Chapter 320
Chapter 320: Leave It to Fate
The great scales shook fiercely, swiftly lifting Wang Jie’s side upwards.
[A contest of pure strength, is it?]
Wang Jie clenched his fist, slamming downward, his energy merging into a single force. The terrifying power caused the scales to quake violently, halting their upward momentum. Without pause, he struck again and again. Those around him felt as though the world itself was trembling, as if they stood near a giant beast in human form.
On the other side, Di Kun leapt high, crashing down again.
A thunderous boom resounded.
Every time Di Kun landed, the scales shook even more violently, surpassing the strength Wang Jie could muster.
Wang Jie marveled inwardly. His own strength was already ninety-nine times that of a Star Breaking realm cultivator, truly formidable among humans. Yet certain cosmic giant beasts were born extraordinary. Di Kun—the name itself exuded dominance.
“Brother Wang, I’ll assist you,” Zhou Ye called out, shooting an arrow—not a ripple this time, but a precise strike. Formed entirely of star force, the arrow pierced through space and struck deep into Di Kun’s body.
Di Kun roared in pain, huge pupils locking onto Zhou Ye.
Zhou Ye shot another arrow.
Someone on the opposing scales attempted to block it, yet the arrow passed through as if intangible, striking Di Kun once again.
Di Kun thrashed his tail violently, fury blazing in his eyes.
Though both sides stood beneath the same sky, those atop the scales could not have differed more.
On one side stood Han Lin, surrounded by dense swarms of black insects; opposite him was Wu Ming, calm and bald-headed.
“Let me see how powerful someone granted enlightenment tea truly is,” Han Lin declared, charging forward. Behind him, a cloud of insects surged, darkening the sky. He had raised these insects himself—they weren’t external weapons.
Unlike those controlled by Heavenly Insect People, each of Han Lin’s insects carried potent venom.
Wu Ming faced Han Lin directly, calmly advising: “Friend, please reconsider.”
Han Lin had long wanted to challenge those granted enlightenment tea.
He’d boasted openly through his old servant Yu Qian Jiang, promising to become the champion of this Starry Martial Meet. Yet Star Dome Visage, despite clearly knowing about him—otherwise they wouldn’t have featured him—hadn’t awarded him enlightenment tea. This meant they considered him inferior to those seven chosen ones.
He held no grudge toward the others; even regarding Wang Jie, he had no objection. Han Lin had witnessed Wang Jie’s battle against Shu Mu Night on Blue Star during the trial. Regardless of Wang Jie’s current strength or cultivation, that astonishing battle had convinced him.
But this Wu Ming was different.
Wu Ming had never publicly fought, remaining a complete mystery. The outside world only knew he could guide others to break through bottlenecks.
[But does mere guidance truly reflect real battle strength?]
The Starry Martial Meet measured combat ability, not guidance.
Wu Ming calmly faced the swarm of insects as they swiftly enveloped him.
Han Lin was stunned. [So easily subdued?]
He gazed deeply at Wu Ming, now completely covered in insects, his eyes flickering sharply. [No matter what trick you’re playing, I’ll first eliminate everyone else. Once your companions on the scales are gone, even if you’re powerful, can you defeat everyone here, myself included?]
Without hesitation, Han Lin ignored Wu Ming, plunging into the heart of the opposing group.
On the scales, dozens of Full Star Realm cultivators surrounded Han Lin. Even without using his insect tide, Han Lin was unstoppable. A single palm strike, the Thousand Venomous Hand, stained the void itself with poison. Anyone touched was immediately eliminated; none dared approach him. He moved like a tiger among lambs.
Zhong Yu retreated in terror.
As a peak Full Star Realm cultivator recognized by Black White Heaven as qualified for the Martial Meet, he thought himself capable enough. Yet against these famous experts of the cosmos, why did he feel as fragile as grass?
Han Lin flashed past him; Zhong Yu was about to flee when suddenly his body froze, skin cracking inch by inch.
[How was I even struck?]
He hadn’t even seen the move clearly.
Han Lin swiftly eliminated everyone atop the scales, causing their side to rise higher and higher. Those on his own side celebrated joyously.
[Heavenly Insect People, you’ll soon regret this.]
When the last opponent fell, Han Lin stood still, the scales now tilted high beneath his feet.
He turned to look at Wu Ming, who remained buried beneath the swarm of insects. [It’s over.]
Outside, countless spectators watched this scene unfold.
Through their personal terminals, they could view all scenes from the Starry Martial Meet. With more than a thousand matches running simultaneously, the number of participants was staggering.
Yet now, as this battle concluded, half the contestants would be eliminated.
“No wonder Zhou Ye left that special comment in the news. He’s really a cross-eyed hawk.”
“Don’t underestimate him. If Star Dome Visage featured his comments so prominently, he’s certainly no weakling.”
“I didn’t expect even Di Kun to step forward.”
“What happened to Wu Ming? Defeated instantly? Didn’t even fight back?”
“That can’t be true.”
“That Han Lin is ruthless. Eliminating everyone single-handedly—no wonder he let his servant boast so arrogantly in Thousand Rivers.”
“Opposite Gui Xiao Die…isn’t that Xiao Mu? Young Master Xiao?”
“This will be exciting. Young Master Xiao is acknowledged by Armor One Sect as a rare genius. It’s said his blade-bone physique is extraordinary, capable of touching upon time itself.”
“The authority of Star Dome Visage depends entirely on the outcome between Xiao Mu and Gui Xiao Die. Gui Xiao Die is among the chosen seven, but Xiao Mu’s fame is no less, perhaps even greater. If Gui Xiao Die loses, Star Dome Visage’s credibility will be questioned.”
Meanwhile, the great scales continued to quake fiercely as Di Kun jumped madly, writhing like a struggling eel in a pond.
He had grown desperate.
Zhou Ye’s relentless arrows had driven him into furious helplessness. Those around couldn’t protect him, and Wang Jie steadily pressed the scales downward, forcing Di Kun to leap endlessly. If he stopped even briefly, the scales would tip further upward.
Such a situation—endlessly enduring punishment without fighting back—was unbearably frustrating.
Yet despite such effort and fury, the scales continued to rise.
Finally, Di Kun could endure no longer. With an enraged roar, he charged recklessly toward the far end.
Someone cried out anxiously, “Brother Kun Eight, think of the greater picture!”
Di Kun’s eyes blazed crimson as he glared furiously at Zhou Ye, this detestable cross-eyed fellow.
Zhou Ye kept firing arrow after arrow. Though Di Kun’s body was now covered in wounds and scales broken everywhere, he persisted, reaching Zhou Ye at last and sweeping his tail to strike.
Wang Jie frowned slightly, about to intervene.
Yet Zhou Ye’s expression remained calm, as if completely unaware of Di Kun’s attack, continuing to shoot unhurriedly. However, if one looked closely, his pupils had drawn even closer together, appearing even more… cross-eyed.
The tail swung through empty air; though it clearly struck Zhou Ye, it somehow passed straight through him.
Di Kun stood dumbfounded, [What does this mean?]
Turning calmly, Zhou Ye shifted stance, looking like an archer aiming at a soaring eagle, and loosed one swift arrow.
The arrow pierced Di Kun’s head cleanly, vanishing into the void.
In the next instant, Di Kun slowly faded away.
He had lost.
Everyone stared in shock.
Beneath their feet, the scales rapidly descended. Those on the opposite side could hold no longer, plummeting upward into the quicksilver-seal sky and vanishing without a trace.
No one had expected that the one to defeat Di Kun would be Zhou Ye. They had all assumed it would be Wang Jie.
Di Kun was by no means weak. A full-star realm beast, though like a mere toddler compared to humans—its intellect still incomplete—even so, Zhou Ye’s archery stunned everyone present.
As the scales plunged entirely into the abyss, the scenery before Wang Jie abruptly shifted.
He stood now upon a meadow, surrounded by three strangers exchanging confused glances.
Looking around carefully, Wang Jie noted Zhou Ye was gone, and the three people present were unknown to him. This place was merely an ordinary field, fresh with clean air, nothing unusual at all.
At this moment, another figure appeared.
Eh? Cheng Feng?
Cheng Feng stared at Wang Jie, stunned. “It’s you?”
Wang Jie smiled wryly, surprised to encounter someone familiar.
Cheng Feng, however, watched Wang Jie warily, heart sinking rapidly. He had no idea what the rules were this time, but if they involved eliminating nearby opponents, he stood no chance against Wang Jie.
Not far away, Cheng Yi of Edge Sect spotted him, heart also sinking.
Let alone his younger brother—even if the two of them joined forces, they still would be no match for Wang Jie now.
They could only pray that the rules weren’t about close-range elimination.
Several others shared the same thought, stepping back instinctively as they eyed Wang Jie, their gazes conveying one simple idea without needing words: [If a battle breaks out, we join forces first.]
Soon another figure appeared.
When Cheng Feng saw who it was, he exhaled deeply, utterly resigned. [We’re truly finished now.]
The others were equally speechless. Could they be any unluckier?
Xi Ci.
A disciple of Elder Du Mu, inheritor of the Seventy-Two Upper Purity Sword Techniques—something even Qing Huan of the Four Traveling Gods had not mastered—a true prodigy favored by the heavens.
He was a hot topic before the martial meet. Countless cultivators had questioned Star Dome Visage in outrage for not giving him enlightenment tea. Many believed he would claim victory, placing him among the top Wandering God candidates.
A person like him was even more despairing to see than Wang Jie, in some sense.
Wang Jie’s exact strength was unclear.
But Xi Ci’s was unquestionably formidable.
Xi Ci swept his gaze around, pausing briefly on Wang Jie before turning away indifferently.
Cheng Feng glanced at Xi Ci, then back at Wang Jie, resigning himself to fate.
Deep in the starry heavens, the moon gently swayed above, long, snow-white legs leisurely dangling. Qing Huan rested her chin upon one hand as she gazed at the projection, smiling softly, “This fellow’s quite capable, receiving enlightenment tea as a gift. Junior Brother will have a fight on his hands.”
“Hey, lift it higher. I can’t see clearly.”
Ahead, Wu Yan suffered bitterly, arms raised high to hold up the projection for Qing Huan. “This projection can float in mid-air, so why must I hold it?”
Qing Huan snorted coolly, “Because I like it. Any objections?”
Wu Yan was speechless.
Ever since being taken from the spaceport, his days had become a torment. Qing Huan’s whims changed endlessly—one day sending him to fetch rare fruits and sweets, another forcing him to curse at someone’s doorstep. Trembling, he obeyed each time, terrified that someone would slaughter him. None of those he provoked looked weak.
He truly felt that one day, this woman would get him killed.
His gaze drifted toward Wang Jie in the projection, envy rising bitterly inside him. [How is this fellow so lucky? He’s come this far—far beyond my reach now—when it was clearly me chasing him down before. Infuriating.]
One by one, more figures appeared until ten stood on the field. With them, a floating orb appeared, hovering quietly in the air.
The rules flowed clearly into everyone’s mind.
Wang Jie’s brow rose slightly, marveling at how strange this Starry Martial Meet truly was.
He had thought it would be individual duels, yet it appeared that perhaps the number of competitors was too vast. Now it had become a large-scale elimination.
This round’s rules were simple: a group of ten would attack the floating orb. Their destructive power would be displayed numerically. If their total combined damage exceeded 1,500,000, they would advance. Below this number meant immediate elimination. Moreover, the higher the damage, the greater their advantage in the following round.
Ten people eliminated at once.
Rules like these were destined to thin out the majority. After all, 1,500,000 damage meant each person had to average 150,000 damage. Not every full-star realm cultivator possessed that kind of strength.
In truth, most full-star realm cultivators here still couldn’t reach the true power of a wandering star realm expert. Many peaked at around 100,000 combat power, barely scratching the surface of wandering star realm strength.