(Monthly Ticket Bonus Chapter)
Before long, under Lin Xuan's lead, Xu Anlan and the others arrived outside the translucent light barrier. The path was smooth and unobstructed, as if no obstacles existed at all.
Behind him, Xu Anlan and the others felt a sense of disbelief. Yet, recalling Lin Xuan's terrifying strength—though he was only at the first layer of the Spirit Opening Realm, he dealt with these Black Iron Puppets, which even they, at the mid-stage of the Spirit Opening Realm, struggled to overcome, as easily as chopping vegetables—they quickly came to terms with it. At the same time, they were even more astounded by Lin Xuan's talent.
"Let's go," Lin Xuan's calm voice rang out. With that, he stepped into the translucent light barrier and vanished from sight. Xu Anlan and the others hurriedly followed, disappearing into it as well.
The crowd outside, watching Lin Xuan and his group enter the next level, erupted into noise and discussion.
"Damn, who is that? So strong!" "Yeah, a single sword strike took down a Black Iron Puppet. He's taken out over a hundred along the way, and he's still calm, breathing steadily—clearly, he hasn't exhausted himself at all!" "With such formidable strength, even Liu Qianyu, Chen Hanshuang, and Sun Yuwen at the peak of the Spirit Opening Realm might not be able to do that, right?" "Look at Xu Anlan, Sun Ruoyun, Zhang Meng behind him—they're all junior disciples from our Cangyuan Kingdom. That guy should be from our kingdom too, right?" "No idea. I haven't seen him on the potential rankings, but with the strength he's shown, he could easily break into the top ten!" "I wonder which of the four great sects or the royal family is hiding this top-tier genius." "..."
The crowd buzzed with excitement, deeply shaken. This time, Lin Xuan's displayed strength had clearly reached the peak of the Spirit Opening Realm. In Cangyuan Kingdom, the peak of the Spirit Opening Realm was the strongest among the younger generation, numbering fewer than ten individuals. Each was renowned throughout the kingdom, and they were all familiar with one another. Yet Lin Xuan had suddenly emerged, and no one recognized him. Moreover, he was even younger than those top geniuses at the peak of the Spirit Opening Realm, clearly under twenty. This suggested he was likely an even greater talent. Naturally, they were utterly astonished and unable to remain calm.
As for Lin Xuan's revealed cultivation aura, which seemed to be only at the first layer of the Spirit Opening Realm, they subconsciously ignored it. After all, displaying peak Spirit Opening Realm combat power while being at the first layer—that would be terrifying beyond belief. Such a feat had never been heard of, not just in Cangyuan Kingdom, but across the entire Red Sun Domain. In theory, such an existence couldn't appear within the Red Sun Domain; it could only exist outside, in broader domains. They dared not believe it, all assuming Lin Xuan was concealing his cultivation. Still, even so, being under twenty and at the peak of the Spirit Opening Realm was enough to shock them to the core, earning him the title of Cangyuan Kingdom's number one genius.
It took several breaths before the remaining Black Iron Puppets turned from the translucent light barrier and gathered around, snapping them back to reality. Then, they were filled with joy. Thanks to Lin Xuan's intervention, over a hundred Black Iron Puppets had been eliminated, reducing their numbers by more than half. This gave them a much better chance to enter the next level. The crowd gazed at the translucent light barrier with gratitude in their eyes. Though Lin Xuan hadn't intended to help them, he had indeed brought them significant convenience, so they felt compelled to express their thanks, even if he might never know. With that, they engaged the remaining Black Iron Puppets in battle.
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On the other side, after Lin Xuan entered the translucent light barrier, he experienced another dizzying spin. In the span of a breath, when he regained his senses, the scene before him had completely transformed. This place was still a gray, hazy space, with endless gray-white mist drifting above, equally desolate. But unlike the previous level, this one was far more expansive, stretching endlessly, featuring terrain like hills, plains, and valleys.
At that moment, Lin Xuan realized he was alone, with no one else within a kilometer in any direction. "Hmm? This time, it's a separate teleportation?" A glint of light flickered in Lin Xuan's eyes. He shook his head, unconcerned. Seeing no difference in any direction, he picked one at random, activated his movement technique, and dashed forward. Soon, he vanished from sight.
After more than ten minutes, Lin Xuan had traveled an unknown distance. Roars like wild beasts came from ahead. Before Lin Xuan could react, a fierce, foul wind rushed at him, accompanied by an unbearable stench. Following the sound, he saw a bronze-colored puppet charging toward him with a roar, moving so fast it tore white streaks through the air. Its attribute panel appeared in Lin Xuan's view.
"A Bronze Puppet? It jumps straight from the early stage to the late stage of the Spirit Opening Realm!" Lin Xuan's eyes flickered as he looked at the attribute panel in the void. With a thought, he instantly copied several desirable talents from the Bronze Puppet. By then, the puppet had reached him, throwing a punch.
Boom! The air was compressed into a thin sheet, unleashing a terrifying shockwave that crushed toward Lin Xuan. The power of this punch was enough to overwhelm many at the late stage of the Spirit Opening Realm. Yet Lin Xuan simply reached out and caught the fist with ease. The residual energy scattered, kicking up dust for hundreds of meters. After catching it, Lin Xuan didn't even sway, his expression still calm, let alone showing any sign of injury.
"Let me end this for you," Lin Xuan murmured softly, sending his left fist forward.
Bang! A deafening explosion rang out. The Bronze Puppet was blasted back hundreds of meters like a cannonball, crashing to the ground with a dull thud. Most of its chest was shattered, and it lay motionless. Such was the power of that punch. Lin Xuan nodded in satisfaction. Killing a Bronze Puppet comparable to the eighth layer of the Spirit Opening Realm with one punch gave him a rough understanding of his own strength. He then planned to continue on his way.
Just then, a faint glimmer caught his eye. Lin Xuan flashed over to the lifeless Bronze Puppet, reached out, and grabbed the light. "What's this?" he wondered, looking at the object in his hand—a tiny, bright crystal the size of a pinky nail.
Crack. Suddenly, a crisp sound came as Lin Xuan accidentally crushed the crystal. A faint, cool stream flowed from his fingers into his body. "Such pure spiritual energy!" After a breath, he sensed his cultivation had increased by a trace.