Qian Wushuang suddenly erupted, the calmness in his eyes transforming into boundless rage. The person kneeling on the ground trembled, daring not to look up.

"Does Duan Fengbuer truly believe that since he has reached the Saint realm, no one can deal with him anymore!" Qian Wushuang waved his hand dismissively, "Give him the Holy Artifacts! Let's see if he dares to take the Qian family's Holy Artifacts! If he dares to take them, fine! At the Rookie King Tournament, he won't leave the stage alive! Even for the sake of Snake Emperor Pan Hongji, I, Qian Wushuang, won't show any deference!"

The bookie shopkeeper remained kneeling, shivering without daring to rise, yet feeling an indescribable sense of grievance. He knew this whole affair would land squarely on his shoulders during the year-end assessment. Although he had initially refused to accept the bet, Qian Wushuang insisted. But after all, this Duan Fengbuer was someone with the potential for ultimate bloodline awakening; no one would dare blame him. Qian Wushuang’s expression couldn't be any better either. The matter of the nine Holy Artifacts was something he had agreed to himself. Backing out at this juncture would certainly draw ridicule from countless factions and cause the Qian family's morale to plummet.

"Why haven't you gone yet?" Qian Wushuang looked at the kneeling bookie shopkeeper with visible annoyance.

"Young Master Wushuang... the Holy Artifact Treasury"... someone like me cannot enter." Sweat beaded on the shopkeeper's forehead, dripping down like a fine rain. He lacked the courage even to lift his eyes to Qian Wushuang’s feet.

Qian Wushuang smiled wryly. What was his status that he should allow himself to be provoked into anger by someone like Duan Fengbuer, even forgetting that this minor figure before him was barred from places like the Holy Artifact Treasury.

Holy Artifacts, within vast clans, were rarely kept within the battlefield-sphere of a single powerful figure. True warriors understood one crucial thing: the more potent a warrior, the more likely they were to face death.

Great power often did not grant longevity to the strong; conversely, it might hasten the shadow of death.

On the battlefield, those who fight best are invariably the easiest targets.

If a single mage cannot fell a fighter who has awakened to the Celestial Extreme realm, what about a whole cohort of mages? Equipped with the strongest magical gear and strategically positioned restraining magic arrays, one heavy strike against that powerhouse would be enough for the surrounding warriors to swarm in and crush the most conspicuous fighter.

Therefore, every major clan maintained a dedicated, secret location for storing their Holy Artifacts. Otherwise, if the owner of a battle-sphere containing a Holy Artifact died suddenly, it would be a devastating blow to the entire clan.

The bookie shopkeeper carefully tucked away the token, bowed low, and quickly retreated from the courtyard. He looked up, exhaling a long breath, and thought to himself, This time, I will be the scapegoat during the year-end review, and worse, it will implicate my descendants.

The thought of his descendants being barred from bloodline awakening, potentially having privileges revoked due to his mistake to serve as a warning to other family members, tormented the shopkeeper.

"Qian Zeng may live like this, but my son absolutely cannot endure such a life..." The shopkeeper finally straightened his perpetually bent back. People passing by looked at Qian Zeng curiously; how could this man, who usually bowed and nodded to everyone, suddenly emanate a peculiar aura that demanded reverence?

A Holy Artifact? Steal one away! Qian Zeng took a deep breath, his eyes blazing with unprecedented resolve. By taking one or several Holy Artifacts, perhaps his son could rely on them to become a powerful warrior in the future!

"Why can Qian Jin, the son of Qian Cheng, succeed, but not my son, Qian Wen?"

Qian Zeng tightly clenched his hands, slick with nervous sweat, and hurried toward an important contact point, where he hoped to receive some direction regarding the path to the Holy Artifact Treasury.

Stealing a clan's Holy Artifact was inherently an exceptionally difficult endeavor. Countless eyes across the world were fixed upon the treasuries of these great clans. One successful heist, and selling the loot to the Demon Race, would ensure a life of ease forever.

Of course, that premise depended on surviving long enough to spend that gold. The targeted bloodline clan would pursue the thief to the death, never relenting, even if it meant clashing with the Demon Race's secret forces.

Qian Zeng navigated countless checkpoints, finally arriving before a specialized metal strongbox guarded by two Qian clan bloodline warriors. He could not gauge their strength.

"Young Master Wushuang ordered me to take all eleven Holy Artifacts..."

Before Qian Zeng could finish speaking, the silver light of a sword flashed across the air from the waist of one guard. A thin, crimson line appeared across Qian Zeng's throat.

The next moment, blood erupted from that crimson line, splashing out as if a water bladder had sprung a leak, spraying forth from his throat.

What was happening? Why? Qian Wushuang's token should have been flawless... Qian Zeng’s body slowly staggered backward as he stared at the two cold-blooded warriors.

"Did you really think I, Qian Wushuang, was an idiot with no brain? Did you truly believe I couldn't guess what you were planning?"

Qian Wushuang sat back in the grand armchair in the main hall, gently turning his teacup, a cold smile playing on his lips. "The Qian family, it seems, needs a purging. Blood must be spilled to teach them not to harbor thoughts of rebellion. If we had acted sooner, this entire affair with Qian Jin would never have arisen. The Patriarch is too merciful."

Qian Zeng collapsed onto the floor, blood spurting continuously, life rapidly draining away. He watched a young Qian family member walk past him, completely ignoring the corpse at his feet, and casually state, "Young Master Wushuang orders you both to accompany me in escorting the nine Holy Artifacts to Duan Fengbuer."

The two bloodline warriors rose without a word, carrying the heavy boxes single-handedly, following the young man with blank expressions. They left behind Qian Zeng, still breathing faintly on the ground, staring blankly as he recalled his past assumptions. He had always believed Qian Wushuang was merely an arrogant, thoughtless bloodline warrior, incapable of deep planning or anticipating his actions. Now he saw...

This man wasn't brainless; it was simply that many things weren't worth his consideration or required immediate action!

Precisely! Once someone lost their utility and harbored treasonous intentions, they would be discarded like trash, without even the chance to be used by others.

"Qian Jin, I, Qian Wushuang, will not kill you. I will utterly crush your spirit, making you understand that a bloodline warrior cannot surpass me. For the sake of your father, you will return to the Qian family and become a loyal dog under my command." The teacup in Qian Wushuang's hand shattered into dust—his smile filled with absolute confidence. "However much of my Holy Artifacts you took, I will make you spew it all back! And you will forge countless Soul Weapons for the Qian family! Under my hand, the Qian family will surely rise to become the continent's premier clan!"

"Thank the Stars!" Qian Wushuang rose and paced the room slowly, "Thank the Stars for delivering such a fine dog to me!"

Holy Artifacts—nine of them!

Duan Fengbuer laid out the nine Holy Artifacts he had won, in addition to the three mortgaged earlier, on a table draped with white cloth, immediately drawing gasps of astonishment from the assembled leaders of the Warrior Guilds.

The Qian Family's Holy Artifacts!

As branch presidents of the Warrior Guild, these men had crawled out of piles of corpses on the Human-Demon battlefield; they had indeed seen numerous Holy Artifacts. Families like the Qian clan, with their high-profile Elf King bloodline, were subjects of intense scrutiny.

The Qian family once possessed twelve Holy Artifacts. One was lost twenty years ago during a massive battle when they were ambushed and killed by a Lucifer bloodline Demon Warrior. This left them with eleven artifacts, nearly every one of which had seen action on the battlefield.

"Damn it! Buer..." Mu Guixin’s large eyes bulged. "Kid, you didn't seriously rob the Qian family treasury, did you? I say, even though we despise their family, if you did something like this, you should return them or dispose of them. Otherwise, the Qian family will genuinely fight you to the death."

"Won them in a bet," Duan Fengbuer replied nonchalantly. "All nine Holy Artifacts were won through legitimate means."

Gu Yue Jiaying gently stroked a pair of scimitars—a pair of scimitar Holy Artifacts engraved with countless profound magical patterns, exuding an indescribable mystical aura. Placed together, the two blades formed the shape of a complete moon.

Gu Yue Jiaying was at the peak of Battle Soul power but had not yet reached the Saint realm—everyone knew this. Qian Jin had never specifically forged a Soul Weapon for her in recent days.

Many assumed Qian Jin refrained because he feared Gu Yue Jiaying would use the Soul Weapon to reach the Saint realm and immediately seek revenge, likely dying in the process. That was why Qian Jin had never forged one for her.

Now, seeing that Qian Jin did not stop Gu Yue Jiaying from claiming the Holy Artifact Soul Weapons, people realized the groom wasn't preventing his woman from using a Soul Weapon to advance; instead, he was searching for a Holy Artifact for her!

Qian Jin gazed at the Holy Artifacts one by one, lightly tapping his fingers on them as he pondered.

Reaching the Saint realm! For humans, only one Soul Weapon or Holy Artifact was needed. But Qian Jin possessed three Battle Souls, meaning he would need to achieve Sainthood three times to be truly complete.

Three Saint Realms required at least three Soul Weapons.

Mu Guixin understood clearly: to thoroughly crush the Qian family, Qian Jin would never choose to use ordinary Soul Weapons to reach Sainthood; he would use the Holy Artifacts.

For ordinary warriors, or even bloodline warriors, utilizing a Holy Artifact for advancement was the superior path! After the baptism of a Holy Artifact, an ordinary warrior’s Battle Soul aptitude and other aspects would no longer pale in comparison to those of a bloodline warrior.

However, this approach was incredibly extravagant. Holy Artifacts could be passed down through generations, yet consuming one on a single individual meant that once they perished or aged, the artifact's power vanished, making it a single-use consumable.

No one among the Human, Demon, or Barbarian races had ever done this!

Only Qian Jin's entire squad, who cared nothing for such concerns, had only one thought dominating their minds: become stronger.

The Holy Artifact Saber entered Qian Jin's sight. This saber radiated the essence of a Violent Soul Domain. Alongside it was a Burning War Hammer.

"Interesting," Qian Jin chuckled, picking up the two Soul Weapons. The compatibility between a Soul Weapon and a warrior's path to Sainthood also depended on luck.

Of course, even if the Soul Domain did not match, an ordinary warrior could still casually achieve Sainthood using a Holy Artifact.

For example, Duan Fengbuer’s Holy Artifact did not grant him instantaneous movement, yet it didn't prevent his advancement.

At the moment of reaching Sainthood, Duan Fengbuer's Soul Domain fully matured into a complete state. Since that was the case, a bloodline warrior achieving Sainthood this way gained far greater benefits than advancing solely through bloodline awakening.

"The last one..."

"Pick one with the lightning attribute," Mexiang Yuan, who was conversing with Snake Emperor Pan Hongji, suddenly advised. "The Wind and Cloud Battle Qi naturally forms an Electric Domain. When Wind and Cloud converge, electricity is born. The inheritor of the Wind and Cloud Battle Qi in every generation possesses an Electric Domain."

There were two lightning-attributed Holy Artifacts. One was a massive gauntlet that, when worn, completely encased the entire right arm, making it as thick as a pillar in the main hall of a royal palace.

The other was a pair of wings that could adhere perfectly to the wearer's back, allowing even non-Saint warriors to fly, imbued with intensely powerful electricity.

Qian Jin snatched the lightning wings, held the Saber in one hand, and tucked the Burning War Hammer under his arm. He turned to look at Mu Neizhen, who was clutching a great battle-ax Holy Artifact. Fans becoming Holy Artifacts were exceedingly rare, so Mu Neizhen settled for one suited for Demon/Martial dual cultivation, designed to stimulate mental energy.

The eyes of the three Golden Dragon bloodline warriors and the nine Hydra bloodline warriors surrounding them instantly turned scarlet.

Sainthood! That was right! Someone was achieving Sainthood today! And that someone was Qian Jin! Furthermore, every person advancing was using... a Holy Artifact!

Achieving Sainthood with a Holy Artifact! The three Golden Dragon bloodline warriors and the nine Hydra bloodline warriors instantly felt their breathing become labored. The pseudo-dragon bloodline warriors were equally impacted mentally.

Everyone had witnessed Duan Fengbuer achieve Sainthood with a Holy Artifact. What an extravagant expenditure—consuming a Holy Artifact just to advance!

Initially, everyone assumed this was merely a tactic by Qian Jin to display his strength to all factions, revealing a Holy Artifact to facilitate advancement and intimidate others.

Now it seemed Duan Fengbuer’s advancement that day was a simple one; it hadn't included any other unimaginable factors.

It was just Sainthood—a simple desire to advance, coincidentally possessing a Holy Artifact Dragon Spear, so he used it.

That was all... nothing more.

"Qian Jin, wait a moment!" Mu Guixin shouted, rapidly dashing out of the room. "Where is everyone? Qian Jin is about to reach Sainthood! Hurry up, those looking for an advantage!"

The Warrior Guild headquarters... that was the location where masses of warriors were gathered, and Qian Jin was positioned at the core.

All warriors residing near Qian Jin had been vetted through layers of screening by the Warrior Guild; their strength and loyalty to the Guild were top-tier.

An ordinary warrior achieving Sainthood was a miracle in itself, capable of creating more miracles.

And Qian Jin...

A monster whose profound reserves—possessing three peak Battle Souls yet capable of defeating a Saint-realm expert using various Holy Artifacts while still in the un-Saint state—a level of accumulation unheard of even in legends. What realm would he reach upon achieving Sainthood? What reactions would his advancement cause in his surroundings? What even stronger miracles would he create?

Though everyone speculated, no one dared assert their guess as fact. Qian Jin... he was an anomaly.

Nearly everyone who was on good terms with Qian Jin eagerly awaited his advancement. The commotion caused by Fen Tu Kuangge's dual-Saint breakthrough was immense. Duan Fengbuer directly entered the True Saint realm—so what about Qian Jin? What would Qian Jin become? What breakthrough of Sainthood would erupt from the depths of his immense foundation?

"Qian Jin, allow this Prince to lend you one last boost before you reach Sainthood!"

Mu Neizhen was the first to activate his Battle Soul. Having witnessed the advancement of those around him, the Sixth Prince's Battle Soul had long reached the pinnacle of the peak. While not as profoundly accumulated as Duan Fengbuer's, it was still rare and deep among ordinary warriors.

A Holy Artifact! Mu Neizhen’s Holy Artifact instantly shattered, and his Battle Soul began to grow rapidly. The embryo of a Soul Domain quickly took shape within him, then radiated outward to every corner, next everyone could sense what Mu Neizhen was thinking!

Or rather, if Mu Neizhen intended for people to know his thoughts, those people would know, and they could know each other's thoughts as well!

"Thought Domain?" Pan Hongji couldn't conceal his shock and envy. This was also an exceedingly rare type of Soul Domain. Only an Elf bloodline mage, a bizarre case who specialized in mental power but could never condense magical force, had previously manifested one.

The greatest strength of the Thought Domain was its ability to cover every living being within its combat radius, allowing them to instantly know each other's thoughts, feeling as if those thoughts were their own.

Furthermore, the controller of the Thought Domain could easily sever thought communication for any creature within the coverage if they wished to prevent them from communicating with others.

It possessed no active offense, purely a super-supportive Soul Domain for group combat! Pan Hongji knew just how terrifying this advantage was in large-scale legion warfare. If several powerful figures from the Human and Demon sides fought together, one side would have completely synchronized minds, while the other relied solely on tacit understanding. The synchronized side held an inherent, massive advantage that the other side could not match.

Duan Fengbuer and Pan Hongji simultaneously opened their hands. The Hydra's Devouring Ability vied for the shattered fragments of the Holy Artifact drifting in the air.

These fragments were useless to others, but for these two Hydra bloodline warriors capable of devouring and digesting, the effect went far beyond being merely nourishing.

"Damn it! Serpent Emperor, you're fighting this kid for scraps; that’s too shameless!" Duan Fengbuer complained while simultaneously increasing his effort to contend. Snake Emperor Pan Hongji sat placidly, showing no hint of regret, continuing to activate his Devouring Ability at full power. "Young man, you monopolized it last time; share a bit with this old man this time. I haven't been able to eat properly these last few days; this will help supplement things."

As the two fiercely competed for fragments, the pair of scimitar Holy Artifacts in Gu Yue Jiaying's hands shattered. Her massive Battle Soul exuded a demonic aura, and her Soul Domain began to unfurl instantly, causing thousands, even tens of thousands, of scimitar phantoms to appear in the air.

The Myriad Blade Soul Domain! Pan Hongji sighed. In truth, no Soul Domain was ever truly useless. Every Saint-realm expert looked enviously at others' domains, hoping to acquire more to suit different combat situations.

This Myriad Blade Soul Domain could handle mass slaughter, and as its power grew, it could consolidate into a Hundred Blades Return to One, unleashing even fiercer might.

As the two peak Battle Soul experts unleashed their power to reach Sainthood, the surrounding Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi abruptly shifted dramatically. Though only two people were advancing, the fluctuation they triggered in the Yuan Qi was not much less than when several Warrior Guild presidents reached Sainthood simultaneously.

At this moment, Qian Jin stepped into the space between the two. The Rookie King Tournament was about to officially commence, and he needed to reach Sainthood beforehand to experience the differing sensations after advancement.

Saber of Slashing Horse! Shatter! Violent Soul Domain! Expansion!

Rumble!

As Qian Jin's first Battle Soul advanced, the surging Yuan Qi around him violently churned, exploding like countless muffled thunderclaps that deafened the onlookers. It seemed as if violence was not just confined to the Soul Domain; everything beneath the stars was saturated with violent elemental factors. The onlookers felt an inexplicable, explosive potential rising within their own bodies.

Burning War Hammer! Shatter! Pseudo-Burning Soul Domain! Expansion!

Rumble, rumble...

At this moment, it wasn't just the surrounding Yuan Qi surging; the ground itself began to tremble violently, as if the Yuan Qi buried deep beneath the earth, long suppressed, could no longer tolerate its solitude and began to surge and erupt from below. Fen Tu Kuangge, who had remained unresponsive, trembled slightly.

How could this be? Fen Tu Kuangge was stunned. The Battle Qi within the bodies of the other ordinary warrior presidents, who had already achieved Sainthood, suddenly became restless. It felt as if they hadn't reached Sainthood yet, and the advancement of ordinary warriors was beckoning their own power to rise!

This? How was this possible? The few ordinary warrior presidents exchanged startled glances. Theoretically, Saint-realm warriors should never be influenced by newly advanced warriors.

Chek Felit frowned slightly, feeling the power within him—which seemed ready to burst open—was urging further enhancement...

Electric Domain...

The pair of Holy Artifact wings shattered! Electric light instantly erupted around Qian Jin, like thousands of electric snakes coiling around his body, as if the God of Thunder had descended from the stars.

Rumble! The might of three Battle Souls fused together, forming a colossal torrent of energy that shot straight toward the stars above, its magnitude several times greater than what had been displayed when several Guild Masters joined forces with Fen Tu Kuang Ge.

Blue electrical arcs enveloped the massive energy stream, resembling a bolt of lightning descending from the heavens, threatening to pierce the continent clean through. Even those who had already entered the Saint realm felt the power within their bodies surge upward at an accelerated pace once more.

Pan Hongji’s brow furrowed slightly. He had, in the past, devoured the essence of the Thunder Lion King’s nascent Soul Domain, which had slowly begun to form and grow within him. At this moment, influenced by the potent electrical current, this domain began to expand rapidly, more than doubling in size in the blink of an eye.

The Hydra bloodline warriors, the Three-Headed Golden Dragon bloodline warriors, and the Pseudo-Dragon bloodline warriors all stared at Qian Jin, dumbfounded.

Shock! An unprecedented, intense shock! The power inside their bodies seemed to grow without end! The selves they were just days ago wouldn't even qualify as trash compared to who they were now.

Shame! An unprecedented, profound shame! Bloodline warriors were always filled with confidence and pride when facing ordinary warriors, but looking at the current Qian Jin, all they felt was shame.

In just a few short days, Qian Jin had brought about immense change in everyone. Moreover, that bizarre Gravity Magic Device had made them realize that even without the concept of ordinary warriors attaining the Saint realm, that device alone could forge a significant gap in strength in a short period.

Peak True Saint! Pan Hongji looked up at Qian Jin, who was now suspended in the air. This youngster had shot straight to the peak of the True Saint realm, completely bypassing the Profound Saint stage. The accumulation from his three Battle Souls was truly…

Rumble!

The already turbulent vital energy around them once again erupted into wild chaos. A new power burst forth from within Qian Jin’s body, a power that felt… identical to his previous breakthrough into the Saint realm!

A fourth entry into Sainthood? What was happening? As everyone stood stunned, Qian Jin felt the fragmented shield within him reassembling itself. Under the continuous burst of his Battle Souls, this shield, following the entry into Sainthood of the third Battle Soul, had shattered.

However, this shattering was different. Qian Jin could clearly sense that it was not leading to the Sainthood of a Battle Soul, because all his Battle Souls had already achieved Sainthood; there were no Battle Souls left to ascend.

The body? Or, to be precise, the Wind-Cloud Golden Body…

The Wind-Cloud Golden Body and the shattered shield completely merged, achieving a state where they were truly indistinguishable. Qian Jin’s physical body had entered the Saint realm!

Sainthood—this had always been the domain of Battle Souls; no one’s physical body had ever achieved it.

Or at least, not to the level of True Saint! Serpent Emperor Pan Hongji’s eyes widened again. What was True Saint? It meant both the Battle Soul and the physical body had reached the Saint state.

Normally, experts who achieved the True Saint state would use their Battle Souls to nurture their bodies, aiming to then impact the threshold of True Saint and cause their flesh to ascend as well.

What level of accumulation did this kid possess? Pan Hongji was truly stunned speechless. Even if someone told him right now that the Great Devil King was actually a woman and currently streaking through the capital city’s main street, he would retort, "What the hell does that matter! Here's a kid who bypassed Sainthood entirely and jumped straight to the True Saint level!"

True Saint. The gap between True Saint and True Saint was like the difference between the stars and the earth. The body's damage resistance ability soared infinitely, and its capacity to withstand the might released by the Battle Souls skyrocketed.

The might of an Apex Saint’s Battle Soul was vastly superior to a Profound Saint’s, but due to physical endurance limits, they could only maintain a full-power rampage perhaps a dozen times before their bodies showed signs of buckling under the strain of the Battle Soul’s frenzy, requiring a brief rest to recover before continuing.

But the True Saint—that was a realm where one could unleash rampaging power limitlessly!

Qian Jin observed the surging heaven and earth vital energy around him with some astonishment. His body had undergone tremendous transformation, and that wasn't all!

The physical body's entry into Sainthood had unexpectedly birthed the prototype of a new Soul Domain! The Battle Soul of the Origin of Ten Thousand Fires, that massive hammer-shaped Battle Soul, spun rapidly, absorbing the prototype of this new domain and embedding it onto the hammer itself, as if setting a jewel.

The next instant, this domain rapidly grew, grew, grew, until it became a complete, fully formed new Soul Domain. It took the form of armor that could be layered onto his own body or freely bestowed upon anyone nearby.

Iron Shield Soul Domain? Serpent Emperor Pan Hongji sucked in sharp breaths repeatedly. Although Qian Jin had just entered the True Saint realm and was nowhere near the level of an experienced veteran like himself, in this moment, he truly stood among the absolute pinnacle of current power!

Who would have thought that just yesterday, before even entering Sainthood and categorized merely as a young expert, he would use his immense accumulation to charge directly into the True Saint realm—the highest echelon of power today! The strongest power level currently was True Saint, and while gaps existed between True Saints, there was no denying this was the ultimate tier.

Although powerful bloodline warriors occasionally managed to reach the True Saint realm over time, none had done so in a single leap immediately following Sainthood. Even the most gifted bloodline warriors who achieved the ultimate awakening previously only managed to surge straight to the True Saint level from the Peak True Saint stage.

A freak! Truly the oddest of oddities!

If he can continue to improve in the future… Pan Hongji swallowed hard. Even Jing Da Mo Wang might not be his match. If the ultimate bloodline power isn't awakened, this era might truly belong to the ordinary warriors.

Li Ba’s expression was hardly better than Pan Hongji’s. This ancestor of the Li family, who had witnessed countless miracles, couldn't remain composed now either. He narrowed his eyes, glancing at Pan Hongji beside him.

The two figures standing at the pinnacle of today’s powerful elite met each other’s shocked gazes. Seeing the astonishment reflected in the other’s eyes, they could only manage helpless, wry smiles. This youngster's very existence was a miracle; perhaps nothing he did should cause surprise anymore.

When a bloodline warrior enters the True Saint realm, it doesn't usually cause fluctuations in the bodies of established Saint realm experts. But Qian Jin was not a bloodline warrior; his leap from Peak Half-Saint straight to True Saint unleashed a lure and explosion of power felt keenly by the Profound Saint experts.

For the younger warriors—those at the Peak of Half-Saint Battle Souls who had yet to enter Sainthood—their initial comfort quickly turned to painful distension… their bodies felt as if they would burst open from being stretched too tightly… Qian Jin’s breakthrough to the True Saint level and the heaven and earth vital energy he connected with had finally become too much for these talented bloodline warriors to bear.

"I can't hold it!" A Pseudo-Dragon bloodline warrior was the first to charge toward the door.

The next moment, the Hydra and Three-Headed Golden Dragon bloodline warriors reached an unprecedented limit. Perhaps they could ascend further without entering Sainthood, but this was truly the extreme of extremes.

In an instant, the Hydra and Three-Headed Golden Dragon warriors fled through various exits. Isacel was the only one left standing; his innate talent was the strongest among them, and his absorption and improvement rate was faster and greater than the others. Veins crisscrossed his forehead, looking as if they might burst at any second.

Retreat? No! Isacel stubbornly remained in place, enduring the heaven and earth vital energy that had already pushed his body to its limit, threatening instantaneous collapse.

Duan Fengbuer saw the scene and strode forward, delivering a kick to Isacel’s rear, sending the young master of this genius clan flying toward the table displaying the Saint Artifacts. He roared, "Idiot! Why are you forcing it! You think you’re the only one who can handle this? Look at what, old man? Look at my ass! Grab a Saint Artifact, enter Sainthood immediately! Otherwise, you really are going to die!"

Use a Saint Artifact to enter Sainthood? Isacel had never imagined receiving such favorable treatment—being allowed to use a Saint Artifact to ascend! Even as a genius successor in his own Pseudo-Dragon bloodline family, no one would ever permit him to use a Saint Artifact for ascension.

But here! In this small group he had only joined a few days ago, among people whose names he couldn't even recall, someone was willing to let him grab a handful of Saint Artifacts just to ascend!

"Look at what, idiot! Hurry up and enter Sainthood! Do you actually want to die!" Duan Fengbuer rushed up to the stunned Isacel, grabbed a handful of Saint Artifacts himself, and shoved them into Isacel's hands: "Release your Battle Soul, ascend!"

Isacel was already at his limit; perhaps in a few more seconds, he would truly perish. Without further hesitation, the power of his Battle Soul shot toward the sky, plunging into the massive pillar of energy Qian Jin had formed.

In an instant! Isacel felt his Battle Soul undergoing some kind of ordeal within the electrical current. Crackling electricity struck his Battle Soul, each impact causing damage, but after every strike, his Battle Soul grew stronger and more resilient.

The current flowed through Isacel’s Battle Soul again and again, like steel being forged by a hammer, tempering it time and again, burning away the minute impurities and flaws—invisible to him—that were already beginning to sanctify within his Battle Soul.

Perfection is always relative. Even in Sainthood, a Battle Soul isn't entirely free of impurities, only that those flaws are so minimal they are nearly undetectable.

A baptism! Isacel felt he was ascending toward a peak he had never imagined possible in his life—a peak that reached the stars!

Elation, an indescribable surge of joy! It felt even more profound than the moment his bloodline power awakened! Isacel felt as if his very soul, if one truly existed, was trembling.

"What are you all waiting for?" Isacel suddenly opened his eyes and roared at Checkforlit and the others: "Put your Battle Souls! Drive them all into this pillar of electrical light leading to the stars!"

The association guild masters had no idea what Isacel was saying, but Checkforlit took action. The formidable transformation of the Fallen Angel bloodline Dark Magician unfolded, his six massive black wings spreading wide, instantly seeming large enough to eclipse the entire continent.

Many who didn't know Checkforlit’s true identity stared blankly at his magnificent transformation. A Dark Magician of the Fallen Angel bloodline from the Demon Race? How could he be here?

Isacel was startled too, instinctively spewing sharp hostility from his body. Duan Fengbuer immediately kicked him in the rear again: "Kid, you’ve got some nerve! Dare to be rude to Brother Che? Looking for death, are you?"

Isacel, receiving his second kick to the backside today, turned back guiltily to Duan Fengbuer, desperately wanting to protest that he didn't know he was a Fallen Angel Dark Magician… no one told him… and his little aunt was conveniently absent today… plus there was the one bullying him…

Sigh… Isacel could only sigh and endure. Isabella had made it very clear before she left: he had to listen to these senior students.

PS: I feel this chapter was incredibly satisfying; if you enjoyed it, please cast your monthly vote!