There is a gap even between extremes; Yao Wujiang, the "good man"!
"Have you heard? Yao Wujiang from the Heavenly Demon Ancient Realm is going to duel Qin Wudao!"
"Is that for real? Yao Wujiang is at the Peak Tongxuan Realm! What level is Qin Wudao, anyway? Divine Sea Realm? How is that even a fight?"
"Rumor has it that Yao Wujiang will suppress his cultivation to the Great Circle of the Divine Sea Realm, but even so, he’s terrifying! And Qin Wudao actually said he’d concede three moves? Is he out of his mind?"
"I think he's drunk on his own success. He’s bound to lose!"
Almost no one favored Qin Wudao. With the First Elder’s Faction fueling the flames, surrounding forces soon caught wind of the news. They sent important figures to the Qin Family under the guise of paying respects, but in truth, they were there to watch the spectacle and seize the opportunity to gauge the true strength of the Qin Family’s Young Lord.
Of course, no one believed that the obscure Qin Wudao could defeat Yao Wujiang. The First Elder and his cohorts spread the news only to see Qin Wudao humiliate himself in front of everyone.
...
Outside, the duel between Yao Wujiang and Qin Wudao had caused an uproar. Qin Zhan, filled with anxiety, ultimately decided to visit Emperor Son Peak in person. He wanted to warn Qin Wudao not to put too much pressure on himself. Winning and losing were common occurrences. He was still young and had plenty of opportunities; not being able to beat Yao Wujiang now didn't mean he wouldn't be able to in the future. As long as his Dao heart remained steadfast, he would definitely be able to defeat him later.
Yes, even Qin Wudao’s father, Qin Zhan, did not believe his son was a match for Yao Wujiang. As the absolute successor of the Heavenly Demon Ancient Path, Yao Wujiang was simply too strong. Every realm he had cultivated had been polished to the extreme, an unprecedented feat.
However, there are gaps even between extremes.
Qin Wudao, for his part, did not care about the skepticism and mockery from the outside world. His focus was entirely immersed in his path to the Dao. After meeting Yao Wujiang, he keenly sensed that his own "extreme" had not yet reached its true end. Above it lay an even more perfect and flawless level. He decided not to break through just yet, choosing instead to continue polishing his extreme and solidifying his foundation.
"Yao Wujiang is a good man. Not only did he send me resources, but he also made me realize the shortcomings in my cultivation. For our sparring session in three days, I must ensure he suffers a dignified defeat. I can't have him lose too miserably."
The Nine-Colored Ancestral Dragon Marrow, the Innate Thunder Spirit Origin Bead, and the sapling of the Longevity Dao Tree hovered before him. Any one of these treasures, if leaked, would be enough to incite a struggle among Saints or even Sovereigns. Now, they were all his.
Without hesitation, Qin Wudao began to refine them. The Nine-Colored Ancestral Dragon Marrow shared the same origin as his stolen Primordial True Dragon Bone, containing an incredibly pure Ancestral Dragon essence. A majestic surge of Ancestral Dragon power flooded into his body, fusing perfectly with the Hongmeng Emperor Bone. The purple-gold dragon patterns on the Emperor Bone became even more brilliant and vivid, as if coming to life, radiating an even more vast and imposing dragon aura.
The Innate Thunder Spirit Origin Bead contained a trace of the innate lightning path’s origin, violent and untamed. After Qin Wudao refined and absorbed it, a purple lightning mark, capable of destroying all things, appeared upon the Emperor Bone. As for the sapling of the Longevity Dao Tree, Qin Wudao integrated it into his Divine Sea to nourish his body and stabilize his Dao foundation.
After refining these three supreme treasures, the cultivation within Qin Wudao’s body began to climb once more. Even though he had already reached the extreme recorded in legends, he remained in no rush to break through, continuing to polish and temper his Divine Sea. He wanted to take this realm to its absolute limit, to reach a state rarely attained in all of history. Once successful, his combat prowess would far exceed those at the same level, allowing him to challenge those in higher realms and broadening his path for the future.
At this very moment, within his Divine Sea, countless stars were birthed and extinguished, chaos was being opened up, and everything was expanding slowly yet steadily. Above Emperor Son Peak, an extraordinary vision of heaven and earth emerged. Purple mist gathered and circled the mountain peak. Faint sounds of dragons roaring and phoenixes crying echoed in the void, while chaotic light rained down, nourishing the spiritual herbs on the peak.
Although the scope of the phenomenon was not as earth-shaking as the nine strikes of the Ancestral Bell, the Dao rhythm it contained left the nearby Qin Family elders secretly stunned.
"Is the Young Lord... breaking through again?"
"No... his aura hasn't risen; he’s still at the Divine Sea Realm... but this aura... why is it so unfathomable?"
"Could it be... he is assaulting the extreme of the Divine Sea Realm?!"
"Hiss... that’s impossible..."
Just then, Qin Zhan’s figure appeared outside Emperor Son Peak. He had intended to use his experience to offer some guidance to Qin Wudao. But upon seeing the heavenly phenomenon and the immortal Dao rhythm emanating from the room, he stopped in his tracks, feeling a pang of regret for even coming.
"Don't tell me he's broken through again? This isn't the aura of the Tongxuan Realm, but... hasn't he already reached the Divine Sea extreme? Could it be... that there is an extreme beyond the Divine Sea extreme?!"
Qin Zhan muttered to himself, his heart filled with unspeakable confusion and... astonishment!
"Could he be the reincarnation of some ancient Great Emperor? How is breaking through as easy as drinking water? Is it really reasonable to break through faster than one eats?"
Three questions rose in Qin Zhan’s mind in succession. Looking at the door just a few steps away, he decided not to push it open and chose to slip away instead. He truly had no way to offer guidance as a "senior." It was too discouraging. Breaking through like it was nothing—did he want the rest of them to live?
"What's wrong, Father? Are you lost again?" sensing his father's presence in the room, Qin Wudao asked with feigned innocence.
The departing Qin Zhan wore an awkward but polite smile on his face and coughed twice. "Ahem... nothing! Just passing by! You continue your cultivation; Father... has important matters to attend to!"
...
In the First Elder’s hall, Qin Tianlong, Qin Meier, and several core members of the First Elder’s faction were gathered together.
"Hmph! That little animal Qin Wudao is getting more and more arrogant!"
"And that Qin Yao, what a bitch! To think she would actually speak up for that waste!"
"Don't worry, he won't be smug for much longer. Yao Wujiang is a monster rarely seen in the history of the Heavenly Demon Ancient Realm, and his strength is unfathomable! Even if he suppresses his cultivation to the Divine Sea Realm, he is still far beyond what that little animal Qin Wudao can compare to!"
Listening to them, Qin Tianlong’s eyes filled with hysterical delight as he rasped, "In three days, on the Questing Dao Platform, I want to watch with my own eyes as Yao Wujiang maims him! I want him to know what despair feels like! I want him to know who the true master of the Qin Family is!"
"Not only defeat him, but kill him!" Qin Meier added viciously. "Let him die 'accidentally' at the hands of Yao Wujiang while everyone is watching! By then, everyone will only lament how powerful Young Lord Yao is; no one will be able to blame us! That way, Young Lord Tianlong, you will remain the number one youth of our Qin Family, and the family's resources will eventually return to our hands!"