the Five Luminaries Realm."
Lucas Lin replied solemnly, "Dao Gate's Lucas Lin, greetings to Scholar Quinn. I am at the Six Directions Realm, but I will seal my Six Directions Treasury."
He sealed off his Six Directions Treasury. Quinn asked, "Will you use weapons?"
Quinn unstrapped his bamboo staff, pig‑slaughtering knife, iron hammer, and finally the Grand Guardian’s Sword. Lucas Lin was about to speak when Master Danyang suddenly said, "No weapons. Only dao‑arts, divine abilities, and close combat."
Lucas Lin, puzzled, set his horsetail whisk aside. "If that's what you want, I won't use weapons either."
Master Danyang let out a quiet sigh of relief, his gaze flicking away from the Grand Guardian’s Sword. If they used weapons, it would be too unfair—just seeing that sword’s fish‑dragon scabbard made his heart pound; it looked like a top‑grade imperial blade.
If it really was, Lucas Lin’s whisk would snap at the first touch—there’d be no point in fighting.
Quinn grinned. Suddenly, two extra pupils appeared in his eyes—the Divine Firmament Heaven Eye and the Azure Firmament Heaven Eye opened together. The ground beneath his feet abruptly sank, blue stone slabs exploded, and shattered stones floated into the air.
"Ha!"
Quinn exhaled sharply and punched out. The hundreds of floating stone fragments shattered even finer—none larger than a bean, the smallest like sesame seeds!
Countless shards surged toward Lucas Lin, swept along by Quinn’s punch!
A dragon’s roar shook the air—his punch force fused with the stone fragments, forming a sand dragon that shot straight at Lucas Lin, looking just like a true divine beast!
At the same time, Quinn’s movements turned ghostly and fast—he followed right behind his punch, closing in on Lucas Lin.
Lucas Lin’s heart skipped. Suddenly, one pupil turned white and the other black—he activated his Yin‑Yang Dao Eyes. Raising his hand, he pressed forward; his palm gleamed like jade, forming a mountain‑like seal covered in ancient bird‑seal and worm‑script. The seal radiated an ancient, mysterious aura as it met the sand dragon.
The sand dragon crashed into the seal.
Heaven-Flipping Seal!
The force from both fighters exploded—a muffled, thunderous boom echoed out, as if thunder were trapped beneath a dense layer of clouds.
The chained beast with a dragon's head and qilin's body by the gate heard the noise, lifted its head in confusion, and looked around.
Quinn felt as if his Nine-Dragon Thunder Rush had struck a wall stretching between heaven and earth—his force couldn't penetrate it. He was delighted: "This Dao Heir is truly extraordinary! Far stronger than any Imperial Academy scholar I've faced before!"
Despite its fierce appearance, Nine-Dragon Thunder Rush is actually a delicate technique, hiding forty-five layers of dragon force within the palm. If taken head-on, all forty-five dragon forces would pass through the body, wreaking havoc on the internal organs.
Lucas Lin's Heaven-Flipping Seal formed a copper wall and iron rampart, blocking all forty-five layers of dragon force between their palms—truly impressive!
At that moment, countless stone fragments flew past Lucas Lin.
Lucas Lin shuddered—his Yin-Yang Dao Eyes saw that each tiny stone was connected by hair-thin threads of yuanqi.
Those threads, under his Yin-Yang Dao Eyes, were actually spinning miniature swords—Quinn's yuanqi transformed into sword qi, hidden inside the stones, now breaking free.
Wheel-Hewer Seal!
Lucas Lin's fingers danced—one palm up, one palm down. With a hum, two qi wheels appeared above and below him, mirrored like an inverted array. The wheels, formed of yuanqi, encased him in a unique formation.
As the formation enclosed him, the stone fragments turned to dust, smoke billowed, and Quinn's sword qi gathered into an azure yuanqi dragon, its body made of countless sword threads, twisting powerfully!
Winding Sword Form!
Between the two counter-rotating wheels, countless miniature swords formed a sword curtain, colliding with the twisting azure dragon. Sword qi shattered and scattered—both boys were clashing not only sword moves but also raw mana.
Any Imperial Academy scholar witnessing this would be stunned: Quinn was using the Winding Sword Form taught by the Imperial Preceptor. But instead of forming a sword pillar, he let the swirling sword qi become an azure dragon!
Lucas Lin felt the pressure—Quinn's yuanqi was suppressing his own. Though Lucas Lin's cultivation was deep, Quinn's was even greater, which seemed impossible.
Dao Gate's Innate Arcane Canon is famous for its vast mana. In terms of raw power at the same realm, no sect's signature art can match it—not even the Grand Buddha Mahayana Scripture!
Yet now, Lucas Lin felt Quinn's mana was stronger than his own!
Lucas Lin sensed his Wheel-Hewer Seal might break at any moment, so he changed tactics. Though he held no whisk, he spread his palm, and countless threads of dust shot forth—yuanqi threads, manipulated like swords, slashing from inside the wheels toward the outside, trying to sever the dragon.
In that instant, Quinn reached him, grabbing the dust and powder. His yuanqi burst forth, gathering the dust into a spear, which he stabbed into the spinning wheel with a hiss.
Lucas Lin blocked the spear with another Heaven-Flipping Seal. The clash rang out—Quinn used his hand as a blade, raining down countless strikes on the wheel.
His Wheel-Hewer Seal collapsed. Lucas Lin knew he was in trouble—the next moment, several blades struck his chest, drawing blood and sending him flying.
He used the force to fly backward, still calm and composed. Threads of dust pierced the azure dragon, scattering and finally destroying it.
The azure dragon shattered, transforming into hundreds of miniature yuanqi swords. In an instant, they regrouped and stabbed into the ground with a thunderous roar.
"Not good!"
Lucas Lin pressed his palm downward—countless threads of dust drove into the earth, lifting him up so he didn’t touch the ground.
He ran through the air on dust threads. Beneath him, an azure dragon burst from the ground, dove back down, then re-emerged—each time it surfaced, Quinn landed right on its head, rapidly closing the gap to Lucas Lin.
Quinn flicked his fingers—Thunderclap Flick! The thunder boomed and music filled the air. Lucas Lin’s face fell: "Damn, he’s seized the initiative. I have to use Dao Gate’s signature sword art!"
Note ①: The Wheel-Hewer Seal is taken from a parable in Zhuangzi, Chapter 13. If you’re interested, look up the dialogue between Duke Huan of Qi and Wheelwright Bian.