As Lin Xuan's words fell, many in the arena were instantly frozen in place.
Including Liu Qianyu, Chen Hanshuang, Xu Anlan, and others—all were deeply shaken, staring at Lin Xuan in disbelief.
They all knew that not long ago, during the Flowing Cloud Sect's ranking competition, Lin Xuan was only at the eighth layer of the Condensing Rotation Realm, not yet at the peak. By the time the Puppet Secret Realm emerged and opened, Lin Xuan had already broken through to the Spirit Opening Realm. That cultivation speed was already incredibly fast, unmatched by anyone in the entire Cangyuan Nation. But connecting it to Lin Xuan's terrifying martial arts talent, they could barely accept it.
Yet they never expected that in just a few hours after entering the Puppet Secret Realm, Lin Xuan would break through repeatedly again—from the first layer of the Spirit Opening Realm, leaping two layers straight to the third. This speed was frighteningly fast.
Within the Puppet Secret Realm, the treasures that could rapidly boost cultivation were the crystals obtained after defeating Bronze Puppets. Many had already discovered and tried this. But Lin Xuan had crossed two layers in just a few hours. One could imagine how many Bronze Puppets he had taken down in that time! Hundreds? Thousands? Or even more? They dared not even think about it.
They also had a deep understanding of how troublesome Bronze Puppets were. Ordinary Bronze Puppets were comparable to the late stage of the Spirit Opening Realm, with bodies as hard as forged steel. Repelling them was easy, but defeating them to condense crystals—even for a peak Spirit Opening Realm cultivator—required time and effort. Not to mention that many Bronze Puppets themselves were equivalent to the peak of the Spirit Opening Realm. That's why top geniuses of Cangyuan Nation like Liu Qianyu, Chen Hanshuang, and Sun Yuwen had given up on defeating Bronze Puppets, choosing instead to find the entrance and reach this third layer.
But now, Lin Xuan had spent a few hours massively defeating Bronze Puppets, acquiring crystals, and continuously raising his cultivation by two layers. In comparison, it highlighted the terror of Lin Xuan's strength. Even Liu Qianyu and Chen Hanshuang, who had witnessed Lin Xuan's skills, were utterly shocked. As for the others, they were all stunned, unable to snap out of it for a long time.
Sun Yuwen, upon hearing this, was also greatly alarmed. He had felt the formidable physique and strong defense of those Bronze Puppets. Even for him, defeating one wouldn't be easy. To take down a large number of them, acquire crystals, and boost cultivation—Lin Xuan's strength was undoubtedly far beyond his own. Sun Yuwen was deeply shaken, and at the same time, inwardly relieved that Lin Xuan hadn't accepted his challenge. Otherwise, it would have been him who lost face.
But Lin Xuan remained calm and indifferent, his gaze fixed into the distance. Here, there weren't just the younger disciples of the five major forces of Cangyuan Nation, but also many independent cultivators and disciples from other major powers in the Red Sun Domain. In the distance, several figures were walking toward them.
"Kid, I've finally found you! Now, my senior brother Duan Feichen from the Wind Flame Valley is here! This time, let's see how you die!"
The leader was Ye Li. Spotting Lin Xuan, he quickened his pace, a cruel smile on his face as he shouted coldly.
The surrounding martial artists, hearing this, showed fear and stepped back repeatedly. The disciples of Cangyuan Nation also trembled, their hearts pounding.
"Senior Brother Lin, Duan Feichen is the second senior brother of Wind Flame Valley, also known as one of the top geniuses in the Red Sun Domain, second only to the Four Young Masters," Liu Qianyu quickly explained to Lin Xuan. He knew Lin Xuan had only recently left the sect and might not be familiar with the Red Sun Domain's situation, worried he might suffer a loss.
Lin Xuan nodded slightly and said coldly, "It seems the lesson I gave you last time wasn't enough! You dare to come and provoke me actively! This time, you'll stay here!"
"Kid, you're still being arrogant?! Senior Brother Duan will make you wish you were dead!" Ye Li's face turned ashen as he shouted. Though furious, recalling the power of Lin Xuan's earlier sword strike, he was wary and dared not approach.
The surrounding crowd was stunned. The implication in these words was that Ye Li had suffered a loss at Lin Xuan's hands? Ye Li, though not comparable to the Four Young Masters or Duan Feichen, was no weakling—a top-tier genius across the entire Red Sun Domain, far stronger than Liu Qianyu, Sun Yuwen, and others in the top ten of the potential rankings. That he had been taught a lesson by Lin Xuan, who was clearly under twenty and a disciple of Cangyuan Nation, was hard for everyone to believe.
"Die!" Lin Xuan, unwilling to waste more words, reached out and grabbed a sword.
"Falling Lotus!" he murmured, sweeping the sword out. A cold light shot forth, transforming into a snow-white lotus. The lotus bloomed with twelve petals, splitting into twelve sword beams that shot toward Ye Li.
Swish, swish, swish! Wherever they passed, the void seemed pierced through. With Lin Xuan's cultivation boost and newly acquired spatial talent, his strength had surged dramatically. The sharpness of these sword beams far exceeded before. The edge swept in all directions, shredding the air around into fragments.
The surrounding crowd, including Sun Yuwen, Chen Hanshuang, Liu Qianyu, and other Cangyuan Nation disciples, felt their skin sting and their hearts tremble, instinctively retreating. They only stopped after pulling back several hundred meters, barely enduring it. Their gazes toward Lin Xuan were even more horrified. If just the sharpness of these sword beams was this terrifying, one could only imagine his true strength! Everyone was utterly stunned, unable to control themselves.
The twelve sword beams, as if crossing through space, arrived in an instant before Ye Li, attacking him.
"Damn it! How dare he?! How dare he?!" Ye Li's face changed dramatically. Faced with the descending, bone-chilling twelve sword beams, he was shocked and incredulous. He never imagined that with Duan Feiyu, the second senior brother of Wind Flame Valley—a junior disciple second only to the Four Young Masters in the Red Sun Domain—right there, Lin Xuan would still attack him directly. Wasn't Lin Xuan afraid of Senior Brother Duan stepping in? In his view, Lin Xuan was absolutely no match for Senior Brother Duan. Wasn't Lin Xuan afraid of death?
But now, he had no time to think further. Lin Xuan's twelve Falling Lotus sword beams had already descended. A deadly sense of threat surged over him, making his whole body tremble and his hair stand on end. Ye Li realized that this was the same sword technique, but its power and sharpness were several times greater than before. In just a few hours, Lin Xuan's strength had surged this much again. He was even more horrified.
But this time, Lin Xuan struck instantly, like a sneak attack. He had never expected it, nor could he have anticipated it.