Chapter Nineteen: The Crowd Stunned

At this moment, the scene shifted to the group of Jade Pool disciples at the city gate, already targeted by the sinister fiends, though they remained blissfully unaware. Only when the number of fiends behind them grew and several figures appeared before them did realization dawn, prompting them to flee toward the inn without hesitation, pursued relentlessly by the fiends. Yet this spectacle failed to capture the crowd’s interest.

All attention was fixed upon Xu Zhe. Try as they might, none could fathom how this prodigy had entered the Night of Soul Suppression.

“Could it be that someone from the Jade Pool gave him a cultivation technique?” someone speculated.

“That’s impossible! Wouldn’t that be tantamount to harming him? Everyone knows the Night of Soul Suppression claims only the lives of cultivators, except for this Xu Zhe.”

“I doubt it. Saint Lord Lin doesn’t seem the ruthless type.”

“I heard Xu Zhe met with people from the Vermilion Bird Army yesterday—must have been sent by Martial God Chu.”

“Yes, I saw it myself. The one who came was Qu Hongxiu. I am but an innocent admirer of Miss Qu, and just a glimpse of her figure was enough for me to recognize her.”

“If the Vermilion Bird Army sent someone, then all the less likely. Martial God Chu would never resort to such means.”

“No, you’re all looking in the wrong direction.” Suddenly, someone spoke up. “Xu Zhe entered Tianhe City, met the Jade Pool disciples, then returned to the Loft of Prodigies, almost at the hour of You, nearing dusk. The Night of Soul Suppression begins at the third quarter of the hour of Xu. Consider this carefully.”

At these words, the gathered crowd fell silent for a moment, then broke out in cold sweat.

Indeed—even if someone gave him a technique or a pill, could he really advance to the Qi Refining stage, become a cultivator, in about an hour?

Impossible!

Among the ninety-nine prodigies who came before him, the fastest to reach the first layer of Qi Refining was Martial God Chu. She took eight days to reach the threshold, condensing a wisp of Qi in her dantian, alerting countless factions and earning the title of the most talented in history.

And now you tell me that Xu Zhe, with mortal blood and a tangled spiritual root, entered Qi Refining in one hour?

What a joke! Why not just claim he’s an Immortal Emperor?

After much consideration, everyone found this utterly absurd, beyond belief.

“Could he be a fiend in disguise?” someone ventured.

“Impossible,” Lin Xiu replied grimly, shaking his head. “Our jade talismans are designed to distinguish between fiends and humans.”

“Then what on earth is going on?” the man laughed bitterly.

“The only possibility is that the Night of Soul Suppression made a mistake, mistook him for a cultivator and failed to send him away.”

“Sigh, let’s just keep watching. If this truly is Xu Zhe, his odds are dire.”

Others sighed in regret.

If Xu Zhe died, they would never uncover the reason for his presence in the Night of Soul Suppression.

Next, the practitioners of the Path of Fate had no choice but to accelerate the playback.

Because Xu Zhe spent the entire time strolling through the streets, utterly unafraid and unworried, brazenly wandering as if oblivious to the flock of fiends trailing him.

Just watching the screen made everyone’s palms sweat and spines tingle.

This guy was truly fearless—perhaps ignorance really was bliss.

The crowd watched in silence.

Until Xu Zhe arrived outside the Qian family’s manor, Lin Xiu immediately ordered the playback to return to normal speed.

On screen, Xu Zhe gazed intently at the manor’s gate, and after a moment, turned to leave.

The crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Unexpectedly, the gates of the Qian estate swung open.

A delicate young woman appeared at the threshold, her robe slipping off one shoulder to reveal smooth, fair skin. In the moonlit night, her allure was undeniable—truly captivating.

“That’s the Qian family’s young mistress, ranked third on the Sealed Array Beauties List—Qian Yue,” someone recognized her, speaking her name aloud.

“So this is Miss Qian Yue. She appears so much more lifelike than her animated posters,” another remarked, swallowing secretly.

Meanwhile, Xu Zhe, invited by Qian Yue, entered the manor with a cheerful smile.

The crowd had expected as much—for in their place, ignorant of the truth, they too would have followed her in.

Inside, the Qian family hosted a banquet, the table crawling with worms and insects that made the onlookers nauseous.

Yet they watched, eager to see if Xu Zhe would partake.

Unexpectedly, the four fiends of the Qian estate lost patience first, beginning to harass Xu Zhe physically.

“According to our Path of Fate records, the four fiends of the Qian family possess power equivalent to the Foundation Establishment stage. Xu Zhe is likely to meet his end here…” Lin Xiu spoke up.

But before he could finish, he was left speechless.

The crowd watched as Xu Zhe, after an exchange of outrageous banter, unexpectedly invited Qian Yue to arm-wrestle in the moonlit night!

Arm-wrestle?

Faced with such a delicate beauty, arm-wrestling was his sole idea?

Several nearly spat blood.

But then, they saw Xu Zhe break Qian Yue’s arm, slamming it down upon the table…

“Pfft!”

Everyone drinking tea sprayed it out in unison.

Several jumped to their feet, faces filled with disbelief and shock.

The whole room was stunned!

And before they could react, the Qian estate erupted into a brutal spectacle—Xu Zhe, single-handed, tore apart the four fiends.

“Quick, stop the playback, put away the Universal Jade Talismans!” Lin Xiu shouted, springing up.

Grabbing the massive sword on the table, he barked, “Disciples of the Path of Fate, protect the Universal Jade Talismans with all your strength! Any who dare seize them will be slain without mercy!”

He ignored the crowd’s astonished faces, his heart pounding wildly, nearly leaping out of his throat.

Damn, this time we’ll make a fortune.

A newly awakened prodigy, fighting four fiends with Foundation Establishment-level strength in the Night of Soul Suppression, and utterly destroying them.

With this footage, taken out of the Valley of Prodigies, countless forces across the four continents, including other prodigies, would surely pursue it.

The Path of Fate was about to rake in a fortune.

Lin’s face flushed red with excitement, his heart racing.

He cared nothing for how Xu Zhe possessed such strength, nor for the outcome of his Night of Soul Suppression.

What did curiosity matter? Would it help Lin achieve a fortune?

Right now, Lin wanted nothing more than to leave the Valley of Prodigies immediately, Universal Jade Talismans in hand, to return to the Path of Fate and claim his reward.

The many cultivators from various factions were startled by Lin Xiu’s abrupt reaction.

Immediately, everyone grew angry.

“Damn,” someone cursed loudly.

“Lin, how can you act like this? Cutting off halfway?”

“What nonsense! Where did you learn such cliffhanger tactics?”

“Incomprehensible! You just claimed you weren’t the type to break your word, and now look at you!”

“Hell, if you don’t let us finish watching, don’t expect to leave this inn today!”

Many were furious, emboldened by their numbers, daring even to challenge the Path of Fate.

Lin Xiu remained unperturbed, watching as his fellow disciples collected all the jade talismans, sweeping his giant sword across and holding it before him.

A surge of spiritual energy enveloped the blade.

Buzz!

The blade vibrated, bursting forth with brilliant white light.

“Come then, if you dare! Today, I, Lin, shall see who tries to lay hands on the Path of Fate. None shall escape the edge of my sword!” Lin’s voice thundered, his aura overwhelming.

Many cultivators blanched, halting in their tracks; some even shrank behind others.

“Damn, that sword is the latest model from the Immortal Armory—Recording Sword, Destruction Division (Pro Max).”

“It’s equipped with ultra-high definition cameras and an automatic flash. If we attack, he’ll record our faces, and the sword will fly back to the Path of Fate, ensuring none of us escape punishment.”

Everyone recognized Lin’s sword and was deeply wary.

“Lin, let’s talk. Turn off the flash, and we promise not to attack you,” a cultivator called.

Lin sneered, “Ah, now you’re afraid? Step aside, all of you, or don’t blame me if the sword shows no mercy.”

No one dared make a move, all fearing evidence would be recorded and withdrawing to either side, clearing a path to the inn’s entrance.

“Brothers, gather everything and follow me,” Lin said, still wary, slowly moving toward the door.

The other Path of Fate disciples followed closely.

Before long, they all withdrew safely.

The inn was much emptier, though several cultivators rushed out, apparently to spread the news.

The rest stayed, giving up any thoughts of attacking Lin.

Though disappointed by not seeing the remainder, they knew that in another two days, the Path of Fate would publish the footage on the Universal Spirit Network for paid viewing.

“Well, seeing part of it ahead of time is already a gain.”

“Unbelievable—how did Xu Zhe manage it?”

“It’s terrifying. To enter the Night of Soul Suppression, he must have reached the threshold of Qi Refining, yet from that battle, he seemed to tread the path of physical cultivation.”

“Yes, that was definitely the path of the body.”

“Maybe someone really did give him a technique and a pill, enabling such a transformation in an hour.”

“But it’s still outrageous. The path of the body isn’t that powerful, and is even harder to enter in the early stages. How did he do it?”

“Even if his talent surpassed all predecessors, in one hour could he really attain Foundation Establishment?”

“And even if he did, could he so easily defeat four fiends each equal to Foundation Establishment?”

“I don’t understand.”

“Nor do I!”

…