Chapter 28: The Nine Heavens of Ice Jade and the Dragon Vein

"Boom!"
"Boom! Boom!"

Within his mind, a silent resonance occurred. The barriers of the past vanished, and everything seemed to fall into place as naturally as water flowing into a channel.

The Ninth Level of the Ice Jade Nine Heavens: achieved!

Qin Shuang did not rise. Instead, he kept his eyes closed and continued to circulate the mental technique of the ninth level. The freezing energy, which had previously run thin after breaking through the eighth level, began to dissipate at an incredible speed under the influence of the ninth-level technique.

To one side, in the direction of the Fire Qilin, an explosive burst of extreme heat and Yang energy flared up, only to retract and return to stillness.

On the other side, Nie Feng and Bu Jingyun seemed to sense something, but both remained so deeply immersed in the Ten Great Martial Arts that they paid it no mind.

Qin Shuang then departed from the icy pool. Sensing the vague location of the Dragon Pulse, he navigated through several turns and finally arrived at the tomb of Xuanyuan.

Xuanyuan’s body had long since turned to bones—even the bones themselves were beginning to decay. Only the Dragon Pulse, formed from his spinal column, remained exceptionally ancient and pristine.

Qin Shuang tapped his feet lightly, vaulted over the empty clearing, and flew toward the high platform where Xuanyuan sat. The legendary emperor held a precious sword to the ground, his skull bowed, the end of his spine connected to a segment of a dragon's tail.

In the legends of this world, the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan was linked to the Dragon Clan; seeing the dragon tail now, it proved to be true. As for the sword he held, Qin Shuang cared little whether it was the true Xuanyuan Sword or not. If it were a fake, he had no use for it; if it were real, he could not take it away. As the treasure of the human race, Qin Shuang, being of the Dragon Clan, knew he would have no chance of claiming it.

Qin Shuang reached out and grasped the Dragon Pulse. With a firm tug, he pulled it free, and Xuanyuan’s remains scattered across the ground.

The moment he touched the Dragon Pulse, a dragon’s roar echoed in his mind, triggering a resonance with Qin Shuang's own dragon soul. It seemed the Dragon Pulse had accepted him, sensing the aura of a true dragon within him, acknowledging his status as an Emperor of Man.

Qin Shuang had not expected to obtain the Dragon Pulse so easily, especially remembering the fate of Xiongba when he had sought it in the original records. However, with the pulse now in hand, he had no reason to linger and returned to the site of the Ten Great Martial Arts.

Nie Feng and Bu Jingyun were still practicing their techniques, and they noticed Qin Shuang's return immediately.

"Where did Senior Brother Frost go?"

Seeing Qin Shuang return, Bu Jingyun and Nie Feng ceased their practice. Qin Shuang, having made great progress in his cultivation and now possessing the Dragon Pulse, was in high spirits and smiled at them.

"Why must you always be so guarded against me, Junior Brother Yun?" Qin Shuang said, half-joking and half-casual.

"Junior brothers, how goes your study of the Ten Great Martial Arts?"

Nie Feng replied happily, "We have almost mastered them all. We must thank Senior Brother Frost for bringing us here!"

Bu Jingyun stood to one side with his arms crossed, looking cold. However, both Qin Shuang and Nie Feng were accustomed to his icy demeanor and knew that this posture was, for him, a sign of friendliness.

"Since you have practiced enough, let us head back."

Qin Shuang, Bu Jingyun, and Nie Feng led the others and began their return to the World Martial Arts Union.

...

In the outside world, after Po Jun obtained the other half of the key, he unlocked the "Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin." However, the manual was seized by Jue Xin, who prepared to return to the Wujue Divine Palace to present it to Jue Wushen.

When Jue Xin, Jue Tian, and Po Jun arrived back at the Wujue Divine Palace, they found it in a state of chaos and disarray.

"Father, what happened? Who was so bold as to dare break into the Wujue Divine Palace?" Jue Tian asked urgently. Although Jue Xin also wanted to know the answer, he was more calculating and knew his foolish younger brother would ask, so he did not need to speak. Po Jun also stared intently at Jue Wushen, wanting to see who had been so audacious.

"The one who broke into the Wujue Divine Palace was Xiongba, the former leader of the World Martial Arts Union. Tian’er, if you encounter him in the future, retreat immediately. Xiongba’s power is unfathomable!" Jue Wushen looked at Jue Tian with affection before turning to Po Jun and Jue Xin. "The 'Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin'—did you get it?"

Jue Xin quickly produced the secret manual and offered it to Jue Wushen. Jue Wushen took the book and glanced at the injured Po Jun. "You go and tend to your wounds first."

Po Jun thought to himself that, being injured, he could not do much anyway, and in case... he retreated to heal.

Once Po Jun had left, Jue Wushen opened the manual. At the very beginning, it read: *All energy arises from within, swords pierce the wasted meridians; the origin of martial arts, the legacy of the sect endures.*

Jue Wushen did not understand the meaning. He flipped through the rest of the pages, only to find ordinary sword moves. He practiced them for a while but found nothing special, unworthy of the title "Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin."

"Jue Xin, are you certain this manual is genuine?"

Jue Wushen asked Jue Xin because he knew that when it came to getting things done, Jue Xin was reliable; as for Jue Tian, it was better not to mention him.

"It is absolutely certain. We saw with our own eyes as Po Jun used the key to retrieve it!"

Jue Xin brought Jue Tian into the conversation, and with Jue Tian’s guarantee, Jue Wushen naturally believed him.

"Very well. Lock this manual away and we shall study it when there is more time." Jue Wushen silently calculated the time, arranging for the duel with Wuming.

...

At the China Pavilion, Jian Chen returned and struggled repeatedly against the *Shexin Seal*. Ultimately, he could not endure the agony and poisoned Wuming’s food.

...

Duan Lang fled back to the World Martial Arts Union in a sorry state. Finding no one in charge, he could only hide in the shadows, waiting for Qin Shuang’s return.

...

Xu Fu received the results of the duel between Xiongba and Jue Wushen: "How dull, how dull! Better to leave, better to leave!"

...

Xiongba did not return to the World Martial Arts Union immediately after leaving the Wujue Divine Palace; instead, he searched the martial world for news of the God of Arrest.

After some searching, he finally found him. Both men wore complex expressions upon meeting.

"Why have you come? To turn yourself in?" The God of Arrest's tone was filled with unspeakable sarcasm. He had never imagined that the always-haughty Xiongba would actually come to find him.

"The martial world is treacherous. The Union has been seized by the traitor Qin Shuang, and now the people of Dongying are invading. If you have the time, go to the Union and take You Ruo away!" Xiongba was filled with helplessness. He could not understand how he had sired such a foolish son who believed in so-called justice. If the Union had not been secretly watching over her all these years, would she have survived until now?

"You are afraid? Even the mighty Leader Xiongba has a day where he feels fear? Hahaha..." The God of Arrest laughed wildly, his tone biting. Perhaps Xiongba was truly getting old.

Xiongba looked deeply at the God of Arrest and turned to leave. "The martial world remains the same. After all these years of trials and tribulations, you should understand its true nature by now! Take good care of You Ruo."

The God of Arrest watched Xiongba’s figure vanish, then decided to head north to the Union to bring You Ruo away. He could ignore Xiongba—and could not control him anyway—but he could not abandon his sister, You Ruo.

...

By the time Qin Shuang returned to the World Martial Arts Union with Bu Jingyun and Nie Feng, Xiongba had already vanished from the martial world. As for the outcome of the fight between Xiongba and Jue Wushen, it was self-evident. Xiongba’s disappearance signaled a draw; he had chosen to go into hiding, leaving the mess for Qin Shuang to deal with, waiting for the moment when Qin Shuang would reveal a flaw.