Chapter 20 Astonishing Talent

Haha, a little girl dubbed a piece of trash challenging the famous Ouyang Feng of the Imperial City—once this news spreads, what kind of storm will it stir up in Jincheng? Not bad, not bad at all, this child really suits their taste.

Ouyang Feng's complexion was iron blue, his chest heaving with surging anger. To think that he, who had enjoyed a life of glory, was today, in front of so many people, outplayed by a mere girl. Refusing to let her test would leave people whispering that Ouyang Feng feared a simpleton who might seize the title of the Ouyang Family's genius. But allowing the trial would be playing right into her hands, putting him in a dilemma. At this moment, he actually had the urge to kill her.

"Brother Ouyang, it's just one chance—let the girl try. After all, it won't have any real impact," Situ Ba glanced at Zhiyan and said to Ouyang Feng beside him. The head of one of the three great families, the Situ Family, had spoken, undeniably offering him a way out.

"Let her do it. I want to see just how powerful she really is!" Ouyang Feng snorted coldly, waved his sleeve, and addressed the person presiding over the event on the stage.

Zhiyan narrowed her eyes slightly, turned around, and walked calmly towards the Crystal Ball. Below the stage, a chorus of jeers filled the air, but she appeared completely indifferent. Her slender hand gently touched the Crystal Ball, the corners of her lips curved up in a mischievous smile.

Yang Energy continuously flowed from within her body, and in an instant, light surged. The originally pure Crystal Ball turned as if it had been plunged into a Blood Pool, a shocking red. In a twinkling, the red light faded, and to everyone's astonishment, it was replaced by a dazzling orange, the color intense and pure, untainted by any impurity…

Whoosh, a moment of silence, and then the scene erupted into chaos. The crowd's eyes bulged, and their mouths gaped open wide enough to fit an egg. The Crystal Ball seemed to perform magic as it transformed from crimson to orange, bright and astonishing, shaking the vision of everyone present. Orange—wasn't that indicative of Mid-level Sage cultivation? Such intense and pure orange—could it be the peak of Mid-level Sage? How could this be possible?

Ouyang Feng suddenly stood up from his seat. The shock Zhiyan had brought him surpassed the sensation recently caused by Ouyang Jin. Over a thousand pairs of eyes, over a thousand hearts skipped a beat. The girl on stage, with her pink dress, bare face, and delicate features, possessed a talent for cultivation that sank everyone into madness. The peak of Mid-level Sage at the tender age of nine?

Boom! A thunderous silence detonated within everyone's hearts, all mockery, sarcasm, disdain, and contempt evaporated in that instant—as if blown away by the wind, leaving no trace, replaced by all manner of peculiar looks.

A nine-year-old at the peak of Mid-level Sage cultivation. This level of talent, even more perverse than that of Ouyang Jin, would surely shake the entire Mainland once it came to light. Such a genius among geniuses would have even the most illustrious families clamoring to extend an olive branch and compete to recruit her. Such is the world, where the stronger one is, the more attention and, even supplication, one attracts.

Zhiyan stood there indifferently, taking in everyone's reactions with a cold glint in her eye, and her lips pursed slightly, a hint of mischief playing across her features. The Yin Yang Energy within her body showed no sign of stopping, instead growing more and more fierce. A silver and a white tangled together, a truly exciting sight.

Just when the crowd thought Zhiyan would withdraw her hand, the orange Crystal Ball suddenly shook violently. An imposing aura poured out from her fragile body in an instant. Ouyang Feng, Situ Ba, and others of high status were jolted, staring fixedly at the changing scene. The thousand people below showed shock on their faces, all wearing expressions of confusion.

Before anyone noticed, the orange Crystal Ball had turned yellow—the kind of pure, intense, and fiery yellow that resembled the sun. Just a glimpse of it rendered the crowd utterly dumbfounded.

Silence, an eerie stillness enveloped the entire venue. Breezes brushed the treetops, cicadas chirped incessantly, yet nothing could break this deadlock. Time stood still, the scene frozen, with looks of astonishment, horror, disbelief... Eyes full of incredulity were everywhere. Ouyang Feng's face turned the color of a liver, shaking all over, his gray eyes lifelessly fixed on that dazzling yellow Crystal Ball.

Situ Ba and Xiahou Yi stared blankly, hit by a succession of shocks that left their thoughts momentarily blank, even forgetting what they should do next.

Ouyang Jin's gaze was fervent, his eyes firmly locked on that petite figure. The shock in his heart was like a raging river, wild and completely unexpected. He had never known that she possessed such cultivation, such a talent for cultivation that was both frightening and shaming. Wasn't she supposed to be an idiot?

If she was an idiot, a good-for-nothing, then where did such a powerful transformation come from?

Ha, an idiot! A good-for-nothing! Perhaps now, in front of her, it was they, the so-called geniuses, who were more deserving of those terms. It wasn't that he felt inferior, but the reality was right before his eyes. From ancient times to the present, from myths to reality, who has ever seen a nine-year-old at the peak of advanced-level Sage? Probably none before and none to come, a unique existence across the entire Mainland.

The crowd was in disarray, watching the girl on the stage with a craze and fervor akin to a volcanic eruption, overwhelming and unstoppable.

"You, it's time to keep your promise," Zhiyan said indifferently, withdrawing her hand as her gaze cut through the crowd and landed on a chubby young boy. She remembered that back in the training hall, he had sworn to beat her to a pulp, and now, she was giving him the opportunity.

"Shua shua shua!" Countless gazes instantly swept in the direction Zhiyan was looking, the crowd moved back, automatically isolating the boy.

The boy was clueless, trembling under everyone's gaze, just an ordinary member among the Ouyang Family's youth. He had never been the center of attention like he was at that moment. Along with the nervousness, a bad feeling welled up in his heart.

"In the training hall, you boldly claimed you would beat me to a pulp; now, I'm right here. What's the matter, got stage fright?" With a light curl of her lips, Zhiyan smiled wickedly, her tone frivolous and thick with mockery.

She wanted to make him taste the humiliation in front of everyone, to let him realize the consequences of his own actions. The boy's face went pale, cold sweat beaded on his forehead, the look he gave Zhiyan was as if he saw a demon. The bone-deep fear like poppies instantly spread throughout his body, his body shaky, his face pale as paper, and eventually, he disgracefully slumped to the ground.

"Tsk, a bully when soft, a coward when hard, useless and timid—the descendants of the Ouyang Family are no more than this," a sneer hovered on the edge of her lips. Zhiyan's gaze was piercing as she ridiculed and looked down without care, standing with detached grace, her delicate features radiating endless allure, her whole body seemingly enveloped in a glow both dazzling and soul-subduing.

Turning her head, Zhiyan gave Ouyang Feng a cold look, smiled faintly, and turned to leave. Her slender figure stood proudly in the bright sunshine, surrounded by an aura of strength. With each step she took, the crowd's hearts tightened a notch, until she disappeared without a trace, and they were finally released from their oppression.

Back in her room, Zhiyan collapsed onto her bed, her body's Yang Energy severely depleted, empty and exhausted. In fact, it wasn't at all like what the crowd had imagined. From beginning to end, it was just a ruse she had staged. If anything, one could only marvel at how useful the Yin Yang Qi was.

Her initial plan was just to participate in the clan meeting and then defeat the boy who had once provoked her. The unexpected antagonism from Ouyang Feng, however, made her desire for revenge grow like wild grass. The moment her hand touched the Crystal Ball, that nearly insane idea suddenly appeared in her mind.