The Peerless Emperor (TPE)

Despite the rumors swirling outside, Lin Qian remained secluded in his room, rarely making an appearance. Wei Wushuang, his master, was curious about what his disciple was doing day in and day out, but he refrained from interrupting. He and his junior brother, Qin Wushuang, had been discussing Lin Qian's impending life-and-death duel with Lei Qian, and they both agreed that they couldn't just let Lin Qian throw his life away.

According to Qin Wushuang's plan, he had already spoken with another of the sect's Grand Elders, arranging for an intervention to save Lin Qian when the time came.

"As long as we can save Lin Qian, I'll take him away from Wanxiang Sect. Once I'm fully recovered, what do I have to fear from that old bastard Lei?" Wei Wushuang had calculated everything down to the last detail.

Inside his room, Lin Qian suddenly produced a wooden tub filled with boiling, crimson liquid. He stared at the steaming, red potion and then, after removing his clothes, lowered himself into the tub.

The boiling liquid, which would scald anyone else, felt like nothing more than warm water to Lin Qian, a comfortable sensation. He sat cross-legged in the tub, submerging his entire body under the surface.

Closing his eyes, Lin Qian entered a state of deep meditation, activating the newly updated Imperial Art (Di Huang Jue). As he focused on his cultivation, the potent medicinal properties of the crimson liquid began to permeate his body.

While his toughened body could easily withstand the boiling liquid, the true challenge lay within. Once the medicinal power entered his system, it felt as though he were being submerged in molten lava, burning his muscles, bones, and flesh.

Gritting his teeth, Lin Qian endured the excruciating pain, continuing to circulate his energy, refining every part of his body.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The pounding energy, infused with the essence of the liquid and the spiritual energy from Tianhen (Heaven's Mark), was like a blacksmith's hammer, relentlessly forging his body.

Through countless cycles of tempering, Lin Qian's body would ascend to an entirely new level, experiencing a dramatic transformation.

However, the crimson liquid did more than just strengthen his body—it also transformed into soul power, rapidly elevating his cultivation.

As his soul power fluctuated and evolved, the changes within Lin Qian became astonishing to behold.

"What?" Wei Wushuang, standing in the courtyard, suddenly shot to his feet, staring in shock at the direction of Lin Qian's room.

He could clearly sense Lin Qian's aura—it had already reached the fifth stage of the nine-round Nirvana process.

Moreover, within just one hour, Lin Qian's cultivation had leaped from the first stage of the Soul Shaping Realm to the third stage.

Three stages in one hour—this cultivation speed was something Wei Wushuang had never even heard of.

"What on earth is that kid doing?" Wei Wushuang was tempted to storm into Lin Qian's room, but he knew better. If his rash actions disrupted whatever Lin Qian was doing, it could spell disaster.

Inside the room, Lin Qian was unaware that his master had been completely shaken by his cultivation speed.

In the past, Zhuge Ming and the Tian Gong Division had known very little about this world. Even the transformation of their own bodies to possess martial souls and soul power had left them puzzled.

This was why Lin Qian had long planned to acquire copies of all the texts in the Wanxiang Sect's library and hand them over to Zhuge Ming for study.

Previously, Zhuge Ming had devised Lin Qian's cultivation methods based only on limited data from observing Lin Qian's body.

But now, with the full collection of the library's texts as reference data, the Tian Gong Division under Zhuge Ming's leadership had made significant breakthroughs in their research.

The first major development was an extensive update to Lin Qian's Imperial Art, increasing his cultivation speed by tenfold!

Yes, tenfold.

When Lin Qian first heard Zhuge Ming's conclusion, he was stunned.

Additionally, Zhuge Ming had devised a rapid nine-round Nirvana acceleration plan.

Based on Zhuge Ming's research, while Lin Qian's physical strength was indeed unmatched in his realm, it was still weaker than Wei Wushuang's at his peak.

However, Lin Qian's life essence far surpassed that of Wei Wushuang.

In essence, while Wei Wushuang's life essence remained mortal, Lin Qian's had already transcended to the divine, granting him a body akin to that of a god.

If this weren't the case, Lin Qian's dantian would never have been able to contain the vast expanse of the Huaxia Empire.

Given Lin Qian's unique physique and the characteristics of the nine-round Nirvana process, Zhuge Ming and the Tian Gong Division had developed a method now known as the "Nirvana Flame Bath."

The Nirvana Flame Bath dramatically refined Lin Qian's body and, by converting its vast medicinal properties into soul power, rapidly accelerated his cultivation.

The progression through the Soul Shaping Realm was merely a transformation of soul power.

The purpose of the nine-round Nirvana process was to shatter and disperse soul power, stimulating the martial soul and increasing its power when it fully awakened at the Nirvana Realm.

The Nirvana Flame Bath refined Lin Qian's body, and with his superior physique and elevated life essence, it flooded his system with massive amounts of medicinal power and spiritual energy, forcefully elevating his cultivation.

As his soul power scattered, the Nirvana Flame Bath sealed Lin Qian's body, preventing even the slightest waste.

This method maximized the stimulation of his martial soul, refined his body, and ensured that the shattered soul power would be the greatest aid in the next round of Nirvana.

Through meticulous calculations by Zhuge Ming and the Tian Gong Division, Lin Qian was undergoing a groundbreaking, unprecedented nine-round Nirvana process.

The fastest growth, the most abundant soul power, the maximum martial soul stimulation, the strongest body—

And a unique dual martial soul!

"People of this world, prepare to tremble," Zhuge Ming muttered as he observed Lin Qian's ever-growing power through the massive tactical mirror in the Tian Gong Division's headquarters.

Lin Qian was their sovereign, and they would not allow any harm to befall him.

As Zhuge Ming watched Lin Qian's growing strength displayed on the tactical mirror, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

"This is our peerless emperor!"

Time flew by, and before anyone realized it, the day of Lin Qian's life-and-death duel with Lei Qian had arrived.

On the Discipline Peak, home to the Wanxiang Sect's Discipline Hall, there was a wide stage for life-and-death battles.

Within the sect, when conflicts reached an irreconcilable point where only one could survive, they were settled here.

Once a life-and-death duel contract was signed, it could only be nullified by mutual consent, or it would result in death.

Moreover, once the duel was concluded, the victor was prohibited from seeking further trouble with anyone related to the loser, and vice versa.

The conflict was considered resolved once a result was reached on the stage.

If violated, the sect would step in to punish the offender.

Life-and-death duels were rare, but the unique identities of the participants this time had drawn a large crowd of disciples to the stage on the appointed day.

Even before the duel began, the surrounding disciples were already deep in discussion.

The overwhelming majority believed that Lin Qian, this time, was doomed with no chance of survival.