Chapter 398 - 397: A Visit
Fast. The speed of the spear was beyond description.
A thousand thrusts struck the same spot in an instant, appearing as a single blow!
Under such a thrust, the Sword Qi around Leng Qiushan was instantly pierced by the long spear, but it immediately surged back, damaging Qin Ya’s Dharma Aspect.
The long spear in his hand continued its relentless advance. However, his Dharma Aspect was being ravaged by the Sword Qi, riddled with holes in an instant. Yet, his expression remained unchanged, the hand holding the spear perfectly steady. In a flash, the piercing spear was right before Leng Qiushan!
Suddenly, countless streams of Sword Qi formed a Sword Net, converging before the Dharma Aspect and entangling the spear. Qin Ya’s eyes narrowed. With a low shout, his True Essence erupted. The Four Symbols Power gathered once more, augmented by the manifesting Mysteries of Destruction, and he instantly shattered the Sword Net!
CLANG...
A piercing sound rang out. The spear ran through the golden Dharma Aspect and stabbed straight toward Leng Qiushan. Leng Qiushan’s Divine Thought erupted, and after barely managing to track the spear’s trajectory, he tried to dodge. He was no match for its speed, however, and in the blink of an eye, his shoulder was pierced.
The tip of the spear protruded from his back, dripping blood.
But Qin Ya was in no better state. His Dharma Aspect, already riddled with holes, shattered like glass with a CRACK and dissipated into motes of light. He himself was covered in wounds!
"I didn’t expect you to be able to take your understanding of the Mysteries to the next level at the very end."
"In terms of Talent, I am no match for you."
Leng Qiushan smiled faintly and retreated. The excruciating pain of the spear being pulled from his shoulder didn’t even make him frown.
Then, he gave Qin Ya a small smile and turned to leave.
The surrounding spectators looked at each other, completely baffled.
"So who actually won?"
"It must be Qin Ya, right? He did land the last hit on Leng Qiushan."
"I don’t think so. Leng Qiushan’s Dharma Aspect is still up, but Qin Ya has no strength left to fight. If the battle were to continue, Leng Qiushan would surely win."
"That’s not right. How could Leng Qiushan possibly win against Qin Ya’s speed?"
"This... The two of them are long past a level we can comprehend."
Qin Ya watched Leng Qiushan’s retreating back, a peculiar light flashing in his eyes. A profound sense of exhaustion washed over him, and he just barely managed to fly back to the Seven Peaks.
He leaned on his spear for support as waves of fatigue washed over him. A bitter smile formed on his lips. His Qi and Blood were exhausted, his bones fractured, and his True Essence Qi Sea was depleted.
He took out an Elixir and consumed it. Nourished by its Medicinal Power, he recovered a bit of strength. As he recalled the battle with Leng Qiushan, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
’Leng Qiushan is truly worthy of being the Master of One Peak. His strength surpasses Ling Zhan and the others; he’s arguably the strongest Celestial Human I’ve ever encountered.’
’If my grasp of Mysterious Speed hadn’t reached a new level just now, I would have certainly lost this duel. But even then, I couldn’t secure a victory.’
’Even we, the participants, would have a hard time saying who truly won or lost that battle.’
’Perhaps that could only be determined in a true life-and-death battle.’
"Peak Master, are you all right?"
At that moment, Lü Xin, Wang Huang, Muh Qing, and the others rushed over, asking with concern.
Qin Ya shook his head. He then looked up at the other Peak Masters in the sky and declared in a clear voice, "Everyone, from this day forward, I am the Master of Seven Peaks. Does anyone object?"
The Peak Masters exchanged glances, and they could all see the amazement in each other’s eyes.
For a Sky-Controlling Martial Artist to achieve something like this was truly incredible.
"Peak Master Qin, you jest. A hero such as yourself is more than qualified to be the Master of Seven Peaks. How could we possibly have any objections?" one of the Three Peak Masters said with a faint smile, which he directed at Qin Ya. The others quickly chimed in their agreement.
"That’s right. Let’s not forget Peak Master Qin is also a Law Enforcer."
"What’s wrong with a respectable Law Enforcer serving as a Peak Master?"
"Indeed. Peak Master Qin’s strength is more than enough."
At this point, who could possibly say Qin Ya’s strength was insufficient?
He had fought Leng Qiushan, the strongest among the Seventy-Two Peaks, to a standstill. Which of the Peak Masters present would dare claim they could defeat Qin Ya? None of them!
Seeing this, Wang Huang, Lü Xin, and the others couldn’t help but be surprised.
’These high and mighty Peak Masters, who are usually so aloof, are actually capable of flattery?!’
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the Peak Masters departed. They all secretly resolved to warn the disciples of their respective peaks to avoid provoking anyone from the Seven Peaks. With a Peak Master like Qin Ya, they had no choice but to be cautious.
Meanwhile, on a distant, floating mountain peak, a woman in white with dim, lusterless eyes gazed toward the Seven Peaks. A smile touched her beautiful face.
"Brother Qin, I’m leaving the Seven Peaks in your hands."
Luox Xinyu smiled, and her figure flashed, streaking toward the Central Peak like a white rainbow.
Qin Ya glanced into the distance, looking thoughtful, then smiled faintly. He returned to his pavilion, gave some instructions, and entered seclusion to recuperate.
At the same time, he felt the bottleneck in his Cultivation begin to loosen.
Within his True Essence Qi Sea, the Celestial Human Aperture flickered in and out of existence. It communed intermittently with the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, refining his True Essence, but it was always just one step away from fully opening.
「Half a month later.」
He finally emerged from seclusion.
As soon as he emerged, Muh Qing and the others ran over to check on him.
"Brother Qin, how are your injuries?"
Lü Xin and the others all addressed Qin Ya as "Peak Master" now. The only one who still called him by the more familiar "Brother" was Muh Qing, who had joined Kunyun Palace at the same time and knew him well.
"They’re almost completely healed," Qin Ya said with a faint smile.
He noticed that the True Essence of Lü Xin and Wang Huang seemed more substantial, and the fluctuations of their Mysteries that emanated from them from time to time were a clear sign of their recent progress.
’It seems the events of half a month ago had a great impact on them.’
Not long after, Ling Zhan and his companions came to find him.
"Hey, hey, no need to be so hostile."
Ling Zhan said with a pout, looking at the wary faces of Wang Huang, Lü Xin, and the others.
"Look at your Peak Master, he’s so composed. You should learn from him."
Qin Ya shook his head with a smile and asked, "To what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from the Three Prodigies of a Single Peak?"
Just then, Jiang Yun, who was beside Ling Zhan, said flippantly, "What ’Three Prodigies’? This kid Ling Zhan just became a Master of One Peak. The three prodigies have long since become two."
"What about him?"
Ling Zhan and the others knew Qin Ya was asking about Leng Qiushan. Bai Li explained, "Our Peak Master was also a Law Enforcer. He already had two thousand Points and his term was up. After his battle with you, he left for the Central Peak, passing the title of Peak Master to Ling Zhan before he went."
"Oh, so it looks like I’ll have to call you Peak Master Ling from now on," Qin Ya said with a laugh.
"Heh, you flatter me."
Ling Zhan puffed out his chest, a proud look on his face.
Bai Li, who was standing to the side, seemed unable to stand his smug look and said, "You should be embarrassed. You’re both Peak Masters, but Peak Master Qin is much more powerful than you."
"Cut me some slack," Ling Zhan said helplessly.
After some more banter, Ling Zhan finally stated their purpose for coming.
"Brother Qin, we’re the new Law Enforcers of this batch. I was thinking we should find some time to go with Xue Qianlong to the Law Enforcement Hall on the Central Peak and see what kind of missions are available."
Qin Ya thought for a moment, saw no reason to object, and agreed.
「Three days later, on the Seven Peaks.」
Xue Qianlong, Ling Zhan, and Qin Ya—the three new Law Enforcers—gathered together.
"Peak Master Xue, I trust you’ve been well," Qin Ya said with a smile.
Xue Qianlong gave an indifferent nod and said, "Let’s go."