"Wha—?!"
Robin whipped his head around frantically, eyes wide, heart pounding. The old man was gone—completely, utterly gone. It wasn't just disappearance… It was as if reality itself had swallowed him, as if the very earth had opened a silent mouth and consumed him whole without leaving a trace.
Frrrwooooom!
In a blink, Robin unleashed his vast soul sense like a tidal wave, letting it surge outward to sweep the entire market square.
"Grragh!!"
But only a moment later, he gasped in pain and pulled it back violently, grabbing both elbows as a sharp, burning sensation flooded his arms and shoulders.
His soul sense—one he had refined to a near-perfect level over countless hours of cultivation and battle—had been attacked, assaulted by unseen forces before it could even cover a few meters!
He turned again, scanning the bustling merchant sector, but this time with suspicion and disbelief. The shops… those dozens of colorful, exotic stalls… they weren't as simple as they appeared.
