Chapter 603: Deterrence
PENG.
The moment the sound echoed, Tyran’s pupils constricted.
It wasn’t because of the power, but instead how controlled it was. It almost sounded as though Theron had hit a hollow metal tub, but that pillar was formed entirely of Mana Wood. How could it make that sound?
The only explanation was that Theron had somehow controlled his strength to peel around the outside of the Mana Wood entirely.
This was completely antithetical to how cultivators learned to punch in the first place. You were supposed to go throughyour opponent. And those with the highest level of control were able to do more damage internally to an enemy than externally. Those were the truly fearsome masters.
But Theron had done the exact opposite, focusing all of his damage externally.
At first, Tyran’s reaction was to sneer. How could anyone be so incompetent? But then his heart began shaking. When he looked over to his two disciple brothers, he realized that their expressions had likewise become no less serious.
Just because it was the more foolish way to do things in battle didn’t mean it didn’t need just as much control—if not even more—than usual.
If it was really about a lack of control, Theron’s power would spread all over, spreading out over the surface of the pillar and inside of it. But instead, it was entirely concentrated on the outside, which was why such a sound had resonated.
But the implication of this was even more shocking.
It meant that Theron had noticed that the power detection of the pillar was on the outside. There were no detection formations inside the Mana Wood itself. Instead, the formations were picking up on the vibrations on the outside to decide how much power had been used.
Because of that, Theron only had to use a small fraction of the strength anyone else would have to—all because he grasped what others hadn’t.
Even the three Fire Mancers hadn’t noticed this until Theron did it.
The spectators didn’t catch such nuance, though. When Theron struck, they had been expecting something more resonant after all the other experts they had watched. But Theron was so... lackluster. It didn’t even look like he had tried. Until...
DENG. DENG. DENG.
The mark shot up, fusing with the red mark in a match of holy perfection. A pillar of light shot up the Mana Wood and peeled across the skies.
Theron pulled back his fist and walked over to the attendant with a smile. The man had no choice but to hand Theron the Ageless Rose with a dazed look on his face.
By the time anyone reacted, Theron had already walked back to Lyra, handing her the pink rose sparkling with colors and hovering in a crystal encasement.
Lyra, too, was in a daze as she took it. Only when she met Theron’s eyes did she remember to blush.
"Thank you..." she said softly.
Theron only laughed in response before he looked over toward Tyran.
"I appreciate the vote of confidence, senior. Today was really eye-opening. Hope to see you again."
With that, Theron took Lyra’s hand and left the arena. He had no intention of fighting here. His goal was something else entirely.
As expected, they didn’t come after him. It seemed that he was right about the undercurrents of Elder Lyrah’s schemes.
...
"That wasn’t normal," one of Tyran’s disciple brothers, Rauther, spoke.
"Maybe he just has great control. The strength he used just now was only at the level of a Bronze Mancer, if that. A particularly strong mortal could have done it."
"Sure, but no mortal has enough control over their body to execute it like that," Tyran cut his second disciple brother, Ophan, off. "It’s all too peculiar. First the Nightingale Sect’s Grand Elder breaks through after being stuck at a bottleneck for three decades, and now this...? Just the fact they brought a Silver Mancer on this expedition in the first place is its own red flag.
"It’s just as Master was saying. The Nightingale Sect has secrets."
The three of them were all equally intelligent. There were only some small gaps in their strength, mostly decided by age. Rauther and Ophan might have been the biggest, but Tyran was no doubt the strongest of the three.
He had taken the lead this time, and the results had given them more information as well.
"Master did say to pay special attention to someone around the early stages of Gold Mancy. Maybe this is him."
The three of them fell into silence, looking toward where Theron had left.
**
The following day went by swiftly, and the ships at the Connect Planet all took off at the same time. Since they were all here, there was no reason for them not to do things in this way.
If they presented a united front, there would be less of a chance for them to get bullied by other powers. In fact, that might have been part of the reason the Resonate Eye and Bronzed Earth Sects hadn’t done anything when the Mercenaries tried to push the Nightingale Sect out. They couldn’t afford such a chink in their armor.
Many said there was nothing more important in the cultivation world than strength, and that much was true... but only to a point. Face and deterrence were just as important. No matter how strong you were, if you were targeted enough times, a scheme might finally take your life. But if no one dared to scheme against you, that was the ideal outcome.
Deterrence was the reason everyone in the cultivation world was so obsessed with face. The more face you had... the less likely you would face danger.
Unfortunately, the Nightingale Sect was now a chink in their armor too powerful for them to unceremoniously dismiss. They could only hope that they could fly under the radar when the time came.
And it was just like this, under the veil of worry, that the planet of Ice and Heart appeared before them...
A gorgeous marble in the starry skies, covered in layers of icy blue and silver fogs.
Around it, a ring of churning iced oceans hovered as though its own personal asteroid belt.