The Peerless Emperor (TPE)

"Outrageous! Lin Qian, what do you think you're doing?" Ye Nansheng shouted as he stood up from the Ye Family's viewing platform, pointing angrily at Lin Qian, who was standing on the stage.

"This is the Ba Mountain Vientiane Trial! Lin Qian, don't cause trouble here," Ye Nanyi, who was sitting beside Ye Lin, also stood up anxiously.

Ye Nansheng was worried that Lin Qian, who had suddenly appeared on the stage with a corpse, might cause the Vientiane Sect disciples to harbor ill feelings toward the Ye Family. If that were to happen, it could ruin his children's chances of entering the Vientiane Sect, which would be disastrous.

Similarly, Ye Nanyi, who had just seen how close his daughter had become with the Vientiane Sect disciples, was also concerned that Lin Qian's sudden disruption might offend them.

"Worthless Lin, why don't you get down from there? What are you doing up on the stage?"

"What is this guy doing, embarrassing us at a time like this? What's he even doing on the stage?"

Many members of the Ye Family in the viewing platform voiced their displeasure, their primary concern being the family's reputation.

"Overlord Blade Sect?" Only Ye Nanxin, with a furrowed brow, focused on Lin Qian's words. "Isn't that the sect opposed to the Vientiane Sect? Why would Lin Qian be shouting at the Li Family like that?"

The other three viewing platforms, filled with the various forces of Ba Mountain City, were buzzing with curiosity and confusion as they pointed and whispered about Lin Qian, who was standing on the stage.

"Isn't he the fiancé of the Ye Family's prodigy? I heard he disappeared for four years but returned recently. It seems that's true."

"Hmph, I bet he came back when he heard that Miss Ye had become a highly sought-after disciple of the Divine Sword Sect. He's probably just trying to cling to the Ye Family."

"But something doesn't seem right. Wasn't Lin Qian supposed to be without a soul weapon, unable to cultivate? How could he throw a grown man's corpse onto the stage from ten feet away?"

This last remark left many people around speechless, their mouths open as they struggled to find a response.

Meanwhile, over at the Li Family's viewing platform, Li Qin, the head of the Li Family, suddenly stood up, his gaze fixed on the corpse lying on the stage.

While others in Ba Mountain City might not recognize the effeminate-looking man, Li Qin certainly did.

Fu Yuxiang, one of the Overlord Blade Sect disciples who had come along on this mission.

As Li Qin rose to his feet, a scar-faced young man sitting beside him also stood up and moved to the edge of the platform, staring intently at Fu Yuxiang's corpse for a long moment.

When the scar-faced young man stood, twelve other men in the Li Family followed suit, positioning themselves behind him, their expressions hostile as they glared at Lin Qian.

This scene left many people puzzled, unsure of what was happening.

First, the Ye Family's infamous useless son-in-law appeared on the stage with a dead man. Now, a group of unfamiliar young men from the Li Family was rising to confront him. Did this useless son-in-law of the Ye Family have a grudge against the Li Family?

"Are those the people from the Overlord Blade Sect?" Ye Lin murmured, glancing nervously at the Li Family's direction, cold sweat forming on her forehead.

For some reason, when she looked at the scar-faced young man, her body couldn't help but tremble.

"Was it you who did this?" A raspy voice emerged from the scar-faced young man as he stared at Lin Qian with interest.

Lin Qian, casually rolling up his sleeves to his elbows, responded with a smile, "Indeed, it was me."

"As far as I know, even though you are the fiancé of the Divine Sword Sect's Little Sword Saint Ye Xin, you're nothing more than a worthless person without a soul weapon, unable to cultivate. Fu Yuxiang was at the Nirvana Realm. Are you trying to amuse me by claiming you killed him?" The scar-faced young man tilted his head, rubbing the scar on his face, and sneered.

The Nirvana Realm!

The scar-faced young man's words left the crowd in stunned silence, their gazes fixated on the corpse at Lin Qian's feet in shock.

They couldn't believe that the man lying dead on the stage was actually at the Nirvana Realm.

"Is this guy really trying to blow his own horn, claiming he killed a Nirvana Realm expert?" Ye Feng, sitting on the Ye Family's viewing platform, remarked mockingly, her shock giving way to derision.

Her voice rang out clearly in the otherwise quiet scene, making it all the more noticeable.

"No, no, no!" Suddenly, the scar-faced young man raised his hands, waving them emphatically. "If you are indeed Lin Qian, then it's actually possible."

Pausing for a moment, the scar-faced young man pointed at the smiling youth on the stage, his expression now serious. "Lin Qian, are you Lin Qian?"

His words left everyone even more bewildered, his own twelve men behind him looking equally puzzled.

At that moment, Lin Qian nodded slightly, his expression just as serious as the scar-faced young man's. "Yes, I am."

"Ha ha ha ha…" Upon hearing Lin Qian's confirmation, the scar-faced young man lowered his head and burst into wild laughter.

But just as this happened, the atmosphere on the Bai Family's viewing platform changed drastically. Bai Ren's aura erupted, and he leaped onto the stage.

At the same time, the Zhao brothers on the Ye Family's platform also unleashed their soul energy, joining Bai Ren on the stage beside Lin Qian.

"Senior Brother Lin, what's going on? Why is there a Nirvana Realm disciple from the Overlord Blade Sect?" Bai Ren asked urgently, his voice tinged with anxiety.

The Zhao brothers standing nearby also looked tense.

Lin Qian, smiling, gave each of the three a reassuring punch to the chest. "Don't worry. It's just a Nirvana Realm cultivator. You made it out of the mountains alive, and I'll make sure you all return safely as well. Stay calm."

Hearing Lin Qian's words, the three seemed to calm down as if they had just taken a calming elixir. Their previously chaotic emotions gradually settled.

While the three of them regained their composure, Bai Ren's earlier outburst had been loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Did I hear that right? Bai Ren called that wastrel 'senior brother'?"

"You heard right. I heard it too. Our city's prodigy, Bai Ren, really called that wastrel 'senior brother'!"

"What in the world is going on? I'm more confused than ever."

The square erupted into a cacophony of astonished murmurs as everyone turned their eyes to the stage.

"Sir, what is going on here?" Li Qin, still in shock, asked the scar-faced young man.

"The Vientiane Sect recently saw the meteoric rise of a prodigy, one who rivals the Divine Sword Sect's Little Sword Saint Ye Xin. His physical strength is terrifying—he can battle even armed Soul Masters with his bare hands, and even ordinary Nirvana Realm cultivators are suppressed by him. Because of his master, he's known as the Young Emperor."

As the scar-faced young man began to speak, the entire crowd fell silent, straining to catch every word.

Everyone present was a cultivator of some level, and since the scar-faced young man hadn't made any effort to lower his voice, they all heard him loud and clear.

As he continued, a chilling realization began to dawn on them, and they slowly turned their gazes toward the youth they had once thought of as a wastrel.

"The intelligence was wrong. The Vientiane Sect's patrol envoy in Ba Mountain City isn't that Bai kid—it's you…"

With those words, the scar-faced young man shot forward, unleashing the terrifying soul power of a Nirvana Realm expert. He aimed a fierce kick at the youth on the stage.

"Young Emperor Lin Qian!"