Scheme

Scheme...

In the tumultuous sky above the battlefield, Orchon's father wore an expression of agonizing despair.

Orchon had been an extraordinary talent, considered several notches above the average. In the Ou Clan, he was one of the few promising youngsters truly worth nurturing. Yet here he was, defeated by Qin Wentian. The memory of his younger son, Orfon, slain by the same hand, haunted him.

A throbbing green vein on his forehead betrayed the tumult within him. His murderous intent surged to its zenith.

"Janus, you useless fool," Orchon's father cursed inwardly. Janus, Orchon's personal mentor, shared an unusually close bond with him. He had covertly supplied Janus with a wealth of cultivation resources. In exchange, all Janus had to do was assassinate Qin Wentian. Orchon's father had promised Janus an escape plan and ample rewards.

However, Janus had failed, leading to Orchon's death today. Orchon's father couldn't help but blame himself. If only he had recognized Qin Wentian's potential earlier, no matter the cost, he would have dispatched Yuanfu-level experts to eliminate him.

Qin Wentian was now an invincible force among the Arterial Circulation cultivators. To kill him, one needed Yuanfu-level experts, but Chu Tianjiao was hesitant to tip the precarious balance.

Despite having superior numbers, the Royal Academy continued to suffer losses across the battlefield. Most of their battles were evenly matched, requiring an extended struggle for victory. However, Qin Wentian was an exception. Whenever he encountered a marginally stronger formation, he would swiftly head over and dismantle it. His unstoppable rampage meant that the Royal Academy's defeat was only a matter of time.

Seeing this unfold, Orchon's father couldn't help but secretly rejoice. He whispered to Chu Tianjiao, "Your Highness, victory will be extremely challenging if Qin Wentian isn't eliminated."

Chu Tianjiao cast a meaningful glance at Orchon's father, fully aware of his intent. After a brief contemplation, he issued a command. "Disperse."

At the sound of this command, the Royal Academy students began a full retreat. Witnessing their adversaries pull back, the Emperor Star Academy's students swelled with victorious spirits. They pursued the retreating Royal Academy students with the intent to slay them, but they retained enough clarity not to overextend themselves. After all, Yuanfu cultivators still lurked nearby, and pushing their advantage too far could yield unpredictable consequences.

Eventually, both sides returned to their original positions, leaving behind a field of corpses, the ground soaked crimson with blood.

In a brief but brutal clash, the toll of casualties had already soared to over 80 lives lost. It was a harsh reminder of the brutal reality of war.

On both sides of the conflict, there were young men and women with eyes reddened by tears. The fallen were not strangers but friends they had laughed and celebrated with not long ago. Now, they lay cold and lifeless, transformed into lifeless corpses. This grim experience had etched the cruelty of reality deep into their souls. They realized that to become stronger in this world, they would have to endure even more harrowing trials than this.

Qin Wentian stood at the forefront of the Emperor Star Academy's group, his gaze piercing the Yuanfu cultivators hovering above. His eyes burned with cold arrogance, laced with a terrifying, bloodthirsty intent.

The Royal Capital, once a haven for young cultivators seeking enlightenment, had been transformed into a battleground where students were slaughtered without mercy, all for the pursuit of power.

Chu Tianjiao and his cohorts returned Qin Wentian's gaze with murderous intent flickering in their eyes. Qin Wentian had already earned a spot on their list of targets to be eliminated, but they hesitated due to the potential retaliation from the Emperor Star Academy.

"Retreat!" Chu Tianjiao's command rang out, prompting the Royal Academy's students to withdraw.

"Back to the academy," Ren Qianxing ordered, and the Emperor Star Academy's students followed suit.

Despite their victory, no one felt relief; instead, they bore the weight of the impending conflict. This clash was just the beginning of a larger war.

In a hall within the Royal Academy, Xiao Lan, Chu Tianjiao, and representatives from the Ye and Ou Clans convened.

Xiao Lan rhythmically tapped his armrest, his countenance heavy with displeasure at the recent outcome.

"I don't intend to linger in Chu for long. Within three months, the Emperor Star Academy must yield to us," Xiao Lan stated firmly, as if issuing a non-negotiable decree. To unlock the secrets concealed within the Emperor Star Academy by the Azure Emperor, their first step was to bring the academy under their control. Refusal would lead to its destruction. However, he couldn't afford to stay in Chu for an extended period.

There were formidable adversaries waiting for him in the Nine Main States. Prolonged absence from those battles would leave him at a significant disadvantage upon his return. He couldn't allow that.

"Young Master Xiao, I must point out that there may be no one in the Arterial Circulation Realm who can match Qin Wentian," Orchon's father interjected. "If we aim to seize the Emperor Star Academy, we may have no choice but to engage with our Yuanfu-level cultivators."

Xiao Lan maintained his composure upon hearing the suggestion, turning his attention to Chu Tianjiao. "What are your thoughts on this?"

Chu Tianjiao fell silent for a moment, pondering the idea. He finally responded in a hushed tone, "I will recruit exceptionally formidable Arterial Circulation Realm cultivators from our military and embed them within the Royal Academy before engaging in Arterial Circulation warfare again."

Xiao Lan pressed further, "And if victory still eludes us?"

"In that case," Chu Tianjiao replied calmly, "we will have no choice but to employ our Yuanfu cultivators." The Yuanfu experts were the cream of the crop in Chu, and if he could avoid deploying them, he would. Engaging them in battle would undoubtedly weaken Chu's overall strength, something he hoped to avoid.

Orchon's father, as if intending to make a point, interjected, "Qin Wentian..."

Chu Tianjiao anticipated his meaning. "If a Yuanfu cultivator were to kill Qin Wentian, the Emperor Star Academy would undoubtedly retaliate. If we provoke Gongyang Hong, who would bear the consequences?"

Chu Tianjiao desired Qin Wentian's demise as much as anyone, but he had to weigh every option carefully, considering multiple angles before making a move.

"We don't necessarily have to kill him," offered Ye Liuyang, a member of the Ye Clan. His proposal piqued everyone's interest.

Chu Tianjiao inquired further, "Old Ye, what do you have in mind?"

"There must be secrets concealed on Qin Wentian's person," Ye Liuyang explained. "We could capture him alive. Even if we fail, it won't enrage the Emperor Star Academy or Gongyang Hong. If we succeed, we can leverage his captivity as an advantage. With him in our grasp, the Emperor Star Academy would hesitate to act recklessly, fearing the consequences. If Gongyang Hong demands his release, we can comply. In the meantime, we can accomplish many objectives."

Ye Liuyang's sly smile ignited a spark of excitement in Chu Tianjiao's eyes. He chuckled, "A brilliant plan! But how do you suggest we proceed?"

Ye Liuyang shot a knowing look at Chu Tianjiao, recognizing that his ally had been secretly longing to capture Qin Wentian alive. He had been patiently waiting for someone to propose the idea. There was no need to spell it out; their intentions were aligned.

The relationships between Qin Wentian and the Ye and Ou Clans had soured to the extreme.

"The Ou Clan will take the lead, with support from our Ye Clan," Ye Liuyang suggested, as he and Chu Tianjiao turned their attention to Orchon's father.

Orchon's father could do nothing but curse their cunning tactics inwardly, while maintaining a cordial facade. "Very well."

"Now that the plan is set, you can proceed with the discussions and execution," Chu Tianjiao declared with a grin. "Regardless of success or failure, I won't hold your clans accountable."

Back at the academy, Qin Wentian immediately resumed his cultivation. The intense battle had drained his energy at an astonishing rate. He relied on Yuan Meteor Stones to replenish his strength while simultaneously condensing his Divine Yuan Energy. As he recovered, he sensed a change in his arterial pathways, as though they had expanded. Clearly, the intense battles had stimulated his cultivation, steadily increasing his strength.

Yet, Qin Wentian remained deeply concerned. His current strength was inadequate. If he were at the Yuanfu Realm, where his arterial pathways transformed into a spiral and his Astral Energy turned into a liquid within his Yuanfu (Yuan Palace), the consumption of Astral Energy during battle would be negligible.

At the Yuanfu Realm, Astral Energy transformed into a liquid state. Each droplet of Yuan liquid held a vast amount of Astral Energy. Simultaneously, a Yuan Reservoir formed within the cultivator's body. As they grew stronger, the reservoir expanded, allowing more Yuan Energy droplets to be stored. When they reached the peak of Yuanfu, the Yuan Reservoir transformed into a Yuan Ocean, enabling the nurturing of an Astral Soul and the eventual condensation of an Astral Nova.

Qin Wentian's thoughts about what lay beyond the Heavenly Dipper Realm were clouded in uncertainty. Perhaps it would resemble the memories he glimpsed from that tiny Astral Being, where powerful beings outside the Qin Heavenly Divine Sect could materialize terrifying constellations. But was that the realm beyond the Heavenly Dipper? Qin Wentian couldn't say for sure. He couldn't help but wonder about his enigmatic old man. Just how inconceivably powerful was he? His father should be at a level far beyond Qin Wentian's current comprehension.

These thoughts left Qin Wentian feeling somewhat despondent. His father was undoubtedly an immensely potent paragon, yet here he was, grappling with challenges at every turn. Nevertheless, Qin Wentian understood that genuine experts reached their present heights through unyielding determination, steadily progressing step by step. He firmly believed that he, too, would eventually reach that extraordinary level.

After completing his cultivation, Qin Wentian returned to the Divine Weapon Pavilion. Unconcerned for his own safety, he knew that the Yuanfu experts of the Emperor Star Academy would watch over him from the shadows.

An Liuyan personally greeted him, and Qin Wentian promptly summoned a group of skilled weaponsmiths to assist him in forging Divine Weapons, inscribing Divine Imprints upon them with astonishing speed.

Today, the witnessing weaponsmiths were left speechless. They had heard numerous rumors about Qin Wentian, but seeing his skills firsthand filled them with awe, bordering on reverence.

In all of Chu, there were few powers capable of supplying the materials needed to create so many Divine Weapons. Yet, An Liuyan accommodated Qin Wentian's every request without hesitation. Qin Wentian silently noted this favor in his heart.

Upon returning to the Emperor Star Academy, Qin Wentian and the Elders distributed the Divine Weapons to the academy's most prominent students, preparing for their second confrontation with the Royal Academy.

The second clash unfolded on the same battlefield as the first, but this time, the Royal Academy had significantly more participants. Their numbers were nearly double those of the Emperor Star Academy, presenting a grand and imposing force, radiating an intimidating aura. Yuanfu cultivators hovered in the air, exuding a palpable sense of impending battle.

Qin Wentian stood his ground, feeling the intense waves of hostility directed at him. Raising his head, he gazed up into the air, where he saw the glint of murderous intent in several pairs of eyes.

Xiao Lan regarded Qin Wentian with an air of indifference, his eyes conveying a sense of condescension as if he were observing a mere insect. Hailing from one of the factions of the Nine Mystical Palace, he naturally held Qin Wentian in low regard. To him, Qin Wentian's rejection of the opportunity he had offered was tantamount to sealing his own fate. If it weren't for the Heavenly Dipper Sovereign's presence, he would have already dispatched individuals to eliminate Qin Wentian.

In Xiao Lan's estimation, while Qin Wentian possessed commendable talent, he was profoundly ignorant of his place. Moreover, when faced with those who far surpassed him, he failed to recognize the vast gulf that separated them.