Seeing the three's face, Salas is sure that the time was ripe...
In his initial plan, he planned to give them a sky high impression of him in another month. Demonstrating his prowess to summon wind and rain and give them a deep impression of his strength.
But he didn't expect that the simple question Ma Hongjun asked and the answer he gave to that alone is enough to impress these children.
"It seems that I underestimated their eagerness to become a disciple of a powerful person and get a backer. Such a simple incident is enough to arouse their eagerness to the peak..." Salas silently thought to himself.
As for whether these children believed his words or not? This didn't pose Salas a problem. First, he has a legitimate identity of being Xiao Wu's master, the three—Flender and others—also acknowledged him as a Titled Douluo, and most importantly, he also has an impression of a wise and knowledgeable person beyond measure in the eyes of these children. So when listening to his words, they will only think that Salas is being modest, not exaggerating—they have at least that much level of trust in him.
With an elegant demeanor, Salas stood up from his futon and turned around from them, giving them his back view and looking at the distance.
Just then, coincidentally, a soothing wind also came from who knows where and gently swayed Salas's spotless white robe and his hair. Maybe only the three Limit Douluos in this world could find out where that wind came from...
Under the setting sun's soothing light and calm beautiful sky and green mountain as a background, with his straight posture, Salas looked like a heroic person from a painting.
Everyone looked at him with awe and respect.
"That day, I gave you all about an introduction to spiritual power which is fundamentally different from the soul power, you all must remember it, right?" Salas spoke.
Standing behind him, everyone nodded. Salas gave them a little comprehensive introduction to spiritual power a few days ago, they remembered it clearly—after all, what Salas taught them that day was a completely new concept to them. Until Salas taught them, they were not even aware that to absorb a 10,000+ year black soul ring, spiritual power is very important...
"Then you must also remember what is the peak of spiritual power is..." Just as Salas trailed off, everyone behind echoed like good students: "Formation of Domain."
"Haha, you remembered it correctly... But do you wish to see it?"
----
The moment Salas's words fell, a silence more profound than stillness descended.
And then—he released it. He didn't give them the chance to choose.
For just a fraction of a second, no more than the blink of an eye, his spiritual domain unfolded like a divine veil drawn across the world.
Yet in that instant, time seemed to halt.
Tang San's breathing stopped.
Ma Hongjun forgot what it meant to be alive.
Oscar's knees buckled, and he had to clench his fists until his nails dug into his palms to remain upright.
Even Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong looked lifeless for that fraction of that second. They didn't know why, but their breath caught at the sight of that lone figure standing before them.
The calm evening light, the mountains behind Salas, the wind… all became suspended, as if the world itself had entered a painting. Not a peaceful one—but a solemn, absolute still-frame of mortality.
There was no pressure like that of a soul skill, no blinding light or thunderous boom—yet an indescribable heaviness filled the very space around them, as though reality had deepened. Their spiritual perception, weak and immature compared to the one that had just descended, cried out in instinctive fear, as though the universe had declared them unworthy to even observe the truth before them.
They saw something… they couldn't unsee.
—A solitary back.
Salas's back, standing tall beneath the warm hues of the setting sun. White robes fluttering faintly in the breeze. Upright posture. Composed stillness. His mere presence eclipsed mountains, overshadowed sky, and seemed to carve a path between heaven and earth.
It was as if, in that moment, he stood at the boundary between life and death.
They saw the end of things. Not with their eyes, but with something deeper. Perhaps it was their spirit. Perhaps it was their soul. That moment, however brief, branded itself into the deepest part of their minds—a reverent terror, a sense that they had glimpsed the difference between the mortal and the divine.
And just as suddenly as it came, it was gone.
The domain retracted as effortlessly as it had been released, like a breath exhaled. The wind resumed. A bird chirped in the distance. The faint rustle of trees swayed once more.
But no one spoke.
They couldn't.
Only the soft rustle of their racing heartbeats echoed within each chest, thunderous in contrast to the silence around.
Tang San was the first to move—just a faint shiver down his spine.
He was smart, smarter than the rest. And he realized instantly: this was a gulf. A chasm between them and that man. A line that no step forward could ever cross, not by courage, nor by will. Only time and the refinement of their very existence might make them eligible to glimpse the edge of that power again.
And yet—Salas had done it with a smile.
With elegance.
With grace.
To him, such vast spiritual might was not a power to overwhelm, but a message. A reminder of what lies beyond.
Still turned away, Salas's voice floated back to them like a soft breeze:
"That… was only a glimpse of the Spirit Domain—one ten-thousandth of its fullness. If I had released it with intent…"
He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't need to.
And none of them dared ask.
The image of that straight back, calm and steady beneath the golden horizon, had already etched itself into their memory, to remain long after battles were fought and victories won.
In that moment, Salas was no longer just Xiao Wu's master.
He was the mountain they would climb toward.
The storm they would fear.
The figure they would follow—if only to see that view again.
....
"Hehe, the sky-high impression I wanted to give them has succeeded. Probably, even if they become gods in the future, they will never forget this moment... After all, there is no one except me who could give them this kind of memory when they were younger—one that made them feel like ants."
Turning around and seeing them standing frozen, Salas shook his head with a sigh—but inwardly, he was smiling.
He just wanted to plant a memory so deep that even if they were to reincarnate or be reborn, they would still remember him. To make them feel fear from their heart and act obediently toward him.
And for that, he had to choose a situation where the Shrek Seven Devils believed Salas was merely teaching them—nothing offensive. Otherwise... they would feel rebellious because of the overwhelming impression and wouldn't feel subdued. After all, that is human nature... Any memory made by a villain is seen as an offense, not as awe.
Today, they were the ones who created this opportunity by asking questions. Salas merely adjusted the situation slightly, showed off his power, and achieved all his goals—simple as that.
But to think that even after such a long while, they were still standing there like statues... Salas even began to wonder if they had turned stupid.
Yet, considering he didn't attack their minds directly using spiritual power and had only used one ten-thousandth of his domain's power—just enough to create a time-freezing sensation—he let it pass.
Snap!
With a snap of his fingers, everyone returned to their senses. But the difference now was that each of them was looking at Salas dreamily. Even Xiao Wu, his own disciple, was no different. Only Tang San seemed to have nearly sobered up.
"That... is my spiritual domain," Salas repeated softly, not sure if they had even heard his earlier dramatic finishing line. "Only three other people besides me possess it in this world. And even then, I am the only one to reach that realm without cultivating to level 99."
He had returned to his kind, amiable self. A soft smile adorned his handsome face as he gently said,
"Go back and rest... You probably won't be able to cultivate today, even if you wanted to."
And with that, Salas vanished—his figure disappearing into thin air. Those who wished to become his disciples would likely come to him on their own within a day… No need for his presence here anymore.