It was as if an invisible hand were dragging the golden-yellow page. It drifted slowly into the air and gradually unfolded. Then, a figure woven from light and shadow began to take shape above the yellow paper. At first glance, it looked like a holographic projection during a call, with the page-shaped artifact seeming to have become a projector built into a communications terminal.
Yu Lian could only make out that it was indeed a kindly-looking, broad-minded elder. But "Now" clearly saw things differently. He could even sense a trace of fear from her.
Of course, that emotion lasted only an instant, but Yu Lian had definitely sensed it.
Although she was still smiling brightly, she didn't wait for the hologram to take solid form. She abruptly pulled back her spear of light and hurled it straight at the figure.
Yu Lian recognized the move as "Falling Star in the Long Night," from the Empire's Starrealm Knights' spear techniques. But it produced none of the flashy, dazzling light and sound effects. It looked just like an ordinary person throwing a spear—plain and unremarkable, much like her entrance.
On the other hand, that was proof of just how masterfully she controlled her weapon. Not a trace of her power spilled out to waste.
...All right, when a weakling pulled off an effect like that, it was just because they were weak. When a master did it, it was because they had distilled the art to its essence. That was the kind of double standard the real world ran on.
But the truth was just as simple. For a true master of martial arts on a cosmic scale, the less energy that leaked out, the more efficient and deadly the attack. At least, Yu Lian's "cosmic awareness" was sounding an alarm. If