Luna cupped her hands respectfully, descended from the stone platform, and approached the head of the Stormjade family. Her complexion was pale, her arms still trembling faintly. She needed rest.
The crowd erupted into murmurs. Shock and disbelief rippled through their ranks as cultivators exchanged wide-eyed glances.
"Wasn't that… too easy?"
"It's unbelievable. He didn't even use a wisp of spiritual energy."
"Did anyone else notice? He's purely a physical cultivator. His strength alone shattered Luna's Heavenly-rank techniques. Truly terrifying."
The tone beneath their astonishment carried something else—caution.
Ethan had stepped off the platform without hurry, each of his movements measured and unhurried. Wherever he passed, space opened. On instinct, people stepped away, parting a path for him as though bowing to an unseen authority.
