Three days after the end of the entrance selection, the entire Qingyun Sect was still buzzing with the name Lin Chen. The 16-year-old genius with the legendary Chaos Divine Spirit Root had not only won the selection in a landslide, but had also become the only personal disciple of the Sect Master—a position never before held by anyone in the sect's thousand-year history.
The Sect Master had granted Lin Chen his own private peak in the core of the inner sect: Chaos Peak, a lush, mist-shrouded mountain once reserved for the sect's founding ancestor. The spiritual energy here was a hundred times denser than in the outer sect, with a dedicated cultivation cave, a private scripture vault, and a team of Foundation Establishment disciples guarding the peak day and night. Every resource on the mountain was his to use with no limits, a level of privilege unheard of for a new disciple.
Where he had once been mocked and beaten as a useless trash in the Lin Family, every disciple and even most elders now bowed deeply when Lin Chen passed by, their eyes filled with awe and reverence. But Lin Chen paid no mind to the endless flattery and respect. He spent every moment focused on his cultivation, knowing that the Qingyun Sect was just a larger pond, and the true dangers of the cultivation world still lay ahead.
That night, as the full moon hung high over Chaos Peak, Lin Chen sat cross-legged in the core cultivation cave, and the familiar cold mechanical voice rang in his 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. "Sign in."
[Ding! Sign-in successful! Congratulations to host for obtaining:
1. Cultivation Base Upgrade: Late Stage Foundation Establishment!
2. High-Grade Heaven-Rank Skill: Chaos Insight Divine Eye!
3. Special Item: Foundation Establishment Perfecting Pill x1!
4. Special Item: 1000-Year-Old Spirit Ginseng x3!
5. Spirit Stones: 300,000!]
Boom!
A boundless surge of pure golden spiritual energy exploded inside Lin Chen's body, pushing his cultivation smoothly from the mid-stage to the late stage of the Foundation Establishment realm in an instant. His golden core grew denser and more powerful, his Primordial Chaos Divine Body strengthening to a level where even Core Formation experts would struggle to hurt him.
At the same time, a warm golden light flooded his eyes, awakening the Chaos Insight Divine Eye. With this skill, he could see through every flaw in techniques, arrays, and illusions, even pinpoint the exact bottleneck in a cultivator's cultivation path. It was a rare, heaven-defying ability that even the most powerful elders of the sect could only dream of possessing.
The next morning, just as Lin Chen was about to test his new Divine Eye, a loud, arrogant voice boomed up from the foot of Chaos Peak, echoing across the mountain.
"LIN CHEN! COME DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW! I WANT TO SEE IF YOU'RE REALLY AS TALENTED AS EVERYONE SAYS, OR JUST A LUCKY FRAUD WHO GOT BY ON A FANCY SPIRIT ROOT!"
Lin Chen's eyes narrowed slightly. He walked to the edge of the peak, and saw a group of inner sect disciples standing at the mountain gate. At their front was a tall, handsome young man in a white inner sect robe, his face sharp and arrogant, his aura blazing with the power of a peak late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
This was Qin Lie, the inner sect's chief disciple, the former undisputed number one genius of the Qingyun Sect. He had been in closed-door cultivation during the entrance selection, aiming to break through to the Core Formation realm, and the moment he emerged, he heard that a 16-year-old new disciple had become the Sect Master's only personal disciple, taking the sect's best resources and the position he had spent ten years fighting for. Furious and jealous, he had come to Chaos Peak to challenge Lin Chen, to prove he was still the true top genius of the sect.
Behind Qin Lie stood four other core inner sect disciples, all late-stage Foundation Establishment experts, all staring up at the peak with disdain and arrogance. They had all been Qin Lie's brothers for years, and they refused to accept that a random small-town genius had jumped over all of them to the highest position in the younger generation.
Lin Chen activated his Thunder Dragon Steps, and his figure turned into a flash of blue thunder, appearing at the foot of the peak in the blink of an eye. He looked at Qin Lie calmly, his voice cold and steady. "You called for me?"
Qin Lie sneered, crossing his arms as he looked Lin Chen up and down. "So you're Lin Chen. I heard you beat a few useless brats in the selection and now you think you're someone? Let me tell you, the inner sect is not the same as your little entrance trial. You don't belong here, and you certainly don't deserve to be the Sect Master's personal disciple."
The disciples behind him laughed mockingly. "That's right! Senior Brother Qin has been the sect's top genius for ten years! You're just a lucky kid with a good spirit root! You haven't earned anything!"
Lin Chen looked at them calmly, a faint, cold smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "If you're here to bark, do it somewhere else. If you think you're so strong, why don't we have a match? Right here, right now. If you win, I'll go to the Sect Master and give up my position as his personal disciple. If I win, you apologize to me, and never set foot on Chaos Peak again. Do you dare?"
Qin Lie's face twisted with rage. He had expected Lin Chen to back down, not to challenge him directly. "Hahaha! You really are arrogant! Fine! I accept! I'll show you the difference between a real genius and a lucky upstart!"
News of the duel spread through the inner sect like wildfire. Within minutes, thousands of inner and outer sect disciples had gathered around Chaos Peak, along with dozens of elders, all here to watch the showdown between the Sect Master's new personal disciple and the former inner sect chief. Even the Sect Master himself stood hidden in the clouds above, watching with a faint smile, curious to see how his new disciple would handle the challenge.
The two stepped into the open square at the foot of the peak, and the crowd fell dead silent.
"Begin!" An elder acting as referee called out.
The moment the words left his mouth, Qin Lie exploded into action. He drew his spirit sword, and a bright blue glow wrapped around the blade, the air around him rippling with the power of his strongest technique, the Qingyun Divine Sword Art—a high-grade heaven-rank skill, the Qingyun Sect's most precious sword technique, which he had trained in for ten years, mastering every move to perfection.
"DIE, LIN CHEN!" He roared, and a huge sword beam shot forward, slicing through the air, aiming to end the duel with a single strike.
The crowd screamed in shock. This was Qin Lie's full power, the attack that had defeated countless Core Formation candidates. No one thought Lin Chen could survive it.
But at that moment, Lin Chen activated his Chaos Insight Divine Eye. The world around him slowed down, and he saw every single flaw in Qin Lie's sword beam—three fatal gaps in the technique, flaws that Qin Lie had never noticed in ten years of training.
He drew his Thunder Dragon Blade, and a violent blue thunder glow wrapped around the blade. He didn't dodge. Instead, he swung the blade, striking exactly at the weakest point of Qin Lie's sword beam.
Boom!
The sword beam exploded into nothingness in an instant. Before Qin Lie could even react, Lin Chen's figure appeared in front of him, the tip of the Thunder Dragon Blade pressed gently against his throat.
The entire square fell dead silent.
Every single person stared at the scene in shock, their mouths hanging open. Qin Lie, the inner sect chief, the peak late-stage Foundation Establishment genius, had been defeated in a single move.
Qin Lie froze in place, his face pale with disbelief and humiliation. He couldn't understand how Lin Chen had broken his strongest technique so easily. "How… how did you do that?"
Lin Chen slowly lowered his blade, his voice calm and steady. "Your Qingyun Divine Sword Art has three fatal flaws. You overcommit your spiritual power on the forward strike, leaving your left side completely unguarded. You rush the third form of the technique, which creates a gap in your defense. And your core circulation is flawed, which is why you've been stuck at the peak of Foundation Establishment for three years, unable to break through to Core Formation."
Qin Lie's eyes widened in shock. Every word Lin Chen said was exactly the problem he had been struggling with for years, a bottleneck that even the Sect Master had been unable to help him fix. He stared at Lin Chen, his arrogance gone, replaced by awe and disbelief.
He fell to one knee, bowing his head deeply. "I was wrong, Senior Brother Lin Chen. You are far more talented than I am. I apologize for my arrogance, and I will never disturb you again. Thank you… thank you for pointing out my flaws. You have given me a chance to break through to Core Formation."
The crowd erupted into gasps. The former inner sect chief, who had been arrogant and untouchable for years, was now bowing to Lin Chen, calling him senior brother.
The elders watching nodded their heads in admiration. Not only had Lin Chen defeated Qin Lie with ease, he had also pointed out his cultivation flaws, showing a level of insight that even Core Formation elders could not match. This was the mark of a true genius.
The Sect Master, hidden in the clouds, smiled with satisfaction. He had known he had made the right choice in taking Lin Chen as his disciple.
Just as the crowd was calming down, a loud, urgent voice rang out from the sky. A disciple from the sect's message hall flew over, his face serious.
"Attention all inner sect disciples! The sect has just received official notice! In three months, the Myriad Beast Secret Realm will open! All major sects in the Eastern Region will be sending their top disciples to enter the realm, to compete for the Ancient Dragon God Inheritance hidden inside! The sect will be selecting 10 core disciples to represent the Qingyun Sect!"
The entire crowd erupted into excited chatter. The Myriad Beast Secret Realm was a legendary ancient realm, filled with priceless treasures, powerful demonic beasts, and the inheritance of an ancient Dragon God. This was the biggest event in the Eastern Region for decades, a chance for young disciples to rise to fame and gain power beyond their wildest dreams.
Lin Chen's eyes lit up. A new secret realm, a new challenge, and a chance to gain an ancient Dragon God inheritance. This was exactly what he needed to grow stronger.
At that moment, the system's voice rang in his mind again.
[Ding! New main mission triggered!]
[Mission: Enter the Myriad Beast Secret Realm and obtain the Ancient Dragon God Inheritance.]
[Reward: 500,000 Spirit Stones, Full upgrade to the Primordial Chaos Divine Body, and a God-Rank cultivation technique!]
Lin Chen smiled faintly, gripping the Thunder Dragon Blade in his hand. He knew that the Myriad Beast Secret Realm would be filled with danger, with geniuses from every major sect in the Eastern Region competing for the inheritance, and even powerful demonic beasts that could kill Core Formation experts.
But he was not afraid.
Every enemy that appeared was just another stepping stone. Every secret realm was another chance to gain more rewards from the Supreme Sign-In System.
In three months, he would enter the Myriad Beast Secret Realm, and shock the entire Eastern Region.
His journey from trash to Immortal Emperor was only just beginning.