"You... what did you say?"
Bai Shuize was stunned for a moment. He had never expected, after demonstrating his dominance by making an example out of someone, that anyone would still dare to speak to him this way.
"I said, get lost."
Qin Zi stood up slowly, his gaze calm as he looked directly at Bai Shuize.
Buzz!
Their eyes locked, and it felt as if intense sparks were flying in the void, or perhaps nothing at all.
After a long pause, Bai Shuize cracked a smile, "Alright then!"
With that, he returned to his seat and sat down.
Everyone was astonished!
The domineering Bai Shuize, who had just been acting so aggressively, didn't explode with anger after being humiliated like that? It was unbelievable.
Many people now looked at Qin Zi with a new sense of caution. This young Heaven Lord was becoming more and more mysterious.
"Senior Brother Bai, what's the matter? Is he really that strong?" one of Taiqing Heaven's young kings asked with a laugh.
"Hehe, do you think a weakling could become a Heaven Lord?" Bai Shuize retorted.
In truth, he didn't know if Qin Zi was strong or not, but he wasn't going to be a fool—only an idiot or a lunatic would think a Heaven Lord was weak, and he wasn't about to be either.
Qin Zi was a bit surprised that Bai Shuize had retreated so easily, but he didn't dwell on it. He sat down and began refining the World Seed.
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
The power of his soul merged with the World Seed, which radiated vibrant multicolored light, as if infinite creation was flowing through it, enveloping his body.
After a long while, the World Seed fully integrated with his inner world. At that moment, he could feel his inner world transforming into a real world. Though still weak, it was complete with all the laws and principles beginning to take form, with constant revelations feeding back into his consciousness.
"What a profound aura."
"He's grown stronger again!"
"The power of constant creation... How enviable. As expected from a World Seed."
The surrounding onlookers sensed the aura emanating from Qin Zi, their faces filled with envy. Some were practically drooling in awe.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Bai Shuize was also attempting to merge with his World Seed, but after a long while, there was no response—it seemed he had failed.
"Hmph, ungrateful thing!"
Bai Shuize snorted and then did something shocking—he popped the gray seed into his mouth and started chewing.
Crunch!
It sounded like he was eating almonds, crisp and crunchy.
Under the stunned gaze of everyone, a similar aura to that of Qin Zi began to emerge from Bai Shuize's body.
"What the...?!"
"He ate the World Seed, and still gained its power? How fierce is that?"
"What kind of physique does he have?!"
Everyone was shocked.
This was unheard of. While there were indeed physiques capable of devouring things, no one had ever heard of anyone being able to devour a World Seed. Even a God King would be blown apart by such an attempt!
Whoosh!
At that moment, another meteor shot down from the sky.
"Mine, mine, mine!"
Bai Shuize shouted, looking up excitedly.
Others also gazed upward with eager eyes. For independent cultivators, the World Seeds were like hot potatoes, while the prodigies from the great powers looked at them with burning desire.
For some of these prodigies, they might not steal World Seeds from others, but no one would dare to steal theirs—not even Bai Shuize!
After all, in the end, it was still about who had the strongest background. Even Taiqing Heaven had to give face to certain factions.
Thud!
The World Seed landed, but the spot it landed in left everyone wide-eyed—it had fallen into Qin Zi's lap again!
"How could this be..."
"His luck is too good! Could it be the fortune of Xuanyuan Heaven empowering him?"
"I have my suspicions..."
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Before anyone could finish their discussion, several more meteors fell, and they all landed in Qin Zi's lap.
"This..."
"I don't believe it..."
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Several more meteors descended, and again, they landed in Qin Zi's lap.
"This can't be, it's impossible!!"
"He's cheating!"
"He must be cheating—no, no, no, this can't be real! Agh!!"
Many people were seeing red with jealousy. But soon, they witnessed something even more shocking—a meteor shower appeared in the gray sky. The meteors fell like raindrops, in a straight line, all heading for Qin Zi's lap.
Boom!
In an instant, dozens of figures stood up, their terrifying auras pressing down toward Qin Zi.
These were the prodigies of the major forces, glaring at Qin Zi with hatred, their killing intent palpable.
"Lord Qin, you need to give us an explanation!"
At this moment, even Qin Zi was confused.
His lap was full of World Seeds, like someone holding a pile of fruits, and more seeds continued to fall into his arms. Some even bounced out of his lap and onto the ground, and he carefully leaned forward to pick them up.
He could barely hold them all.
He realized that the seeds couldn't be stored in his inner world or any other containers. It seemed the World Seeds had their own dignity, as they were the seeds of worlds themselves, and they refused to be placed inside spatial containers.
"What kind of sorcery are you using?!" Bai Shuize demanded, his eyes wide with envy, no longer bothering to call him "Lord Qin." Jealousy had completely distorted his expression.
"I really don't know," Qin Zi shook his head. Then, he paused, feeling a sense of familiarity with this scene.
"Hmph, hand over the World Seeds! At least give one to each of us, or don't blame us for being rude!" one of the young kings from Taixuan Heaven demanded.
He was certain that Qin Zi had used some underhanded means. How else could all the good fortune fall upon him?
One or two seeds would've been fine, but taking them all? This was just too much! They weren't pushovers!
"Everyone, calm down."
Qin Zi looked at them, his face earnest and sincere, trying to reassure them, "I don't know why this is happening, but you can rest assured, since these World Seeds fell into my lap... they belong to me."
Everyone froze, their expressions twitching.
"Rest assured?"
Was that really supposed to make them feel better?!
"Lord Qin, I advise you not to make enemies of the world. Otherwise, the karma you incur will be too great for you to bear!"
Taixuan Heaven's Qingtian said gravely.
Qin Zi sighed and said helplessly, "I'm not using any tricks. These things just keep falling into my lap. I have no control over it, and I can't give them up."
"It's not because I'm unwilling, but because my pride as the Lord of Xuanyuan Heaven won't allow it. As a Heaven Lord, I won't yield to any kind of pressure!"
Thud, thud, thud!
Before he could finish his words, several more World Seeds fell into his lap. They were heavy, like dense apples, and he was starting to struggle to hold them all—it was clear that he was being overwhelmed by the weight of the World Seeds.
"If the World Seeds become too much to handle, you may set them on the ground. As long as you don't willingly give them up, no one can take them from you," the World Tree's voice suddenly echoed.
Whoosh!
Everyone was stunned—what did this mean? Was the World Tree acknowledging that the World Seeds belonged to Qin Zi?
Did this mean he wasn't cheating?
Qin Zi, upon hearing this, was overjoyed. Finally, he wouldn't have to carry such a heavy load anymore.
He placed the World Seeds on the ground.
Immediately, hundreds of World Seeds spread out across the ground, rolling in chaotic energy, making everyone who saw them salivate.
Thud, thud, thud!
Meanwhile, the meteors continued falling from the sky, quickly piling into a small mountain.
"I can't take this anymore! Come here, I'm challenging you to a duel!" Bai Shuize clutched his head in frustration, shouting wildly.
What pained him wasn't the World Seeds—it was his pride. He felt that his reputation as the "King of Luck" had been challenged, even trampled!
From birth, Bai Shuize had always enjoyed incredible fortune. Treasures would find their way to him even if he didn't leave his house. He was known as the King of Luck.
In truth, he wasn't one to brag, but he enjoyed the admiration and maintained his "King of Luck" persona carefully, basking in the quiet vanity.
But now, someone had shattered that vanity right in front of him, tearing apart his pride, and he couldn't stand it!
A duel—it had to be a duel!