Volume One: The Game of the Manipulator Chapter Seventy-One: Zhang Xingfeng's Secret

The young man, with his flowing hair and pristine white robe, hovered in midair, gazing at Qin Shuang in astonishment. At the same time, Qin Shuang’s heart gave a fierce jolt, and he stared back at this airborne stranger with equal surprise.

“The Starpeak Immortal Emperor—it’s the Starpeak Immortal Emperor!”

Soon, all the Immortal Emperors of the Celestial Heart Realm were crying out in excitement. Countless eyes burned with fervor. The name Zhang Xingfeng resonated far more powerfully in the Celestial Heart Realm than Qin Yu’s did in the Immortal, Demon, and Beast Realms. While every Immortal in Celestial Heart had heard of the Starpeak Immortal Emperor’s appearance, precious few had ever seen him in person. No one had expected that, while witnessing a mere contest, they would encounter the legendary Starpeak Immortal Emperor.

Zhang Xingfeng slowly descended from the sky, every step seeming utterly natural, as though invisible stairs materialized beneath his feet. Everyone present, including the formidable Kuya clansman Lan Gang, felt the same sensation.

“Greetings. I am Zhang Xingfeng of the Celestial Heart Realm. Welcome,” the Starpeak Immortal Emperor said, striding directly before Qin Shuang with a smile.

In that instant, the entire Celestial Heart Realm’s view of Qin Shuang shifted. No matter how respectful Lan Gang had been, no matter how powerful he seemed, the people of Celestial Heart had merely regarded Qin Shuang as a formidable expert. Yet Zhang Xingfeng’s initiative instantly elevated Qin Shuang’s status in their eyes—anyone whom the Starpeak Immortal Emperor would greet personally was assuredly no ordinary master; even superlative experts would pale in comparison.

The other guests from various realms were equally stunned. What seemed to be a mere ninth-level Immortal Emperor had first received deference from a mighty super expert, and now, no less than the Celestial Heart Realm’s greatest figure was greeting him. In the eyes of all present, Qin Shuang became shrouded in an even deeper mystery.

“Thank you. My name is Qin Shuang. It is a pleasure to meet you,” Qin Shuang replied with a gentle smile and a cupped fist salute. Beyond the shock, he felt a peculiar warmth from the man before him.

“I wonder, might I invite you and your friends to a humble gathering at my residence?”

Zhang Xingfeng’s words, following his greeting, left the Celestial Heart folk dumbfounded. The Starpeak Immortal Emperor was inviting several visiting Immortal Emperors as guests—an event unprecedented in countless billions of years. No outsider had ever set foot in his residence. To think these visitors would be so honored seemed like a dream.

“I would be delighted, but I cannot speak for my companions. I must consult them first,” Qin Shuang nodded lightly, a faint smile on his lips.

Zhang Xingfeng’s presence on the ground felt subtly different than in the sky, but Wu Long, Zong Jue, and the others sensed clearly that he was a true master. Zong Jue even had the distinct impression that, in a contest with Zhang Xingfeng, he would not withstand even a single move.

“It would be our great honor to visit the Starpeak Immortal Emperor’s residence!” Hu Changfeng and Luo Changqing exchanged glances and voiced their agreement at once. Qin Shuang clearly wished to go, and, having witnessed his power, they did not hesitate to speak up.

“Our thanks for your gracious invitation, Starpeak Immortal Emperor! At last, we shall taste your legendary wines!” After brief consultation, Zong Jue, Wen Feng, and the others resolved to accompany Qin Shuang as well. After all, with such a warm invitation and Qin Shuang’s own intent to go, it would be inappropriate for the seven of them to remain behind.

“Elder Qin!” Lan Gang called out anxiously. Lan Gang was reluctant for Qin Shuang to leave with Zhang Xingfeng. To Lan Gang and the Kuya clan, Qin Shuang and Qin Si were benefactors of the highest order—Lan Gang owed all his achievements to their guidance. In his heart, Qin Shuang and Qin Si were more revered than his own parents.

Meeting Qin Shuang here in the Celestial Heart Realm had been an unexpected joy for Lan Gang. From the moment he saw Qin Shuang, he had resolved that, no matter what spiritual treasure might appear, he would spare no effort to help Qin Shuang. Now, before he could even express his resolve, Qin Shuang was about to depart, filling his heart with reluctance.

“Young friend, though my home is simple, the wine is excellent. Won’t you come and try it as well?” Zhang Xingfeng, who had lived for untold years, instantly saw through Lan Gang’s reluctance to part with Qin Shuang and invited him directly.

“That would be wonderful. Thank you, Starpeak Immortal Emperor!” The invitation transformed Lan Gang’s expression from anxious to elated. It was clear to all that his joy stemmed not from Zhang Xingfeng’s invitation, but from being able to stay by Qin Shuang’s side. In the eyes of the onlookers, Qin Shuang’s mystique only deepened.

Tianyue Star was Zhang Xingfeng’s residence, a location known to fewer than five people in the entire Celestial Heart Realm. In the eyes of all, the Starpeak Immortal Emperor was a figure of immense power and mystery, and it was only fitting that his dwelling should be equally enigmatic.

In the banquet hall, Zhang Xingfeng received them with simple yet exquisitely flavored dishes. Afterwards, he invited Qin Shuang to speak in private, while Lan Gang, Zong Jue, and the others remained behind, entertained by other hosts.

In truth, even if Zhang Xingfeng had not extended a private invitation, Qin Shuang would have sought him out. Both men felt an intense curiosity toward each other.

Zhang Xingfeng, the legendary Immortal Emperor of the Celestial Heart Realm, had already been a ninth-level Immortal Emperor for thirty trillion years. In that time, countless denizens of Celestial Heart had ascended, but Zhang Xingfeng remained.

Those thirty trillion years had not been wasted. Among all the lower realms, Zhang Xingfeng was the first whose soul had reached the upper God-Man level without ascending. Before Qin Shuang’s arrival, he was the only one.

A soul at the peak of the upper God-Man realm, with cultivation remaining at the ninth-level Immortal Emperor—this was Zhang Xingfeng’s current state, strikingly similar to Qin Shuang.

Thus, when Zhang Xingfeng first laid eyes on Qin Shuang, his heart was filled with astonishment and a hint of delight.

Qin Shuang, too, felt not only shock but puzzlement. He knew his own circumstances: as a native of the God Realm, it was rare but not unheard of to cultivate the soul to the God-Man’s upper level while keeping his own cultivation three levels lower. But for someone born and bred in the lower realms, such a thing seemed nearly inconceivable.

“I never imagined I was not alone in this.”

In the study, the two sat facing each other as Zhang Xingfeng sighed first. In his mind, he had already decided that Qin Shuang, like himself, was someone who had lived countless years in the lower realms without ascending.

“I, too, never expected this. May I ask, Brother Zhang, why have you not ascended? I’ve heard you have lingered here for a very long time,” Qin Shuang asked, assuming that Zhang Xingfeng had deliberately refrained from ascending.

“Ascend?” Zhang Xingfeng smiled wryly. “Thirty trillion years ago, I wished for nothing more. But out of curiosity, I meddled with the very foundation of the Celestial Heart Realm. After that, I could not ascend, even if I wished to.”

“Why not?”

Qin Shuang’s brow furrowed. Zhang Xingfeng’s manner suggested some unspoken hardship behind his failure to ascend.

“Let’s set that aside for now. Why have you not ascended, Brother Qin?” Zhang Xingfeng shook his head gently and turned the question around.

“I came down from above. For me, returning would not be difficult; it simply isn’t time yet.” Qin Shuang smiled, making no secret of his origin as one from the God Realm. To meet another in the lower realms whose soul had reached such heights was a rare fate indeed.

“You descended from the God Realm?” Now it was Zhang Xingfeng’s turn to be astonished. He had thought Qin Shuang, like himself, was a powerhouse of some other realm, never imagining that Qin Shuang was fundamentally different—he was a true native of the God Realm.

“Yes,” Qin Shuang nodded. In fact, Zhang Xingfeng was the first to learn his true origin.

“No wonder,” Zhang Xingfeng sighed softly, then nodded. That explained Qin Shuang’s high soul cultivation and the deep respect Lan Gang showed him—though Zhang Xingfeng did not know the reason, he could surmise that Qin Shuang must have bestowed some great favor. For one from the God Realm, descending to the lower realms and traveling between them was natural, unlike those born in the lower realms, who could only remain within their own world.

“But Brother Zhang, you still haven’t explained your reason,” Qin Shuang said with a smile, producing a bottle of fine God Realm wine and two cups, pouring one for Zhang Xingfeng.

“It is entirely my own doing,” Zhang Xingfeng replied, his smile tinged with bitterness.

“In truth, the reason I have not ascended is simple. Thirty trillion years ago, I absorbed a portion of the Celestial Heart Realm’s spatial power, and so I cannot and must not ascend. Should I go to the God Realm, the imbalance of spatial power would cause the Celestial Heart Realm to collapse, and all its inhabitants would perish.”

“Collapse? Perish?”

Qin Shuang sprang to his feet in shock. He had never imagined that Zhang Xingfeng’s refusal to ascend was for the sake of the Celestial Heart Realm, nor that he had been able to absorb the realm’s spatial power—a feat even God Kings in the God Realm could not accomplish. The spatial power of a world is its origin; that one person could absorb it defied belief.

“Indeed, I never expected it myself. But once I absorbed the spatial power, my departure would unbalance the realm’s very foundation, causing the entire space to collapse. So, I cannot ascend.”

Zhang Xingfeng nodded gravely, a strange feeling welling up in his heart. For thirty trillion years, he alone had carried this secret. Today, at last, he could share it with someone else.

(To be continued)