Chapter Twenty: The Soul Lamp Test!

“You little bastard, why aren’t you running now?” Zhou Yi hoisted Zhou Tian up like a chick, roaring into his ear, his spittle spraying across Zhou Tian’s face.

His figure blurred. Zhou Tian teleported again, slipping free from Zhou Yi’s grasp and reappearing at Zhou Yi’s side.

Without bothering with Zhou Yi’s furious glare, Zhou Tian turned to Emperor Qin and said, “Uncle, what is the meaning of this?”

In Emperor Qin’s eyes, countless runes swirled and reformed, incomparably mysterious, yet still unable to decipher the nature of Zhou Tian’s technique. At Zhou Tian’s words, those compelling eyes shifted to him, the emperor’s voice low, “Are you truly Zhou Tian?”

At that question, Zhou Tian’s heart skipped a beat. But before he could answer, Zhou Yi hurriedly asked, “Brother, do you mean…?”

“Second Brother, don’t be hasty. We know better than anyone what sort of constitution Tian’er has. Yet look at his abilities today—even I cannot comprehend them.” Emperor Qin slowly stood, his aura ancient and divine, his gaze fixed on Zhou Tian.

A throbbing pain shot through Zhou Tian’s trigeminal nerve—this was why he had been reluctant to reveal his anomalies too soon. These old foxes were not easily fooled; explanations would not come easily.

After a brief pause, Zhou Tian replied, “Of course I am Zhou Tian. I always have been.”

“Then how do you possess such powers?” Emperor Qin spoke as he issued a series of secret commands, sending them to all the hidden corners of the imperial palace. Countless clandestine measures now shrouded the Hall of Nurtured Heart.

“It’s the result of my relentless training—mind over matter, surpassing the body’s limits!” Zhou Tian’s gaze was resolute.

“Can you tell me how you trained?” Emperor Qin asked.

“Every day, I do a hundred push-ups, a hundred squats, and a hundred sit-ups!” Zhou Tian answered earnestly. This was no idle boast; in his previous life, there was a bald man who became immensely powerful through just such a regimen.

Emperor Qin’s body stiffened, his expression odd. Just then, a message flashed through the void into his mind, golden light flickering in his eyes as runes danced on his hand. He raised his palm toward Zhou Tian, intent on capturing him—no matter the reason, detain him first, then verify the truth later.

A colossal aura locked onto Zhou Tian. Outside the Hall of Nurtured Heart, dozens had already gathered, forming a complex formation that sealed the entire hall.

It was as if a primeval divine mountain bore down upon Zhou Tian, an overwhelming pressure engulfing him, leaving seemingly no escape.

Yet only “seemingly.” Zhou Tian casually picked a spot and teleported there, slipping free from Emperor Qin’s lock.

“I really am Zhou Tian! No one has seized my body!” Zhou Tian explained helplessly.

What kind of technique is this? Emperor Qin was thoroughly vexed. The entire hall was sealed by a formidable formation—how could Zhou Tian still move?

“You say you are Zhou Tian. I must verify it.” Emperor Qin’s energy calmed; for now, he could not control Zhou Tian. He could kill Zhou Tian before he could react, but that would defeat the purpose.

“How will you verify it?” Zhou Tian was slightly startled. Could such a thing be verified? So formidable? Still, he showed no outward sign.

“Soul Lamp verification,” Emperor Qin said.

“Soul Lamp verification?” Zhou Tian was utterly bewildered. What was that?

“That’s right. The Soul Lamp is made from a wisp of your innate breath at birth, crafted through a complex process and connected to the origin of your soul. With certain methods, it can merge into your spirit—provided you are still Zhou Tian.” Emperor Qin explained, then tossed out a golden command token, speaking into the void, “Fetch Zhou Tian’s Soul Lamp!”

The golden token vanished into the void. Someone had received the order. The palace formations could never restrict the emperor; naturally, there were secret passages for the sovereign’s commands to be swiftly executed.

The room fell silent. Emperor Qin’s expression was calm, Zhou Yi’s gaze complex, and Tian Ling looked at Zhou Tian with worry, her crystalline eyes misting over. Zhou Tian gave her a reassuring look, signaling her not to fret.

Time ticked by. After the burning of half a stick of incense, the doors of the Hall of Nurtured Heart opened. A middle-aged man with a head of white hair entered, clad in purple robes, carrying a glass golden lamp in his right hand. Inside the lamp, a small flame burned without fuel, hovering and flickering.

At the sight of this man, Zhou Yi and Emperor Qin both stepped forward, greeting him with respect, “Master Zhan!”

Emperor Qin moved even closer to support the white-haired man, whispering, “Why have you come in person?”

Master Zhan smiled. “Soul Lamp verification is no trivial matter. I couldn’t entrust it to subordinates. Besides, I wanted to see the one who relit the Soul Lamp.”

Zhou Tian’s heart stirred. Relit the Soul Lamp? That meant it had once gone out—surely when his soul was attacked. He hadn’t expected they had such a means to detect if someone was alive or dead.

Master Zhan’s gaze now fell on Zhou Tian, who imitated Zhou Yi and Emperor Qin and said, “Master Zhan!”

Master Zhan nodded, “So it’s that boy with all his meridians blocked. Is there even a need for Soul Lamp verification? Who would bother to seize such a body?”

You’ve got to be kidding, Zhou Tian thought, though he kept a cheerful face. What’s wrong with my body? The proportions are perfect!

Emperor Qin gave a wry smile. “Master Zhan, it’s not that simple.” Then he said to Zhou Tian, “Zhou Tian, display your technique again.”

Zhou Tian was speechless. He casually picked a spot and teleported, and since the formation outside had not been withdrawn and time was still sealed, he used the method of causality once more—arriving at a place was the ‘effect,’ reversing cause and effect, the result before the cause!

Boom!

An overwhelming aura erupted. Master Zhan’s blood and vitality soared skyward, the sun and moon looming behind him as two divine beams shot from his eyes, sharp as celestial swords that pierced the void. Outside, the elders maintaining the layers of seals all spat blood laced with golden threads as the formation shattered.

“Causality!” Master Zhan spat out the word, his voice trembling the void. Cracks appeared, golden runes flickered, desperately stabilizing the space.

Emperor Qin’s eyes were full of astonishment. The law of causality! No wonder he could not discern the technique—such a law was beyond even emperors. Yet Zhou Tian…

“Come here!” Master Zhan extended his palm, profound ripples enveloping Zhou Tian. Something was wrong—very wrong. This was the law of causality; Zhou Tian must be hiding something. Perhaps he really had been possessed!

Feeling the binding force around him, Zhou Tian shook his head inwardly. If you don’t know your own strength, flaunting it can easily dig your own grave.

His figure blurred—Zhou Tian vanished once again.

Now it was Master Zhan who was left dumbfounded. He had used the law of causality to bind Zhou Tian. Zhou Tian had no cultivation—how could he possibly master causality more profoundly, or tear through space and move freely?