Chapter 17: Show

Enzo was familiar with Bryan Stanley as well.

When he first entered the university, Bryan was already close to graduating.

Back then, they had even spoken during a senior student mentoring session for freshmen.

Among the younger generation in City Z, he had no equal in any aspect, whether it was his cultivation achievements or his background.

People always treated him as if he were the crown prince of a kingdom.

Behind his friendly smile, however, there were plenty of rumors about his ruthlessness.

He was the kind of person who would never let his enemies live comfortably.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am Bryan. First, I would like to thank everyone for attending my aunt’s wedding," he said.

"Hahaha, there’s no need to thank us. We would have come even if we weren’t invited..." one of the officials responded with a laugh, stroking his long beard.

Bryan merely smiled at that.

"Let’s get straight to the point. Since I was asked to demonstrate my strength to entertain everyone, I will do so. I was fortunate enough to reach Level 8 early because I managed to master the First Stage of the Crescent Moon Slash Technique, so I will demonstrate this technique for everyone," he said.

"Ohh, you actually mastered the First Stage." Someone immediately commented.

"This is a Lord-Class Technique. Mastering the Second Stage allows one to become a Giant, while mastering the Third Stage means one can become a Lord of Earth," another person added.

"It won’t be as easy as you imagine," Bryan chuckled.

Then, a silver sword appeared in his hand. It looked light in his grip, yet its very presence caused the air to tremble.

At that moment, light radiated from the floor and ceiling of the hall, enveloping everything inside.

"Everyone, please don’t panic," Bryan said before swinging his sword.

The moment he moved, a crescent moon-shaped shadow appeared behind him, shining so brightly that it overwhelmed all the lights in the hall.

Whoosh!

A crescent-shaped slash of space shot from his sword, instantly expanding until it reached both ends of the hall.

Everyone could feel how dangerous it was.

Fortunately, the hall had special protection.

It had been designed this way from the beginning because whenever powerful people gathered, demonstrating their strength was one of the main attractions. Sometimes, they even fought each other. However, as long as the one taking action wasn’t a Giant, no damage could be caused.

The slash was like a light show. It passed through everything it touched without causing any damage.

Even so, everyone could still feel the pressure it carried.

Quite a few people broke out in cold sweat.

"Hiss..." someone hissed loudly. "That could have cut me in half instantly, and I wouldn’t have had any chance to dodge," he said.

"Terrifying. An attack that’s difficult to evade is exactly what kills enemies most often."

"Hahaha, I don’t think this is anything special. There are still plenty of people stronger than me. I can’t compare myself to the seniors," Bryan laughed, earning another round of applause.

Alexander Stanley smiled in satisfaction.

His mood seemed to have improved.

Strength. That was what mattered.

Compared to Bryan, Enzo was nothing. Just Bryan’s appearance alone was enough to shift everyone’s attention.

Of course, Enzo didn’t care.

However, he saw Bryan walking toward his table.

He had originally wanted to try some of the roasted meat, but he was forced to put the fork he had just picked up back down.

"Muller, we’ve met once before," he said. "I want to congratulate you on becoming my aunt’s husband. Soon, I’ll have to call you uncle."

His words sounded flattering, but Enzo didn’t feel flattered at all. Instead, he felt uncomfortable.

He forced a smile and didn’t rush to speak because he knew Bryan wasn’t finished yet.

"As a congratulatory gift, I’ll give you something."

He took out a purple book bearing a crescent moon emblem.

The moment the book appeared, quite a few people became restless.

"Technique Source of Crescent Moon Slash. I didn’t expect Bryan to have that as well. I thought he only had a copy of the technique," people said, taking deep breaths as they realized how valuable it was.

Techniques couldn’t simply be shared, even if someone possessed one. A technique’s creator was essentially protected by the world to safeguard their technique.

Because of this, it was impossible to share a technique hidden within one’s memories unless the creator personally shared it.

Otherwise, one could only rely on a Technique Source, which was also created by the technique’s creator.

"Muller, this is my gift to you. You can obtain all three stages of the Crescent Moon Slash Technique. Just touch this book and send your Spiritual Energy into it. Once you comprehend even a little of the First Stage, your cultivation will increase quite rapidly because the First Stage of this technique is the foundation for reaching Level 8. You won’t need another technique to reach Levels 4 through 7," Bryan said.

"If I’m not mistaken, this book will reject you if your talent is deemed insufficient. Even if your talent is good enough, while you’re still at Level 1, it would be difficult to gain its recognition unless you’ve reached Level 4 or 5," Isabel commented immediately after Bryan finished speaking.

Enzo, who had initially been wondering about the man’s intentions, gave a bitter smile.

"Lady Martin, that’s true. But considering Muller’s talent, I’m confident he won’t be rejected," Bryan calmly replied.

Isabel merely smiled at that without saying anything else.

She had only spoken to clarify the truth.

The others also realized that Bryan’s intention was to humiliate Enzo.

Failing in front of so many people, even if he didn’t receive any direct ridicule, would still leave a stain on his reputation, and people would have plenty to talk about afterward.

"Muller, do you want to give it a try?" Bryan spoke to Enzo again since Isabel had said nothing more.

His intentions had already been exposed, but he couldn’t stop now.

Everyone was waiting for Enzo’s response.

If he refused, he would appear afraid of failure. To most people, an opportunity was something that had to be tried first without worrying about the consequences.

"Sure, I’ll give it a try..." Enzo didn’t refuse.

He smiled as if he had nothing to worry about, because he truly had nothing to worry about.

One thing other people weren’t used to, but he had already grown accustomed to, was failing in front of an audience.

Bryan was slightly surprised by his response.

He quickly moved forward and placed the book in front of Enzo.

Enzo placed his hand on the book, and a light began to shine as he channeled his Spiritual Energy into it.

The book absorbed his Spiritual Energy, emitting flickering purple light.

The corners of Bryan’s lips curled upward.

"Looks like it didn’t work," Enzo said, realizing it because no information had entered his mind.

"Senior Muller, thank you for giving me the chance to try," he said calmly.