After everyone had left, Nie Yun finally took a moment to observe the villa where he was staying. As expected of a place built by the Divine Holy Empire Royal Family to host honored guests, they had truly spared no expense.

The walls of the entire courtyard were constructed from Purple-Green Stone, which gathered Spiritual Qi. The layout was exquisite: rockeries, streams, steps, paths, and houses were all perfectly placed. It was a design that subtly formed a Spirit Gathering Array, drawing in Spiritual Qi from dozens of miles around. The Spiritual Qi within the courtyard was so dense it was almost tangible, and it would naturally accelerate one’s Cultivation speed.

’No wonder Guangming City is a hotbed for experts. They have a massive advantage in Spiritual Qi alone!’

Spiritual Qi was the foundation of Qi Sea Cultivation. The richer it was, the faster one could cultivate. The Spiritual Qi here was so abundant that, forget a genius, even a pig could probably reach the Peak of Armor Realm after ten years of cultivation!

It was like the difference between learning to swim in a regular pool versus the Dead Sea. In a pool, it was easy to choke and required significant effort. But in the Dead Sea, it was much simpler. Even though the water’s density was only slightly higher, it allowed one to achieve twice the result with half the effort.

The same principle applied to Spiritual Qi. A seemingly small difference in concentration between two locations was a completely different world for a Cultivator.

After taking a few casual steps around the courtyard, Nie Yun’s eyes suddenly fell upon a peculiar arrangement in the room, and the corner of his mouth curled into a smirk.

The peculiar arrangement was composed of several strange-looking weapons. From a distance, it looked like a mere decoration, but Nie Yun recognized it at a glance for what it was: an array designed specifically for eavesdropping—the Spirit Immortal Heaven-Stealing Array!

On the Floating Heaven Continent, this kind of array was a dime a dozen and practically worthless. Here on the Qi Sea Continent, however, very few people recognized it. Its function was similar to a Teleportation Jade Token; when powered by a Spirit Stone, it could transmit all sights and sounds from within the room.

’No wonder Huangg Ling was so reserved. He hasn’t figured out my background and deliberately planted this listening device to gauge my true strength.’

With a faint smile, he casually pointed a finger. "Break!"

BANG! The Spirit Immortal Heaven-Stealing Array instantly turned into a pile of useless scrap.

’This Spirit Stone can still be used. Can’t let it go to waste.’

He plucked the Spirit Stone that powered the array from the wreckage. With another faint smile, he tossed it into his Storage Dantian.

The Spirit Stones he had plundered from Two Realms Mountain, the Mi Tian Sect, and the Divine Wind Empire’s Royal Family were nearly depleted. He had restocked in the Zi Qiong Mountain Range, but his Qi Sea, transformed by the Nameless Technique, required an unimaginable amount of True Qi. When he next broke through, no amount of Spirit Stones would be too many.

After dismantling the listening array, Nie Yun sat cross-legged on the floor, activated his Cultivation Technique, and began his practice.

His ability to reach his current Realm in such a short time was only partly due to the experience of two lifetimes. More importantly, Nie Yun possessed a dedication to Cultivation that surpassed most people; he never missed a single opportunity to practice.

He cultivated for an unknown length of time before exhaling and standing up. ’It’s dark now. Time to pay a visit to an old friend.’

Outside, the sky was completely dark. It was time to make his move.

He had previously left a sliver of his Tracking Qi on Venerable Tuxin. Too much had happened since then for him to investigate properly, but the moment he entered Guangming City earlier today, he had sensed its presence. That could only mean one thing: Tuxin was here!

He had let Tuxin go precisely to bait a bigger fish. It seemed it was now time to reel in the net.

"Xiaofong, stay alert and protect everyone here. I’m heading out for a while."

After instructing Xiaofong, Nie Yun’s figure flickered. He slipped out of Di Lin Villa as silently as a Stealth Master or an Assassin Master, darting in the direction indicated by his Tracking Qi.

A Stealth Master was a possessor of a special talent, similar in effect to that of a Concealment Master. They could generate Stealth Qi, allowing them to blend in with their surroundings like a chameleon, making them incredibly difficult to spot. While Nie Yun wasn’t a Stealth Master, he had studied Stealth Techniques extensively in his previous life. Combined with his ability to use the terrain for cover and his boundless Disguise Master Talent, even a Secret Realm Powerhouse would have trouble finding him.

He moved swiftly, and the sensation from Venerable Tuxin grew stronger and stronger. Looking at the grand architecture before him, Nie Yun’s brows furrowed. ’This is... the Imperial Palace? Why would Tuxin be here? Could the Divine Holy Empire Royal Family have also been involved in my parents’ capture?’

Before him lay a complex of majestic buildings fronted by a vast, open plaza. A towering mountain rose up behind it, lending the entire structure a commanding presence that grandly displayed the full might of the Imperial Family. This was, without a doubt, the Imperial Palace.

’Tuxin is in the Imperial Palace... It seems that Emperor Huangg Ling is no saint, either. He must have been involved in my parents’ capture.’

’Disguise Master, activate!’

With a single thought, his appearance shifted, transforming him into one of the palace guards. He then slipped into the Imperial Palace from above.

The Imperial Palace of the Divine Holy Empire was far more lavish than that of the Divine Wind Empire. Palaces were packed tightly together, layer upon layer, stretching as far as the eye could see. An ordinary person without a map would undoubtedly get lost and never find their way out.

But Nie Yun was different. In his past life, he was a true Array Master. Analyzing an array was like diagnosing an illness; it required careful observation. This included Observing Qi, observing intent, and observing form. ’Observing form’ meant that no matter how complex an array was, he had to memorize every single feature at a glance. Forgetting even one detail would make breaking the array immensely difficult.

Since he could memorize the most intricate of arrays with a single look, a palace layout was child’s play. His brief aerial survey had been enough to map out all the entrances and exits in his mind. There was no chance of him getting lost.

He walked along the palace corridors, observing the surrounding layout and nodding to himself. ’The mountains support it from above, the Qi flows like a roaming dragon... The person who built this Imperial Palace was definitely a master of arrays and Observing Qi. They constructed the entire palace in the pattern of a Spirit Gathering Array. Every wall, every brick, holds a deeper meaning. It’s frightening.’

’No wonder the Divine Holy Empire Royal Family was able to produce a Secret Realm Powerhouse. The palace’s layout gathers the ambient energy of the entire continent, and the Spiritual Qi is incredibly thick. If they couldn’t produce Secret Realm experts and geniuses under these conditions, it would be a true insult to the person who designed this place.’

Mountains and rivers could gather Spiritual Qi, but so could Grand Arrays. Many supreme experts could leverage the natural landscape and add their own power to create sacred grounds for Cultivation. Practicing in such a place yielded twice the results with half the effort, leading to incredibly fast advancement.

In both its layout and design, this Imperial Palace concentrated the greatest fortune of the Qi Sea Continent. The methods used were truly brilliant.

’This is the place!’

While observing his surroundings, Nie Yun easily slipped past countless patrolling guards. Before long, he arrived at a small villa deep within the Imperial Palace. Inside, his Tracking Qi blazed like a torch in the dead of night, dazzlingly bright.

RUSTLE!

Just as he was about to enter and see what Tuxin was up to, he heard the sound of hurried footsteps. A tall figure was striding toward him from the far end of the corridor.

He took a peek from the shadows and couldn’t help but smile. It was none other than the Emperor of the Divine Holy Empire, Huangg Ling. ’Huangg Ling? Heh, perfect timing. Let’s see what kind of scheme they’re plotting.’

’For a dignified Emperor to be sneaking around in the dead of night... he must be up to something shady.’

With that thought, his body flickered, and he slipped silently into the courtyard, concealing himself in a spot that would be nearly impossible for anyone to detect.

Before his soul had reached Great Perfection, hiding from an expert of Huangg Ling’s level would have been impossible. But things were different now. His powerful soul allowed him to completely suppress his aura. As long as Huangg Ling hadn’t reached the Secret Realm and his soul hadn’t advanced to the Spirit Level, he would be completely unable to detect Nie Yun.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, Huangg Ling’s brows shot up. He barked in a low voice, "Tuxin, get out here!"

"Why has Your Majesty come so late? Is there news of those people?" CREAK. The door opened and a figure emerged. It was none other than Tuxin, the same man Nie Yun had beaten so badly his own mother wouldn’t have recognized him.

Tuxin’s injuries were now completely healed. His muscles were powerful and his skin had a healthy luster. It seemed that after their last encounter, he had realized that even with a Great Strength Dantian, he couldn’t unleash his full power without an equally strong physical body to support it. He had clearly started to focus on his physical Cultivation.

"News?" Huangg Ling’s voice was like a cannon blast. "Hmph, you have the nerve to even ask! Every piece of information you gave me was wrong!"

"Wrong? What information was wrong?" Tuxin asked, stunned.

"You said that Nie Yun was about as strong as you, maybe just a hair stronger. That was some ’hair’! It’s a good thing I didn’t listen to you and move against him directly, or I’d be the one in deep trouble!"

"He *was* only a little stronger than me! If my physical body hadn’t been so weak, I wouldn’t have been able to continuously activate the power of my Great Strength Dantian. Otherwise, he would have been no match for me at all!" Tuxin replied, thinking back on his fight with Nie Yun and nodding in confirmation.

’Back when we fought, our strengths were about equal. If it weren’t for his strange Swordsmanship and his dense True Qi, I definitely wouldn’t have been the one to lose!’

"A little stronger? Bullshit! Today, he killed an expert ranked in the top three of the Celestial List by casually throwing a wine cup! All the experts of the Divine Feather Empire combined couldn’t withstand a single one of his attacks! Luoo Qingshou, wielder of the Cyan Longevity Sword, whose strength isn’t much less than my own, was defeated—and his Ice Cold Divine Sword broken—by just two of Nie Yun’s fingers! When were *you* ever that strong? Ten of you tied together couldn’t pull that off! There’s a limit to your boasting!" Huangg Ling’s voice grew more and more furious as he spoke.

Tuxin was stunned. "A top-three expert on the Celestial List killed by a wine cup? All the experts of the Divine Feather Empire couldn’t block a single move? Luoo Qingshou’s Ice Cold Divine Sword... shattered by two fingers? Th-that’s impossible! Are you sure you saw that correctly?"

He knew exactly how powerful a Celestial List expert was. Even at his current strength, ten of him wouldn’t be a match for one. How could that boy kill one so casually? What in the world had happened?

"I saw it with my own eyes, how could I be wrong? Hmph! Last time, you told me Nie Xiaotian and his group were trash with no real strength. And what happened? Not only did they escape, but they went on a killing spree that damaged the prestige of my empire! It seems not a single piece of your intelligence has been accurate!"

Seeing the clueless look on Tuxin’s face only made Huangg Ling angrier. He roared, wishing he could just slap the man dead on the spot. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote for recommendations and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)