All three were utterly horrified, nearly losing their composure.
After all, earlier, over twenty of them had joined forces to besiege this non-gold, non-silver puppet. Among them, the weakest were at the late stage of the Spirit Opening Realm, and three were at the peak of the Spirit Opening Realm. And what was the result? Only the three of them had managed to escape with injuries, sensing the dire situation, while the rest had perished on the spot.
It was clear that this non-gold, non-silver puppet's strength far surpassed most peak Spirit Opening Realm cultivators by a wide margin. They estimated that even Sun Yuwen, Chen Hanshuang, Liu Qianyu, and others from the top ten of the Cangyuan Nation's potential rankings were likely no match for this puppet. Yet now, this very puppet was being effortlessly suppressed, crushed, and battered into near helplessness by a single person. Such a vast gap, like a chasm, was unimaginable. How could they not be utterly shaken?
Moreover, this person was also at the Spirit Opening Realm, yet so young—clearly under twenty. Far younger than them, yet displaying such terrifying power that far exceeded their own. This only proved that their martial arts talent was far, far inferior. It was almost beyond their imagination. They were even more astounded by this person's talent. Such talent was likely unmatched throughout the entire Cangyuan Nation. Even across the entire Red Sun Domain, it was rare, ranking among the top echelons. But why had they never heard any news about this person? This face was also a first-time sighting. Could it be that some top-tier genius secretly hidden by a major sect had emerged? Such talent, even if not quite reaching the level of a Young Master, was not far off.
At this thought, the three were even more horrified. Awe and reverence flickered in their eyes. Young Master-level geniuses, the Four Young Masters—these were the top four geniuses of the entire Red Sun Domain, already at the Spirit Origin Realm. Their future achievements were destined to place them at the highest levels of the Red Sun Domain, far beyond what the three could compare to or imagine. And now, someone who might become a Young Master-level existence had appeared before them. Naturally, this left them utterly stunned.
As for the cultivation aura he displayed, merely the second layer of the Spirit Opening Realm, they directly dismissed it. In their view, he was definitely deliberately hiding his cultivation, playing the fool to catch the unwary. Otherwise, how could someone at the second layer of the Spirit Opening Realm crush a peak Spirit Opening Realm non-gold, non-silver puppet? That would be too shocking and extraordinary, wouldn't it? Even the Four Young Masters couldn't do that, could they? They dared not believe it.
...
Several hundred meters away.
Boom!
Another deafening explosion rang out, sending up waves of air and dust. The non-gold, non-silver puppet was sent flying backward again, crashing into a pit several meters deep. This time, the puppet didn't get up; it had lost all signs of life. Its chest was caved in by more than half, looking quite terrifying.
Whoosh!
Lin Xuan gazed at the puppet in the pit and let out a long breath. "Finally dealt with!"
It was indeed a peculiar puppet with extraordinary talents, including the legendary spatial talent, far beyond any other bronze puppet. Since he hadn't intended to fully unleash the power of the *Golden Scale Elephant Art* all at once, this was the best he could do. It had taken a bit more time to finish it off. Still, it was only a few minutes—nothing significant. Besides, he had gained something: insight into spatial talent.
Spatial fluctuations! After acquiring the inferior spatial talent, Lin Xuan realized it wasn't just for instantaneous movement. It also sharpened his perception, allowing him to even sense spatial fluctuations. Throughout this battle, he had never used teleportation, yet he could precisely determine the puppet's attack directions and respond in time—all because he sensed the spatial fluctuations. And if he could sense spatial fluctuations, other changes in aura couldn't escape him either. This meant no one could ambush him anymore. At least for now, at the Spirit Opening and Spirit Origin Realms, it was impossible.
Lin Xuan nodded slightly, quite pleased. Then, with a flicker, he appeared beside the lifeless puppet, reached out, and collected the crystal it had produced. After glancing westward, he activated his movement technique and sped away. He had noticed three people watching from several hundred meters to the west; their attribute panels had appeared in his sight. But these three couldn't even compare to Xu Anlan, let alone Chen Hanshuang or Liu Qianyu. Moreover, throughout the battle, he had never activated his spatial talent, so there was nothing to worry about. Besides, when these three left, they could help spread the word and earn him some energy points. Lin Xuan couldn't be bothered to pay them any more attention.
What Lin Xuan didn't know was that his glance had nearly scared the three half to death. To them, Lin Xuan was someone who had brutally killed a non-gold, non-silver puppet. Even if he wasn't at the Spirit Origin Realm, he wasn't far off. Within the puppet secret realm, he was nearly invincible. That single look felt like a towering mountain bearing down on them, almost freezing their blood and stopping their hearts. The three were even more awed by Lin Xuan's strength. A mere glance had them on high alert, almost powerless to resist—that said it all.
...
On the other side, after Lin Xuan had distanced himself from the area where the three were, he found a relatively secluded spot once he was sure no one was around. He took out the crystal he had obtained from the non-gold, non-silver puppet. This crystal was different from the ones he had gotten before, tinged with a non-gold, non-silver hue. Lin Xuan stared at it, his eyes gleaming. Then, he applied slight pressure with his fingers.
Crack!
A crisp sound. A surge of cool energy, far more abundant than from previous crystals, flowed from his fingertips into his body. At the same time, Lin Xuan's aura grew rapidly.
A few minutes later.
"Ding, congratulations, host—spatial talent upgraded!"
A cold, clear notification sound rang out. Lin Xuan snapped back to reality and nodded slightly. "I've broken through to the third layer of the Spirit Opening Realm. Also, my spatial talent has improved significantly. Teleportation is still limited to ten meters, but the daily usage has increased to two hundred times."
Lin Xuan murmured to himself, a satisfied look in his eyes. Soon, he calmed his mind and planned to continue hunting bronze puppets. Just then, Lin Xuan's expression tightened. A strange wave swept over him.
"Spatial fluctuation!" Lin Xuan's heart sank. But the wave came too fast; he only sensed it before it arrived. Its coverage was so vast that even teleportation was useless. The next moment, Lin Xuan was enveloped by the wave. His vision blurred, the world spun, and time seemed to reverse. When he looked around again, he was in an entirely different scene.
"The third layer!"