The onlookers exchanged gnces. What the hell did she just drink?

  Timothy’s frown deepened. The pressure rolling off her was suffocating. She wasn’t just powerful—she was composed. And that composure was more terrifying than any spell.

  He had always been confident against opponents at his level, but against her…

  Last time, he’d comforted himself saying she’d caught him off guard. This time, if he lost again—

  He clenched his teeth, but before he could even think, four fourth-grade Explosive Spirit Talismans were already floating in front of him, humming with spiritual energy.

  Lauren had deliberately avoided using another fifth-grade one. This wasn’t a life-or-death duel; she only meant to humiliate him, not cripple him.

  Winning gracefully was one thing. Destroying the Moonlit Sect’s senior brother in public was another—and she wasn’t stupid.

  Somewhere in the back, Herbert the Immortal Venerable watched in silence, his gaze sharp as a bde. She could feel it.

  Timothy growled, fury fshing across his face. “Why don’t you come at me directly, huh? Let’s see how much spirit energy you’ve got left after throwing that many talismans!”

  Lauren didn’t respond. She only smiled—a small, knowing curve of the lips.

  Her hands moved again. A flick of her right hand summoned an Earth Talisman, her left a Water Prison Talisman.

  Timothy dodged the Earth Talisman easily—but the Water Prison caught him full-on, trapping him in a swirling vortex of water.

  Before he could break free, Lauren snapped her fingers. The water froze solid.

  The Four-Pilr Water Prison turned into a prison of ice.

  Timothy’s face tightened. He hadn’t expected her to be a talisman master—much less one rich enough to throw this many high-grade talismans like candy. And whatever that “flower dew” was that she kept sipping—it replenished her faster than any Soul-Boosting Pill he’d ever seen.

  How the hell was he supposed to win?

  He roared, swinging his Wolf Fang Maces. The ice shattered into a thousand shards—

  —but before he could move, four Gold Silk Talismans streaked toward him.

  Timothy dodged two, but the remaining two wrapped around his arms, binding him tight. His maces cttered to the ground with a dull cng.

  The entire duel had become one-sided. No matter what he did, she was three steps ahead—fast, clean, and mercilessly efficient.

  Lauren casually lifted her little vial again, taking another sip of her “flower dew,” looking as refreshed as ever.

  The audience was seething with envy.

  How rich is she?

  No one in their right mind would use so many fourth-grade talismans for a sparring match.

  At the edge of the crowd, Herbert narrowed his eyes.

  He suddenly remembered the letter from Drake, her master—asking him to help auction off some Blood Qi Pills.

  “Short of spirit stones, are you?” he muttered. “Selling all your pills…”

  Now he understood.

  He hadn’t raised a disciple—he’d raised a money-burning beast.

  “Timothy, you still won’t admit defeat?”

  Lauren’s voice was calm—as she flicked two more Gold Silk Talismans toward him. They snapped around his limbs like glowing chains, pinning him to the center of the stage.

  Timothy’s face was pale, his expression twisted with humiliation.

  He turned toward the crowd. Hundreds of eyes stared back at him—disciples, elders, even a few smug smirks in the mix. The shame hit harder than any wound.

  How could this happen?

  He was the prodigy of the Moonlit Sect, the unrivaled genius of his generation. Losing to her again? Impossible.

  A low growl escaped his throat, building into a roar that shook the air.

  “Raaahhh!”

  It wasn’t human anymore—it was draconic.

  The talisman bindings exploded into shreds of light, and his Wolf Fang Double Mace flew back into his hands.

  Above him, a translucent phantom dragon coiled in the air, its roar echoing his own.

  Someone in the audience gasped. “He’s released the Dragon Soul!”

  The crowd erupted into chatter.

  Lauren felt the shift instantly. Timothy’s aura surged like a storm, his spiritual energy climbing past its limits. In moments, his cultivation—already at the Great Perfection of the Core Formation stage—broke through its barrier.

  Nascent Soul stage.

  The power rolling off him was suffocating.

  Without her Ice Domain, she was a full realm below him. A head-on csh now would be suicide.

  Lauren’s lips curved into a cold smile. “You forced me to do this.”

  With a flick of her wrists, ten fifth-grade Explosive Spirit Talismans appeared between her slender fingers.

  The entire arena went dead silent.

  Timothy froze mid-swing. Even the phantom dragon above him seemed to hesitate, trembling faintly as its master’s aura faltered.

  His eyes went wide. “You—you can detonate ten fifth-grade Explosive Spirit Talismans at once? That’s fucking impossible!”

  Lauren tilted her head slightly. “Then why don’t you find out?”

  The ten talismans shot toward him, spinning in a golden orbit before snapping into formation around his body.

  Her voice was soft—almost pyful.

  “Explode.”

  The world went white.

  A deafening boom tore through the arena as ten fifth-grade talismans detonated simultaneously. The shockwave sent dust, stone, and spiritual energy spiraling skyward.

  Lauren reacted instantly, smming a Vajra Talisman against her chest. A golden barrier fred to life around her just as the bst wave hit.

  When the light finally faded, silence swallowed the arena.

  Everyone stared at the stage, frozen.

  What kind of monster core does she have?

  And then someone whispered, horrified: “Did she… did she just kill Timothy?”

  A moment ter, the defensive barrier surrounding the dueling ptform cracked open.

  Through the drifting dust, they saw Timothy—his skin bckened, robes half-burned, eyes rolled back—lying limp in Herbert’s arms.

  He was still breathing, barely. More out than in.

  Herbert’s face was grim as he pressed a high-grade healing pill between Timothy’s lips, infusing it with his own spiritual power to activate it.

  “Senior Brother!”

  Indiana rushed forward, eyes wide with panic.

  Herbert gred up at Lauren, his expression thunderous. “Lauren, don’t you think you went too far?”

  Lauren had already expected this. She’d sensed Herbert hiding in the crowd long before. If Timothy had actually been in mortal danger, there’s no way his master would’ve stayed idle.

  So she kept her composure, bowing her head slightly. “Herbert, my apologies. I lost my temper.”

  She reached into her sleeve and tossed him a small jade bottle. “A few bottles of healing elixir—my own brew. It should help stabilize him.”

  Herbert stared at the bottle, expression bnk. “…Seriously?”

  Lauren gave a mild smile. “If there’s a next time, I’ll try to keep my cool. I won’t let some cheap provocation get to me again.”

  Herbert’s eyes narrowed. “Oh? So you were provoked, then? Who the hell provoked you?”

  He turned toward the crowd, his gaze sharp enough to cut.

  The disciples instantly went silent.

  Then, as if by instinct, every pair of eyes turned toward Indiana.

  Her heart skipped a beat.

  Oh shit.