Seacrest—Master Lin!
Logan Rowe had always thought of himself as someone who could keep his emotions tightly in check.
Born into the ancient Rowe clan, Logan had always enjoyed smooth sailing. Even when he occasionally met so-called big shots from Beijing or various prodigies, none had ever made him as furious as he was today.
"Seacrest is just some small place. What does a so-called 'Master' from a backwater even matter?"
Logan couldn’t help but growl, clenching his fists and staring at Molly Su. It sounded like he was trying to prove something to her—prove that his Rowe clan background could crush that so-called Master Lin from Seacrest ten times over.
But as soon as he said it, Logan regretted it.
Molly didn’t even bother to respond the way he’d expected. She just kept gazing at the ring, watching the pillar of fire shoot skyward, paying zero attention to him.
The flames soared into the sky.
Inside the blazing red fire...
A hand, glowing like molten lava, clamped down around Master Lin’s throat.
Inside the pillar of fire, wild surges of inner force raged violently, whipping up muffled howling winds.
That frenzied inner force rolled and rampaged through the flames, swirling around Master Lin, trying to push Evan back, trying to break through the fire pillar beside him.
But no matter how wildly the inner force surged, it couldn’t shake the pillar of fire at all.
The searing heat was burning Master Lin’s body alive.
It didn’t take long.
Everyone in the stands heard shrieks like vengeful ghosts.
Sharp and piercing, the screams sent a chill straight to the soul.
That ghostly wail lasted less than ten seconds before vanishing completely, as if it had been snuffed out by the blazing flames.
"What happened in there?"
"No idea."
"With that kind of fire, nobody could possibly survive in there, right?"
The pillar of fire gradually calmed, and not a trace of those terrifying ghostly screams could be heard anymore.
People craned their necks, trying to get a better look at what was happening inside.
The next second...
Two figures slowly appeared within the pillar of fire.
"Wait—is that... people?"
"Holy crap, there really are people in there! Are they actually still alive?"
Seeing this, plenty of people were stunned, their faces full of disbelief, eyes wide as they stared at the figures emerging from the flames.
"Is it really over just like that?"
Leon Lu looked especially shocked. He’d expected the two so-called Master Lin from Seacrest to battle it out for hundreds of rounds inside that fire pillar, but seeing the situation now, it seemed neither of them was having a good time.
"That makes sense, honestly."
Gloria Rong frowned. "Pointing-to-Mystery experts are still just human. Being trapped in that fire for so long, unable to break out with their qi, honestly, it looks pretty grim for them now."
She took a deep breath, feeling something she couldn't quite describe—like that Master Lin from Seacrest who just stepped onto the stage was strangely familiar.
Gloria glanced at her phone. That kid still hadn't texted her back—who knows where he went.
Maybe he just ditched the place?
She guessed, feeling a bit annoyed.
Barry Shen and the other second-gen heirs stared, trembling with fear and excitement, a weird mix of emotions running wild.
"Damn, this is way more intense than any movie."
Barry Shen swallowed hard.
Pointing-to-Mystery Realm—this is insane!
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
Everyone suddenly felt that the pillar of fire, blazing so fiercely in their view, had come to a sudden halt.
Inside the fire pillar, the once-blurry figures became clearer and clearer.
The youth-like figure seemed to merge with the flames, one hand behind his back, the other raised lightly, swinging outward.
Pop!
It sounded as if something had been pierced through.
The whole fire pillar found a point of release. With the youth at its center, wild winds swept up the dancing flames and sent them surging outward.
The heat waves surged out, and those closest to the ring saw layers of fire rushing straight at them.
They screamed in shock. In that instant, the fire seemed to blot out the sky itself.
"Get down!"
Standing up high, Leon Lu's face changed. He shouted, then pushed Gloria Rong's head toward the ground. Nearby, Barry Shen and the others felt their scalps go numb, jumped in fright, and all ducked to the floor.
The fire waves swept over their heads, finally fading gradually into the air.
The seemingly solid flames brought a sense of extreme danger to everyone in the ring, but when the fire hit their faces, the panicked crowd realized they hadn't actually been harmed.
It was just that the temperature was way too high, and that last scene was especially shocking.
Inside the hall, the ceiling lights went out one after another because the wiring had been burned through.
All around the stands, it was pitch black.
Once everyone recovered, they rushed to look at the ring, only to see a youth standing on it, hands clasped behind his back, surrounded by fire.
He looked calm, expressionless, slightly lowering his head. From their vantage point, they could see faint starlight pouring down through the hole in the ceiling.
The pale blue starlight fell onto the ring and onto the youth's shoulders and ears. With his dark clothing and fiery glow, he drew everyone's attention.
In front of him, Master Lin from Seacrest knelt lifelessly, head bowed, his body thin and stripped of all former prestige.
"Is the outcome decided?"
After a long while, someone finally whispered cautiously.
The ring's base had been completely destroyed.
The scorching air and floating dust made it hard for anyone to calm down.
Seeing this, Molly Su smiled, while Logan Rowe forced himself to calm down after his earlier rage.
He wasn't stupid—he knew he could never compete with the Master Lin from Seacrest now standing on the ring.
He even felt a bit lucky—thanks to Molly's presence earlier, he'd only talked big and hadn't gone too far. Otherwise, he'd probably be in trouble now.
Others felt uneasy, their eyes flicking between the standing youth and the kneeling Master Lin.
The moonlight created a hazy effect.
Evan Lin didn't look at the lifeless Master Lin in front of him. Instead, he gazed up at the starry sky above, his brows slightly furrowed.
Just now, inside the fire pillar, Evan had gotten the answers he wanted.
The reason this guy pretended to be Master Lin from Seacrest was to swap identities and dodge a future hunt from the Profound Clarity Sect.
Profound Clarity Sect.
This wasn't the first time Evan had heard that name.
"A cultivation sect on Earth?"
Evan Lin mused, lost in thought.