The Peerless Emperor (TPE)

In the courtyard, Lin Qian and Ye Xin sat together, quietly gazing upward. The courtyard where Lin Qian resided had been modified—there was no water, but the rest of the courtyard, including the sky above, was still underwater. Fish swam overhead, and sunlight filtered through the water, creating a hazy, beautiful scene.

In a soft voice, Lin Qian recounted the events of the past few days to Ye Xin, while she, in turn, explained the current situation in Linhai Prefecture.

After Lin Qian left, Linhai Prefecture remained orderly, with no unexpected incidents. The entire Linhai Prefecture, along with the Starting Region, had been unified under the Hua Xia Empire, and strict laws were enforced, forbidding violence and preventing needless killing.

This newfound peace had won the hearts of many people, who were now deeply loyal to the Hua Xia Empire. Living under such a regime meant no longer living in constant fear. In the past, even a glance at a powerful soul martial artist could result in death if that person was in a foul mood.

But now, with the Hua Xia Empire's military stationed in Linhai Prefecture and the laws strictly enforced, no one dared to cause trouble.

However, Ye Xin had been worried that this newfound peace might weaken the people's fighting spirit. She wondered what would happen if other forces from different regions invaded. And what would happen if the Hua Xia Empire's military couldn't handle everything? If the new citizens of the empire needed to fight, but their strength was insufficient, what then?

After considering Ye Xin's concerns, Lin Qian smiled and reassured her, "It's an easy fix. People who cultivate will never become weak. As their cultivation progresses, their lifespan increases. Who wouldn't be tempted by that?"

"As for their combat abilities, it's simple—just make sure they keep training. I'll work on a plan for that, so you don't have to worry." Lin Qian gently patted Ye Xin's shoulder to comfort her.

Ye Xin nodded quietly, smiling. "Then I'll wait to see your brilliant plan, Xiao Qian."

"Right now, your task is to focus on cultivating so that when the ancient human ruins open, you can gain something from them," Lin Qian said, looking at Ye Xin. "I'll have Zhuge Ming prepare a potion suited for you and modify your cultivation technique accordingly."

Ye Xin nodded lightly, trusting Lin Qian's words completely.

Afterward, Lin Qian slowly channeled his soul power into Ye Xin's body, carefully examining her condition. Once he gathered the necessary data, he sent it to Zhuge Ming in the Hua Xia Empire to adjust her cultivation technique and prepare the appropriate potion.

Currently, Ye Xin was at the Void Piercing Realm, steadily accumulating soul power. Her cultivation was progressing rapidly. However, unlike Lin Qian, she couldn't store soul power and didn't have access to the same wartime breakthrough methods.

The next day, the second round of the clan tournament began.

On the Eastern Branch Clan's viewing platform, Zhang Zide and the others couldn't stop staring at the beautiful young woman next to Lin Qian. It took them a while to find their words.

"So this is your fiancée?" Li Yunfeng, the quickest to recover, asked Lin Qian.

Lin Qian smiled and nodded, holding Ye Xin's hand as he introduced her. "This is my fiancée, Ye Xin. I got the slot for the ancient human ruins just for her."

"Hahaha, with such beauty and grace, it's no wonder you said that Du Ziyue was being presumptuous. It makes sense now," Zhang Zide laughed.

"Your Majesty!" Zhang Qi, who had met Ye Xin before, greeted her with a smile.

Meanwhile, Zhang Wenxuan curiously observed Ye Xin. Not long after, Zhang Wenxuan and Ye Xin wandered off to chat, their clear, bell-like laughter occasionally ringing out. As fellow women, they naturally found plenty to talk about.

As the tournament resumed, the Eastern Branch Clan's viewing platform became lively once again with heated debates.

"Sister-in-law, care to have a little debate?" Zhang Zide asked Ye Xin with a confident smile.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Zhang Wenxuan protested, pulling Ye Xin away. "Ye Xin, you don't have to entertain him."

In the end, Ye Xin simply smiled and shook her head, indicating that it was fine, and accepted Zhang Zide's challenge.

Seeing this, Zhang Qi looked at Zhang Zide with pity and shook his head.

Moments later, Zhang Zide was crouched on the ground, eight arms covering his face, his body trembling.

Li Yunfeng, after pulling his gaze away from Ye Xin in shock, crouched next to Zhang Zide and nudged him. "Hey, don't tell me you're crying from the beating?"

"Heh..." Zhang Zide slowly removed his hands, revealing his reddened eyes. "Do I look like I'm crying? Don't be ridiculous."

Zhang Wenxuan hurried over to Ye Xin, grabbing her hand in amazement. "Ye Xin, you're incredible!"

"Of course! His Majesty and Empress Ye are a formidable couple. I've also lost to Empress Ye before," Zhang Zide sighed.

Compared to Lin Qian's overwhelming power, Ye Xin wasn't completely defenseless. But her combat experience far exceeded Zhang Qi's, and it didn't take long for her to gain the upper hand, eventually overwhelming him completely.

After all, Ye Xin had trained under Zhang Jun, and in terms of combat experience, she was only slightly behind Lin Qian.

Though Zhang Zide's cultivation was far superior to Ye Xin's, challenging her in a battle of wits and strategy was a recipe for disaster.

So, in just a short time, Zhang Zide lost twenty-seven debates in a row, feeling utterly defeated. It was even worse because he lost to a woman who was also his sister-in-law. The humiliation was almost too much to bear.

Not long after, the match ended, and two red lights flashed on the scoreboard.

Unlike the first round, the second round had two simultaneous matches, with two participants selected at random.

As the lights stopped flashing, Li Yunfeng's expression changed, and he quickly turned to Lin Qian.

Lin Qian glanced at the scoreboard, where two portraits appeared. One of them was his, and the other belonged to a human with a single, ominous name: "Kill."

Lin Qian had noticed "Kill" before during the first round, when he had defeated his opponent in a single move. With strength at the Life and Death Realm's Force Stage, "Kill" was formidable.

"Lin Qian, be careful. This guy is dangerous," Li Yunfeng warned, his tone serious as Lin Qian prepared to step onto the stage.

"Hmm?" Lin Qian looked at Li Yunfeng curiously, unsure why he was so concerned.

"Kill enjoys torturing his opponents, slowly tormenting them to death," Li Yunfeng explained. "If things go wrong, don't hesitate to surrender."