Chapter 162: A Single Palm Strike!

A disciple of the Lu family let out a startled cry.

They could clearly sense that Lu Han’s current realm was at the first celestial layer. When Lu Han had left Maple Leaf City previously, he was only at the eighth mortal layer. Never had they expected that upon his return this time, he would already have reached the celestial realm. Such talent was truly terrifying!

"Han’er has actually reached the celestial realm!" Lu Tianhong even pinched his own arm to be sure.

This progression was simply too fast!

In truth, it was not that Lu Han’s talent was preposterously high; back then, after going through countless hardships in the Gulin Basin, he had broken through to the ninth mortal layer. Normally, it would have been impossible for Lu Han to step into the celestial realm in such a short span of time, but the Nether Crow Throne had forcibly elevated Lu Han’s realm by one level at the very end. Not only that, but Lu Han's meridians had also been widened, allowing his cultivation to advance even more rapidly.

"This kid’s progression is truly frightening. To break through two consecutive realms in such a short period of time is impossible even for geniuses of the Imperial Capital Academy. Could it be an encounter with fortune?"

As the young master and heir of the Qian family, Qian Santong naturally possessed extraordinary discernment, and he guessed the approximate truth with a single thought.

Even Tian Heng, standing to the side, was filled with shock. Observing Lu Han, he appeared much younger than Lu Hui, yet he was already at the first celestial layer—a first-layer celestial at sixteen or seventeen years of age!

Lu Hui’s greatest pride was his own talent. He did not even deign to place the Young Sect Master of the Golden Sun Sect in his eyes, boasting that he would inevitably surpass him within three years.

"No wonder my younger brother fell into your hands. Initially, I thought those reports were exaggerated. If you had simply stayed in hiding outside, there truly would have been nothing I could do to you. However, since you have delivered yourself to my doorstep, I have no choice but to crippled you. Just the thought of crippling a sixteen-year-old celestial fills me with excitement!" A bloodthirsty gleam flashed in Lu Hui’s eyes.

The "Heavenly Frost Cold Qi" within Lu Han’s body surged madly, and his entire person shot straight toward Lu Hui like a bolt of white lightning, while the hand seals he formed moved with a blinding speed.

A dazzlingly white celestial cold qi emanated from Lu Han’s right hand, so intense that people dared not look at it directly.

"Is that the 'Star-Shattering Palm'?"

Lu Tianhong cried out in astonishment.

This "Star-Shattering Palm" was a technique he had passed on to Lu Han himself, yet the speed at which Lu Han formed his seals was so fast that it hardly looked like something a first-layer celestial practitioner could execute; it seemed as though he had been immersed in this martial art for years.

"Just what is that gray-white energy in his left hand? Even a glance makes me feel as though it wants to invade my mind!" Lu Tianhong thought to himself.

"To actually charge straight at me—how utterly naive! Does he think the second celestial layer is just for show?"

Lu Hui stamped his foot fiercely, his entire body leaning forward as he struck out with a palm toward Lu Han, dazzling with golden light!

Facing Lu Hui’s fierce and powerful attack, Lu Han did not choose to evade; instead, a look of derision appeared on his face.

"Nether Crow Finger!"

Lu Han’s left hand pointed out abruptly.

A wisp of gray-white soul power surged from his left hand, instantly transforming into a miniature nether crow that shot straight toward Lu Han.

Previously, Lu Han had been worried that the distance between them was too great and that the "Nether Crow Finger" might miss Lu Hui, but he had never expected that Lu Hui would charge right at him of his own accord.

The miniature nether crow pierced directly through Lu Hui’s head. Lu Hui let out a miserable scream, and the "Golden Light Palm" condensing in his palm instantly shattered.

"Ah!" Lu Hui clutched his head with both hands.

"Heavenly Frost—Star-Shattering Palm!"

The "Star-Shattering Palm," infused with the Heavenly Frost Qi, was no longer what it used to be. A single palm struck squarely against Lu Hui’s chest, sending him flying backward as fierce energy raged like a violent gale.

A mouthful of bloody mist spewed forth, which was instantly frozen solid by the surrounding cold qi. Such was the terrifying might of the Heavenly Frost Qi cultivated through the "Heavenly Frost Cold Qi"!

On the martial arts training ground of the Maple Leaf City Lord's Mansion, a profound silence descended at this moment, with countless gazes fixed upon Lu Han.

Never would anyone have imagined that a single palm—a single palm was all it took to defeat Lu Hui!

A disciple of the Lu family at the first celestial layer had defeated Lu Hui—the closed-door disciple of a Golden Sun Sect elder who was at the second celestial layer—with a single palm strike. What a horrifying battle achievement!

"Oh!"

After a brief moment of stunned silence, the disciples of the Lu family burst into cheers.

In the final analysis, Lu Hui had simply been too careless. Anyone else in his position would have suffered the same fate; had he known that Lu Han possessed a soul-based martial skill like the "Nether Crow Finger," no one would have been foolish enough to charge forward and take a soul technique head-on.

Coupled with the completion of Lu Han’s "Heavenly Garment" technique, his physical strength was equal to, if not greater than, that of a second-layer celestial. Lu Hui’s defeat was entirely within reason.

Furthermore, Lu Hui had been cultivating martial arts within the Golden Sun Sect, and his cultivation realm surpassed Lu Han's, causing him to subconsciously believe that Lu Han could never possibly be his match. Alas, from the moment he plummeted into the Cold Abyss Forest and obtained the mysterious cold pearl, Lu Han’s destiny had been thoroughly rewritten!

"Hui'er!"

Only then did Tian Heng snap back to his senses. No matter how hard he tried to comprehend it, he could not understand how Lu Hui could have been defeated by a yellow-haired brat at the first celestial layer. Even among the genius disciples of the three major sects, defeating Lu Hui within the same realm was no easy feat, let alone when lagging a realm behind, and by a disciple from a remote, minor family at that.

With a gloomy and cold expression, Tian Heng checked Lu Hui’s injuries. Although Lu Hui's life was not in danger, a strange, erratic cold qi was rampaging through his body, and without several months of recuperation, he would likely not fully recover.

"That's not right. Although Princess Qingcheng stated she wanted to spare the Sword King some face, it shouldn't warrant sending someone to deliver the blood of a Soul-Eorng Mink. The blood of a Soul-Eorng Mink is so precious that even my Qian family cannot acquire it on a whim. Right after the Princess departed, Lu Han left Maple Leaf City, and their routes toward the Imperial Capital run largely parallel until before reaching Black Rock City. Could it be that the Princess and Lu Han had some intersection along the way?"

It had to be said that a merchant's way of thinking was different; through his analysis, Qian Santong had actually deduced that Lu Han and Princess Qingcheng had crossed paths.

"Better to believe it is true than to believe it is false!" Qian Santong thought to himself. Only this explanation could account for why Princess Qingcheng had suddenly dispatched people to deliver the Soul-Eorng Mink's blood.

"Impudent brat! To strike with such viciousness—what will you become in a few years? Today, I shall discipline you on behalf of your family to prevent you from becoming a scourge to the Great Xia Empire in the future!"

The aura of a sixth-layer Profound Monarch erupted from Tian Heng, pressing down directly upon Lu Han. At this moment, Lu Han’s legs seemed ready to slowly buckle and force him to his knees; a sixth-layer Profound Monarch was simply not something he could contend with!

"Oh?" Tian Heng uttered a sound of surprise.

An ordinary first-layer celestial would have long since been crushed by his pressure and collapsed onto the ground, yet although Lu Han was enduring a weight akin to ten thousand jun, there was not the slightest indication that he was about to kneel. This caused Tian Heng to lose a bit of face.

"Begone!"

With a wave of his broad sleeve, Tian Heng sent a streak of golden energy hurtling straight toward Lu Han.

Just as Lu Han was about to move to intercept it, a figure flashed before him.

"Boom!"

Qian Santong shattered the golden energy with a single palm strike and said indifferently, "Elder Tian, didn't you say not to interfere in the battles of the younger generation? Is it really fitting for someone of your standing to bully the juniors like this?"

A trace of wariness flickered in Tian Heng’s eyes as he looked at Qian Santong. "Young Master Qian, this Lu family is merely the lord's estate of this tiny Maple Leaf City. How about this—consider today's affair as doing my Golden Sun Sect a favor, and refrain from meddling in this matter?"

In truth, Tian Heng's primary motivation was not just to avenge Lu Hui; he had promised Lu Hui that once today's business was concluded, things like the "Golden Sun Sword Technique" and Earth-tier martial arts would be within easy reach. Thus, he had no choice but to pull out the banner of the Golden Sun Sect!