“Because he is…” Chen Qing’er paused, leaving the rest unsaid.
At that moment, Lin Xiao spoke up from the front.
“Is that so?” Gazing at the haughty Feng Lanyue, Lin Xiao let out a cold laugh, his voice icy, “I don’t think so!”
With that, a formidable third-grade intermediate spiritual power surged from his mind, stirring the air into ripples that spread outward in all directions. The overwhelming spiritual pressure washed over Feng Lanyue and the nearby onlookers, enveloping them in a powerful mental force.
“Third-grade intermediate spiritual power!” The crowd gasped in unison, especially those from the Spirit Controller Alliance. Ye Fenghua, sensing the familiar energy, cried out in shock.
“What, third-grade spiritual power? Heavens, he’s a third-grade intermediate spirit controller?” No one doubted Ye Fenghua’s judgment, and the crowd erupted in exclamations.
“At sixteen or seventeen, with vitality at Heavenly Martial Fourth Layer—how could he also reach third-grade intermediate spiritual power?”
“Wait, at the Spirit Controller Competition, there was a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old youth. Could he be…”
“You’re Heimu!” Feng Lanyue’s body trembled violently, her voice incredulous.
“That’s right. My real name is Lin Xiao. Heimu was just an alias,” Lin Xiao said, locking eyes with Feng Lanyue, his presence unyielding and confrontational.
“What? He’s Heimu, the champion of the Refining Competition? This…” The crowd was dumbfounded, jaws dropping at the revelation.
A month ago, Heimu had caused a massive stir, becoming the focal point of the entire Lanlan Empire.
Various factions had offered staggering prices to recruit him, with Feng Lanyue herself putting forth a sixth-grade spirit stone worth a full jia.
Yet, Heimu turned out to be her mortal enemy, storming their wedding day. The absurdity was almost laughable.
Even more ironic, that sixth-grade spirit stone might have been stolen from Heimu himself.
“It really is him!” Wu Sha’s body quivered slightly. Her woman’s intuition had been spot on—she’d sensed a striking similarity between the two from the start.
“My heavens! This kid…” Ye Fenghua’s mouth fell open, too stunned to speak. Recalling what Heimu had told him before, and his absence this morning, it all clicked.
No wonder Heimu had traded a steep price for Ye Fenghua’s aid in a crisis—this was why.
Offending the Feng and Chen families was no small cost.
He couldn’t help but marvel at Heimu’s audacity—crashing the wedding of two great families was a move of staggering boldness.
“Heimu!” Wen Renliang, Wu Sha, and Pang Po widened their eyes, frozen in place.
Xuanxuan’s small mouth rounded in a stunned gape.
Fan Renlou and Wu Gong were struck dumb again. In talent or courage, how could they compare to Lin Xiao?
The Spirit Controller Alliance members were equally dazed.
Heimu was practically one of them now—if this escalated, it would be a massive affair.
“Heimu is Lin Xiao, Lin Xiao is Heimu—this…” Zhou Moyi’s stunned expression turned animated. The drama was only getting better.
Zhou Xiong and Zhou Ruoyi were floored. Heimu alone had shaken them to their cores, and now Lin Xiao stormed the two families—and they were the same person.
The Zhou family was collectively shocked.
“It’s really him. This kid is truly astounding!” Meng Xi couldn’t help but exclaim. Lin Xiao’s bold entrance had reminded her of Heimu, though his vitality and strength had grown since she’d last seen him as Heimu, leaving her uncertain.
Now, with his spiritual power unleashed, his identity was clear.
The real Lin Xiao was even younger than the disguised Heimu.
What shocked her more was that such a prodigy dared to take on two great families.
At that moment, Meng Xi began calculating in her mind.
Nearby, Meng Ying, after a brief moment of shock, started strategizing. As a royal, she quickly grasped the broader implications—Lin Xiao’s actions rippled far beyond the immediate.
Meng Sheng and Meng Ren, standing closer to the pair, lacked their foresight, rooted in place by sheer astonishment.
Yan Yitian and the Tianxuan Sect were equally staggered. They knew Heimu well—a figure Yan Yitian had been willing to trade ancestral graves to recruit.
In the sect, even the younger generation revered him. Yet now, they learned Heimu was the one whose dantian they’d ruined and expelled…
The disciples who’d ousted Lin Xiao were petrified, as were the elders who’d aided Chen Yan in his expulsion.
Yan Yitian even wondered what might have been if Lin Xiao hadn’t been cast out of the Tianxuan Sect.
But he knew it was too late—Lin Xiao now stood firmly against them.
Ye Yu’s face was blank, each encounter with Lin Xiao hitting harder than the last.
Chen Wendao and Chen Yan were dumbfounded. They’d never imagined linking Lin Xiao to Heimu—dual cultivation of vitality and spirit to this degree was simply too terrifying…
Other factions, big and small, were equally floored. Heimu’s name was legendary, and today opened their eyes wide.
“I never thought you’d be Heimu!” Feng Lanyue’s expression grew grave. Heimu didn’t just mean terrifying spiritual power—he wielded spiritual energy, a fearsome cosmic force.
His status among factions was immense—who knew who might seize the chance to recruit him?
Most critically, Heimu had at least one Martial Venerable behind him, maybe two. She’d seen two intervene that day.
This meant today’s events wouldn’t end easily.
She even faintly regretted—if she’d chosen Lin Xiao over Chen Yan, what might have been?
But the thought flickered and vanished. She didn’t dare dwell on it.
The irony of offering spirit stones to recruit Lin Xiao stung even more.
“I’d heard Heimu possessed the Azure Fire spiritual energy—it’s indeed you!” Feng Youyu said, suppressing her shock to keep her tone steady.
The Azure Fire spiritual energy had struck her during her fight with the Azure Bird, entering her body before Lin Xiao extracted and refined it.
Hearing Heimu wielded energy that could manifest azure flames, she’d suspected but couldn’t confirm without seeing him. Now, all was revealed.
Heimu was Lin Xiao, Lin Xiao was Heimu. With such talent, he was worthy of her…
Gazing at the resolute少年 radiating killing intent in the center, Feng Youyu spoke calmly, even with a hint of longing, “Heimu, for the sake of your exceptional talent, let today’s matter end here—how about it?”
