WHAT! I Have To Kill Heaven's Son To Live!

Somewhere within the Secret Realm, where the first round of the competition had been held—

Elder Nin Wing and Elder Quin Xulin had been scouring separate regions for nearly an hour and a half.

In that time, they had covered an area spanning nearly three thousand miles around the site where the fierce battle between Reon, his companion beasts, and Xiao Yan had erupted.

They inspected every corner of the surroundings for anything unusual, carefully examining each and every Recording Array in meticulous detail.

In the process, both had uncovered a fair number of suspicious anomalies.

Suspended high in the sky, Elder Nin Wing hovered with a faint trace of impatience in his eyes.

"Hey, little Xulin, did you find anything on your side?"

He inquired via sound transmission, his tone carrying a hint of teasing amusement.

For cultivators at the Element Refining Realm or higher, mastering sound transmission came naturally.

By skillfully manipulating their dense, refined Spiritual Qi, they could transmit their voice across distances exceeding ten thousand miles.

So, they didn't need to use a separate talisman for Sound Transmission.

On the other side, a startled voice rang out.

"L–Little Xulin?!"

Quin Xulin's reply came laced with irritation and a simmering edge of anger.

"You bastard! Are you mocking me right now?!"

His tone made it clear he was in no mood for games.

"Didn't I already tell you not to call me by my given name? And calling me that… it's like you're treating me as your little brother or something!"

Elder Nin Wing chuckled softly through the transmission.

"Sorry, sorry. I just can't help it... it's far too entertaining to tease you."

A faint fluster slipped into Quin Xulin's voice.

"S–Shut up, bastard! I'm already in a bad mood—don't push me any further!"

His frustration spilled over as he continued.

"Because of coming here, I missed the chance to witness Yi Ran's abilities for myself!"

"For all I know, the third round of the Inner Disciple Selection might already be wrapping up outside…"

Elder Nin Wing's voice grew calmer, almost soothing.

"All right, all right. We'll head out in a moment—you can watch any fight to your heart's content."

Then, his tone shifted, becoming heavy with seriousness.

"Anyway, back to the important matter… I've found something unusual—and it's not just odd, it's something to be genuinely wary of."

Elder Quin Xulin's expression grew grim.

"Same here. I didn't expect it to be this far from what I originally thought."

Elder Nin Wing chuckled.

"So, you noticed it too, huh? You're right—it's completely different from our initial assumptions."

Elder Quin Xulin arched a brow, his voice carrying a sharp edge.

"Hah? What did you just say? Did you really think I wouldn't catch something that obvious, even if they went to great lengths to hide it? Just who do you take me for?!"

Elder Nin Wing replied in a light, almost teasing tone.

"Yeah, yeah—my apologies. You are my rival, after all. It'd be the bare minimum for you to notice something like that."

Quin Xulin's eyes narrowed.

"…Why does that sound more like an insult than a compliment?!"

Elder Nin Wing cleared his throat and resumed speaking,

"A-Ahem! Initially, we suspected that perhaps one of our own Golden Core disciples had infiltrated the Inner Disciple Selection Ceremony—maybe to help a relative pass, or for some other hidden agenda."

"But after examining different areas and thoroughly reviewing the Recording Arrays, I discovered numerous sites marked by intense destruction—not quite at the scale of that massive crater, but still significant."

"This indicates that several formidable individuals were present in this competition, and, most importantly, the techniques they used…"

Elder Quin Xulin thoughtfully tapped his chin before continuing,

"Yes, exactly. The techniques used in some of the battles unmistakably originate from the different peaks of... the Azura Dragon Sect."

Elder Nin Wing's voice grew sharp with anger,

"Precisely! Those damn bastards… somehow infiltrated our sect and even joined the Inner Disciple Selection Ceremony!"

"Judging by the extent of destruction and the mastery of their techniques, I am certain... they are among the top disciples of their Inner Sect."

Elder Quin Xulin's tone turned wary and displeased,

"They've come after our geniuses… after all, this generation of Outer Disciples is the most talented among all Overlord Sects on the continent."

"Those fuckers... they refuse to let us rise again to the pinnacle of power among all Overlord Families and Sects on the continent, so they'll stop at nothing to undermine our sect's future."

Elder Nin Wing's fury deepened,

"Yeah! You are completely right!"

"From the battles across multiple locations, it seems at least eight to ten spies are involved in this competition. Damn it—they've slaughtered countless of our disciples without hesitation."

A vein throbbed visibly on his forehead as he growled,

"If our disciples killed each other, it would be one thing. But these spies from other sects brazenly assassinating our disciples?"

"They're gravely underestimating us, assuming our strength has waned and that we rank last among all the Overlord-Class Sects and Families."

Elder Quin Xulin spoke thoughtfully,

"Yeah… but right now, I'm more curious about something else. From a distant, blurry Recording Array, I noticed that someone from our sect has been hunting those spies alone."

Elder Nin Wing's tone shifted to one of intrigued disbelief.

"Who in the Outer Sect could possibly possess enough power to take on those formidable spies from the Azura Dragon Sect by themselves?!"

"I suspect only Yang Lie and Yi Ran possess that level of strength. Though I doubt either could take on so many at once—and we've been watching them closely the entire time."

"They only fought disciples who attempted to steal their Purple Crystals."

Elder Quin Xulin continued,

"Exactly. I'm certain they're not the ones driving those spies back."

"Though I couldn't make out his face clearly in the footage, I definitely caught a glimpse of a dark, shimmering aura around his sword."

"Do you have any idea who that could be?!"

Hearing this, Elder Nin Wing immediately reacted with surprise.

"W-What?! You don't know the only person in our sect who wields a Dark Sword Aura?!"

Elder Quin Xulin flinched slightly.

"N-No! I've been away from the sect for quite some time. Is this something I'm supposed to know? Is this person really that extraordinary?!"

Elder Nin Wing chuckled, a faint note of mockery hidden in his voice.

"Extraordinary… you say? He's extraordinary enough to completely crush the very person you'd long to have as your own disciple!"

"Hahaha! He is the Mimic Lord… the one who defeated Yi Ran!"

A vein throbbed in Elder Quin Xulin's forehead, anger flickering in his eyes.

But before he could reply, Elder Nin Wing pressed on—

"You know of the Mimic Lord, Xue Taiyang… yet you don't know his abilities?!"

Elder Qin Xulin's reply came sharp and curt, cutting through the air instantly.

"Why should I bother?! That Xue Taiyang is nothing more than an insignificant ant in my eyes—no innate talent, only cheap tricks!"

"I don't have the time to waste digging into every ant crawling around this sect."

Elder Nin Wing tried to reason with a calm tone.

"You're mistaken, Qin Xulin. True, I teased you about him before, and most think he relies solely on his Mysterious Artifact without real skill. But it appears he's more capable than we gave him credit for."

A pause, then he continued,

"The higher-ups told me:

'He shows potential as a sword cultivator—we've never encountered anyone wielding a Dark Sword Aura quite like his.

If he breaks into the top twenty, he should be accepted into the Sky Sword Peak by any means necessary.'"

Despite the explanation, Elder Qin Xulin's irritation remained palpable.

"Potential or not, he used underhanded tricks to defeat Yi Ran and shattered her reputation within the sect. That is something I can never forgive!"

"Do you truly believe he can match her without relying on that artifact of his?"

"Top twenty? Forget it. He might not even scrape into the top hundred to secure a spot in the Inner Sect."

"Remember, in the second round, no tricks are allowed—only pure skill and raw strength will determine who advances to round three."

Elder Nin Wing shrugged, a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

"I don't know for sure. But if he really took down those Azure Dragon Sect spies alone, then he could be far stronger than he lets on."

"I don't think he took care of all the spies using only his Artifact, did he?"

"Maybe he's hiding his true power. You can't count him out completely—even if he seemed insignificant for the past three years."

Elder Qin Xulin's scowl deepened.

"Whatever. I'm done for today. I'm not in the mood to investigate any further."

Nin Wing nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, let's return. There's nothing more for us here. We'll report everything to the higher-ups—they'll handle it."

But inwardly, Nin Wing's mind raced.

'If only we could question Xue Taiyang directly… he might reveal more about all this—and perhaps about the one who created that massive crater.'

Then a fleeting, unsettling thought crossed his mind—

'Wait… is he even still alive? I'm not so sure.'

With that, the two elders exited the Secret Realm and returned to their Grand Seats overlooking the arena.

Suddenly—

"WHAT?!"

A shout echoed through the air.

"Yi Ran was defeated by Xue Taiyang… again?!"