Chapter 032
Chapter 32: Breaking the City
“Alright, you can leave now.” Wang Jie waved his hand dismissively.
Insect Ruo Ruo let out a breath of relief, her face flushed with anger. She turned to leave but paused, glancing back over her shoulder. “Vicious man, what’s your name?”
“Wang Jie.”
“Wang Jie, huh? Fine, I’ll remember you. Hmph, just wait and see.” With those words, she left.
Once Insect Ruo Ruo had gone, Wang Jie began packing the cataclysm materials scattered on the ground.
Wen Zhao spoke up, “That lass just told me something, and I think it’s important for you to know.”
Without looking up, Wang Jie continued gathering materials. “What is it?”
“She encountered someone on her way here. Someone… incredibly strong. Terrifyingly strong.”
“They’re probably all at the eight-seal level,” Wang Jie said casually.
Wen Zhao, however, looked in the direction Insect Ruo Ruo had left, a nervous expression on his face. “This person… with just a glance, they made the entire insect tide bow down.”
Wang Jie paused, raising his head to look at Wen Zhao.
Their gazes locked, and Wen Zhao confirmed, “Just a look, and Insect Ruo Ruo was too scared to move.”
Wang Jie’s expression shifted, his eyes darkening.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t effortlessly dispatched a centipede with a flick of his finger, but this was something entirely different. One gaze, one simple gaze, that could make the entire insect tide cower, was leagues beyond anything he had faced before. The difference was incomparable.
It was hard to imagine who could wield such power at the eight-seal level, especially without relying on any special bloodline abilities.
“Is someone like that even possible?”
“Before, I didn’t think so. Not even the fourth batch of ten-seal trial takers could have been this overpowered. But now… it’s real,” Wen Zhao said, his tone grave.
Wang Jie raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure she’s not lying?”
Wen Zhao shook his head. “That lass doesn’t lie. She didn’t deceive me.”
Wang Jie’s mood darkened further. This was trouble. The fact that such a person existed among the first two batches of trial takers was a real headache.
After finishing with the cataclysm materials, they began making their way to Upper Capital City Base.
It was time to return and rest.
…
Elsewhere, far to the north of Golden Hill Base in Hua Xia, in a dark and dilapidated villa, a man gazed longingly at the sunlight through the window.
Behind him, piles of cataclysm materials were scattered about.
Once, these materials had been something he deeply craved. But now, they only filled him with disgust.
A trial taker entered, kicking a pile of materials aside. “Hurry up, the breakthrough should be close.”
The man lowered his head, his voice heavy. “After the breakthrough, will you really let me go?”
“Of course, you’re a hero. Not only will we let you go, but we’ll also free you from being a battle slave. If you’re lucky, you might even become a trial taker in the next round,” the trial taker said with a smile.
The man forced a bitter smile. Such promises were only for children. But he had no choice.
He silently picked up the cataclysm materials and began absorbing the imprint power.
It was true. He was just one step away from his breakthrough.
As the imprint power from the materials flowed into him, a mark appeared near his right shoulder. It was the ninth seal.
He had broken through.
He was the first Blue Star cultivator to reach nine seals.
“He’s done it! He’s broken through!”
“Tell the others from Blue Star immediately.”
Soon after, red meteors streaked across the sky, causing countless people to look up in awe.
The third batch of trial takers had arrived.
…
Back at Upper Capital City Base, Wang Jie and Wen Zhao’s return reassured Bai Yuan and the others. However, Wang Jie also learned that Zuo Tian was still missing, his whereabouts unknown.
Just as he had finished showering, Old Five’s shrill shout made Wang Jie’s heart sink.
A meteor blazed across the sky.
“How could it be so fast?” Qing Zheng muttered in disbelief. It hadn’t been long since someone broke through to the eight seals. Even beings from the Three Gods and Five Extremes would need time to break through to the nine seals. Not everyone had the luxury of fighting the insect tide and collecting cataclysm materials like Wang Jie.
And besides, the people of Blue Star weren’t foolish. How could someone draw the third batch of trial takers down so quickly?
Wen Zhao stepped onto the balcony and gazed into the sky, his face grim. “Someone’s setting up a trap to quickly bring down the third batch of trial takers. It’s a normal tactic.”
Wang Jie’s expression darkened. “Looks like we need to break through soon as well.”
“The third batch—eighteen people, all at nine seals. The pressure is immense.” Old Nine sighed.
Not only were the Blue Star people unsettled, but the first two batches of trial takers were also anxious. They had hoped for more time to cultivate and prepare to face the third batch—or even the fourth batch of trial takers. But they hadn’t expected them to arrive so quickly.
And among the third batch of trial takers, the strongest was Yun Lai.
He was from the Yun family, one of the three major families of Armor One Sect.
…
Far northeast of Upper Capital City Base, a man sat at the edge of a cliff, gazing up at the sky, a smirk tugging at his lips. “Still boring. Let me give you a hand.”
With that, he stood, facing the cliff, and with a single step, he walked across the sky, heading toward the distance.
At the Southern Country Base, alarms blared as Lian Qin, dressed in a thin, seductive veil, stood at the window, gazing at the sky. A meteor was heading toward them, and it seemed likely it would land inside their base.
Her delicate face was tinged with concern.
Upper Capital City Base had already severed ties with the trial takers. She had chosen to side with Blue Star, but now, facing even stronger trial takers, what could she do?
There was still some time before a breakthrough to nine seals could be made, and even then, would they be able to fight the trial takers?
They were just natives.
The red meteor streaked across the sky and, without surprise, crashed into the base.
Lian Qin closed her eyes and sighed. Changing into a luxurious gown, she prepared to accept the inevitable. After all, this wasn’t her first time dealing with such matters.
The earth was shattered by the impact.
The landing site, oddly enough, was right inside the base. Such a coincidence was improbable, but it had indeed happened.
Lian Qin walked toward the impact site, shrouded in smoke, while instructing others to inform the major bases of the situation.
Hundreds of thousands of cultivators at the Southern Country Base stood in formation, with Lian Qin surrounded by cultivators above the five seals, all focused on the smoke.
A man emerged from the dust, his face handsome and youthful, with an unmistakable air of arrogance. His attire was unique, setting him apart from any trial taker they had seen before. It radiated an inherent nobility.
Lian Qin smiled and approached. “Welcome, trial taker. I am Lian Qin, representing Southern Country Base. I am here to host your arrival. May I ask your esteemed name?”
The man glanced at her, his gaze dismissive of everything around him. “I know you, Lian Qin. I can see everything that happens in the trial.”
Lian Qin’s heart sank. “I see. It seems your identity is no ordinary one.”
“No need to probe,” he said, his tone cold. “My name is Yun Lai.”
Lian Qin’s eyes widened in shock. Yun Lai?
Behind her, several cultivators who held positions just below Lian Qin were equally stunned.
They had heard of Yun Lai—he was from the Yun family, a name passed down from Upper Capital City. Wen Zhao had mentioned that Yun Lai was the strongest of the third batch of trial takers and was from Armor One Sect.
It seemed the rumors were true.
Yun Lai smiled faintly. “Looks like you know me.” He looked around, then crouched down, leaping up to land on the base’s wall. Facing north, he pulled out a magnificent bow and arrow from his storage ring. The air around him exploded with energy, his body seemingly aflame. His eyes widened fiercely. “Tianfu Base, break.”
With that, he released the arrow, which shot across the sky, heading toward the distance at an astonishing speed.
Lian Qin and the others could only watch in shock.
In that moment, Yun Lai exuded an aura of unmatched power. The very wall beneath his feet began to crack, unable to withstand his might.
Without hesitation, he drew a second arrow, aimed eastward, toward Golden Hill Base. “Break.”
Another arrow was loosed.
From above, one could see two arrows—one heading toward Tianfu Base, the other toward Golden Hill Base—moving with incredible speed, easily penetrating any obstacles in their path.
Not long after, the arrow at Tianfu Base struck, blasting through the wall and leaving a massive hole, cutting through the entire base. The damage was catastrophic, countless casualties, with deep indentations left in its wake.
At Golden Hill Base, Hong Jian stood on the southern wall when the arrow shot toward him. Without hesitation, he unleashed eight wind-breaking slashes, cutting down the arrow mid-flight. But the force of the impact shattered his blade, sending him crashing into the base, spitting blood and losing consciousness. Fortunately, the arrow was deflected, barely grazing the southeast corner of the base, smashing a section of the wall but causing no casualties within.
The two arrows crossed a vast stretch of land, penetrating the two major bases.
This move shocked everyone.
…
At Upper Capital City, Bai Yuan quickly found Wang Jie and the others to relay the news.
“Why did Yun Lai do this?” Tang Jie asked, staring at Wen Zhao.
Wang Jie’s expression was heavy. He could feel an entirely different kind of pressure from Yun Lai compared to the other trial takers. Yun Lai didn’t even need to show himself to tear through entire bases. There was a sense of overwhelming force, one that felt like it could rip the battlefield apart.
It was a feeling far beyond the insect tide and far beyond anything he had faced before.
Wen Zhao’s voice lowered as he explained, “There’s a common understanding in the universe. In the lower realms, within the ten seals, there exists a gap between the ninth and tenth seals.”
“The next stage after the tenth seal is called the breaking star stage.”
“What is the breaking star stage? Star means the stars, the planets. The star-breaking realm refers to the power to shatter planets.”
“Even if we reach nine seals, we are still far, far from the star-breaking realm. A planet, even a small one, is far bigger than Hua Xia. We can’t even break the land beneath us, let alone a planet.”
“So, the tenth seal is a threshold. Once you reach the tenth seal, your power will shift from city-level destruction to regional-level destruction. You could break the very land of Hua Xia. But you must be at the tenth seal. There is only one type of person who can defy convention and break through before the tenth seal, even at the eighth or ninth seal level.”
“These people are called—heaven’s chosen prodigies.”
“Yun Lai is one such heaven’s chosen prodigy.”
“Armor One Sect possesses a unique skill called Eight Cloud Arrow. No one has ever managed to master all of it before reaching the star-breaking realm. He is the first—and the only one to do so.”
Wen Zhao’s words left everyone somber.
Wang Jie, who could only manage seven steps in his Armor Eight Steps, knew this was something far beyond his current capabilities. Eight Cloud Arrow was a true ultimate technique.
“Yun Lai was born into one of the three major families of Armor One Sect, the Yun family. He was cultivated with vast resources from birth, his talent exceptional. He mastered Eight Cloud Arrow, and was recognized as Armor One Sect’s heaven’s chosen prodigy. So why is someone like him participating in the trial?” Wang Jie asked. He knew more than Bai Yuan and the others, thanks to Wen Zhao’s explanations.
Wen Zhao responded, “Because trial rankings matter. The highest rank is A grade, and once earned, it grants access to the sect’s scriptures and weapon selection. Yun Lai’s goal is that.”
“He wants to use his nine-seal strength to defeat all trial takers, suppress the trial grounds, and achieve an A grade.”
Bai Yuan rubbed his temples. “Looks like we’re in trouble now.”