And then—
The entire arena trembled not from Reon’s pressure... but from the uproar that followed.
The crowd erupted—stunned, confused, and utterly shaken.
"W-What the hell just happened?!"
"D-Did anyone else see that? Or did I just hallucinate?!"
"I saw it too—crystal clear! But... was it even real?!"
"If it was an illusion, it was flawless... I couldn’t tell at all!"
"I-It had to be an illusion. There’s no way Xue Taiyang defeated a Minor Elder like that—without even drawing his sword!?"
"Y-Yeah! He didn’t even use a single combat technique!"
"He took him down in just three steps!"
"The Minor Elder... got knocked out from just that?!"
"He must’ve used that high-grade artifact of his... he definitely pulled so trick!"
"Exactly! Otherwise, how could he beat a Minor Elder even faster than Goddess Yi Ran?"
"That’s right! If he really used a proper technique, we would’ve seen it. But there was nothing—no flash, no move, no attack!"
Then ca the wave of bitter voices—
"Boooo! Trash! Xue Taiyang is nothing but a fraud!"
"Fucking cheater—always using underhanded tricks!"
"Don’t let him pass this round!"
"Yeah! Disqualify him!"
"Disqualify him!"
The voices grew louder and harsher, especially from one corner of the stands.
There—a group of bitter, envious outer disciples, mostly weak-willed and talentless, shouted the loudest.
Their eyes were filled with resentnt, not reason.
They had sensed nothing.
Because Reon’s Spiritual Pressure had been directed solely at the Minor Elder—so precise, so suffocating, that no one else could feel even a ripple of it.
And so, in their ignorance, they clung to one conclusion:
"He must’ve cheated."
anwhile, from the opposite side of the arena—another wave of excitent exploded like fireworks.
This ti, it ca from a very different group:
"Kyaa~! Brother Taiyang was so amazing just now!"
"Did you see the way he walked—so cold and confident?! And the Minor Elder just collapsed without even fighting back!"
"He didn’t even draw his sword! Not a single technique, and still faster than that Yi Ran!"
"That’s right! Yi Ran used her saber at least, but Brother Taiyang didn’t lift a finger—and still won! Isn’t that way cooler?!"
"Kyaa~! Brother Taiyang is the coolest and strongest! The best!"
The female disciples were practically squealing with delight, their eyes shining like stars.
They didn’t know how he won.
They didn’t care.
The mystery made him all the more dazzling.
One pair of siblings began bickering just a few rows down:
"Hmph! Elder Brother, how dare you speak badly about Brother Taiyang earlier? You can forget about talking to for an entire year!"
"Sa here! I’m serious—I’m not forgiving you that easily. What’s so special about him anyway?"
"Hmph! You’re not getting dinner tonight—and forget about having a place to sleep!"
The poor elder brother, sweating bullets, quickly surrendered:
"Nooo... Wait! Xiao Shin! I’m sorry! I was wrong, okay? Brother Taiyang is amazing! Really amazing!"
"Hmph. You better rember that!"
"Y-Yes, yes. He’s the best. Absolutely!"
Their voices joined the chorus of fangirls now shouting his na with unrestrained passion.
Even a few of the Elders seated high above in their grand chair couldn’t hide their astonishnt.
"H-How is this even possible?! His cultivation is only at the Mid-Stage Foundation Realm... and yet he defeated a Peak-Stage Foundation Realm cultivator without even raising a finger?!"
"That shouldn’t be possible—unless there’s an overwhelming gap in actual strength. But he isn’t supposed to have that kind of power!"
"Could it be the effect of his artifact?"
"That’s certainly possible!"
"If that’s true, then it’s not his strength—but his artifact—that holds the real value. We need to get our hands on that thing!"
"Yeah!"
But—
A scoff rang out internally from one of the few who had truly observed the scene.
’Hmph. Fools. They can’t even tell it was raw Spiritual Pressure that knocked the Minor Elder out...’
Elder Ming Rong of Flower Fragrance Peak rested her delicate fingers under her chin, eyes calmly watching the ongoing murmurs.
’And these are the so-called esteed Elders of the Supre Dao Sect? Ridiculous. How did they even earn their positions?’
’And...’
Still, just as she prepared to speak, a calm voice interrupted the speculation.
"It appears he used nothing but pure Spiritual Pressure to suppress the Minor Elder."
That voice belonged to Elder Qin Shi of Starlight Spear Peak—
Monts later, another Elder nodded in agreent.
"Indeed... But what’s truly shocking is the imnse pressure he exerted—enough to make the Minor Elder faint and spurt blood from all seven orifice. It must have been far beyond what any Peak Foundation Realm cultivator could endure."
Said Elder Bin Ming of Jade Lotus Peak, brushing his long white beard with interest.
Another joined in.
"Spiritual Pressure is tied to one’s overall battle power, not just cultivation. This boy’s strength clearly surpasses his realm... or perhaps—he’s concealing sothing,"
Added Elder Tian Sheng of Night Veil Peak, his voice muffled beneath his dark mask, his expression unreadable.
Elder Ming Rong blinked, genuinely surprised this ti.
’I suppose not all Elders are useless fossils growing old without gaining any wisdom—so of them actually possess real ability.’
’I’m still young compared to them... but they didn’t overlook sothing so obvious and share the sa suspicion I have. They’re actively searching for answers too.’
Just then, another voice entered the conversation with keen curiosity.
"I heard he’s a Beast Tar... Could it be that his beasts are actually powerful?"
asked Elder Lian Jing of Beast Garden Peak—a man appearing in his late thirties, with long, flowing hair and a decently handso face, renowned as a prodigy among the sect’s tars.
Elder Bin Ming turned toward him.
"What makes you say that, Elder Lian?"
"Simple," Lian Jing responded.
"As we all know, a Beast Tar can draw upon the strength of their companion beasts when exerting Spiritual Pressure, since those beasts are considered part of their overall battle power."
"Since his cultivation is lower than that of the Minor Elder, yet the Spiritual Pressure he released was stronger, I reached that conclusion—though I can’t say for certain."
Hearing that statent, all the Elders present were visibly surprised.
’Y-Yeah, that might actually be possible!’ Elder Ming Rong thought to herself.
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