"What?"
"I... I didn't just hear that wrong, did I? He actually said, 'Wait a moment'..."
"B-breakthrough?"
"I heard it too..."
Everyone around them was dumbfounded. Whether they were bystanders or people harboring hostility, Lin Chuan's words had left them all stunned.
A brief silence fell.
Immortal Chang'er Dingguang was also taken aback, unable even to respond. After all, he too found the whole thing utterly baffling.
But then he saw Lin Chuan sitting cross-legged, his whole body suspended in midair, and immediately understood.
"Ha ha ha ha..."
"What a joke! You think you can break through just because you want to?"
"Stop putting on this ridiculous act. I never thought a Personal Disciple could be such a shameless fraud. This is truly disappointing."
"Is this what you have to say for yourself?"
Immortal Chang'er Dingguang laughed without restraint, as though he wanted everyone to know just how absurd this whole thing was.
At the same time,
the crowd was momentarily taken aback, but soon began to grasp what was going on.
One by one, they wore exceedingly strange expressions.
This really was unexpected.
The first to react were those harboring hostility. Their lips gradually curled into scornful smiles.
Of course, some of them were Outer Sect Disciples, but that didn't stop them from sneering without restraint.
"So this is what a Personal Disciple is like? Impressive! He says he can break through whenever he wants. I've never heard of anything like it!"
"Does that mean he'll become the strongest in the Great Desolation?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."
"Incredible. Truly incredible!"
"We'd better keep our distance. Otherwise, we might get caught up in this and end up as cannon fodder."
One cutting remark after another came their way, each one enough to make anyone's blood boil.
Most of the bystanders were also at a loss. Though they too thought this seemed rather unrealistic,
they all fell silent.
None of them spoke, but their expressions made it clear that they found the whole thing utterly preposterous.
Break through just because he wanted to?
How could that be possible?
What a joke. If people could break through whenever they wanted, the Great Desolation would have fallen into chaos long ago. Besides, breakthroughs usually came from sudden enlightenment.
If someone tried to force one, there was no guarantee they would succeed.
The crowd wore strange expressions and said nothing, simply watching in silence.
Only those harboring hostility continued to make cutting remarks, sneering every now and then. They all believed that if word of this got out,
Lin Chuan might really lose his position as a Personal Disciple!
After all, his conduct was anything but proper and had brought shame upon the Interception Sect.
How could Sect Master Tongtian let him remain a Personal Disciple after this?
Many were thrilled, especially the envious ones. In their eyes, Lin Chuan had been no more than an Outer Sect Disciple, on the same level as them—or even lower.
Now he had risen to prominence overnight, and they couldn't stand it.
And now Lin Chuan was bringing ruin upon himself.
He was digging his own grave, and they found it immensely satisfying.
A faint smile appeared on Immortal Chang'er Dingguang's lips.
"You've only got yourself to blame. If you'd just taken things one step at a time, at worst you'd have lost face. It wouldn't have come to a crisis like this."
"But since you're digging your own grave, I don't mind giving you a hand!"
He had already made his plans. He began spreading the news, even rallying others to make sure everyone on Golden Ao Island heard about it.
Lin Chuan's words!
In an instant,
they caused an enormous stir.
After all, no one had expected someone to claim he could break through at will—and to do it in front of everyone, no less.
How confident did he have to be?
The clever ones drew their own conclusions from the information they wanted to know. Lin Chuan had said that a Grand Unity Golden Immortal was nothing special, and when he had fought Zhao Gongming earlier,
he hadn't shown his true strength, yet the power he had displayed was already formidable.
From that, they could infer—
he was at least a Grand Unity Golden Immortal...
And now he was claiming he could break through whenever he wanted. This was a tremendous shock to everyone, and they all headed toward the gate.
No one wanted to miss such a spectacular sight.
Outer Sect Disciples and Inner Sect Disciples alike...
Even the Personal Disciples had heard about it.
When Daoist Duobao heard the news, he was stunned, a look of astonishment appearing on his face.
"Did Junior Brother really say that?"
An Outer Sect Disciple nodded emphatically and said urgently, "Senior Brother Lin did say that, and the news is spreading like wildfire. I expect a lot of people are already watching him."
"If... if Senior Brother Lin fails, then..."
The Outer Sect Disciple hesitated. It went without saying that if someone made such a bold claim and ultimately failed, people would surely gossip about him.
And if the news reached their master,
things would be bad.
Daoist Duobao fell silent for a moment. He thought this approach was utterly absurd, but he held no great prejudice against the others.
Even Lin Chuan—though his opportunity had certainly come out of nowhere, and he had somehow become a Personal Disciple—Daoist Duobao still believed that his master must have had good reason for making that decision.
There was no need to say more!
But now that this had happened, as the chief disciple, he absolutely couldn't miss it. He had to go stop Lin Chuan himself.
He could not let this turn into a disaster!
"Let's go!"
Daoist Duobao immediately set off.
By now, many Interception Sect disciples had gathered. The place was bustling, and this spectacle had drawn even more attention than Lin Chuan's earlier fight with Zhao Gongming.
Zhao Gongming looked at the people around him, then glanced at Senior Brother Lin beside him. His expression was grave.
He was only an Inner Sect Disciple, and not especially powerful at that.
He had only just broken through to Grand Unity Golden Immortal.
If a conflict broke out now, he didn't believe he could hold off so many powerful opponents.
Especially with so many of them gathered there!
He couldn't help feeling a chill of fear.
He rarely showed such a reaction, but faced with this many Interception Sect disciples, even he was rattled, no matter how powerful he was.
One powerful aura after another descended.
The visual impact was so overwhelming that he could barely keep his expression under control.
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