Rina Evergreen Essence worked pretty well in these kinds of situations. The disciples from the Glazed Lake were successful immobilized without getting injured.
Every time Seth saw those skills, he realized how useful they were in a combat where you didn't want to kill a person and couldn't use the overwhelming difference of power between him and the target to pressure him down.
On those kinds of targets, the energy suppression wouldn't work as intended, only letting a physical suppression as an available option. That's why her skills were so good.
The attack power of those blades of grass paled in comparison with what an Orb of Darkness was capable of, but Rina was able to easily resolve the situation, easily stranding those disciples inside her cocoon of grass blades.
Seth approached Meihui and let her carry her daughter for some time, before going forward to talk with the disciples of the Glazed Lake. As he approached, those disciples started to get pale, thinking they would end up in the worst way possible.
But Seth didn't want to increase the fear they were feeling, so he approached slowly while apologizing in a mild voice.
"I'm sorry ladies, we don't mean any harm or to do anything to scare you, but you forced us to at least do this, since you were the ones that attacked first." After that Seth suddenly looked towards the crystalline lake behind them and started to think some things.
"I was wondering... Where are you actually bringing us to go? All I see here is this huge and beautiful lake. If I didn't have my share of unusual things already, I would certainly believe this place had nothing to do with your sect. Now tell me... How do I enter the Glazed Lake? I'm certain that there is a way to go there from here, right?"
Rina made sure to release the bindings around their mouths, letting those girls speak freely.
Even though they were feeling fear, after hearing the people before them wanted to find the Glazed Lake, they felt a sudden spike on their courage.
"You can dream on finding where it is! We will never tell you!"
"Yeah! We won't tell you a single thing."
"Soon you're going to regret doing this with us."
The girls didn't relent. There was a certain faithful light in their eyes, showing Seth, they would never tell him that information.
Seth realized that the Glazed Lake meant a lot for them, it was their home and where their closest friends lived too.
Since Seth didn't want to harm them, he would not invade their minds to extract that information, so he was racking his brains out, trying to think how he would make them spit it out. He didn't understand why it was being so difficult to find a famous place like the Glazed Lake Sect.
But suddenly, he felt the ground shaking. Those tremors traveled through the ground, making the water inside the crystalline lake, ripple.
Everyone looked at the direction of the lake, seeing a multitude of ripples happening consecutively, signaling something inside of it was changing. It continued for many seconds, until that phenomenon abruptly came to a halt. The lake acquired a peace it didn't have before. The surface of the entire lake had changed, reflecting a totally different scenery on the other side.
Everyone could see the other side, as if the water was a mirror that reflected the image from the other dimension. Everyone from Seth's group got amazed. Mostly because it was not only a mystical phenomenon, but something really beautiful of seeing.
Suddenly, a woman emerged from the surface of the water, until her whole body left it, standing straight right in the middle of the lake. She stood on top of the water as if she was standing on solid ground.
After a few seconds, she started to move forward. She walked a step at a time, going towards the commotion that was happening on the shore. There was a water elemental energy surrounding her, making the entire lake serve her commands.
Seth suddenly assumed the leadership, stepping forward. He was able to feel her Mana Control late-stage cultivation, so he had to do it. He didn't want anyone he brought here getting injured because of misunderstanding.
That woman had already used her energy scan on them, noticing Rina was a Mana Perception middle-stage cultivator, even though she seemed to be younger that almost everyone standing at the shore. Actually, Rina was eighteen. She had the same age as Seth, but Seth was almost turning nineteen already.
Impressively, the woman felt that her Mana wasn't able to penetrate the hood of that cape that young person was wearing. It could only mean she was wearing a super rare treasure and that she had an important background.
As for the rest, the woman didn't even consider them as a threat. Her Mana wasn't able to identify Seth's strength, since he was stronger than her. She realized he was a very young practitioner, and no one would ever think he was already a Mana Control peak-stage cultivator, much less think he had the ability to battle a Profound Mana late-stage cultivator, like how he battled with Third Shadow.
As she walked, the water under her feet lightly rippled, showing that despite her walking there, it was still water.
Instead of dealing with Rina first, she looked directly at Seth and said: "I don't know who you are, but we are not receiving guests, much less a male guest. Men are not permitted here and you shall pay for hurting our disciples and desecrating our rules."
She made a sweep motion with her right arm and the water in front of her obeyed her wishes. A huge wave stood tall from the depths of the lake, moving towards Seth's direction and trying to drown him for committing those grave mistakes.
Water was often considered a supportive element, but it could create very fierce attacks when used correctly. It must be remembered, that the Glazed Lake was a Higher Ground, and the female disciples studying there, were able to train on techniques left behind by an ancient goddess, just like the other Higher Grounds.
The towering water wave approached Seth, but he didn't do anything. He was unperturbed by that amount of power, differently from the people that came with him. The women from his group were feeling suppressed, even though that mysterious woman didn't even try to suppress them.
Chun Meihui was seeing something like this for the first time, so she already considered that woman as a goddess. In her eyes, Seth was in deep trouble, since she didn't know what he was capable of. Actually, even if he had told her he was super strong, she would not believe his words.
Rina was relatively alright. Even though she didn't know Seth's real strength, she knew he was strong. But the real motive she felt at peace, was because she trusted her man the most. He and her mother were her safe heaven, where she deposited all her faith and trust.
Impressively though, Jiang Yi was feeling a bit restless, something she should not be feeling. Her motives for that were uncertain.
As that huge water wave was about to crash on him, it suddenly exploded upwards, turning into millions of droplets that fell like a rain, joining the lake water once again.
What made it explode was not that woman's merciful judgement, but Seth's Mana. He destroyed her skill as if he was just ripping a piece of paper apart.
The woman abruptly stopped, shocked by what just happened. But when she looked at the man who had done it, she realized he was not standing there anymore. His body had vanished and she didn't even feel when was the time that he used an escaping skill.
The woman felt her sixth instinct telling her to dodge something, even though there seemed to be nothing that could harm her. However, she chose to believe her senses, rapidly sinking down on the water and completely vanishing.
Less than a second later, right at the place she was previously standing, a huge explosion threw the water upwards, creating a huge rain that reached even the shore, where Rina and the others were.
The explosion that woman had created, was not even ten percent as strong as this one. If she hadn't vanished, she would be in grave danger.
"How convenient." Seth appeared, realizing the woman used the water surface to move to another dimension.
Her body started to emerge at a farther place, but her expression was totally different now.
"Who are you really?"
'Now she wants to talk, huh?' Seth looked at her with an amused expression.
"Why don't you introduce yourself first?" Seth said while crossing his arms.
"..."
The silence went on for some more seconds, until she decided to talk.
"I am Hua Qing, the Fourth Palace Master of the Glazed Lake Sect. Please identify yourself now, Senior."
Boom!
Seth felt his world turning upside down.
She just called him a Senior! Even though he was at least hundred years younger than her.
"My name is Seth and I am not your Senior!"
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