Just as the holy-grade weapon above was about to descend and pierce Ethan—

He moved.

There was no flashy technique, no divine light, no mysterious incantation.

Only strength.

Pure, tyrannical, unreasoning strength.

Ethan suddenly exerted force through his waist and spine. His arm muscles swelled violently, veins bulging like coiled dragons beneath jade-golden skin.

Uncle Ghost's pupils shrank.

Before he could react, his feet left the ground.

Ethan lifted him—one-handed.

Then, without pause, Ethan twisted his body and swung his arm in a brutal arc, using the motion of a hammer throw.

Whoosh!

Uncle Ghost was hurled directly toward his own falling holy-grade weapon.

The movement was savage, decisive, and utterly unreasonable.

Uncle Ghost's face filled with shock.

He had not expected it.

Not expected Ethan to erupt with such terrifying physical force.

This was not spiritual energy.

Not divine power.

This was pure flesh, refined to an almost inhuman degree—arrogant, violent, and domineering.

In that instant, Uncle Ghost felt as though he had been grappling with a primordial beast.

A ferocious entity born before techniques, before Dao, before cultivation itself.

And yet—

According to Max and Bella, Ethan was only a half-human, half–white fox demon.

The white fox clan was not known for brute strength.

They were agile, elusive, famed for illusion arts and spiritual perception.

But the man before him…

Not only was his speed terrifying.

Not only was his reaction flawless.

His power was monstrous beyond belief.

"Listen."

Uncle Ghost's voice echoed hoarsely in midair.

He silently recited a mantra.

The holy-grade crutch that had been falling instantly halted, trembling in the air. Uncle Ghost stabilized himself, twisted his body, and caught the weapon with practiced ease.

He landed lightly on the ground.

No tremor.

No dust.

His aura withdrew instantly, collapsing inward like a tide retreating from shore.

In the blink of an eye, he once again looked like nothing more than a blind, frail old man leaning on a cane.

But inside—

Uncle Ghost was exhilarated.

He had kicked an iron plate.

And he was glad he had.

This Ethan had not stepped into the Ultimate Supreme realm, yet he had fought him to this extent.

Not only that—during the exchange, Uncle Ghost could clearly feel it.

Ethan had not gone all out.

Not even close.

He was testing.

Measuring.

Probing.

Below the Ultimate Supreme realm, this man was an invincible existence.

The gap between Upper Supreme and Ultimate Supreme was a chasm—one that could not be crossed by talent alone.

Unless…

Unless one possessed artifacts of terrifying rank.

Or...

Unless one was a monster who defied the heavens.

This Ethan had no divine power.

Yet he could resist an Ultimate Supreme head-on.

Uncle Ghost had lived for centuries.

And this was the first time he truly understood the meaning of the phrase—

There are people beyond people. There is heaven beyond heaven.

If Ethan truly went all out, even an Ultimate Supreme might not emerge unscathed.

This cooperation—

Might truly succeed.

Even if they failed to accomplish that grand objective within the Training Trial Secret Realm…

Escorting the younger generation out safely?

Obtaining powerful inheritances and treasures?

That would be trivial.

"My little friend," Uncle Ghost said, his tone suddenly gentle, "you must be Ethan."

He tapped his crutch lightly against the ground.

"Forgive this old man for acting abruptly. The people I cooperated with in the past were… disappointing."

"When Max told me he had found an extraordinary helper, my hands grew itchy."

"So I tested you."

A rare smile appeared on his wrinkled face.

"If I offended you just now, please don't take it to heart."

"Come. Let us talk inside the main hall."

Ethan looked at him calmly.

No anger.

No pride.

Only a faint, indifferent smile.

"Understood."

He replied simply, then followed Uncle Ghost into the Sky family's council hall.

Behind them—

Those who had witnessed the exchange were still frozen in place.

Max, Bella, Damon, Elara, and the gray-robed elder exchanged glances.

Shock.

Astonishment.

Silence.

Uncle Ghost was only slightly weaker than the commander-in-chief of the Heavenly Palace.

He was the Sky family's true trump card.

And yet—

That test had ended in Uncle Ghost's defeat.

"Third Sister…" Damon whispered from behind Elara, his voice trembling with excitement.

"This is insane. Brother Ethan is too strong. Even Uncle Ghost couldn't suppress him."

"Is this really just an Intermediate Demon Lord?"

Elara's eyes were fixed on Ethan's retreating figure.

Her expression was complicated.

"It's terrifying," she replied softly.

"His talent and combat power are the greatest I've ever seen."

"In the Palace of the Four Cycles, there are two peerless geniuses."

"Lunara, the Saintess."

"Ember, daughter of the Golden Phoenix Clan."

"Their strength is nearly invincible among their peers. They're top ten… maybe even top five in the entire Demon Territory."

She paused.

"But after seeing Ethan…"

"They're nothing special."

Damon inhaled sharply.

"Even they wouldn't be his match?"

Elara nodded slowly.

"Our Demon Territory is too small."

"It's only a corner of Oceanreach."

"If I ever get the chance, I want to leave. To see the wider world."

"To take the Sky family to the Verdant Lantern Empire."

"The human territory."

"With our weapon-refining skills, our future there would be far greater than staying here."

Damon's heart pounded.

"With Brother Ethan, maybe our Sky family really has hope."

"But…" he hesitated. "Brother Ethan clearly sees this as a transaction."

Elara's eyes sharpened.

"Leave everything to me."

Her tone was calm, confident, resolute.

"Third Sister?" Damon tilted his head.

"Are you… tempted?"

This was the first time he had ever seen her like this.

Such determination.

Such focus.

If this wasn't interest—

What was?

Elara's face flushed instantly.

Then she composed herself, lifting her chin.

"Stop talking nonsense."

"I'm just thinking about the family."

"As for Ethan—hmph."

"I'm not interested in him!"

Damon smiled knowingly.

"Third Sister," he sent another message, barely holding back laughter, "I've been observing Brother Ethan."

"He seems… a little uninterested."

"What if there's a problem with his orientation?"

"What if he's… different?"

Elara's expression froze.

Her brows knit tightly.

Her heartbeat skipped.

Different…?

Such an outstanding man?

If that were true—

Wouldn't that be… a waste?

"What nonsense are you talking about?" she snapped, instantly straightening her posture.

"That's Ethan's business. It has nothing to do with me."

Damon watched her carefully.

Then burst into a grin.

"Hehe ;-)." Damon covered his mouth and smiled.

A/N:

Extra chapters

100 power stones - 1 Extra chapters

200 power stones - 2 Extra chapters

Massage Chair - 1 Extra chapters

Luxury Car - 2 Extra Chapters

Dragon - 5 Extra Chapters

Magic Castle - 15 Extra Chapters

...

Thanks for the Magic Castle: @Zunsin

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.