Qin Heng gazed into the distance at the cruise ship. Billowing black Qi erupted like volcanic ash, nearly frenzied as it burst from the center of the ship, instantly shrouding the entire vessel!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Each explosion was deafening. Qin Heng's eyes shone with golden light—a special sight that could penetrate obstacles. Through layers of black Qi, he could see a burly man nearly three meters tall, his body entwined with black Qi and complex black patterns spread across his muscles, bursting out of the Colosseum!

Roaring!

Howling!

With one in each hand, he seized the wealthy individuals who had been toying with Martial Artists, ripping them apart and smashing them to pieces!!

Of course, the guards on board had begun to act.

But any gunshots that hit the burly man were useless. Bullets would only spark against his skin and could not inflict any harm.

"AAARGH!!!" The burly man roared in rage, causing wanton destruction. Within just three minutes, he had completely demolished the cruise ship, and all those on board were killed by his hands!!

The sky-high resentment changed the color of heaven and earth. His unrivaled strength seemed to resonate with some mysterious cosmic law, making the normally obscure Heaven and Earth Laws suddenly more discernible.

"This is!" Qin Heng's eyes lit up. He could clearly feel that as the rules of Earth had suddenly become clear, the Spiritual Energy had become denser, and even his understanding of the Supreme Law had improved.

This was a feat unattainable even in the Eternal Realm!

"Indeed, the resurgence of Earth's Spiritual Energy is tied to the progress of my Martial Dao," Qin Heng said gravely, his gaze fixed on the doomed cruise ship. "Just now, this person transformed into a being of Evil Qi. This transformation seems to have leveraged a certain Law between heaven and earth, accelerating the revival of Spiritual Energy."

An Evil Qi body is one that has accumulated many grievances, sorrow, and other negative emotions, resulting in a constitution that often falls into endless frenzied slaughter, losing its humanity.

Of course, while losing their humanity, they also gained power far beyond that of ordinary people. According to Qin Heng's knowledge, even the weakest would be equivalent to the peak of Qi Refinement.

This meant a Great Grandmaster at the pinnacle of the Innate Realm!

Clearly, the burly man before him was in a similar state.

However, the aspect of an Evil Qi body leveraging the Laws of heaven and earth doesn't seem quite normal. Qin Heng observed the burly man, recalling records of Evil Qi bodies he had seen in past lives—none had mentioned this aspect. If it's not due to the Evil Qi body, then it's likely an issue with this person himself—his constitution, his bloodline. Perhaps they hold some secret that only manifests in a special way when one's cultivation reaches a level comparable to the peak of Qi Refinement!

BOOM! BOOM!

The destruction of the cruise ship continued unabated, the burly man like a god of destruction from ancient myths, intent on pulverizing everything within his sight!!

This massive cruise ship, in the hands of the burly man, was like a child's toy, easily demolished.

After killing everyone and destroying the cruise ship, the burly man looked around and spotted Qin Heng, who was observing from a distance. Enraged, he charged toward him!

"AAARGH!!"

His roar was thunderous, churning the waves, almost like a tsunami was approaching!!

The burly man now stood nearly three meters tall!

Like the Sea God himself, he strode upon the waves, flailing his arms, intent on seizing Qin Heng and tearing him to shreds.

Yet Qin Heng remained composed.

With a gentle flick of his fingers, a streak of azure light shot from his fingertip and entered the burly man's brow. It immediately caused him to stop in his tracks and sink, plummeting into the depths of the sea.

BOOM!

A moment later, a colossal water column burst from the sea's surface. The burly man surged out of the water before descending again, landing steadily and looking at Qin Heng with a puzzled and unsure expression.

Then, he knelt on the surface of the sea and respectfully thanked Qin Heng, "I am grateful for your mercy and for granting me a second lease on life!"

Previously, although the burly man had lost his sanity, his consciousness remained clear. He understood what had just happened. More importantly, he knew what it meant that Qin Heng, with a light flick of his finger, had completely suppressed the Evil Qi within his body and returned him to normal.

"Stand up," Qin Heng said with a slight nod. Seeing that the burly man's consciousness had returned to normal and his physique had reverted to its original state, he smiled and asked, "What's your name? Where are you from, and why were you on that ship?"

Just now, as Qin Heng suppressed the Evil Qi within the burly man's body, that wisp of azure light had already clearly scanned the condition inside him. Within his blood, there was a strand of golden hue.

Its color was rather dull. Qin Heng also discovered that as the burly man grew stronger and his body more robust, this golden hue became more brilliant and pronounced.

This golden power was undoubtedly the power of his bloodline.

Moreover, it corresponded to certain Laws of Heaven and Earth. Therefore, only when the burly man grew stronger and the golden light in his bloodline shone would it invoke the resonance of the Heaven and Earth Laws. This, in turn, accelerated the process of Spiritual Energy revival.

"Benefactor, my name is Xue Yi," the burly man said reverently. "I come from a small fishing village in Suzhou-Hangzhou. I practiced some ancestral martial arts and barely managed to develop Open Force.

"As for how I ended up on the ship, I'm not quite sure. Before that, I was participating in a local Martial Dao exchange in Suzhou-Hangzhou. I was outside enjoying the breeze in the evening when suddenly, someone knocked me out. When I woke up, I was on the ship."

"A Martial Dao exchange? Tell me more about it," Qin Heng inquired with interest.

"It's the Martial Dao exchange that takes place in Suzhou-Hangzhou every three years, lasting half a month," Xue Yi explained. "It reportedly started two or three hundred years ago and is presided over by a venerable Grandmaster of Transcendence.

"At the exchange, martial artists from all over Suzhou-Hangzhou can share martial knowledge and communicate openly. They can also trade various treasures and ancient texts. Of course, the most exciting part is the competition among the young generation of Suzhou-Hangzhou. The top ten young masters selected at the end receive the opportunity for guidance from the Grandmaster of Transcendence."

"Ancient texts…" Qin Heng murmured, then nodded slightly. "Let's go. Take me to Suzhou-Hangzhou. The exchange should still be going on, right?"

Qin Heng needed to search through ancient texts for information on Earth's Mythological Era's remnants and Cave Heavens, which could potentially assist him in comprehending the Supreme Law.

"You intend to participate in the Martial Dao exchange, Benefactor?" Xue Yi was slightly taken aback, looking at Qin Heng with surprise.

In his view, Qin Heng's strength was unfathomably deep, impossible to discern even with his newly bolstered power. Definitely a powerhouse of the greatest magnitude. Such an important figure… Why would he want to participate in a local Martial Dao exchange in Suzhou-Hangzhou?

However, Xue Yi abided by what Qin Heng had said and led the way. Together, they headed for the Suzhou-Hangzhou region. They traversed over mountains, and by noon the next day, they finally arrived at the site of the Suzhou-Hangzhou Martial Dao exchange.

No sooner had Qin Heng and Xue Yi arrived than they were noticed. A scornful voice soon reached their ears.

"Well, well, if it isn't Xue Yi? I heard you slipped away because you were too chicken to face the Bais' challenge, hiding for four or five days straight. Don't you feel ashamed?"

A tall, well-built young man in a black casual shirt and trousers approached.

He glanced at Xue Yi with disdain, then turned his attention to Qin Heng. Shaking his head with a cold laugh, he said, "Xue Yi, no wonder your martial skills haven't improved much. Turns out you still like to hang around with worthless common folks like this one!"

In the young man's eyes, Qin Heng, with his smooth, fair skin and tall, slender figure, looked nothing like someone proficient in martial arts. He was certainly just a worthless individual!