Cao Jin was greatly surprised. He had not detected this mysterious figure at all before his sudden appearance. For a moment, his heart went cold.
"Who are you?"
The cloaked figure said lightly, "Don't ask who I am. Take three of my strikes. If you can withstand them, I'll let you go. If you can't, I won't make things difficult for you—just don't let me see you in the Myriad Phenomena Region again."
These words were delivered with a calm ease, as if everything were simply the natural order of things. In this cloaked figure's eyes, Cao Jin was nothing more than a clay doll, utterly without threat.
The mysterious cloaked figure's sudden appearance introduced yet another twist to the situation.
What had been an extremely unfavorable situation for Dan Qian Palace had suddenly taken a dramatic turn.
It seemed... this mysterious cloaked figure was on Dan Qian Palace's side?
Cao Jin's blue brows raised slightly as he stared at the black-cloaked figure. The arrogance in his eyes had been thoroughly suppressed, as if he were trying to pierce through the black cloak to see exactly who was hiding within.
But no matter how Cao Jin probed, his spiritual sense sank like a stone into the ocean. The black cloak seemed to possess powerful restrictive forces that could shut out all attempts at detection.
And the mysterious cloaked figure appeared to pay no attention to his probing at all, simply hovering in the air with an air of effortless calm. Inside and outside the cloak, all that could be seen was a pair of eyes as deep as an endless starry sky.
With this, the atmosphere at the scene became somewhat eerie.
Earlier, Cao Jin had been supremely arrogant—blasting away two of Dan Qian Palace's great elder powerhouses in succession, then establishing a three-move agreement with Palace Master Dan Chi.
Palace Master Dan Chi had barely managed to block his first strike with all his strength.
Who would have thought that an unexpected twist would suddenly arise—a mysterious cloaked figure appearing from nowhere. And now the tables had turned, with this cloaked figure demanding the blue-browed youth take three of his strikes!
For a moment, everyone at Dan Qian Palace was struggling to process what was happening. Including Palace Master Dan Chi, all were intensely curious about this mysterious cloaked figure who had suddenly appeared.
This mysterious cloaked figure was not only mysterious but had also identified Cao Jin's origins with a single remark.
This left everyone at the scene utterly stunned. When Dan Qian Palace had heard that a top genius from the Nine Sun Heavenly Sect was coming to cause trouble, they had naturally treated it as a grave threat.
Cao Jin was even more shocked. Since arriving here, he had never once revealed his origins.
That the other party could identify his background with a single remark—such discernment made Cao Jin almost suspect that he had no secrets whatsoever in the other's eyes.
Even someone as supremely confident as Cao Jin could not help feeling a twinge of unease at this moment.
He had thought of himself as plenty mysterious in the eyes of the Dan Qian Palace people. But this cloaked figure before him was far more mysterious still.
Three strikes—should he accept?
Even someone as resolute as Cao Jin could not help but hesitate.
The other party had appeared so suddenly, with virtually no warning. Moreover, the other party had completely ignored his spiritual sense probing. All these signs indicated that the other party's strength was no less than his own—if not greater.
Furthermore, when the other party had appeared, a single sentence had pierced through his defenses and penetrated straight into his spiritual sense. This made Cao Jin all the more hesitant.
The other party actually possessed a divine ability capable of directly attacking spiritual consciousness!
As one of the Ten Great True Inheritors of the Nine Sun Heavenly Sect, if he truly could not withstand even three of the other's strikes, it would be an utter humiliation. If word ever got out, Cao Jin's reputation would be finished.
For a moment, Cao Jin was torn between alarm and uncertainty.
After a long deliberation, Cao Jin decided it was best not to act without certainty.
Dan Qian Palace—he could return anytime. Better to deal with this mysterious cloaked figure first.
With that thought, Cao Jin laughed aloud. "You're not from Dan Qian Palace, are you? This is a private grudge between me and Dan Qian Palace. No matter who you are, interfering like this hardly seems appropriate."
The cloaked figure smiled faintly. "You'll need to survive three of my strikes before you earn the right to ask questions."
These were the very words Cao Jin had spoken to Palace Master Dan Chi earlier. Now, this mysterious cloaked figure was returning them word for word.
This was incredibly satisfying for everyone at Dan Qian Palace, from top to bottom. Palace Master Dan Chi, in particular, felt a warm current surge through his heart. Though he still did not know this mysterious person's background, he could now basically confirm that the figure bore great goodwill toward Dan Qian Palace.
The elders behind him all turned questioning looks toward Dan Chi. Clearly, they were all curious about this mysterious cloaked figure's identity.
Dan Chi smiled faintly but said nothing.
He obviously did not know the mysterious person's background either. But as the master of the palace, maintaining an air of mystery and keeping his subordinates guessing was simply part of the art of leadership.
Especially hearing the cloaked figure's words—clearly spoken to deliberately vent anger on Dan Qian Palace's behalf—this made Dan Chi even more certain that the cloaked figure bore no ill will toward his palace.
Cao Jin, however, was furious. This was practically instant karma, arriving with blinding speed.
Earlier, he had put on that act with Dan Chi specifically to crush Dan Qian Palace's morale and strip them of their dignity.
Now, those same words were being thrown back at him verbatim, and Cao Jin felt worse than if he had swallowed filth.
The anger in his heart was building, hot blood surging through his brain. He nearly accepted the three-move challenge on the spot.
However, Cao Jin was ultimately a man of deep composure. He smiled faintly, affecting a casual air. "Since you insist on playing the hero, I'll let it go this time. We'll meet again."
Cao Jin was indeed a man who knew when to pick a fight and when to walk away. Seeing that things were not going his way, he decided it was best to leave first.
He had already made up his mind—once the cloaked figure left, he would simply come back.
After all, with Dan Qian Palace's level of strength, Cao Jin could come and go as he pleased, handling them however he saw fit.