Chapter 1

Boom... The thunder roared and the gloomy sky was covered by dark clouds. Even the moonlight couldn't be appreciated. Such eerie weather was unprecedented in the autumn season of the Imperial Capital. It indicated that someone was up to no good.

In the western suburbs of the Imperial Capital, where most of the descendants of the Qin family gathered, there was a self-contained small community. It had been there for an unknown period of time, whether it was a hundred years or a thousand years, nobody knew. The Qin family was an ancient family, and the succession of the Duke, who was the heir of the family, was a matter of life and death for the entire family, given its long-standing traditions.

The elders were the most respected individuals in the family. The inheritance had always been passed down through the main lineage. It was the first time in a thousand years that the heir had left. Since it was obvious that the family patriarch Qin Feng had no desire to have another son, it was reasonable for the elders to choose the next one in their own way, even if it meant using their lives as the capital for selection. As an elder, I couldn't understand how they could agree to this.

Among the elders, Qin Zhan held the first seat. The younger generation referred to him as the Great Elder. His past deeds showed that he was a benevolent and courageous old man.

For him, red wine was a joy in life. He often held a wine glass even when there was nothing going on. The wine cellars of all the divine, demonic, and immortal realms had almost been explored by him. He would be seen slightly intoxicated every evening, but if you asked him a question, he could answer it coherently. The other elders and senior members of the family wouldn't meddle in his drinking habits.

The altar had always served as a bridge for communication in the past. And even today, it remained a bridge. The Qin family's altar was a passage to the Demon Realm. Before the doors of the divine and demonic realms were opened, the main access to the Three Realms relied on the underworld of the Demon Realm. After the creatures of the Three Realms died, their souls would travel to the underworld and then transfer to a random realm. The altar could only transmit small amounts of information, and it was only when the doors were opened that there were numerous shortcuts. However, most souls still had to pass through the underworld.

Although most people were aware of the Qin family altar, very few knew where it led to in the Demon Realm. This small shortcut was rarely used for travel; it was mainly used for transmitting information, and only the Duke himself knew what information was being transmitted.

The altar held a ceremony on special occasions, but it remained sealed at other times. However, Qin Zhan was currently standing alone in front of the altar. There were guards stationed outside the altar, but Qin Zhan ignored them, and they likewise turned a blind eye and deaf ear to him.

Qin Zhan touched his wine glass and stood in the middle of the altar, his eyes meeting the blood-red color of the wine.

The crimson sky and the thunderous lightning intermingled, creating an enchanting sight.

It was the night after the intercollegiate competition had ended. In the morning, Duke Qin announced that his son had been found and hosted a banquet for the members of the Qin family and his friends. However, he didn't reveal my true identity because I never attended. But what Qin Zhan was concerned about was my intention to participate in the selection of candidates. This news seriously undermined his plans. With my sudden interference, his plans would have to start from scratch, and he couldn't allow me to obtain the inheritance. If I were to succeed, his plans would become meaningless.

"Qin Yang..." Qin Zhan murmured softly to the wine glass. "The sky is strange, there must be turmoil!"

Qin Zhan took a sip of the wine in the glass and savored the bitter taste.

Chapter 2

Boom...

"The thunder has been rumbling all night, nonstop," the representatives from the Naz College rested in their hotel rooms.

Due to the incident with Tong Fei, the competition was suspended for three days, giving the participating representatives some free time to rest before the competition resumed.

After Tong Fei's body was taken away for examination, it was determined that he died of heart failure. But the situation with the steel bones might be a bit troublesome. However, they weren't worried about it. It was the school's matter, not their concern. But they were worried that the cursed dagger might be discovered, which could disrupt the fairness of the competition. As long as it remained hidden, it was fine. But if it were to be exposed, it would be a serious problem, especially considering the nature of the dagger.

"If it's too noisy, just hide under the covers."

"Boss, your method is really deceiving. How can hiding under the covers block the noise?"

"At least I won't have to listen to your constant babbling," said the person referred to as the boss, who was the leader of the Naz College team.

Originally, there were ten members from Naz, but now there were only nine. They were all gathered here. How do I know this? Because I've already counted them."The people are quite organized. It's good that I don't have to search for people everywhere."

The sound came from the main entrance of the room, on the beige sofa, where I was leisurely lying.

The group from Nanz College was suddenly shocked, and their leader, who reacted the fastest, nervously asked, "Where is Xiaochun?"

"Hmm? You mean him?" I kicked the person who had been stepped on by my left foot, and he was motionless, bleeding from his nose.

Originally, the person sitting here was Xiaochun, but at some point, he was replaced by me.

He didn't seem to care that Xiaochun was dead, and he immediately turned the question to me, "Qin Yang, how did you get in?"

I pointed my thumb towards the window behind me, indicating that I came in from there.

"How did you know it was me? Have we met before?"

"On the day of the competition, I guess everyone in the empire must have seen you."

"In that case, I don't need to say anything more!" I sat straight on the sofa, naturally and calmly, facing everyone present.

"We have eight people, so in terms of numbers, you're not in advantage." This leader seemed to really believe that I was just a student.

"The number of people may be a decisive factor under certain circumstances, but even a larger number of ants is of little use in this situation."

"Damn it, he actually called us ants." In a team, there are always impulsive and reckless people who can't hold back, and they could very well lead the whole team to destruction.

Boom boom boom...

3

Five minutes later, the Imperial Fire Brigade arrived at the hotel, fully rescuing the sudden fire caused by lightning strikes. Eight bodies were carried out from the room, all of them disfigured by lightning strikes, leaving only dark steel bones.

Of the nine people in the room, the only one still alive was the "leader," who had originally planned to finish things quickly. But I unexpectedly discovered that this person, named "leader," was the black-clothed man who attacked Qiong.

The dual-curved blade in his hand was the best indicator, and he was also a lightning magic practitioner. Last time, he was an accomplice in Wenxin's attack, so I needed to take special care of him.

Two weeks ago, Qiong encountered an ambush at the construction site. In two weeks, at the same location, at night, only two people standing at the highest point were not connected to the ambush and being ambushed.

"I will make a bet with you today. If you can escape from my hands, I will never harm a hair on your head for the rest of my life!"