Behind them, the people of Cangyuan Kingdom were utterly horrified.
Lin Xuan, a disciple of Flowing Cloud Sect—one of the five major powers of Cangyuan Kingdom—had advanced by leaps and bounds. He was even hailed as the number one genius of Flowing Cloud Sect. His reputation had naturally spread far and wide.
As true disciples of the five major powers, everyone had heard of him to some extent. They knew that Lin Xuan had only joined Flowing Cloud Sect two months ago, yet he had soared through the ranks to become a true disciple. That alone was already astonishing. It shattered every record ever set in Cangyuan Kingdom.
But they had only heard rumors; deep down, they didn’t quite believe them. Not until today, when they saw that Lin Xuan had already broken through to the Spirit Opening Realm, did they confirm that all those rumors were true. Instantly, they were shaken to their core by Lin Xuan, unable to remain calm.
With talent like his, Lin Xuan could already replace Sun Yuwen as the new number one genius of Cangyuan Kingdom. Or even the greatest genius Cangyuan Kingdom had seen in centuries.
But as they watched the scene unfolding before them, they realized that those rumors had vastly underestimated Lin Xuan.
After all, Ye Li, as the fourth true disciple of Wind Flame Valley, was strong enough to easily defeat Sun Yuwen, Chen Hanshuang, Liu Qianyu, and other top ten geniuses on Cangyuan Kingdom’s potential rankings. But now?
Ye Li, at the peak of the Spirit Opening Realm, had been taken down by Lin Xuan, who had only recently broken through to the Spirit Opening Realm and then shot up to the third layer. And it wasn’t even a battle—it was a one-sword kill.
This feat made it seem as if the two weren’t even on the same level. As if Lin Xuan were the one at the peak of the Spirit Opening Realm, and Ye Li were merely at the third layer. Not the other way around.
That said it all.
Everyone stared at this scene, utterly stunned. They dared not believe it. It felt like a dream.
Because this scene was far too unreal. Only after a long silence did the crowd stir, finally realizing that everything was real. Then, they were plunged into endless shock.
Only then did they understand that Lin Xuan’s talent had surpassed anything they could have imagined!
Was this really just the number one genius of Cangyuan Kingdom? In the entire Red Sun Domain, could he even rival the Four Young Masters? Or perhaps even surpass them.
At that thought, everyone from Cangyuan Kingdom trembled deeply. At the same time, a surge of wild joy welled up within them.
Cangyuan Kingdom had always been weak in the Red Sun Domain. If the Puppet Secret Realm hadn’t appeared within Cangyuan Kingdom’s borders, the kingdom’s factions might not have even had a share in it. For centuries, not a single genius at the level of the Young Masters had emerged.
Now, was one finally about to appear? Was Cangyuan Kingdom about to rise?
Everyone’s hearts pounded with excitement.
But then, a thunderous roar of fury rang out. A terrifying aura spread, instantly snapping everyone back to reality.
“Brat, you dare kill Junior Brother Ye Li? Die!”
Everyone turned to look and saw a young man in red robes, his face twisted with rage, flying toward Lin Xuan’s position. The terrifying pressure radiating from him made everyone’s hearts tremble, their blood flow sluggish.
When they recognized the young man’s face, their hearts jolted, and whispers broke out.
“Duan Feichen, the second true disciple of Wind Flame Valley!” “He’s known as one of the top geniuses in the entire Red Sun Domain, second only to the Four Young Masters!” “I’ve heard Duan Feichen once fought dozens of exchanges against a Spirit Origin Realm first-layer cultivator without losing!” “This Cangyuan Kingdom martial artist is impressive—he killed Ye Li in one strike, which is already strong. But unfortunately, Duan Feichen is still here.” “Yeah, he probably won’t be a match for Duan Feichen.” “Still, he’s not weak. He won’t be one-shot. He might last a few moves?” “......”
The crowd buzzed with noise.
In the face of Duan Feichen, whose reputation loomed large across the entire Red Sun Domain, even though Lin Xuan had just displayed strength that shocked everyone, no one believed he could win.
“Brother Lin, he’s Duan Feichen, the second true disciple of Wind Flame Valley. Their senior brother is Chen Feng, one of the Four Young Masters!” “Brother Lin, run!” “......”
Chen Hanshuang and Liu Qianyu snapped out of their daze and urgently warned Lin Xuan. They, too, didn’t think Lin Xuan could defeat Duan Feichen.
But Lin Xuan remained calm, waving his hand dismissively. His gaze swept over.
*Whoosh!*
“Name: Duan Feichen.” “Cultivation: Peak of Spirit Opening Realm.” “Talents: Mystic-grade cultivation talent, Supreme-grade strength talent, Spirit-grade speed talent, Supreme-grade sword talent, Spirit-grade wind attribute talent, Supreme-grade sharp metal attribute talent, Supreme-grade crimson fire attribute talent, High-grade green wood attribute talent, High-grade thick earth attribute talent, High-grade heavy water attribute talent.” “Martial Arts: Crimson Flame Wind Spirit Art (Seven-rank upper, Grand Completion), Ten Thousand Wind Shadow Sword Art (Seven-rank upper, Grand Completion), Wind Fire Earth-Shaking Palm (Seven-rank mid, Grand Completion), Limitless Meteor Mountain Fist (Seven-rank mid, Grand Completion), Wind God Shadowless Step (Seven-rank upper, Grand Completion)...” “Intent: Four-tenths Sword Intent, Three-and-a-half-tenths Metal Intent, Four-tenths Wind Intent, Three-tenths Fire Intent, Two-tenths Wood Intent, Two-tenths Earth Intent, Two-tenths Water Intent.” “Equipped Treasure: Wind Shadow Sword (Seven-rank mid Spirit Artifact).”
Looking at the attribute panel floating in the void before him—belonging to Duan Feichen, a top genius of the entire Red Sun Domain, second only to the Four Young Masters—Lin Xuan’s expression shifted slightly.
True to his reputation, this attribute panel was indeed worthy of it. He was far stronger than top geniuses of Cangyuan Kingdom like Sun Yuwen, Chen Hanshuang, and Liu Qianyu.
But compared to Lin Xuan himself, he still fell short. Especially after entering the Puppet Secret Realm, where Lin Xuan had copied talents and potential along the way, boosting himself even further. The gap had only widened.
Moreover, with his cultivation now at the third layer of the Spirit Opening Realm, his strength had surged significantly. If he truly unleashed his power, he wouldn’t just contend with a first-layer Spirit Opening Realm cultivator—he’d dare to face even second or third layers. So he had no fear of this so-called top genius, Duan Feichen.
What caught his attention, though, were the high-grade treasures Duan Feichen carried—the best among everyone present. He couldn’t miss that.
He just needed to wait a moment for the opponent to get closer before copying them.
Lin Xuan stood still, watching Duan Feichen fly toward him. Everyone else, overwhelmed by Duan Feichen’s aura, involuntarily retreated hundreds of meters away. Only Lin Xuan and Duan Feichen remained on the field.
“Brat, die!” Duan Feichen snorted coldly, his face icy, and prepared to strike.
Just then.
*Rumble!*
A terrifying roar erupted, as if the entire earth were shaking. A strange wave of energy spread out, sweeping across the area at incredible speed.
Lin Xuan’s expression sharpened: “Another spatial fluctuation!”
But he didn’t dodge. This spatial wave covered the entire area—he couldn’t escape it anyway.
Soon, everyone was engulfed by the spatial fluctuation and vanished. The next moment, they all gathered on an open field to the west.
And the scene before them had changed once again.