Lin Qing stepped out of the inheritance chamber, the stone door sealing behind him with a soft, final thud. The quiet that followed felt almost out of place—unnaturally still, as if the air itself wasn't sure what to do with him anymore.
Li Chun stood at attention outside, but the moment he saw Lin Qing, his composure shattered.
"Heir Lin Qing! Your aura—it's completely different!"
Lin Qing brushed some dust off his sleeve. "Is it? I feel the same."
"No, Heir Lin Qing," Li Chun said, voice trembling with excitement. "You feel like a sect master pretending to be calm."
"…That's not helpful."
Li Chun leaned forward, whispering urgently, "Also, I think you should know—every genius in the secret realm felt something just now."
Lin Qing paused mid-step. "…I beg your pardon?"
Li Chun swallowed. "Your inheritance awakening must have shaken the realm's core. There was a pulse—like a ripple of silver lightning. The other factions are panicking."
As if on cue, the sky above the Mirror-Plains flickered. Not metaphorically—literally flickered, like a curtain disturbed by a sudden gust.
A moment later, a streak of violent wind slammed down onto a nearby ridge. Lin Qing recognized the figure instantly—Fang Jian, the spear prodigy from the Gale Noble Clan. His aura churned like a storm barely held in place.
He stared in Lin Qing's direction with an expression that landed somewhere between awe and irritation.
"So the rumor was true," Fang Jian muttered. "Someone touched the core."
Before Lin Qing could comment, another presence crashed down behind Fang Jian—this one colder, smoother, refined like a sharpened blade dipped in moonlight.
Yue Qianhan of the Radiant Moon Pavilion.
Peerless. Arrogant. Terrifyingly gifted.
She flicked her sleeve, forming a crescent blade of qi that stabilized the trembling air.
"The Gale Clan brat is right," she said. "The realm shook. Something… woke up."
Then her eyes focused on Lin Qing.
Dangerously precise.
Curious.
Almost greedy.
"Oh," she breathed. "It was you."
Lin Qing pointed at himself. "Me?"
"Yes," she answered instantly. "You."
Before he could respond, the ground rumbled again. A third arrival—this one heavy, oppressive, as if dragging an entire mountain along with him.
Jiang Tianlong of the Tyrant Ancient Temple.
His body crackled with golden runes, each pulse a declaration of absolute physical dominance.
He looked Lin Qing up and down once.
"This one is troublesome."
Lin Qing frowned. "That feels rude."
Jiang Tianlong shrugged. "It isn't personal. You just don't look like someone who should shake a realm."
"Thank you?" Lin Qing said.
Li Chun silently buried his face in his hands.
Before more geniuses could congregate, the space above them twisted again—this time releasing a pressure that silenced all three contenders.
A young man in crimson armor descended slowly, every step onto the air leaving a burn mark. His presence wasn't merely strong—it carried the weight of a sect, a dynasty, and a lineage behind him.
Li Chun choked on his breath.
"Heir Lin Qing… that's—"
Lin Qing sighed. "I know. It's always someone important."
The newcomer landed gracefully, brushing a hand over the embroidered phoenix sigil on his sleeve.
Qi Hongxuan.
Third prince of the Crimson Abyss Empire.
Top-ranking genius on the Southern Divine List.
Someone whose pride alone was heavier than a mountain.
He gave Lin Qing a polite, shallow nod.
"So. You're the one who caused that shock."
Lin Qing folded his arms. "Possibly. Probably. Maybe. I'm not denying it."
Qi Hongxuan's expression didn't change.
But something in his eyes shifted—an acknowledgement, sharp and calculating.
"I dislike surprises," Qi Hongxuan said calmly. "Especially ones strong enough to make my royal bloodline react."
Fang Jian snorted. "Here he goes again, announcing his bloodline every five minutes."
Jiang Tianlong cracked his knuckles. "I'm more concerned with whether he'll try to declare ownership of the entire realm."
Yue Qianhan's gaze never left Lin Qing. She whispered, almost too softly:
"He touched something the rest of us couldn't. That makes him dangerous."
Lin Qing looked around at the sudden audience of elite cultivators.
"Is there a reason you're all staring at me like I stole your family heirlooms?"
Fang Jian pointed. "Because the entire realm shook."
Jiang Tianlong pointed too. "And the qi density tripled in your direction."
Yue Qianhan added, "Also, your aura is different. Too balanced. Too refined. That means an inheritance."
Qi Hongxuan closed his eyes briefly. "…I hate inheritors."
Lin Qing rubbed his forehead. "Fantastic. I've become the final boss tutorial message."
Li Chun tugged on Lin Qing's sleeve in panic. "Heir Lin Qing, we should leave! They're looking at you like you're made of spirit stones!"
Lin Qing sighed. "I feel like I always regret joining conversations."
The geniuses took a collective step toward him.
That was not promising.
Before anyone could speak, the sky shook violently and the clouds split apart. A massive beam of silver light shot upward from the center of the Mirror-Plains.
Every cultivator stiffened.
Fang Jian whispered, "The heart of the realm…"
Yue Qianhan's eyes gleamed. "The true inheritance."
Qi Hongxuan's fingers tightened around his sword hilt. "Whoever reaches it first will dominate this secret realm."
Jiang Tianlong cracked his neck. "Then it's a race."
Lin Qing stared at the enormous silver pillar.
"I didn't touch that," he muttered. "Probably."
Li Chun looked up at him helplessly. "Heir Lin Qing, please… can you not shake realms for five minutes?"
Lin Qing exhaled. "I'll try. No promises."
The pillar of light flared again, brighter than before.
Every genius vanished at once—blurring forward at top speed.
Lin Qing stared after them.
"…Oh. We're doing that now."
Li Chun grabbed his arm. "Heir Lin Qing! We must hurry!"
Lin Qing lifted his foot, preparing to move.
The Mirror Heart Lotus pulsed once beneath his skin.
The world tilted—
and a faint silver reflection appeared under his step, letting him glide forward as if the air itself had become a mirror.
Lin Qing blinked.
"Oh. That's neat."
And he vanished into the chase.