Chapter 321
Chapter 321: A Shocking Number
To challenge beyond one’s level seems easy, but in truth, few disciples within any sect could truly achieve it.
Even in the Black White Heaven full star realm, Wang Jie had rarely seen anyone surpass a hundred thousand combat power.
Certainly, there were exceptions like himself, whose combat strength could soar beyond five hundred thousand, bridging such gaps. Yet, such extraordinary figures were rare—how many teams could rely on one?
Cheng Feng smiled.
Everyone around smiled as well.
These rules were truly favorable. It wouldn’t hurt them at all, and with these two formidable beings here, advancing was practically guaranteed.
Their smiles brightened even more.
Although they knew they had little chance to reach the end against such fierce opponents, each step forward was already a joyful achievement.
“Allow me to demonstrate first,” someone volunteered, stepping forward before the sphere. He released his star force completely, soared into the air, and kicked the sphere hard.
The sphere did not budge at all, but numbers rapidly appeared above, finally stopping at—one hundred eighteen thousand.
For someone in the full star realm, this was considered remarkable; within their factions, such an individual would be considered an elite.
The theoretical peak of full star realm combat power was one hundred thousand. Surpassing that was considered fighting beyond one’s realm.
If a team had even one expert recognized by Star Dome Visage, everyone else needed only a hundred thousand combat power to advance. Without such an expert, however, each person must reach one hundred fifty thousand, making things significantly harder.
In other words, this round was intended to eliminate teams unlucky enough not to have strong members.
One after another, people stepped forward to strike.
Then Cheng Feng attacked as well, instantly adding three hundred thousand combat power.
This shocked everyone around him. They stared in disbelief at Cheng Feng, never expecting there was yet another hidden master among them.
For someone in full star realm to reach three hundred thousand combat power was incredibly difficult.
Even without Wang Jie and Xi Ci, Cheng Feng’s strength would already make up for many shortcomings.
Yet Cheng Feng showed no pride; there were still two peerless beings who had not yet struck.
By now, the number above the sphere read one million eighty-seven thousand and six hundred.
Their advancement was secured.
Wang Jie, as a Six Dao Wanderer, possessed a base combat power of at least five hundred thousand.
Now, everyone eagerly awaited the final number.
The rules had mentioned clearly that the higher the team’s combined number, the better their advantage in the next round. They guessed their number would undoubtedly reach the very top.
They doubted any other team could be lucky enough to have such a combination like Wang Jie and Xi Ci.
Over ten thousand teams participated in this round alone, nearly a hundred thousand competitors remaining after the scales of battle eliminated many.
With so many teams, strong experts were scattered widely.
They felt confident about their situation, but unfortunately, there were others with even greater fortune.
Outside the arena, observers fell into astonished silence as they watched another team closely:
Gui Xiao Die, Hou Qing Ge, Wen Qing.
Shockingly, the three who had each received enlightenment tea were gathered into one team. Seeing this, nobody knew what to say.
Without question, this team would achieve the highest combined number.
Although the other seven members dragged them down, barely managing eighty thousand collectively, it mattered little.
Gui Xiao Die and Hou Qing Ge both turned toward Wen Qing.
Wen Qing stepped forward, faced the sphere, and raised his palm downward. His star force transformed into droplets, spreading outwards and merging into the void. Within each droplet, it seemed someone performed an endless and profound palm technique.
Gui Xiao Die raised her brow slightly. “White Dew Southern Sky—one of Armor One Sect’s Eighteen Ultimate Techniques? Fancy, but unnecessarily showy.”
Wen Qing paid no attention to her remark, striking the sphere with his palm. The watery veil spread out, distorting space itself.
Instantly, the sphere’s number surged, settling at one million three hundred thousand.
He had single-handedly added over five hundred thousand combat power.
Quite remarkable indeed.
Gui Xiao Die scoffed softly, “Men.”
Wen Qing looked toward her calmly. “Lady Xiao Die seems quite familiar with my Armor One Sect.”
Gui Xiao Die replied dismissively, “Fairly. Countless suitors have visited my Cold Smoke Ferry seeking marriage over the generations, many from your Armor One Sect. Just earlier, I dealt with someone named Xiao Mu.”
Wen Qing’s eyes narrowed sharply. “You defeated Xiao Mu?”
Gui Xiao Die did not respond, simply stepping forward toward the sphere. Her star force surged out instantly, forming a vivid swimming fish that gracefully darted through the void, colliding powerfully against the sphere.
Outside, someone praised, “Cold Smoke Ferry’s Fish-Gazing Strength—it seems ordinary, yet cultivated beneath a thousand rivers, its force rivals endless tides. Paired with the Sitting Oblivion Northern Deep method, anyone who underestimates it suffers greatly.”
“Indeed, Xiao Mu was defeated precisely by this Fish-Gazing Strength.”
“Xiao Mu was actually extremely formidable. His Blade Bone Aspect could invisibly unleash delayed strikes. The blade must come, but its timing was unpredictable—slight negligence in battle would guarantee defeat. Yet unfortunately for him, this woman’s skills were his perfect counter. Besides Fish-Gazing Strength, Cold Smoke Ferry’s Tree Guardian Stance is flawless. She appears aloof and proud, but beneath that facade, her mind is as steady as a mountain. Xiao Mu’s loss was unsurprising.”
“I wonder if Wen Qing can reclaim honor for Armor One Sect by defeating her.”
Gui Xiao Die pushed the number up to one million eight hundred thousand.
As the audience noted, despite her arrogant appearance, she was careful, measured, and reserved, not intending to show off more than necessary.
Five hundred thousand combat power was enough.
Finally, Hou Qing Ge stepped forward.
The outside world knew little about her. Even within Sword Pond, her background was mysterious. The only recent event associated with her was receiving enlightenment tea, which was subsequently stolen.
News of this spread widely, drawing endless ridicule.
Yet neither Sword Pond nor Hou Qing Ge cared about these rumors. Calmly, she accepted everything and quietly came to participate in this contest.
With the Bridge Ascension Technique—”small swords shaping technique, great swords shaping souls”—she pushed the number to two million three hundred thousand.
Although she also increased the number by five hundred thousand, compared to Wen Qing and Gui Xiao Die, she fell short. She needed the aid of the Bridge Ascension Technique to achieve what the other two accomplished directly.
Outside discussions could not reach their ears. Nor could they reach Wang Jie and his companions.
Xi Ci drew her sword. Her blade pierced forward, but the sphere remained utterly still. The number showed: one million six hundred thousand.
The crowd had eagerly hoped to witness the famed Seventy-two Swords of Shang Qing, but to their disappointment, it did not appear.
Finally, it was Wang Jie’s turn.
He gazed calmly at the sphere, clenched his fist, and struck out powerfully.
The number flashed—two million.
Only forty thousand more than before.
Everyone was surprised by this outcome.
After all, Wang Jie had once defeated the Six Dao Wanderer. His strength should far surpass five hundred thousand.
[Could he be hiding his true power?]
Still, two million was surely enough. It must be the highest in this round.
A short while later, countless people outside stared blankly at the glowing screens, disbelief written clearly on their faces.
Even the mighty World Realm experts from colossal powers like Armor One Sect and Sincere One Dao turned their eyes to that impossible scene.
The entire universe now focused on one astonishing number—three million.
Three million.
In front of the sphere stood a young boy who appeared no older than his early teens. Scratching his head awkwardly, he glanced sheepishly at those behind him, saying, “Um… did I perhaps use too much strength?”
Three million. A number so absurd it seemed unreal.
Even the three masters who received Enlightenment Tea together only reached two million three hundred thousand combined.
Yet now, this boy alone had raised the value to an unimaginable height.
Nobody even knew what his team’s number had been before; it had been too ordinary to notice.
His name was Jing Hong, and in this instant, the entire universe came to know him.
As each team’s results appeared, many fell below the standard and were eliminated immediately. No matter how hard they tried, striking repeatedly, only their strongest attack counted. The numbers hardly changed.
The Scales Battle had eliminated half, and now this sphere eliminated most of those who remained.
Originally, around a hundred thousand had been left. Suddenly, over eighty thousand were eliminated, leaving only about ten thousand.
Once again, the scene changed dramatically.
From afar, the earth rose, forming into a massive cone, its peak thrusting into the sky.
Wang Jie and his companions felt their bodies being lifted higher, and beneath them appeared countless figures. With their backs facing the central point, they had to turn their heads to see the ascending ones clearly.
At this moment, the team appearing directly behind them was Gui Xiao Die’s group. At the very top stood Jing Hong.
Gui Xiao Die and her team looked back simultaneously, astonished.
[There is actually a team ranked higher than ours? How could this be? Could the entire team be made of powerful masters?]
As the land beneath rose, clear tiers of steps emerged on the giant cone.
These tiers formed a hierarchy with the central point as the highest, spiraling down around it. At the very top stood Jing Hong’s team, followed by Gui Xiao Die’s group, and just below them was Wang Jie’s team. Below Wang Jie’s group, the number of people on each tier increased gradually. The distance between each group on the same tier was vast.
The arrangement was clear.
Viewed from afar, the figures formed straight lines descending from top to bottom. When all were connected, they looked like lines drawn across the cone—some longer, some shorter.
Soon, the new rules appeared.
This time, the rules were simple yet ruthless: people in the same vertical line could fight and eliminate each other. They must ensure that only three hundred people remained on the cone at the end.
A cruel elimination rule indeed.
It allowed the strong to weed out the weak, yet also gave weaker individuals a chance to band together.
This might seem similar to the Scales Battle, but at least in that battle, luck played a part, as teams had already been assigned. Now, luck’s influence was drastically reduced—particularly harsh for those at the higher levels.
They were too conspicuous.
The higher they stood, the higher their sphere number, clearly marking them as strong.
Whether or not their strength was genuinely theirs, everyone on their line would undoubtedly want to eliminate the one standing highest first.
“This is absurd! They can even do something like this?”
“No one said a high score would negatively impact the next round!”
“What the—!”
Meanwhile, those standing at the very bottom smiled. They were least threatening and easiest to overlook.
On the steps, Wang Jie slowly lifted his head. The top three tiers had ten people each, meaning they formed a vertical line.
Above him stood a pale-faced young girl, and above her, a middle-aged man.
Looking downward, no famous masters appeared in his line. His luck was good.
Suddenly, someone shouted loudly: “Wang Jie is in our line! Everyone, join forces to eliminate him first!”
“Right! Let’s do it!”
Wang Jie was too dazzling, overshadowing even the two standing above him—who, truthfully, only occupied their high positions by sheer luck.
This outcome was exactly as expected.