The next day, Sword Trial Platform.
The morning light was even brighter than yesterday, illuminating heaven and earth in brilliant clarity. Mountain winds swept through the crowd, carrying the mingled sounds of distant pines and nearby whispers.
Yesterday's battle had already spread far and wide, making today's crowd even denser than before. Countless gazes converged upon the center of the arena, yet an unusual silence hung over them.
There was none of the expected uproar, none of the excited gesturing. Many simply stood or sat quietly, their faces bearing an almost uniform look of dazed bewilderment.
The chief officiating elder appeared at the side of the platform. Drawing breath into his dantian, he announced in a booming voice that clearly reached every corner:
"Second match of the Nascent Soul Division: Undying Flame's Jing Cangyi versus—Flying Star Manor's Bai Moxiao."
"The victor—Jing Cangyi."
There were no cheers, no commotion. Not even the faintest murmur of discussion rose.
Many seemed to be abruptly jolted awake by that announcement. Their lashes trembled as they slowly emerged from some frozen aftershock, though deeper bewilderment remained in their eyes.
If yesterday's battle between Chu Shihan and Beiming Xuan had allowed every spectator to personally experience the power of Nascent Soul Cultivators, then today's match was, for the overwhelming majority of cultivators below the Nascent Soul Realm, simply bizarre—indeed... inconceivable.
The bell signaling the start of the match had barely faded when Bai Moxiao vanished from the platform.
Then an even stranger scene appeared.
—Jing Cangyi moved.
His movements were extraordinarily slow, as though he stood within thick amber. He raised his hand, turned sideways, stepped, pivoted... every individual motion was clear down to the finest detail, each trajectory distinct. It was as though he were strolling alone through a morning courtyard, or demonstrating a set