But Liu Qianyu never expected that his first real encounter with Lin Xuan, the so-called number one genius of the sect, would be here in the Puppet Secret Realm. And to make matters worse, it was when he was in danger that Lin Xuan stepped in to rescue him.
He was, after all, the senior true disciple of Flowing Cloud Sect and ranked among the top five on the Cangyuan Nation potential list. And Lin Xuan? Just a new disciple who had joined less than two months ago. Yet now, it was Lin Xuan coming to his aid! This completely shattered his worldview and understanding.
Liu Qianyu was utterly stunned, his heart trembling violently, almost losing control of himself. Although he had heard countless rumors about Lin Xuan within the sect before—how Lin Xuan had broken numerous records, even taking away the title of the sect's number one genius that once belonged to him—he never imagined he had vastly underestimated Lin Xuan. In just two months, Lin Xuan had not only become a true disciple directly upon entry but also advanced to the Opening Spirit Realm. Now, even Ye Li, a true disciple of Wind Flame Valley at the peak of the Opening Spirit Realm, who had been forcing Liu Qianyu back and putting him in danger, was no match for Lin Xuan. A single sword aura from Lin Xuan had sent Ye Li flying. Such strength was terrifying and far beyond what Liu Qianyu could compare to. All of this highlighted Lin Xuan's astonishing talent, leaving Liu Qianyu once again in awe.
Across from him, Lin Xuan looked at Liu Qianyu, the senior true disciple of Flowing Cloud Sect. Since joining, he had heard tales of Liu Qianyu but never imagined meeting him under such circumstances. Liu Qianyu had a refined, scholarly air, with features somewhat resembling Sect Leader Liu Wuyai. But none of that mattered—what mattered was his attribute panel.
Swish! "Name: Liu Qianyu." "Cultivation: Peak of the Opening Spirit Realm." "Talents: Spiritual-grade cultivation talent, Supreme-grade strength talent, Absolute-grade speed talent, Supreme-grade sword talent, Supreme-grade gale attribute talent, Absolute-grade sharp metal attribute talent, High-grade crimson fire attribute talent, High-grade green wood attribute talent, High-grade thick earth attribute talent." "Martial Arts: Golden Origin Spirit Convergence Art (Seventh-rank, mid-grade, Mastery), Shadowless Life-Born Sword Art (Seventh-rank, mid-grade, Mastery), Golden Edge Cloud-Splitting Finger (Seventh-rank, low-grade, Mastery), Mountain-Shaking Void-Shattering Fist (Seventh-rank, low-grade, Mastery), Wind-Walking Ten-Thousand-Mile Step (Seventh-rank, mid-grade, Mastery)..." "Intent: 30% Sword Intent, 30% Metal Intent, 20% Wind Intent, 10% Fire Intent, 10% Wood Intent, 10% Earth Intent." "Personal Treasures: Green Edge Sword (Seventh-rank, low-grade spirit weapon)."
Gazing at the attribute panel of Senior Brother Liu Qianyu in the void before him, Lin Xuan’s expression shifted slightly. As expected of the sect's senior true disciple and former number one genius, this panel was the best he had seen among all Flowing Cloud Sect martial artists. Even Sect Leader Liu Wuyai was slightly inferior to Liu Qianyu in terms of talent. Lin Xuan’s heart stirred slightly. There were plenty of treasures here.
With a thought, he acted. "Ding, consumed 100,000 energy points, replication successful, obtained [Spiritual-grade cultivation talent]." "Ding, consumed 30,000 energy points, replication successful, obtained [Absolute-grade speed talent]." "Ding, consumed 30,000 energy points, replication successful, obtained [Absolute-grade sharp metal attribute talent]."
In an instant, he copied all the treasures he had his eye on. From Liu Qianyu, only these three items were worth taking.
He then turned to the girl in white beside him. Her features were delicate, her skin like snow, and she exuded an icy aura that kept others at a distance. Combined with the name Chen Hanshuang, he immediately understood—this was the senior true disciple of Cold Snow Sect, one of the four sects of Cangyuan Nation. Cold Snow Sect was the only sect in Cangyuan Nation, and even in the entire Red Sun Domain, led by female martial artists. But don’t underestimate them just because of that. Among the five major powers of Cangyuan Nation, Cold Snow Sect was no weaker than the others. In fact, it was slightly stronger than Flowing Cloud Sect. This was evident from how Chen Hanshuang handled Ye Li with more ease than Liu Qianyu when they fought together earlier. Additionally, as a female-led sect, Cold Snow Sect had many marriage alliances with other major powers. Even the strongest force in Red Sun Domain, Sun Origin Sect, which nominally ruled the domain, had ties with Cold Snow Sect. So no one dared to provoke them.
But none of that concerned him now. He wasn’t yet at the top tier of Red Sun Domain. He should focus on what he needed. With a thought, Chen Hanshuang’s attribute panel appeared before Lin Xuan. It was even stronger than Liu Qianyu’s, suggesting her strength far surpassed his. There were plenty of treasures worth taking, like the Absolute-grade ice attribute talent. In an instant, he copied them all.
All of this happened in a flash. Liu Qianyu and Chen Hanshuang, still deep in shock, finally snapped out of it.
"Junior Brother Lin Xuan, no, Lin Xuan, you’re stronger than me now, so I should call you Senior Brother Lin. I’ve heard many tales about you, and today I see you live up to your reputation!" Liu Qianyu forced a bitter smile.
Compared to Lin Xuan, he felt his entire life had become dull and unremarkable. Beside him, Chen Hanshuang’s clear eyes swept over Lin Xuan, a flicker of light in them as if she wanted to say something.
Just then, Lin Xuan spoke. "Senior Brother Liu, let’s talk later. I’ll deal with those guys first," he said calmly. Earlier outside, he had let Xu Guangzhen escape by accident. That wouldn’t happen again. Besides, he had just met Liu Qianyu and Chen Hanshuang, so they weren’t familiar. And in this Puppet Secret Realm, he could hunt bronze puppets to obtain puppet crystals and directly boost his cultivation. Such a golden opportunity was rare. Comparing the options, Lin Xuan knew what to choose.
With that, Lin Xuan turned to face Ye Li and Xu Guangzhen, who were dozens of meters away. Their attribute panels appeared before him. These two were from Wind Flame Valley, a force far stronger than the five major powers of Cangyuan Nation. Xu Guangzhen’s panel was on par with Liu Qianyu and Chen Hanshuang, while Ye Li surpassed them by several levels. No wonder he had been able to suppress both Liu Qianyu and Chen Hanshuang alone at the same cultivation level. Lin Xuan wouldn’t let the treasures on these two slip away. With a thought, he consumed energy points and copied them. He nodded slightly, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.