"Wh-What? He defeated Gu Yunli with a single palm strike?" Everyone froze in shock. They had seen clearly that Gao Han's palm had carried no aura of inner energy whatsoever.
Gu Yunli refused to believe that a True Essence cultivator like himself had been defeated by a mere palm strike. "Impossible! You must have taken some kind of pill that boosts your strength in an instant! There's no other way you could have beaten me!"
The others seemed to be reminded of this possibility and nodded in sudden understanding, shooting contemptuous glances at Gao Han.
Gao Han smiled bitterly. If he unleashed his full power, would they accuse him of taking life-consuming forbidden pills?
On the Tianwu Continent, such pills existed in abundance, though few would take them willingly. Overuse damaged one's cultivation foundation, sometimes trapping a warrior at their current level for life.
Pills that sapped one's lifespan were classified as forbidden, banned by every kingdom and faction. They acted like a deadly narcotic, doubling one's combat power but ensuring death once the effects wore off.
Even so, demonic cultivators still delighted in refining such instant-strength elixirs, and many warriors would buy them to save their own lives. What did it matter if they never advanced again? It was better than dying.
"Gao Han! By what right do you call yourself a disciple of the Misty Sect?"
"Get out of here at once!"
"No! Cast out his cultivation! A vile wretch like him will terrorize the jianghu if merely expelled!"
"Just kill him and be done with it!"
"Wait, he broke into the sect just now. He must have defected to the demonic cults beyond the Spirit Kingdom! He deserves to be ground to ash!"
Their insults grew fouler and more vicious by the second, and Gao Han's expression darkened further, his gaze turning icy.
"If that is how you feel, then do not blame me for being ruthless. You all…"
Gao Han raised his palm and swung it toward them. Wispy frost emanated from his hand, condensing into a giant phantom palm that hurtled toward the group.
"True essence taking physical form? Third Layer of True Essence!"
All color drained from their faces. They stared at Gao Han in terror, too stunned to even dodge.
The palm strike landed first on the gate guard who had raised the alarm. The guard tried to flee, but his body was frozen stiff by the frost and would not move.
Boom!
A gaping hole appeared in the guard's chest, and he collapsed backward, dead.
In his final moments, all he felt was regret—regret for provoking such a terrifying foe, for his reckless words. But it was far too late for remorse.
Incoherent gasps choked the air. The onlookers were too stunned to speak, their throats clogged with terror. They stared at Gao Han, terrified they would be the next to die.
Third Layer True Essence was far beyond their ability to oppose. It was the cultivation level of high-ranking inner-sect disciples.
Gao Han took three steps forward, then suddenly stopped. He lifted his head and stared upward.
Through the crowd, his gaze locked onto a familiar figure—an elegant young man in white robes, much like his own, with a sword strapped to his back.
"Zheng Yunfeng!" Gao Han uttered the name through gritted teeth. This was the man he had sworn to kill within the Misty Sect, the one who had humiliated him relentlessly when his cultivation was weak.
The incident had become a demon in his heart. Unless he killed Zheng Yunfeng, his future path would be limited. Slaying him would clear the way to greatness.
Zheng Yunfeng's face was equally dark. He had expected Gao Han to reach the True Essence realm at best after six months. He had never imagined that Gao Han would soar to the astonishing Third Layer of True Essence.
This boy must die! Zheng Yunfeng resolved. If Zheng Yunfeng was a demon in Gao Han's heart, then Gao Han was no less a bane to Zheng Yunfeng.
For half a year, he had dreamed of Gao Han's face night after night, tormented by the memory of his words.
Gao Han was like an ant crawling endlessly across his chest, driving him to distraction.
With his talent, he should have broken through to the Third Layer of True Essence just two months after Gao Han left, then competed in the Spirit Kingdom's tournament and made a name for himself.
But every time he thought of Gao Han, his mental state shattered. It had taken him five full months to barely reach the Third Layer of True Essence.
He had stepped out that day to clear his mind, only to witness the chaos at the mountain gate—and see that Gao Han had already reached the Third Layer of True Essence.
His resolve to kill Gao Han solidified. His eyes narrowed, and murderous intent flickered in his gaze like faint red light.
Gao Han stared back with equally lethal intent. Frigid aura swirled around him, and his gaze turned almost tangible as it bore into Zheng Yunfeng.
"Gao Han? What is going on here?" A voice called from the distance. Gao Han turned to see who had spoken.
A group was approaching the mountain gate, and Gao Han recognized every one of them.
"Elder Li, Senior Brother Nian! What took you so long?" Gao Han greeted them warmly.
It was Li Changtian and the others who had attended the Spirit Kingdom tournament. He had not expected them to arrive a month late.
Nian Hua smiled gently. "Elder Li ran into your uncle, Gao Jianshang, on the way. He was overjoyed to hear your news and invited Elder Li to the Gao estate for a gathering. We all wanted to see where you grew up, so we went along willingly."
"Eh? Your cultivation?" Li Changtian was the first to notice Gao Han's current realm, then nodded in understanding.
"You couldn't wait, could you? You took the pills so soon. How do you feel?" Kang Le punched Gao Han lightly on the shoulder, laughing.
Gao Han smiled faintly. "Exquisite."
The others watched in disbelief as Gao Han bantered casually with Nian Hua and the rest. They could barely breathe.
Nian Hua was no ordinary figure. His Crocodile Tooth Sword had shattered countless disciples' weapons, placing him high among the true disciples. Moreover, as a true disciple of the Misty Peak, he was practically part of the sect master's direct lineage.
"Elder Li, you must judge this fairly!" Gu Yunli suddenly knelt before Li Changtian, tears streaming down his face. "Gao Han came to the mountain gate, assaulted the gate guards, and even killed one of them!"
Li Changtian's expression turned solemn. Though Gao Han's current strength meant killing a handyman disciple would normally go unpunished, doing so in full public view complicated matters.
He turned to Gao Han with a stern look. "Gao Han, he…" Then he glanced at the guard's corpse. "What is your account of this?"
Gao Han explained everything that had happened. Nian Hua flew into a rage at once. "You dare treat the champion of the Grand Tournament this way? You're all courting death! His death was well-deserved! A man who brought glory to our sect is no traitor!"
"Yes! You all deserve to die as well!" Kang Le fumed. He had heard of Gao Han's adventures at the Gao estate and admired him immensely.
In the end, the incident had to be dropped.
"Elder, this matter is not yet settled," Gao Han said, his gaze never leaving Zheng Yunfeng even as Li Changtian handled the situation. "Do you remember the death duel between Zheng Yunfeng and me that we swore half a year ago?"
"What? You have a grudge with Zheng Yunfeng too?" Nian Hua stared in shock. "Junior Brother Gao, let this go. He is no match for you!"
"Exactly, Senior Brother Gao, let your graciousness overlook his petty wrongs," Kang Le urged.
Zheng Yunfeng's face flushed crimson at the words. He could not bear being spoken of as so thoroughly inferior.
His reputation as a genius was well-known. To lose such a talent would be a grave loss for the sect.
Li Changtian also looked at Gao Han hopefully, wishing he would retract his oath.
Gao Han glanced at Li Changtian indifferently and said calmly, "I will strike at him with one sword. If he survives that single strike, I will spare his life."