Chapter 012: Unexpected Events

Shen Duo gripped the longsword in her hand, her small face cold and resolute as she stared at Shen Aofan across from her. Though the winter sun was warm, a chilling wind still swept toward them. Her black robe was lifted slightly by the breeze, tracing an arrogant arc through the air.

Shen Aofan looked at Shen Duo, who stood proud and unyielding, and snorted disdainfully. “Useless thing. Today, you brought this upon yourself.”

As he spoke, he summoned the spirit energy within him. Suddenly, his hands were shrouded in a white mist-like aura. With a shout, he swung his broadsword, charging straight at Shen Duo.

Shen Duo’s delicate brows furrowed; she balanced on one foot, right hand gripping the sword and pointing it at Shen Aofan, left hand bent with index and middle fingers pressed together. As Shen Aofan drew closer, she could clearly sense a subtle pressure bearing down on her. Indeed, a seven-star Illusionist was worlds apart from someone like Shen Yan, a mere five-star.

Shen Aofan’s blade swept horizontally toward Shen Duo, its deadly arc now infused with white spirit energy, doubling its power. The blade moved so swiftly that the mercenaries encircling them covered their eyes in regret, dreading the bloodshed they might see. Lei Hang, however, watched the scene on the challenge platform without flinching.

Just as the blade neared, a confident smile suddenly appeared on Shen Duo’s delicate face. Her figure darted like lightning, twisting aside to narrowly evade Shen Aofan’s strike. Then, at an impossible angle, her sword flicked, slicing open Shen Aofan’s robe and leaving a bloody gash across his back.

Pain shot through Shen Aofan as he spun around, eyes red with fury, staring daggers at Shen Duo—shock, rage, and unwillingness burning in his gaze. The blow he’d delivered to the challenge platform had split the marble surface, a testament to the terrifying power behind that spirit-infused strike.

Shen Duo’s heart raced as well. The oppressive sensation she’d just endured was both strange and terrifying—if Shen Aofan’s spirit energy had been denser or his rank any higher, no matter how skilled or agile she was, she wouldn’t have escaped that blow.

From below the stage, the mercenaries heard no scream as expected. Opening their eyes, they saw Shen Duo unharmed, while blood seeped from Shen Aofan’s back. Cheers erupted; even the female mercenaries shouted with excitement.

“Ninth Miss, well done!”

“Ninth Miss, knock his teeth out!” …

Shen Aofan, gritting his teeth against the pain, shot a vicious glare at the cheering mercenaries below. Shen Qing’s expression was equally sour; he bit his lip, gave Shen Aofan a meaningful look, and nodded subtly.

A sinister smile flickered across Shen Aofan’s face. With a sudden motion, he reached into his storage pouch, pulled out something, and threw it into his mouth, swallowing it quickly.

Though the moment was brief, every eye caught it. The crowd’s voices dropped; brows knit as they watched Shen Aofan on the stage.

Shen Duo eyed him solemnly. Her instincts screamed that whatever Shen Aofan had just taken posed a true threat to her. This, perhaps, was the reason Shen Qing and his son had been so eager to force her into this match.

Sure enough, Shen Aofan fixed her with a crazed smile. The white spirit energy on his fists grew denser, spreading slowly to envelop his entire body, making his form hazy and indistinct. Suddenly, a green light began to seep through the white aura, gradually replacing it and flowing across his entire being.

Not only the mercenaries, but Shen Duo herself stared in shock at Shen Aofan’s transformation.

A crafty smile curled at Shen Qing’s lips. No matter how skilled that useless girl was, could she really defeat a Grand Illusionist with mere swordsmanship?

The mercenaries could scarcely believe their eyes. Just moments ago, Shen Aofan was clearly a seven-star Illusionist—how had he instantly gained the signature green spirit energy of a Grand Illusionist?

Lei Hang’s worry deepened, his fists clenching tighter. He longed to rush onto the platform and punch the shameless Shen Aofan, but the oath they’d all sworn meant this match was protected by the Law of Heaven and Earth. Unless the combatants themselves forfeited, no one could interfere.

“How can this be? Shen Aofan was just a seven-star Illusionist; how did he suddenly become a Grand Illusionist? Did he advance a rank?” Lei Hang muttered in confusion.

Behind him, Zheng Wu narrowed his eyes at the tense scene onstage. “Young Master, he hasn’t advanced. Look at his palms—the spirit energy there is still white. Only the aura he releases turns green. He must have swallowed a drug that temporarily boosts his power. Clearly, their hatred for Shen Duo runs deep.” Zheng Wu, more than a decade older than Lei Hang and widely traveled across the Sacred Radiance Continent, was well-versed in such matters.

It was common knowledge that Illusionists beneath the Grand Illusionist rank should not take potions or fruits to forcibly enhance their abilities. Early spirit energy cultivation was about expanding and strengthening the meridians to lay a foundation for greater power. At this stage, the body’s channels were fragile and malleable, requiring gradual, steady progress without external aid. Thus, most took nearly twenty years to move from Illusionist to Grand Illusionist, while advancing from Grand Illusionist to Spirit Illusionist often took only two or three years.

Shen Aofan’s decision to use such a drug now would destroy his future prospects. Though it granted him the power to defeat Shen Duo today, it would cripple his cultivation path. Only someone driven by deep hatred and ruthless resolve would make such a choice.

Onstage, Shen Aofan had lost all reason. In his eyes, there was only Shen Duo’s cold, mocking face. All he wanted was to smash that face to pieces and declare to everyone: the useless would always be useless. Why should someone who couldn’t even absorb spirit energy live safely in the main city for fourteen years, while he, gifted but born of a side branch, could only languish in a small place like Luo City, forced to undergo family evaluations just to set foot in the main city? It was unjust, utterly unjust!

Eyes bloodshot, he swung his broadsword, now glowing with a fierce green energy. Shen Duo stood tall, a crushing pressure bearing down on her, making even her heartbeat feel stifled; she could barely move her feet. Realizing the mounting danger, she mobilized every fiber of her being to respond—yet, to her horror, her feet would not budge, as if she’d been nailed to the ground. The blade, crackling with murderous energy, was about to fall. The mercenaries held their breath, waiting for the final outcome.

Shen Aofan’s wild grin grew ever wider…