C88 The Pulse Condensation Period Lin Miaoran
In that instant, the chill of death felt like countless steel needles piercing Chu Yan's flesh, bone marrow, and soul.
The white-bearded elder's palm loomed larger and larger in Chu Yan's vision, drawing ever closer.
Suddenly, Chu Yan's breath quickened, his heart thudded at a frenetic pace, twice as fast as usual. His blood roared in his veins, the sound unmistakably clear.
Confronted with death, Chu Yan's latent potential burst forth. The fifth star movement of the Seven Stars Windy Step, which he had yet to master, was now executed flawlessly.
Swish!
In a blur, Chu Yan reappeared on the opposite side of the arena.
The white-bearded elder's palm strike hit nothing but air.
BOOM!
The platform where Chu Yan had just stood was obliterated, sending sawdust spiraling into the air, pulverized into fine dust.
The shockwave sent the Lin family members reeling, their faces blanching as they stumbled back, a mix of fear and awe etched on their faces.
The white-bearded elder, caught off guard, realized his attack had missed, swiping through empty space.
A cultivator of the esteemed Pulse Condensation Stage had failed to kill a mere Genuine Force Stage warrior—under the watchful gaze of an audience.
A wave of humiliation and rage welled up inside the elder.
"Chu Yan! You fiend! Your death is certain!" The white-bearded elder bellowed, his murderous intent boiling over. The air around him warped, emitting a cacophony of friction.
"Pulse Condensation Stage—" Chu Yan gritted his teeth, struggling to hold on.
His strength might have surpassed his peers, but without the ability to harness the world's spiritual energy, without reaching the Pulse Condensation Stage, the chasm between them was vast, beyond the ordinary imagination.
Dodging the elder's palm strike had been sheer luck. If the elder were to strike with full force, Chu Yan doubted he could withstand it.
"Heart Destruction Palm!" In that critical moment, the white-bearded elder unleashed a thunderous shout, his fingers splayed like the claws of ferocious beasts, bearing down on Chu Yan with lethal intent.
The air around them seethed like boiling water, visibly churning to the naked eye.
Chu Yan felt as though his body was immersed in thick seawater, requiring tremendous effort to move even slightly.
"I definitely won't be hit so easily by you!" A fierce glint flashed in Chu Yan's eyes, the murderous intent honed on battlefields of blood and bone now fully ignited.
The white-bearded elder met Chu Yan's gaze and felt a sharp twinge in his heart: "This man—such a potent aura of death!"
"Furious Dragon Bind!" Chu Yan bellowed, his arms' muscles stretching taut, ready to unleash his full power.
Even if you hit me, I'll make sure to cripple one of your arms!
At that moment, a white figure, swift and graceful as a startled swan, darted from nearby. With a delicate yet swift motion, she positioned herself in front of Chu Yan, emitting a tender shout as she struck out with her palm, intercepting the elder's blow.
Palm met palm, and a critical strike resounded through the air.
Bang!
BOOM!
The sound was deafening, like a massive steel slab detonating, sending a shockwave rippling through the air.
The arena cracked and splintered, teetering on the brink of collapse.
The Lin family members around the stage recoiled in shock, their faces ashen as they stumbled backward.
Some were so terrified they collapsed, quivering on the ground, unable to rise.
The afternoon sun cast a glow on the slender silhouette of the girl before him, stirring an odd emotion within Chu Yan.
The last time someone stood in front of him like this... it was Xiao Pei, wasn't it?
But Chu Yan quickly snapped back to reality, astounded by the girl's strength. After all, the white-bearded elder was at the Pulse Condensation Stage, yet she had effortlessly caught his palm.
With the girl's arrival, the crowd's initial shock turned to amazement.
On a high platform not far away, the Lin family elders were in a state of commotion.
Lin Chongtian stepped forward, leaning in, his face etched with complexity.
"Why is it you!" Chu Yan exclaimed as the white-bearded elder looked at the girl with a mix of anger and astonishment, "Miaoran, what are you doing?!"
Upon hearing that title, Chu Yan came to the realization that the young girl before him was none other than his betrothed, the Lin family's eldest daughter—Lin Miaoran.
"She was actually present today, but why would she step in front of me?" Chu Yan pondered, a significant question surfacing in his mind.
"Grandpa Kongtong, that was too much," Lin Miaoran spoke up calmly, her gaze flickering as she looked at the white-bearded elder.
Her voice, though tinged with a trace of cool detachment, was quite pleasing, providing Chu Yan with a sensation as refreshing as sipping from a crystal-clear mountain spring.
"Are you reprimanding me?" Lin Kongtong's brow furrowed, his eyes simmering with anger. "Do you realize that I am at the Pulse Condensation Stage, and had I not held back just now..."
"No matter if Grandpa Kongtong held back or not, what you did today was excessive," Lin Miaoran interjected, cutting him off without a hint of deference for the Lin family elder.
Standing behind Lin Miaoran at that moment, Chu Yan felt a sudden urge to chuckle.
It was an odd sensation—was Lin Miaoran actually defending him? Yet he was certain he had never met her before.
"Lin Miaoran, don't assume that becoming a disciple of the Profound Moon Sect gives you free rein to act as you please!" Lin Kongtong's expression darkened, and he took a menacing step forward.
Unyielding, Lin Miaoran maintained her composure, her voice still cool, but her eyes growing increasingly icy. "Grandpa Kongtong, don't presume that being at the Pulse Condensation Stage puts you above the rules."
Watching Lin Kongtong become so infuriated that his nostrils flared, Chu Yan couldn't help but feel a surge of fondness for this girl he had "never before met."
"You!" Lin Kongtong huffed angrily, about to retort when he suddenly blurted out in shock, "You—you've reached the Pulse Condensation Stage?"
In an instant, the atmosphere erupted.
All the members of the Lin family couldn't contain their exclamations of astonishment.
"What? Sister Miaoran has advanced to the Pulse Condensation Stage?"
"How did this happen?"
"She truly is a prodigy, no wonder the Profound Moon Sect took notice of her talent!"
"Our Lin family now boasts another member at the Pulse Condensation Stage!"
"It's not just that—Lin Miaoran is a prodigy at the Pulse Condensation Stage at just sixteen years old. Never before in the history of Evergreen Town has there been such a talent!"
Suddenly, the Lin family members' exclamations echoed everywhere.
Lin Chongtian himself was clearly taken aback. He hurriedly leaped onto the dilapidated stage and seized Lin Miaoran's wrist.
He appeared to be assessing Lin Miaoran's level, yet subtly positioned himself to shield her with his body.
Witnessing this scene, Lin Kongtong's expression turned even darker.
