I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

There were no earth-shattering phenomena, only the dark gold spiritual power surging within his body, which erupted like an oil depot that had been ignited!

An aura far more violent, scorching, and destructive than before rose from Qin Yuan's body!

He chose to burn—thirty years of cultivation!

For him, who could automatically gain eighty years of cultivation every day, thirty years was nothing more than half a day's worth of "natural growth".

However, the power boost brought about by the instantaneous burning of the pure spiritual energy source accumulated over the past thirty years is real and substantial!

Double the combat power, boosted!

The dark golden light surrounding Qin Yuan instantly became dazzling, as if it had transformed into a dark golden sun.

He stopped dodging and instead faced the falling Big Dipper God-Slaying Sword head-on. He took a step forward, his right fist retracted to his waist, and then, like a fully drawn bowstring, he unleashed a powerful punch!

This punch was no longer the simple, unadorned kind it had been before.

As the fist was thrown, wind and thunder followed! The dark golden fist energy solidified into a huge fist imprint, on which five-colored light flowed faintly, and a very faint flame pattern, silver star points and dark red demonic patterns flickered - those were the traces left by the tempering of the fifth-level nascent soul of the "Nine Deaths Nascent Soul Technique" with the Earth Core Flame, Void Essence and Calamity Demon Qi!

"boom--!!!!!"

The fist imprint and the starlight greatsword collided violently above the icy pool, like two meteors!

An indescribable roar, as if the sky itself had been shattered! A blinding light instantly engulfed everything, and a violent energy shockwave swept outwards in a ring, causing large sections of the icy pool's surface to crumble and vaporize, revealing the deep pool water below. The water was then churned up into giant waves tens of meters high!

The surrounding icebergs shook violently, and countless icicles and shards fell down.

Wen Ruohai, Chi Liao, and the others were already so frightened by this terrifying power that they retreated one after another, raising their protective spiritual light to resist the outward impact. Even so, they felt their blood churning and their ears ringing.

The light and turbulent energy slowly dissipated.

The scene appeared in the air.

The once-powerful illusory image of the Big Dipper God-Slaying Sword was now covered in cracks. Then, with a "crack," it shattered completely, turning into a shower of light and dissipating into nothingness.

Chen Xingzi's face was ashen, his breath was weak, blood kept spilling from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were filled with extreme shock and bewilderment.

His strongest killing move... was broken? It was shattered by a single punch from a peak Nascent Soul cultivator?!

Qin Yuan remained suspended in mid-air, though the dark golden light around him had dimmed slightly, and his face was a little pale, but his aura remained steady.

Burning thirty years of cultivation brought a burden that was still within the tolerance range for his nascent soul and meridians, which had been tempered many times.

Sit down!

"You... what kind of technique is this?!" Chen Xingzi asked hoarsely, his voice trembling. The power that erupted in that instant was definitely not of the Nascent Soul stage!

Qin Yuan did not answer. He moved and disappeared from the spot again.

Chen Xingzi was terrified and tried to escape by forcefully gathering his spiritual power.

But a dark golden finger gust arrived first, striking the star power shield he had hastily condensed.

"puff!"

The shield shattered instantly, and the remaining force of the finger strike pierced his right chest, leaving a gaping, bloody hole.

"Ah—!" Chen Xingzi screamed, staggering backward, his eyes filled with terror as he looked at Qin Yuan. He knew that his opponent had held back; if that finger had struck his brow or dantian, he would be dead.

"Get lost." Qin Yuan withdrew his hand and coldly uttered a single word.

Chen Xingzi felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He dared not linger for even a moment, and without even caring about Chi Liao and the others, his body flashed with starlight, and he transformed into a streak of light, fleeing madly into the depths of the secret realm without looking back, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Chi Liao and his two deputies were completely dumbfounded, frozen in shock. Their greatest asset, Chen Xingzi, the genius of the Starfall Pavilion, had actually... fled?

Qin Yuan turned his gaze to them.

The three of them trembled, as if they had been targeted by a ferocious beast, and cold sweat instantly soaked their backs.

"Senior...Senior, spare my life!" Chi Liao was the first to kneel down, kowtowing repeatedly. "It was my fault for being blind and offending you, senior! I am willing to offer up all my possessions, just to beg you to spare my life!" His two deputies also hurriedly knelt down, kowtowing repeatedly.

Qin Yuan looked at the three men without a trace of emotion. He raised his hand and grabbed them from a distance, and the three men immediately collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

The cold pool finally returned to calm, with only the broken ice and rising steam bearing witness to the fierce battle that had just taken place.

Wen Ruohai stared at the scene before him as if in a dream. He looked at Qin Yuan's slightly pale yet still upright figure, his heart churning with a mix of emotions: shock, gratitude, guilt, admiration... a multitude of feelings intertwined together.

He strode forward, bowed deeply to Qin Yuan, his voice choked with emotion: "Lord Qin... I cannot thank you enough! From this day forward, my life belongs to Lord Qin! I will serve you without hesitation, even at the cost of my life!"

He saw Qin Yuan's aura surge and his face turn pale in the last moment, and thought that Qin Yuan had used some kind of secret technique or forbidden method that consumed a lot of energy to defeat Chen Xingzi.

To help him obtain the Ice Soul Crystal, City Lord Qin was willing to pay such a price! This favor is too heavy!

Qin Yuan helped him up, his tone still calm: "Senior Wen, you flatter me. It was nothing. Go and get the Xuanjing."

Wen Ruohai nodded emphatically, said no more, and leaped towards the small island in the center of the icy pool. He carefully picked the three Ice Soul Crystals and placed them in a specially made jade box. The cool touch and the pure Ice Soul power invigorated him.

Returning to Qin Yuan's side, Wen Ruohai handed two of the coins to him, saying, "City Lord Qin, these coins should belong to you..."

Qin Yuan took only one: "This item is not very useful to me; one is enough. Since you need it, keep one as a spare. Take it quickly to heal your wounds; this place is not safe to stay for long."

He sensed several powerful auras approaching from afar, seemingly disturbed by the previous battle.

Wen Ruohai was deeply moved, knowing that Qin Yuan was thinking of him.

Without any pretense, he put away the two Xuan Crystals, took out a pill and swallowed it, then sat cross-legged and began to circulate his internal energy to heal his injuries, absorbing the pure ice-type energy from the Ice Soul Xuan Crystal. This would be beneficial for his recovery and even for stabilizing his Nascent Soul realm.

Qin Yuan stood guard to the side, his divine sense covering the surroundings. He didn't leave immediately because, according to the rules of the secret realm he had learned from the system, opportunities like the Ice Soul Crystal, once seized, would receive a certain degree of protection from the secret realm's rules during the initial absorption and refinement period, forming a temporary "safe zone" that lasted for about one to two hours. This was precisely the healing time Wen Ruohai desperately needed.

About an hour later, Wen Ruohai's breathing gradually stabilized, the wound on his shoulder healed, and his complexion became much rosier, demonstrating the remarkable effects of the Ice Soul Crystal.

He opened his eyes and saw Qin Yuan still standing guard beside him. He stood up and thanked him solemnly once again.

Qin Yuan waved his hand: "Since Senior Wen's injuries have stabilized, he should continue to consolidate his strength here and fully absorb the power of the Xuanjing. I sensed that there are several places in the depths of the secret realm where the energy fluctuations are even stronger, and I plan to go and explore them."

Wen Ruohai was startled: "Lord Qin, the depths of the secret realm are bound to be even more dangerous. Your battle just now..."

"It's alright," Qin Yuan interrupted him. "I know what I'm doing. You can stay here in peace; no one can disturb you during this safe period. Once you've succeeded, you can explore on your own or return to the rendezvous point."

Seeing that Qin Yuan was determined, Wen Ruohai stopped trying to dissuade him, and simply bowed again: "Lord Qin, please be careful! I will await good news here!"

Qin Yuan nodded, and without further delay, his figure transformed into a streak of dark golden light, rushing towards the direction he sensed with his divine sense—a place where the energy was most abundant and violent, and where the sounds of dragon roars and tiger howls could be faintly heard.

The battle for the hidden realms has only just begun. True treasures and opportunities often lie hidden in the most dangerous places.