Ye Qing's Masters, the Boundless Realm

In the suburbs of S City, mystical runes suddenly appeared on the ground, quickly forming an array. In the next moment, a disheveled figure was teleported to the spot.

"Pfft—"

The moment Ye Qing arrived, he violently spat out several mouthfuls of blood, his aura instantly withering.

"Jiang Che, I swear I’ll never rest until you’re dead!"

Ye Qing clenched his fists in fury, but the moment he exerted force, an excruciating pain surged from his lower body.

Looking down, the gruesome sight of mangled flesh made his blood run cold.

Clearly, his newly acquired "Big Cannon" had been destroyed yet again. Overwhelmed by the searing pain, Ye Qing blacked out.

By the time he regained consciousness, night had already fallen.

"Damn it...!"

Ye Qing’s face twisted in horror as he glanced down at the wreckage between his legs. Though the injury was severe—his flesh torn apart by energy—his formidable vitality as a martial artist kept him from bleeding out.

But now, his worst fear was coming true: the 24-hour window was almost up!

If he didn’t act within 24 hours, his ultimate technique, the "Life-Transfer Secret Art," would become useless. Even if his master arrived, restoring him would be impossible.

He had already been unconscious for 23 hours. Now, he had barely an hour left.

"Where the hell did I end up? Is this even still Dragon Country?"

Though doubtful, the suppressed energy in his body—courtesy of the "Equality for All" device—confirmed he was still within Dragon Country’s borders.

"How am I supposed to find someone in this godforsaken wilderness?"

Panic set in as Ye Qing searched frantically, but even after half an hour, there wasn’t a single soul in sight.

"Damn it! I have all this power, all these heaven-defying techniques, yet I can’t even save myself?"

With only ten minutes left, he finally spotted movement behind a patch of grass—

A dog? Just… a dog?

Man and mutt locked eyes for a split second before the stray, sensing inexplicable terror, bolted away.

"Fine! Desperate times call for desperate measures. I’ll just switch to a human one later!"

Gritting his teeth, Ye Qing steeled himself.

"Woof~~~ Woof~~~"

......

Meanwhile, in the third layer of the Boundless Immortal Prison…

This place held nearly all the Heaven-Shattering Realm criminals of the Boundless World. Though a prison, it had no guards—only endless, desolate wasteland.

Upon reaching the Heaven-Shattering Realm, a being’s life essence underwent a metamorphosis. While a Grandmaster might live a mere century, a Heaven-Shattering expert could live up to 300 years.

Amidst the barren land, a ragged old man with a white beard suddenly snapped his eyes open.

At the same time, a jade token at his waist flickered to life.

His expression tightened. "The teleportation token shattered? Did Ye Qing run into danger in the mortal world?"

This was none other than Ye Qing’s first master—the legendary White Jade Sword Immortal, known for treading upon drifting clouds and wild cranes, his robes billowing with an ethereal grace.

Yet now, after years of neglect in the prison, he looked more like a beggar. "Black Jade Sword Immortal" would’ve been more fitting.

Just then, another old man—this one carrying a gourd of wine—flew over.

"Brother Changfeng, is the kid in trouble?"

"But that can’t be. Before I crossed over, the mortal world was already in its twilight of spiritual energy—a true dead zone. After centuries without qi, the strongest fighters there shouldn’t be beyond the Grandmaster level."

"Even if he can’t win, shouldn’t he at least be able to escape?"

Li Changfeng frowned deeply. "I don’t know why, but I have a bad feeling about this."

"Go find that fortune-telling geezer and have him divine the kid’s fate—"

"No need. I’m here." A hoarse voice cut in.

A gaunt old man in Taoist robes shuffled over, shaking a turtle shell in his hand like some mystical sage.

"Didn’t we already divine the kid’s fortune before he left? A few minor setbacks, but once he leaps the Dragon Gate, he’ll ascend to greatness."

"You old fraud, since when has your divination ever been accurate?" the drunkard muttered.

The fortune-teller’s beard quivered in outrage. "How dare you?!"

Despite his retort, he immediately got to work.

Tossing a few coins into the turtle shell, he shook it vigorously while chanting under his breath. A series of crackling sparks burst from the shell as intricate patterns formed on its surface, weaving into an ominous sigil.

Then—BANG!

The shell exploded without warning.

"Gah—!" The old man spat blood, his eyes widening in shock.

The others rushed forward. "What happened?!"

"This… this is a dire omen! A calamitous sign!"

The drunkard scowled. "What kind of omen? A bra?"

The fortune-teller rolled his eyes. "I said a calamity! A star of doom! The kid’s fate is now shrouded in black mist—completely unreadable!"

The group tensed. "Then what do we do?"

"How should I know? If we could cross over, maybe we could help him. But with the Heavenly Path severed, we can’t even step through the gate!"

Li Changfeng sighed. "Forget crossing the gate—we can’t even leave this prison! I still have 130 years left on my sentence!"

Helpless, they could only wait in frustration.

"During the divination, I glimpsed that the kid’s fate hangs by a thread. A sliver of hope remains in this dire situation."

"It’s up to Ye Qing to seize that one chance."

The others exhaled in relief. "That brat’s luck is heaven-defying. He’s cheated death before—he’ll pull through this time too."

"A golden carp isn’t meant for stagnant ponds. Once it meets the storm, it’ll become a dragon!"

Clearly, Ye Qing’s eighteen masters didn’t know him as well as they thought.

Because right now, only three words could describe Ye Qing’s situation:

Fing legendary.

......

"Brother Jiang Che, how was my performance just now?"

In the Jiang residence, Bai Qiangwei sat at the piano, turning to Jiang Che with sparkling eyes that practically begged for praise.

Jiang Che’s lips curled slightly. "Not bad. Impressive."

Beside them, Hepman wore a proud smile.

"Young Master Jiang, Miss Qiangwei’s talent for the piano is unparalleled. Given time, she may even surpass you."

Qiangwei blushed, lowering her head. "Nonsense! How could I ever surpass Brother Jiang Che?"

At first, she’d only admired Jiang Che’s playing. But after delving deeper into the art herself, she realized just how vast the gap was between her and his godlike skill.

Her admiration for him only grew stronger.

Meanwhile, Yu Wan'er—lounging on the sofa with chips and a drama—peeked over and scoffed.

"Pfft—"

Though the little tsundere acted dismissive, the green-eyed monster was gnawing at her heart.

You're already so gorgeous—why work so hard? Stop grinding like a maniac! This makes her, who's already become a total couch potato, panic big time!

Just like back in the college dorm, the clatter of gaming keyboards goes in one ear and out the other, but the sound of flipping book pages is deafening.

Suddenly, the potato chips in her mouth don’t taste so good anymore.