"Okay, so you’re giving up. You’re giving up the opportunity to choose two treasures?" The disbelief in the disciple’s voice rang out through the award area, drawing a wave of snickers and mockery.
"What a waste of natural resources. If he doesn’t want it, give it to !" shouted another, eager for the prizes Ethan refused so casually.
"Perhaps Ethan participated in this tournant this ti just for revenge—to settle old scores with Sam, Allen, and the Saint," soone murmured, voicing the unspoken current beneath the spectacle.
Questions, suspicions, and speculation churned in the air.
"Why did he want to fight the Saint? Wasn’t the Saint innocent from all those sches? Was it just a coincidence...?"
A more knowledgeable disciple snorted.
"You’re still too new. When Ethan moved from the outer to the inner sect, he lost his position and was exiled to Serene Mirror Lake for reflection. That was all because of Her Highness the Saint..."
"Oh...?"
"There’s really such a history? No wonder Ethan was so wild today. That look in his eyes when he faced the Saint—like he wanted her dead."
The murmurs swelled, but Ethan ignored them. With a calm step, he approached the reward elder, who regarded him with a peculiar blend of respect and curiosity.
From behind a protective array, the elder produced a cold jade bottle, its surface chilly to the touch and fogging in the air.
"This is the reward you wanted—the beast fire, purple fla of the sixth-level monster, the purple-eyed white fox." The elder’s smile was knowing.
Ethan took the bottle, broke the intricate seal, and popped the cork. Instantly, an intense force of violet fla erupted, the power pulsing and dancing inside with the untad energy of a true monster’s inheritance.
The flas were restless, vivid and hungry—absolute proof of their authenticity.
He quietly stowed the bottle and nodded, eyes hard. With this new beast fire, he could finally evolve his blue fla toward an advanced innate spiritual fire—his greatest hope for breaking through the next bottleneck in his body-refining scriptures.
The Divine Fla Body Training Technique, dream of countless body cultivators across history, now humd on the edge of realization.
Combining the purple fla with all the heavenly treasures he’d gathered would allow a leap. Given a little ti and focus at Serene Mirror Lake, he could condense three lines on his Blood Elixir and step directly into the Soul Refining Realm of physical cultivation.
Even at the current level, he was already unmatched in the Void Amalgamation Realm and could face Body Integration cultivators head-on. With his treasures and arts, even Tribulation Transcendence experts could not casually threaten him.
But once he succeeded—if he could achieve a genuine breakthrough into the Soul Refining Realm—he would be capable of crushing ordinary Tribulation Transcendence cultivators outright.
The idea was a spark, a tight coil of anticipation in his veins.
Behind him, on the martial arts stage, the final battle of the Four Peaks Martial Competition began.
Yet, no one really cared. All eyes followed Ethan’s silent figure, each step a statent of independence and loneliness, but also undeniable pride.
He moved quietly, like smoke slipping from a fire, unrestrained and solitary. Ordinary in many ways, yet no one who’d witnessed today’s events dared underestimate him.
Ethan pondered as he walked, mind drifting to the deeper truth beneath the spectacle: cultivation was not just power—it was also a lesson in human nature.
In the sect, soone like Adyr could command his disciples to kill their fellows and face only light punishnt—fifty years exiled to an outer sect, with every expectation of returning one day to reclaim authority.
But when Ethan made a single misstep, his punishnt was exile and hardship for fifty years at the Serene Mirror Lake—all due to the commands of the Saint.
What did it an? Even now, with all his achievents, it was unlikely the sect would ever fully accept him. No matter what talent he displayed or what forbidden elders recognized his value, the prejudices of the Azure Origin Dao Sect were like a mountain—immovable.
To Lyralei and the others, even kindness was transactional, dictated by his promise and worth, never by true feeling.
The relationship between senior sisters and junior brothers, between him and Lyralei, was paper-thin—easily torn by the winds of circumstance.
The true, unbreakable bonds would always be reserved for Seraphina, for the ones they saw as true kin.
Today had exposed all of that. His words, his provocations—they were only a test.
He’d gotten his answer.
This was not his ho, nor could it ever be.
For one like him, the world itself would have to suffice.
The path of the strong was always lonely.
Still, the world was vast and filled with impossibly powerful beings.
He needed the safety of the Serene Mirror Lake, the ti to cultivate his new fla and build strength. Once he reached the Divine Fire realm, he would have the ans to forge his own fate in the world outside.
A sudden voice shattered his reverie.
"Senior Brother Ethan, wait for !" Liana’s voice rang out behind him. Ethan stopped, turned, and waited by the path.
"Did you get the beast fire?" Liana asked, excitent brimming in her eyes.
"I did. If not for you, I’d never have had known about the beast fla," he replied with a rare, gentle smile.
"Is there anything else you need to gather?" Liana asked hopefully.
"No need for now," Ethan replied after a thought. He reflected briefly—he had owed her enough, and accepting too many favors was dangerous.
"Oh." Liana pouted, disappointnt flashing briefly before she forced a smile.
Easily distracted, she began to skip and play with a butterfly along the edge of the mountain path.
Halfway up the mountain, Edwin stood calmly, hands behind his back.
"Liana, go down the mountain. Ethan and I need to talk."
Liana looked suspicious, but Edwin’s glare brooked no argunt. "Hurry."
"Alright," she pouted, waved goodbye, and ran down the mountain.
"Goodbye, Senior Brother Ethan!"
Ethan watched her go, unconscious of the ripple their exchange sent among the other peak masters and elders who, seeing his lonely silhouette, could only wonder at the youth who challenged sect, fate, and himself.
With the path clear, Ethan turned to Edwin, respectful yet wary.
"I wonder what Elder Edwin wants to do with this junior?"
A/N:
Extra Chapters
100 power stones - 1 Extra Chapters
200 power stones - 2 Extra Chapters
Capsule - 1 Extra Chapters
Massage Chair - 3 Extra Chapters
Luxury Car - 5 Extra Chapters
Magic Castle - 15 Extra Chapters
Reviews
All reviews (0)