During the assessment in the Fragmented Space, elite participants from various families suddenly heard a surprising announcement:

Qin Ruqing, currently ranked first, is offering a service.

She will help players handle Foundation Establishment monsters if provided with clues about Foundation Establishment beasts, and will help with Golden Core monsters if provided with clues about Golden Core beasts… and so on.

The elite participants were immediately puzzled.

Could it really be this good?

Instead of having someone else do the work, wouldn’t it be better to find more monsters themselves?

It seemed like a trap, as if someone was setting a bait to lure people into giving away their points.

Therefore, the top ten ranked players intentionally ignored the announcement, believing the risks outweighed the benefits.

They were capable of handling monsters themselves.

Even if they couldn’t defeat a Foundation Establishment beast alone, they could team up with others.

Why go out of their way to approach Qin Ruqing, who might just be targeting players instead of monsters?

It seemed like a way to hand over points for free.

No way, they thought!

However, there were some bold and skilled individuals who, thinking their ranks were low and they didn’t have many points, figured they might as well give it a try.

They provided Qin Ruqing with clues about high-level monsters.

One such person had just escaped from a Golden Core monster’s lair, having disturbed it while passing by and causing a commotion.

He was chased away for a mile, out of breath, when he heard about Qin Ruqing’s offer.

He was initially frustrated.

It was just a Golden Core monster—why chase him so far just because of a broken twig?

But he also decided to try his luck.

With few points and the chance to survive another round, he thought it might be worth the gamble.

So, he contacted Qin Ruqing’s representative, provided the location, and then hid behind a tree to catch his breath.

He didn’t expect to actually meet Qin Ruqing.

However, within fifteen minutes, a strikingly handsome pair of man and woman descended from the sky.

The pair looked like they could be siblings or close family members, sharing similar features.

The man was still dazed when Qin Ruqing, with a calm expression, approached him and called out:

“Where is the Golden Core monster?”

Realizing he had to provide directions, he pointed.

Qin Ruqing nodded and said, “You may wait here. I’ll verify the information and deal with the monster before honoring our agreement.”

The agreement was to help with the Golden Core monster if he provided the clue.

The man swallowed nervously as Qin Ruqing flew off with her companion.

Determined to see if Qin Ruqing could really defeat the Golden Core monster, he decided to follow.

The task of handling the monster was important, but he was more interested in seeing if Qin Ruqing could actually defeat it.

As they approached the monster’s lair, they sensed a powerful aura.

Qin Ruqing was delighted, “It really is a Golden Core monster. The information was true!”

Qi Rong, however, was worried and asked, “Are we really going to fight a Golden Core monster?”

Qin Ruqing understood his concern and smiled, “Don’t worry, I’m not one to overestimate my abilities. Even if I can’t win, I can definitely escape.”

If fighting a Foundation Establishment stage beast wasn’t too difficult, then maybe with some effort, she could handle a Golden Core beast too?

As she spoke, she released her spiritual sense without any concealment, its overwhelming presence a blatant provocation.

Earlier, that person had disturbed the demonic beast’s nap, making it angry.

How much more so would this open challenge?

A furious roar echoed, “Who dares to act so presumptuously here!”

A demonic beast resembling a rhinoceros with a long black horn on its nose charged out.

Qin Ruqing showed no fear and shouted back, “It’s your grandmother!” With that, she rushed forward, flames blazing.

“Grandmother…” Qirong twitched his mouth, starting to provide cover from the side.

He was only covering, not joining the fight.

A head suddenly popped out beside his shoulder, whispering, “Brother, why aren’t you helping?”

Qirong crossed his arms leisurely, “It’s not my turn yet!” He glanced over and recognized the person as the same guy from before, who had somehow circled back.

“Why, afraid we’ll run off and cheat you?”

The man shook his head earnestly, “That can’t be. Fairy Ruqing, such a dignified person, would never break her word. I just want to watch the fight and learn something.”

“Would never break her word…” Qirong fell silent, momentarily trapped in a complex and indescribable feeling.

How could he explain to outsiders that his sister sometimes lacked impeccable character?

Better to stay silent.

Qirong seemed relaxed but was actually keeping a close eye on the battle.

His sister was finding it a bit challenging to fight the Golden Core stage beast using the same tactics.

In his sight, the red-clad female cultivator fought fiercely with the beast, even though she was pushed back several times and sustained injuries, she stubbornly pressed forward.

Qirong knew Qin Ruqing was not one to act without a plan.

Her strategy likely involved planting fire seeds at the cost of getting hurt.

However…

Qirong frowned.

According to his sister, the last time she was on Tianyun Island, she had planted nearly a thousand seeds to blow up a Golden Core Formation stage puppet, using the Qinglian Seal to destroy half of it.

But a puppet is just a puppet, lacking intelligence and quick reactions.

Planting a thousand seeds only took time.

Now, she was fighting a real, physically adept Golden Core stage demonic beast.

Every seed she planted came at the cost of an injury.

She might not be able to plant enough seeds to break the beast’s defense before exhausting herself.

This was a strategy where she might harm herself significantly without ensuring she could deal enough damage to the enemy.

Even the guy next to him noticed and hesitantly said:

“She might get seriously injured if she keeps this up. Of course, I’m not doubting Qin Ruqing’s ability to fight above her level. It’s just that going up against a Golden Core monster is a huge leap—two whole stages. It’s better to act within one’s capabilities.”

This person was genuinely concerned, not just making idle comments.

He thought the situation was quite serious and felt that Qin Ruqing should not force herself to fight a Golden Core monster just to prove a point.

There’s no shame in withdrawing if necessary.

At this point, who would question the strength of the top-ranked player?

Qirong, with his brow furrowed and his body tensed, was prepared to act at any moment but still said, “Let’s wait and see.”

He wanted to see if his sister had a plan. If she had a strategy in mind, rushing in without understanding her plan could disrupt it.

The concerned onlooker was shocked, thinking that these people really didn’t care if she got hurt!

However, Qi Rong’s hesitation was justified.

Qin Ruqing indeed had her own plans.

She was testing her limits.

Previously, when she was at the Foundation Establishment stage on Tianyun Island, she could destroy a Golden Core puppet with a thousand fire seeds combined with the Qinglian Seal, while still keeping a backup plan.

This time, she wanted to see how well she could handle a real Golden Core beast with her enhanced cultivation and soul strength using the same techniques.

Could she defeat it without using her backup plan?

It turned out to be quite difficult.

There was a significant difference between the puppet and a real Golden Core beast.

She underestimated the role of the beast’s intelligence.

Out of ten attacks, she would miss seven times, while the beast would hit her nine times.

The accumulating damage meant that she was close to being defeated before she could even break through the beast’s defenses.

Of course, with her Qinglian Dao Physique, her recovery was remarkable, and death was practically impossible.

“Fortunately, I have many tricks up my sleeve. If this doesn’t work, I’ll try something else. Let’s see if my new skill can handle you!” Qin Ruqing murmured as she swallowed a mouthful of blood.

“I should have enough seeds… With five hundred seeds, if it works, it should be able to defeat you. If not, well, I’ll just run away.”

Qin Ruqing was once again knocked back, but this time, she used the force to distance herself.

Qirong stood up straight, and the passerby next to him sighed in relief, “Is Fairy Ruqing finally giving up?”

Of course, Qin Ruqing was not giving up.

She began forming hand seals.

Qirong recognized the familiar sequence, knowing his sister was about to detonate the flame seeds.

But he had been watching the entire time and realized there weren’t nearly enough seeds planted yet!

Detonating them now would make all her previous efforts futile!

As the final seal was completed, Qirong quickly grabbed the passerby and moved farther away.

Regardless of whether the Golden Core stage demonic beast would be killed, his sister’s flame seeds were not something they could withstand.

However, the expected massive explosion did not occur.

The passerby, who was being held by his collar, pointed forward, “Nothing’s happening.”

Qirong shot him a glance, his face serious, and dropped him.

He quickly returned to the beast’s lair.

The passerby fell to the ground with a thud, groaning in pain.

Qirong thought something had gone wrong with Qin Ruqing’s spell.

But when he arrived near the demonic beast’s lair, he saw his sister looking relieved, even slightly delighted, while the Golden Core stage demonic beast was rolling on the ground in agony.

Qin Ruqing’s eyes burned with golden flames.

Although her face was pale, she used another spell, and wisps of smoke-like flames emerged from the beast.

It let out a pained howl and began screaming, each cry louder than the last.

Its mountain-sized body slammed against the walls of its cave, causing the ground to shake.

It smashed its lair, causing the rocks to collapse and bury it.

It continued to writhe in the rubble, but its movements gradually slowed until it finally lay still.

The sight was terrifying.

Qirong swallowed hard, but before he could say anything, the passerby who had returned due to the commotion was so frightened he fell to the ground.

It was horrifying!

A living Golden Core Formation Stage great demon beast, a ruler of the mountain, had been tortured to death!

The terrifying top-ranked Qin Ruqing—so frightening!

Seeing this, the Qin Ruqing finally smiled, as if the excruciating pain in her head had eased somewhat.

The number of flame seeds was insufficient, but she still detonated them.

Naturally, she wasn’t acting recklessly.

These were not ordinary flame seeds; they were infused with a trace of her soul imprint.

The unknown heavenly fire fused with her life fire had the property of scorching the soul.

However, using flame seeds alone to scorch the soul wouldn’t be very powerful.

At most, it would make the beast momentarily dizzy in battle, but not lethal.

But Qin Ruqing thought that would be too wasteful!

The weakest part of a monster is its soul.

Qin Ruqing’s flames could indeed injure souls, but they weren’t powerful enough to be effective.

She couldn’t tolerate this!

So, before the tournament started, she tried every possible method to enhance her soul attack.

Eventually, she drew inspiration from her previous fire seed skill.

While a single fire seed wasn’t very powerful, the chain reactions from multiple explosions were quite impressive.

What if, instead of harming the body, the fire seeds exploded against the soul?

After several attempts, Qin Ruqing came up with a seemingly crazy method: she extracted a tiny bit of her own soul essence and attached it to the fire seeds.

She then triggered the fire seeds with soul explosions, using her soul’s explosion to ignite the fire seeds and utilize the Heavenly Fire’s soul-burning effect to directly attack the enemy’s soul.

The Golden Core monster, despite showing no visible damage, was writhing in pain due to the soul attack from the fire seeds.

Of course, this came at a cost.

Her own head felt like it was being blasted with firecrackers, with intense, cramping pain from the soul essence ignition.

But she didn’t care!

She even found a twisted pleasure in the pain, reminiscent of her training in the Fiery Pit!