Volume 1, Chapter 7: Prince of Qi, Dual Cultivation

Zhuihun, one of the four great experts under the Prince of Qi, utilized the Flowing Cloud Step to close in on Chen Xuanting in an instant and launched an attack.

"Princess, quickly—"

Before Zhuihun could finish his sentence, Chen Xuanting sealed his throat with a single sword strike.

What an incredibly fast sword.

The Prince of Qi and his subordinates were all stunned by that strike. It was too fast—so fast that their eyes could not even track its trajectory. As Zhuihun collapsed before Princess Pingyang, the princess turned pale with terror.

The Prince of Qi looked at Chen Xuanting. Though his expression remained calm, he was inwardly shocked. To possess the cultivation of the ninth stage of the Martial Path at such a young age—even the prodigies of the great sects were no better.

"Who are you? Why have you abducted my daughter? Do you not fear death?"

A wave of pressure surged toward Chen Xuanting. The Prince of Qi intended to display his power and subdue the young man. A typical ninth-stage martial artist would surely have been intimidated into submission, but not Chen Xuanting. He was a man who brought others to their knees; no one could ever make him bow.

"Put away that pathetic display of aura; it is useless against me."

Chen Xuanting looked at the Prince of Qi with a playful expression, ignoring the pressure entirely. "Your daughter is quite beautiful. I intend to make her my woman. Whether you can save her depends on whether you have the ability."

He remained calm and collected, showing no fear in the face of a powerful adversary. It was the first time the Prince of Qi had encountered someone so composed in his presence. He recognized that this youth possessed the indomitable spirit of a true master, and with such talent at his age, his future was limitless. Recruiting him would be like adding wings to a tiger.

"Since you have taken a liking to Pingyang, I shall betroth her to you. Let her be your woman."

The Prince of Qi planned to use his daughter to win over this prodigy. Yun Yi, his subordinate, was stunned that the Prince would give the princess to this rogue. He wanted to object, but remembering his station, he swallowed the words.

Princess Pingyang was dumbfounded. Was this truly the father who had always cherished her? He was actually betrothing her to this scoundrel who had forcibly abducted her.

"Father! I do not want to be his woman!"

"Silence!" the Prince snapped at her. "He has reached the ninth stage of the Martial Path at such a young age; his future is boundless. It is your honor to be his woman. You have no right to refuse."

In his eyes, his daughter was merely a pawn to be used. From the Prince's decisive actions, Chen Xuanting could see that he was an ambitious, ruthless leader. Giving up his daughter was clearly a calculated move to manipulate him.

For now, eliminating Chen Fuyao would be difficult. Chen Fuyao was the Child of Destiny for this era. Even without his Sword Pupils, as long as he lived, he might encounter other opportunities. Chen Xuanting would never allow him to grow; he had to be uprooted entirely. The Prince of Qi, however, could be of use.

"Prince of Qi, since you have betrothed your daughter to me, I have some good news for you."

"What good news?"

"The Prince of Northern Territory is dead."

"What! The Prince of Northern Territory is dead?" The Prince of Qi was startled. The Prince of Northern Territory was a master of the Divine Connection realm; who could have killed him? He hadn't received a whisper of such news.

Chen Xuanting replied, "I have just come from the Chu Kingdom. Believe me, the news will arrive soon; you will know the truth shortly."

The Prince of Qi said, "If he is truly dead, that is indeed monumental news. Son-in-law, come back to the Prince's Mansion with me."

He had already addressed him as "son-in-law," proving the Prince of Qi was determined to marry off Pingyang. Princess Pingyang felt utterly desperate.

...

At the Chen household:

"Fuyao, eyes are important to ordinary people; once lost, they are crippled. But you are different. With your aptitude, you are destined to become a practitioner. Eyes mean nothing to a cultivator. Once you break through to the ninth stage of the Martial Path—the Divine Transformation realm—you will possess divine sense, which is far more useful than eyes. I know you hate Chen Xuanting; if you want revenge, you must pull yourself together."

Chen Lan stood outside the room, desperately trying to persuade the self-destructive Chen Fuyao. Since losing his eyes, Fuyao had become a broken man, locking himself away. Chen Lan watched with a heavy heart, his hatred for his rebellious son, Chen Xuanting, growing with every passing day.

With no progress made, Chen Lan sighed and turned to leave.

Creak.

The door opened. A disheveled youth with his eyes bandaged walked out. Chen Lan turned, his eyes full of heartache.

"Father, I am going to find him. I will kill him with my own hands."

"Very well. I will send men to accompany you." Chen Lan did not refuse. He knew the hatred in Fuyao’s heart; it could destroy a man, or it could drive him to rise again.

"I only want Qingluan to come with me."

"As you wish. Let Qingluan go with you." Chen Lan agreed to everything, though he would secretly send guards to protect him.

At the Prince of Qi’s mansion, Chen Xuanting carried Princess Pingyang into a courtyard. He kicked open the door to a room and tossed her onto the bed. Pingyang curled up in a corner, trembling.

"Don't come any closer! I beg you, let me go!"

"Foolish woman. Practicing dual cultivation with me is your good fortune."

Chen Xuanting gave a wicked smile, stepped forward, and tore the clothes from her body. The sounds of Pingyang’s despair and pain echoed out.

At the Chongming Hall, Yun Yi reported to the Prince of Qi.

"Reporting, my Prince. Spies have confirmed: the Prince of Northern Territory is dead, and the Black Armored Army has been slaughtered to the last man."

"Who did this?"

"It was Chen Xuanting, the son of the Chen family head. That Chen Xuanting is the very same man currently with us."

The Prince of Qi realized that while Chen Xuanting was from the Chu Kingdom, he hadn't expected him to be the son of the Chen family head, nor that he could kill the Prince of Northern Territory. This young man's strength was far from simple.

Yun Yi urged, "My Prince, Chen Xuanting is ruthless—he gouged out his own brother's eyes and betrayed his family. This man cannot be kept. You must not betroth the Princess to him."

"Are you telling me how to run my affairs?" The Prince of Qi’s cold, majestic gaze locked onto Yun Yi, who immediately lowered his head. "This subordinate would not dare."

The Prince of Qi’s eyes were deep and ambitious. With the Prince of Northern Territory dead, his chance had arrived. He could use this to petition the Xia Emperor for troops to attack the Chu Kingdom, allowing him to command more forces. Recruiting a powerhouse like Chen Xuanting was like adding wings to a tiger. What was the sacrifice of one daughter for the sake of the throne? He had waited too long for this day.

Two days later.

"Son-in-law, the Prince requests your presence." A servant, afraid to step inside, stood outside the room to deliver the message.

Inside, Chen Xuanting was engaged in dual cultivation with Pingyang. After two days, his inner energy was far more refined—equivalent to a month of solitary training. Pingyang had also gained much; she had broken through from the fifth to the sixth stage of the Martial Path. Having tasted the benefits of the practice, she had become submissive.

"Ignore him. Let us continue."

Pingyang had grown addicted to the process and wished to practice every day. The experience had drawn out a newfound, alluring charm in her. Yet, this charm could not bewitch an old demon like Chen Xuanting. He stepped off her lithe, seductive body, dressed, and walked out.

Pingyang’s charming expression turned icy the moment he left.

*Chen Xuanting, once my cultivation surpasses yours, I will make you pay.*

On the surface, she was compliant, but in her heart, she wished to carve him into a thousand pieces. She was of noble blood, yet had been humiliated so deeply—how could she not hate him?