Daqin arrests alchemists, what does it matter to me as a qi refiner?

"If you can kill Yang Ling, it will be of great benefit to you!" the elder said without hesitation. Huo Zun understood the elder's implication; after all, Yang Ling was indeed far too arrogant.

Although they didn't say much at the time, Yang Ling had already refused their invitation. They wanted to see if Yang Ling could escape from their grasp and who would prevail.

Huo Zun turned his gaze to Yang Ling, and their eyes met. Previously, Huo Zun had concealed his true intentions very well, and Yang Ling hadn't noticed a thing.

Huo Zun knew he needed to make a statement in front of the Qin family elders, so he had remained calm and composed throughout. He had remained unmoved by Yang Ling's provocation, but now he could no longer contain himself.

"Finally, we get to see the Huo family make a move! It's a rare sight indeed! The Huo family never makes a move lightly in the past!"

"I also remember that he never took anyone seriously. To witness him in action is enough to make me feel fulfilled!" The crowd discussed animatedly. For most of them, Huo Zun was an object of their admiration. In the past, Huo Zun was the strongest, and since they didn't know much about Yang Ling, they believed that Yang Ling was bound to lose. Being able to see Huo Zun in action firsthand made them quite excited.

"I want to see who wins! In any case, Yang Ling will definitely lose!" they said through gritted teeth. Huo Zun looked at Yang Ling, feeling a mix of emotions.

"If you return to the Qin family, we will still be fellow disciples. I didn't want to use such cruel methods, but you forced me to do it all!" Hearing Huo Zun's words, Yang Ling's facial muscles twitched slightly. Huo Zun really dared to say that; he was utterly shameless.

"If you have no shame, don't drag me into this! Besides, if you were to end your own life now, I might leave you with a whole corpse!"

"Finally, please don't blame me!" Huo Zun couldn't hold back any longer. He regretted not taking action against Yang Ling back then and shouldn't have let Yang Ling live until now.

"I've heard you're incredibly strong; I'd like to see for myself today!" He wanted to know just how capable Yang Ling was, whether he was truly as formidable as the rumors suggested. He didn't believe it, and the Qin family elder was also curious, clearly not wanting things to turn out this way. However, Yang Ling didn't attack directly; instead, he threw a punch, the force of which shattered the arena beneath his feet. Their expressions changed drastically; the power unleashed by these two was actually evenly matched!

"Huo Zun is indeed extraordinary, possessing such terrifying strength at such a young age! However, Yang Ling's abilities are also quite impressive!"

"He can actually still go back to the Qin family. After all, he can get a lot of benefits from going back to the Qin family, can't he?"

"Old man, stop thinking about it. The incident back then caused quite a stir. Do you really think he'd even look at the Qin family? Besides, Huo Zun isn't weak; Yang Ling might not last!" When Huo Zun faced Yang Ling, he felt himself being forced back several steps by a powerful force. Yang Ling's physique was so strong that he felt as if he were facing a towering mountain; the strength was far beyond what ordinary people could possess. He roared, and a dragon's shadow appeared behind him, lunging at Yang Ling with a deafening roar.

Yang Ling's expression was indifferent. His aura intertwined with the two forces, creating a terrifying effect. Even from a great distance, one could feel the oppressive force.

"Weren't you supposed to be very strong? How come you were so easily defeated? I don't think your skills are anything special. It's just an exaggeration from the rumors. You're not even worth my attention!"

He pointed at Yang Ling, not expecting Yang Ling to provoke him like this; it seemed he shouldn't have spared Yang Ling's life.

"You don't actually think I'd show you any mercy, do you?" he roared, unleashing a torrent of flames. Some said he had obtained a strange fire capable of refining ordinary flames. Yang Ling, watching this, had initially thought it was incredibly powerful, but with a simple wave of his hand, he dissolved the flames into nothingness.

"Your flames are strong? They look rather weak. You think you're worthy to be my enemy with such meager strength?" he mocked. Yang Ling's aura was indeed powerful, and he stopped what he was doing.

Huo Zun thought to himself, this won't do. He can't outlast Yang Ling at all. Yang Ling's physique is just too strong.

He decided to take the risk and unleashed the weapon he had hidden for many years.

"I never expected you could force me to use this knife!"

Huo Zun gritted his teeth and said, word by word.

His face was contorted, his expression ferocious; from beginning to end, he hadn't gained the slightest advantage over Yang Ling. This time, he was determined to finish the fight quickly.

The "Death Slash" in his hand was a high-grade magical artifact.

In his view, Yang Ling was no match for him.

He instantly gained energy and drew his sword. The Qin family members stared at Yang Ling, secretly delighted. If Yang Ling could truly return to the Qin family, he would become a great asset. He wielded the "Death Slash" and slashed fiercely at Yang Ling, the blade radiating a strange white light, its aura extremely peculiar.

Sensing Huo Zun's presence, Yang Ling unhesitatingly struck towards Huo Zun's location. This scene stunned everyone else; no one expected Yang Ling to act so swiftly, his movements too fast for them to react to.

"I think Yang Ling is amazing. He didn't get hurt at all from beginning to end, and he was so relaxed and at ease!"

"That's right, even Huo Zun probably wouldn't be a match for him!"

"That's right. I thought Huo Zun had the victory in the bag, but now it seems that's not necessarily the case!" Huo Zun sensed the aura in the sword, his expression became slightly more serious, and he wanted to finish the battle quickly. However, the next second, his body began to tremble involuntarily.

Yang Ling took a step back, distancing himself from Huo Zun, his face as cold as ice, and took a deep breath. Huo Zun had clearly underestimated Yang Ling's strength; the powerful impact had almost sent him flying. He coughed and spat out a mouthful of blood. Faced with Yang Ling's overwhelming power, his own strength seemed utterly insignificant, leaving everyone astonished.

"Huo Zun actually lost? This is so unusual, I can hardly believe it!" "Yeah, I can't believe it either, how could Huo Zun lose to Yang Ling?"

"How is this possible? Are you kidding me?"

If they hadn't witnessed it with their own eyes, they would have found it hard to believe. Although they had heard rumors about Yang Ling, he had always been unknown to them, so they hadn't taken him seriously. Even though Yang Ling could defeat many strong opponents, they felt that Huo Zun was different. However, what was happening now completely overturned their ideas; Huo Zun had actually been defeated by Yang Ling.

"It seems Huo Zun lost this time. Yang Ling is stronger, and he's an old acquaintance of the former Young Master Qin!"

"Young Master Qin's strength goes without saying, and Yang Ling has surpassed him even further!" They analyzed calmly. Although Huo Zun was also very strong, he was still far inferior to Yang Ling. Someone was puzzled and asked, "If we don't get rid of Yang Ling, he will surely become a major threat to the Qin family in the future. Why not take this opportunity to eliminate him? Do you know his background?"

Huo Zun did not easily admit defeat. He was filled with resentment and confusion, unable to understand why he had failed to defeat Yang Ling. He sneered, stood up, and charged at Yang Ling again.

"You don't think this is the end, do you? This is just the beginning!" he said, enunciating each word clearly. It was obvious that Huo Zun had been driven to the brink by Yang Ling, hence his frantic actions. Yang Ling, however, remained calm and composed, a fact that everyone noticed.

Yang Ling had expected Huo Zun to unleash tremendous power, but it turned out to be only this much. The two fought fiercely, evenly matched, when Huo Zun's strength suddenly surged, containing terrifying power. Yang Ling was not to be outdone and fought him to a draw.

During his fight with Yang Ling, Huo Zun vaguely felt his strength gradually dissipating, while Yang Ling seemed unaffected, as if he had no fatigue. Huo Zun couldn't understand why he, who was clearly stronger, had lost to Yang Ling. He clenched his fists and roared, "Why are you so strong? I shouldn't have lost to you! I was trained by many families, how could I lose to you?" His words carried a hint of accusation. Yang Ling, however, remained unmoved. Huo Zun was covered in blood, a far cry from his previous prowess, and riddled with wounds. While Yang Ling also had minor injuries, he was virtually unharmed compared to Huo Zun.

"Didn't you try to scheme against me before? How come you didn't expect this day to come? Didn't you think you were so great before? Now you can't take my brunt of it, can you?" Huo Zun had come to cause trouble time and time again, and Yang Ling had already been merciful by not eliminating him. Today, he would send Huo Zun on his way.

Yang Ling thought to himself, then pointed at Huo Zun and laughed heartily. Yang Ling was indeed much more cautious than he had imagined, but so what? When Huo Zun charged forward again, Yang Ling threw a punch directly at him, aiming for his vitals. Seeing this, the Qin family elder caught Yang Ling's attack from a distance, but the attack still had a significant impact on him. Yang Ling looked at the person who had suddenly appeared, feeling somewhat displeased.

"You Qin family members are truly shameless! Do you want me to wipe you out without leaving a single survivor? I've already said, I don't take you Qin family seriously! Don't bother me again, or your end won't be good!" Yang Ling said, each word distinct, his eyes revealing an unprecedented determination. Hearing Yang Ling's words, they gritted their teeth; none of them had expected this. To them, Yang Ling's strength was clearly superior.

Why are you being so aggressive? Or do you really intend to do that?

The Qin family elders softened their tone, after all, they only wanted to discuss the matter with Yang Ling. Moreover, Huo Zun was now a member of the Qin family; if Yang Ling really dealt with him, where would the Qin family's reputation be?
"No matter what, just do me a favor! You absolutely cannot kill this man! No matter what, you cannot take his life in front of us!" he said, enunciating each word clearly. Yang Ling listened as if he had heard a joke, staring at the man before him.

"You're just outer sect elders, do you really think I don't know what's going on? With his strength, he wants to enter the Qin family's inner sect? He's not qualified!" Actually, Yang Ling was right, but because Huo Zun was their face, they didn't want to see Yang Ling make a big fuss. Seeing how ungrateful these people from the Qin family were, Ying Zheng stood up.

"You Qin family members, you've always been like this! Then I'll teach you old fogies a lesson!" he shouted. Upon seeing him, a thought crossed his mind: Why are these two here? Could the female head of the family be here too? His heart skipped a beat.

"Can't you talk to us properly? Let's talk things out!"

Immediately afterwards, a sharp glint flashed in Yang Ling's eyes.

If he weren't unwilling to take action at this moment, he would have already dealt with these people in front of him.

The Qin family members feigned composure and slowly spoke, "Why escalate things to this point? When you joined the Qin family, you were exceptionally talented. If you were willing to accept our invitation and return to the Qin family, wouldn't that be a win-win situation?" They wouldn't have tried to persuade an ordinary person to stay, but Yang Ling was no ordinary individual; he was worth nurturing, and perhaps they could even resolve their past grievances. Seeing the elders stand up for him, Huo Zun gave the elders a grateful look.

"I am truly grateful to the elders for their help!" In Huo Zun's view, although he is currently unable to defeat Yang Ling, once he becomes stronger, he will be able to easily defeat Yang Ling, at which point Yang Ling will be like an ant to be slaughtered at his mercy.

Yang Ling stood there, as if he had heard a joke.

"It's a real shame that people from the Qin family aren't acting. I already left the Qin family, and now you want to invite me back? Do you think I'll agree?"

He didn't say much.

"Elder Zuo is a member of the Qin family, and so am I, but we usually manage our own affairs. Of course, I want to take you as my disciple. You are very strong, and with training, you will definitely reach a higher level!" Elder Zuo did not refute, but his words carried a hint of sarcasm.

"He's so unruly, you still want him to go back to the Qin family? You're dreaming!" Huo Zun glanced at Yang Ling and said quickly.

"Even if you can beat me now, so what? I'm just letting you win one round. Once I improve my skills, I'll definitely take you down!"

"There's no point in talking to someone like that. His strength is mediocre. Letting him into the Qin family would be a waste of the Qin family's resources!" they said seriously. The Right Elder ignored them and looked at Yang Ling, hoping he would agree. In his opinion, Yang Ling shouldn't refuse. After all, he was forced to leave the Qin family in the first place. Now that he had personally invited him, what could Yang Ling possibly complain about? He believed that Yang Ling would definitely become stronger.

"If you want me to go back, it's not impossible, but you have to deal with him first. If you kill him, I'll consider it!" The Right Elder was somewhat displeased upon hearing Yang Ling's words, pondering whether Yang Ling's offer was worthwhile. Huo Zun, who had been arrogant and domineering, was now somewhat afraid.

"If I join the Qin family, I will be a disciple of the Qin family. Why would you kill me for him? Don't dream!" Although he said this, Huo Zun still took a step back with fear and hid behind the Qin family members. After all, it would be easy for them to kill him if they wanted to.

"Enough! This is the person I've chosen. You've already been expelled from the Qin family, what right do you have to make such a request!" Elder Zuo shouted. Yang Ling didn't reply, but instead turned his gaze to Elder You. He wanted to see how the Qin family would choose. (End of Chapter)