[Eternal Flame] granted him the observational power of [Crossing Time]. The moment he watched the scene in his Heart Lake, Zhong Ming suddenly discovered that the image had begun to rewind. Everything that had happened several minutes ago unfolded before his eyes like a vivid montage.
The final ability, [Immersion], allowed him to experience every detail of that moment as if he were truly there.
â...This skill combo is a little too powerful.â
âFrom now on, whenever I arrive somewhere, all it will take is a thought. Iâll be able to not only reflect the present scene but also rewind through the years and project the past onto my Heart Lake.â
At this marvelous prospect, Zhong Ming first nodded in approval, but he soon shook his head.
âIt canât be that simple. Right now, I can only rewind a few minutes. And itâs just a mental observation, not a true reversal of time, so the cost is naturally low.â
âBut if I want to view scenes from decades, or even centuries ago, my current cultivation level wonât be enough to support it... I really need to improve my cultivation.â
Though he couldnât see back across eons, after a quick review, Zhong Ming understood what had happened.
Zhu Junfeng from the Void Moon Sect had fought with Mingya, the cultivator now standing before him.
What surprised Zhong Ming slightly was Mingyaâs immense combat strengthâby using that peculiar combustion, his power had already surpassed the limits of Qi Cultivation and reached the Foundation Establishment realm.
This made his fight against Zhu Junfeng a completely one-sided rout.
From the scene replaying in his Heart Lake, Zhong Ming saw that Mingya hadnât used any flashy tricks against Zhu Junfeng. Relying on overwhelming brute force, he had transformed into a meteor of dark-purple fire and shot straight toward him.
The latter did counterattack; a Treasure Mirror materialized above his head and fired a beam of moonlight-white light.
WHOOSH!
As the beam shot past, a frigid aura radiated out, freezing the air. The attack was quite impressive.
But it was completely useless against Mingya.
He didnât even dodge. Protected by his armor and immense energy, he was like a falling star, pushing right through the moonlight-white beam to charge straight at Zhu Junfeng.
Of course, Zhu Junfeng wasnât an idiot. The moment he realized the situation was bad, he used an Escape Technique to retreat. But...
"You pathetic mutt, did you think you could get away!"
HUMMMâ!
After his furious roar, a vast quantity of dark-purple Flame suddenly coalesced above Mingyaâs head, forming a pupil several meters in diameter.
The pupil was terrifyingly deep, radiating an unsettling, bizarre power.
The moment the pupil locked onto Zhu Junfeng and constricted slightly, countless slash wounds, scorch marks from Flames, and brands from Thunderbolts erupted all over his body.
TSSSCH!
The densely packed wounds burst open in an instant, leaving Zhu Junfeng gravely wounded as he coughed up a torrent of blood.
He tried to fight back, but no matter how fast he moved, he could never outpace the pupilâs gaze.
He even tried to conceal himself, using a Void Moon Sect Secret Technique to hide his aura, but the massive pupil seemed to possess an Illusion-Breaking power. No matter how he tried to hide, it locked onto him with perfect accuracy.
Ultimately, if an elder from the Void Moon Sect hadnât intervened, Zhu Junfeng would have died a death of a thousand cuts.
"?!"
Such a brutal defeat made every Cultivator on the Crescent Lake Shore gasp.
Watching this unfold, Zhong Ming couldnât help but raise an eyebrow. He had to admit, he was envious.
âIsnât this the very ability I predicted the Longxi Sword Dao would have, but only at the sixth-mirror Grandmaster realm!â
To inflict woundsâor even killâjust with a look. The tier of such an ability was incredibly high.
âThis person who popped out of nowhere... setting aside his raw power, none of his abilities are low-tier. Take the earlier Vaporization. If I didnât have my own special methods, it would be difficult to harm them even if my power was a full tier higher. And now this pupil technique, and the Illusion... these are not abilities ordinary people can master. Just where are these people from?â
Zhong Ming wasnât the only one who was puzzled; many people by the lake also had no idea where Mingya had come from.
However, although they didnât know Mingyaâs origins, when he turned his gaze toward Zhong Ming, the Cultivators around and on the lake all held their breath. They were a mix of nervous and excited, their eyes shining with anticipation.
They werenât overthinking it; they just hoped these two top prodigies would have a massive battle and treat them to a spectacular, top-tier duel.
"Hahaha, weâre finally going to see a real clash of titans!"
"So, who do you think will win?"
"Hard to say. Both Zhong Ming and this Mingya fellow who appeared out of nowhere are incredibly strong." At this, the person chuckled and said, "I canât say whoâll win, but one thingâs for sure: Zhong Ming wonât be one-shotting his opponent this time around."
"Thatâs for sure. Mingyaâs power is definitely at the Foundation Establishment level now. If Zhong Ming could still one-shot someone like that, just how terrifying would his strength have to be!"
The ordinary Cultivators chattered amongst themselves, while the True Disciples from the six Major Sects watched the impending battle with mixed emotions.
Since neither Zhong Ming nor Mingya came from a Major Sect, it meant that no matter which of them won, the disciples from the six Major Sects would be made into a joke. This thought left them feeling frustrated and resentful.
But as Cultivators, they also wanted to witness a thrilling, top-tier duel. Thus, they couldnât suppress their anticipation for the fight.