The crushing silence hovering over the grand arena finally shattered. It didn’t break with cheers at first, but with the frantic, terrified hyperventilating of tens of thousands of disciples seen something impossible.

"Did his wooden sword just... shatter Senior Brother Argon’s Earth Grade weapon?!"

"He didn’t even use a martial art! It was just a flick of the wrist!"

"Monster... he is an absolute monster!"

Elder Alder stood frozen, his hand still suspended in the air. He had witnessed geniuses rise and fall over two centuries within the Azure Dragon Sect, but this defied all known logic.

The kindly old man swallowed hard, tried to steady his trembling voice.

"Examiner Argon is incapacitated!" Elder Alder’s profound voice rolled across the arena like a towering storm.

"Damon passes! Damon hereby officially promoted to Inner Disciple!"

The arena finally erupted. A deafening cacophony of awe, jealousy, and absolute terror washed over the stadium seats.

Damon stood calmly amidst the uproar, his handsome face betraying nothing but a confident, magnetic smirk. He nonchalantly slid his Heavenly Wooden Sword back into his waist sash.

Ariel immediately rushed to his side. The graceful, dark-blue-haired beauty didn’t care about the thousands of eyes watching them; she pressed her delicate frame against his arm, her vivid blue eyes shining with absolute adoration.

"You were amazing, Damon," she whispered, her voice laced with immense pride.

"I told you I would show them a glimpse of the heavens, Ariel," Damon murmured back, gently wrapping his arm around her slender waist.

Up on the elevated platform, chaos of a different sort was brewing among the sect’s upper echelon.

The other elders murmured frantically to one another, debating if Damon possessed a hidden artifact or an ancient, forbidden technique.

But Selene did not consult the others.

The ice goddess, still standing at the very edge of the platform with her flawless porcelain mask fractured, slowly reigned in her chaotic emotions.

She forced her chest to still. The shattered fragments of ice from her broken seat melted into nothingness beneath her.

Without a word to her peers, Selene stepped off the platform.

She walked down the invisible staircase of the air, descending toward the center of the arena.

The moment her boots touched the white marble floor, the ambient temperature plummeted drastically.

A blizzard swirled around her, coating the arena ground in a thin layer of frost. The raucous cheers of the outer disciples died instantly, replaced by a suffocating dread.

The crowd parted violently, scrambling backward to give the Elder a wide berth.

"The Ice Goddess... she seeks for blood!" a disciple whimpered from the stands.

"Damon killed Young Master Jack! Everyone thought she was letting the deathmatch rules stand, but she’s going to execute him right here and now!"

"Fool! You can’t just slaughter an Elder’s brother and expect to live, no matter how talented you are!"

Damon watched the breathtaking, mature woman approach. Up close, Selene’s beauty was staggering.

The freezing air naturally accentuated the perfect flush of her porcelain skin, while the tight fit of her robes displayed the heavy, voluptuous curve of her breasts and the wide, mature set of her hips.

Yet, despite her lethal aura, Damon felt perfectly at ease. Thanks to his Incubus Celestial Eyes, he knew exactly what was going on behind those cold, dead eyes.

Selene stopped one mater away from Damon. Her Heavenly Spirit Realm aura pressed down on the surrounding air, forcing even Ariel to furrow her delicate brows under the immense weight.

"Damon," Selene spoke. Her voice was cold, melodious, and completely devoid of warmth.

Yet, beneath the freezing exterior, Damon caught the tremor in her tone. It was her Sword Freak trait desperately trying to contain her burning curiosity.

"Elder Selene," Damon replied smoothly, lacking the reverence expected from a junior. He didn’t bow. He simply met her terrifying gaze with a smile.

"The sect may have promoted you to Inner Disciple today, recognizing your so-called talent," Selene continued, her eyes narrowing as she felt a strange, heat radiating from Damon’s body.

"However, the matter of my younger brother, Jack, remains unresolved. You will remain behind for questioning. I have... question regarding the methods you used in the deathmatch."

The crowd gasped. It was exactly as they feared. She was using her authority to interrogate and likely cripple the boy in secret.

Elder Alder suddenly landed between them, his white beard fluttering.

"Elder Selene! The deathmatch was sanctioned by the sect! Damon broke no rules. To interrogate a newly promoted Inner Disciple under the guise of familial vengeance is a breach of—"

"It is perfectly fine, Elder Alder," Damon interrupted, stepping around the protective old man.

Elder Alder blinked, bewildered by the young man’s absolute lack of self-preservation.

Damon’s golden eyes locked onto Selene’s frosty gaze.

Selene’s breath hitched. The frozen dead sea of her heart experienced a violent throb. Her Repressed Desire trait react to warmth radiating from the confident youth before her.

"I am an open book, Elder Selene," Damon said, his voice dripping with smooth charm.

"I would be honored to accompany you to your private peak and answer any... questions you might have about my sword."

Selene’s eyes twitched. The arrogance of the boy was infuriating, yet the profound mystery that he wielded compelled her. She turned away, her long platinum-white hair sweeping through the air.

"Follow me, Do not fall behind."

As Selene took to the sky, soaring toward her secluded icy mountain peak, Damon turned back to Ariel.

"Go back to the villa, Ariel. Tell Mio and Mia I might be a little late tonight," Damon whispered, gently caressing her cheek.

Ariel, fully aware of Damon’s terrifying true strength and even more terrifying appetites, did not show an ounce of worry. She glanced up at the departing figure of the icy elder, then back to her lover’s predatory smirk.

"Do not play too roughly with the Elder, Damon," Ariel giggled softly, pressing a quick kiss to his lips before turning to leave the arena.

Damon chuckled, gathering his Qi to propel himself after the Ice Goddess.

As he follow behind Selene, his golden eyes admired the mesmerizing sway of her voluptuous, mature hips beneath her black and azure-blue robes.

His mind raced with wicked calculations.

’Kai Reventon, you have the audacity to send your lackeys to kill me. You think your family makes you untouchable.’ Damon thought.

’Now, I am going to properly inspect your untouchable fiancé. And while doing so, I will make her into my woman slowly.’