```
Boom!
In the sparring arena, Lin Qian's powerful soul power erupted from his body, making him appear like the brightest white star.
Crack!
As Lin Qian bent his body, the hard steel blue tiles of the arena beneath his feet emitted a crisp cracking sound and collapsed.
The youth, enveloped in brilliant soul power, shot into the sky like a cannonball, flipped, and violently thrust his leg toward the diving knife-scarred young man.
Boom!
Lin Qian's leg collided with that of the knife-scarred young man with a thunderous crash, creating a powerful shockwave that rippled around them from the clash of soul power and sheer physical strength.
The surrounding grandstands in the square's perimeter had their coverings shattered and blown away, and those with only Entering Yuan Realm strength were knocked to the ground by the shockwave from the collision.
Even those with Gathering Yuan Realm strength were forced to retreat several steps, even if not as helpless.
Meanwhile, Zhao Qiang and Zhao Jian, who were also in the Gathering Yuan Realm, remained standing steadily, despite being so close to Lin Qian and the knife-scarred youth's confrontation.
This displayed the natural disparity between the disciples of the Wanxiang Sect and the soul martial artists of this small town of Bashan City.
In mid-air, the two fighters both used each other's strength to float backward and land at their original positions.
"Impressive, you truly live up to the renowned title of Young Emperor." The knife-scarred young man returned to the grandstand of the Li family, flexing his slightly numb right leg, and praised Lin Qian without holding back.
Only, his expression was even darker than before.
Looking at Lin Qian, whose expression was unchanged and seemingly unaffected, the knife-scarred young man inwardly felt dissatisfied, "How did this kid do it? His physical strength is unbelievably terrifying."
He used to scoff at the rumors about the Young Emperor, thinking they were exaggerated tales, but after the brief combat just now, he realized Lin Qian's physical prowess exceeded what the rumors had described.
The knife-scarred young man was surprised, as were the twelve disciples of the Great Spear Sect behind him.
But Li Qin and the Li family members behind him were scared out of their wits.
Everyone in the Ye family, except for Ye Lin, was similarly stupefied.
The Bai family and others were also dumbfounded on the spot, and Bai Zun was bewildered too. His son had only told him that this Inspector wasn't him, but someone from the Ye family.
Bai Zun thought for a long time, unable to understand when someone so talented had emerged in the Ye family to become a Wanxiang Sect Inspector without his knowledge.
At this moment, Bai Zun shared the same thoughts as everyone in Bashan City.
What a joke, really?
The Inspector was actually Lin Qian?
The much-discussed new talent of the Wanxiang Sect, the Young Emperor, was Lin Qian?
The people of Bashan City, recalling the strange conversation between the knife-scarred young man and Lin Qian earlier, were enlightened.
It turned out the new talent of the Wanxiang Sect, known as the Young Emperor, was named Lin Qian. The knife-scarred young man, being a Nirvana Realm powerhouse of the Great Spear Sect, naturally knew the Young Emperor's real name.
But Bashan City was just a small town under the Wanxiang Sect's jurisdiction. How would they know the Young Emperor's name?
The knife-scarred young man's question to Lin Qian was actually asking him...
whether he was Young Emperor Lin Qian!
"Hah, I told you, Brother Lin is much stronger than you guys many times over," said Ye Lin proudly, glancing at the speechless Ye Long and Ye Feng siblings nearby.
At the forefront of the Ye family, Ye Nanxin also widened his eyes in disbelief, staring at Lin Qian on the arena, who already far surpassed him in strength.
Ye Nanxin finally understood why the Wanxiang Sect disciples were so courteous to him.
It was no wonder that the Bashan Wanxiang Trial would be held by the Ye family for no apparent reason.
No wonder when he expressed concern about whether the trial would disappoint the Inspector, Lin Qian confidently assured him that it wouldn't.
"Yes, this kid is the Inspector. If he says it won't, it certainly won't," Ye Nanxin mused, looking at the young man on the arena with a smile, "Brother Lin, Lin Qian truly is your son. Remarkable!"
At this moment, everything suddenly became clear.
"I have to admit, you are indeed a genius. Your soul power at the Fifth Level of the Shape Origin Realm is comparable to my Fourth Level in the Nirvana Realm. And the durability of your physique firmly suppresses mine," said the knife-scarred young man, spreading his hands across his chest, four objects gradually appeared in the soul light that flashed into being.
A small red dagger and three equally red metal spheres.
"Elemental Artifact Heart, Elemental Components!" Seeing the items drawn by the knife-scarred young man, Lin Qian's expression tightened, and he charged forward with soul power amassing in his fists.
"However, I know you have a fatal flaw because you cannot..." The knife-scarred young man grinned as he saw Lin Qian speeding toward him.
As the knife-scarred young man finished speaking, a red soul power erupted from his body, forming a dagger that enveloped the small red metal dagger.
Simultaneously, the three red metal spheres he was holding, infused with soul power, transformed into liquid metal, centering around the small metal dagger, and reformed into a dagger shape.
"Elemental Weapon Armament!"
The knife-scarred young man roared, causing the liquid metal to instantly solidify into a three-foot-long red dagger.
Grabbing the dagger that had coalesced before him, the knife-scarred young man cackled as he slashed down forcefully at the approaching Lin Qian.
The blazing soul light, imbued with a fiery essence, covered the blade, and collided with Lin Qian's punch.
The breathtaking scene once again appeared before the onlookers, with a flesh punch confronting a weaponized elemental artifact. This was the unfathomable combat style of the Wanxiang Sect's Young Emperor.
The blade slashed onto Lin Qian's fist, but the only sign on the blood-and-flesh fist was a white scar.
"He blocked it!" The spectators couldn't help but exclaim as Lin Qian used his bare fist to block the knife-scarred young man's strike.
"Hah!" The knife-scarred young man coldly smirked at the boy in close proximity, "You didn't forget the biggest feature of the Nirvana Realm, did you, Young Emperor?"
"Hmm?" Lin Qian paused upon hearing these words and saw the blade before him suddenly flare up with a blinding, blazing red light.
Boom!
A deafening explosion sounded as the knife-scarred young man's blade shot out a burst of intense flame, blasting Lin Qian away.
The unexpected explosion caught Lin Qian off guard and hit him directly, throwing him back onto the arena.
"Brother Lin." Bai Ren, Zhao Qiang, and Zhao Jian hurriedly rushed forward to help Lin Qian up from the ground.
As Lin Qian rose, he gestured to the three beside him, "No problem!"
"A Martial Soul of the Nirvana Realm will awaken a trait, and my trait is explosion," the knife-scarred young man said, tilting his head and swinging the dagger in his hand, pointing at Lin Qian. "By the way, I enjoy sharing, and fun things like tormenting the Young Emperor should naturally be experienced with fellow sect brothers."
The knife-scarred young man's words left everyone baffled.
But immediately, they understood.
Figures clad in red robes, ignoring everyone else's existence, flocked across the grandstand's aisle with formidable auras that left many people in Bashan City trembling on the floor.
In the blink of an eye, nearly a hundred red-robed figures had gathered around the knife-scarred young man, each casting a disdainful gaze at the startled residents of Bashan City.
"I heard your battle prowess impresses many, Young Emperor, but I have six Nirvana Realm and a hundred Shape Origin Realm disciples of the Great Spear Sect," the knife-scarred young man shouted loudly, staring at Lin Qian. "Today, I shall slaughter this Bashan City. How will you stop me?"
The knife-scarred young man pressed his thumb to his chest and shook his head, "I have more people!"
"More people?" Lin Qian was amused by these words, "Are you sure you want to compete with me on numbers?"
```