"Hey, Elder Huang, Brother Qin, you’re finally here."

The Blood Saber Youth chuckled upon seeing Qin Ya and the others and greeted them. Qin Ya’s group nodded in acknowledgment and went inside. The moment Qin Ya stepped into the upper section, however, many people’s brows furrowed in displeasure.

’Who were these people? They were Extraordinary Martial Artists, powerful figures who dominated the seas. How could a mere junior sit with them and be considered their equal?’

Meanwhile, on the highest level, some Martial Artists who had reached the Celestial Human Realm stared intently at Qin Ya, their expressions a mixture of shock and uncertainty. They held their wine cups, forgetting to drink. ’This young man is so strange; his Cultivation is completely indiscernible.’

’This kind of situation typically had only two explanations: first, the young man was stronger than them; second, he possessed a Secret Skill or treasure that concealed his Cultivation. They ruled out the first possibility, leaving only the second.’

’But all of them had reached the Celestial Human Realm. What kind of Secret Skill or treasure could possibly deceive their senses? And yet, they could determine from his bone age that the young man was at most twenty years old.’

"How audacious!!"

An angry shout erupted. The clean-shaven Martial Artist who had been flattering the Ancient King moments before stood up, pointed at Qin Ya, puffed out his chest, and bellowed righteously, "Ignorant junior! Do you not know this is a gathering place for numerous Extraordinary Martial Artists? A mere Child like you—what gives you the right to set foot here? Get out, now!"

The faces of Elder Purple Robe and the others stiffened in displeasure. Qin Ya was their guest; for him to be cursed at so directly made them lose face as well. Elder Purple Robe took a step forward and said in a heavy voice, "This is the Ancient King’s banquet. The Ancient King himself has not yet spoken. You are but a Sky-Controlling High Rank warrior. What right do you have to kick people out on the Ancient King’s behalf?"

"The Ancient King may not deign to deal with an ignorant junior, but I cannot sit idly by. A junior—what makes him worthy of being our equal?" The clean-shaven Martial Artist stood tall, his tone dripping with superiority. He looked at Qin Ya with utter disdain, like a Divine Dragon soaring through the heavens gazing down at an insect in the mud.

Faced with such verbal abuse, Qin Ya glanced toward the Ancient King in the seat of honor. The man simply gave him a slight smile, showing no intention of intervening. Seeing this, Qin Ya smiled faintly as well. He then moved past Elder Purple Robe to face the clean-shaven man, his deep, abyss-like eyes filled with cold indifference.

"Little Brother Qin, you can leave this to me," Elder Purple Robe said.

Qin Ya smiled faintly. "I thank you for your kind intentions, Elder Huang, but I’m sitting in this spot. I suspect that if I don’t display some of my abilities, certain people won’t be satisfied."

Elder Purple Robe considered this, looked around, and seemed to be lost in thought.

"Abilities? What abilities could you have?" The clean-shaven Martial Artist sneered. "Feel free to show them off. But I’ll make you understand that in the presence of an Extraordinary, everything else is an illusion."

"Heh." Qin Ya laughed softly. A faint breeze immediately began to stir, circling around him. The wind was not strong, but it felt continuous, unending.

"Ignorant."

The clean-shaven Martial Artist scoffed and threw out a casual palm strike.

The strike stirred the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. Though he hadn’t put much effort into it, it was still powerful enough to kill a Celestial Essence Realm Martial Artist. In his view, it was unlikely to kill Qin Ya, but it would certainly be enough to inflict serious injuries and teach him a lesson.

Yet Qin Ya didn’t dodge or evade. His expression remained fearless as the layer of wind before him slowly swirled to envelop him completely. The incoming palm strike was disintegrated, inch by inch.

The clean-shaven Martial Artist let out a soft gasp, surprise flashing across his face. He stared at Qin Ya for a moment before laughing. "No wonder you’re so arrogant; you do have some strength. I, Cangshu, have roamed the seas for many years and seen plenty of geniuses, but ones like you are rare. A pity you’re so conceited."

"Don’t think you can contend with me just because you blocked one of my strikes."

Cangshu smirked coldly and raised his palm. Primordial Qi gathered, shimmering with a faint blue light. A Palm Seal surged forward like a tidal wave. This strike already contained Mysterious Power; below the Extraordinary Realm, it was virtually unstoppable.

"Indeed."

"You’re too weak. You truly cannot contend with me."

With an indifferent smile, the wind swirling around Qin Ya suddenly transformed, becoming a massive vortex that slammed into the Palm Power. Before the peerless hurricane, the tidal wave of energy was turned back, surging toward Cangshu with even greater and more terrifying force.

"This is... the Mysteries!!"

Sensing the power contained in Qin Ya’s attack, Cangshu cried out in shock. In that instant of stunned distraction, a fatal opening appeared, and he took the full force of the blow. Like a kite with a snapped string, he was thrown several hundred feet through the air.

With a loud CRASH, he landed right in the seating area for those below the rank of Extraordinary Martial Artist.

Many of these people had come for the expensive delicacies, and the tables were laden with fine food. Cangshu crashed right on top of one of these tables, and in an instant, he was covered from head to toe in sauces, soups, and dishes.

The sticky, disgusting feeling was nothing compared to the shame, fury, and utter disbelief raging in Cangshu’s heart. ’One move. I was actually defeated in a single move. What the hell just happened?’

His mind was still reeling, unable to process what had occurred.

’The sheep he thought was weak and his for the slaughter had, in the blink of an eye, turned into a ferocious tiger that left him bloodied and mauled.’

"This... How is this possible?"

"He defeated an Extraordinary Martial Artist in a single move! Who is this young man? How can he possess such terrifying power at such a young age?"

Hiss... The sound of sharp, collective gasps filled the air.

The gazes fixed on Qin Ya were now filled with profound shock.

"The Mysteries of Wind? A rather ordinary type of Mystery."

The Ancient King’s brow twitched. ’I expected a peerless talent like him to have comprehended an incredible Mystery, not something as common as wind.’

"Heh, is the Ancient King looking down on conventional Mysteries?"

Seated below the Ancient King, a white-robed elder smiled faintly and said, "While there are stronger and weaker Mysteries, the person wielding them is the crucial factor. With the right application, it’s not impossible for a conventional Mystery to overcome even Top Level ones."

The Ancient King heard this and laughed. "Heh, this King has no intention of belittling conventional Mysteries. I was simply surprised that a youth of his talent has only comprehended one of the easiest Mysteries to grasp, like wind."

"I observe that this young man’s comprehension of the Mysteries of Wind has already reached the First Heaven. Furthermore, he wields it with masterful ease. Seeing as he likely just stepped into the Extraordinary Realm, achieving such a feat is already incredibly difficult," the white-robed elder said with a smile.

An Extraordinary Martial Artist... this young man had actually achieved Extraordinary Cultivation.

The fluctuations of the Mysteries revealed by the move Qin Ya used to defeat Cangshu were detected by many. At once, their eyes flew wide. Some even started to pant, finding Qin Ya’s level of Cultivation utterly incredible.

Elder Purple Robe, the Blood Saber Youth, the Blond Giant from the Lion Palace, and Li Fei all sighed. They completely understood what the crowd was feeling. After all, when they had first witnessed Qin Ya’s power, their reactions had been exactly the same—utterly, completely shocked.