Baek’s cheek twitched incessantly. He couldn't resist muttering in a low, grumbling voice:

  "Where did this brat come from? What a freak!!"

  "Hmm?"

  A hundred meters away, Seraphine’s ear twitched. She turned her head toward the fierce, strange white giant.

  She spoke with total indifference:

  "A foul mouth deserves punishment."

  The moment she finished speaking, Seraphine’s body flickered with bursts of brilliant lightning. Her eyes erupted with deep blue thunder patterns, shining with a magnificent glow.

  At a glance, she looked like a God of Thunder descending from the heavens to the earth.

  Sizzle... sizzle... sizzle...!!!

  In the next instant, Seraphine slowly raised her hand, pointing from a distance toward Baek.

  Crack! Crack!

  A blue energy orb the size of a water basin suddenly appeared in her palm.

  As Baek’s face filled with shock and he instinctively backed away, the ball in Seraphine’s palm exploded. It shot out five streaks of purple wild thunder, each as thick as a man's arm.

  In an instant, the lightning pierced the dozens of meters between them and struck Baek.

  Five Thunders Striking the Crown!

  "Ah ah ah!!!"

  Agonizing screams echoed through the air. Baek was instantly struck by the wild thunder, his body turning into a piece of human-shaped charcoal.

  Emitting bursts of pungent, scorched black smoke, he was blasted back a hundred meters by the force of the thunder, crashing violently into a wall.

  Bang!!

  The reinforced concrete wall collapsed with a roar, burying Baek’s smoking, mangled body under the debris.

  Dead!

  The four remaining Evershield Body masters and the hundreds of martial arts masters on the scene were wide-eyed and dumbfounded.

  Then, pure terror set in.

  A few seconds later, a martial artist, his face pale with horror, stammered:

  "Is... is this a spell?! This must be magic!"

  "That wasn't martial arts at all!"

  "This is too ridiculous! Baek Tyranhold was killed just like that?!"

  "Is this still the real world? What kind of move lets you rub lightning with your bare hands?"

  "Instantly killing an Evershield Body in one hit? I must be dreaming."

  "Is the end of the martial path... really that fragile?!"

  The hundreds of martial artists in the manor felt their worldviews completely collapse.

  The group of white-clothed martial artists felt the impact most acutely. They stared blankly at Seraphine, who stood with her hands clasped in the distance, their hearts filled with dread.

  Yet not a single person dared to step forward to speak.

  Caelus, Veritas, and Vale were also profoundly shocked.

  At the same time, the most frightened person was the old Taoist Xelorian, who had been standing silently by.

  He recognized this move.

  Aside from its power having jumped many times over, this was essentially his own secret, guarded ultimate move—the Palm-Heart Lightning!

  Taoist Xelorian suppressed his shock. As his soul stirred, he silently sensed the faint aura Seraphine emitted.

  Earlier, he had felt a sense of familiarity. After she used the Palm-Heart Lightning, this feeling had become undeniable.

  ...

  Inside the manor, within the massive arena, hundreds of scattered martial artists sat in the circular tiered stands. They looked down at the granite floor, which spanned three hundred meters in diameter.

  There, two martial artists were engaged in a fierce duel.

  Sitting in a corner of the audience, Seraphine watched the two competitors intently. She rapidly analyzed and learned their peerless martial arts.

  Very quickly, the victory was decided. The martial artist who was defeated and knocked back died a tragic death on the spot.

  "Auric Sect's Zanang, defeated!"

  "Pentaflow Order's Fael, victorious!"

  A majestic voice drifted from far above, sounding like a decree from heaven. The conclusion of the duel signaled that the five-year-old grudge between the two sects was wiped clean.

  "Hah."

  Seraphine's lips curved into a faint smile.

  Wiped clean? How could it be that simple.

  This display was nothing more than a method used by those Evershield Body masters to rule the Emberlight martial world.

  The moment the Martial Arts Convention ended, the hatred between the two sects would continue as it always had.

  The masters only ensured it wouldn't go too far and affect the stability of the martial arts world or damage the peace of certain Emberlight regions.

  Domesticating and subjugating forces to consolidate their own authority had always been the most effective method.

  Ever since Caelus and his group established these rules decades ago, it was to make the world understand:

  They are the heavens!

  Whoever dared to disobey would face the death of their people and the extermination of their sect.

  Before long, two more people entered the stage.

  "Greenwave Brotherhood, Ashwind, taking the challenge!"

  "Gilded Edge, Goldmere, entering the fray!"

  The two in the arena looked each other in the eye, their expressions cold and ready for blood.

  "Begin!"

  A roar echoed from the high seats.

  The two fighters instantly lunged, covering ten meters in a few heavy strides to engage in a brutal collision.

  From her seat in the audience, Seraphine watched.

  Relying on her Eye of True Revelation, she needed only a few glances to strip away the secrets of their combat. Everything these martial artists had studied over their entire lives was being absorbed by her in seconds.

  In the arena, the fight ended quickly.

  《Pear-Blade Fist》, 《Fivefold Qi Art》, 《Swallow Palm》, 《Ghost Gate Blade》, 《Iron Breath Art》, 《Iron Shirt Technique》, 《Bellforge Body》, 《Thirteen Tempest Drills of the Imperial Guard》, 《Golden Toad Qi》, 《Seven-Star Sword》, 《Pure Tranquility Qi Art》, 《Deathblow Palm》, 《Eternal Stillness Meditation Art》, 《Dominating Sleeve Palm》, 《Steel Hook Eight Claws》, 《Iron Bamboo Style》, 《Drifting Wind Fist》, 《Eighteen Blades of the Flying Rain》, 《Taiji Fist Frame》, 《Zen-Chasing Point》, 《Heaven Glyph Echo Strike》, 《Inlaid Jade Fist》, 《Elixir Cauldron Qi Art》, 《Great Mercy Hand》, 《Sun-Salute Fist Frame》, 《Mountain-Ascend Great Hammer》, 《True Martial Shock Force》, 《Thirteen Pierces of the Golden Crow》, 《Crimson Goose War Pike》, 《Heaven-Earth Qi Mastery》, 《Emerald Shadow Finger》, 《Winter-Han Fierce Force》, 《Choking Venom Palm》, 《Fox-Twist Ghost Step Palm》, 《Regretful Moon Lash》, 《Golden Void Seizing Art》, 《Floating Cloud Lightness Skill》, 《Hundred Forms Grand Frame》, 《Graceblade》...

  Within Seraphine's surging sea of consciousness, stacks of phantom white paper began to appear. Using her spirit as a pen, she composed countless martial arts masterpieces inside her own mind.

  Time marched on.

  Martial artist after martial artist took the stage.

  One by one, they died.

  By the time half the day had passed, dozens of bodies had been cleared from the arena. The "papers" in Seraphine's mind, covered in dense, tiny script, grew into thick volumes.

  Dozens of pages became hundreds.

  The techniques became an endless flood.

  Eventually, complete sets of martial arts began to take shape in her mind.

  There were orthodox styles for controlling Vitality.

  There were deceptive Secret Arts meant to poison the mind.

  There were sharp blade techniques where every strike was designed to spill blood.

  There were ancient qigong methods for hardening the organs and bones.

  There were even mystical Daoist arts for condensing the soul into an Yin Spirit.

  These arts varied in quality. Some were flawed, while others held flashes of genius. Often, two unrelated movements from different schools would, in Seraphine's eyes, snap together in a perfect, miraculous connection.

  She even collected the common, "cheap" techniques found on every street corner.

  Hard qigong like 《Iron Shirt Technique》, 《Iron Throat Art》, and 《Eagle Claw Hand》.

  Simple stances like 《Sweeping Leg》 or 《Swallow Slap》.

  These were inheritances spanning thousands of years. They held truths discovered through the life-and-death struggles of countless experts. Every lesson was soaked in blood.

  To judge a technique only by its power was shallow.

  Seraphine knew better.

  Power is cheap, but Wisdom is rare.

  In seeking the Way, one can look down from the highest peak like a flood.

  But one can also find brilliance in the smallest, most ordinary things.

  The secret skills of the great sects were refined by geniuses over generations. Their heart's blood had perfected these arts.

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  Now, all these unique skills were being understood, fused, and upgraded by Seraphine. She even captured the stray thoughts and theories these martial artists had about their own styles.

  Even though they were just fragments of wisdom, she absorbed them all.

  Because it was all treasure!

  Infinite inspiration, endless wisdom.

  In Seraphine's mind, they collided and sparked.

  A dazzling, robust martial arts radiance began to burn within her.

  Another half-day vanished. It was nearly evening. Driven by this infinite wisdom, a new path for martial arts was born in her head.

  Finally, at this moment, she had completely deduced the path beyond the Evershield Body realm.

  Glug glug glug...

  Crack, pop, snap...

  A series of soft, sharp sounds echoed from inside Seraphine's body. Her Vitality was circulating and collapsing, trying to transform into something much stronger.

  After a moment.

  "Hoo..."

  Seraphine exhaled a long stream of gray, turbid air. The breath shot out like an arrow, piercing the air for a hundred meters.

  The people in the arena flinched in awe, their heads turning to stare at her.

  Seraphine ignored them. She felt as if she had stepped out of a heavy, filthy suit of old armor. Her skin, muscles, organs, and bones felt incredibly light.

  She checked her attributes.

  【Host: Seraphine】

  【Physical Strength: 33231】

  【Soul: 33092】

  Her values had jumped several times over.

  "Very well. The cage of the Evershield Body is finally broken."

  After absorbing hundreds of classics in a single day, Seraphine had created the key to a higher realm. She already had one foot through the door.

  She named this new art: 《Celestial Flute》.

  It was a peerless art born from the Primordial Ether Unification Art, fed by dozens of different qigong methods.

  Unlike traditional arts that consume the body's Essence to grow, this technique broke the old rules. It directly activated the 108 great acupuncture points to pull the external Ether of the world into the body. This cleansed her Vitality and turned it into a mysterious, higher-quality substance: 【Aether】.

  Once activated, every thread of energy from her body would become terrifyingly potent.

  Destroying stone or killing men would be as easy as turning a hand.

  More importantly, this art had no fixed type. The energy produced by 《Celestial Flute》 would automatically become the perfect match for the user's own nature.

  The attributes of Seraphine’s true qi were the sharpness of metal and the searing heat of fire.

  These two traits may seem basic, but they were far from common.

  Their true nature was rooted in ancient legend. The metal attribute belonged to the White Tiger, presiding over sharp slaughter. The fire attribute belonged to the Vermillion Bird, presiding over scorching drought.

  Her power was 90% fire and 10% metal, meaning the source of her martial arts was almost entirely based on flame.

  Seraphine believed that the true qi of all living things should correspond to the vast phenomena of the universe. To her, all things were possible.

  She integrated thousands of techniques and power-delivery skills to create two new styles: 《Drifting Cloud Hands》 and 《Dragonwave Crash》.

  These three peerless arts, built upon her supreme wisdom and centuries of Emberlight history, far surpassed anything in existence.

  Seraphine sat cross-legged, thinking: "I have reached the next path, entering the Mystic Aperture."

  "A true Transcendent level."

  In the original story of 《Dragonblood》, the protagonist Kael was the first to reach this realm. He only achieved it much later, through the first Ether tide and countless battles.

  But Seraphine stood at the very start of the story. She had no methods to follow, only the names of future ranks. She had to carve her own path.

  "Kael, is it..." Seraphine’s gaze, sharp as lightning, turned toward a spot hundreds of meters away.

  On the far side of the stands sat a handsome boy of sixteen or seventeen. He was focused on the brutal struggle in the arena.

  Few knew his potential yet, but Seraphine knew Kael better than he knew himself.

  Kael had reached the 【Metalborn】 realm in only six months. He was a once-in-an-eternity genius.

  Any technique he saw, he mastered. Any style he found, he understood. He could learn any martial art in a heartbeat.

  He even possessed the Divine Void Sight, allowing him to see the flow of Vitality inside others.

  This meant no matter how complex a method was, Kael could master it instantly. In combat, he could see through every move his opponent made.

  In the original plot, Kael gathered the knowledge to move beyond the Evershield Body realm by observing the experts at this convention.

  Eventually, he would become the new Number One Under Heaven. By the end of the story, he would be strong enough to destroy planets with one hand.

  Because she knew this, Seraphine came to the Martial Arts Convention to absorb every classic technique for herself.

  Her Eye of True Revelation was like Kael’s sight, but even more broken. She could see the trajectory of any energy with a single glance.

  Buzz ~~

  Seraphine’s body vibrated slightly.

  The one hundred and eight acupuncture points in her body flickered with a light that ordinary people couldn't see. They pulled in Ether from the surroundings, even though it was still scarce.

  The core of the 【Mystic Aperture】 is using these points to harvest external Ether, breaking the limits of the body and soul.

  Suddenly, strands of Ether swept in from the world, wrapping around her.

  As it passed through her points, it cleansed her Vitality and tempered her soul. Her strength grew more powerful every second.

  The martial artists sitting nearby felt a strange sense of comfort, but they had no idea what was happening.

  Earth’s Ether was still weak. Even the Evershield Body masters could barely sense it. Using it was still far beyond them.

  Time passed.

  The cold moon reached the center of the night sky.

  the duels between the sects had ended. The battles between the Evershield Body masters would wait until tomorrow.

  "I hereby thank all those in the martial arts world..."

  As Caelus read the closing remarks, Seraphine opened her eyes.

  A platinum halo appeared around her body. This was Aether, produced by pushing her vast Vitality to its absolute limit.

  "It is finished. Time for me to leave."

  Seraphine stood, her body flashing with brilliant light.

  Buzz ~

  The Aether surged, lifting her body and causing her to float naturally.

  Before the horrified and stunned gazes of the crowd, her telekinetic force wrapped around her.

  With a series of air-explosions, Seraphine shot through the sky toward the depths of the manor.

  She didn't care about Caelus’s speech. Her goal was met, and she needed to rest.

  Below, Kael looked up at her, his eyes filled with shock and envy.

  He whispered: "True flight... even old Xelorian can't do that!"

  The crowd broke into a total frenzy.

  "I saw it! She really flew!"

  "That's impossible!"

  "How does she keep getting more powerful?!"

  "The world of martial arts is about to change forever!"

  At the highest point, Caelus, Vale, Xelorian, and Veritas watched with grim expressions.

  They were used to having everything under control.

  But Seraphine’s appearance made them feel small and wary.

  Xelorian was the most suspicious.

  'What is happening?' he wondered. 'What kind of art was she using just now?'

  ...

  The time reached 10 PM.

  Deep within the manor sat rows of luxury townhouses provided for the martial artists to rest.

  Inside the one where Seraphine stayed, the lights were brightly lit.

  【Host: Seraphine】

  【Physical Strength: 52310】

  【Soul: 52209】

  It was nearly midnight.

  After several hours of simultaneous deduction and cultivation, Seraphine finally thoroughly consolidated the 【Mystic Aperture】 realm.

  She had cleansed and sublimated all of her dense, robust Vitality into incredibly sharp and scorching Aether.

  This was also the limit that the Emberlight martial arts system could reach under the current Ether concentration on Earth.

  Of t?t nhiên, this was not Seraphine's limit.

  It was just that the current Ether on Earth was insufficient; even though she had already completed the design for the future martial arts system.

  Without enough material (Ether) to construct and fill it, this system remained a castle in the air.

  Mystic Aperture ——

  As the name suggests, it requires the practitioner to continuously absorb and consume large amounts of Ether to condense the one hundred and eight great acupuncture points across the body.

  Ultimately reaching a state where one aperture connects to a hundred, where the body is an aperture and the soul is also an aperture—a realm where the natural world is hers to roam and tens of thousands of Ether are hers to use.

  According to Seraphine's deduction and design of the Mystic Aperture realm.

  This realm is divided into three stages.

  She was currently only at the first stage of this realm: the Aether Stage.

  To reach the second stage —— Phantom Armament, she would likely have to wait until after the Ether tide arrived.

  In fact, even if an ordinary martial artist reached the Mystic Aperture realm in the future.

  Their physical strength would only be around a hundred tons.

  But Seraphine now.

  Even setting aside the various abilities of the martial arts system.

  Relying solely on the base attributes of her Physical Strength and Soul, she already outperformed an ordinary martial artist by more than several hundred times.

  At the same time, regarding the path forward from the Mystic Aperture, Seraphine already had some vague ideas.

  Suddenly...

  Thump, thump.

  A knock at the door.

  "Your Highness, we have urgent matters to request an audience for."

  An incredibly respectful voice came from outside the door.

  Inside the luxurious room, Seraphine's expression was calm as she said indifferently:

  "Enter."

  She was not surprised that her identity had been discovered.

  If the "socially active organizations" under these martial artists had been scurrying around all day.

  And still couldn't even clarify her true identity.

  Then they would be too pathetic.

  Not even fit to be used as a chamber pot.

  As soon as she finished speaking, the door opened automatically.

  A humble-looking burly man in gray clothes slowly entered the room.

  The moment he saw Seraphine, the man knelt on the floor and said with extreme reverence:

  "This humble one is Sirius Fang, the leader of the Black Tiger Gang. My Black Tiger Gang is willing to submit to the Prince's banner and serve Your Highness!"

  After saying this, he kowtowed heavily.

  Following the Black Tiger Gang.

  Several more groups arrived to pay their respects to Seraphine.

  Each and every one was deeply respectful.

  Their goal was clear.

  Placing bets.

  They were betting.

  Betting that Seraphine, this newly risen Evershield Body, would become a new peak in the Emberlight martial arts world.

  In fact.

  As the martial arts world has evolved to this day.

  Every gang or sect has transformed into various economic entities.

  Companies, enterprises, factories—all sorts.

  One should not ask why gangs still exist in this day and age.

  It must be understood that power abhors a vacuum.

  Power will spontaneously occupy all space it can.

  Once a vacuum of power appears in a certain region, or a gap in surveillance occurs.

  Organizations or entities will naturally arise with the times to occupy it.

  Gangs are among them.

  To protect their own interests.

  These gangs naturally seek out a "peak" to gain protection, so they can live in peace and focus on making money.

  This peak could be a conglomerate with greater strength.

  Or powerful nobles, or members of the Royal family.

  Or even ancient sects with long-standing heritages.

  Naturally, as the apex of the Emberlight martial arts pyramid, the Evershield Body masters are also a prime choice.

  In short, no Evershield Body master is ever truly alone.

  Behind each of them sits a force, large or small.

  And Seraphine was both an Emberlight princess and a newly risen Evershield Body.

  The combination of both naturally exerted an intense attraction for small and medium-sized forces.

  So in just this brief moment, Seraphine gained nominal shares in more than ten companies of various sizes.

  The value reached over 1 billion.

  And this was only the beginning.

  As time went on, if Seraphine established a firm foothold in the martial arts world.

  Then other, more cautious martial forces would definitely follow suit.

  However, for Seraphine, these things were not important.

  Seraphine muttered indifferently:

  "Aside from gaining a bit more pocket money and some expendable opportunists to order around, it doesn't seem to serve much of a purpose."

  By the time these martial forces had left one by one, midnight had arrived again.

  With a cold expression, she looked at the attribute interface.

  【Host: Seraphine】

  【Physical Strength: 104620】

  【Soul: 104418】

  Her attributes doubled once more, suddenly breaking the 100,000 mark.

  In other words, Seraphine's total physical strength was now roughly equivalent to the weight of a large aircraft carrier.

  ...

  8 AM.

  Inside the martial arts arena.

  Hundreds of martial artists sat scattered across the audience, intently watching the large arena below.

  On the stage.

  Vale, Veritas, Xelorian, and Seraphine each stood in a corner.

  Caelus walked into the center with a smile, surveyed his surroundings, and spoke in a harmonious voice:

  "This time, we have gained the newly risen Evershield Body of the Ninth Highness, but lost Baek. Overall, the number remains the same, so let us proceed according to the old rules."

  "Drawing lots, two-on-two duels, with one person having a bye."

  "Does anyone have any objections? If not, we shall begin drawing lots for the matches now."

  The entire venue was silent; no one spoke.

  It seemed no one had any objections.

  "Very well."

  Caelus smiled and gave a snap of his fingers.

  Clap!

  From the dark entrance below the stands, a burly man holding a red box ran over quickly.

  Once he approached the five people, Caelus said slowly:

  "Four of you, please draw your lots."