In the imperial capital of the Great Wind Dynasty, Chen Xuan attended the rare ten-year poetry gathering.

[Ding!]

A system notification rang in his mind. His heart clenched violently.

[Chen Lanlan's favorability toward the host -100.]

[Chen Lanlan's favorability has reset to zero. The beloved relationship has been severed. Penalty triggered: host's cultivation reduced by two minor realms. Current cultivation: Spirit Sea sixth layer.]

[Chen Lanlan has died.]

On a pleasure boat drifting along the river with fireworks lighting up the sky, a gentle woman sat across from Chen Xuan. Moments earlier, he had been fine, but he suddenly lost consciousness. His face turned deathly pale as he spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted.

Tao Wan panicked. She had been prepared for many things, but not this. She had no choice but to bring the unconscious Chen Xuan ashore.

The next day, Chen Xuan woke up. He discovered that his cultivation had dropped by two full minor realms and that Chen Lanlan's favorability toward him had vanished completely.

Rage burned in Chen Xuan's heart. Chen Lanlan had been the first woman to reach full favorability with him—and the only one. The loss of that favorability inflicted a severe penalty, costing him two layers of cultivation. The last trace of guilt in his heart disappeared, replaced by deep resentment toward her.

...

Stone Mountain City.

Several days had passed with no activity from the Chen Family. One morning, someone noticed something was wrong and entered the estate. What they found was a scene of utter horror—corpses littered the ground, already rotting and emitting a foul stench.

Silence fell over the city. Then came the earthquake of shock. Everyone's hair stood on end. The entire Chen Family had been wiped out without a sound. Even their Spirit Sea realm ancestor was dead.

Who could have done such a thing?

After the Chen Family's destruction, no further major incidents occurred in Stone Mountain City. The mountains that had once loomed over them had collapsed one after another. Under currents surged beneath the surface as new great clans rose to replace the Chen Family's former position.

Dongfang Yunxing had no interest in what happened next in Stone Mountain City.

After annihilating the Chen Family, he came to a desolate mountain. There stood ninety-nine stone tablets that he had carved himself to honor the ninety-nine members of the Dongfang.

Dongfang Yunxing had been kneeling there for three full days.

Su Chen did not disturb him. This was something his disciple needed to experience.

During those three days, a mysterious power gradually emerged from within Dongfang Yunxing, washing through his body and improving both his Talent and comprehension.

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"Perhaps this little fellow can break the limits of the Nirvana Art," Su Chen thought with anticipation.

The Undying Nirvana Art had limits to how much it could improve one's talent, but with the Heaven's Mandate Pearl, Dongfang Yunxing might have a chance to shatter those shackles and take another step forward—becoming a true immortal seed.

Dongfang Yunxing knew nothing of Su Chen's thoughts.

A golden flower slowly condensed above his head, sprouting a single leaf. Golden runes and patterns surfaced across his body, resonating with the golden flower. A powerful, visible current of qi swirled around him—the mark of a spirit physique.

After destroying the Chen Family, the Heaven's Mandate Pearl had absorbed dozens of times more energy than before. This massive influx had transformed Dongfang Yunxing's talent and comprehension.

As the light gradually faded, Dongfang Yunxing slowly rose to his feet. He bowed deeply toward the tablets ahead.

He was ready to step into a far broader world beyond the confines of Stone Mountain City. He still had one final enemy left.

"Master…" Dongfang Yunxing called softly.

A response came from within the Heaven's Mandate Pearl. "Your master is here."

A faint smile appeared at the corners of Dongfang Yunxing's mouth. He pulled the black sword from the ground beside him and walked resolutely toward the rising sun in the distance.

His figure stretched longer and longer in the morning light. On this path, he was no longer alone.

Chen Xuan discovered that his luck seemed to have turned sour ever since Chen Lanlan's death.

The very next day, he faced a challenge. Previously, he could have easily suppressed the young genius, but because of the favorability drop with Chen Lanlan, his cultivation had fallen by two minor realms and he was still suffering from heavy injuries. In front of a large crowd, he was defeated.

Because of that loss, nearly all the women's favorability toward him halved—including Tao Wan, who admired his talent, and Princess Yun Mengyan, whom he had pursued so relentlessly.

All that talk of admiring his talent and not caring about his background or cultivation level? Complete nonsense.

Chen Xuan sneered coldly in his heart. He had finally seen the true faces of those women.

Still, for the sake of system missions, he continued to fawn over them. This time, however, the former passion in his heart had vanished, replaced by growing indifference.

His cultivation advanced rapidly. He broke through to the Spirit Soul realm and was hailed as one of the Ten Great Prodigies of the Great Wind Dynasty.

Yet Chen Xuan was still not satisfied. Only absolute power was the true path.

After he defeated the fifth-ranked genius of the younger generation in the Great Wind Dynasty and rose to fame across the land, both Tao Wan's and Yun Mengyan's favorability toward him not only recovered but surpassed their previous levels.

[Ding…]

The system's voice rang out in Chen Xuan's mind at the perfect moment. Joy surged through him.

"The Ghost Clan ruins have opened!"

The Ghost Clan ruins were remnants left behind when the Ghost Clan invaded the Vast Continent. After powerful Ghost Clan experts were slain by human powerhouses, the site had transformed over tens of thousands of years into a place filled with opportunities. For Chen Xuan, it also offered the second-most generous system reward yet—three full minor realms of cultivation.

He could not miss it.

"The title of number one genius in the Great Wind Dynasty should change hands," Chen Xuan declared confidently.

With the system by his side, he would eventually surpass everyone.

...

Ever since leaving Stone Mountain City, Dongfang Yunxing had walked the line between life and death without pause. Even though his current Talent far surpassed what it once was, he never grew arrogant.

Su Chen had seen countless prodigies and monsters in his time—including unparalleled freaks who had survived ten Emperor tribulations and been rated with ten-star Talent. He had even slain one. Yet Su Chen believed Dongfang Yunxing would not be inferior to them. In fact, he might surpass them all.

Just how terrifying would the Heaven's Mandate Pearl become once it shattered the limits of the Undying Nirvana Art?

It might not stop at ten-star Talent.

Talent alone did not determine everything. However, Su Chen had watched Dongfang Yunxing's Dao heart gradually grow firm and resolute. As his master, he knew those changes better than anyone.

"Disciple, your master still has one more technique," Su Chen said. "It is an experiment I have yet to complete. It may lead you down an unprecedented path of power, allowing you to surpass all others and step into the realm of true immortality. Or it may cause you to perish with the masses. Are you willing to learn it?"