Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

Elena's eyes flickered slightly.

She didn't know why Xilun suddenly brought up the Sea Demon Temple.

Xilun did go to the Sea Demon Temple for assessment, but was rejected by them because he was a mixed-blood cultivator.

If this matter is exposed, it will become a laughing stock.

However, Xilun's face remained completely expressionless.

He looked at the old man and said coldly, "I wouldn't even want someone like you as my grandson."

The old man's smile suddenly froze.

"court death."

He took a step forward, his killing intent exploding completely.

The rain was shaken away by the force, and it seemed as if a turbid sea tide rose around the old man.

He stared at Xilun and said coldly, "The Sea Demon Temple mainly cultivates the two methods of thunder and fire, especially its direct disciples, whose strength can be imbued with the true meaning of thunder and fire."

"Your body is filled with a chilling, deathly aura; what connection do you have whatsoever with the Sea Demon Temple?"

Xilun did not answer.

He simply opened his palms calmly.

Palms facing upwards.

A tiny sliver of lightning danced briefly in the rain.

At first, it was only the size of a pinhead.

Then, as if awakened by some will deep within the storm, the spark of lightning slowly traveled along the lines of his palm.

A bluish-white arc of electricity coiled between his knuckles, emitting a subtle yet clear crackling sound.

Raindrops fell onto the palm of the hand, and before they even touched the skin, they were evaporated into a very thin white mist by the lightning.

Elena's pupils contracted slightly.

She had witnessed Xilun's talent for lightning spirit and had also seen him use lightning energy to stimulate his qi and blood in the martial arts arena.

But at that time, the lightning was merely an auxiliary force hidden within the fist's power.

Such a powerful force at this moment!

The old man's sinister smile froze.

The short, stocky man's laughter stopped abruptly.

The slender-faced woman stopped playing with the short musket.

Only the sound of rain remained in the dense forest.

Xilun stood amidst corpses and mud, his face pale, blood still dripping from the corner of his mouth, yet a flickering bolt of lightning clung to his palm.

He looked at the old man, his voice still calm.

"And now?"

The old man stared blankly at the flash of lightning.

The sound of rain fell in the dense forest, pattering against the branches and leaves, and the muddy ground was stained dark with the blood of the corpses.

But at that moment, all sounds seemed to be suppressed by that point of bluish-white lightning.

Xilun held thunder in his palm.

The lightning wasn't thick or overwhelming; it was just a thin arc of electricity that traveled along his knuckles, occasionally exploding into a faint white light.

But that's precisely why it's so chilling.

Ordinary sleight of hand are most vulnerable to being washed away by rain and also most vulnerable to close scrutiny.

But when the lightning struck the rain, the raindrops evaporated into a light mist before they even reached the ground. Though the thunder's power was weak, it was real.

The old man's throat moved slightly.

The anger in his eyes hadn't disappeared, but a hint of surprise and uncertainty had crept in.

"Are you trying to trick me?" the old man sneered, but his laughter was no longer as steady as before.

"It's just a spark of lightning. Who knows where you learned some unorthodox techniques to condense energy into something tangible but insubstantial, yet you dare to use it to scare people?"

He spoke forcefully, but his feet didn't move forward.

The short, stocky man and the thin-faced woman exchanged a glance, their expressions becoming subtle.

The Sea Demon Temple has too great a reputation in the Chaotic Sea.

That's no ordinary force.

In the Prisoner Star Islands, the Holy Light Monastery emphasizes rules, the Silver Shell Council emphasizes interests, and the Blue Sail Merchant Alliance emphasizes trade, but the Sea Demon Temple is different.

That group was small in number, but acted extremely domineeringly.

In particular, the direct disciples of the Holy Temple are almost all selected from a young age and nurtured little by little using the bloodline of sea beasts, the power of thunder and fire, and the secret techniques of tides.

Each one is treated like a treasure and is not easily sent out. If they really die outside, one of the ten temple masters will always step forward.

Even though the Blue Ocean pirates were infamous, they weren't madmen who would willingly provoke the Sea Demon Temple.

The old man stared at the lightning in Xilun's palm, weighing the situation in his mind.

Holy Light Monastery is not known for its thunder magic.

The Sea Demon Temple is famous for its thunder and fire.

The boy in front of me was clearly wearing the outer robe of the Disciplinary Academy, and his aura was cold and deathly. He didn't look like a disciple of the Holy Temple at all, but the lightning was real.

Xilun offered no explanation.

He simply clenched his fingers, letting the lightning extinguish in his palm, his expression indifferent to the point of being apathetic.

This tranquility, however, felt like a thorn, piercing the old man's heart.

The old man probed, "If you are truly a disciple of the Sea Demon Temple, why don't you reveal your identity? Why aren't you wearing the temple's robes? Why don't you have a token? If you had revealed the temple's name earlier, wouldn't you have avoided all this trouble?"

Xilun raised his eyes.

Rainwater streamed down his pale cheeks, diluting the trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, but not completely washing it away.

He took a step forward.

It's just one step.

The two third-tier pirates beside the old man tensed up at the same time.

Xilun coldly retorted, "As a disciple of the Holy Temple, do I need to rely on the robes and tokens given to me by the Holy Temple to survive when I go out for training?"

The old man's expression changed.

Xilun's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a coldness and hardness that had been suppressed for a long time.

"Does leaving the temple mean I can't stand on my own two feet? Does not wearing my identity on my sleeve mean I'm not myself?"

These words were spoken with confidence and even carried a hint of the pride and arrogance that only a young genius would possess.

Elena stood behind him, her heart skipping a beat.

If she hadn't known that Xilun had indeed been refused entry by the Sea Demon Temple, she would almost have believed it too.

This guy is too calm when he lies.

No, he didn't even seem to be lying.

He spoke as if he were telling a lie and presenting it as a real experience, without even a lapse in his breathing.

The old man remained silent for a long time.

His gaze swept back and forth across Xilun's face, robes, and palms. The lingering doubt in his heart had not completely disappeared, but he could no longer kill as readily as before.

The short, stocky man said in a low voice, "Elder, the young master's grudge..."

"Shut up."

The old man coldly interrupted.

He knew, of course, that the young master was dead.

The innocent prince's younger brother died here. If the murderer is not brought back, he will also have difficulty explaining himself.

But if the person in front of him is indeed a disciple of the Sea Demon Temple, then things will not be as simple as revenge.

The Sea Demon Temple is not the Holy Light Monastery.

Killing the disciples of the Holy Light Monastery might allow him to escape and hide as a pirate, at most being wanted for a while.

If they kill the disciples of the Sea Demon Temple, especially those direct descendants who are already at the third rank in their twenties, those temple masters would really dare to lead their men to the Blue Ocean Pirate Headquarters to challenge them.

The old man looked at Xilun and suddenly asked, "If that's the case, why are you telling us all this?"

Xilun remained silent.

The old man narrowed his eyes: "Didn't you just say that disciples of the Holy Temple don't need to rely on their status to establish themselves? Now you're bringing up the Sea Demon Holy Temple to intimidate us, isn't that a contradiction?"

As he finished speaking, his eyes sharpened again.

This was precisely his biggest doubt.

If Xilun truly had the confidence, why didn't he reveal his identity from the beginning?

If Siren disdains relying on status, why is he saying it now?

Elena gripped her twin swords tightly, her heart beating slightly faster.

Xilun, however, seemed to have anticipated this statement.

He said calmly, "I'm telling you all this simply to inform you of my identity and background."

The old man was taken aback.

Xilun raised his golden spear, the tip of which drooped, and rainwater flowed down the shaft in a line.

"Now, as a disciple of the Sea Demon Temple, I accept your challenge."

He paused, his voice steady and clear.

"My name is Xilun, and I am twenty-one years old."

Twenty-one years old.

Third-order extraordinary.

The old man's heart swayed slightly once more.

The Chaotic Sea is not without geniuses.

A 21-year-old at the third rank is a rare sight, no matter where you look.

If one is still a rogue cultivator, it is even more impossible.

Even within the inner courtyard of the Holy Light Monastery, only a very few geniuses nurtured by abundant resources can reach the third tier at this age.

The Sea Demon Temple happens to have this ability.

Selected from childhood, tempered with secret techniques, tempered with the bloodline of sea beasts, honed with the power of thunder and fire, and personally cared for by high-level experts, it is not an exaggeration for direct disciples raised in this way to reach the third level at the age of twenty-one.

The old man's face grew increasingly grim.

He suddenly found himself in a difficult situation.

If they just retreat like this, the young master's death will be impossible to explain.

But if we really kill this person, the consequences might be even more troublesome than the death of the young master.

He stared at Xilun and said in a deep voice, "Even if you really are a disciple of the Sea Demon Temple, the Blue Ocean Pirates are not necessarily afraid of you."

Even so, there was a very slight tremor in his voice.

Xilun heard it.

Elena heard it too.

The old man himself, of course, heard it too.

His face darkened further, and he suddenly raised his hand, pointing to the third-rank servant on his left.

"You, go."

It was a gaunt middle-aged man, holding a serrated dagger in his hand, with sunken eyes and a strong smell of blood on his body.

He had originally thought the old man would take action himself, but he was surprised to be called out by name, and his face immediately froze.

The old man said coldly, "Let's test his lightning."

The gaunt man cursed inwardly, but dared not disobey.

He looked at Xilun and saw that the other party simply raised his spear casually, his eyes indifferent, and didn't even glance at him. A surge of anger rose in his heart.

Even if you are truly a disciple of the Sea Demon Temple, you cannot look down on me like this!

The gaunt man let out a low growl, his feet slamming into the muddy water, and he leaped out like a vicious fish out of the water.

The serrated dagger slashed upwards, its blade carrying a foul stench, and sliced ​​straight at Xilun's wrist.

He knew very well that his mission was not to kill, but to test.

Once the true Thunder Magic of Xilun is forced out, the old man will be able to determine whether it is real or fake.

Xilun watched the figure rushing towards him, his eyes remaining unmoved.

But his body was not at peace.

The old wound is still burning.

The black smoke lingered in the flesh and blood, like tiny thorns, pulling at the lungs with every breath.

Having just taken a blow from the old man, the foundation that had just been repaired cracked in several places.

He doesn't have much power at his disposal right now.

If the fight gets dragged into a protracted battle, defeat is inevitable.

Therefore, only one shot is allowed.

One shot decides life or death.

Xilun's fingers slowly tightened around the gun barrel.

In an instant, Lund's image flashed into his mind.

In the training ground of the old fight club, the instructor held a wooden gun and corrected his shoulders, elbows, waist, and hips again and again.

"The gun isn't thrust out with the hand."

"It's the ground beneath your feet, the strength in your waist, your very breath, and your very life."

"Sirlen, if one day you only have one gun left, then don't even think about using fancy tricks."

"Put everything in."

"Make it invincible."

The sound of rain suddenly faded away.

All that remained in Xilun's sight was a single line.

The emaciated man's blade, throat, sternum, heart—all his vulnerabilities were exposed in that instant.

He lightly touched the ground with his foot.

The mud and water exploded.

The golden spear swept out, but it was no ordinary sweep.

The gun barrel drew a heavy golden line through the rain, like a red star falling in the night.

Red Star Spear!

boom!

It was as if the air had been forcibly pierced through.

Before the anger on the gaunt man's face could turn into fear, the serrated dagger shattered with a crack.

The next moment, the golden spear slammed into his chest with unstoppable force.

The sound of bones cracking was as dense as a string of dry firewood exploding.

The emaciated man was sent flying backward, his chest caved in, and a cloud of blood exploded from his back as he slammed hard into a tree trunk.

The tree trunk shook violently.

He slipped into the muddy water, twitched twice, and then fell silent.

One shot!

Those who are of the third rank extraordinary shall die.

The dense forest fell into a deathly silence.

The old man's pupils suddenly contracted.

The short, stocky man's fierce expression froze, and the thin-faced woman subconsciously took a half step back, her fingers gripping the gun turning white.

Elena was also stunned.

She knew Siren was strong and his marksmanship was terrifying, but this shot still exceeded her expectations.

That's not just third-tier strength.

It's a skill forged through bloodshed, a terrifying explosion that unleashes all the strength, will, and experience of the body in a single instant.

Xilun stood in the rain, gun in hand.

His face remained pale, but his breathing was frighteningly steady.

As if killing a third-rank servant were as easy as casually waving away the weeds blocking the way.

A chill finally ran through the old man's heart.

He suddenly realized that if Xilun was indeed a member of the Temple's inner circle hiding his identity, then the reason he wore the robes of the Holy Light Monastery might not be because he was impersonating someone, but because he was deliberately avoiding revealing his identity.

Are you here to train in the Dark Abyss Forest?

To carry out a mission from the Temple in secret?

Using the identity of the Holy Light Monastery to conceal their whereabouts?

Once these thoughts arise, they can no longer be suppressed.

The old man's gaze toward Xilun changed.

The death of the young master is certainly troublesome, but if this continues, perhaps more than one young master will die.

He clenched his teeth and suddenly hissed, "Go!"

The short, stocky man was stunned: "Elder?"

"I said let's go!"

Without further hesitation, the old man turned and left.

Women with slimmer faces immediately followed suit.

The short, stocky man glanced at the emaciated man's corpse, then at Xilun, but ultimately dared not say anything more. He hoisted the mangled body of the young master in blue and quickly disappeared into the rain.

They retreated extremely quickly.

It was as if the person standing behind him was not a seriously injured young man, but a thunderous mountain that could erupt at any moment.

Xilun stood there, watching them leave.

Only after the group's presence completely disappeared into the depths of the dense forest did the calm on his face gradually crack.

Elena hurried forward, her eyes still filled with shock.

"You're so amazing?"

Xilun's lips moved slightly.

The next moment, his knees buckled and he fell forward.

Elena's expression changed, and she quickly reached out to catch him.

Xilun collapsed into her arms, his chest heaving violently, a metallic taste rising in his throat, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

The blood fell onto Elena's sleeve, its color a dark, almost black.

"Silon!"

Elena held onto his shoulder, her heart sinking.

Xilun's fingers gripped her arm tightly, his voice so low it was almost drowned out by the rain.

"Run!"

Elena immediately understood.

That shot just now wasn't an easy kill for him.

Instead, it was a desperate, all-or-nothing gamble.

Xilun's vision blurred.