Chapter 446 - 445: Intimidation
The Golden Summit Hall, the venue for the grand events of Kunyun Palace.
The Kunn Mountain Convention, the Law Enforcer examinations, and now the Sect Competition—all were held here. At this moment, a vast sea of people had gathered outside the hall’s entrance.
Every person present was an elite Disciple of Kunyun Palace. Not a single one of them had reached Armor-cycle in age, yet their Cultivation was at the Celestial Human Realm or above. Furthermore, these were no ordinary Celestial Humans; their application and comprehension of the Mysterious were anything but trivial.
The crowd gathered in small groups, buzzing with discussion.
"This year’s Sect Competition is a real convergence of talent. Let’s all take a guess—who do you think will claim the ten spots for the Void Mausoleum?"
"I can’t speak for anyone else, but Leng Qiushan should definitely get one."
"I heard Leng Qiushan attempted to break through to the King Realm three months ago. He might have failed, but the depth of his foundation is not to be underestimated."
"My money’s on Zhao Tieshan. He reached the rank of Half-Step King a year ago and even successfully comprehended a Mysterious Technique. Not even a true King could necessarily defeat him."
"That’s true, and Luox Xinyu is no slouch either. Not only has she comprehended a first-rate Mysterious ability, but rumor has it she severely wounded a King six months ago. She’s incredibly strong."
"Hey, are you all forgetting about Qin Ya?"
At the mention of Qin Ya’s name, the crowd fell silent for a moment.
But a moment later, the discussion erupted again, even more fervent than before.
"Damn it, don’t even talk about that freak."
"That guy wiped out over a dozen Blood Nether Association strongholds. His combat strength was practically on par with a King’s. I never imagined his Talent for the Alchemy Dao would be just as terrifying."
"In the entire history of Kunyun Palace, there has never been such a young Elder."
"Just thinking about him pisses me off. It’s completely demoralizing! To have such accomplishments before he’s even come of age... what’s he going to be like in the future?"
"Exactly. One of those ten spots is as good as his."
The disciples exchanged wry smiles. Though they hated to admit it, they had to concede Qin Ya’s superiority. After all, the gap between them was just too vast.
"Hmph. What Elder? He’s just a little brat who hasn’t even finished puberty. Is he really worth all this fuss?" At that moment, a giant of a man who looked like an iron tower stepped out, his body radiating a powerful, domineering aura.
The crowd looked over, their surprise evident.
"It’s him, Zhao Tieshan."
"No wonder. He’s notorious for his foul temper and looks down on everyone. He relies on his insane Defense Power to run roughshod over everyone."
"You can hit him all day and it’ll do nothing, but one punch from him will take half your life."
Just as Zhao Tieshan finished his rude remark, Ling Zhan stepped forward from the crowd with a cold snort. He unleashed his own domineering aura and said, "You big turtle shell, the man has the skill to become an Elder. If you’re so unconvinced, why don’t you go give it a try?"
"Well, well, look who it is. If it isn’t someone I’ve already beaten."
A corner of Zhao Tieshan’s mouth twitched up in a disdainful smirk. He had crossed blades with Ling Zhan before and would admit the man was strong, but ultimately, he was no match for him.
"You turtle, what’s there to be so smug about? Without that shell of yours, I could crush you with one hand. Believe it."
"You’re all talk."
Just then, Leng Qiushan stepped forward. A sharp glint in his eyes, he said coolly, "If you’re willing, we can have a match right now."
"Hmph. You think you can break my defense?"
"This time, we can find out."
Zhao Tieshan grew wary. He knew that the power of Leng Qiushan’s Sword Intent was incredibly troublesome. Even with his astonishing defense, he didn’t dare test it recklessly.
"Look, Qin Ya’s here."
At that moment, someone cried out in surprise.
Then, a figure was seen arriving through the air, using the Sky-Controlling technique.
"Hey, Brother Qin."
Ling Zhan walked up and waved to Qin Ya.
Seeing this, Qin Ya went over and greeted Leng Qiushan and the others.
Zhao Tieshan, however, just snorted coldly and said, "And here I was wondering what was so special about him. He’s just a little kid. I wonder if he could even take one of my punches."
"Oh?" Qin Ya’s brow furrowed slightly, his eyes narrowing.
He slowly walked over, a faint smile playing on his lips as he stared at Zhao Tieshan.
"What are you smiling at? You got a problem with something?"
Zhao Tieshan cracked his knuckles. A violent aura erupted from him, crushing down on Qin Ya. Those standing too close were instantly forced back several dozen feet.
Qin Ya, in contrast, remained unfazed, his body as straight as a spear. The smile on his face seemed to mock Zhao Tieshan, enraging him further.
"So disrespectful of your superiors. Is this how you treat an Elder of our Sect?"
As his words fell, the surroundings went completely silent.
Only then did everyone remember: the young man standing before them was an Elder.
Putting aside his power, his status alone placed him leagues above them.
"You..."
Zhao Tieshan’s body trembled, his face went ashen, and he was rendered speechless.
But Qin Ya took another step forward. A murderous aura exploded from him, making him seem like a Killing God who had just emerged from a Blood Sea. He said coldly, "Do you... admit your fault!"
His icy words were like a frigid wind from the depths of winter, piercing everyone to the bone. A chill ran down their spines, and they couldn’t help but tremble.
Overwhelmed by this murderous aura, Zhao Tieshan couldn’t stop himself from stumbling back several steps.
"I... I..."
"’I’ what?" Qin Ya’s expression was glacial as he barked again, "Admit your fault!"
"I was wrong."
The moment he spoke, a tidal wave of shock crashed through the crowd. Qin Ya had actually intimidated Zhao Tieshan into admitting his mistake on the spot.
The instant the words left his mouth, Zhao Tieshan seemed to lose all his strength. His body went limp, and his tower-like frame swayed, nearly collapsing on the spot.
By the time he came to his senses, Zhao Tieshan’s face was sheet-white.
’What in the world did I just say?’
His eyes were filled with rage and hatred, but even he failed to notice the deep-seated fear hidden behind his fury.
"As long as you’ve admitted your mistake, it’s fine."
Qin Ya retracted his murderous aura, the corners of his lips curling into a gentle smile.
But a chill shot up from the soles of everyone’s feet to the crowns of their heads. Their bodies went cold, and they couldn’t help but shiver, a trace of fear showing in their eyes.
’This Qin Ya is truly terrifying. We can’t afford to offend him in the future.’
"You... Qin Ya... I..."
Zhao Tieshan steadied himself, gritted his teeth, and pointed a trembling finger at Qin Ya. He wanted to spit out a few threatening words, but after meeting Qin Ya’s icy gaze, he couldn’t form a single coherent sentence.
He didn’t know that Qin Ya’s Divine Thought had already reached the level of a King. Against any Martial Artist whose Divine Thought was weaker than his own, he exerted a natural mental suppression. Combined with a terrifying murderous aura that would make Gods and Ghosts Avoid him, it was no wonder Zhao Tieshan had reacted this way.
"Hmph."
Zhao Tieshan snorted, his face dark, and stormed away.
His departure sent a new wave of commotion through the crowd.
"That was just too awesome."
"Gods, he made Zhao Tieshan back down with just a few words."
"Is that the same Zhao Tieshan I know? He was so pathetic."
"It’s not that Zhao Tieshan was being a coward. It’s that Qin Ya is just too powerful. With his status as an Elder on top of that, dealing with ordinary Disciples is child’s play for him."