Early morning—a single news story sweeps across the city: the Rising Star of Jiangdong, Ryan Ling, the prodigy who single-handedly crushed sixteen Void Realm elites, has officially announced his entry into the Jiangnan Martial Arts Tournament.
For days now, rumors about Ryan Ling have been raging through Jinling and the surrounding provinces—especially his wild network at the Ling‑Clan Ancestral Grand Ceremony, plus the fact that he single‑handedly wiped out the entire Shadow‑Soul Cult. In an instant, everyone was saying Ryan was the hot favorite for this year’s tournament, and Void Realm experts from several provinces openly admired him. For the first time, all the local Jinling contestants fell silent. You have to understand: for so many years, the tournament champion has always belonged to Jinling—no one else could ever take it. But this time, things seem to be changing.
Right now, in a luxurious southern Jinling estate, a bunch of people are sitting cross‑legged outside, waiting. Among them are top figures from Jinling’s ten great families, and even standout prodigies from the four great houses.
“No matter what, Young Master Qin has to make the call. What kind of place is Jinling—how can we let some out‑of‑province punk run wild? It’s bad enough he’s showing off, but now he wants to ride on our necks? This is straight up rebellion!”
“Exactly! So he killed a few Void Realm guys—big deal! We can kill Yellow‑Tier Void Realm too. If he’s so tough, let him try taking out a few Earth‑Tier Void Realm. Bet he’d get wrecked before he even made a move!”
“Right, and the media’s been hyping him up way too much lately. Saying East River State—always dead last—is about to make a miracle comeback and win the championship, the biggest upset ever. What a load of crap! What, you think Jinling just sits around doing nothing? All those years of winning weren’t for nothing. And it’s not just Jinling—there are plenty of other strong provinces. You think they’ll just accept it? Damn, just thinking about it pisses me off!”
“Enough—just listen to Young Master Qin. Whatever he says, that’s what we do!”
......
As the group outside kept talking, a sudden clash of metal rang out inside. A powerful Void Realm aura shot straight up into the sky, piercing the clouds. Instantly, no one dared say a word—everyone could tell that hidden within this Void Realm energy was a faint trace of Earth‑Tier.
A moment later, a deep, confident voice echoed: “Just a little clown—why are you all panicking? If he wants to register, let him register. Jinling isn’t getting overturned.”
“But Young Master Qin, he’s bragging that he’ll take this year’s tournament championship!” a rich heir blurted out.
“Heh, this year’s tournament is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. That kid’s way too cocky and way too high‑profile—him winning is a joke. I guarantee he won’t even make the top five. I’ve already used psychic heart‑link to contact top experts from other provinces. The moment he shows up at the tournament, he’ll get bombarded like never before. Then he’ll see Jinling isn’t a place where just anyone can act like a big shot!” Young Master Qin said, sounding totally dismissive of Ryan Ling.
“Young Master Qin, you really are a master strategist! We were all just worrying for nothing.”
“That’s right—with Young Master Qin leading the way, that kid’s nothing but trash. East River State wants to flip the script? We’ll just stomp him into the ground!”
“Exactly! The Azure Dragon Society used to pay us over ten billion in tribute every year, but as soon as that kid showed up, he wiped them out. And not just that—he even killed two of my household’s Void Realm retainers. Damn it, I haven’t even settled that score with him yet. This time, I’ll use the tournament to make him pay!”
......
Hearing Young Master Qin talk like that, everyone got fired up. Suddenly, the voices denouncing Ryan Ling were everywhere!
“Alright, go get ready! Train hard, push your realms. Every year, Jinling’s squad sweeps the top five—this time won’t be any different. We’ll use this tournament to remind all the haters: Jinling is the true king’s land of martial arts, and nobody can shake that!” Young Master Qin sneered, and the Void Realm aura above his head grew even stronger.
“Awesome, just awesome! I bet before the tournament, Young Master Qin will break through to Earth‑Tier Void Realm and become the strongest youth in all of China!” One rich kid couldn’t help but suck up as he watched Qin’s fierce energy.
“Maybe, we’ll see. But even if I don’t break through, I’m already more than enough. Alright, stop bothering me—go do your own thing!” Young Master Qin was already getting impatient as he spoke.
After hearing this, everyone quickly bowed respectfully. A minute ago, some of them were still hesitant—Ryan Ling’s arrival had thrown everyone off. But now, each one was suddenly brimming with confidence, acting like they were the best in the world.
......
Meanwhile, the East River State Hall in Jinling was overflowing—there were just too many people. Serena Yan was generous enough to offer up her family’s largest estate. She’d already sworn herself as Ryan Ling’s disciple, so handing over the estate was nothing—she’d give him the whole Yan Family if she could. And thanks to all this excitement, even Yan Hu’s illness had stabilized quite a bit.
Ryan didn’t think twice—right now, there was only one thing on his mind: cultivation.
He’d finally reached the Foundation‑Building Stage, but it wasn’t perfected yet—there was still a long way to go. Ghost Elder had said it himself: Foundation‑Building is just the beginning of Immortal cultivation, the real journey is still ahead.
The System told him: above Foundation‑Building is the Golden Core Stage. Once you form your Golden Core, your Immortal path is set, your power becomes limitless, and you’re unstoppable. In the cultivation world, only those who reach Golden Core can truly be called ‘Real Person’—a master, a sage.
Just think about those so‑called Seven Stars of Beidou from the Zhengyi Dao he met in Taoyuan County—they dared to call themselves ‘Real Person’? What a joke.
Breathe!
Inhale!
Ryan began practicing the Purgatory Soul‑Suppressing Art over and over. He’d already reached the fourth layer—his strength now was way beyond what it used to be. As the waves of chilling yin energy washed through him, the underworld Yin River qi he’d built up inside was finally dissolved, and his Foundation‑Building power took another leap forward.
Still, even as Ryan’s power steadily grew, he couldn’t help feeling a bit awkward—he just didn’t have any truly powerful Immortal combat techniques yet.
He’d mastered the first three forms of the Infernal Madblade Style, but the other fifteen forms were missing the incantations—he couldn’t train them. His wood‑element Immortal arts were great for defense, and their massive vitality helped boost his Foundation‑Building, even speeding up the Primeval Heavenwood’s growth. But those were all for cultivation, not for fighting—clearly, they were lacking in battle.
There was still some time before the Jiangnan Martial Arts Tournament, so he had to find a powerful attack technique. Luckily, after a few major quests, he’d saved up enough Merit Points. He’d used to worry about running out, but now he was closing in on a million—more than enough to splurge in the special item shop.
Just as Ryan was weighing his options, a shadow darted in from outside. It was none other than Angie Chen. After so long apart, this little minx launched herself at Ryan and started kissing him like crazy.
“Hey, hey, calm down—give me a minute, I’m in the middle of something important!” Ryan was speechless and tried to push Angie away, but she was like superglue, impossible to shake off. Once she latched on, she had to drain every last drop of his ‘reserves.’
“This is important too! You know how long it’s been since we… you know. Now you’ve got a new girl and you’ve forgotten all about me. Well, I don’t care—I’m getting my fun tonight!” Angie didn’t bother with any foreplay—she just dove right in.
In an instant, Angie was screaming like crazy—her voice was so loud it was almost heartbreaking. Ryan tried to stop her, but couldn’t; he nearly shoved his own underwear in her mouth to shut her up.
Ryan just couldn’t handle this wild little minx. The moment she teased him, his own desire boiled over—he didn’t care anymore and pinned Angie beneath him. What he didn’t know was that, right then, a pair of timid, shy eyes was watching everything.
Ryan didn’t notice, but Angie sure did—she even started acting even wilder, deliberately trying to tempt the watcher…