Martial Saint with Passives

The man’s face bore a seven-tenths resemblance to his own, yet it was far more composed and stately.

His eyes, deep as a starry night, were watching him calmly.

It was the very figure who had loomed over him like a mountain for more than twenty years.

His older cousin, the first on the Hidden Dragon List, Qin Xuange!

”Brother…” Qin Wuya began subconsciously, but then his eyes sharpened. ’No, this is an illusion!’

”Real or illusion, what’s the difference?” The ”Qin Xuange” opposite him slowly drew the battle saber from his waist, its tip pointing directly at Qin Wuya. His voice was flat yet held an unquestionable authority. ”Wuya, make your move. Let me see how much you’ve improved over the years!”

”Fine!”

The illusion stoked the deepest obsession in his heart, and Qin Wuya no longer hesitated!

The battle lust he had suppressed for years erupted in that instant!

With a furious roar, his body became a flash of lightning. A Long Spear had appeared in his hand at some point. He thrust it out like a dragon, its tip carrying a Tearing edge as it stabbed straight for ”Qin Xuange’s” heart!

However, facing this earth-shattering spear thrust, ”Qin Xuange” merely blocked it with a casual swing of his saber.

CLANG!

With a deceptively light, crisp sound, Qin Wuya felt a boundless and unstoppable—yet effortlessly wielded—power travel up the spear shaft, instantly neutralizing all of his Force!

Immediately after, ”Qin Xuange” flicked his wrist. The back of his saber slid down the spear’s shaft and tapped it lightly.

BANG!

Qin Wuya felt as if he’d been struck by lightning. An excruciating pain shot through the web of his thumb, and he could no longer hold his Long Spear, which flew from his grasp!

”You’ve lost.” ”Qin Xuange” sheathed his saber and stood, his tone as flat as ever.

”Impossible!” Qin Wuya’s eyes were bloodshot. He roared in defiance, lunging forward again, bare-handed!

But no matter how hard he tried, no matter how he erupted with power, all of his attacks were easily neutralized by ”Qin Xuange” in a way that was even more exquisite, even more powerful.

He was like a stumbling toddler flailing his fists at a towering giant. It was laughable, and pathetic.

In the end, ”Qin Xuange” tapped a finger between his brows. All the Strength in his body instantly scattered, and he collapsed weakly to his knees.

The scene changed again.

He found himself back in his childhood. He was a boy of only seven or eight, standing in the Qin Family’s Martial Arts Arena.

Across from him, his cousin Qin Xuange, also a child, was smiling at him.

”Again!” he shouted defiantly, rushing over and throwing a punch at his cousin.

But the next moment, he was sent crashing to the ground with a simple shoulder throw.

…

Again and again.

The scenes changed countless times.

Contests in their youth, their rankings on the Hidden Dragon List as young men, live combat drills in the army…

No matter the era, no matter how desperately he fought, no matter how many fortuitous encounters he had or how his power surged.

The final result was always the same.

Defeat!

And every single time, it was a defeat without suspense, an utter and complete rout.

In that endless cycle of failure, a series of familiar yet nightmarish voices began to echo in his ears.

That was his uncle, Qin Wei, the younger brother of General Qin Fuhu.

After he failed yet another challenge, his father would let out a sigh full of helplessness:

”Sigh… Wuya, you are good, very good indeed, but in the end… you’re still not as good as Xuange.”

Those were the family Elders, remarking with a sense of gratified inevitability after seeing Qin Xuange effortlessly break through a bottleneck:

”As expected of the Sect Leader’s eldest son! With Xuange alone, the Qin Family is set to prosper for the next hundred years!”

These words, like the most vicious curses, became sharp thorns that stabbed deep into his Dao Heart, constantly twisting and Tearing it apart!

’He didn’t want to lose!’

’He didn’t want to live forever in his cousin’s shadow!’

’He wanted to prove that he, Qin Wuya, was the Qin Family’s strongest genius!’

”AHHH!!!”

He roared like a madman, charging again and again at the figure he could never defeat!

Yet, all he got in return was one agonizing failure after another.

He couldn’t accept the fact that he would ”never be as good.”

Those feelings of defiance, anger, and jealousy finally morphed into boundless fury and despair.

His consciousness was slowly worn down and torn to shreds by these futile challenges.

In the end, his eyes lost all their light, leaving only numbness and emptiness.

His Dao Heart had been completely devoured by the obsession named ”Qin Xuange.”

VMMMM—

A flash of white light, and Qin Wuya’s figure was mercilessly teleported out of the grotto-mansion.

…

「Outside the grotto-mansion, around the sinkhole.」

Flashes of white light appeared one after another.

One after another, the chosen geniuses on whom high hopes had been placed were teleported out in quick succession.

Without exception, they had all failed the second trial.

Some had tried to imitate Jiang Che’s Fist Technique.

But after performing it, they discovered…

Their Fist Technique only had the form.

It lacked even a shred of Divine Charm!

As a result, the mural, without a doubt, did not light up.

This made them even more astonished that Jiang Che had comprehended the Fist Technique to such a degree in such a short time.

Others had tried to learn Qin Wuya’s brute-force method of breaking through.

But let alone copying it all perfectly,

even perfectly replicating one or two moves was incredibly difficult!

In the end, the area around the sinkhole was filled with eliminated young elites.

”Wait, are Qin Wuya, Gu Qingxuan, Chen Jiayu, Lin Qingyun, Jiang Che, and Fang Muye the only ones left inside?” someone said suddenly after taking a headcount.

”Yeah, looks like the final winner will be one of them! I think Qin Wuya has the best chance!”

”I feel like Gu Qingxuan has a better chance of passing this Temperament trial!”