The martial plaza was filled long before the appointed hour.
Disciples gathered in clusters, voices low but restless. The stone platform at the center stood bare and silent, awaiting its purpose. Above, the elders were already seated, robes fluttering lightly in the morning wind.
Patriarch Xuanyuan Bei sat at the highest seat.
His expression was calm.
Too calm.
"The list has been finalized," he announced.
Four contestants per clan.
"For the Xuanyuan clan—"
"Xuanyuan Wei."
No surprise. The eighteen-year-old stood tall, early Foundation Establishment aura steady and restrained.
"Xuanyuan Rou'er."
Graceful, composed. Peak Qi Condensation.
"Xuanyuan Jin."
Another capable Peak Qi Condensation cultivator versed in spear techniques.
Then—
A brief pause.
"Xuanyuan Zhen."
The silence lasted only a heartbeat before the plaza erupted.
"A second-stage Qi Condensation?"
"This must be a mistake!"
"He'll disgrace the clan!"
Shock spread like wildfire.
Xuanyuan Zhen stood quietly, face indifferent.
He understood immediately.
This was not favoritism.
It was a blade hidden in silk.
If he faltered, the Patriarch could claim fairness—he had allowed challenges.
And humiliation would follow naturally.
As if on cue—
"I challenge Xuanyuan Zhen!"
Xuanyuan Bing, a disciple of the clan stepped forward, saber already in hand. His aura surged outward without restraint.
Peak Qi Condensation Realm.
His eyes were cold.
Many of the younger generation did not share a good relationship with Xuanyuan Zhen. His recent rise had been too sudden, too disruptive.
Some watched with open schadenfreude.
Others leaned forward with interest.
Xuanyuan Zhen stepped onto the stage without hesitation.
"I accept."
No more words were exchanged.
Xuanyuan Bing moved first.
His saber flashed, spiritual Qi roaring as he unleashed his strongest technique from the outset. The blade howled through the air, carrying the weight of peak Qi Condensation power.
He did not test.
He aimed to suppress.
The saber descended toward Xuanyuan Zhen's shoulder.
Golden light surged with Heavenly purple radiance intertwined.
Xuanyuan Zhen raised his arm.
CLANG!!
The blade struck his forearm—
And stopped.
Golden holy light coated his flesh like divine armor, while a faint tyrannical purple glow pulsed beneath it. The impact sent shockwaves across the stage, but his arm did not yield.
Xuanyuan Bing's eyes widened.
He attacked again.
And again.
Saber light filled the platform in a storm of steel.
Xuanyuan Zhen did not counter, he defended effortlessly.
Golden and purple energies flowed across his limbs in perfect harmony. His movements were minimal, calm yet solid.
Those watching grew silent.
A second-stage Qi Condensation defending against peak Qi Condensation without retreating defied every reason.
Xuanyuan Bing's breathing grew ragged. His strongest techniques were being absorbed like waves crashing against an immovable cliff.
Xuanyuan Zhen tilted his head slightly.
"Is that it?"
The question landed heavier than any blow.
Fury overtook Xuanyuan Bing. With a roar, he poured every last ounce of Qi into a final downward slash.
The saber screamed.
Xuanyuan Zhen stepped forward instead of back.
Purple golden blood Qi boiled within his blood vessels, both golden holy Qi and heavenly purple Qi within his Qi sea circulated through his Qi channels vigorously surrounding him like an armor as if he was possessed by a war deity.
His fist shot forward.
Boom.
The punch struck Xuanyuan Bing squarely in the chest.
The impact was simple.
Direct and overwhelming.
Xuanyuan Bing was sent flying from the stage, crashing into the stone floor below, coughing blood.
Silence consumed the plaza.
Xuanyuan Zhen stood unmoved at the center.
A faint smile curved at the corner of his lips.
He turned to the crowd.
"Anyone else?"
No one moved.
Fear had replaced resentment.
Even Xuanyuan Wei's eyes narrowed slightly.
Xuanyuan Rou'er studied him carefully now.
Xuanyuan Zhen stepped down from the stage and walked away as though nothing had happened.
But above—
The elders were not calm.
---
Among the Elders
Elder Xuanyuan Ming broke the silence first.
"Did you see it?"
Another elder nodded slowly.
"The golden aura… and the purple."
"That was not a simple body refinement technique."
"No," Elder Ming said gravely. "That was the might of two physiques."
Whispers passed quietly between them.
"The Battle Saint Body…"
"And the Firmament Tyrant Body…"
Two legendary invincible physiques of the human race.
Both manifesting in one person.
A long silence followed.
"It seems," one elder murmured, "our clan has produced another prodigy."
The words were heavy.
Above them all, Patriarch Xuanyuan Bei remained seated, hands resting calmly on the armrests of his chair.
But his fingers had tightened slightly.
Xuanyuan Hao.
His son.
The pride of his lineage.
The one who had entered the Heavenly Dao Sect.
For years, Xuanyuan Hao's brilliance had secured the Patriarch's authority within the clan.
But now—
Xuanyuan Zhen's display had stirred memories buried deep within the clan's history.
Another figure.
Another name.
Xuanyuan Wudi.
A genius whose rise had once shaken the entire region.
A man who had grown too quickly.
Too independently.
Too uncontrollable.
Xuanyuan Bei's eyes darkened faintly.
Xuanyuan Zhen possessed terrifying talent.
And terrifying potential.
If he matured unchecked—
He could become another Xuanyuan Wudi.
And that… was not something Xuanyuan Bei found comforting.
The plaza below still buzzed with stunned whispers.
But at the highest seat—
The Patriarch no longer saw a mere promising junior.
He saw—
A threat.