Those able to participate in this encirclement operation are by no means the ordinary people of the Shenzhou cultivation world who have only reached the first or second level of Qi Refining. Among the nearly one thousand people present, without exception, every single one is a top expert whose cultivation has reached at least the seventh level of Qi Refining, having stepped into the ranks of the strong.

Any one of them is a well-known figure in the cultivation world, and the vast majority are even heads or elders of various sects.

These renowned Qi Refining experts of the cultivation world have gathered here today for one purpose: to besiege the young man before them, dressed in a white robe stained with blood, who appears no older than twenty-five—the number one master among the newly emerged experts of the cultivation world—Henry Grant.

Yet, even though this man has already fought for a day and a night and is clearly at the end of his strength, he still managed to kill Logan Reed, who ranked eighth in the world.

For a moment, the elders of these factions and the leaders of the sects all halted their pursuit at the same time. No matter how hard they tried, they could not conceal the trace of fear in their eyes as they looked at the young man.

Just as all the cultivators began to lose their courage and the rhythm of the slaughter faltered, a young man in Daoist robes, holding a longsword, stepped out from the crowd. He cupped his hands slightly toward Henry Grant, who was only a dozen meters away: “Mr. Grant.”

Henry Grant's gaze lingered for a moment on the sword in the Daoist-robed man's hand, which glowed with an inner radiance and exuded a chilling aura. He immediately recognized the man's identity: “The Divine Sword ‘Qinghan’, Sword Saint Samuel Hayes, your strength truly deserves the title of third in the world. No wonder Sword God Owen Stone passed his ‘Qinghan’ Divine Sword on to you.”

Samuel Hayes shook his head, his expression calm as he said, “Perhaps in the past, I would have been proud to inherit the ‘Qinghan’ Divine Sword and to be ranked third among the newly emerged experts of Shenzhou, and I might have harbored some resentment that Mr. Grant was ranked above me. But after today, I realize I was just a frog at the bottom of a well, underestimating the rest of the cultivation world… To be honest, if I were in Logan Reed's place, my fate would likely be no better than his.”

Henry Grant shook his head. “You’re only twenty-two now, and already at the peak of the Refined Gang stage. With your potential, the title of number one in the Shenzhou cultivation world will surely be yours in the future.”

“Mr. Grant, you flatter me. In front of you, who would dare claim to have potential?”

“It’s a pity that my weapon was destroyed in the Pre-Qin ruins. Otherwise, I would have liked to test it against the ‘Qinghan’ Divine Sword…”

“Mr. Grant, you must be joking. As long as you have a sword in hand, aside from those reclusive old monsters and the alchemy masters we all aspire to become, who else in this world would dare draw their sword before you?”

Henry Grant shook his head.

At this moment, a woman in a white fitted outfit, her skin as fair as snow, stepped gracefully out from the crowd. Her celestial beauty and extraordinary aura instantly drew the gaze of every cultivator present. Even the Sword Saint Samuel Hayes, ranked third in the cultivation world, seemed to pale in comparison before her.

“Master Grant.”

Henry Grant glanced indifferently at the stunning woman. “You still have the nerve to show up in front of me?”

A faint blush appeared on the woman’s lovely face, and a trace of guilt flickered in her gem-like eyes.

However, before she could speak, the cultivators nearby who were deeply enamored with her immediately shouted in protest, “Henry Grant, even if you’re officially recognized as the number one in Shenzhou, you can’t speak to the goddess in our hearts like that!”

“Everything Miss Emily has done was for the greater good, for the benefit of everyone in the Shenzhou cultivation world, hoping that we could all break through to the next level. Unlike you, who are selfish and greedy—after obtaining the Immortal Sect’s legacy, you immediately tried to monopolize it. In the end, you’re just afraid that if others get the secret techniques hidden in the treasure and cultivate them, they’ll threaten your position as number one.”

“That’s right! So what if you’re strong? With such poor character, compared to Miss Emily, you’re nothing at all.”

“I can’t believe I once looked up to you as a cultivation goal. Who would have thought that you, Henry Grant, are such a selfish person? No wonder you’ve ended up like this today.”

……

Henry Grant completely ignored the clamoring Qi Refining cultivators and addressed the woman in white before him: “Emily Carter, I respected your father, and when I was invited by him to enter the Pre-Qin ruins with the six other Refined Gang experts of the older generation, it was made clear that whoever made it out alive would keep whatever treasures they obtained. According to the rules, I survived and it’s only right that I keep the treasures from the Pre-Qin ruins. Now you’ve gathered nearly two-thirds of the newly emerged cultivators in the cultivation world, trying to take the treasures from me by force. Do you really think that just because you have some influence in the real world, your Shenzhou Alliance can cover the sky with one hand?”