The Whole Audience Was Shocked

The hall was so silent that the fall of a needle could be heard.

Lin Hai's airy question, "Is it very impressive?", struck like an invisible hammer against everyone's heart, especially those of Ge Ye and Nalan Yanran.

The shock on Ge Ye's face was rapidly replaced by a sense of extreme humiliation.

As an elder of the Yunlan Sect and a Seven-Star Great Spirit Master, where in the Gama Empire was he not treated with awe?

Yet today, he had been forced back by the aura of a seemingly young man, who had even gone so far as to belittle the Yunlan Sect in his speech!

"Arrogant brat! Stop hiding and show your true colors!" Ge Ye roared, his white spiritual energy surging out without reservation.

He curled his palms, condensing the fierce spiritual energy into a wind-piercing blade that whistled through the air, shooting straight for Lin Hai's face!

Mystic-tier low-grade spirit skill—Mystic Wind Pierce!

This strike, fueled by Ge Ye's fury, was enough to severely injure or even kill a Great Spirit Master!

"Lin Hai, watch out!" Xiao Zhan exclaimed from the main seat, instinctively moving to stand up.

The three elders' expressions also shifted violently; they had not expected Ge Ye to dare launch a lethal attack right inside the Xiao Clan hall!

However, facing this fierce strike, Lin Hai did not even let his gaze flicker.

He merely raised his right hand casually, extended a finger, and tapped lightly against the incoming wind blade.

There was no earth-shattering collision of energy, no brilliant display of spiritual light.

The Mystic Wind Pierce, which had condensed the full-force strike of a Seven-Star Great Spirit Master, shattered inch by inch the moment it touched Lin Hai's fingertip, as if the most fragile glass had struck divine iron, vanishing without a sound!

It dissolved into the purest wind-element energy particles, instantly dissipating into nothingness.

It was as if that lethal spirit skill had been nothing more than a soap bubble that popped at the slightest touch.

"What?!" Ge Ye's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, his face filled with utter disbelief.

His full-force strike had actually... been shattered by a single finger from the other party?

What kind of absurdity was this? What kind of terrifying strength was this?!

Before he could recover from his shock, Lin Hai's indifferent gaze finally landed on him.

It was just a single glance.

Yet, Ge Ye felt as if a ten-thousand-foot mountain had suddenly crashed down upon his soul!

It was as if he were being stared down by a peerless, primordial beast!

"Pfft—!"

Unable to withstand the terrifying pressure stemming from the very essence of his soul and life level, Ge Ye's body shuddered violently. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turning paper-white in an instant, and the spiritual energy fluctuations on his body withered away like a punctured balloon.

He staggered backward, finally collapsing to the ground with a thud. The look he cast toward Lin Hai was filled with boundless terror, his body trembling uncontrollably.

A single glance! Just one glance! It had left him, a Seven-Star Great Spirit Master, severely wounded and stripped of all power to resist!

What... what level of existence was this?! A Dual Spirit? No! Even a Spirit King could not be this effortless! Could it be... a Spirit Emperor?!

At the mere thought of this possibility, Ge Ye's soul trembled, and a boundless chill surged from the soles of his feet straight to his crown!

Beside him, Nalan Yanran had long since lost all color, her pretty face pale as a sheet.

She hurriedly crouched down to support Ge Ye, her delicate body trembling as well.

Her greatest reliance, Elder Ge, could not even withstand a single glance from this man?

Was this young man really Xiao Yan's uncle?! How could the Xiao Clan possess such a terrifying figure?!

The entire Xiao Clan hall fell into a deathly silence.

Every member of the Xiao Clan, including Clan Head Xiao Zhan and the three elders, stared at this subversive scene with mouths agape, their minds blank.

The three elders, who had previously scolded Xiao Zhan and groveled before the Yunlan Sect, now felt their legs go weak, cold sweat soaking their robes. The looks they cast toward Lin Hai were filled with awe and lingering fear.

Hidden in the shadows at the back, Xiao Yan gripped the black ring in his hand tightly, his handsome face etched with shock.

His uncle... was actually powerful to this extent?

Meanwhile, Xun Er, who had been standing quietly beside Xiao Yan, had already silently retracted the faint, imperceptible golden flame at her fingertip.

Her eyes, elegant as green lotuses, were now filled with unprecedented gravity and curiosity as she stared deeply at Lin Hai's back, as if trying to see right through him.

Ignoring the shock of the crowd, Lin Hai walked slowly toward Ge Ye and the terrified Nalan Yanran.

He leaned down slightly and picked up the ancient jade box that had fallen when Ge Ye lost his strength.

Opening the lid, the Qi Gathering Powder, glowing with a faint cyan halo, lay quietly inside.

Lin Hai picked up this fourth-grade medicinal pill—which was enough to incite countless factions in the Gama Empire to fight—with two fingers. He examined it casually, the disdainful curve of his lips becoming even more pronounced.

"Using something like this to break off an engagement..." He shook his head lightly, his tone indifferent, "Is this an insult to my nephew, or an insult to your own Yunlan Sect?"

Before his voice had even faded, he applied a slight pressure with his fingertips.

Snap!

With a faint, crisp sound, the precious fourth-grade Qi Gathering Powder was easily crushed between his fingers like dirt, turning into a puff of pale cyan powder that drifted down from between his fingers.

Having destroyed a fourth-grade medicinal pill so casually, Lin Hai's expression did not change in the slightest, as if he had merely crushed an insignificant grain of sand.

He looked at the bloodless Nalan Yanran, his voice calm yet carrying an unquestionable majesty: "Have you remembered my words?"

Nalan Yanran's delicate body trembled. Under the gaze of those eyes, deep as a sea of stars, all her pride and courage were thoroughly crushed, leaving only instinctive fear.

She nodded with great difficulty, her voice dry and trembling: "I... I remember."

"Very good." Lin Hai stood up, no longer looking at them. "Take him and get out. Go back and tell Yun Shan word for word: the initiative for this marriage now lies in my nephew's hands. If he has any dissatisfaction..."

Lin Hai paused, his tone suddenly turning bone-chillingly cold. An invisible killing intent instantly permeated the entire hall, making everyone feel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, their blood nearly freezing.

"Tell him to come to the Xiao Clan and argue with me himself."

Nalan Yanran was scared out of her wits, not daring to linger for even a second.

She struggled to help the nearly unconscious Ge Ye up, and the two of them fled the Xiao Clan hall in a wretched state, scrambling away as if some prehistoric beast were chasing them from behind.

Only when their figures had completely vanished beyond the main gate did the terrifying pressure and icy killing intent that had shrouded the entire hall recede like a tide.

Inside the hall, the deathly silence remained.

Everyone's gaze was focused on the young man standing with his hands behind his back, his silhouette seemingly capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with heaven and earth.

Xiao Zhan opened his mouth, his throat feeling dry; for a moment, he did not know how to speak.

The three elders were even more terrified, shrinking into a corner, not daring to draw a full breath.

Lin Hai slowly turned around, his gaze sweeping over the crowd and finally landing on the refined youth in the back.

The coldness and majesty on his face melted away like ice and snow, replaced by a complex, indescribable, yet gentle smile.

He walked toward Xiao Yan, step by step.

Each step seemed to land on the rhythm of everyone's heartbeat.

Finally, he stopped in front of Xiao Yan, looking at the shock, humiliation, and a faint glimmer of hope remaining in the youth's eyes.

Lin Hai reached out and gently patted Xiao Yan's shoulder, his voice gentle yet powerful, clearly echoing throughout the silent hall:

"Little Yanzi, don't be afraid."

"I don't care about the past. But from today on..."

"With your uncle here, no one in this world will be able to bully you even a fraction."

"The dignity you lost, your uncle will help you take it back with his own hands!"

As the words fell, Xiao Yan's body jolted violently. He stared blankly at the familiar face before him, his eyes involuntarily turning red.

The grievances and unwillingness of many years, intertwined with the immense shock of this moment, left his throat choked, unable to utter a single word.

And on the black ring upon his finger.

Yao Chen's near-moaning voice echoed frantically within the ring: "He... he actually... this brat! Since when did he have such an outrageous uncle?! A Spirit Saint! Damn it! This world is insane!"