The Heavens: Man Covers the Heavens, Refines Treasures to Become an Emperor

Seeing that everyone had fallen silent, Qi Tianxing snorted coldly, leaned back in his chair, and resumed his lazy demeanor, as if he hadn't been the one who had just been angry.

Just then, a cold, damp laugh suddenly came from the direction of the window, as if carrying the fishy smell of rain and the musty smell of earth, drilling into everyone's ears and making them extremely uncomfortable.

"Hehehe... Why are you all arguing so endlessly over a dying man?"

Everyone was startled and looked in the direction of the sound.

Suddenly, a blurry figure appeared in the shadows of the window.

The man seemed to blend into the darkness and rain; he was thin and wore a tight-fitting black water jacket. His face was covered with a black cloth, revealing only a pair of eyes that gleamed with an eerie green light, like a venomous snake in the night.

"Lingering Wind!"

Someone murmured, their voice filled with barely concealed disgust and apprehension.

Canfeng, a notorious assassin in Yanxia City and the surrounding area, is said to possess extremely cruel and bizarre secret techniques that require the lifeblood and even souls of living people as a catalyst to enhance his cultivation. Those who die at his hands often suffer gruesome deaths.

Among the powerful cultivators present, although there were many ruthless individuals, they still held these bloodthirsty assassins who walked the lowest rungs of darkness in contempt and fear, considering their status.

The crowd looked at Canfeng with a sense of rejection, but even more so at Qitianxing with suspicion and uncertainty.

The Azure Light Pavilion... actually managed to get Canfeng involved? Although everyone knows that the Azure Light Pavilion acts in a way that is both righteous and wicked, and uses unconventional methods, it still surprised many people to openly cooperate with such a notorious assassin.

If this gets out, it won't sound good for the reputation of Biguang Pavilion.

Qi Tianxing remained unconcerned by the questioning gazes of the crowd, not even lifting his eyelids, and simply asked indifferently.

"How's the target doing?"

Canfeng's eerie green eyes swept over the crowd with a hint of mockery, as if he were enjoying the fear of his prey before it died, before finally settling on Qi Tianxing.

"Don't worry, Young Master Qi. That kid is as slippery as an eel, but... he can't escape. My men have already cornered him in an abandoned alley in the south of the city. The net has been cast, and he can't get away."

His voice was hoarse and unpleasant, like sandpaper rubbing against bones.

"This heavy rain is perfect for washing his neck clean, so he can wait to get stabbed. Hehe..."

Qi Tianxing nodded, his face expressionless, as if he were listening to something trivial.

"very good.

Then resolve this as quickly as possible, leaving no loose ends.

He glanced around at the silent representatives from all sides, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable certainty.

"It seems that our 'lucky' Jiang Xuan, who got a spot in the provincial examination, is unlikely to survive this rainy night."

……

Meanwhile, in the southwest corner of Yanxia City, there is a cluster of low, densely packed buildings.

This area is where most of the poor and working-class people live. Compared to the brightly lit Guanchao Pavilion, this place appears dim and dilapidated.

In a fairly spacious but obviously dilapidated courtyard, a dozen or so figures stood under the eaves of several tiled houses.

Most of them wore faded coarse cloth clothes, but their eyes were exceptionally bright, carrying the sharpness and...excitement unique to young people.

They are members of the "Qingyun Society," a small group spontaneously formed by cultivators from humble backgrounds, aiming to support each other and strive for a chance to breathe and develop in the city of Yanxia, ​​where powerful families abound.

Jiang Xuan was the most outstanding and the one on whom they placed the most hope.

"Has the news been confirmed? Those bastards from the wealthy families really did mobilize a large number of people to ambush and kill Brother Jiang Xuan?"

A tall, strong young man named Shi Tie clenched his fists, his arm veins bulging with excitement.

Under the eaves, the leader was a handsome young man with a calm and composed gaze, named Lin Xuan, who was the strategist of the Qingyun Society.

He nodded, and rainwater flowed down the eaves, forming a curtain of water in front of him.

"It's confirmed. The Azure Light Pavilion is leading the effort, and at least seven or eight families and forces have sent people. It's quite a large-scale operation."

"How dare they! Jiang Xuan has already registered for the provincial examination! The empire has explicitly forbidden killing candidates during the examination period!"

Another girl said angrily; her name was Su Xiaowan, and her face showed anxiety and anger.

Lin Xuan gazed at the misty rainy night outside the window, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

"Of course they dare. The rules on the surface can't restrain the methods used in the shadows. As long as it's done cleanly, without solid evidence, the empire won't go to great lengths to investigate all the powerful families in Yanxia City for the sake of a poor boy who died 'accidentally'."

He turned his head to look at his companions behind him, a complex emotion on his face, a mixture of worry and, more than anything, a cold-blooded calculation.

"This might be an opportunity for us."

"Chance?"

Stone and iron are puzzled.

"If Brother Jiang Xuan is about to be killed by them, what chance do they have left?"

"Of course, it's... an opportunity to make a fuss over something."

Lin Xuan said in a deep voice.

"The strength and talent of Brother Jiang Xuan are evident to all."

He is the pride of our humble family, and a thorn in the side of those powerful and wealthy families.

The fact that they launched such a large-scale attack to kill him demonstrates their fear and folly.

He paused and continued.

"What we need to do is not rush out to our deaths now—that's pointless. We need to take advantage of Brother Jiang Xuan's death! Once the news of his death is confirmed, we must spread the news immediately and by all means possible! We must emphasize how talented he was, how he was envied by the powerful families, and how he was shamelessly besieged and killed by them just because he registered for the provincial examination!"

We must let everyone in Yanxia City, and even the entire province, know that powerful clans are repeating the mistakes of a century ago, treating the imperial selection system as nothing!

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a persuasive power.

"We must turn the deaths of Brother Jiang Xuan into a fire, a fire that ignites the anger in the hearts of all those from humble backgrounds! We must also use this opportunity to test the attitude of the imperial high command towards this matter! If the empire still values ​​fairness in the selection process, then the powerful families will inevitably face pressure! If they do nothing... that will be enough to make all those from humble backgrounds who still harbor illusions see reality!"

Su Xiaowan bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes.

"But...but Brother Jiang Xuan..."

Lin Xuan patted her shoulder, his tone heavy but his eyes resolute. "Xiao Wan, I know you're sad, we're all sad. But this is a struggle! A cruel struggle! Brother Jiang Xuan chose this path and was prepared to sacrifice himself. If his death can awaken more children from humble backgrounds and shake the foundations of the powerful families, then his blood will not have been shed in vain! We must make his death the most tragic and resounding clarion call for our resistance against the oppression of the powerful families!"

In the courtyard, everyone fell silent, with only the sound of rain pattering down.

Sadness, anger, and a kind of ignited, almost fanatical resolve were intertwined on everyone's face.

As they looked at the rainy night, they seemed to see their comrade struggling to survive amidst the encirclement and suppression, and they also seemed to see... a future path paved with blood and full of thorns.

……

The tallest building in the center of Yanxia City is the City Lord's Mansion.

Inside a magnificent palace, the city lord Liu Wujun, dressed in a purple python robe and with a dignified expression, stood with his hands behind his back before a huge stained-glass window. Outside the window, thunder roared, and streaks of lightning tore through the sky, casting flickering light and shadow on his face.

His deep gaze seemed to pierce through the heavy rain curtain, landing on the chaotic area in the south of the city.

"Was the noise... a bit too loud?"

Liu Wujun muttered to himself, his brows slightly furrowed.

As the lord of the city, he needed to balance the various forces and maintain stability within the city. In his view, the Azure Light Pavilion's orchestration of such a large-scale operation to besiege and kill a poor young man was excessive. If not handled properly, it could trigger a chain reaction and even alarm the empire.

However, he was also aware of the increasingly sharp conflict between the powerful and the poor, and he understood the deeper meaning behind Biguangge's move.

This is not a simple personal grudge, but a silent power struggle between two social classes.

If he intervenes rashly, he may very well get himself into trouble.

"Ugh……"

A barely audible sigh dissipated into the thunder.

In the end, he did not give any orders, but simply stood quietly, like a statue, silently enduring everything that was happening that night.

……

North of Yanxia City, Yanxia Academy.

In an elegant, quiet room, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood. The academy's dean, Wei Lingzhen, a kind-faced old man with white hair and beard, was playing chess with a middle-aged man dressed in light purple armor, with a long sword at his waist, and whose aura was as sharp as a hawk.

On the chessboard, black and white pieces are entangled in a fierce and evenly matched battle.

The man in purple armor was Du Dongtu, the commander of the "Purple Feather Army," one of the garrison forces of Yanxia City.

He placed a piece, but his gaze wandered, clearly indicating that his mind was not on the game.

"Pity……"

Du Dongtu suddenly sighed, breaking the silence in the room.

"I had people look into that kid named Jiang Xuan. He comes from a humble background, but he has exceptional talent and a tenacious spirit. He's a promising talent. If he's properly nurtured, his future achievements will be limitless. It's such a pity that he was ruined by those parasites."

Wei Lingzhen held a white piece and gently placed it in a corner of the chessboard, speaking calmly.

"Dongtu, put away your sentiment of treasuring talent. This is not something you or I should interfere in."

Du Dongtu frowned.

"Dean, are we just going to stand by and watch a genius be stifled like this? My Purple Feather Army is going to step in and save him, is that not enough?"

Wei Lingzhen raised her eyelids, glanced at him, and looked deep in her eyes.

"Protect him? And then what? Offend almost all the powerful families in the city? That's not all. Do you know why Jiang Xuan is being targeted like this? Is it just because he is talented? No, it's more because he touched something he shouldn't have touched, representing a trend that displeases even the truly important figures in the Forbidden City."

The conflict between the poor and the rich is no longer a matter of a single city or region. Your rash intervention will not only fail to save him, but will also drag my Yanxia Academy and your Ziling Army into an abyss of no return.

Upon hearing this, Du Dongtu's body trembled slightly.

He wasn't stupid; he was just straightforward and acted impulsively. After Wei Lingzhen pointed it out, he immediately understood the key point.

Behind this lies a deep-seated, long-standing conflict between the poor and the powerful at the imperial level—a massive vortex.

He remained silent for a moment, a hint of resentment flashing across his face, but in the end he sighed dejectedly and casually placed the black piece in his hand on the chessboard.

"Enough, enough... This game of chess is so frustrating!"

Wei Lingzhen looked at Du Dongtu's terrible move on the chessboard, shook her head, and said nothing, simply tidying up the pieces silently. Outside the window, thunder rumbled, and the rain poured down even harder.

……

The rain poured down, and the icy rainwater relentlessly washed over the narrow and intricate alleyways of the southern district of Yanxia City.

A black figure moved swiftly through the maze-like alleyways like a ghost.

His movements were light and swift, each step precisely avoiding puddles and puddles, making almost no sound. Rain soaked his hair and clothes, which clung to his body, outlining his well-defined muscles.

It was Jiang Xuan who was being talked about and pursued by various forces.

His face was expressionless, except for his eyes, which shone brightly in the darkness, like the calmest cheetah. In the distance behind him, the shouts and hurried footsteps of pursuers could be faintly heard, muffled by the rain, but undeniably drawing closer.

Any ordinary young man in the Gang Realm would probably have panicked in the face of such a desperate situation.

But Jiang Xuan did not.

During his hellish training at the Blood Killing Camp, he had already learned how to maintain absolute calm in the worst of environments.

His breathing was steady and long, conserving every ounce of energy. At the same time, an invisible spiritual perception, like a spider web, spread outwards from him, covering an area of ​​several feet around him.

This was his key to surviving repeated pursuits.

Suddenly, as he passed a row of low, dilapidated houses, his keen spiritual senses detected a faint breath and heartbeat, different from the sound of rain, coming from the shadows under the eaves on his left, along with a barely perceptible killing intent!
Almost without hesitation, in the instant his body swept past, Jiang Xuan's all-black, ancient-style battle sword—the Black Spirit Sword—which he had been tightly gripping in his right hand, suddenly struck out like a lurking venomous snake, slashing back at the shadow with unparalleled precision!

The blade flashed and disappeared in a flash, so fast that its trajectory was not visible; only a cold arc cut through the rain.

"Uh……"

A short, muffled groan came from the shadows.

Immediately, a figure dressed in gray night clothes, holding a short crossbow with a pre-loaded string and poisoned, stumbled out from under the eaves, clutching his throat tightly with both hands, blood mingling with rainwater gushing out from between his fingers.

He stared in disbelief at the black figure that had already disappeared into the distance without even pausing, before collapsing helplessly into the mud, the short crossbow in his hand falling to the ground with a clatter. (End of Chapter)