Cultivating Assiduously

Qin Wentian's face remained calm. He understood that to Luo Qianqiu, he was as insignificant as an insect, easily crushed.

For Luo Qianqiu, the Blood Ember Fruits were the sole focus. In his eyes, they were already his. As for Qin Wentian, his life or death was of little consequence. Killing him would serve no purpose now.

As Qin Wentian discreetly hid the Goldem sword up his sleeve, a faint smile played on his lips. Previously, he hadn't cared whether Luo Qianqiu was truly a monstrous talent in the Emperor Star Academy. But now, he did.

The humiliation he endured today would be repaid tenfold in time.

"Junior Brother!" Luo Huan called out, snapping Qin Wentian back to the present. He smiled at her as if he had already forgotten the earlier events. He knew that dwelling on it would be futile unless he chipped away at Luo Qianqiu's power base.

"Thank you for your assistance, Senior," Qin Wentian said, showing gratitude towards Lin Hua, who was hovering in the air.

Had Lin Hua not appeared, he would have killed Luo Qianqiu without hesitation. Regardless of his opponent's identity, he wouldn't show mercy to those who sought his life. However, killing Luo Qianqiu would undoubtedly lead to serious consequences. Lin Hua's intervention prevented that outcome, which was why Qin Wentian thanked him. For now, his main focus was on advancing his cultivation.

"No need for formalities. Just remember to work diligently," Lin Hua replied with a smile before flying away.

"Senior Sister, may I request your assistance with another matter?" Qin Wentian asked politely, turning to Luo Huan.

"Between us, there's no need for such formality," Luo Huan said, linking her arm with Qin Wentian's.

"I wish to meet my sister, Qin Yao. Is there any way you can arrange that?" Qin Wentian inquired.

"Your sister is currently in the Royal Academy, but I'll see what I can do. I'll update you once I have any news," Luo Huan replied, her eyes showing signs of deep thought. She did have some connections in the Royal Academy, after all.

"Thank you. I appreciate your help, Senior Sister," Qin Wentian said with a smile.

"Right, leave all of this to me. Your focus should be on rapidly increasing your strength," said Luo Huan with determination in her eyes.

"Understood," replied Qin Wentian, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. It was a smile filled with anticipation. With Luo Qianqiu, Orchon, and the Knight's Association awaiting his "company," how could he not be motivated?

Qin Wentian was eager to embrace all these challenges. They were the driving force behind his relentless pursuit of strength.

After returning to their dorms, Qin Wentian spent several days stabilizing his cultivation. The lingering effects of consuming the three Blood Ember Fruits remained, and he aimed to make the most of them. With his eyes closed, he delved into his cultivation, determined to fully utilize the benefits he had gained from the fruits.

In his free time, he visited the Divine Weapon Pavilion, forging Divine Weapons, and retrieved his Yuan Meteor Stones from Francis to aid his cultivation. Training in the Spirit Refinement Method required an enormous amount of Yuan Meteor Stones.

Fan Le, similarly, was on fire. In the past few days, he devoted himself to cultivation and frequented the Heavenly Star Pavilion and the Astral River Hall.

In the Dreamscape of the Dreamsky Forest, within the City of Illusions, two figures clashed in a vast open space. One was dressed in the Knight's Association robes, and the other wore a simple white robe, their face concealed behind a fiery-red kirin mask exuding a baleful aura.

"Ka cha." A sharp sound echoed as the Knight's Association member had one of his arms broken, causing him to break into a cold sweat from the excruciating pain.

However, the one in the white robe had no intention of showing mercy. His arms moved swiftly, manifesting a dragon claw that forcefully shattered the other arm within seconds.

"Who are you, and where do you come from?" The Knight's Association member roared, a mixture of rage and terror filling him. He was from the prestigious Knight's Association of the Emperor Star Academy. How dare this person subject him to such torture?

"Ka cha..." The same crisp sound rang out twice more as the man's legs were broken. He fell helplessly to the ground. The white-robed figure flickered and vanished.

Moments later, another Knight's Association member arrived. Seeing his comrade writhing in pain with broken limbs, he was filled with cold determination as he demanded, "Who did this?"

It was pure torture, a cruel punishment. Only those with deep-seated hatred in the Dark Forest would resort to such brutality.

"I don't know; he was wearing a mask," the injured man stammered, shuddering from the pain of his broken limbs. "Just kill me first."

"Right," the other Knight's Association member said with a heavy heart as he prepared to end his comrade's suffering.

Meanwhile, Qin Wentian moved through the City of Illusions like a graceful Garuda in flight, his face hidden behind a mask. In the Dreamscape of the Dreamsky Forest, he sought out members of the Knight's Association who were within his capabilities to handle and administered swift and brutal punishment. Qin Wentian's thirst for revenge burned hot, especially after witnessing his good friend Fan Le's body pierced by countless Astral Spears. This was only the beginning of his quest for vengeance.

As Qin Wentian sprinted through the city, he reached a circular stone platform and came to a halt. He spoke aloud, "How long do you plan on following me? Why not reveal yourself?"

From the shadows of a nearby building emerged an exquisite figure, a woman, also masked. Her voice was bright and crisp as she approached Qin Wentian.

"I've seen your fighting style, and your Dragon Subduing Fist and claw attacks are impressive," she said.

Qin Wentian replied calmly, "And what of it?"

"I want to test myself against you, to see just how fast you truly are," she declared. With that, she lunged at Qin Wentian, her palm strikes carrying a tyrannical gale force capable of tearing through the fabric of space.

Qin Wentian moved with incredible poise and grace, his body flickering like a shadow as he narrowly avoided her attacks time and time again. His mastery of movement techniques was extraordinary.

As the battle raged on, the woman grew increasingly astonished. Each of her palm strikes narrowly missed, with Qin Wentian always evading at the last possible moment. His body movement was unparalleled.

Suddenly, she released her Astral Soul, filling the area with a storm of gale winds. With a shout, her palm strikes gained strength from the wind, hurtling toward Qin Wentian. He realized that the space around him had been locked, leaving him no room to dodge. In response, he unleashed a powerful strike, and their attacks collided. Qin Wentian used the force of the impact to retreat gracefully, moving with unmatched elegance.

"What's the use of dodging?" the woman taunted. She executed her movement techniques, charging at Qin Wentian within the storm of gale winds. She appeared by his side and struck out with her palms, their force further intensified by the hurricane.

Qin Wentian's reflexes were lightning-fast, and he transformed into shadows, narrowly evading her strikes at the last moment. His own fist shot out, aiming for her face. The woman had underestimated him, thinking he couldn't counterattack.

Her eyes widened in shock as Qin Wentian's brutal fist landed. "Not bad. Let's spar again tomorrow," she conceded.

With those words, Qin Wentian's Dragon Subduing Fist sent her flying out of the dreamscape. In his effort to strike her, he couldn't avoid her final palm strike, which sent him hurtling out of the dreamscape as well.

"Hu..." The Dreamsky Forest. Qin Wentian awoke and took in a deep breath, still feeling the pain in his body from his previous battles.

Removing the mask from his face, Qin Wentian sat up and reflected on his recent fight. "A 5th level of Arterial Circulation cultivator with a Storm-type Astral Soul, powerful innate techniques, and impressive body movement techniques. I wonder which academy she's from," he muttered to himself. The girl he had sparred with had pushed him to improve his Garuda Movement Technique, which was why he hadn't used his Divine Energy-enhanced palm strikes to finish her off quickly.

Standing up and leaving the Dreamsky Forest, Qin Wentian returned to his cultivation.

The following day, Qin Wentian arrived at the City of Illusions once more to continue his training and hunt down members of the Knight's Association. The girl he had sparred with the previous day was already waiting for him on the circular platform.

"This time, you won't be so lucky," she declared as she dashed toward him, both of them using each other to hone their movement techniques. After a while, Qin Wentian decided to use his Revolving Sea Imprint palm strikes, defeating the girl once again in the dreamscape.

Over the next few days, the girl continued to challenge Qin Wentian, each battle ending in her defeat and death. Surprisingly, she didn't seem to mind and even felt her movement techniques improving rapidly. However, she couldn't help but feel frustrated that the masked fellow in the kirin mask was progressing even faster despite his lower cultivation level.

For Qin Wentian, this constant sparring was also a form of training. He welcomed the opportunity to duel against someone with a higher cultivation level, which helped improve his combat abilities and movement techniques. News of the formidable kirin-masked fighter spread throughout the dreamscape, with many students eager to challenge him.

In the Royal Academy, there was a similar Dreamsky Forest, created by an elder from the Emperor Star Academy.

In this forest, a girl was removing her mask in frustration, stomping her foot on the ground. "Bastard," Mu Rou muttered after being defeated by Qin Wentian once again. She couldn't help but feel irritated. "Doesn't he know how to go easy on girls? He smashes me to death every time."

"What happened? Did someone torture our lovely Lady Mu Rou?" a voice teased. Another girl, also masked, removed her mask simultaneously, revealing two lovely-looking ladies.

"Damn him. But his movement techniques are unbelievably powerful. I couldn't even touch him," Mu Rou sighed in exasperation.

"Is that so? Well, it looks like I'll have to pay him a visit tomorrow. I want to see for myself who's responsible for making our dear Mu Rou so obsessed," Chu Ling teased.

"Do you even have the time for that? Wasn't your clan's task to take care of Qin Yao from the Qin Clan?" Mu Rou inquired.

"A woman who betrayed her clan. Qin Yao has chosen to be a candidate for the Crown Prince's wife. What a joke," Chu Ling said with disdain.

"Don't say that. She's had a difficult life too," Mu Rou said sympathetically.

"You can say that here, but be careful not to speak those words outside," Chu Ling warned, and Mu Rou nodded in understanding. She knew the implications of her words in their current situation.