The first confrontation between the two took place between lightning and flint.

Luna's first strike missed, but she didn't relent. Her palms folded together and slashed diagonally toward Ethan's neck like blades.

Ethan twisted his body lightly and retreated several meters, widening the distance between them once again.

Luna's movement stilled. Her gaze sharpened instantly, and the playful veneer on her face vanished.

"This guy is absolutely extraordinary!" Luna thought to herself.

Her fingers shifted through several seals in the air. A faint stream of spiritual light wrapped around her hands as she whispered, "Heaven-level spiritual technique — Spirit Fox Transformation."

A majestic aura unfurled from her body, blooming outwards like a light storm. Spiritual energy surged, the air trembling under its pressure.

Behind Luna, a gigantic spiritual fox phantom emerged, its shimmering form half-transparent, its nine tails swaying with luminous grace. The entire platform seemed to quake beneath her presence. She was engulfed within the spirit's phantom, both beast and woman fused as one, their auras merging seamlessly.

Ethan could clearly sense that Luna's power had just heightened.

Her strength wasn't merely physical; the transformation integrated spiritual energy and beast essence, allowing her attacks to extend farther and hit harder.

Among the crowd, the disciples of the Stormjade family were visibly shaken.

"This… this Spiritual Technique…" someone gasped. "It's Spirit Fox Transformation!"

"The elder's bloodline art…" said another with awe. "I can't believe she's using it right from the first battle!"

The technique was one of Luna's trump cards. It channeled spirit beast energy, enhancing the user's perception, speed, and ferocity. Its use signaled that Luna truly saw her opponent as a threat.

Above on the viewing platform, Oswin's eyes narrowed, his voice quiet. "She's actually summoned it."

Ethan did not move. His gaze remained calm under the mask.

The rules were simple—survive half an incense stick's time. That was enough to secure victory.

He had no reason to reveal his depth prematurely. Against someone at peak Tribulation Transcendence, strength wasn't the issue. The problem was exposure. Too many eyes watched from the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets down to the ruling families. It was far wiser to conserve his cards.

Luna's eyes glimmered, the tails of her spirit phantom flicking behind her as she advanced again, crossing the distance like a streak of violet wind.

The crowd murmured as they watched, breath held tight in anticipation.

"This Aether's movement is so strange!" one exclaimed. "She can't even touch him!"

"He's playing carefully," another observed. "Just waiting out the incense. No counterattacks—just evasion."

"Not stable," someone argued. "If someone else clears Luna's stage later, he'll have to fight again. That final match has no time limit—evasion alone won't save him."

Up on the platform, Luna's gaze fell briefly toward the burning incense on the edge—it was already one-third gone.

If this went on, that masked man might truly last.

"Boy, that's it!" she spat coldly, fury flashing across her eyes.

With a powerful leap, Luna's body shot into the air. Her entire frame blurred, merging perfectly with the phantom fox spirit behind her. Like a streak of violet light, she descended toward Ethan, her right palm glowing with roaring spiritual energy.

Her speed and power surged, the claws of the spirit fox echoing her movements. Each tail radiated with cold sharpness, dancing in the air like blades.

Ethan sidestepped again, crimson light flickering underfoot, his movements clean, effortless.

Every attack slid past him, cutting wind instead of flesh.

Again and again she struck, claws clashing against the air like thunder. The platform was filled with rhythmic shocks, light and shadows colliding in every corner.

"Brat!" Luna shouted after yet another missed blow. "Can you only dodge?"

Her voice carried irritation, partly out of anger, partly disbelief.

"What a coward!" she sneered, narrowing her eyes.

Ethan's voice came from amid the chaos, low but steady. "You're panicking."

Luna's heart quivered. Her head snapped toward the incense still burning—halfway down already.

That mask. That calm.

Her eyes chilled with resolve.

Then her tone changed suddenly, turning sultry, sweet, every syllable oozing allure as she spoke. "Then how about this, little brother? If you can last, I'll reward you tonight. Would you like that?"

The crowd erupted with murmurs. Some men blushed scarlet; others grinned mindlessly.

Her charm technique flared again. Luna advanced with practiced grace, hips swaying lightly, the tails of her fox phantom flowing around her. A faint fragrance spread through the air, mixed with dizzying spiritual intent.

"Put away your theatrics." Ethan's calm voice cut through her illusion like steel through silk. "And don't flatter yourself."

The temperature around them froze.

"I haven't fallen so low as to go hungry yet," he said simply.

A sharp breath escaped Luna's lips.

"You—!" she gasped. Her face flushed, fury bubbling beneath pride.

Among all kinds of humiliation, what she couldn't abide was ridicule of her beauty.

He denied her strength. Then her charm. Now even her allure.

That was unforgivable.

Her eyes turned stormy, and her spiritual light surged violently.

"You've completely provoked me!" she hissed.

The next instant, a terrifying wave of spirit pressure exploded across the arena. The seal on her cultivation broke momentarily as her strength flared violently, rippling across the stage. The tiles trembled under her feet.

A collective gasp rolled through the square.

"Elder Luna is going all out!" someone shouted.

"Full power already? Against just one challenger?"

"Is that masked man so strong?"

The members of the Stormjade family looked visibly uneasy now.

One of the clan elders leaned forward. "The boy's forcing her hand... this hasn't happened in years."

Near the front row, a young girl in silken robes frowned slightly. Her eyes shimmered like stars.

Eunice Stormjade, daughter of the family head.

Her lips parted softly. "To push Elder Luna this far... what kind of realm is he at?"

Her father, Adam Stormjade, answered in a measured tone. "At least the Tribulation Transcendence Realm. Perhaps even mid or late stage."

He paused, glancing at the testing stone earlier. "Under fifty bone age means fifty years of cultivation, at most..."

His expression softened, almost wistful.

"What kind of monstrous talent must that be?" he murmured. "He could easily be someone ranked on the Heaven's Prodigy list."

He leaned back, sighing under his breath.

"It would be great if my Stormjade family could also have such a talented person. If given enough time to grow, we could have Sun Moon Lake all to ourselves and give nothing to the Emberveil and Silkrain families."

Adam Stormjade thought to himself, then shook his head and sighed.

A/N:

Hello guys, Author here, I will be reducing prices for Privilege prices next month, so please do not buy it this month.

Extra chapters

100 power stones - 1 Extra chapters

200 power stones - 2 Extra chapters

Capsule - 1 Extra chapters

Massage Chair - 3 Extra chapters

Luxury Car - 5 Extra Chapters

Magic Castle - 15 Extra Chapters

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