In the blink of an eye, ten years had passed.
The Dragon-Capturing Martial Emperor and the powerful experts from the Human Sanctuary had still not returned from the Burial Grounds. No one knew what they had encountered inside.
Meanwhile, Qin Chuan remained calm and composed.
He quietly monitored all the movements across the Nine Cang Realm using the intelligence network of the Tianheng Clan.
And what he discovered shocked him!
Over the past decade, the geniuses of the Nine Cang Realm had surged in numbers as if they had been given a boost of steroids. Numerous astonishing figures had emerged.
In the past, rare bloodlines or constitutions that were hard to find even in a thousand years were now popping up everywhere, with new ones appearing every few days.
Young talents that Qin Chuan knew, such as Jin Zhi, Shui Qingrou, Zhao Yunsheng, Lin Yi, Chu Zhongtian, and Xuan Tianji, all started to shine brightly. And beyond them, many more unfamiliar prodigies appeared. These individuals were blessed with immense luck and rose rapidly, causing quite a stir.
What's more, many of these geniuses kept a low profile. If not for Qin Chuan's access to the Tianheng Clan's intelligence system, he might not have noticed them at all.
That was the power of data!
"Something abnormal must be going on. Why has the Nine Cang Realm suddenly seen an explosion of so many prodigious figures?" Qin Chuan pondered silently.
"And it seems like each of them is blessed with incredible fortune. How can such a small world like the Nine Cang Realm possess enough luck to sustain so many 'chosen ones'?"
Generally speaking.
A world typically has only one main protagonist. If the world's fortune is particularly abundant, it might support two or three main characters.
But now.
It seemed as if the Nine Cang Realm was filled with protagonists!
Not only were there fortune-favored individuals suddenly emerging from every obscure corner, but even those who weren't particularly extraordinary before suddenly had their fortunes skyrocketing. They were stumbling upon all sorts of opportunities as if their luck had exploded!
This left Qin Chuan deeply suspicious.
By all logic, the Nine Cang Realm was just a lower realm and shouldn't be this wealthy in resources and fortune. So what was happening?
"Could it be because of that Forbidden Divine Mountain?"
Qin Chuan recalled the mysterious object that was believed to be a divine relic from the upper realm.
It was this object that had caused the Nine Cang Realm to develop rapidly over the past tens of thousands of years, reaching an unprecedented level of prosperity.
It was important to note that before this, the Nine Cang Realm didn't even have a realm as powerful as the Extreme Realm. The pinnacle of cultivation was the Martial Emperor Realm. It was the Forbidden Divine Mountain that introduced the concept of the Extreme Realm, giving birth to a group of Extreme Realm experts.
Therefore, it made sense to suspect that the current changes in the Nine Cang Realm were related to the Forbidden Divine Mountain.
"Should I go take a look?"
Qin Chuan considered it for a moment.
But he quickly dismissed the idea. The Forbidden Divine Mountain was a truly dangerous place, regarded as the most perilous area in the Nine Cang Realm, an absolute death trap.
According to the Tianheng Clan's leaders.
It was a bizarre and terrifying place. Once inside, even Martial Emperors and Extreme Realm experts would lose control over their fates, as if everything were left to chance.
And weaker individuals?
They wouldn't even get the chance to try their luck. Simply approaching the mountain would result in their immediate obliteration by the mysterious force radiating from it.
Qin Chuan had always prioritized caution.
Taking such a reckless risk wasn't in his nature.
"Father, I'm back!"
At that moment, Qin Zi's excited voice came from outside, with an air of pride and eagerness for praise.
"How did it go?"
Qin Chuan asked kindly.
"Father, this time I ran into a few more people blessed with great fortune! These guys, thinking they'd lucked their way into invincibility, dared to challenge me. I crushed them all and rubbed their faces into the ground!"
Qin Zi animatedly recounted his exploits, his excitement spilling out as he glanced sideways at his father, clearly fishing for compliments.
"Hmm, not bad."
Qin Chuan nodded in satisfaction.
In fact, Qin Chuan already knew about Qin Zi's victories, not only because the Tianheng Clan had spies everywhere but also because… of the system's notifications.
Every time Qin Zi defeated one of these "fortune kings," Qin Chuan would receive a large amount of "Patriarch Points," and the system's notifications rang like the clinking of coins.
In truth.
Qin Zi's expeditions were all part of Qin Chuan's plan!
After discovering these geniuses who seemed like the protagonists of destiny, Qin Chuan saw a business opportunity and began his scheme.
He first had the Tianheng Clan spread the word, proclaiming that Qin Zi was a peerless genius, the strongest among the young generation in the Nine Cang Realm!
Not only that.
He provided evidence—claiming Qin Zi had been born with a divine body, possessed three Dao bones, and harbored the heart of a Beast God...
With this, Qin Zi's reputation soared.
Most common folk admired Qin Zi and even saw him as a role model, while the "fated protagonists" who believed in forging their own destiny grew resentful and viewed Qin Zi with disdain or hostility.
And that was precisely what Qin Chuan wanted—to draw out that enmity.
He then deliberately arranged for Qin Zi to go on a "tour," following a carefully mapped route that would lead him to encounter these hostile "fated protagonists." Inevitably, the tension and disdain would escalate into battles.
Faces were slapped, loudly and repeatedly!
At this point, Qin Zi had become monstrously powerful. In his realm, no matter how impressive his opponent seemed, he could easily crush them.
Over the past ten years, Qin Zi had humiliated over twenty "fated protagonists."
Each of these protagonists earned Qin Chuan around 20,000 Patriarch Points, netting him a total of about 500,000 points.
It was a massive windfall!
This was all thanks to the Tianheng Clan. Without their intelligence network, Qin Chuan would never have discovered such a lucrative opportunity.
Sometimes, making the right choice was more important than hard work. Looking back, conquering the Tianheng Clan was a wise decision indeed.
"Hmm, you've broken through to the Quasi-Emperor Realm?"
Qin Chuan suddenly asked in surprise.
"Hehe, yes."
Qin Zi scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "I originally planned to suppress my breakthrough for a few more years to solidify my foundation, but when I went to see Junior Sister Qingrou this time, I couldn't help myself and… fully unleashed."
Qin Chuan's expression turned a bit strange, then he calmly said, "It's fine. Suppressing too much isn't good either. Let nature take its course."
"That's exactly what I thought!"
Qin Zi relaxed upon hearing that his father shared his view, then added excitedly.
Qin Chuan shot him a sideways glance.
Immediately, Qin Zi coughed awkwardly and lowered his head in embarrassment.
After a while, Qin Chuan asked, "I told you to check on your master. Did you go? How is she?"
"Hmm, Master is still in the ruins she discovered five years ago, receiving some kind of inheritance. Just like before, she wouldn't let me enter."
Qin Zi said with some regret.
He felt a bit resentful.
His master was no longer the same—she had become distant, cold, and no longer treated him like one of her own!
It was just an inheritance!
Although accepting the inheritance required being completely unclothed… would Qin Zi peek? Never! That wasn't who he was!
"Father, why is Master acting like this? Does she think that if I go in, I'll steal something?"
Qin Zi pouted in frustration.
Qin Chuan paused for a moment, then said quietly, "She's just afraid that you'll leave something behind…"
"Huh?"
Qin Zi was baffled.
Qin Chuan didn't bother to explain further. He simply said, "In any case, your master's decision is for your own good. Just remember that."
"Oh."
Qin Zi nodded thoughtfully.
He was just venting, of course. How could he truly blame his master? She was, after all, the person closest to him aside from his father.
Suddenly, "buzz, buzz, buzz!"
Qin Zi felt something and pulled out a messaging jade slip. The message was from Jin Zhi.
"Junior Brother Qin Zi, disaster is coming! Hurry home and seek your father's protection. Do not go outside!"