Qin Wudao stepped forward, walking straight toward Qin Tianlong, who lay sprawled on the ground, his eyes filled with venomous resentment and terror.
Then, amidst the sound of countless people gasping, he raised his foot and slammed it down hard onto Qin Tianlong’s chest!
*Crack!*
The sound of shattering bone was clearly audible.
Qin Tianlong let out a stifled groan of extreme pain. The immense force pressed him into a half-kneeling position before he collapsed completely, coughing violently as blood, mixed with fragments of his internal organs, surged from his mouth.
A humiliation beyond compare!
As the foremost prodigy of the current generation of the Qin Family, bearing the Primordial True Dragon Bone, he was being trampled like this by a "piece of trash"!
This single kick did more than shatter his sternum; it shattered all his pride and dignity.
Qin Tianlong groaned again, his body pinned firmly to the ground by the crushing force.
The entire square fell silent!
Everyone was stunned by what they were seeing, their breath hitching in their throats. Gasps of shock echoed one after another.
Defying the Mystic Ancestor and trampling Qin Tianlong in public... how could he dare?!
Qin Wudao applied slight pressure under his foot, feeling the trembling of the body beneath him and the faint dragon aura seeping through its bones. "You stole my dragon bone and murdered my kind mother. I will not forget this debt."
"Today is only the beginning."
"I will make you, and the person behind you, clearly understand that taking what does not belong to you comes with a price."
"I will make you live in terror day and night, unable to live, yet unable to die."
"In the future, death will be the greatest mercy I can grant you."
Every word was chilling, dripping with lethal intent.
"You beast! How dare you!!!"
Qin Yuan’s eyes were bloodshot as he prepared to charge forward, regardless of the consequences.
"Qin Yuan, why must you personally intervene in a dispute between juniors?" Qin Zhan’s figure flashed, blocking Qin Yuan’s path once more. His aura was equally formidable, and he did not yield an inch.
"Get out of the way!" Qin Yuan roared.
"You aren't getting past me," Qin Zhan replied, his stance resolute.
High above, the Mystic Ancestor and the other ancestors watched the scene below without interfering.
Qin Tianlong’s cultivation level was far superior to Qin Wudao’s. Even if he were heavily injured and lying on the ground, Qin Wudao had no real power to threaten him.
"Tianlong is currently in the King Realm, while you are only in the Divine Sea Realm. How long do you think it will take for you to catch up to his pace and prove your worth?"
Listening to the Mystic Ancestor’s question, Qin Wudao slowly lifted his foot. "At most, three months."
The words fell.
The entire square sank into a deathly silence once more.
Immediately afterward, an even greater uproar of disbelief and heated debate erupted.
"What?! Three months?!"
"He... he said he would surpass Emperor Son Tianlong in three months?!"
"Good heavens! Has he lost his mind? Does he know what he’s saying?"
"Qin Tianlong is a genuine Mid King Realm powerhouse! Even if his dragon bone is damaged and his strength regressed, he is still a King! Qin Wudao... he has only just stepped into the Early Divine Sea Realm, right?"
"Divine Sea, Tongxuan, Array Formation, King Realm... there are two entire great realms and several minor stages between them! Three months? How is that possible!"
"Indeed! The path of cultivation is a struggle to reach the heavens! The further one progresses, the harder it becomes! Forget three months; even three hundred years might not be enough for anyone to make such a leap!"
"Arrogant! Too arrogant!"
Sounds of questioning, exclamation, and mockery rang out in a chorus.
No one believed Qin Wudao’s words.
Even Qin Zhan, who had been protecting him, frowned deeply, his eyes filled with worry. He knew his son had extraordinary potential, but three months was simply too short and too difficult.
Qin Yuan, on the other hand, went from shock to fury, a look of extreme venomous sneer appearing on his face. "Fine! Fine! Fine! Three months! I want to see how you, this bastard, will reach the heavens! You are simply courting your own death!"
The Mystic Ancestor scanned Qin Wudao and the unconscious Qin Tianlong. He valued Qin Wudao’s potential, but he was unwilling to abandon the already established Qin Tianlong.
"It is good for a youth to have ambition, but the family values its future more."
"To settle this dispute and maintain the 'Two Dragons' situation within our Qin Family, I set this agreement: in three months, at the Dragon Gate Ceremony, the two of you shall have a fair fight."
"If you win, it proves you have the quality to stand alongside Tianlong. You may enter the core ranks and enjoy a portion of the top-tier resources."
"If you lose, you shall serve Tianlong in peace and never speak of the past concerning your bones again, or face punishment under family law!"
"This is decided. We shall discuss it again in three months."
The Mystic Ancestor declared this with authority before his figure and those of the other ancestors slowly faded away.
"Understood."
Qin Wudao bowed calmly, accepting this bet that appeared fair but held hidden bias.
Qin Yuan shot a venomous glare at Qin Wudao before immediately leading his people to support Qin Tianlong and leave quickly. He felt a bit more at ease now; the Mystic Ancestor had protected Tianlong after all.
The farce in the square had come to a temporary end.
But everyone knew that the Dragon Gate Ceremony in three months would be the true main event.
It was called a test, but it was actually the Mystic Ancestor’s method of balancing the internal affairs of the family and maintaining the "Two Prodigies" status quo.
Qin Wudao was, ultimately, still too weak. Even if he truly possessed the bearing of an Emperor, he would not receive true fairness until he grew strong enough.
Qin Wudao had expected this all along.
But... he would certainly make Qin Yuan and Qin Tianlong pay the price they deserved.
And the Mystic Ancestor, who claimed to be doing this for the family, would not be let off easily either. One day, they would all die!
For now, he had to increase his strength as quickly as possible.
He did not return to the Abandoning Dust Hall, but was instead arranged to stay in a brand-new palace located at the edge of the Qin Family’s core region, where the concentration of spiritual energy far exceeded his previous residence—the Zichen Hall.
The palace was built against a mountain, with pavilions and towers. Although it was not as good as the peaks of the true core members, it was far superior to the Abandoning Dust Hall.
The palace was staffed with attendants, and the provisions were of a much higher standard.
Soon, the first batch of cultivation resources was delivered.
Piles of spiritual stones, various basic pills for the Divine Sea and Tongxuan Realms, and some materials for basic artifact refinement and alchemy.
Compared to his previous circumstances where he could not even get enough to eat, these resources were like heaven and earth.
Qin Wudao looked at these resources with a calm expression. He knew this was not the family’s recognition of him, but rather the ancestor’s "bounty" regarding the three-month bet, along with the covert help of his father, Qin Zhan.
Status, in the end, had to be won through strength.
Although the First Elder, Qin Yuan, had been temporarily suppressed, his influence in the family was deep-rooted, and he would never let this go. During these three months, he would surely use every means to obstruct him while sparing no cost to boost Qin Tianlong.
While his father, Qin Zhan, was strong, as the Clan Leader, he had to guard the family and deal with external threats; he could not protect him at all times.
Ultimately, everything depended on himself.
Three months to chase down and defeat a Mid King Realm expert from the Early Divine Sea Realm.
The pressure was immense.
He had to increase his strength as quickly as possible.
Qin Wudao waved the attendants away and walked to the spirit eye within the palace, the area with the most concentrated spiritual energy. Here, the energy was dense, nearly liquefied.
"System, check in here."
[Detected that the host is at the spirit eye of the Zichen Hall. The spiritual energy is abundant, meeting the requirements for check-in. Do you wish to check in?]
"Check in."
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining the Primal Dragon Emperor Scripture (Mid-section Insights)!]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining 100,000 top-grade spiritual stones!]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining three Seven-Aperture Exquisite Pills!]
The mid-section insights of the Primal Dragon Emperor Scripture were enough to boost his understanding of the cultivation method by a significant margin.
100,000 top-grade spiritual stones! A massive amount of energy for cultivation.
Seven-Aperture Exquisite Pills! Legendary holy pills that could cleanse the soul and significantly increase perception and wisdom!
Qin Wudao’s gaze remained calm; he did not start cultivating immediately.
He began to quickly plan his training direction for the next three months in his mind.
Check-ins, cultivation, increasing his realm, perfecting the Hongmeng Emperor Bone, mastering more combat techniques...