Deceitful Method

Deceitful Method...

Tears shimmered in Song Jia's eyes as she departed. The world was filled with injustices, yet kind souls still existed.

However, her departure went unnoticed. In this moment, everyone's attention was fixed on Qin Wentian and Jin Zhan.

With the third step of the white-robed young man, an overwhelming pressure blanketed the crowd. But what truly shocked them was not the pressure itself. It was the fact that, as the third step landed, Jin Zhan began to cough up blood.

The Golden Fire Aristocrat Clan, one of the three great aristocrat clans in Xuan King City, boasted formidable talents in the younger generation. Although Jin Zhan wasn't the clan's strongest prodigy, he was considered an exceptional talent. He could easily defeat ordinary fourth-level Heavenly Dipper Sovereigns, let alone one at the third level.

Yet, against Qin Wentian, who hadn't even launched an attack, Jin Zhan was left coughing up blood. Notably, Qin Wentian's aura still resonated at the third level of Heavenly Dipper.

Complete suppression. Their combat abilities were on entirely different planes.

Jin Zhan turned pale. He felt as though the entire world's gaze was fixated on him, witnessing his humiliation.

Spewing another mouthful of blood, Jin Zhan howled in anger, unwilling to admit defeat.

But just as he gathered his qi, preparing for an all-out attack, Qin Wentian's fourth step landed. Instantly, Jin Zhan felt an avalanche of sword intent cascading down upon him. This intangible sword intent materialized into a lethal blade, piercing him clean through.

"Pu..." The energy Jin Zhan had amassed crumbled. He was flung backward, coughing up even more blood upon impact and landing on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.

"His attacks are imbued with Mandate will. How domineering," Jin Zhan thought, his heart gripped by terror. His breath was ragged, his aura erratic. Qin Wentian stood nearby, observing him calmly and silently, intensifying his sense of humiliation.

Yet, as the wind swept by, Jin Zhan watched in disbelief as Qin Wentian utterly ignored him, his figure flashing past.

Qin Wentian appeared directly in front of the black-robed old man, casting a glance at Shang Yue as he declared, "This treasure is now mine."

With his victory, the spatial brush naturally belonged to him.

The black-robed old man nodded, silently relieved by the outcome. It was clear that Qin Wentian's offered cultivation art had more effectively swayed him. He had only hesitated earlier to avoid offending Princess Shang Yue too directly.

But then, a voice halted the proceedings.

As the echo of Qin Wentian's voice subsided, Yin Cheng interjected, locking his gaze onto Qin Wentian with a cruel glint in his eyes. "This man is exceptionally cunning. Could he truly be at the third level? He must be resorting to deception to conceal his real cultivation level, just to seize the treasure. The earlier battle can't be considered."

The members of the major powers exchanged knowing glances. Yin Cheng himself was known for his craftiness, and his words were clearly an invitation for others to support his claim.

"You're right. How could this guy's cultivation base be limited to the third level of Heavenly Dipper? We've all been deceived by him."

"This man is utterly scheming. Let's eliminate him."

Talented geniuses from the major powers began to join in, hurling accusations and curses at Qin Wentian. In their words, Qin Wentian appeared to be the most nefarious villain the world had ever seen, and only his death would satisfy them.

Despite the escalating tension, Qin Wentian remained unnaturally calm.

In the Heavenly Mountain Treasure Seizing Assembly, the rules were simple. When multiple parties desired the same treasure, they would resolve it through direct combat, and the victor would claim the treasure.

Even after Qin Wentian defeated Jin Zhan, they were convinced he had merely triumphed over Jin Zhan. They believed that they could easily overpower him, ensuring the princess wasn't disappointed and preventing Qin Wentian from acquiring the spatial brush so easily.

"That's correct. Look at how potent your Mandate of Swords is. You must be masking your actual cultivation." Yin Cheng seized upon this opportunity to further his claim. He locked eyes with Qin Wentian, his gaze sharp as he asserted, "Your refusal to deny it means I'm right."

Qin Wentian neither confirmed nor denied the accusation. Instead, he calmly swept his gaze across the assembly and replied, "Whether I conceal my cultivation or not, what matters is that I won in the end."

Yin Cheng's lips curled into a cold smile. "Your silence speaks volumes. You've deceived the princess. Your lower cultivation level was the sole reason she sent Jin Zhan as her representative. Otherwise, how could you have won if she had personally engaged in battle?"

"Is that so?" Qin Wentian replied calmly, shifting his gaze towards Shang Yue. "I stated from the beginning that I'd only engage in one battle. I've kept my word."

With his last words, a fierce light ignited in Qin Wentian's eyes, and he locked his gaze onto Yin Cheng.

Yin Cheng maintained his cold smile, and in response, clapped his hands. Multiple figures flickered beside him, all advancing directly towards Qin Wentian.

"It appears you didn't heed my warning," Qin Wentian stated icily. As he spoke, a brilliant golden light emanated from the center of his forehead. Yin Cheng, still smiling, suddenly experienced an overwhelming surge of energy ravaging his mind, as if a sledgehammer had smashed into it, causing his whole being to jolt violently. Locking eyes with Qin Wentian, he felt as though he was plunging into an endless abyss of darkness. Countless malevolent entities seemed intent on ravaging his mind.

"Do you wish to meet your end?" A chilling voice reverberated within Yin Cheng's mind. He howled madly, enduring the torment as if he were trapped in an agonizing abyss. When Qin Wentian eased the intensity of his mental assault, Yin Cheng was left trembling, his veins bulging as he clutched his fists. In excruciating agony, he roared, "EVERYONE, RETREAT."

The experts under Yin Cheng exchanged bewildered glances before complying with his order to halt. However, among them, a peak fourth-level Heavenly Dipper Sovereign ignored the command and continued to advance towards Qin Wentian. He strode forward with such force that the earth quivered beneath his step.

"Bzzz!"

A surge of astral light enveloped the area as Stellar Transposition unfolded. To the onlookers, it seemed as if a crimson streak had streaked across their vision.

In an instant, Qin Wentian vanished and reappeared at his original spot, as if he had never moved. The peak fourth-level Heavenly Dipper Sovereign's throat glistened with blood, his eyes wide with terror as he clutched his neck in a desperate attempt to stay alive. Was this the end for him?

A soft, almost imperceptible sound followed, and his lifeless body slumped to the ground. Even in death, his eyes conveyed a profound shock and reluctance as they remained fixed on the young man in white.

This white-clad youth had dared to commit murder here?

Not only that, his strength was simply too overwhelming. He had effortlessly dispatched a fourth-level Heavenly Dipper Sovereign.

In fact, if Shang Yue herself had stepped forward, she might not have been confident of victory against this young man.

"Revealing killing intent? Do you think I, Qin Wentian, am an easy target?" Qin Wentian coldly snorted. Instantly, another terrifying surge of sword intent pierced Yin Cheng's mind, causing him to scream in agony once more. He clutched his head in intense pain, a sight that left the crowd in utter shock.

What kind of innate technique was this? Was it a psychic attack?

Yin Cheng's subordinates retreated to his side, their eyes still filled with fear as they stared at Qin Wentian.

"Hmph," Qin Wentian coldly snorted again, releasing Yin Cheng. Only then did Yin Cheng regain his senses. His malevolent expression contorted further, and he glared at Qin Wentian with murderous intent, teeth gritted.

Qin Wentian shifted his gaze to Shang Yue. "What now? Can you accept your defeat?"

Shang Yue stared at the white-robed young man before her, realizing that she had made a grave error in judgment. If he had not concealed his cultivation, it meant that he was a monstrous talent surpassing even the Heaven's Chosens from the major powers in Xuan King City.

Despite Yin Cheng's relatively low cultivation base, only at the third level of Heavenly Dipper, his talent in cultivation was widely acknowledged. After all, he was still quite young. Yet, when facing the white-robed young man, it felt as if he could have been instantly killed.

"Since I've lost, the treasure naturally belongs to you," Shang Yue stated emotionlessly, shocking the crowd with her concession.

The princess, Shang Yue, had actually lost in the Treasure Seizing Assembly.

No matter how it had unfolded, the ultimate victory belonged to the mysterious white-robed young man, a complete stranger in Xuan King City. Remarkably, he seemed to be only about twenty-five years old.

Wasting no time, Qin Wentian retrieved an ancient scroll and handed it over to the black-robed old man. "The information you seek is within this. Please take a look."

The old man's hands trembled as he accepted the scroll. He quickly immersed himself in its contents, and moments later, his eyes glinted with newfound determination. He then handed the spatial brush to Qin Wentian and promptly left the area.

In the Treasure Seizing Assembly, most treasure presenters chose to conceal their identities and depart immediately after obtaining what they sought. Safety was paramount, as there had been cases of treasure presenters being killed and their loot stolen.

Qin Wentian stashed the spatial brush away as soon as he received it. Shang Yue's gaze bore into him, radiating a palpable sense of reluctance. She couldn't help herself from adding, "Now that you've acquired the spatial brush, would you consider selling it to me? I will match any price you name, no matter how high."

The crowd was dumbfounded by Shang Yue's request. They hadn't expected her to be so resolute about obtaining the brush.

Even if Qin Wentian were willing to negotiate, he would undoubtedly demand an exorbitant price, far exceeding the value of the cultivation art he had offered in exchange.

"Not interested," Qin Wentian replied curtly, forestalling any further negotiation. Shang Yue's face stiffened in response. Unwilling to give up, she continued, "Perhaps you should reconsider."

"I, Qin, have no interest in wasting time on this matter," Qin Wentian declared coldly. The spatial brush held immense importance for him, and he had no intention of parting with it for any price.

As a princess of Xuan King City, Shang Yue possessed exceptional beauty and talent. No one had ever rejected her before, let alone in such a brazen manner.

Biting her lip lightly, Shang Yue harbored a simmering resentment as she glared at Qin Wentian. This young man clearly didn't know his place.

Having acquired the spatial brush, Qin Wentian didn't depart immediately. Under the intense scrutiny of the crowd, he returned to the pavilion and casually took a seat, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Or perhaps, he had never taken the preceding events to heart.

Yin Cheng's eyes gleamed with coldness, and within their depths, a hint of unmasked murderous intent could be discerned.

"Let's continue," Yin Cheng called out. He had managed to regain his composure, as the Treasure Seizing Assembly had not yet concluded.

Qin Wentian remained behind because he wanted to see if any more suitable treasures might appear. After all, he had never anticipated acquiring the spatial brush.

Grand Shang boasted vast resources, significantly surpassing those of Grand Xia. The Heavenly Mountain Treasure Seizing Assembly was the largest trading bazaar in one of the Seven King Cities, Xuan King City. Who knew if another treasure that piqued his interest might make an appearance?