Chapter 613

"Young man, you are strong!"

Old Man Qin's gaze was fiery, his eyes unable to hide his excitement. He had spent his entire life pursuing strength, and Su Hao's appearance showed him a new direction. He could sense that Su Hao's power was far greater than what he showed; the secrets he hid were what Old Man Qin had sought his whole life, and he yearned to uncover them.

"You too," Su Hao replied calmly.

Old Man Qin was at the peak of the Seven-Star realm. This was the first time in his life Su Hao had truly encountered such a formidable opponent, one more powerful than anyone he had ever faced.

"Can you tell me your secret?" Old Man Qin tempted.

Su Hao scoffed, "Sure. Defeat me, and I'll tell you all my secrets."

"Good!" Old Man Qin exclaimed excitedly, then instantly attacked. A frigid chill descended from the air, aimed directly at Su Hao.

"Freeze!" The very air seemed to solidify.

A howling cold wind carried a visible ice blade. Su Hao's hair stood on end, and he retreated without hesitation. Although he wanted to test the strength of a Seven-Star peak expert, he wasn't going to face it head-on with his body.

*Boom!* The ground where Su Hao had stood instantly froze, turning an icy white and radiating bone-chilling cold.

Su Hao dodged. A hint of disappointment flickered in Old Man Qin's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. This young man was too cautious, indeed worthy of being the one who had thrown his family into disarray.

"Heh, interesting," Old Man Qin's smile grew colder. "Origin ability freezing? But this power doesn't seem to be part of your system, does it? What exactly is your true ability?"

Su Hao remained silent.

Old Man Qin's eyes shimmered. He saw too many mysteries in Su Hao, each one drawing him in.

"Tell me."

"Tell me!" Old Man Qin grew agitated. His extreme desire for power made him lose his composure; he had to obtain Su Hao's secrets.

"Die!" Old Man Qin's eyes turned bloodshot, and he attacked again. Countless ice blades rained down from the sky like a storm.

*Boom! Boom!* Su Hao was completely surrounded.

Su Hao's expression was grave. He could feel the power of these ice blades; they were definitely not something he could contend with.

"Mind-Body Unification!" Su Hao whispered. The world around him suddenly became clear. The trajectories of the ice blades slowed in his vision, and even the fluctuations in the air were clearly visible.

*Thud!* Su Hao stepped forward, leaving an afterimage behind. His body became a blur, weaving through the swarm of ice blades, narrowly dodging each attack.

"Oh?" Old Man Qin was somewhat surprised. This speed was too fast!

His ice blades had a wide range and extreme speed. Even a Seven-Star expert would find it impossible to dodge them, yet Su Hao had managed.

"Truly astonishing," Old Man Qin laughed, a hint of excitement in his smile.

"Indeed," Su Hao replied calmly.

"This is just an appetizer," Old Man Qin said with a faint smile, attacking again. The countless ice blades suddenly converged into a giant ice sphere, which rapidly expanded, trapping Su Hao within it.

"Space, freeze!" Old Man Qin stated coldly.

*Boom!* The ice sphere instantly froze, completely sealing Su Hao inside.

"Hmph!" Old Man Qin snorted coldly and turned to leave. Although Su Hao was somewhat strange, he was ultimately just a Five-Star expert; their strength difference was too vast.

*Crack!* A crisp sound echoed.

Old Man Qin's steps halted. His expression changed drastically, and he whipped his head around, staring incredulously at the ice sphere. It was something he had condensed with all his origin ability; even a meteor could be instantly frozen!

How was that possible? A crack quietly appeared on the ice sphere, followed by more cracks.

*Boom!* The ice sphere exploded, and Su Hao emerged from it, his face pale.

Old Man Qin's pupils constricted as he stared intently at Su Hao.

"What kind of ability is this?" Su Hao shook his head. "Your ice sphere can't trap me."

"Impossible!" Old Man Qin's voice trembled slightly. This was one of his most powerful attacks; even a Seven-Star expert would be trapped for a long time, or even completely frozen. Yet Su Hao had emerged in such a short time?

"What exactly are you?" Old Man Qin's gaze was fixed on Su Hao.

"You are very strong." Su Hao looked at Old Man Qin, feeling a touch of regret. Old Man Qin was truly powerful, very powerful. If Su Hao hadn't possessed special abilities, if he hadn't achieved Mind-Body Unification, if he hadn't had energy control, he would have died long ago.

This was the first opponent who made him feel such immense pressure.

"However, your abilities are too singular," Su Hao said calmly. "All your attacks are ice. While powerful, they can't hit me."

"Hahahahaha!" Old Man Qin suddenly burst into laughter, a hint of sorrow in his mirth.

"Singular abilities?"

"Yes, I've spent my entire life researching ice. All my abilities have transformed into ice, so I only have one ability: ice!" Old Man Qin's laughter faded, and a trace of weariness flickered in his eyes.

"I don't have as many flashy abilities as you. I only have ice, and I've spent my entire life studying it," Old Man Qin mused, a touch of reminiscence in his voice.

"Everything I am, everything I've achieved in my life, converges here!" "So, Ice!" Old Man Qin roared. The world shifted, and the entire landscape transformed into ice and snow.

The sky was filled with ice and snow, saturating the entire space. Su Hao's expression was grave. Old Man Qin's ice and snow had actually transformed into pure energy, manifesting as countless ice blades that descended from all directions.

This wasn't just ice; this was clearly energy! Old Man Qin's attacks had finally escalated from the physical to the energetic plane!

"You are very clever," Old Man Qin's voice came from amidst the swirling ice and snow, carrying a hint of appreciation. "To be able to perceive the existence of energy, you are the first I've ever met. However, you are still too weak."

*Buzz!* The countless ice blades descended instantly. Their terrifying power made space itself tremble.

Su Hao's expression remained calm. The energy within him erupted instantly, and the world around him suddenly solidified!

One second! Just one second! All the ice blades froze in mid-air.

"This is...?" Old Man Qin's voice trembled slightly. What kind of ability was this? The surrounding world, time itself, had actually stopped at this moment?

*Ding!* A soft chime. Su Hao stepped forward, and an azure longsword had appeared in his hand at some unknown moment. Its blade was solid and hummed with a vibrant tremor.

"Slash!" Su Hao brought his sword down. Sword energy surged, and the entire world seemed to be cut in half.

"What is this?" Old Man Qin's voice was filled with shock. What was this? He had never seen such an ability!

The world, solidified? Time, stopped? How was this possible? This was the power of the Heavenly Dao!

*Pfft!* Old Man Qin spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes filled with horror as his body crashed to the ground.

"Am I... am I still too weak?" Old Man Qin murmured, his eyes filled with unwillingness. He had spent his entire life pursuing the strongest power, the strongest ice.

He had finally met someone, only to be crushed like this.

"Energy control..." A flash of understanding crossed Old Man Qin's eyes. "So that's it. You are an energy controller, controlling the energy of all things in the world... No wonder, no wonder..."

Old Man Qin struggled to say something, but his body wouldn't move.

"You... are very strong." A hint of admiration flickered in Old Man Qin's eyes. This was the first time in his life he had ever said such words to anyone.

He wanted to become stronger, to know Su Hao's secret. But he had failed.

"Thank you," Su Hao said calmly.

Old Man Qin smiled, a hint of liberation in his laughter.

"My entire life... I pursued the strongest power, the strongest ice... You... are the first person to show me hope..." Old Man Qin's voice grew weaker and weaker, and a faint light flickered in his eyes.

"Ice... ice..." Old Man Qin's body gradually turned into an ice sculpture, and finally, it shattered completely, turning into icy fragments that dissipated into the air.

Su Hao watched it all, his expression complex.

Old Man Qin was dead. A Seven-Star peak expert, dead just like that. Su Hao found it hard to believe.

He had actually... killed a Seven-Star peak expert? Su Hao felt a little lost.

This was truly the first time he had slain such a powerful figure. He had originally thought he would have to pay a heavy price to kill Old Man Qin.

But he hadn't.

Old Man Qin's abilities were too singular. Yes, singular! This was his biggest flaw!

Everything about Old Man Qin was ice. Ice was powerful, but when everything transformed into ice, ice became his greatest weakness.

Old Man Qin's abilities were completely countered by Su Hao. Energy control could control all energy.

Ice was a form of energy. Therefore, Su Hao could easily dissolve his attacks and even turn them against him.

Su Hao could even use Old Man Qin's ice to attack Old Man Qin himself. This was the most terrifying aspect!

All of Old Man Qin's abilities became assets for Su Hao. Ultimately, Su Hao killed Old Man Qin with minimal cost.

"Hoo..." Su Hao let out a long breath. This kill had given him a deeper understanding of energy control.

Energy could be controlled. As long as you were strong enough, you could control all energy.

What an incredibly powerful ability this was? A sharp glint flashed in Su Hao's eyes.

He finally understood how heaven-defying the ability he had gained this time was!

This ability even surpassed the Heavenly Dao, surpassing all other abilities, because it controlled *everything*!

Control everything! Su Hao clenched his fist. He wanted to become stronger, to control everything, to stand at the very pinnacle!

"Old Man Qin..." Su Hao looked at the spot where Old Man Qin had vanished, his gaze complex.

Old Man Qin was a respectable powerhouse. He had spent his entire life pursuing strength, and ultimately, he died in that pursuit.

Su Hao felt some regret. However, he had no choice.

Either you die, or I perish. This was the fate of a martial artist.

Su Hao turned and left. The world of ice and snow gradually dissipated. Everything returned to normal.

It was as if nothing had ever happened.