The Jade Short Knife let out a clear chime, its activation nearly complete. Chen Xiu felt a wave of relief.

He had begun Qi Refining at the age of eight and had cultivated painstakingly for twelve years. He’d never lacked for resources; someone had always arranged everything for him.

A few years ago, he had missed the event at the Five Mountains Temple’s Inheritance Stele. He had been traveling with his Clan’s Ancestor to visit a Tier Two Top Grade Artifact Refining Master at the time.

The Chen Family’s Foundation Establishment Ancestor and the Artifact Refining Master were old acquaintances. The Ancestor had pleaded with the master to do him the honor of forging two Magical Artifacts: a knife and a bracelet.

Both items were custom-refined to suit Chen Xiu’s specific characteristics. His Essence Blood was even added during the process, so activating them consumed only half the Magical Power of other Magical Artifacts of the same grade.

With these two Magical Artifacts, Chen Xiu’s fame had skyrocketed. He had even defeated several Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivators.

So, while he was a little disappointed to have missed the trip to the Inheritance Stele, he didn’t regret it.

The reason the Chen Family’s Foundation Establishment Ancestor was willing to pay such a great price to nurture Chen Xiu, keeping the boy by his side for years to offer careful guidance, was that Chen Xiu was his direct great-grandson!

In Cultivation Families like the Bai and Chen Families, all members shared a common ancestor. But after several hundred years, many of them were so distantly related that their blood ties had grown incredibly thin.

Since his own direct great-grandson possessed considerable talent, the Chen Family’s Foundation Establishment Ancestor—whose own lifespan was nearing its end—would naturally spare no expense to cultivate him with all his might.

Finally, the Jade Short Knife spun once around Chen Xiu and transformed into a long, jade-colored blade. It radiated a terrifying pressure and was just about to slash down when a sudden, sharp pain exploded in his mind.

It felt as if someone was wildly swinging a sledgehammer inside his head, stabbing at his brain with a sharp awl. His mind reeled from the shock, and his Magical Power instantly dissipated. Blood poured from his nose and mouth as he collapsed to his knees.

The jade-colored blade dissipated, and the Jade Short Knife fell to the ground with a CLANG.

The golden shield of light flickered, rapidly dimmed, and then vanished completely.

Even the vines and stone wall that had trapped Bai Zichen collapsed into a pile of limp roots and loose stone, having lost their support from his Magical Power.

Bai Zichen covered his mouth, coughing violently. He fought through the waves of stabbing pain in his Sea of Consciousness, walked over to the semi-conscious Chen Xiu, and knocked him out cold with a single chop to the neck.

’A Spiritual Sense Attack... It actually worked. This isn’t something a Qi Refining Cultivator can block. And normal Magical Artifacts don’t offer any protection against a Spiritual Sense Attack either...’

The Divine Casting Technique mentioned that Cultivators with powerful Divine Sense could use it to suppress others, or even directly attack their opponent’s Sea of Consciousness.

But that was a technique only a Foundation Establishment Cultivator should have been able to use. Furthermore, the Divine Casting Technique only included a Cultivation Technique for tempering one’s Divine Sense, with no specific methods on how to utilize it.

This time, through a stroke of sheer luck and sudden inspiration, he had stumbled upon the barest rudiments of how to harm someone with his Divine Sense.

The results were surprisingly effective.

Chen Xiu, so formidable in Combat and armed with Top-Grade Magical Artifacts, had been utterly helpless, defeated in an instant.

This was a true suppression, one that came from a higher Realm of power.

In the blink of an eye, the tables had turned. One moment, Chen Xiu was unleashing his finishing move, certain of victory. The next, Bai Zichen had snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, and won in such a clean, decisive manner.

The reversal was so dramatic that the Bai Clan Members didn’t even have time to react. Only when Chen Xiu was struck by the chop and collapsed onto the stage did a thunderous wave of cheers erupt.

"Brother Chenn, that was amazing!" 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"Someone needed to knock that Chen Family brat down a peg! Did he think Hanxiu Peak is a place where just anyone can come and show off?"

"When Brother Chenn steps up, it’s an easy win!"

The scrawny younger clan brother shouted the loudest and with the most glee, deliberately casting a glance in Bai Ling and Bai Wei’s direction.

"How is that possible... Sister, what kind of technique did he use? How did Chen Xiu lose just like that?!"

Bai Wei’s eyes were wide with disbelief. He accidentally jostled his arm, and the pain made him grimace.

Bai Ling’s red lips parted slightly, her indifferent expression finally cracking. Every cheer from the surrounding clan members felt like a slap in the face, mocking her earlier prediction.

’I don’t know what he did... But he’s clearly cultivating the most common Chang Chun Skill, and he doesn’t have any powerful Magical Artifacts. Can a talent for Top-Grade Magic truly be so incredible? Can it really turn the mundane into the miraculous?’

Seeing Chen Xiu collapse so suddenly, all the Bai Family Cultivators, Bai Ling included, assumed that Bai Zichen had used some incredibly powerful and subtle Magic to defeat his opponent in a single move.

No one’s thoughts turned to Divine Sense.

The highest Cultivation level among those present was only the Qi Refining Seventh Layer; they were completely unable to perceive the existence of Divine Sense.

...

Bai Zichen leaned against the edge of the stage, panting for a moment before the higher-ups from the Bai and Chen Families finally arrived. Leading the group were the Bai Clan Leader, Bai Xianzhong, and a middle-aged Cultivator Bai Zichen had never seen before.

Following them were several others: the three Elders of the Bai Family, as well as Chen Yixue, the female Cultivator from the Chen Family whom he had met once at the Five Mountains Temple.

When they saw Bai Zichen standing somewhat disheveled on the stage while Chen Xiu lay on the ground, his condition unknown, they were all startled and rushed forward.

The group had been in the middle of discussing important matters between the two clans. They had reached the most critical juncture, with only a few final details left to finalize.

But right at that moment, the other young Chen Family disciple who had come with Chen Xiu ran up to report the situation: that a conflict had broken out on the stage, that Bai Wei had already been defeated, and that Bai Zichen had stepped up for the second match.

The two Clan Leaders had exchanged a smile, agreeing to pause their meeting to see the younger generation’s Combat skills for themselves. That was why they had come over together.

"Chen Xiu lost?"

The Chen Clan Leader, Chen Yixin, was taken aback. On his way over, he had been worried that Chen Xiu might be too ruthless and damage the relationship between the two families.

He was keenly aware of how much his clan’s Foundation Establishment Ancestor doted on his direct great-grandson. The Ancestor had spent an enormous sum of Spirit Stones and called in a personal favor to have those two Magical Artifacts forged, all so Chen Xiu would have a convenient edge while in the Mid-Stage of Qi Refining. The Spirit Stones spent could have purchased a Low-Grade Spiritual Artifact outright.

All of the Clan’s Cultivation Resources went to Chen Xiu first; only then was anything left for the other young Cultivators.

For a Chen Xiu equipped to such a degree to lose to a young man from the Bai Family... it immediately piqued his curiosity.

Chen Yixue let out a small cry and rushed onto the stage. She turned Chen Xiu over, and after checking him thoroughly, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"It looks like Magical Power backlash. He couldn’t handle it and passed out. He’ll be fine after a few days of rest."

As long as nothing serious had happened to Chen Xiu, it would be much easier to explain things to their Foundation Establishment Ancestor back home.

Chen Yixue stared at Bai Zichen, sizing him up for a long moment before calling over two Chen Family Cultivators to carry Chen Xiu off the stage.

’She couldn’t find anything wrong. Good. That means she can’t tell it was a Spiritual Sense Attack.’

Chen Yixue was only a Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivator and was just as ignorant about Divine Sense. This allowed Bai Zichen to relax, confident that the secret of his cultivated Divine Sense would not be exposed.

"Uncle Bai, so this is the Bai Family’s famed prodigy, Bai Zichen. What skill!"

The Chen Clan Leader, Chen Yixin, received a Sound Transmission from his sister and learned the name and origin of the young Bai Clan member who had defeated Chen Xiu. He couldn’t help but sigh with sincere admiration.

’Now that is a true genius!’

"My Chen Xiu has always relied on his talent for Combat and his powerful Magical Artifacts. His ego is through the roof. This time, he’s finally learned that there’s always someone better out there!"

"Still, Chen Xiu’s talent with Five Elements Magic is undeniable; few at his age can compare. For Zichen to fight and win despite the disparity in their Magical Artifacts... he’s a true Combat genius!"

Chen Yixin was certain the Bai Family wouldn’t have spent a fortune to refine Magical Artifacts for a junior, so in that respect, Bai Zichen was surely at a disadvantage compared to Chen Xiu.

He had no idea that Bai Zichen didn’t possess a single Magical Artifact.

If he were to learn of this fact later, his shock would be even greater.

Bai Zichen saw the Chen Clan Leader smiling as he commented on him. He coughed lightly and took a step forward.

"You praise me too much, Chen Clan Leader. I am unworthy."

"Combat is secondary to Dao Practice!"

"We Cultivators seek truth and long life! No matter how powerful you are in Combat, if you do not achieve the Great Dao, everything is ultimately for naught."