67: The Elder's Fanaticism

This scene was so absurd, yet so… shocking!

No one could understand why the situation had undergone such an earth-shattering reversal in such a short moment!

One second ago, the young man was like an ant struggling in a storm, disheveled and in constant danger.

The next second, he used only one palm to completely… annihilate that arrogant storm!

What exactly happened in between?!

“Gulp.”

Someone, though it was unclear who, swallowed with difficulty, making an extremely faint sound. But this sound, in the dead silence, was like a clap of thunder, clearly entering everyone’s ears, forcibly pulling them back to reality from their endless shock.

“I… what did I see?! Senior Brother Han… he… lost?!”

“One palm! He only used one palm! How… how is this possible?!”

“That… that flame! What was that thing?!”

Astonishment, confusion, fear, and a hint of uncontrollable fervor… all sorts of emotions, like a bursting dam, crashed wildly within everyone’s hearts!

“All of you… shut up!!!”

A furious roar, filled with endless excitement and fervor, suddenly exploded from the high platform like a clap of thunder, instantly silencing all the clamor!

It was Elder Sun!

This Elder, usually known for his composure and strictness, was now like a child who had discovered a peerless treasure. His old face, already covered in wrinkles, was flushed crimson from extreme excitement!

He didn’t even bother to glance at Han Meng, who lay on the ground, his life uncertain!

His gaze had already been completely… captivated by another figure!

“Whoosh!”

He transformed into a blur indistinguishable to the naked eye, ignoring the dozens of steps of the high platform. With a flash, he appeared as if teleporting, in the center of the Sword Field, in front of Lin Ye!

His hand, thin and dry like tree bark, trembled slightly from excitement. He suddenly grabbed Lin Ye’s right hand, which was still emitting a wisp of green smoke!

“Elder?!”

Lin Ye’s heart leaped, and he instinctively tried to pull his hand back.

But he was horrified to find that the opponent’s seemingly thin hand was like an iron clamp, containing a terrifying, irresistible Coiling Force, firmly pinning him in place!

Elder Sun ignored Lin Ye’s struggle.

His frighteningly bright eyes stared intently at Lin Ye’s palm. He even leaned his nose closer, sniffing the wisp of green smoke, which hadn’t completely dissipated, with the eagerness of the most ravenous beast.

Immediately, his already flushed old face was instantly overcome with a morbid, fervent blush!

“It’s it! It’s it! There’s no mistake! This aura… this extremely domineering aura, filled with the essence of destruction and rebirth…”

He suddenly looked up, his eyes, like burning stars, locked onto Lin Ye. His voice, sharpened by extreme excitement, trembled with disbelief!

“True Fire! It’s Origin True Fire!!!”

“Boy! You… tell this old man! The flame attached to your palm just now… was it… the Origin True Fire you Cultivated yourself?!”

These words, filled with fervor and obsession, left everyone present utterly confused.

What True Fire? What Origin?

However, these words, upon reaching the ears of the white figure who had remained still in the crowd, were like a clap of thunder!

Su Qingyue’s pupils suddenly constricted!

For the first time, her always serene eyes revealed a true sense of… horror!

Lin Ye’s heart, moreover, instantly sank to the bottom!

He never expected that merely using a trace of the Heaven Burning Heart Sutra’s power for a quick victory would be… seen through… by this unfathomable Elder!

His mind raced, and his face immediately adopted that familiar look of “bewilderment” and “innocence.”

“El… Elder, what… what are you talking about? This Disciple… this Disciple doesn’t understand. This Disciple just now, was merely… merely in a moment of desperation, used… used all the Coiling Force from Cultivating the Iron Sand Palm…”

“Iron Sand Palm?!”

Elder Sun seemed to have heard the funniest joke in the world. He suddenly burst into loud laughter, his laughter filled with endless fervor and… disdain!

“Nonsense Iron Sand Palm! How could a mere Low Grade Body Refining Martial Skill of the Mortal Rank possess such Divine Might?! Boy, even now, do you still want to put on an act in front of this old man?!”

He suddenly reined in his laughter, his gaze becoming sharp as a blade, as if wanting to see through Lin Ye’s Soul!

“Although your flame is weak, its purity of quality and its domineering aura are definitely not ordinary fire! This is… Origin True Fire… that only those with a natural Fire Spiritual Root, who have Cultivated extremely profound Earth Rank or higher fire-element Mind-Cultivation Techniques, could possibly condense within their bodies!”

“Your Aptitude, your Comprehension Ability…”

The more Elder Sun spoke, the more excited he became. His gaze towards Lin Ye was no longer simple admiration, but transformed into a nearly greedy fervor, as if he had seen a peerless treasure!

“A once-in-a-century occurrence! No! A once-in-a-millennium occurrence! You… you are simply a… peerless Genius… tailor-made for the fire-element lineage of my Qingyun Sect!!!”

He abruptly turned around, no longer paying attention to Lin Ye, but instead faced the high platform and, with a voice bordering on a roar, announced a decision that would be unforgettable for everyone present!

“This child! From today onwards, he is my, Sun Jian’s, personal Disciple!”

“No one, will even think of snatching him from this old man!!”

…And amidst this new round of tumultuous shock caused by the Elder’s fervor, no one noticed that in the back of the crowd, the white figure who had remained still, her delicate hands hidden beneath her wide sleeves, had unknowingly clenched into fists!

What others saw was Lin Ye’s earth-shattering palm strike, and Elder Sun’s incredible fervor.

But Su Qingyue saw Lin Ye’s simple step at the end! It seemed effortless, yet it contained the core Profound Truth of “body moving with the wind” from the Wind Control Art! Without years of arduous Cultivation, such an achievement would be impossible!

Lin Ye’s seemingly “clumsy” swordsmanship before abandoning his sword for his palm! That swordsmanship was initially unpolished, but under Han Meng’s pressure, it grew and transformed at a visible speed! In the end, it actually struck later but arrived first, subtly possessing some of the Divine Might of “faster than lightning”!

Comprehending the sword in battle!

This was a terrifying talent possessed only by the legendary Sword Dao Geniuses!

Finally, there was the palm strike that overturned everyone’s perception!

That palm strike was a Fusion of the fierce power of the Iron Sand Palm, the profoundness of the Golden Bell Shield, and… the Origin True Fire, which even Elder Sun was crazy about, and whose grade was absolutely terrifying!

A Body Refining Genius! A Sword Dao Genius! A movement Prodigy! And… a once-in-a-millennium fire-element Genius!

All of these things, like the most incredible fragments, frantically pieced together and reorganized in Su Qingyue’s mind, ultimately converging into the young man’s seemingly ordinary… figure!

This young man, who had risen step by step from the Outer Sect, his strength, his talent, the secrets he hid… were far more… unfathomable than any of her boldest previous imaginations!