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"Explode!"
BOOM! CRASH! The Sand Mausoleum and Ten Thousand Timber Forest detonated, a cataclysmic roar shaking Qing Yun Mountain. Spiritual energy erupted, the blast's might quaking the heavens.
Lan An soared, dodging the shockwave, his Piercing Thousand Miles Vision cutting through the dust. His eyes narrowed.
"Blazing Thunder Finger!" Lightning bolts surged from the explosion, blanketing Lan An.
"Eight Trigrams Heaven-Revolving Palm!" Anchoring one foot, Lan An spun, unleashing countless palm strikes. The thunderbolts clashed against his impervious defense, not grazing a hair.
As the dust settled, Lin Qing emerged, wreathed in crackling electricity. A sturdy Thunder Monarch Armor, pulsing with lightning, had shielded him from the blasts.
Clap, clap.Lin Qing applauded mockingly, eyeing Lan An. "Impressive tricks. But before an Eighth-Grade clan's foundation, you're an ant, forever beneath an elephant's might."
"Lan An, that's a High-Tier Earth-Grade treasure, Thunder Monarch Armor," Bing Lan Xi's gentle voice transmitted.
Lan An nodded, grinning at Lin Qing. "A trashy treasure boosts your confidence this much?"
Lin Qing froze, then roared with laughter. "Trash? Hahaha, a frog in a well, blind to a High-Tier Earth-Grade treasure's worth?" Turning to Bing Lan Xi, he pointed at Lan An. "This is your choice? A clown who can't recognize Thunder Monarch Armor? Laughable!"
In Lin Qing's mind, Lan An's ignorance fueled his arrogance, a buffoon unaware of the armor's prestige. Bing Lan Xi remained serene, her eyes glinting with mockery. She'd observed Lan An long enough to know he could scorn such a treasure.
Her taunting gaze drove Lin Qing mad, realizing he'd been the fool. "A nobody like you can't fathom a High-Tier Earth-Grade treasure's power. I'll give you a chance," he spat, humiliated.
"Chance?" Lan An's interest piqued, smirking.
"I'll stand still for three attacks. Any method, pierce my Thunder Monarch Armor and wound me, and I'll call you grandfather," Lin Qing boasted, brimming with confidence.
Lan An's eyes gleamed oddly. "Scared? Fail, call me grandfather, kowtow thrice, and I'll spare you," Lin Qing provoked.
"As my dear grandson wishes," Lan An chuckled, gazing at Lin Qing like a doting elder.
Furious, Lin Qing growled, "Brat, fail and shut up, no more lip!"
Lan An scratched his ear. "Ready? Here I come!"
"Of course, three moves!" Lin Qing floated, arms crossed, armor crackling.
Seeing his arrogance, Lan An asked, "Can I use a treasure?"
"Obviously! What could you have? Rubbish! Come!" Lin Qing sneered, exuding supremacy.
Lan An drew the North Star Bow. Lin Qing's smirk vanished, his face stiffening. The bowstring taut, the sky darkened, the Big Dipper blazing behind Lan An, three stars radiant.
Whoosh! A piercing whistle echoed. A Heaven-Devouring Wood arrow shot toward Lin Qing's chest.
"Thunder Monarch Protect!" Lin Qing roared, panic erasing his confidence, activating the armor's full power. Lightning flared, encasing him in a thunder domain.
Pop! The arrow sliced through the lightning like butter, devouring its energy, weakening the domain to a maiden's veil. Lin Qing's eyes bulged as the armor was pierced.
Though the arrow veered slightly, missing his heart, it lodged in his chest, blood spurting. "Impossible!" Lin Qing muttered, yanking the arrow out, ignoring his wound, staring at the majestic bow in Lan An's hand.
"Grandson, call grandfather!" Lan An teased.
"Damn it! How? A Heaven-Grade treasure?!" Lin Qing's face twisted with envy, mocking himself. He'd flaunted a High-Tier Earth-Grade treasure before a Heaven-Grade one. Only his father owned such a treasure in the Lam Clan. How did this youth have one?
Jealousy and humiliation surged. "It's her! She bought it with her wealth!" Lin Qing accused, desperate.
"Pathetic," Bing Lan Xi shook her head. Even she lacked a Heaven-Grade treasure. Unlike arts, shared by many, a Heaven-Grade treasure bonded to one user, rare even in Eighth-Grade forces, unpurchasable by mere wealth.
Lin Qing knew this but clung to excuses, unable to accept defeat. "Call grandfather!" Lan An sneered.
"Don't gloat! That treasure's a princess's gift. As an empire citizen, I'll reclaim it!" Lin Qing declared righteously.
"Empire?" Lan An mused, intrigued.
"Shameless, disgracing the Lam Clan!" Bing Lan Xi scolded.
"You gave empire assets to an outsider. I'm recovering them for the royal family!" Lin Qing slandered, greed driving him to seize the bow.
"Impressive. Weak in strength, thick in face!" Lan An grinned wickedly, drawing the bow again.
Humiliated by their scorn, Lin Qing justified, "Weak? To reclaim the empire's treasure, I'll use Spirit Transformation Perfection. No need for Void Refinement!"
"Go die!" Lan An, done with his shamelessness, fired a wood arrow.
"What's a Heaven-Grade treasure in weak hands?" Lin Qing summoned a Thunder Monarch Spear, crackling with lightning, his Spirit Transformation Perfection aura erupting, thrusting at the arrow.
Clang! The spear, backed by superior cultivation, blocked the arrow. Ding! Quest [First Golden Fall] completed. Reward: Random Secret Art Summon. The system acknowledged Lin Qing's breach of the same-realm vow as Lan An's victory.
Lan An eyed the spear. "Thunder Monarch Spear, paired with the armor, High-Tier Earth-Grade," Bing Lan Xi explained, trusting Lan An's prowess.
"Thunder Monarch Battle Art!" Lin Qing roared, vanishing via Thunder Shadow Step. The spear, like a thunder god's strike, stabbed at Lan An's head.
ROAR! A mountain-sized Earth Bear materialized, guarding Lan An. "What's that? Die!" Lin Qing faltered but pressed on.
The bear roared, pummeling forward. Its fists shattered against the spear's dominance, but it shielded Lan An, absorbing the blow. "Foolish!" Lin Qing sneered, his Thunder Monarch Battle Art shredding the bear.
"Wood Form Fist!" As the bear dissolved, Lan An bellowed, his arms morphing into ancient trees, smashing Lin Qing's face.
Spurt! Blood sprayed, Lin Qing's jaw cracking, caught off guard. The fists persisted, but Lin Qing countered, the spear piercing Lan An's arm, leaving a gash.
"Not bad for a Thunder Spiritual Root. Even Strange Wood can't withstand it," Lan An thought, his Third-Turn body cultivation rapidly healing.
"Haha, die!" Lin Qing, elated, stabbed again. Whoosh! Lan An's Speed Shift placed him behind Lin Qing. "Great Flood Kick!"
Clang! The kick struck the armor, sparks flying. Unharmed but staggered, Lin Qing crashed face-first into the ground. "Damn it! What movement art?" Lin Qing's heart quaked. His High-Tier Earth-Grade Thunder Shadow Step, swift as lightning, was outpaced.
Greed and envy surged. Killing Lan An could yield his techniques, propelling Lin Qing up the Golden Era List. Yet, doubt crept in. "Who is he?" Lin Qing wondered, wary. Bing Lan Xi's pursuit and Lan An's arsenal hinted at no ordinary background.
"Who are you?" Lin Qing demanded gravely.
"A loser has no right to know," Lan An scoffed.
"You…" Lin Qing's pride stung, roaring, "I'll make you talk! Thunder Monarch Strike!"
Raising the spear skyward, lightning gathered. Soaring, Lin Qing hurled it at Lan An's head, the spear tearing space, thunder roaring.
Locked on, Lan An muttered, "Damn, fighting without a weapon's a loss. Time to find one." RUMBLE! A Wood Turtle appeared, Lan An ducking behind its shell.
BOOM! The spear struck, a meteor-like clash rocking Qing Yun Mountain. The turtle roared, its Heaven-Devouring Wood shell absorbing most lightning. Heavenly Wood Cauldron spun, fueling Lan An's energy.
But the relentless thunder battered the shell. Lin Qing, watching, lost his arrogance, replaced by dread. Lan An's talent terrified him—a Golden Era genius cowed by a youth's potential.
Fighting at Spirit Transformation against Lan An's Nascent Soul, Lin Qing exhausted his arsenal yet couldn't win. Lan An's versatile arts, terrifying movement, and treasures were overwhelming. At this age, he could reshape the Golden Era List's top ten. If Bing Lan Xi allied with him, Lin Qing would lose her, and the Second Prince would gain a future rival.
"He can't live!" Lin Qing's killing intent solidified. The Thunder Monarch Strike and turtle perished together.
Forming seals, Lin Qing's hair billowed, the sky darkening, clouds roiling. "Heavenly phenomenon? Heaven-Grade art?" Lan An whispered, wary. His hands aligned, three Great Cauldrons surging, tri-elemental forces merging.
CRACK! Lightning intensified, bolts blanketing the sky. Lin Qing's seals formed a "Monarch" symbol, absorbing all thunder.
Lan An crouched, hands at hips, a tri-color orb spinning between them. Their gazes locked.
"Mid-Tier Heaven-Grade: Thunder Monarch Seal!" Lin Qing bellowed, slamming the seal downward, its thousand-ton might and divine thunder aiming to crush Lan An.
"Combined Spirit Palm!" Lan An roared, thrusting upward, targeting the seal.
Before they clashed, Bing Lan Xi's frantic cry rang out, "Lan An, danger!"
Lin Qing's face twisted savagely, his Early Void Refinement aura restored, tearing space to appear behind Lan An. The oppressive pressure suffocated Lan An. No one anticipated Lin Qing's shameless betrayal, a Void Refinement cultivator ambushing a Nascent Soul.
Even Bing Lan Xi was caught off guard. Lin Qing laughed maniacally, forsaking honor to kill. The Thunder Monarch Seal was a decoy.
"Die!" Lightning wreathed his hand, Thunder Leopard Claw surging, fueled by Void Refinement power, cracking space, aiming for Lan An's heart.