534: Chapter 534

Night fell.

The Qin Family manor was brightly lit. Inside and out, security was tight, with three times the usual number of guards patrolling.

Outside the inner courtyard, Qin Zhan, the Clan Chief of the Qin Family, paced back and forth. Beside him, several Family Elders also had their brows furrowed, the atmosphere heavy with tension.

From time to time, everyone's gaze would drift toward the tightly closed door of the delivery room.

A new life was about to be born, and from the moment of birth, this child would carry the future hopes of the entire Qin Family.

The tripartite balance of power in Jianghan City had lasted for too long. The Genius from the Wang Family, who had stepped into the Spirit King Realm at the age of thirty, posed a massive threat to both the Qin and Zhu families.

The hope to break this deadlock lay in tonight.

Just then, a butler walked over hurriedly and reported in a low voice.

“Clan Chief, the Zhu Family has sent someone with congratulatory gifts.”

Qin Zhan paused, glanced at the substantial gift list, and nodded.

The Zhu Family had sent more than just gifts.

At this sensitive moment, it was a declaration of their stance to the entire Jianghan City.

The Qin and Zhu families had officially formed an Alliance.

“What about the Wang Family?”

An Elder asked in a deep voice.

“They are still hosting a banquet at the restaurant, but our people have spotted Wang Family spies around the manor.”

Qin Zhan gave a cold snort but said nothing.

The Wang Family didn't dare to cause trouble openly and could only peer from the shadows.

“Waa—”

A cry rang out, dispelling the oppression in everyone's hearts.

It's done!

The gravity on the faces of Qin Zhan and the several Elders vanished, replaced by joy.

The door opened, and a midwife walked out carrying a swaddled infant, her face beaming with delight.

“Congratulations, Clan Chief! It’s a young master!”

Qin Zhan carefully took the child. Looking at the tender little face, his eyes were filled with joy.

“My Qin Family finally has a successor!”

He named the child Qin Yun.

At that moment, another butler rushed over again, his face also filled with joy.

“Clan Chief! Good news from the Zhu Family as well—a Young Miss has been successfully born!”

Double happiness at the door.

At this moment, the high-level members of the Qin and Zhu families formally settled the matter of a future marriage Alliance.

...

As the infant's cries subsided, several of the highest-ranking Elders of the Qin Family gathered to examine Qin Yun's skeletal structure.

A white-haired Elder extended a withered finger and lightly tapped Qin Yun’s forehead.

A strand of pure spiritual energy probed inside.

In the next instant, the Elder's expression changed.

He felt it—within that tiny body resided a special Physique he had never seen before.

That power was ancient and heavy, as if it did not belong to this world.

“How is it?”

Qin Zhan asked nervously.

The white-haired Elder withdrew his finger, pondered for a long time, and shook his head.

“I cannot see through it.”

He searched through every record of Physiques in his memory, but none matched this power.

Ultimately, he could only provide a vague judgment based on his experience.

“This Physique has no record in the ancient texts. However, its spiritual energy affinity is extremely high; it should be a rare ‘Spirit Body’.”

A Spirit Body!

Even this judgment alone was enough to excite everyone present.

In a place like Jianghan City, a Spirit Body might not appear once in centuries.

“Heaven blesses my Qin Family!”

Qin Zhan clenched his fists in excitement.

Shortly after, news arrived from the Zhu Family as well.

Their newborn Young Miss was also discovered to possess a Spirit Body.

Both families were overjoyed, and the bond of their Alliance became even more solid at this moment.

They did not know that this 'Spirit Body' they considered rare was actually at a level that far exceeded all of their understanding.

...

Six years passed in a flash.

In the year Qin Yun turned six, his cultivation reached the Body Tempering Realm.

This speed astonished the entire Qin Family.

Even more baffling to the Qin Family Elders was that Qin Yun's cultivation speed was not constant; instead, it grew faster and faster as time went by.

A year ago, his cultivation was on par with the Spirit Body Young Miss of the Zhu Family.

A year later, he had already left her far behind.

Another three years passed.

At nine years old, Qin Yun's Realm rose directly from the Body Tempering Realm all the way to the Spirit Transformation Realm.

Meanwhile, his peer from the Zhu Family, hailed as a favored daughter of heaven, had only just entered the Spirit Nurturing Realm.

Such staggering cultivation speed caused the Qin Family Elders to revise their previous judgment.

“This cannot possibly be a Spirit Body!”

“Only the legendary ‘Dao Body’ could achieve such speed!”

The entire Qin Family was once again plunged into joy.

They thought they had finally seen clearly, but their judgment was still incorrect.

At this moment, Qin Yun was sitting cross-legged in his room.

He was inspecting his internal self.

Beneath that seemingly calm sea of consciousness was actually a vast and boundless ocean of energy.

Several types of extremely high-level and distinctly different energies had reached a delicate balance within his body.

It was precisely this balance that held him back.

Instead of granting him incredible cultivation speed, these powerful energies greatly suppressed his true potential because they needed to counteract and coexist with one another.

The cultivation speed that seemed astonishingly fast to outsiders was actually 'slow' under the self-suppression of multiple energies.

Once this balance was broken or properly guided, his true potential would be immeasurable.

...

A blade that is too sharp easily attracts opposition.

The news that the Qin Family had produced a peerless Genius 'suspected to be a Dao Body' eventually leaked out.

One day, accompanied by several Family guards, Qin Yun headed to the mountain range outside the city for experience.

A long-planned assassination attempt unfolded.

Several black-clad assassins rushed out from the forest. Their goal was clear: at any cost, pin down all the guards and then kill the nine-year-old child.

The guards resisted with all their might, but they were outnumbered and were soon pinned down.

Qin Yun sensed the danger immediately. He did not panic; instead, with a calmness exceeding his years, he fled toward the depths of the mountains.

His Spirit Transformation Realm cultivation made his speed far exceed that of an ordinary child.

However, those pursuing him were several experienced assassins in the Spirit Transformation Realm.

He was forced into a dead end, eventually arriving before a bottomless, steep cliff.

Behind him were the pursuers drawing closer; before him was the bottomless abyss.

Qin Yun did not hesitate. He glanced back at the approaching dark figures and leaped.

The sound of wind rushed past his ears as his body plummeted rapidly.

After an unknown amount of time, he crashed onto a pile of rocks at the bottom of the cliff. The massive impact knocked him unconscious instantly.

When he woke up again, the bottom of the cliff was pitch black; he could see almost nothing.

He struggled, enduring the pain, and groped his way forward through the darkness.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his palm.

It seemed he had been cut by something sharp at the bottom of the cliff. Warm blood seeped through his fingers and dripped into the darkness beneath his feet.

The moment the blood dripped down,

Qin Yun's body suddenly froze.

He sensed that something unknown in the darkness seemed to have been awakened.

A cold suction force came from beneath his feet, rapidly draining the strength from his body...