Luna Stormjade crossed her arms, looking at the masked man standing calmly before her. Her pink eyes shimmered faintly, the corners of her lips curling into an elegant, knowing smirk.

"You're very brave to choose me as your opponent."

As soon as her words fell, her eyes glowed again — a soft, mesmerizing pink radiance swirling in their depths. The charm energy stirred like ripples through water, unseen but heavy as silk. With a single thought, she activated her Charming Technique.

The light spread, dazzling and subtle, filling the air around Ethan with invisible threads of bewitching force. Many onlookers shivered unconsciously as the energy brushed past them, captivating yet dangerous.

However, the man before her didn't react.

Though hidden behind the ghostly blue mask, the cold gleam of his dark eyes pierced through the spiraling light, calm and unfazed. His stillness was complete — no tremor, no lapse, no sign of distraction.

"What…" Luna's brows furrowed, a rare flicker of puzzlement flashing across her face.

Her Charming Technique, was a technique at the peak of the Heaven rank, a power feared by many within the city. Even cultivators in the Tribulation Transcendence realm could falter under her gaze.

Yet this man… stood untouched.

"Why isn't he responding?" she murmured under her breath. "Could it be… a spiritual treasure shielding his mind?"

In truth, the Charming Technique was purely an attack on the soul and mind. Unless one possessed a defensive artifact of enormous power or mental energy equal to her own, resistance was nearly impossible.

But the ghost-masked man's presence gave her no clue—his aura was utterly contained, his essence like still water.

"Elder Luna," Ethan said suddenly, his low, altered voice cutting through the silence like cold steel,

"don't waste time with such little tricks. The incense has already begun to burn. If you do not act soon, I'll simply claim the spot myself."

The watching cultivators were startled.

He not only remained unshaken — he dared address Luna Stormjade so casually, even dismissively.

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

"What does he mean by little tricks?"

"I don't know, but he's bold," someone replied in disbelief.

"Wasn't it said that Luna's Charming Technique could make even seasoned elders lose their senses?"

"Who is this Aether?!"

By now, the square was filled with tense whispers.

Not far away, Oswin's steady voice broke the murmur. "Luna's Charming Technique is of Heaven rank. Against cultivators not above her realm, it is nearly irresistible. For this masked man to stand unaffected… his mental energy must be formidable — perhaps equal to hers."

Luke clicked his tongue but gave a dismissive nod. "He could just have a protective artifact. Luck, nothing more."

Oswin did not argue. He folded his arms and continued quietly observing the stage.

Luna's lips curved again, composure returning. "My, little brother, to withstand my Charming Technique... how unexpected. You've piqued my interest."

She laughed softly, her tone both gentle and razor-sharp. "But let's see if you can survive three moves from me."

"Whether it's Charming Technique or other tricks, they are useless against me. Let's fight head-on." Ethan said lightly.

Her smile froze for half a breath before the icy gleam in her eyes reignited. "You've made me angry, little brother. Be careful."

The air trembled.

In an instant, Luna's aura flared. The full might of a peak Tribulation Transcendence cultivator filled the square, pressing down like a mountain of glass. The oppressive force sent nearby challengers stumbling back, their breaths caught in their throats.

Then, just as swiftly, she restrained it.

Her realm had to match the challenger's, after all. Suppressed to the Body Integration realm, her energy condensed into a dense field of shockwaves. The air distorted; waves of pressure rippled outward, stirring Ethan's robes and hair.

A faint shrill hum echoed—then, movement.

The crowd barely saw it. One blink, and Luna was gone, leaving only a pink afterimage streaking toward Ethan like lightning.

"She moved!"

"Too fast—how can anyone face that speed?"

In most eyes, she was invisible, a phantom. But not to Ethan.

To him, her speed was sluggish, caught within the pull of his perception. Every flicker of her movement traced like ink across a still canvas — slow, ordinary, predictable.

Her fist clenched into a claw, spiritual light coalescing. The power behind it could shatter a mountain peak, tearing air into vacuums as it advanced.

Yet Ethan stood unmoving.

To the spectators, it looked like he had frozen — paralyzed, overwhelmed, or perhaps simply resigned.

Whispers broke out again, mingling excitement and doubt.

"What's he doing? Why isn't he dodging?"

"Even a fool wouldn't stand still before that!"

Seraphina's calm eyes narrowed faintly in the crowd. "Luna has closed the distance. Not even a beginner in Tribulation Transcendence could react properly at that range…"

Her voice trailed off. That thought belonged to reason — and yet reason felt oddly fragile when she looked at that man.

Unless he possessed incredible physical strength — the kind born from body cultivation...

But such prodigies were rarer than phoenix feathers.

Sun Moon City had never produced one.

She exhaled slowly. "Impossible."

Then came the sound that shattered that thought.

Whoosh—!

The sound of air breaking was crisp and light.

Gasps surged through the square. Every gaze turned toward the stage, eyes widening.

The moment Luna's claw strike reached Ethan, he shifted. It was minimal — a glide, a sideways step as smooth as wind. He neither blocked nor countered. His movement was effortless, precise, inevitable.

Luna's fingers carved through empty air, missing their mark by a hair's breadth.

For those watching, it seemed as though she had barely touched him, the attack grazing his robes.

The world seemed still for a heartbeat.

The audience blinked, unable to comprehend the reversal.

"This… what happened?"

"Did he just dodge her—?"

Luna froze, her eyes widening slightly.

How long had it been since anyone had evaded her attacks so easily? The fluidity of his motion made it seem almost as though he had anticipated every move.

She glanced down. Her outstretched hand was imprinted in space, spiritual energy buzzing faintly where his face had been a heartbeat ago.

And now—

Her palm hung there, suspended.

Just an inch away from the black mask that covered Ethan's face.

No more, no less—just an inch.

A/N:

Hello guys, Author here, I will be reducing prices for Privilege prices next month, so please do not buy it this month.

Extra chapters

100 power stones - 1 Extra chapters

200 power stones - 2 Extra chapters

Capsule - 1 Extra chapters

Massage Chair - 3 Extra chapters

Luxury Car - 5 Extra Chapters

Magic Castle - 15 Extra Chapters

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