Despite having seen a glimmer of John's freakish combat prowess during their trip to the Honorable Alliance, Hareu and the other Heavenly Lightning Sect disciples were still stunned into silence. The same was true for the rest of the crowd, as they did the best to process what they had just witnessed.
The cultivation world was always changing, but it had several rules and assumptions that were set in stone, and were never broken. One of these rules was jumping realms.
Jumping realms, while not impossible, was quite a rare accomplishment. It was something reserved for only the most talented of geniuses, and being able to jump a single realm was something that would spread a cultivators name far and wide. Jumping two realms was even more rare, and in the annals of history, there were only a few cases of such a thing ever occurring.
There was a myth about a singular person accomplishing three minor realm increases in combat prowess, and that tale was about the Jade Dragon Emperor, the strongest cultivator to ever exist in the world. The youth before them had seemingly accomplished the same feat as the Jade Dragon Emperor, shocking everyone present.
He had jumped a major realm, and his Late Meridian Forging cultivation against Early Heavenly Tribulation cultivators was more akin to three minor realms, as a major realm increase was equivalent to two minor realm increases in power.
Many of the youths present had their thoughts drift towards the talent testing steps, and the recent scores that shocked the world. The word 'Asura' entered their minds as they considered the possibility, but after some careful deliberation, they erased the thought from their minds.
While John was incredibly strong, nothing from him felt like it came from an Asura. The word 'Asura' had a very brutal, sinister, and evil meaning across the Divine Martial Continent, something they did not associate with the youth before them.
Ignoring the collective stares at him, John's gaze shifted over to Alderen, who still sat in the middle of the arena on the central pedestal. Alderen's gaze had been calm and collected throughout his entire time dominating the arena, but currently a heavy gaze stared back at John.
"You're quite strong," Aldren spoke up for the first time, his voice drifting over the arena. "In fact, you're so strong as to make me think that your lightning cage was because of some sort of lightning artifact."
John's gaze remained calm as he stared silently at Alderen. Alderen took John's silence as silent confirmation, and a small smirk appeared on his face as he slowly stood up.
"I would imagine my guess to be correct. Afterall, if what you just displayed was your true combat talent, you would stand amongst the greatest geniuses of all time," Alderen continued. HIs words seemed to echo like a bell in the minds of the other youths, while their eyes all lit up in realization.
"So that's what it was!" one of the youths in the stands exclaimed.
"It all makes sense now. There's no way someone could have that level of strength. He was using an incredibly powerful artifact all along and was passing it off as his own strength," another chimed up loudly.
"Shameless, absolutely shameless," another youth yelled out.
Quickly, a cacophony of yells and accusations boomed across the arena, as the stunned crowd hurled insults against John. Using artifacts was not against the rules in the cultivation world, as anything that gave an advantage should be utilized. However, passing it off as your own strength was seen as shameless.
Normally, the crowd would consider both sides more carefully, but after what they just witnessed, none of them wanted to believe John's strength was real. They took the first opportunity given to convince themselves that his strength was a falsity.
"Is that true?" Harue asked Iris, who was visibly becoming angry at the crowd hurling insults at John.
"Of course it's not true," Iris replied with a cold tone, before she suddenly stood up from her seat.
"You morons are so pathetic," Iris yelled loudly over the other voices, silencing them immediately.
"What did you say?" a nearby youth asked, his cold gaze staring back at Iris. He had long brown hair which was tied in a singular ponytail behind his head, and a relatively attractive face. He stood a head taller than Iris, and carried a curved sword on the side of his waist. He wore regal robes with ornate designs, indicating that he came from a relatively wealthy power.
"You heard what I said," Iris replied back without any fear. "You lot of idiots simply cannot accept the fact that John's strength is real, so you stick to the first bullshit claim you hear against him. Truly like a bunch of flies clinging to shit."
"You dare speak to us that way?" the youth replied angrily as his aura began to climb powerfully. He had a cultivation at the Middle Heaven Tribulation Realm, and outside the arena, his cultivation was not suppressed.
His aura washed over Iris with the intent of forcing her to the ground. Hareu and the other Heavenly Lightning Sect disciples quickly stood up as they moved to defend Iris. Despite only being the Early Heaven Tribulation Realm, they would not stand idly as a fellow disciple was bullied.
However, before they could react, a voice from inside the arena boomed out, silencing the other voices.
"If you lay a hand on Iris, I'll make sure that hand is removed from your arm," John's cold voice sounded out.
The youth looked over towards John, his gaze defiant and haughty.
"Haha, why would I listen to the likes of you. We all know your strength is now fake. Besides, outside of the arena my cultivation is not suppressed. Your artifact may be able to beat Early Heaven Tribulation cultivators who have their cultivations suppressed, but outside of the arena you are nothing," the youth replied haughtily. "I'll make sure you learn your place when you leave that arena. But in the meantime, I think I'll play around with your girl for a moment."
The youths' aura climbed once again, pressing Iris to the ground without a hope to resist.
"Piss off," Hareu and the others exclaimed as their own auras flared out against the youths, but their struggle was a losing one as their cultivations were lower than the youth before them.
John's eyes narrowed and face turned cold as he watched Iris be forced to the ground. While she may be strong, that was due to her speed and eye talents. However, against an overwhelming force like a powerful aura, those talents were useless. Only an equally powerful aura would be able to resist against it.
John's gaze shifted back to Alderen, who stared at him with a smug expression.
"Wait here for me. I'll be back for the next round, at which point I'll make you regret the words you have just said," John said coldly to Alderen. He ignored him before he heard any response, and locked onto the youth in the stands.
The youth stood directly before Iris, his smug face staring down at her on the ground below him.
"Not so smug now, are you?" the youth replied with arrogance. "First I'll make you pay for those words you just said, and then I'll do the same for your lover once he leaves the are-"
Boom!
A hand suddenly clasped onto the youth's face, so fast as to catch him off guard. Before he could even react, the youth felt his body be forcefully dragged up and over the coliseum. He suddenly felt himself being launched towards the earth below, the force of his momentum too great to stop in time.
Boom!
The youth slammed into the desert sand just outside the town, causing a massive plume of sand and dust to appear. The massive explosion attracted the attention of all those in the town, while those within the coliseum streamed out of it to get a glimpse at the events to come.
The plume of sand and dust quickly faded, revealing the youth standing within a massive crater in the desert sand. His gaze shifted upwards as he felt a chilling gaze fall on his skin. Above him hovered John, whose cold gaze was as if he were staring at a dead man.
"I suppose I'll use you as an example for others. My friends are off limits, and you'll be learning the price that comes with touching them quite soon."
