Overnight, the name Lin Chen had become the only thing anyone in the Qingyun Sect could talk about. From the Sect Master and core elders down to the lowest outer court handymen, every single person in the sect was in awe of the 16-year-old genius who possessed the legendary Chaos Divine Spirit Root, had collected a record-shattering 1897 Qingyun Tokens in the secret realm, and had broken through to the Foundation Establishment realm before even becoming an official disciple.
Where he had once been mocked as a small-town lucky trash, Lin Chen was now regarded as the future of the Qingyun Sect, a once-in-ten-thousand-years genius who might one day lead the sect to heights never before seen. But Lin Chen paid no mind to the endless praise and admiration. He spent the night in the cave residence assigned to him by Elder Li, stabilizing his new Foundation Establishment cultivation, and preparing for the final round of the selection: the life-or-death arena duels.
He knew well that his enemies would not give up so easily. Steward Zhang, who had masterminded the assassination attempt in the secret realm, had a powerful backer in the inner sect—Elder Li, a cold and ambitious Foundation Establishment elder who had long been jealous of the Sect Master's influence, and saw Lin Chen as a threat to his plans. They would not let this final opportunity slip by to kill him, even if it meant breaking the sect's rules.
As the first rays of dawn spilled over the Qingyun Mountains, the familiar cold mechanical voice rang in Lin Chen's mind.
[Ding! Daily sign-in refresh completed! Do you want to sign in now?]
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Lin Chen's mouth. This sign-in would be his final preparation for the arena duels ahead.
"Sign in."
[Ding! Sign-in successful! Congratulations to host for obtaining:
1. Cultivation Base Upgrade: Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment!
2. High-Grade Heaven-Rank Offensive Skill: Primordial Chaos Divine Thunder Art!
3. Special Item: Forbidden Art Breaking Talisman x1!
4. Special Item: Divine Soul Protection Jade Talisman x1!
5. Spirit Stones: 200,000!]
Boom!
A boundless surge of pure golden spiritual energy exploded inside Lin Chen's body, pushing his cultivation smoothly from the early stage to the mid-stage of the Foundation Establishment realm in an instant. His aura skyrocketed, his golden core growing denser and more powerful, his meridians strengthening to a level beyond mortal comprehension. At the same time, a complete set of profound offensive skill memories flooded into his mind. The Primordial Chaos Divine Thunder Art, a top-tier heaven-rank technique that could summon the full power of the Chaos Divine Body, destroying any enemy below the Core Formation realm with a single strike.
An hour later, the deafening sound of the giant bell rang out across the mountains, calling all the remaining disciples to the huge arena square at the center of the sect. The square was packed with tens of thousands of disciples and elders, every seat in the stands filled. At the front of the arena, on the highest platform, sat the Sect Master, the Grand Elder, and all the core elders of the sect, including the cold-faced Elder Li, with the trembling Steward Zhang standing behind him.
The 100 remaining disciples who had passed the secret realm trial stood in the center of the arena, their hearts racing with excitement and nervousness. This final round would decide who would earn a place in the Qingyun Sect, and who would leave in shame, or even die in the arena.
The Grand Elder stood up, and the entire square fell dead silent in an instant. His deep voice boomed across the arena, filled with the power of a Core Formation expert. "The final round of the Qingyun Sect entrance selection is the life-or-death arena duels! The rules are simple: the 100 of you will draw lots to face off in pairs. Duels are to the death or surrender—there are no other rules. The winner advances, the loser is eliminated. The final 10 disciples standing will earn direct entry into the inner sect, with generous sect rewards. The number one disciple will receive a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity from the sect itself!"
A murmur of excitement rippled through the crowd. This was the final test, the moment they had all been fighting for.
But before the Grand Elder could announce the start of the drawing, Lin Chen stepped forward from the crowd, his expression calm and steady. He bowed slightly to the Sect Master and the elders on the high platform, and said in a clear voice that echoed across the entire arena.
"Sect Master, Grand Elder, I have a matter of great importance to report before the duels begin. I have evidence that a member of the sect's staff and an inner sect elder conspired to murder me during the secret realm trial, in direct violation of the sect's rules."
The entire square fell dead silent. Every single person stared at Lin Chen in shock, their mouths hanging open. No one had ever dared to accuse an inner sect elder in front of the entire sect before.
Elder Li's face turned pale with rage, and he shot to his feet, roaring. "Nonsense! You arrogant little brat! How dare you slander the sect's elders in front of the entire sect? This is a crime punishable by expulsion!"
Steward Zhang trembled behind him, his face as white as a sheet, his eyes filled with terror.
But the Sect Master raised his hand, silencing Elder Li instantly. His sharp eyes locked onto Lin Chen, his voice calm but firm. "Speak, Lin Chen. Show us your evidence. If what you say is true, the sect will punish the guilty severely, no matter who they are."
Lin Chen nodded, and took out the Soul Locking Talisman from his storage bag. He infused it with a trace of his spiritual power, and a glowing projection appeared in the air above the arena. It was the full memory of Zhao Lei, showing every detail of Steward Zhang's plot: giving him the Foundation Establishment puppet, the killing array, the detection talismans, and ordering him to kill Lin Chen in the secret realm, with Elder Li's full approval and backing.
The entire square erupted into gasps of shock and rage. The disciples roared with anger, furious that an inner sect elder and a steward had conspired to kill a talented young disciple in cold blood.
Elder Li and Steward Zhang froze in place, their faces drained of all color, their legs trembling uncontrollably. The evidence was irrefutable—there was no way they could talk their way out of this.
The Sect Master's face turned ice-cold, his eyes blazing with rage. He waved his hand, and two powerful Core Formation guards appeared beside him, shooting forward and grabbing Elder Li and Steward Zhang before they could even try to escape.
"Elder Li, Steward Zhang, you have violated the sect's most sacred rules, conspired to murder a talented disciple, and betrayed the Qingyun Sect!" The Sect Master's voice boomed across the square, filled with unbridled fury. "Strip them of their cultivation, seize all their assets, and throw them into the sect's deepest dungeon for the rest of their lives! This is the punishment for anyone who dares to betray the sect!"
The crowd erupted into deafening cheers. The guards dragged the screaming, begging Elder Li and Steward Zhang away, their fates sealed forever.
The Grand Elder waited for the crowd to calm down, then announced loudly. "The drawing for the arena duels will now begin!"
One by one, the disciples drew their lots, and the duels began. The arena was filled with the clash of blades, the roar of spiritual power, and the screams of defeated disciples. Most duels were long, brutal fights, with both sides pushing themselves to the limit to win.
But Lin Chen's duels were over in the blink of an eye.
In his first round, he faced a peak 9th level Qi Refining disciple who had been one of Zhao Lei's lackeys. The disciple roared and charged forward, his blade blazing with spiritual power—only to be knocked unconscious with a single flick of Lin Chen's wrist, his dantian crippled before he could even get close.
In the second round, he faced a Half-Step Foundation Establishment genius from a large city. The disciple activated his most powerful skill, a high-grade earth-rank technique, only for Lin Chen to block it with his bare hand, then send him flying across the arena with a single punch, his cultivation crippled.
In the quarter-finals, he faced the last remaining genius from Black Water City, who had sworn to avenge his fallen brothers. The disciple activated his full power, only for Lin Chen to defeat him with a single beam of thunder, sparing his life but eliminating him from the competition.
In the semi-finals, he faced a genius who had been the favorite to win the selection before Lin Chen's arrival, a Half-Step Foundation Establishment disciple with a peak-grade spirit root. The disciple fought bravely, but he was no match for Lin Chen's mid-stage Foundation Establishment power. Lin Chen defeated him with three moves, earning a place in the final.
The entire arena was in a frenzy. Lin Chen had advanced to the final without breaking a sweat, without using even a fraction of his true power. Every single one of his duels had ended in less than ten seconds. The crowd chanted his name over and over, their voices shaking the mountains.
Finally, the final duel arrived.
Lin Chen stepped into the center of the arena, his expression calm and indifferent. His opponent was Wu Hao, the second-ranked disciple in the selection, a ruthless genius from the largest city in the region, with a peak-grade spirit root and Half-Step Foundation Establishment cultivation. He had been Elder Li's chosen successor, and he had sworn to kill Lin Chen in the arena to avenge his fallen master.
Wu Hao stepped into the arena, his face twisted with rage and hatred, his eyes blazing with killing intent. "Lin Chen! You think you're a hero just because you slandered an elder and beat a few useless brats? Today, in this arena, I'll show everyone the truth. You're just a fraud with a lucky spirit root. I'll kill you with my own hands, and take my rightful place as the number one disciple!"
The crowd roared with boos. They knew Wu Hao was just a sore loser, a disciple of a traitor who wanted to kill Lin Chen out of spite.
But Wu Hao didn't care. He roared, and swallowed a pitch-black pill in one bite. A terrifying aura exploded from his body, his cultivation skyrocketing from Half-Step Foundation Establishment to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment in an instant! He had taken a forbidden blood pill, one that would burn his life force to give him a temporary boost in power, at the cost of crippling his cultivation forever after.
The elders on the high platform shot to their feet, their faces filled with rage. But the Grand Elder shook his head. "The rules of the life-or-death arena are clear. There are no restrictions. We cannot interfere."
Wu Hao burst into maniacal laughter, his eyes bloodshot with madness. "DIE, LIN CHEN!"
He activated his most powerful skill, a top-grade earth-rank technique, and threw a punch straight at Lin Chen's heart, the force of the attack shaking the entire arena. This was a full-power strike from a mid-stage Foundation Establishment expert, strong enough to kill even a cultivator of the same realm.
But Lin Chen didn't even flinch. He activated the Forbidden Art Breaking Talisman from his storage bag, and a bright white light exploded from his body, washing over Wu Hao in an instant.
Wu Hao's maniacal laughter stopped abruptly. He felt his temporary boost in power vanish in the blink of an eye, his cultivation crashing back down to Half-Step Foundation Establishment, his meridians burning with agony from the broken forbidden pill. He stared at Lin Chen in terror, his mouth hanging open, unable to believe what had just happened.
"Is that all you've got?" Lin Chen said coldly.
He raised his right hand, and a violent golden thunder glow wrapped around his fingers, accompanied by the deafening roar of a thousand dragons. This was his new skill, the Primordial Chaos Divine Thunder Art, a heaven-rank technique that could shatter mountains with a single strike.
He flicked his wrist.
Boom!
A thin, unstoppable beam of golden thunder shot forward, slamming into Wu Hao's chest before he could even react. Wu Hao let out a shrill, blood-curdling scream, and his body was sent flying across the arena, slamming into the barrier at the edge with a sickening crash. He fell to the ground, unconscious, his dantian completely shattered, his cultivation gone forever.
The entire arena fell dead silent for a split second.
Then, the crowd erupted into a deafening cheer, so loud it shook the entire Qingyun Mountains. Tens of thousands of disciples chanted Lin Chen's name over and over, their eyes filled with awe and admiration.
The Sect Master stood up, a bright smile on his face, and walked down to the arena. He placed his hand on Lin Chen's shoulder, his eyes filled with pride and delight.
"Lin Chen, you are the winner of the Qingyun Sect entrance selection! You have proven yourself to be the most talented young disciple this sect has ever seen. I ask you once again: will you accept me as your master, and become my only personal disciple?"
The entire arena fell silent, every single person holding their breath. This was the highest honor the sect could offer, a position no one had ever held in the history of the Qingyun Sect.
Lin Chen bowed deeply, his voice calm and steady. "I would be honored, Master."
The crowd erupted into an even louder cheer. The Grand Elder stepped forward, announcing in a loud voice that echoed across the mountains. "Lin Chen is now the personal disciple of the Sect Master! He is granted full access to the sect's core scripture pavilion, core treasure vault, and a private peak in the inner sect! He will receive the highest level of resources the sect has to offer, with no limits!"
[Ding! Host has won the Qingyun Sect entrance selection and completed the main mission!]
[Reward issued: 300,000 Spirit Stones, Full Access to the Qingyun Sect Ancestral Secret Realm, and a full upgrade to the Primordial Chaos Divine Body (Mid-Stage)!]
A powerful surge of energy flooded Lin Chen's body, strengthening his physique even further. He could feel his power growing to a level he had never thought possible.
Lin Chen stood in the center of the arena, the cheers of the entire sect ringing in his ears. He knew that this was just another step on his path. The inner sect would bring new challenges, new geniuses, and new enemies. The people who had betrayed him in his previous life were still out there, in the higher realms, waiting for him.
But he was not afraid.
With the Supreme Sign-In System, nothing could stop him. Every day, he would grow stronger. Every sign-in would push him closer to the peak.
Before long, the entire cultivation world would tremble at the name of Lin Chen.
His journey from trash to Immortal Emperor was only just beginning.