The Peerless Emperor (TPE)

That's right—Lin Qian was actually the true first place winner of the final match.

The first match of the finals was between Lin Qian and Li Yunfeng.

Li Yunfeng was a renowned genius throughout the Southern Region, having undergone ten rounds of Nirvana and possessing a Mid-grade A-class Martial Soul with the "Pierce" attribute, which could ignore 40% of the opponent's soul power defense!

Facing such a formidable opponent and at Li Yunfeng's insistence that Lin Qian use his full strength, Lin Qian did as requested and unleashed his full power.

When his twelve-layer soul radiance appeared, it dazzled everyone, leaving them speechless.

Even Zhou Yi'an, who was watching the battle, choked on seawater in shock at the sight of Lin Qian's twelve rounds of Nirvana!

After a fierce battle, Lin Qian held back slightly, only fully unleashing his thunder soul power without using his Cloud Sword Martial Soul or the ice and emperor attributes of his soul power. Nevertheless, with his vast experience, he still defeated Li Yunfeng.

Similarly, when faced with Lin Qian's full power, Zhang Zide also admitted defeat, not to mention the others.

So, in reality, Lin Qian won every match in the finals and claimed the top spot.

Despite being at the Void-breaking Realm and Soaring Sky Stage, Lin Qian demonstrated such strength that he became the trump card of both the Eight-Armed Sea Tribe and the Xiaoyao Sect.

According to the rules, they would enter the ancient human ruins under the names of the Eight-Armed Sea Tribe and their human allies, the Xiaoyao Sect.

The exact nature of the ancient human ruins was still unclear to them.

But what they did know was that their success within the ruins would depend on their collective strength.

Moreover, once they entered the ruins, no one outside would be aware of what was happening inside. There was a possibility that someone within the group might try to betray or attack them.

Lin Qian, as the trump card, was meant to deceive potential enemies, making them underestimate him. When the time came, he would unleash his overwhelming strength and counter their plans.

The three subsequent competitions—alchemy, weapon crafting, and formation—were as lively as the earlier matches, but a few young figures were missing from the viewing platform of the Eastern Branch.

At the Eastern Branch's residence, the array covering the estate trembled continuously. In the martial field of the front hall, two golden soul powers clashed fiercely.

One carried the sound of thunder, while the other radiated sharpness.

Boom!

The two figures separated, each retreating backward.

The two sparring partners were none other than Lin Qian and Li Yunfeng.

Seeing Lin Qian retreat three meters while he himself retreated four meters, Li Yunfeng shook his head in frustration. "I lost again. Lin Qian, your combat strength is just too strong."

"It's rare to see you admit defeat, Li Madman. This is probably the only place where anyone would witness that," Zhang Zide teased from the side.

"Why don't you come and spar with me, then?" Li Yunfeng shot Zhang Zide a challenging look, bubbles rising from his water-breathing soul device.

Zhang Zide chuckled and flexed his eight arms, stepping onto the martial field.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Lin Qian stomped on the sapphire gold ground of the martial field, producing a deep sound. He quickly called out to Li Yunfeng, "Hey, hey, aren't you forgetting something?"

Hearing Lin Qian's reminder, Li Yunfeng smiled sheepishly. "I got too caught up in the fight and forgot."

After saying that, Li Yunfeng quickly handed a small storage ring to Lin Qian.

Once he handed it over, Li Yunfeng eagerly engaged Zhang Zide in battle.

Meanwhile, Lin Qian extended his consciousness into the storage ring, finding it filled with various books, just as Li Yunfeng had said.

According to Li Yunfeng, Zhou Yi'an had asked him to bring these books to Lin Qian, which left Lin Qian puzzled.

Why was Zhou Yi'an giving him these books out of the blue? It wasn't time for their trade yet.

However, when Lin Qian asked for the books, Li Yunfeng requested a sparring match in exchange—a typical request from a battle maniac like him.

But when Lin Qian examined the contents of the storage ring, he was stunned.

Initially, Lin Qian thought Zhou Yi'an would send him twenty or so books as a gesture of goodwill, perhaps a hundred at most to show appreciation for his strength.

Considering the ongoing negotiations between them, a small gift wasn't unusual.

But Lin Qian was shocked to find tens of thousands of books neatly stored in the ring, including the Extreme Gold Infinite Sword Art!

What was this? This was the very technique Li Yunfeng practiced and the current leader of the Xiaoyao Sect, Li Yunfeng's father, also cultivated!

Such a valuable technique, and they were just giving it to him?

Upon closer inspection, Lin Qian noticed that all the books were of extremely high quality, with a total value of over 80 million top-grade soul crystals.

To send him something of such worth left Lin Qian uncertain of Zhou Yi'an's intentions.

But since they were already given to him, Lin Qian saw no reason to refuse and sent all the books into the Huaxia Empire.

Not long after the books arrived in the Huaxia Empire, Lin Qian felt a sensation in his mind. Soul power gathered before him, forming a golden system framework. Soon, a blue window appeared, revealing Zhuge Ming's face.

"Your Majesty, we have made a significant discovery among those books," Zhuge Ming said excitedly. "It provides substantial support for the Puppet Body Plan."

"What? Really?" Lin Qian responded in his mind, his voice resonating within the Huaxia Empire, echoing through the Heavenly Craftsmen Department.

The Puppet Body Plan was a technique that could allow the Huaxia Empire's generals to arrive in this world ahead of time.

According to Zhuge Ming's design, they would create a puppet body into which the generals could infuse their power, refining it into something akin to a clone.

This way, the generals could leave the Huaxia Empire via the Heavenly Scar and assist Lin Qian directly.

It's important to remember that the Huaxia Empire's Imperial Army, led by generals, was a completely different force. Generals, with their army synergy skills, could enhance their troops' strength significantly.

Additionally, the generals themselves were much stronger than ordinary soldiers!

If the Puppet Body Plan succeeded, figures like the Legion Commander and Zhuge Ming could leave the Huaxia Empire and appear by Lin Qian's side to assist him.

Even if it was only a puppet body with a fraction of their true power, the strength that the Huaxia Empire's top warriors and strategists could exert would be enough to shake the entire Soul Martial Continent!

"What exactly did you discover that excites you so much about the Puppet Body Plan?"