Chapter 2019
“It’s impossible.”
After some thought, Cid concluded that this couldn’t have anything to do with Ethan.
How could such a young man have the power to transform Lacey so dramatically within such a short period of time?
“This must be one of the sect leader’s tricks.”
He looked up and glanced at Liam. Liam looked as composed as Ethan, as if he had known the outcome of the fight before it had even started.
He must be right.
“Humph. What a pity. Third Miss won’t have the chance to pass the test this time too.”
Cid glanced at the three disciples that he had picked out and felt better.
There was no way he could have known that Liam’s composure was merely superficial. The shock that he was experiencing was likely greater than anyone else’s in the crowd.
This was incredible.
How did Lacey manage to do it?
Had the brief training and the training techniques that Ethan designed for her helped that much?
This was unbelievable.
The ordinary person might not understand what that signified but Liam wasn’t one of them. The instinct that she had displayed was far more powerful than your typical routine moves or techniques.
He glanced at Ethan furtively. He could hardly believe how incredible the visitor who had come from beyond the mountain was.
This was far beyond what he could imagine.
He must be the one.
The crowd was silent for a full ten seconds.
“Lacey has won!” Helis finally declared.
His cheeks were flushed and his ears were warm. If he were not the referee, he would have burst out into laughter.
Lacey had been simply amazing.
He had been the first person who had seen Ethan’s training equipment and he had not thought much of them. In fact, he had thought that they resembled toys meant for children. He would never have imagined that they could produce such an incredible result.
A sudden thought struck him. Perhaps they could get every disciple in the Clearheart Sect to train with that equipment.
The entire sect’s battle prowess would improve dramatically.
This wasn’t the time to consider such matters though. Helis’ announcement yanked everyone out of their stunned stupor.
“Third Miss won?”
“She was incredible! Her reflexes are out of this world. I can’t believe that Senior Reuben lost.”
“That’s simply amazing. Third Miss is simply amazing!”
Criticisms always came hand in hand with praises. Lacey didn’t pay much heed.
She remained silent as she walked out of the arena and headed back to where Ethan was.
The tea was still steaming hot.
She reached out for the teacup but Ethan smiled and said, “It’s still too hot. Wait a little longer.”
Lacey nodded and didn’t say anything. Instead, she sat down quietly and watched as the steam rising from the teacup gradually dissipated. Then, she reached out again, picked her teacup up and drank her tea.
The crowd around her gaped at her. They were rendered speechless.
She had won the match before her tea had cooled.
This was really insane.
Their eyes finally turned towards Ethan, the man who had been seated there all along and whom they had not noticed all this while.
Who was he?
Third Miss seemed to listen to everything that he said. Why?
A series of questions popped up in their heads. Everyone started exchanging looks with one another but no one knew the answers.
They began to make wild guesses as they stared at Ethan.
Ethan became the center of everyone’s attention suddenly but he didn’t seem to be bothered by any of it. He paid no attention to the eyes on him and remained composed as he sipped his tea.
“Who is he?”
“Exactly. Who is this guy? He seems powerful.”
“I can’t believe that Third Miss listens to his every word. That’s mind blowing!”
“Is he a Portico disciple? I’ve never seen him around.”
A few Portico disciples standing in the distance appeared equally surprised.
Ethan lifted his head amidst the crowd’s fixed stares. His eyes swept across the crowd calmly, a fleeting glance that passed everyone’s faces without pausing.
The mild look in his eyes seemed more like he couldn’t be bothered at all.
It appeared that no one deserved more than a fleeting glance from Ethan.
“You have to keep on winning,” said Ethan. “Keep on winning. That’s the only way to shut them up and make sure that they’ll never doubt your abilities.”