Chapter 96: Caught In a Forbidden Technique

Chapter 96: Chapter 96: Caught In a Forbidden Technique

The sudden attack left the spectators stunned. Only moments earlier, Jonathan had appeared to be on the verge of defeat.

Now, he had unleashed a devastating technique capable of turning the entire battle around.

In the martial world, strength alone did not always determine the winner.

Hidden techniques and unexpected abilities could allow a weaker cultivator to overcome a stronger opponent.

And judging by the power of the flames, Jonathan might have been hiding precisely such an advantage.

Samuel Bush, who had been watching the match with a relaxed expression, suddenly sat upright. His eyes widened as he recognized the technique.

"That can’t be," he breathed, staring at the blazing arena, his expression turning grave. "Isn’t that the Hellfire Sea? The secret technique that can only be comprehended once a Celestial Core has reached its second stage of growth?"

Samuel Bush’s suspicion was correct.

Jonathan Sinclair had indeed unleashed a secret technique unlocked by the second stage of his Celestial Core’s awakening.

A Celestial Core developed through nine distinct stages.

The first stage enhanced its owner’s physical constitution, strengthening the body and improving its overall capabilities.

Beginning with the second stage, however, each advancement unlocked a unique secret technique, granting the bearer abilities that ordinary cultivators could hardly hope to replicate.

The Hellfire Sea was one such technique.

By channeling the power of his Celestial Core, its user could release a torrent of scorching flames from his mouth, engulfing everything in front of him.

Against an opponent unprepared for such an attack, the sudden burst of heat could cause devastating injuries before they had a chance to react.

Jonathan had only obtained the Celestial Core recently, yet he had already reached its second stage of development.

That progress was not entirely due to his own talent.

Not long ago, Collins Lindsay had given him a fully matured Azure Tree Fruit.

The rare treasure was exceptionally beneficial to the growth of a Celestial Core, accelerating its development far beyond what ordinary cultivation resources could achieve.

The irony was that Mira’s parents had risked their lives to obtain that very treasure.

Their sacrifice had ultimately helped the person who benefited from Mira’s suffering grow stronger.

Collins had not given Jonathan the fruit out of generosity, either.

He had invested in the young man for a specific purpose: to ensure that Mira would be dealt with during the Barley Cup. And now, his plan was unfolding.

The Hellfire Sea was only the opening move.

Jonathan had no intention of relying on the flames alone to defeat Mira.

As he maintained the attack, a sinister smile appeared on his face.

Sorry, Cousin. It’s your bad luck that you are part of the Sinclair family.

In his mind, the outcome was already decided. Once the flames had weakened Mira enough, he would use the special item concealed in his spatial ring to bring her under control.

His fingers tightened around a palm sized, dark red jade talisman. He was waiting for the perfect moment to use it.

Then something happened that he had not anticipated.

The scorching air began to cool. At first, the change was so subtle that Jonathan barely noticed it.

But within moments, the temperature around him plunged sharply.

The oppressive heat that had filled the arena vanished, replaced by a chilling cold that seemed to seep into his bones.

Before he could understand what was happening, frost spread through the raging inferno. Crystals of ice formed across the flames, coating the surging fire until the entire attack became a frozen spectacle.

Jonathan’s eyes widened.

"What is this?!" he gasped.

He tried to move, but the cold was already invading his body.

His limbs grew stiff, and his blood seemed to slow beneath his skin. It felt as though an invisible force was freezing him from the inside out.

Panic finally overwhelmed him. He instinctively tried to put the jade talisman away, but it was too late.

The cold engulfed him completely. In the next instant, Jonathan stood motionless inside a thick shell of ice, transformed into a human shaped statue.

Across from him, Mira remained unharmed.

For several seconds, the entire arena fell silent. Then the spectators erupted.

"Good heavens! That cold is terrifying!" one guest exclaimed.

"Is this the real power of the Frost Phoenix Bloodline?" another asked.

"She froze the flames themselves! What kind of control is that?"

"So this is what Mira is capable of now? No wonder she’s considered the strongest contender for the championship!"

The frozen inferno glittered beneath the morning sunlight.

Ice crystals covered the flames, creating a bizarre and beautiful scene that seemed almost impossible to reconcile with the violent attack that had preceded it.

But the spectators were not merely amazed by the spectacle. They were also worried about Jonathan.

"Is he dead?" someone asked.

"Who cares? He unleashed a killing technique against his own cousin!" another snapped.

"I heard that the Celestial Core he possesses originally belonged to Mira," a third said.

"If that’s true, then he’s already benefited from taking something that wasn’t his. And now he’s trying to kill her with it?"

"Wait. If he dies, could the Celestial Core be removed and given to someone else?"

The questions spread through the crowd, but before anyone could reach a conclusion, the referee rushed into action.

He moved swiftly toward the frozen combatants, ready to assess their condition and prevent the situation from deteriorating further.

Fortunately, Jonathan had not died.

He had, however, suffered severe injuries from the overwhelming cold. The referee intervened before those injuries could become fatal, bringing the dangerous exchange to an end.

The revelation sent another wave of discussion through the academy grounds.

The three other arenas had been active moments earlier, with young cultivators battling fiercely for their places in the competition.

Yet the spectacle in Mira’s arena had proved so overwhelming that many competitors had stopped fighting without even realizing it.

Compared with the clash between Mira and Jonathan, the exchanges between ordinary Body Tempering and Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators seemed almost childish.

Even experienced instructors who had reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm, as well as those who had only recently entered the Spirit Platform Realm, watched the frozen flames in disbelief.

Mira had demonstrated a level of power that far exceeded what they had expected from someone her age.

* * *

In the viewing stands, Samuel and the other distinguished guests finally relaxed once they confirmed that Mira was safe.

"Thank goodness she managed to develop her Frost Phoenix Bloodline," one of them remarked.

"Otherwise, that attack could have put her in serious danger."

Samuel nodded, his expression still troubled.

"We underestimated Jonathan," he said.

"I never expected him to have already advanced his Celestial Core to the second stage." His expression hardened as he recalled the inferno.

"But the competition rules are clear. Techniques capable of killing an opponent are prohibited. What he did is against the rule."

A nearby guest scoffed.

"Like father, like son," he said. "Adrian Sinclair has always been a schemer, and it seems his son has inherited the same habits."

Several people exchanged knowing looks. Then one of them turned toward the head of Stormvale Martial Academy.

"Principal, since Jonathan is one of your students, you’d better pay attention to his conduct," he said.

"Strength is important, but a cultivator without integrity is a danger to everyone around him."

The academy’s principal could only respond with an uncomfortable nod.

"You’re right," he said. "I’ll make sure this matter is addressed."

Another guest shook his head.

"If Mira hadn’t possessed such a powerful physique, the outcome could have been disastrous," he said.

"An ordinary Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator might not have survived that attack."

There was a reason the Barley Cup prohibited lethal techniques.

Although the competition was intended to determine the strongest young cultivators in the region, it was not supposed to become a battlefield where participants fought to the death.

The organizers wanted to identify promising talents, not watch them destroy one another.

Allowing a competitor to unleash a technique like the Hellfire Sea without restraint would undermine the entire purpose of the event.

And Mira’s safety was particularly important. She was an exceptionally gifted young cultivator with a bright future ahead of her.

Her continued growth could benefit not only Arcadia Academy but the entire martial world of Valemont.

None of the influential figures present wanted to see such a talent destroyed before she had the chance to reach her full potential.

Even Collins Lindsay did not want Mira dead.

Although he had arranged for Jonathan to target her, his objective had never been to kill her.

He wanted her weakened and under his control, not reduced to a corpse.

Watching Mira emerge unscathed while Jonathan lay seriously injured, Collins felt a surge of frustration.

Useless fool.

He had supplied Jonathan with valuable resources and expected him to carry out a relatively straightforward task.

Yet the younger man had failed to defeat Mira and had nearly ruined everything in front of hundreds of witnesses.

Collins’s expression darkened. The situation had developed in a direction he had not wanted.

But while Collins seethed inwardly, Xavier’s mood was becoming increasingly dangerous.