Zhou Peng, puffed with arrogance, boomed, “Wang Lin, I could fell you with a mere breath! Rise, and face me!” With that, he inhaled deeply. His form seemed a bottomless maw, drawing in all about him. Garments snapped and fluttered, straining against unseen winds, threatening to be ripped asunder.

Wang Lin, untested in true combat, felt a tremor of fear. This was his first battle. He held his gaze steady, unwavering, and channeled his meager Gravitational Arts, straining every fiber to resist the onslaught. Yet, to ensure victory, he reached for a hidden treasure – a Thunderbolt Pellet, imbued with the essence of Li Shan’s spirit. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled it forth!

A deafening boom echoed across the training grounds. When the black smoke cleared, Zhou Peng lay sprawled and defeated, a blackened husk upon the stone. His body was marred by soot, emitting a foul stench, his vacant stare mirroring that of the unfortunate Sun Hao. The phantom python that had coiled above him dissolved into nothingness.

The sudden eruption startled those of the Heng Yue Sect who were preparing to depart. They turned, their expressions quickly morphing into stunned disbelief.

Reverend Huang Long, his face ashen, stammered, “This… this…” He was struck dumb, a tidal wave of shock crashing within him, each wave a thunderbolt echoing in his ears.

“Impossible!” Dao Xu cried, rubbing his eyes in disbelief. “When did Wang Lin become so formidable? His opponent was a favored disciple of the Xuan Dao Sect!”

Zhang, the black-clad senior brother who had ushered Wang Lin into the sect, was equally aghast. “Could this be the same Junior Brother Wang whom I constantly admonished to train harder? He is but at the third Layer… how could this be?”

“Is that Wang Lin? That… the one who was said to have entered the sect through desperate measures?” the red-faced Elder choked out, his breath caught in his throat.

“Unbelievable…” Another elder, Song, was utterly bewildered. He stammered, “Is that truly Wang Lin? Are you certain?”

A nearby disciple, in a daze, slapped himself, his cheek reddening. “Master, I am not dreaming. It… it is Wang Lin!”

Wang Zhuo was utterly petrified. His face, like a waxen mask, echoed, “Wang Lin? The one who’s deemed useless?” He shook his head violently, feeling weightless, lost amidst the clouds, convincing himself it was all but a dream.

The woman surnamed Xu covered her mouth with her delicate hand, her eyes wide, murmuring, “How… how can this be? When did Wang Lin acquire such strength? He is barely at the third Layer of Qi Condensation!”

Sun Da Zhu scratched his head, muttering to himself, “This must be a vision, a mirage. Surely, I cannot be seeing things, not in broad daylight… Is… is that my apprentice?”

The woman surnamed Zhou stared at Wang Lin, her mind a blank canvas.

Zhang Kuang, who had feigned unconsciousness to avoid humiliation, could no longer maintain his charade. He gazed at Wang Lin, his eyes wide with awe, and blurted, “Indeed, it is him! It *must* be him!”

“A dream, it must be a dream!” the middle-aged man who had cruelly seized Wang Lin’s fourth uncle stammered, drawing blood as he bit his own tongue.

Lu Song, less composed than the rest, had never even heard of Wang Lin. He stared, his eyes narrowed in thought. “When did such a master emerge from among the inner disciples?! Had I known, I would never have risked going up there! A leader is so. Wouldn’t he just let him go up there! ”

“Did I misjudge his talents during the initial testing? Could Wang Lin possess hidden potential?” the third senior brother of Danfang whispered, utterly disoriented.

The inner disciples stood as statues, their faces masks of stunned disbelief.

The delegation from Xuan Dao Sect fared no better. Old Man Ouyang’s jaw hung slack. Zhou Peng, their star pupil, hailed as the unparalleled genius of the Zhao State cultivation world, had been defeated by a mere thirteenth layer cultivator? It would have been an easier pill to swallow had one of the elders of Heng Yue Sect been the victor. That’s waste, a mere fledgling at the third Layer of Qi Condensation. Surely, Zhou Peng had been caught off guard!

The other two elders exchanged bewildered glances, struggling to comprehend the inexplicable outcome of the duel.

Liu Feng stared intently at Wang Lin, secretly relieved that he had not been chosen to face him. Still, he was unable to fathom Wang Lin’s newfound power. He was the disgrace that Heng Yue Sect looked down upon! Seeing the shocked faces of all present, he surmised that the event was indeed a dream. Was Zhou Peng taken off guard? Liu Feng did not know, no matter how he tried to persuade himself, Wang Lin was at the third Layer of Qi Condensation.

Most of the other disciples, mirroring Liu Feng’s thoughts, blamed Zhou Peng’s downfall on a moment of carelessness, a miscalculation, and resented it.

Liu Mei’s delicate features were etched with curiosity. She was one of the few that had seen Wang Lin’s potential from the start. Now, her interest was piqued, and she scrutinized him with renewed intensity.

Of all those present, Li Shan’s shock bordered on paralysis. He collapsed to the ground, muttering, “It is over… all is lost. I am the one who sold him that Thunderbolt Pellet. He will use it on Senior Brother. Now, my master would loathe me for this. I have brought shame upon his name.”

“Li Shan, Li Shan, you have a reputation for your lifetime, but I haven’t seen through this Wang Lin pretending to be a pig and eating a tiger… Wang Lin, you are too despicable, too shameless, too sinister, you have hurt me this time , I…why should I stay in Xuandao Sect in the future? Senior brother, he can’t spare me…”

“No, I have to think about how to wash away the black ash and how to remove the odor… I…***, this black ash was my most proud thing at the time. There was no antidote. I didn’t have a bath for half a year, so I couldn’t go at all. Lose.”

“There is also the smell. It was specially prepared to steal someone else’s girlfriend. I dare not touch this thing myself. Except for standing in the air vent and blowing for a month, there is no way… I’m done… it’s done! ”

It was at this moment that Zhou Peng regained consciousness. The stench emanating from his own body almost overwhelmed him. He screamed, “Li Shan! You and I are not finished!”

Li Shan, crushed by despair, wept, “Senior Brother, I beg your forgiveness! I will never again succumb to greed.”

Zhou Peng, consumed by rage, moved with lightning speed, his body blackened and emitting an unbearable stench. With a face twisted in fury, he roared, “Wang Lin! I was caught unawares! I wasn’t ready. You struck like a coward! Let us fight again, this time without trickery!”