Silver sand shifted beneath Lin Qing's boots as the basin opened before him. The Realm's Heart sat in the center—an enormous cracked monolith pulsing with silver light that made the entire ground tremble. It felt as if the realm itself was holding its breath.
Fang Jian rested his spear on one shoulder, its tip humming with pressure. Yue Qianhan's qi gathered around her in faint halos of moonlight, each one rotating with cold precision. Jiang Tianlong rolled his shoulders, golden lines crawling faintly across his skin like caged lightning. Qi Hongxuan simply watched Lin Qing with a calm that was more intimidating than any weapon.
No one moved.
The tension settled like a weight on the sand.
Lin Qing cleared his throat. "So… is there an order to this, or do we just see who tries to murder who first?"
All four turned their attention on him at once.
Qi Hongxuan's words cut through the silence. "If you touch the monolith before us, you will not leave the basin alive."
Lin Qing nodded. "Direct. I like direct."
Yue Qianhan's voice was soft, but it carried. "There will be no killing. Injuries are acceptable."
Jiang Tianlong snorted. "Speak for yourself."
Fang Jian lifted his spear slightly. "Whoever reaches the monolith first takes the largest portion of the inheritance. Simple."
"And if someone blocks me," Jiang Tianlong added, "I'll break them first."
Lin Qing raised a hand. "Can we add a 'no stabbing me while I'm looking the other way' rule?"
No one answered.
Tian Ke leaned in behind him. "Heir Lin Qing… perhaps don't joke with people who treat life-and-death duels as warm-up exercises."
Before Lin Qing could answer, the monolith pulsed.
The shockwave rolled across the basin, distorting the air like heat over metal. Fang Jian's grip tightened. Yue Qianhan's halo rings cracked with light. Even Qi Hongxuan shifted his stance.
This was the first pulse.
The true opening wasn't far.
Then more qi signatures drew near. Geniuses who had been scattered across the realm finally caught up.
Yan Yue was first to appear, her sword gleaming with a coat of frost. She took one look at the front positions and exhaled sharply. "We're behind the first pulse."
Nie Xuan landed beside her in a whirl of shadows. "I told you we should've moved sooner."
Xu Hong arrived with a scowl. "Of course they're already in place."
Wu Lian emerged from the mist moments later, eyes narrowing on Lin Qing. "The realm's pressure fluctuates around him. Again."
Yan Yue folded her arms. "Figures."
Nie Xuan cracked his neck. "We'll have to fight from behind, then."
The newcomers spread out around the basin's edge, taking up positions but staying behind the four primary contenders. Their expressions were grim—they knew how much the timing mattered.
Li Chun tugged on Lin Qing's sleeve and whispered, "They're all staring at you again… Should I prepare a speech?"
"No speeches," Lin Qing whispered back. "I don't even have a script."
A second pulse erupted from the monolith.
The ground tightened like it had a heartbeat.
Yue Qianhan didn't look away from the center. "The inheritance will favor whoever reaches it while the pulse is still rising."
Fang Jian agreed. "If Lin Qing touches it first, everything adapts to him."
Qi Hongxuan's expression didn't change. "He must be stopped."
Jiang Tianlong grinned. "Good. Let's make this fun."
Lin Qing lifted a hand. "You all seem incredibly confident I'm sprinting toward the glowing deathrock."
Again, no one bought it.
Tian Ke whispered urgently, "When the monolith opens, every one of them will attack at once—each other and you."
Lin Qing muttered, "Ideal."
The third pulse shattered the basin's calm completely.
Light bled from the monolith, pouring down the crack like molten silver. The sand shook. Air melted into swirling distortions.
Yan Yue's blade flared as she stepped closer.
Nie Xuan's shadow vortex spun into motion.
Xu Hong condensed a burning sigil, ready to launch.
Wu Lian's mind-force stretched outward, testing the battlefield.
Fang Jian's spear tilted toward the center.
Yue Qianhan's rings of moonlight sharpened.
Jiang Tianlong crouched low, preparing to leap.
Qi Hongxuan drew a single line in the air, and a crimson arc formed behind him.
For one breath, everything froze.
Then the monolith broke open.
Silver light burst outward, drowning the basin in brilliance. The ground shook violently. Shards of mirrored stone flew through the air, each one humming with power.
Lin Qing felt the Mirror Heart Lotus respond instantly, stirring under his ribs like a drum answering a call.
Fang Jian shot forward first, spear carving a path through the dust.
Yue Qianhan vanished into streaks of light.
Jiang Tianlong roared and barreled straight ahead.
Qi Hongxuan sliced through the shockwave as if it were mist.
Behind them, Yan Yue sprinted across the sand, Nie Xuan followed as a flicker of shadow, Xu Hong rushed with burning force, and Wu Lian glided with eerie calm.
Lin Qing watched all of them charge the monolith like it was the last treasure in existence.
He sighed. "Every single one of them is voluntarily sprinting toward something that just exploded. Cultivators truly are a breed apart."
He took a single step.
The silver sand rippled, bending inward like a mirror trying to reflect its owner. Light curled beneath his feet, bending around him with unnatural smoothness.
Tian Ke shouted from behind, "Heir Lin Qing—please don't do anything reckless!"
Li Chun added nervously, "If you explode, I will absolutely cry!"
Lin Qing didn't answer.
He moved forward in a calm, steady stride.
Weapons clashed.
Qi burned the air.
Spear light tore open the sand.
Moonlight arced across the battlefield.
Shadows twisted.
Mind force warped space.
And Lin Qing stepped into the chaos as if he were walking down a path in his own courtyard.
The basin had become a battlefield.
The inheritance had truly begun.