"Since Senior is here, we wouldn't dare act recklessly."
The saying kill the chicken to warn the monkeys fit perfectly.
The moment the Ninth-Rank Emperor in blue-white robes made his move, the entire crowd was shocked into silence.
Not a single person dared to step out of line. Everyone stood there respectfully.
"Since you understand, then get lost. If you remain here, I don't mind killing you all."
The crowd scattered instantly.
No one dared to stay.
One minute. Two minutes… ten minutes.
One hour. Two hours… six hours.
Time passed slowly.
Suddenly—
A cyan-blue pillar of light shot into the sky from the relic entrance.
At that moment, the elder who had been resting with his eyes closed slowly opened them.
"He's broken through…"
"And it hasn't even been that long!"
Three hours earlier, at the center of the relic, Zhao Xuan had followed the pathways of his meridians, beginning from his heart and gradually extending the tempering process through his limbs and entire body.
Tempering. Refining. Tempering. Refining.
In just a few hours, he didn't even know how many times he had refined his body.
But hard work was not in vain.
Zhao Xuan had successfully taken a crucial step forward.
Some of his attributes had improved significantly—
Especially the three types of Haki.
[Heavenly Reward System]
Name: Zhao Xuan
Age: 18
Spirit: 4650.14 / 4650.14
Physique: 16434.23 / 16434.23
Abilities:
Shave (Transcendent: 22900 / 640000)
Iron Body (Transcendent: 30100 / 640000)
Paper Art (Grandmaster: 23600 / 640000)
Moon Step (Grandmaster: 22300 / 640000)
Tempest Kick (Transcendent: 29100 / 640000)
Finger Pistol (Grandmaster: 22400 / 640000)
Swordsmanship (Grandmaster: 1 / 640000)
Observation Haki (Master: 13100 / 160000)
Armament Haki (Master: 25000 / 160000)
Conqueror's Haki (Master: 130101 / 160000)
Azure Dragon Fruit (Master: 40000 / 160000)
"Mmm…"
"This feeling after breaking through is really nice. I should now be able to challenge a Ninth-Rank Emperor without borrowing external power."
Zhao Xuan felt full of confidence.
The old man outside no longer seemed threatening.
Which meant—
The hostage in his hands wasn't that important anymore.
At this moment, his enhanced Observation Haki allowed him to sense danger in advance.
Outside the relic—
Several tearing sounds through the air.
Four Ninth-Rank Emperors arrived.
One of them was a woman—quite beautiful.
The other three, however, were far from pleasant to look at.
One was a giant over three meters tall, muscles bulging through his clothes, veins popping everywhere.
Another was a bald, dark-skinned man with not even visible hair follicles.
The last had the body of a child but the face of an adult—disturbingly mismatched.
These were the three standing beside the beautiful woman.
"Shivelle, is that Zhao Xuan here?"
"Oh? Edison, why are you here too?"
"Where's Little Di?"
The dark-skinned man noticed the plainly dressed elder first.
"Cough… Little Di, he…"
"Crow, don't you know Little Di's personality? Whenever there's an important mission, he's always the first to rush forward. He's probably inside the relic watching Zhao Xuan right now."
"Right, Edison?"
Shivelle had great confidence in this father and son.
Especially Edison.
Among the seven Ninth-Rank Emperors of Paradise Island, Edison ranked in the top three in strength.
Everyone present knew this.
But Edison's old face was now flushed red.
He didn't know what to say.
At this moment—
A voice echoed.
"The Little Di you're looking for is with me. Surprised?"
Zhao Xuan walked out of the relic, dragging the half-dead Little Di in his hand.
Everyone except Edison was stunned.
"You're Zhao Xuan!? How is this possible!?"
"Yeah! Even if Little Di is the weakest among us, he's still a Ninth-Rank Emperor! How could someone not even Seventh Rank defeat him?"
"And with Edison here too?"
All eyes turned to Edison.
The old man's face was completely red.
Both father and son were Ninth-Rank Emperors.
Their teamwork had been flawless for years.
Yet they both fell to a junior.
This was utter humiliation.
Or rather—
Something that should have been impossible.
But reality said otherwise.
"Zhao Xuan, I've fulfilled my promise. Can you return my son now?"
A father's concern outweighed his pride.
"Of course. I'm a man of my word."
Bang!
Little Di was thrown like a dead dog, creating a pit in the ground.
"Little Di! How are you? Wake up!"
…
"You're no longer Sixth Rank?"
Shivelle scanned Zhao Xuan and noticed his aura had completely changed.
"Just broke through. Lucky. Which one of you wants to go first? Let me have some fun."
"Hmph! Arrogant brat! Even if you broke through, you're only Seventh Rank. How could you possibly stand against Ninth-Rank Emperors?"
The muscular giant stepped forward.
His skin petrified.
His entire body turned to stone.
"Will of Stone!"
"Oh? So it's the Paramecia Stone Fruit."
"Interesting. You're perfect for testing my improvement."
"Thunder Bagua · Iron Fist!"
The stone arm collided with the lightning-wreathed iron fist.
Boom!!!
The ground beneath them shattered.
Edison immediately retreated with his son, wary of being caught in the shockwaves.
"Old Stone, mind if I join? I also want to see what this brat is capable of."
"Crow Feather Rain!"
The dark-skinned bald man leapt into the sky.
Wings spread from his back.
Countless black feathers fell like a meteor shower.
"Perfect timing!"
"Finger Pistol!"
Ten rapid strikes.
The black feathers were shot down one after another.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions echoed continuously.
Shockwaves rippled outward.
Even while facing two powerful Ninth-Rank Emperors at once—
Zhao Xuan still appeared completely at ease.
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