A heavy silence blanketed the Grand Hall. The air, thick with anticipation just moments before, now hung heavy and still, as if time itself had paused. The hushed murmurs and whispers that had filled the hall just seconds ago had vanished, replaced by a stunned, almost reverent quiet.
Qin Lian's words reverberated in the minds of every elder and disciple present, each syllable carrying the weight of an undeniable truth: Ye Xiaotian… killed Yuan Zhao.The sheer impossibility of the statement settled over the hall like an invisible force, a palpable pressure that made it difficult for many to breathe, let alone comprehend. It was a truth so outlandish, so contrary to everything they knew about cultivation, that it felt like a fundamental law of the universe had been broken.
The elders, seasoned cultivators who had witnessed countless battles, survived treacherous expeditions, and navigated the complex politics of the cultivation world, struggled to reconcile what they had heard with the reality they knew. They had dedicated their lives to understanding the intricate balance of power, the rigid hierarchy of cultivation realms, and the immutable fact that a Foundation Realm cultivator was leagues, miles, below a Soul Awakening Realm expert.
A Foundation Realm cultivator killing a Soul Awakening Realm powerhouse? It was a concept so absurd, so utterly fantastical, that it bordered on the ridiculous. It was like a child, barely able to lift a sword, defeating a fully armored knight in single combat.Soul Awakening Realm cultivators were titans, figures of immense power who could reshape the very landscape with a casual flick of the wrist. They commanded the elements, wielded terrifying spiritual energy, and stood at the pinnacle of martial might in the Desolate Extreme Continent. They were legends, figures of awe and respect, their power almost mythical in its scope.
And yet, the impossible had happened. Ye Xiaotian, a young man barely out of his teens, a cultivator still in the nascent stages of his journey, had somehow, impossibly, slain one of these titans. He had killed Yuan Zhao, one of the twin Sect Masters of the Black Serpent Sect, a man whose name was synonymous with power and ruthlessness.And the Sect Master herself, Qin Lian, a woman known for her wisdom, her composure, and her unwavering honesty, had confirmed it. She had been there. She had witnessed it.
The weight of countless eyes now turned towards Ye Xiaotian, each gaze a mixture of conflicting emotions. There was shock, raw and unfiltered, the kind of disbelief that made people question their sanity. And there was, perhaps most disturbingly, a trace of fear, a primal unease at the presence of someone who had defied the natural order, who had accomplished the impossible.
Through it all, Ye Xiaotian remained unmoved. He stood in the center of the hall, an island of calm in the swirling storm of emotions. His expression gave nothing away, his face an impassive mask. His hands were clasped loosely behind his back, his posture relaxed yet alert. He neither boasted of his accomplishment nor offered any explanation. He simply stood there, absorbing the tidal wave of reactions, a silent enigma in the heart of the Grand Hall.
Among the core disciples, Mu Qinglan, felt a complex mix of emotions churning within her. She clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She had sparred with Ye Xiaotian during the Core Disciple Selection, had felt the crushing weight of his power, had tasted the bitterness of defeat. But this… this was on a completely different level.
She had witnessed his strength firsthand, had felt the raw, untamed power that resided within him. But even then, she had never imagined that he was capable of this. Now, as she looked at him standing there, so calm, so composed, it felt like an insurmountable chasm had opened up between them. The gap in their strength, which she had thought was already significant, now seemed impossibly vast.
How vast is the difference between us now? she wondered, a sense of awe and a touch of despair washing over her. She looked at him with a mixture of admiration and reverence, but also with an undeniable pressure weighing down on her heart. The impossible feat he had accomplished served not only as a source of inspiration but also as a stark reminder of her own limitations.
At the seat of honor, Qin Mei, who sat beside Qin Lian, let out a soft, almost imperceptible sigh. She, unlike the others, had known about Ye Xiaotian's extraordinary achievement. Qin Lian had confided in her shortly after returning from the Great Azure Forest. Yet, even with prior knowledge, even with the understanding that her sister wouldn't lie, Qin Mei found herself glancing at Ye Xiaotian with a renewed sense of wonder. She studied him intently, as if trying to discern what set him apart, what invisible quality allowed him to transcend the limitations of his cultivation real.
Finally, the silence, heavy with unspoken questions and simmering disbelief, was broken. One of the senior elders, a man whose presence commanded respect and whose words carried weight, rose from his seat. This was Elder Huo Zheng, a respected veteran cultivator, a man whose face bore the marks of countless battles and whose eyes reflected the wisdom of years spent honing his craft. He was one of the strongest cultivators within the Vermillion Flame Sect, a powerhouse at the peak of the Advanced Core Formation Realm, just a single step away from the coveted Soul Awakening Realm.
His voice, when he finally spoke, was steady, controlled, betraying none of the inner turmoil he felt. But his tone was laced with caution, with a carefulness that spoke volumes. "Sect Master," he began, his gaze flickering between Qin Lian and Ye Xiaotian, "forgive me for asking, but…" He paused, searching for the right words, the words that would express the impossible question that burned in everyone's minds. "…how exactly did he do it?"
His gaze settled squarely on Ye Xiaotian, scrutinizing him with an intensity that made the young cultivator feel as though he were being dissected under a microscope. It was a look that sought not just answers, but also understanding. How could someone at the Foundation Realm even wound a Soul Awakening expert, let alone kill one? The question hung in the air, heavy and unanswered.
His words struck at the heart of what everyone in the hall was thinking. How? Even if there were unforeseen circumstances, even if the stars had aligned in Ye Xiaotian's favor… the power difference between the Foundation Realm and the Soul Awakening Realm was simply too vast, too insurmountable. It was a chasm that couldn't be bridged, a gulf that couldn't be crossed. Or so they thought.
The elders, their faces etched with curiosity and uncertainty, nodded in agreement with Elder Huo Zheng's question. They needed to know. They had to know.All eyes, filled with a mixture of awe, suspicion, and desperate hope for a logical explanation, turned to Ye Xiaotian, waiting for his answer.
But Ye Xiaotian remained calm, composed, his expression unreadable. He had anticipated this question, had known it was coming from the moment Qin Lian made her announcement. He had considered what he would say, how he would navigate this treacherous terrain of disbelief and suspicion.
Finally, after a moment of silence that stretched taut with tension, he spoke. His voice was steady, cool, and measured, betraying none of the pressure he must have felt under the intense scrutiny. "I won't reveal all the details," he said, his gaze sweeping across the hall, meeting the eyes of each elder, each disciple. "I… I used a special technique, It allowed me to… amplify my strength temporarily."He paused again. Then, in a matter-of-fact tone, as if he were discussing the weather, he added, "Yuan Zhao underestimated me. He let his guard down, and I used that to my advantage. His arrogance led to his downfall."
His words were neither arrogant nor humble. He spoke with an air of quiet confidence, as though stating an undeniable fact. At present, Ye Xiaotian did not want to reveal his powers, so he lied about using secret techniques.
A murmur rippled through the hall. Some elders furrowed their brows, their expressions skeptical. Others looked thoughtful, considering his words. His vague explanation and his claim of using a "special technique," fell flat with the elders. They weren't fools. They had seen enough cultivators in their long lives to recognize a flimsy excuse when they heard one. They exchanged skeptical glances, their disbelief hardening with each passing second. A murmur rippled through the hall. Was that really all? they wondered, their faces creased with doubt.
Elder Huo Zheng, also wasn't buying it. He had seen too much, understood too well the fundamental laws of cultivation, to accept such a convenient, yet ultimately unsatisfying, explanation."A 'special technique'?" he scoffed, his voice laced with open skepticism. "That's all you have to say? Do you expect us to believe such a flimsy excuse?" He wasn't being disrespectful, but his tone made it clear he wouldn't be easily dismissed.
His eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze fixed on Ye Xiaotian. "A Soul Awakening Realm expert possesses a near-immortal body compared to a Foundation Realm cultivator. His mere physical resilience should be impervious to your attacks. Your spiritual energy, at the Foundation Realm, shouldn't have even scratched his skin." He paused, letting his words hang in the air, emphasizing the sheer impossibility of what Ye Xiaotian claimed.He took a slow, deliberate step forward, closing the distance between himself and Ye Xiaotian, he pressed "What technique, did you use to kill him?" He wasn't asking for idle curiosity. He was demanding answer.
At this, a subtle but noticeable shift occurred in Ye Xiaotian. His eyes, which had been calm and almost indifferent, grew cold, like chips of glacial ice. The change was subtle, almost imperceptible, but it was there, a chilling undercurrent that sent a shiver through the hall.
A sharp chill seemed to permeate the air, a sudden drop in temperature that made the hairs on the back of necks stand on end. The atmosphere, already tense, grew heavier, more oppressive.
The casual, almost nonchalant demeanor that Ye Xiaotian had maintained until now, the air of detached calm he had projected, vanished. It was replaced by something far more… intimidating. It wasn't overt, not a display of raw power, but it was a shift in presence, an almost palpable aura of quiet strength and unwavering resolve.
The pressure he emitted was faint, a subtle undercurrent rather than a crashing wave, but those closest to him, those attuned to the nuances of spiritual energy, felt their breathing grow heavier, their hearts pound a little faster."That is my secret." His words carried a weight that froze the blood of those who heard them.A tense, pregnant silence followed. It wasn't just the words themselves, but the way he said them, the absolute finality in his voice, that sent a chill down the spine.
Elder Huo Zheng, a warrior who had faced down fearsome beasts and powerful foes, felt a flicker of unease, a prickle of something akin to fear. He couldn't explain it, couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something about Ye Xiaotian, something in the way he spoke, the way he carried himself, the unwavering confidence in his gaze, that unnerved him.
It was as if the question itself, the very act of questioning him, was meaningless to Ye Xiaotian. As if his ability to kill Yuan Zhao was something inevitable, something ordinary, a simple matter of fact.
Even the Grand Elder, a man who had always remained composed, a bastion of calm in the face of chaos, seemed momentarily unsettled. His brow furrowed slightly, his eyes narrowed as he studied Ye Xiaotian. What kind of existence have we taken into our sect? he wondered, a disturbing thought creeping into his mind.
But before the simmering tension could escalate, Qin Lian's voice, sharp and authoritative, cut through the heavy silence."It does not matter how he did it." Her words, spoken with an undeniable air of command, instantly drew everyone's attention back to her. She was the Sect Master, her authority absolute, and her words brooked no argument.
"What matters," she continued, her gaze sweeping across the hall and meeting the eyes of each elder and disciple, "is that he did. And now, the entire continent knows."
A palpable tension filled the hall."With Yuan Zhao's death, the balance of power in the Desolate Extreme Continent has been irrevocably shaken. The Black Serpent Sect will not sit still. They will demand retribution. And other sects…" She paused, letting the unspoken threat hang in the air. "…other sects will either seek to recruit Ye Xiaotian… or eliminate him."
The atmosphere in the hall grew even heavier, charged with a sense of impending doom.Ye Xiaotian, through it all, remained unfazed. He had expected this. He understood the implications of his actions, the consequences of his power.Power, he knew, never came without a price. It always demanded a toll.
End of Chapter 27