The Serpent Emperor, Pan Hongji, who could always maintain composure no matter the situation, felt his state of mind genuinely unsettled for the first time, desperately wishing for the Thunder Soul Domain to grow stronger.

Grow! Hurry and grow! Pan Hongji sent up prayer after prayer in his heart. When the time came for the older generation's exhibition match during the Rookie King Tournament, unleashing the might of a dual Soul Domain would surely make that fellow Qian Zhanxuan's face turn green!

The Rookie King Tournament! Pan Hongji anticipated the Rookie King Tournament more than any of the new warriors, even more so than he had anticipated it before he himself participated years ago.

With just one battle, he could temporarily secure the title of the current foremost powerhouse in the Zhence Imperial Dynasty! As for Ultimate Awakening? Pan Hongji never believed it was impossible for him to achieve Ultimate Awakening.

Especially with Qian Jin's help in finding the key to unlocking it, Pan Hongji felt he was qualified to contend for the chance at Ultimate Awakening, perhaps even becoming the first in the Nine-Headed Serpent bloodline family to reach it. At that point, with a dual Soul Domain plus Ultimate Awakening, he would be the undisputed strongest among the Human, Demon, and Savage tribes.

"Qian Jin!" Ling Fenglingguan awoke groggily from his coma, looking at the corpse of Tianlian Lingguan, who had died in battle. His eyes were bloodshot and bulging as he glared at Qian Jin from the ground: "You dare kill someone from our Lingguan family, you are courting death!"

So what if I killed someone from the Lingguan family? Qian Jin slowly opened his eyes and looked at Ling Fenglingguan on the ground: "Am I, Qian Jin, inherently supposed to stand here motionless, letting you chop at me without lifting a finger? Are your lives valuable, and mine is not?"

Qian Jin sighed. Killing Tianlian Lingguan was a last resort. If he hadn't struck him down, in a few more seconds, the person lying on the ground would have been him. If Tianlian Lingguan had truly completed his Sanctification, he would certainly have killed Qian Jin.

One of them had to die. That thought—let the other one die—was a notion nearly everyone would harbor.

The crowd looked at Qian Jin's sigh with confusion. Why sigh after winning? He didn't look like he feared the Lingguan family.

Duan Fengbuer also let out a sigh. Killing Tianlian Lingguan was what the Thunder Lion King brought upon himself by insisting on killing Qian Jin; thus, there was nothing to sigh about in killing him. This sigh, full of helplessness, was directed toward the sleeping Lion King Hongzhe Lingguan far beyond the frontier.

During the expedition beyond the frontier, Hongzhe Lingguan's presence was always subtle, yet no one dared say he was useless. This senior, who was supposed to be asleep, constantly cared about everyone’s situation, whether conscious or deep in slumber.

When it came to situations where Qian Jin and the others needed to be tested, Hongzhe Lingguan acted like a mature lion king, pushing the young cubs into the valley to fight for their lives.

Occasionally, late at night, this Sleeping Lion King would suddenly vanish for a period, fully alert.

At first, no one knew what he was doing, but as time passed, Qian Jin and the others realized that powerhouses from beyond the frontier came seeking trouble, and the Sleeping Lion King had turned them all away.

Without the Sleeping Lion King, it was uncertain whether they would have survived to even meet the Bandit King, Ba Huang Wusheng, for the first time.

Beyond the frontier was never a safe place, yet Qian Jin and his group had always existed in a relatively secure environment.

Tianlian Lingguan was Hongzhe Lingguan’s elder brother. Qian Jin had been forced to kill him, and he suddenly didn't know how he would face Hongzhe Lingguan when they met again, nor what reaction the Sleeping Lion King would have upon learning the truth.

Tianlian Lingguan was dead. In a one-on-one duel with Qian Jin, the prodigious Griffin King bloodline warrior, the number one ranked fighter on the War Academy’s Hundred Battle List for years, who hadn't utilized his full strength in quite some time, was killed by a single punch from Qian Jin!

The news, as if it had wings, spread rapidly through Yongliu City, then radiated outwards to the surrounding cities, quickly sweeping across the entire province!

Tianlian Lingguan was no ordinary warrior. Although he had only stayed at the War Academy these past few years, he was a genius bloodline warrior of the Golden Griffin King family. Even though he hadn't reached Sanctification, no one believed he couldn't. He had long been recognized by countless people as one of the great and powerful warriors of the future.

A warrior of such standing was constantly under intense scrutiny; every move he made could become news.

Defeat, death! This news struck Yongliu City, even the entire province, and indeed the entire Zhence Imperial Dynasty, like a massive thunderclap, drawing immense attention.

One Tianlian Lingguan was enough to attract a large following, but his opponent was Qian Jin, the common warrior currently enjoying the highest fame!

A battle between two highly scrutinized young warriors was enough to capture the attention of half the Zhence Imperial Dynasty, especially among the younger generation of warriors, where the impact of this fight was even more profound.

Many young bloodline warriors who initially hadn't paid much attention upon hearing Qian Jin's name began to look into his background.

"Qian Jin? Beat Tianlian Lingguan? It seems this generation of the Golden Griffin King bloodline truly has declined. Tianlian Lingguan is at least four or five years older than Qian Jin, right? How could he lose?"

Beneath the colossal waterfall, the voice of a War God bloodline warrior dripped with disdain: "Ever since Tianlian Lingguan joined the academy, I knew he was finished! A warrior who joins an academy for the sake of a woman, someone whose bones turn soft at the sight of a female—does he deserve to be called a warrior?"

"Tianlian Lingguan? After spending time on the Human-Demon battlefield, he really thought no one was his match. Returning rashly to the War Academy, defeat was only a matter of time. Still, losing to a common warrior is quite the surprise."

In the Hundred Gardens of Green Grass, Jiuyang Lianhua of the Three-Headed Golden Dragon bloodline calmly watched a bee resting on her fingertip, smiling faintly: "A common warrior managed to defeat Tianlian Lingguan in his Semi-Saint state. This Qian Jin is much stronger than I anticipated. Have the people I sent to contact him done so? If not, we must accelerate contact."

"Tianlian Lingguan lost? How is that possible?"

"Lost to a common warrior? No way?"

"I heard Qian Jin also beat the people from the War Hall..."

The news spread in different places, eliciting varied reactions everywhere.

"Killed Tianlian Lingguan?" A crack appeared on the teacup in Qian Zhanxuan's hand. This meant the young man’s popularity would soar even higher, and perhaps even His Majesty the Emperor knew by now, making it even harder to act against him! But that was fine...

Qian Zhanxuan tossed aside the cracked teacup and smiled faintly. Killing Tianlian Lingguan could also be seen as a good thing. The Golden Griffin King family held the title of the Beast King family; the honor and dignity of the King of Beasts could never be violated. Qian Jin's action was essentially a slap in the face to the Golden Griffin King bloodline family, right in front of everyone.

Qian Zhanxuan poured himself a cup of clear tea, lightly turning the rim of the cup between his index finger and thumb: "That old lion absolutely cannot tolerate something like this happening."

"Tianlian Lingguan? He was a decent bloodline warrior..." Qian Wushuang's vertical eye, located in the center of his forehead, slowly closed. Countless magical fluctuations vanished, and he lightly flicked the dust off his clothes: "However, he was never the most outstanding among this generation of the Golden Griffin King bloodline warriors! I wonder how that sleeping lion will react?"

"Still... even if the Sleeping Lion King is defeated, it holds no meaning for me." Qian Wushuang took a sip of the clear tea brought by a maid and smiled confidently: "My only goal is to defeat the warriors of the other five great bloodlines who have reached Ultimate Awakening, pushing the glory of the Elven King bloodline warriors to its peak! As for Qian Jin? He's just a small bug on the roadside that can be crushed with one foot. I trust Jin Zetianlu can handle this matter."

Jin Zetianlu! Qian Wushuang smiled again. That powerhouse from Hanli Province was truly shameless and insidious, a person who would use any means necessary to win a fight. Back on the Human-Demon battlefield, he had used various despicable tactics to slay a Saint-level expert while only at the peak of Soul Fighting!

Because of this, Jin Zetianlu’s reputation had grown increasingly famous.

Even though Jin Zetianlu hadn't reached Sanctification, Qian Wushuang believed this warrior, who would use any means for victory, could succeed in killing Qian Jin.

That's right! Qian Wushuang understood Jin Zetianlu well—this warrior, who employed all manner of tactics, particularly enjoyed killing famous common warriors. The more famous they were, the more he was willing to fight, because such actions rarely provoked truly powerful factions, meaning no one would bother him afterward.

Qian Jin currently had powerful backing, but Jin Zetianlu, in his pursuit of greater notoriety, would certainly make a move!

Indeed! Qian Wushuang paced leisurely with his hands clasped behind his back. Jin Zetianlu's only defeat since he became famous was against Fabredis, who was in a state of pure rage at the time, though few people knew about it.

Now, Fabredis was dead, and Qian Jin was arguably Fabredis's successor, possessing a familial tie to him. Jin Zetianlu had always viewed that past defeat as a disgrace, constantly yearning for revenge, yet he had genuinely been terrified by Fabredis's desperate, death-for-death fighting style when he was practically mad.

His years of shame remained unavenged! And now Fabredis had entered Sanctification! Qian Wushuang could imagine the apprehension Jin Zetianlu felt upon hearing this news. With Fabredis gone, it was likely that Jin Zetianlu, forever wanting to wash away his disgrace, would set his sights on Qian Jin.

"Why bother taking action myself?" Qian Wushuang re-examined the relationship and temperament between Jin Zetianlu and Qian Jin, smiling smugly. The Patriarch loved to handle everything personally—the Serpent Emperor was certainly much smarter in that regard.

It was a pity the Serpent Emperor’s cleverness had its limits! Qian Wushuang's eyes held arrogance. In terms of strategy, vision, and strength, the future world would belong to him! The title of Serpent Emperor would eventually be completely drowned out by his own rise.

"An invitation letter from Qian Jin?" RO