2026-07-19 22:19:49
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BOOM!A rock the size of a human head shattered to pieces. The fragments flew wildly, leaving long gouges on the trunks of the surrounding stone trees. Wang Li stood with his fists still shaking violently. His breath came in ragged gasps. This was the first time since setting foot in the Heaven Sword Sect's selection area that he had completely lost emotional control."Qing... Zilong," he hissed softly from between tightly clenched teeth.This was no longer just ordinary hatred. It was the ember of a past he believed had been extinguished, now reignited with a far more ferocious blaze. Just moments ago, from behind a gap in the trees, he had witnessed a sight that shattered his sanity: Qing Zilong saving Princess Xiao Yue. What burned his chest even more was that the Royal Princess of Tianxuan was walking side by side with Zilong without a shred of fear.Wang Li reined in his urge to step out. The distance between them was less than a hundred paces. If he moved now, Xiao Yue would sur
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White mist hung low between the rows of stone trees in the Illusion Sword Valley. Sunlight pierced through in thin lines, creating a surreal landscape that blurred the boundary between the dream world and reality. Qing Zilong’s footsteps sounded calm upon the damp stone surface unhurried, yet consistent.Ever since parting ways with Zhao Ming and his companions, he had continued along the valley’s northern path toward the Second-Stage Formation Gate, as indicated on the selection map. Beneath his outer calm, his spiritual perception stretched vastly in all directions, detecting no signs of human life other than the whispering wind and the dense fog."Master..." Tianyi’s voice whispered faintly through their soul bond. "There are entities ahead."Zilong maintained his walking rhythm. "How many?""Three." Tianyi paused for a moment, sensing the pulse of foreign energy. "And one of them is not human.""A beast?""Yes. Its scent is very thick."Responding to the warning, Zilong concentrat
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“Your Majesty,” Lian Yu spoke again. “There is something we feel needs to be known.”“Speak.”“Qing Zilong is not like the circulating rumors.”“What rumors?”“A weak youth. Trash of the Qing Clan. A ruined genius.” Lian Yu slowly shook her head. “That does not match what we saw. He fought like someone who has experienced hundreds of life-and-death battles.”Yan Luo added, “Every movement of his is simple. There are no wasted movements. And the strangest part…” he paused for a moment, “…he seemed to already know the opponent’s attack before the attack even came.”The King looked at both of them in turn. His gaze grew deeper. “A sixteen-year-old youth… cannot possibly possess experience like that.”“Exactly, Your Majesty.”The King walked toward the window again. The night wind slowly blew the curtains. His thoughts returned to his daughter, Xiao Yue, who had once said with sparkling eyes that Qing Zilong had helped her in the Black Mist Forest without asking for any reward, even witho
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Qing Zilong’s footsteps had long since vanished from the battle site, yet the air there was still filled with residual sword aura and blood that had not fully dried. Atop a stone cliff dozens of meters high, two figures in black clothing stood motionless.Their robes blended with the mist. A small golden dragon emblem was carved on the left chest of their garments, nearly invisible unless observed carefully.They were not selection participants. They were Shadow Guards of the Tianxuan Kingdom.Since two months ago, they had received one absolute order from the highest ruler:“Watch the young man named Qing Zilong. Do not interfere unless his life is truly at the edge of the cliff.”Today, they had witnessed everything.“Did you see it too?” The older man opened his mouth quietly. His name was Yan Luo, captain of the Shadow Guards. His gaze was still fixed on the plain where Zhao Ming and his two companions had nearly lost their lives.Beside him stood a young woman in a black robe, Li
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A cliché reason that sounded very pitiful even to the speaker’s own ears. Lin Hao laughed softly—a laugh full of deep disappointment. “In that case… take care of your own business from now on.”Without waiting for a reply, Lin Hao turned his body, putting his back to Wang Li. Gu Chen followed behind him. Zhao Ming was the last to turn, yet before walking away he delivered one final sentence without looking back even slightly:“From this second onward, never involve us in your petty schemes again. We no longer owe you any debt of gratitude.”The three figures walked side by side through the dense valley mist. There was no farewell greeting, no gesture of respect, and no longer any sense of restraint.The mist gradually closed in, swallowing their backs until they completely disappeared from view.The stone plain returned to silence.Wang Li stood alone amid the debris left from the battle. A cold wind swept across his face, which was as pale as ice. His jaw clenched tightly until it gr
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The longer it went on, the sentences launched like sword blades that peeled away Wang Li’s lies. The patience of the young man in the blue robe finally ran out.“You are simply too stupid to judge the terrain situation! Three people defeated by one piece of trash, and now you dare blame me for your own stupidity?”Gu Chen stared straight into Wang Li’s pupils. “It wasn’t us who said that sentence.”“Huh?”Gu Chen recalled the remnants of the last words spoken by Qing Zilong in the middle of the battle, then repeated them in a cold tone: “If I were that easy to eliminate… why didn’t that bastard come himself?”Wang Li’s heart pounded far harder than usual. He tried hard to hide his panic, yet his fingers inside his sleeves clenched so tightly that they trembled.Lin Hao delivered the final blow. “That’s right… if Qing Zilong were that easy to get rid of, for what reason did you have to send us as his executioners?”BOOOOOM!The silence shattered at once as a tremendous explosion of Qi
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