These renowned Qi Refining experts from the cultivation world had all gathered here today for one purpose: to besiege the young man before them, clad in a white robe stained with blood, who appeared no older than twenty-five—the number one among the newly emerged masters of the cultivation world—Henry Clark.

Yet, even though this man had fought for a full day and night and was clearly at the end of his strength, he still managed to defeat Brian Carter, ranked fourth in the world.

For a moment, the elders of these factions and the leaders of the sects all halted their pursuit, and no matter how hard they tried, they could not conceal the 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 slaughter faltered, a young man in Daoist robes, holding a longsword, stepped out from the crowd. He cupped his hands slightly toward Henry Clark, who stood just over ten meters away: “Brother Gu.”

Henry Clark’s gaze lingered for a moment on the sword in the Daoist’s hand, its glow shimmering and cold aura emanating, and immediately recognized his identity: “The Divine Sword ‘Qinghan’, Sword Saint Samuel Foster. Your strength truly deserves the title of third in the world. No wonder Sword God David Wright entrusted you with his ‘Qinghan’ Divine Sword.”

Samuel Foster shook his head, his expression solemn: “Perhaps in the past, I would have been proud to inherit the ‘Qinghan’ Divine Sword and be ranked third among the newly emerged, and I might have harbored resentment that you, Brother Gu, were 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 had been in Brother Brian Carter’s place, my fate would likely have been no better.”

Henry Clark smiled faintly: “You’re only twenty-four now and already at the peak of Innate cultivation. With your potential, the title of number one in the cultivation world will surely be yours in the future.”

“Brother Gu flatters me. In your presence, who would dare claim to have potential?”

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

“Brother Gu, you must be joking. As long as you have a sword in hand, aside from those few reclusive old monsters, who in the world would dare draw their sword before you?”

Henry Clark shook his head.

At this moment, a woman in a white fitted outfit, her skin as fair as snow, gracefully stepped forward from the crowd. Her celestial beauty and extraordinary aura instantly drew the gaze of every cultivator present—even the third-ranked Sword Saint Samuel Foster paled in comparison before her.

“Master Gu.”

Henry Clark cast a calm glance at the stunning woman: “You still have the nerve to appear before 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, several cultivators who deeply admired her immediately shouted in protest: “Henry Clark, even if you are number one in the world, you can’t speak to the goddess in our hearts like that!”

“Everything Miss Ethan Smith has done is for the greater good, for the benefit of everyone in the Martial Alliance, hoping that we cultivators can break through to the Grand Completion stage and reach even higher realms. Unlike you, who are selfish and greedy—after obtaining the treasure, you hoard it for yourself. In the end, you’re just afraid that if others get the secret techniques hidden within, they’ll threaten your position as number one.”

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

“To think I once saw you as my cultivation goal. Who would have thought you, Henry Clark, are such a selfish person? No wonder you’ve ended up like this today.”

……

Henry Clark completely ignored the clamoring Qi Refining practitioners and addressed the woman in white: “Ethan Johnson, I respected your father. At his invitation, I entered the Pre-Qin ruins with the six other Grand Completion experts of the older generation, and it was made clear from the start: whoever made it out alive would keep whatever treasure they obtained. According to the rules, I’m the one who survived, so it’s only right that I keep the treasure from the Pre-Qin ruins. Now you’ve gathered nearly two-thirds of the newly emerged cultivators to try and take the treasure from me. Do you really think that just because your Martial Alliance has government support, I have to obey your orders?”

“I would never dare such a thing. According to the rules, the treasure rightfully belongs to Master Gu, and our The Johnson Family should not interfere further. However, according to our recent research of ancient texts, the treasure from the Pre-Qin ruins may hold the secret for all cultivators to break through to the Grand Completion stage, reach the realm of Earthly Immortals, and attain immortality. If it were made public, it could benefit the entire nation. For the greater good, our Martial Alliance had no choice but to intervene. We hope Master Gu will consider the cultivation world and the country, and share the treasure with all.”

“What a noble excuse—to take out the treasure for the greater good and share it with the world.” As he spoke, Henry Clark’s gaze grew sharper. “I’d like to ask: if the one who survived this time wasn’t me, a lone cultivator with no background, but one of your Martial Alliance’s own, would you so readily hand over the treasure and make it public?”