The cliff, nearly eighty feet tall, trembled under the aftermath of the strike.

Cracks spread like spiderwebs across its surface, deep and jagged. A thunderous rumble followed as a massive portion of the rock face gave way, collapsing into heaps of shattered stone and dust.

The air was thick with debris, and the once-solid wall now looked as if a giant had smashed its fist through it.

Bai Xun and Bai Ge were forced to retreat several meters. They couldn't help but watch with wide eyes as the debris fell to the ground.

"He… he actually did it?!" She was stunned.

"Even though it's much easier to do it in training, this is still..." Bai Xun couldn't find the right words to say.

Moreover, this wasn't even Adam's most powerful strike. It was just a simple punch with exceptional mana control that resulted in the phenomenon known as Critical Strike.

If Adam had applied more strength and mana, then what would be the result?

If he had used a technique of the Hand of Doom, what then?

Just thinking about it caused Bai Xun's back to be drenched in a layer of sweat. His lips curled into a grin, and he couldn't help but praise, "In-incredible!"

"…Yes." Bai Ge nodded.

"No, Junior Sister, you don't get it." Bai Xun gulped.

"You don't know how spectacular this is. For a critical strike, mana isn't applied within a second of a physical hit, or within half a second, or even within the smallest fraction of a second. No… it is applied at the same exact time as the physical hit!"

Bai Xun was more talented in the combat arts and was also well-versed in them, so Bai Ge accepted what she said. But she couldn't help but ask, "But why did Brother Ao show it to us? Surely, he isn't showing off… or is he?"

"It's so that we become aware of it," said Bai Xun as he witnessed Adam's silhouette soon become visible after the dust settled.

"If we are aware of this phenomenon and consciously attempt to harness it, then no matter how small, the chances of landing a Critical Strike still increase," he added.

"And the prerequisite for that is… exceptional mana control," Bai Ge continued.

"Heh, no wonder he introduced us to the egg training," said the Sword Dragon, a drop of sweat trickling down the side of his forehead.

In that moment, he understood that Adam's understanding of mana was beyond exceptional.

Critical Strike wasn't something that could be taught. It was something that could only be understood. And Adam had helped the Sword Dragon and the Sword Phoenix understand this phenomenon by directly displaying it to them.

Adam walked up to them, and then… walked past them.

"Brother Ao, where are you going?" Bai Xun was dumbfounded. "Aren't we going to train more?"

Adam waved his hand, telling them to get lost. He was going to going to head to Jingyun City to eat meat and drink some sake. He was tired of eating leaves and vegetables in the sect all the time.

"Wait!" Bai Xun called out to him. "How can you just leave after showing something so spectacular? Show it to me one more time! Just one more time!"

Adam's pace quickened when he noticed Bai Xun follow after him.

Are you crazy? I got lucky the Critical Strike connected in the first place, he thought. Otherwise, I would have embarrassed myself!

Soon, both of them broke into a run.

Bai Ge was momentarily stunned as she witnessed the two. But soon, she couldn't help but smile. She turned around and glanced at the shattered cliff with utmost fascination. Then, she followed after Adam and Bai Xun.

***

The following day, the city of Jingyun was as bustling as ever.

There was, however, a tiny difference compared to the rest of the days. A group of prominent disciples and Elders from the sect had descended from the mountain.

They had gathered by the eastern gates of the city, seemingly awaiting someone's arrival.

Many people within the city couldn't help but wonder who the guests would be. If even the influential disciples and Elders from the Baihua Sect, including the Sword Dragon and Sword Phoenix, were welcoming them, then surely their status would be no less.

Some quickly figured out that the guests must be from the Nine Great Sects and Clans.

And soon, the first guests had arrived.

The delegation from the Tsuitsui Clan arrived in grand fashion. A convoy of elegant carriages rolled steadily down the main avenue. Each bore the clan's banner, white silk adorned with a dark green sigil, fluttering proudly in the wind.

Dozens of Magi from the clan escorted the procession, their formation precise and disciplined. Their armor gleamed under the afternoon sun, and the faint ripple of mana surrounded them like a silent warning.

The crowd parted on both sides of the street, murmuring in awe and curiosity as the Tsuitsui delegation passed.

And soon, their procession came to a halt. From the first carriage stepped a towering hulk of a man, wearing sleeveless robes of the clan colors. The rays of the sun glinted off his sculpted muscles as he emerged, and he flexed them almost instinctively.

When the crowd set their eyes on this man, they erupted in cheers.

"It's the Venom Dragon!"

"The Venom Dragon is here!"

"Venom Dragon of the Tsuitsui Clan!"

As the Venom Dragon heard the crowd chant his name with zeal, he flexed his muscles even harder. He stretched his arms wide, raised his head to the skies, and laughed.

"Jingyun City… Goro Tsuitsui has arrived!!"

The crowd cheered in spectacular frenzy.

"Venom! Venom!"

"Venom! Venom!"

As the crowd chanted Goro's name and he struck one pose after another, a stunning beauty stepped out of the same carriage, drawing every gaze her way.

This was the Princess of the Tsuitsui Clan, said to be the Patriarch's most cherished daughter, Reika Tsuitsui.

Reika's beauty was striking, cool, and refined, with jade eyes and long black hair tied by a green ribbon. She wore elegant robes of white and dark green, trimmed with silver patterns. A jade sash wrapped her waist, and a fan painted with a coiled dragon hung at her side.

The moment Reika made her appearance, the crowd went absolutely wild, stunned by her arresting beauty.

She ignored the crowd's gazes and walked to the group of Magi from the Baihua Sect. She stood before the Sword Dragon and the Sword Phoenix, and said in a tantalizing voice:

"Brothen Xun, Sister Ge, it has been a while."

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