Chapter 163: Temporary Hack—”Infinite Spiritual Qi”! The Geniuses Enter the Secret Realm
The rules for the Pilgrimage Path were quite interesting. To Lin Qi’an, they felt oddly similar to a game he had played before called Darwin’s Evolution Island.
In that game, animals were thrown onto an island where they devoured smaller creatures to evolve, ultimately fighting among themselves until only one survived. It served as the prototype for many battle royale games.
“Once you enter, your strength will be suppressed by the secret realm’s rules. Only by collecting Spiritual Sources can you restore your power or even grow stronger,” the elder explained.
“The only way to obtain Spiritual Sources is by hunting spirit beasts created by the secret realm or defeating other participants.”
“The Spiritual Source levels are divided into ten tiers. At Tier Nine, you regain your full strength. At Tier Ten, you receive a power boost granted by the secret realm, making you even stronger!”
In essence, participants needed to survive while continuously increasing their Spiritual Source levels. To win, they had to defeat all other participants. In this environment, individual strength wasn’t the deciding factor.
“It’s finally starting!”
“This is definitely the most exciting part of the grand ceremony!”
“Exactly! The Pilgrimage Path is the ultimate test of a generation’s strength. Anyone who ranks near the top will undoubtedly become renowned in the future.”
“Even the Sword Emperor participated in the Pilgrimage Path back in the day and claimed first place!”
“With the Crown Prince participating this year, it’s going to be an incredible show!”
The spectators, excited and prepared, had already set up snacks like peanuts and sliced beef by the lakeside to enjoy the spectacle.
This year’s participants were all young prodigies.
Lin Qi’an, Zhao Yunji, and Lin Liuli. The Destined Children—Ye Yun and the Xiling Divine Son Xi Chao. The Blade Emperor’s disciple, Li Xuan.
From the Tianhai Dao Domain came the Kui Dragon Divine Son Kui Xiao, the Golden Crow Divine Son Jin Lingkong, and the Soaring Serpent Divine Son Tengkong.
These were just the most well-known names. In addition, hundreds of Holy Sons and Saintesses from sects across the land would also compete.
The Pilgrimage Path wasn’t a simple tournament; it tested abilities, wisdom, strength, and strategy, making it the ultimate gathering of geniuses.
This year, there were even participants from foreign domains, increasing the competition. Maintaining the honor of the local domain became an additional point of pride.
Of particular interest was how Lin Qi’an, having performed outstandingly in the first two rounds, would be targeted by many. How he would respond under pressure became another focus of attention.
“Xueni Sister, you could participate as well. Why aren’t you joining?”
Su Xueni smiled gracefully. “Since following His Highness, I’ve grown indifferent to chasing fame and fortune. Watching from the sidelines and enjoying His Highness’ performance is much more satisfying.”
Her strength undoubtedly placed her among the top geniuses, but seeing Lin Qi’an win felt far more enjoyable than claiming victory herself.
———
The elder presiding over the event distributed pendants to the participants.
“These pendants will absorb Spiritual Sources and raise your levels. Crushing the pendant will allow you to leave the secret realm, which will count as forfeiting.”
The pendants served as a safety measure. With them, participants could escape danger at any time, making it difficult to outright kill anyone in the secret realm.
Ye Yun’s heart sank at the sight of the pendants. It was bad news for his plans. He had been prepared to go all out to kill Lin Qi’an, but with these pendants in play, it would be almost impossible.
“Fine. If I can’t kill Lin Qi’an, I’ll at least defeat him,” he resolved.
Several foreign Divine Sons shared similar thoughts.
They understood that this battle would be watched by everyone, and directly attacking Lin Qi’an in the secret realm could provoke retaliation from the terrifying Sword Emperor, whose power they had just witnessed.
“Remember, the key to victory isn’t fighting but raising your Spiritual Source level. Even if Lin Qi’an is stronger, you can still defeat him if your level is higher!” the elder emphasized.
Once everyone was prepared, the Tai’an Emperor, clad in a yellow robe, stepped forward. With a single gesture, he split the vast lake in two, revealing the entrance to the Pilgrimage Path at its center.
“The entrance lies in the heart of the lake. You may begin!” As his voice echoed, hundreds of participants transformed into streams of light, racing toward the lake’s center.
“Quick, go!”
“If you’re late, you’re done for!”
“Charge!”
Getting inside as quickly as possible provided a significant advantage, giving participants more time to collect Spiritual Sources and raise their levels. A higher level could mean overwhelming opponents early on—closing the gap would be nearly impossible.
The Destined Children were among the first to enter, as were Zhao Yunji and Lin Liuli, who didn’t dare delay.
But as the participants surged toward the entrance like a swarm of locusts, one figure remained unmoving.
—
By the lakeshore, Lin Qi’an, dressed in pristine white robes, calmly gazed into the distance without any sign of urgency.
He wasn’t trying to show off. Instead, a notification from his system appeared.
【Ding! Detection of competition against three Destined Children. Initiating villain task: Arrogant Overconfidence.】
【Task Requirement: Enter the secret realm one hour after the others.】
【Task Reward: A temporary ability to aid the host in countering the Destined Children.】
Lin Qi’an knew that villains often acted arrogantly, letting others take the lead while claiming they didn’t deem them worthy opponents. This hubris often allowed weaker protagonists to grow stronger and eventually humiliate the villain.
He hadn’t expected to find himself in such a situation. Entering an hour late could be disastrous, yet the reward—a temporary ability in the secret realm—was highly tempting.
His past experiences with the system’s temporary abilities had proven their worth. The first had allowed him to hear Zhao Qingmeng’s inner thoughts, and the second, during the Great Hunt, gave him a full map to track everyone’s movements.
Faced with such a reward, Lin Qi’an decided to embrace the risk and play his role to perfection.
Temporary abilities were essentially overpowered cheats, bypassing logic entirely. They represented terrifying rule-breaking powers that defied explanation. Lin Qi’an couldn’t help but wonder what this ability would be this time.
“Why hasn’t the Crown Prince moved yet? He’s already falling behind!”
“What is he thinking? If he lags too much, he’ll become an easy target when he enters the secret realm!”
“Crown Prince, hurry up! If you wait any longer, it’ll be too late!”
The audience was growing increasingly anxious. They had been looking forward to seeing Lin Qi’an showcase his strength by crushing the foreign prodigies in the secret realm.
Now, many feared those same prodigies were already upgrading their Spiritual Sources while Lin Qi’an was still on the shore.
Even Zhao Qingmeng and Su Xueni were puzzled, unable to understand Lin Qi’an’s intentions.
Some of the spectators, unable to bear the suspense, even approached Su Xueni to plead with her to persuade the Crown Prince to make his move.
She could only respond with a smile. “I can’t guess what His Highness is thinking, but I’ll always support his decisions. Please remain patient.”
By now, all the other participants had entered the secret realm, leaving Lin Qi’an alone by the lake, calmly gazing out over the water.
The Tai’an Emperor chuckled and said, “Lin Weixuan, it seems your arrogance has passed down completely to your son. Ha!”
Lin Weixuan’s lips twitched involuntarily at the remark, unsure how to respond.
‘I may have been arrogant back in the day, but this rascal has taken it to a whole new level!’
When Lin Weixuan had won the Pilgrimage Path in his youth, he had done so by entering the secret realm as quickly as possible, leveling up faster than anyone else.
His son, however, was doing the complete opposite, putting himself at a massive disadvantage.
Meanwhile, Lin Qi’an’s rivals took the opportunity to mock him mercilessly.
“Does he really think a bit of talent makes him invincible?”
“What a joke! Standing there like that—who is he trying to impress?”
“Watch, he’ll walk in only to get smashed by someone with a higher Spiritual Source level. That’ll be hilarious!”
Some even felt relieved. If Lin Qi’an had been a calm and cautious individual with monstrous talent, he would have been a significant threat in the future.
But if he was just an arrogant, reckless child, he would be far easier to deal with. Even Lu Weishuang was growing anxious. But given her position, there was no way she could intervene. All she could do was wait.
—
Finally, an hour passed.
By this point, the audience had mostly resigned themselves to the idea that Lin Qi’an might be skipping the competition altogether.
Given his first-place standing in points, it would make sense for him to rest on his laurels rather than risk humiliation by entering so late.
Through the screens set up around the lake, spectators could see the progress of the other participants.
In that hour, many had already begun hunting the secret realm’s phantom beasts, successfully upgrading to Tier Two Spiritual Sources.
But just as the audience had accepted Lin Qi’an’s absence, he moved.
Under countless shocked gazes, Lin Qi’an’s white-robed figure flew gracefully toward the lake and entered the secret realm.
“He’s going in now?!”
“You’ve got to be kidding me!”
“What the hell? Isn’t he just walking into a beating at this point?”
“Why would he deliberately handicap himself like this?!”
“No matter how strong he is, this is just reckless!”
For most of the audience, Lin Qi’an had become the face of the Canglan Dao Domain. If he ended up humiliated in the secret realm, it wouldn’t just be his reputation that suffered—it would be a blow to the entire domain’s pride.
But Lin Qi’an didn’t care about any of this. The moment the hour had passed, the system notified him that the task was complete.
【Ding! Task complete. You have received the temporary ability: “Unlimited Spiritual Energy.”】
This meant that in the secret realm, Lin Qi’an could use divine abilities and techniques without worrying about depleting his spiritual energy.
He had essentially unlocked god mode.