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[Cultivation Realms (Reminder)]
1. Body Tempering
2. Qi Gathering
3. Foundation Establishment
4. Core Formation
5. Transcendent Realm
6. Peak Transcendent
7. Half-Step Saint
8. Saint Realm
9. King Realm
10. Heavenly king Realm
11. Divine emperor realm
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(Current: Li Tian — Peak Transcendent, stepping toward Half-Step Saint.)
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The wind that brushed against Li Tian's face carried a different scent.
Dust. Iron. Ambition.
He stood before the towering black gates of Sevenrock Continent—a land equal in wealth to Azure Flame Empire, but far darker in intention.
He was no longer Li Tian.
Today, he was a silk trader from Blaze Continent—a neighboring empire known for neutral trade and sharp merchants.
Behind him stood three carriages filled with silk, bamboo crates… and paper.
The guards at the border scanned him lazily.
Sevenrock soldiers were infamous—strong but corrupt.
A pouch of silver coins quietly changed hands.
The gates opened.
Just like that.
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Sevenrock Continent
Ruled by Emperor Long Fang.
A man known across three continents.
Saint Realm
Some whispered King Realm .
He possessed terrifying intelligence… but was cursed by his own indulgence.
Greedy. Suspicious. Obese from excess.
He had nine sons—all competing for power.
And one daughter.
Unlike Azure Flame, Sevenrock did not expand with honor.
They expanded with rot.
And Li Tian was here to cut out the rot.
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The city of Blackstone Capital was massive. Markets stretched endlessly. Stone buildings carved from dark mountains.
But something caught Li Tian's attention.
Bamboo slips.
Cloth scrolls.
Even here… paper was rare.
Which meant the leak wasn't public knowledge.
Good.
He smiled faintly.
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The Bait
Three days later—
Sevenrock market exploded.
A new silk trader from Blaze Continent was selling something miraculous.
Smooth white sheets. Light. Durable. Elegant.
Paper.
Large quantities.
At low prices.
Scholars rushed.
Officials bought in bulk.
Merchants panicked.
And somewhere in the shadows—
The fake producers noticed.
Li Tian knew they would.
He intentionally underpriced.
Intentionally flooded.
Intentionally provoked.
Because rats only come out when their food is threatened.
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Night fell.
As expected—
Masked men surrounded his warehouse.
Thirty of them.
Core Formation experts.
Two Transcendents.
One Peak Transcendent.
"Hand over the recipe."
Li Tian sighed.
"How impatient."
The warehouse doors closed.
The lamps extinguished.
Silence.
Then—
Screams.
Shadow Guards moved like ghosts.
No wasted motion.
No unnecessary sound.
In less than ten breaths—
Every attacker was on the ground.
Alive.
Broken.
---
Li Tian stepped forward, eyes cold.
"Who funds you?"
Silence.
He raised one finger.
A Shadow Guard twisted a wrist.
Bone snapped.
The leader broke first.
"…Azure Flame."
That was the answer he expected.
But not the one he feared.
Because this confirmed it.
The leak did not originate in Sevenrock.
It came from inside his own empire.
A rat.
High position.
Connected to trade routes.
Possibly imperial.
Possibly guild.
Possibly royal.
Li Tian's gaze darkened.
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The Countermove
He did not kill them.
He sealed their cultivation.
Loaded them into hidden compartments beneath the silk crates.
Within two nights—
They were smuggled across the border.
Sent back to Azure Flame.
Alive.
For interrogation.
Publicly.
And strategically.
Because now—
The real hunt would begin.
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As Li Tian stood on the balcony of his rented manor in Blackstone Capital, he looked toward the imperial palace of Sevenrock.
Somewhere in that palace—
Emperor Long Fang was watching the market disruption.
A greedy emperor does not ignore economic earthquakes.
And Li Tian had just created one.
He smiled faintly.
"Let's see who makes the first move."
The game was no longer about paper.
It was about empires.
And Li Tian had just placed his first piece.
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End of Chapter 35