Standing at the very edge of the massive crowd, Qiu Yan adjusted the thin white veil covering her face, her gaze fixed on the disciples of the Dust Valley Sect in the distance.

She had expected a large turnout, but the sheer number of spectators stunned even her.

The crowd had swelled to an exaggerated degree, suffocating and overwhelming.

She had thought she could quietly slip in, watch the Dust Valley Sect's disciples display their alchemy skills, and then leave without drawing attention.

But she had been wrong.

Horribly wrong.

The entire place was filled to the brim

Just as she was about to turn back toward the martial battle arena, her steps halted.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a familiar silhouette.

Her body froze.

Slowly, almost unwillingly, she fixed her gaze on that figure.

Her lips parted.

Her eyes widened.

"T-This… How could this be…" she whispered, her voice trembling as though she could not trust her own sight.

She had considered many possibilities, many hidden forces that could be backing him. She had speculated endlessly about his origin.

But never…never in her wildest imagination had she thought it would be this.

"No… No… Impossible." She shook her head violently, forcing herself to breathe.

"I must not jump to conclusions… I can't."

Even so, the seed of realization gnawed at her heart, refusing to be uprooted.

Without a second thought, she allowed the tide of bodies to carry her along.

The Dust Valley Sect's next competition was the Array Contest, and she refused to let her doubts fester without answers.

She tried to push through the sea of people for a better vantage point, but the crowd was merciless.

No one would yield even half a step.

She considered, for the briefest of moments, invoking her clan name to clear a path.

Yet doing so would reveal her identity, and that, she could not allow.

Grinding her teeth, she resigned herself to watching from behind.

Ten minutes later, gasps and cries shook the Array Competition Hall as the disciples of the Dust Valley Sect emerged victorious once again.

"This is insane!"

"I thought they were all talk, that they only had theory without practice! But what's this?" a young man shouted, his voice trembling with excitement.

"What do you know? The Dust Valley Sect are monsters! Every method they use defies reason!"

"You're right. Their disciple didn't even spend five minutes before pointing out ten flaws in the array!"

"Ten flaws? That's impossible! Shouldn't there only be five or six at most?"

"If you're asking me, then who am I supposed to ask?"

The roar of discussion spread like wildfire, yet Qiu Yan barely heard it.

Her heart thundered in her chest with anticipation and fear tangled together.

"Should I use my clan's name?" she wondered, biting her lip.

Remaining at the back was already suffocating her.

She wanted—no, she needed to step forward, to see his face clearly, to confirm whether the young man who could summon wind and rain in the Southern Region truly belonged to the Dust Valley Sect.

But hesitation gripped her.

What if she was wrong?

What if she was right?

She was afraid of both answers.

Her emotions surged like storm waves, crashing one after another until she could barely think.

She forced herself to exhale, then inhale, again and again, trying to calm her racing heart.

Tens of thousands of audience surged around her like an unstoppable tide.

The sheer momentum of the crowd was terrifying, like a swarm of locusts devouring everything in its path.

Even more frightening was that the numbers kept growing, a phenomenon that had never once occurred since the founding of the Assembly Summit.

What were the Ancient Clans?

What were the Ancient Sects?

Compared to the overwhelming brilliance of the Dust Valley Sect, they all seemed pale, diminished, and utterly ordinary.

Arriving at the Rune Hall, the crowd collectively held their breath.

Even Qiu Yan clenched her hands until her knuckles turned white.

Would the Dust Valley Sect dominate once again?

The answer came swiftly.

Ten minutes later, it was over.

The Dust Valley Sect's victory was overwhelming.

An overkill.

The other sects and clans never stood a chance.

Watching them was like watching children fumbling against monsters.

Their former pride and confidence shattered like fragile glass.

All they could do was stand in silence as the Dust Valley disciples strode calmly toward the next competition hall.

At the Artifact Refining Hall, the challenge was to complete half a Tier-1 artifact.

The fastest record in history had been three hours. Yet the Dust Valley Sect disciples completed it in one.

One hour.

The impossible had been crushed under their hands and remade into reality.

Qiu Yan's suspicion solidified.

Her suspicions were no longer a matter of "if."

She knew without doubt that the mysterious young master of the Thousand Wealth Chamber had ties to the Dust Valley Sect.

The final competition was the game of Go.

Stories of their unmatched mastery had already spread, and everyone wanted to witness it firsthand.

The moment the match began, the truth became undeniable. Two girls from the Dust Valley Sect dismantled their opponents in ten minutes flat.

The young master from Ping Manor clenched his fists in despair.

His face twisted with rage and humiliation, but his words never left his lips.

Deflated, he slumped into his seat like a pierced balloon.

"How could they be this terrifying?" Qiu Yan murmured aloud, her voice shaking.

Even the legendary Ping Manor, whose name had echoed through the capital for centuries, was reduced to nothing more than a spectator.

And now, two disciples of the Dust Valley Sect had reached the final without facing a single true rival.

Their names were already destined to be etched into the annals of history.

Qiu Yan's eyes lingered not on the victors but on one figure among them. The boy who never changed his expression.

No joy, no surprise, no pride.

He looked as though everything unfolding before him was expected, inevitable.

It was the same as back in the Southern Region.

He was an enigma.

"Why do I feel as though he's the young master of the sect?" she whispered to herself.

From the subtle respect in the disciples' gestures toward him, she could sense it, his position was high.

Shaking her head, she forced herself to step back.

She had to return to her clan, to think carefully about how to handle this revelation.

Should she meet him?

Should she avoid him?

After all, it could be said… he was her boss.

But what could she possibly say to him?

Her thoughts spun in endless circles, colliding and scattering.

Then, just as she was about to turn away, a voice whispered directly into her ear.

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