Paragon of Sin

The black-colored saber light was like a violent deluge, overflowing throughout the world from edge to edge of this unique space!

Terrified shrieks and pained howls resounded from the inverted spectators, clutching at their eyes with quivering fingers and palms. Most were fortunate such as Chosen, young Saintesses, and young Heroes, their seniors guarded them with a protective layer of light energy that rebounded the saber light. 

Lin Ming's heart was like a thousand horses pounding as he felt Lin Xianxei's soft hands on his face, releasing a soft, gentle warmth that resembled sunlight. Yet, between her fingers, he could see an invasive darkness threatening to pierce through. 

The flood of saber light only lasted a few seconds before dissipating as if it was never there. When all concluded, the seniors cautiously lowered their protections and inspected the scene on the stage. The young talents that hadn't been able to react to the flood also regained their sight, looking at the inverted stage.

"Oh. My. Heavens!" The stage was covered in saber scars throughout, covering hundreds of miles, some ranging from as long as a mile to as short as an inch, yet their depths were all equal. It was quite peculiar. 

What type of terrifying strength was this? A fifty-two-year-old Starlord was already heaven-defying, yet not an impossible feat. There were many cultivators throughout history with unique physiques, psyches, and meridians that granted them absurd cultivation advantages, and alongside the right support to overcome tribulations, they fully devoted their years to cultivating their realm instead of their foundation. 

By doing so, they were no different than an empty paper vase with high-level art on its surface. While they were pretty and outstanding on the outside, they could be shattered by a child's antics. The seniors not of the Everlore Domain weren't all too shocked by the announcement, but witnessing Su Mei's attack had changed their beliefs.

What was a genius? 

This was a genius! 

A freaking monstrous genius! 

Soon, Lin Xianxei removed her hand and Lin Ming could see the remnants left behind by Su Mei's saber. He was thunderstruck. He couldn't comprehend what had happened. Why did the saber light erupt after Su Mei left? Was it a delayed attack? She hadn't even fully released her saber! 

"What happened?" Lin Ming turned to Lin Xianxei for answers, but his eyes widened uncontrollably. The beautiful countenance of Lin Xianxei was abnormally pale, and her eyes were flickering with wisps of spiritual light that seemed in conflict with one another. 

"Is everything okay? Are you okay?" Lin Ming anxiously asked as his worries sieged his heart. He instinctively wanted to hold her, but she moved away while her eyelids quivered violently until they shut. She held out her hand to stop him, "I'm fine." 

Despite her breathily said words and trembling fingers, she remained adamant about keeping Lin Ming at a distance. Lin Ming's feelings were complex. He wanted to help but he didn't know what was happening. 

"That young woman isn't ordinary." That statement came from Lin Xianxian with an incomparably solemn tone. "Wei Wuyin's right-hand…" She faintly whispered as she thought about this point. For some reason, the moment she learned this piece of information, she felt that all the abnormality surrounding Su Mei was justified. 

"Sect Master, what happened?" Lin Ming sought out answers still. He couldn't wrap his head around everything that just happened. It made no sense to him. 

"..." Lin Xianxian gave Lin Ming a sidelong glance, her expression sighing emotionally. Her daughter had invested tremendous reserves of time, energy, wealth, and risk in Lin Ming to grow into a Chosen worthy of their True Element Sect. But when she saw Su Mei, she realized that the disparity wasn't just small, it was utterly massive. 

She had a sudden thought: °The Chosen King…° 

In the end, she shook herself from the thought. The Chosen King isn't solely determined by strength, otherwise, throughout the years, there were some extremely talented elites beneath five hundred year requirements that could shake the entire world. All of them failed to obtain that grand title. 

It was only when she felt the Chosen and Mystic Star Phase experts look at her with pleading looks of curiosity that she relented, offering her explanation: "That young woman merged her saber light with the profundities of space and time, isolating both using her Darklight Force. I've never seen such tyrannical art from someone so young. Those lacking a Temporal Eye won't be able to observe or see the attack, and even those with one might not react to the obscenely high speed it was unleashed with.

"Haaaa. A saber art that perfectly intermixes her comprehension and cultivation." Lin Xianxian couldn't help but throw endless praise at Su Mei's attack. As a Star Core Phase expert at the Ninth Stage of the Astral Core Realm, she had an unfathomably deep understanding of her previous stages, the Realm World Phase and Temporal Eye Phase. 

"What about the black saber light?" A Mystic Star Phase cultivator swiftly understood the details of the strike, having surpassed those stages too. But, he was most stumped by the saber light. Unlike Lin Ming and the other young talents, he saw the strike from beginning to end, even the erupting flood.

"That was her," Lin Xianxian solemnly stated.

"...?" The Chosen was extremely confused, but the Mystic Star Phase experts all had enlightened eyes. They understood what she meant! 

"Cultivate!" Lin Xianxian ordered the Starlord level experts who had eyes of some understanding. They seemed to have caught a glimpse of something. In fact, her order was a little late. In other areas, those Starlords, like Lin Xianxei, were already seated with their eyes closed, their bodies emanating a layer of light. 

Lin Xianxei was the first to move. She placed herself in front of the Elementus Wheel, cultivating while shifting through hand-seals. Her pale expression slowly grew healthier and more relaxed. 

Strangely, there were only awed, terrified, and shocked looks coming from the young generation beneath the Seventh Stage of the Astral Core Realm, and the rest were suddenly forced into a cultivation state by their seniors. It seemed that what they had just witnessed or sensed was of vital importance to their understanding of their cultivation stage or the next stages of their cultivation. 

Lin Ming realized that Su Mei's strike was an opportunity. 

Cultivation was difficult; verbal communication was ineffective to pass along profound details, so the majority of one's achievements were based on personal exploration, experiences, and thoughts. Every path was made by oneself, seniors could only offer minimal support. 

But the experience was important, contributed by available resources. It is related to sensing various profound details within certain essences, the world itself, or abnormal phenomena. 

For example, these spiritual objects of their organizations were forged with special essences that contain unique wills and tempering forces, allowing cultivators to personally explore and compare, even awakening Intent. 

For example, cultivators could 'feel' the ambient spatial energies, light energies, and gravitational forces to comprehend their intricate functions, granting them the qualifications to replicate these aspects in their Spirit of Cultivation. 

For example, the strike that Su Mei unleashed. A phenomenon that incorporated high-level applications of forces. By observing and self-reflecting endlessly, they could grasp aspects that were originally beyond them. 

All experiences that must be capitalized by one's efforts, only given greater ease through the access to greater environments, purer resources, and instruction of seniors, to ensure that one's line of thinking did not go out of the correct path. Having someone tell you that you're wrong was horrifyingly underrated. 

And only those Soul of Mysticism or higher cultivators had the qualifications to understand the absolute depths of the Astral Core Realm. This was why Mystic-tier forces geniuses had a heavy disparity to their Mortal-tier counterparts.

Wu Jiao once delved into the aspects of the Qi Condensation Realm, and there wasn't a single cultivator at that level that wasn't enlightened, experiencing great benefits to their cultivation, and some even ascending to the next level on the spot! 

Every cultivator that day had the potential to reach the Ninth Stage of the Qi Condensation from that moment onwards, possessing the qualities to one day challenge the Astral Core Realm's first tribulation. 

Lin Xianxian's explanation was basic, not delving into the depths of the actual profoundness of Su Mei's saber strike, yet numerous cultivators gained benefits from it. 

"So this is also an opportunity," Lin Xianxei faintly smiled at the Everlore Association's intentions. The most difficult thing to accumulate was experiences in the world of cultivation, and the Everlore Association allowed a batch of talented, profound cultivators to display themselves to others! It seems they genuinely want to elevate the standards of the stellar region! "But even they might not have expected that young woman's powers." 

Lin Ming realized this was an opportunity. He refused to fall behind, unleashing his ocular spell to investigate the saber scars. The stage was rapidly healing the scars, dispersing the remnant traces of saber light that lingered within, and he could see how the light clashed against the repairing efforts.

A sign of Permanence. 

Unfortunately, from beginning to end, for twenty whole minutes, he was unable to grasp the profound details of space or time. A sense of frustration welled within his heart.

Shiing…

Suddenly, the gray-eyed Blessed caught a strange glimmer of light at the corner of the stage, as if directed there by a heavenly hand. It was weak, but it was there. He focused on that portion with all his might and attention, trying to glimpse something—anything.

Weng!