Qin Wucheng's eyes gleamed faintly.
This trip was already worth it.
A genius had come to him—no, not just a genius, a peerless one.
The system's earlier tone still echoed in his mind, that familiar metallic chime.
When Zhao Han and Luo Xueyao were first detected as geniuses, the sect's luck had soared. But a "peerless genius"… that was on an entirely different level.
Someone like that could reshape the fate of the Lingxiao Sect.
Across the plaza, Qin Huarong stood quietly. Her white robes caught the wind, her presence calm but untouchable, as though the world itself avoided disturbing her. The faint aura around her shimmered like frost beneath sunlight—restrained but absolute.
When she noticed Qin Wucheng approaching, her gaze flickered once before turning away.
No spiritual fluctuations.
She lost interest immediately.
"Miss," Qin Wucheng said, clasping his hands behind his back, "I sense a thread of fate between you and my Lingxiao Sect. Do you already have a sect?"
His tone was courteous, but his thoughts were calculating.
Whether she belonged to another power or not didn't matter.
If she had no sect, he'd take her in.
If she did, he'd still take her in.
Today, Qin Huarong would become part of Lingxiao Sect.
She glanced at him, her eyes calm and cold. "Lingxiao Sect?" she said. "A minor sect dares to speak to me?"
Qin Wucheng's expression didn't change, but a faint pulse of annoyance stirred inside him.
He smiled slightly. "System, can you show me her information."
[ Ding! Retrieving target data... ]
Lines of information appeared in his mind.
[ Name: Qin Huarong. Race: Human. Age: 18. Eldest Princess of the Great Qin Dynasty. ]
[ Cultivation: Ninth level of the Grand Sea Realm. In her past life—Empress of the Phoenix Lotus Dynasty, Upper Realm. Attained Dao Destiny within a thousand years. One step from the Immortal Realm. ]
[ Cause of death: Ambushed by Ye Linhei of Qinglan Country while exploring the Tomb of an Immortal. Perished after awakening a sealed Immortal Corpse. Soul fragment escaped to the Lower World, reincarnated in the Great Qin royal line. ]
Qin Wucheng read through it slowly, a faint smile tugging at his mouth.
So that was it.
No wonder she carried that distant power in her presence—an empress reborn.
At eighteen, she had already reached the ninth level of the Grand Sea Realm.
Unbelievable. But with her foundation as a past-life Emperor, the impossible became reasonable.
Still, something in that information made him pause.
"System, what exactly is the Upper Realm?"
[ Ding! Host's current strength is insufficient. The Upper Realm is far beyond your reach. Please focus on recruiting disciples to strengthen Lingxiao Sect. ]
[ Supplementary note: Qinglan Country is a top-tier power in the Upper Realm, confirmed to harbor living immortals. The Phoenix Lotus Dynasty had only one Emperor—Qin Huarong. ]
Immortals.
Qin Wucheng exhaled softly. "So they really exist."
[ Of course. You, however, are not one. Yet. ]
He rolled his eyes. "You've got quite the mouth, you know that?"
Qin Huarong turned slightly, preparing to leave.
Before Qin Lu had gone to war, he had ordered her to journey to the ancestral land and awaken the dynasty's ancestor if disaster struck. Her aura rippled faintly as she readied herself to depart.
Then Qin Wucheng's voice reached her.
"Qin Huarong," he said calmly, "join my Lingxiao Sect. I, Lingxiao, will one day help you destroy Qinglan Country."
The world went still.
A low hum filled the air, followed by a burst of spiritual pressure so cold it stung the skin.
Her imperial aura unfurled like a storm, fierce and absolute. The air froze; the ground cracked beneath her feet.
"Who are you?" she asked, her tone sharp. "How do you know about Qinglan Country?"
Her gaze fixed on him, piercing as a sword.
Yet no matter how far her perception stretched, she saw nothing.
He stood before her like an empty world—no spiritual pulse, no origin, no end.
Impossible.
Even now, her Emperor soul should have been able to glimpse any mortal's essence. But before this man, her sight met only silence.
Qin Wucheng remained still, his voice calm. "Qin Huarong, Empress of the Phoenix Lotus Dynasty. You nearly entered the Immortal Realm before your fall. You died awakening a corpse that should've stayed buried."
Her breath caught.
Every word he spoke was truth—truth no one in this world could possibly know.
"You…" Her voice lowered. "You're from the Upper Realm."
"Perhaps," he said lightly.
Her killing intent flared again. "If you don't tell me who you are, I'll kill you."
Qin Wucheng resisted the urge to sigh. "You're not exactly easy to talk to."
Still, he smiled. "I am Qin Wucheng, one thousand three hundred fifty-second generation leader of Lingxiao Sect."
The number rolled off his tongue effortlessly. The longer the lineage, the greater the weight.
Qin Huarong frowned. She knew of nearly every major sect in the Upper Realm, yet she had never heard of Lingxiao. Could it be an ancient lineage that vanished before her era?
"How do you know my identity?" she asked coldly. "What are you really?"
"You don't need to know that," he replied. "I have no interest in your past titles or grudges. You only need to know this—I won't harm you."
He met her gaze evenly. "Even if you regain your cultivation and ascend again, could you really destroy Qinglan Country? You know better than anyone that its roots reach deeper than worlds."
He took a single step forward. "My Lingxiao Sect values potential above all else. You attained Dao Destiny in under a thousand years. That talent belongs among us."
Her expression flickered. His words were measured, but they struck precisely where her heart was weakest.
Even with her Emperor's will, she could not deny it—Qinglan Country held living immortals. Alone, she could never reach them.
But she refused to bow to fate.
If there was even one chance to grow strong enough to take revenge, she would seize it.
"Lingxiao Sect," she murmured. "If your sect truly exists beyond the Upper Realm, prove it."
Qin Wucheng smiled faintly. "You'll see in time. Words mean little. In Lingxiao, even immortals are not beyond reach."
The silence stretched between them. Finally, she spoke again.
"I can join your Lingxiao Sect," she said quietly. "But I act according to my own will. I don't want guidance or interference."
"Agreed," Qin Wucheng said at once.
She looked at him again, still wary but no longer hostile. The aura behind him—one she hadn't acknowledged aloud—felt too vast to measure.
It was enough to make even her hesitate.
"Then we have a deal."
[ Ding! Peerless Genius 'Qin Huarong' has joined the Lingxiao Sect. ]
[ Reward: Intermediate Summoning Card ×1, Sect Expansion Card ×1, Grand Sea Realm Cultivation Card ×1. ]
Qin Wucheng exhaled slowly. "Finally caught one."