Chapter 52 - 50: 3 Years of Hard Cultivation, Finally Becoming a Prodigy

Chapter 52: Chapter 50: 3 Years of Hard Cultivation, Finally Becoming a Prodigy

BOOM!

These words sent endless waves of shock through Qin Xiangyuan’s beautiful eyes.

His potential wasn’t inferior to hers?

The number one genius of the Qin Family throughout history?

Recalling the elegance of that single sword strike from the youth in white just moments ago, her pretty face filled with sheer astonishment.

Zhang Tiesheng continued to wax eloquent.

"Yuan’Er, the reason your father kept this from you and the entire Qin Family is because Fan’Er’s potential cannot be exposed just yet.

"It wasn’t easy for the Qin Family to reach where we are today. I think you know better than Uncle Zhang just how many mortal enemies we have outside Qin City.

"Fan’Er’s potential is unmatched in history. He will be the Qin Family’s trump card in the upcoming battle for the Celestial Pride Mark. If exposed, it will invite limitless killing intent. Our enemies could never allow him to live.

"Therefore, before Fan’Er rises to power, the Qin Family must keep it a secret. No one can leak this information. This is the true reason your father kept everyone in the dark.

"But your little stunt today nearly ruined your father’s plan at the last moment. If we hadn’t discovered it in time, you would have caused a massive disaster."

Zhang Tiesheng spoke with such absolute conviction that Qin Xiangyuan had no choice but to believe him.

Although the Qin Family had established Qin City and boasted clouds of experts, they had indeed made countless enemies over the years.

Hearing that Qin Fan was the greatest genius in the history of the Qin Family, and that Qin Shiming only wanted to hide his world-shocking potential, Qin Xiangyuan felt her heart grow even more chaotic. She had nearly exposed the Qin Family’s hidden trump card to the watchful eyes of their enemies.

If those mortal enemies learned that the Qin Family had produced such a terrifying existence, they would undoubtedly try every possible method to nip him in the bud.

She had experienced this deeply herself.

Watching the changing expressions on Qin Xiangyuan’s face, Zhang Tiesheng breathed a sigh of relief. He immediately changed his tone. "But it’s fine now. Everything is still within our control. However, Yuan’Er, you absolutely must never do something like this again."

As Zhang Tiesheng finished speaking, Qin Shiming slowly raised his head. His gaze swept across the entire street, and a terrifying coercion pressed down on the area.

"No one is to breathe a single word of what happened today to the outside world, not even to the people closest to you."

As Qin Shiming spoke, cold light flashed in his eyes, and the surrounding temperature plummeted. He enunciated every word clearly. "If anyone dares to leak this, they will be killed without mercy!"

BOOM!

The moment those words were spoken, an aura as sharp as a sword completely shrouded the street.

Instantly, countless Cultivators of Qin City trembled all over. Cold sweat dripped from their foreheads, their faces turning deathly pale from terror.

He had absolute confidence that no one on this street would dare to disobey him.

Even if someone accidentally let it slip, it would merely mean that the Qin Family had produced another child of destiny. The risk involved was far smaller than exposing Jiang Hao’s true identity.

Having dealt with this, Qin Shiming finally led Qin Xiangyuan and Jiang Hao back to the Qin Mansion, not speaking a single word to Qin Xiangyuan along the way.

Seeing her father’s lingering anger, Qin Xiangyuan knew he was truly furious this time.

Half an hour later.

Upper Spirit Garden, Qin Mansion.

Qin Shiming gazed at Qin Xiangyuan’s lonely silhouette and let out a helpless sigh.

"Yuan’Er, do not blame your father. For the sake of the big picture, I could only wrong you."

With that said, Qin Shiming turned to Jiang Hao to explain on his daughter’s behalf. "Fan’Er, do not blame Yuan’Er. This girl is just too clever for her own good, but she isn’t actually a bad person. She didn’t know the intricate details, nor did she realize the severity of the situation, which is why she committed such a huge mistake.

"If possible, Uncle Qin hopes you can truly treat Yuan’Er like a younger sister. This will save us a lot of trouble."

Hearing this, Jiang Hao gave a slight bow and replied, "Uncle Qin, you are overstating it. How could I ever blame Little Sister Xiangyuan? If anything, she was wronged because of me."

Seeing that Jiang Hao didn’t mind, Qin Shiming finally felt at ease. Suddenly remembering something, he turned back to Jiang Hao.

"By the way, Hao’Er, your Uncle Zhang and I have one more thing to tell you."

Qin Shiming’s expression grew visibly grave, his face filled with worry as he said, "According to reliable sources, the Eastern Domain’s Battle of Celestial Prides might open ahead of schedule. Child, you don’t have much time left."

Jiang Hao’s eyes snapped up upon hearing this.

The Qin Family couldn’t protect him forever. Once the Battle of Celestial Prides began, the Celestial Pride Mark would descend upon the entire Celestial Martial Continent.

Although the Cultivators of the Celestial Martial Continent still didn’t know where the mark came from or why it locked onto all the contemporary celestial prides, one thing was certain: when the Battle of Celestial Prides began, Jiang Hao would have nowhere to hide. He would no longer be able to conceal his status as a celestial pride.

At that time, these celestial prides would draw immense attention, making his exposure only a matter of time.

In other words, that would be the time for Jiang Hao to slowly shed his identity as Qin Fan. He would have to rely entirely on himself.

"Hao’Er, starting today, you will cultivate alongside Yuan’Er and the others. You must give it your all. From this moment forward, you may use any Martial Arts Sword Technique in the Qin Family, and you may mobilize all of the Qin Family’s resources for your own use.

"No matter what, you must rise to power before the Battle of Celestial Prides. Otherwise, it will be too late."

Jiang Hao stood completely stunned by these words.

Any Martial Arts Sword Technique in the Qin Family could be used by him, and all resources could be mobilized for his own use.

What kind of immense favor was this?

Jiang Hao initially wanted to refuse, but with the Battle of Celestial Prides looming, he had no other choice.

Although he didn’t know what the Battle of Celestial Prides looked like, he could imagine that it would undoubtedly be incomparably brutal.

At that time, he wouldn’t just be facing celestial prides from all factions; more importantly, he would face the relentless pursuit of countless monstrous disciples of the same generation from the Celestial Sword Sect.

He could only wait for a chance in the future to repay this massive debt of gratitude to the Qin Family.

With this thought in mind, Jiang Hao bowed deeply to Qin Shiming.

Time slowly slipped away.

Fifteen minutes later.

Upper Spirit Garden No. 7 Courtyard.

Dressed in a pink dress and radiating an ethereal aura, Qin Xiangyuan stood outside Jiang Hao’s courtyard gates. She tried to knock on the door several times, only to pull her fair little hand back each time.

Ultimately, Jiang Hao sensed her presence. Just as Qin Xiangyuan, completely unsure of how to face him, was about to leave, the courtyard door creaked open, and the youth in white slowly walked out.

The moment she saw Jiang Hao, Qin Xiangyuan became unbearably nervous. Her beautiful eyes were filled with panic. Looking like a child who had done something wrong, she hurriedly spoke.

"Qin Fan, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I almost caused a massive disaster. I shouldn’t have sent Qin Ye to test you... I..."

Qin Xiangyuan was truly panicking this time. If there was anyone in the Qin Mansion she cared about the most, it was undoubtedly Qin Shiming.

Ever since returning to the Upper Spirit Garden, her father’s unprecedented display of anger lingered in her mind, refusing to fade.

Furthermore, her father’s words echoed continuously in her head.

"Yuan’Er, Fan’Er is your biological brother. If you treat him like this, how will the two of you get along in the future?

"Since you know you were wrong, go apologize to Fan’Er. If he can forgive you, I will consider this matter settled."

"Qin Fan, I’m sorry." As she spoke, she slowly lowered her head, yet a long time passed without any response from him.

She subconsciously looked up, only to see the youth smiling gently at her.

The moment Qin Xiangyuan saw that smile, she stared blankly.

She thought, "He looks so good when he smiles."

Jiang Hao smiled gently and said, "Silly girl, have you ever seen a brother stay mad at his sister?"

Upholding Qin Shiming’s wishes, Jiang Hao was also trying his best to treat the young girl before him as a younger sister.

Although they had only met a few times, Jiang Hao could tell that she didn’t have any malicious intentions. She was simply a bit too clever for her own good.

However, as soon as Jiang Hao finished speaking...

Qin Xiangyuan felt an instinctive surge of joy. Her beautiful eyes filled with excitement as she asked, "Qin Fan, does this mean you forgive Yuan’Er?"

Jiang Hao couldn’t help but smile bitterly at her words, but he gave a slight nod.

Seeing him nod, Qin Xiangyuan was overcome with excitement and subconsciously threw her arms around Jiang Hao.

"I knew Qin Fan was the best."

In an instant, a unique, girlish fragrance assaulted his senses, causing the embraced Jiang Hao’s body to stiffen.

Quickly realizing what she had done, Qin Xiangyuan hurriedly released him, her pretty face flushing bright red.

But a moment later, she relaxed. The person standing in front of her was her brother. Although she had been a little improper, what did it matter?

Jiang Hao, however, furrowed his brows slightly. He knew full well that he, this so-called brother, had absolutely no relation to the Qin Family; he was a complete fake.

Before Jiang Hao could snap out of his daze, she spoke again.

"Qin Fan, you can just call me Yuan’Er from now on. Yuan’Er is my nickname. This is wonderful, Yuan’Er finally has a brother."

Qin Xiangyuan spoke with unparalleled joy.

In truth, as the number one proud daughter of heaven of the Qin Family, she shouldered the future of the clan, and the pressure on her was immense. But things were different now.

She, who had never had a brother, finally had one. Moreover, he was the number one genius in the history of the Qin Family. From now on, she wouldn’t have to carry all that pressure alone.

Evidently, after this incident, Qin Xiangyuan had completely abandoned her doubts about whether Jiang Hao was of Qin Family blood. After all, Qin Shiming had dared to perform a blood test in public—how could it possibly be fake?

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, three years had passed.

For these three years, Jiang Hao buried himself in bitter cultivation, day and night.

With the support of the Qin Family’s Upper Spirit Garden and Cultivation Chamber, his cultivation base skyrocketed madly.

In just three short years, Jiang Hao progressed from the Unity Realm First Layer all the way to Unity Realm Perfection.

The further one advanced in cultivation, the harder it became to break through to the next realm.

Reaching Unity Realm Perfection in three years utterly astounded Qin Shiming and Zhang Tiesheng.

It also stunned Qin Xiangyuan.

Whether it was Qin Shiming’s deliberate arrangement or not, he had Qin Xiangyuan cultivate alongside Jiang Hao and spar with him.

It had to be said that Qin Xiangyuan truly lived up to her title as the Qin Family’s foremost daughter of heaven and its top female Sword Cultivator. Her attainments in the Sword Dao indeed caused Jiang Hao no small amount of suffering.

Through three years of mutual sparring and cultivation, both of their attainments in the Sword Dao advanced by leaps and bounds. Jiang Hao practiced almost every Sword Technique the Qin Family possessed, pushing his Sword Dao to an unimaginable height.

Over these three years, Jiang Hao also gradually revealed his true cultivation base to Qin Xiangyuan, step by step, until he finally stopped hiding it altogether.

His astonishing breakthrough speed made Qin Xiangyuan believe Zhang Tiesheng’s words even more.

Qin Fan was indeed the greatest genius in the history of the Qin Family.

Another autumn passed, and winter arrived.

One day, on the back mountain of Qin City.

Amidst a world of ice and snow, an endless expanse of white had replaced all other colors.

Amidst the howling wind and snow, Qin Xiangyuan looked at the youth in white standing amidst the heavy snowfall, completely mesmerized.

After three years of dormancy, that figure now stood atop the snow-capped, rolling mountain range. His white clothes were purer than the snow, and his temperament was unearthly, making him look like a true Exiled Immortal descending upon the mortal world.

The boundless expanse of pure white made the youth appear incredibly ethereal.

It wasn’t just Qin Xiangyuan who was mesmerized; at this moment, Jiang Hao was devastatingly handsome. He looked like a Sword Immortal stepping out from a painting, inspiring awe and yearning in anyone who saw him.

Suddenly.

Jiang Hao unleashed a sword strike. The sword light swept across hundreds of meters of the void, shaking the endless blizzard.

In an instant, Sword Qi ran rampant across the boundless, snow-white mountains.

The wind and snow fell into chaos. His Sword Qi was sharp to the extreme, his blade’s edge elegant and unrestrained, exuding the profound charm of a true Sword Cultivator.

Three years of bitter cultivation had finally forged a true celestial pride.

Compared to three years ago, Jiang Hao’s Sword Qi now truly tore through the void.

It blotted out the sky and the moon—terrifying to the extreme.

Between heaven and earth, Sword Qi churned furiously within the blizzard. The ceaseless ringing of the sword echoed, breathtaking like a heavenly marvel.