Lin Tian crossed the Grand Assembly Plaza's polished stone. Silence pressed down, thick with hundreds of eyes—awe, fear, and calculation.
He stared ahead at the broad steps where the Sect Master waited. Elder Shen led him, while Xueya and Su Lan anchored his back.
His new Earth Spirit Realm power hummed within, a deep, tectonic river replacing his former stream. It was immense, stable, and exhausted; the strain of the Rift and recent trials ached heavily.
He was ten paces from the steps when the air cracked.
"HALT!"
The voice was a whip of fire and outrage, shredding the respectful quiet. It came from the edge of the plaza, where the Crimson Sun delegation stood clustered like a wound.
Elder Zhu stepped forward, his crimson and gold robes billowing though there was no wind. His face was a mask of controlled fury, but his eyes burned with a grief so profound it had curdled into hate. He pointed a finger, not at the Sect Master, but directly at Lin Tian.
