Chapter 322
Chapter 322: The Difference
Wang Jie stood motionless. Below him, a straight line of cultivators charged forward in unison, while above, two others exchanged glances, choosing patience, intending to wait until those below joined forces.
Wang Jie shifted his gaze, surveying the other lines of combatants. On Xi Ci’s line, he spotted Hou Qing Ge; and on Wu Ming’s line, there was Shao Gu Chen.
The chaos erupted.
Countless attacks surged toward Wang Jie.
With a simple lift of his finger, Wang Jie unleashed his Starry Finger Technique. Against opponents of the same realm, it was unstoppable. He didn’t even need to fuse the numerous finger shadows—everyone in the line fell instantly under its sweep, eliminated at shocking speed.
The gap within the same cultivation level was simply too vast.
Wang Jie had always used the Starry Finger Technique against masters in the Wandering Star Realm. Now, employing it indiscriminately against those of the Full Star Realm was pure domination. Even elite sect disciples with combat power exceeding three hundred thousand couldn’t withstand a single strike. Any shadow from his finger was more than enough to erase them.
Yet, he wasn’t alone in this dominance; several others effortlessly cleared their lines as well.
These top-tier masters didn’t clash even when positioned on the same line. The true Starry Martial Meet had yet to begin—this round was merely a prelude.
The numbers rapidly dwindled.
Wang Jie watched quietly, noticing how quickly the chaos subsided—much quicker than he’d anticipated.
The moment only three hundred remained, the sky abruptly descended.
Wang Jie looked up, unable to react, as though the heavens and the earth had suddenly compressed into one.
With a thunderous boom, the cone-shaped space vanished. Wang Jie found himself standing on a square platform, facing an uneasy-looking young man. Around them, similar platforms appeared, each separated by invisible barriers isolating pairs of cultivators.
In an instant, the rules became clear.
As expected, the previous three rounds were mere eliminations. Only now had the true Starry Martial Meet officially begun.
One against one—victory meant advancement, defeat meant elimination. It was the simplest, most direct form of competition.
Currently, one hundred and fifty platforms floated in neat order beneath the sky.
From above, each platform was aligned methodically. As the barrier between the two fighters on the first platform vanished, their duel began.
Other platforms remained sealed. [It seems they will take turns,] the crowd thought, their attention fixed on the first stage.
Precisely speaking, this was the first arena.
The first battle commenced.
After a brief adjustment, the pair exchanged moves.
Wang Jie withdrew his gaze, uninterested. Neither of these two could be considered masters—merely elite Full Star Realm cultivators, far beneath his notice.
His eyes drifted across the other arenas.
[Their luck is rather good,] Wang Jie mused. None of the well-known experts had yet faced each other. Was this intentional, arranged by the organizers, or simply coincidence?
While Wang Jie observed the others, they observed him in turn, especially the nervous-looking man standing opposite him.
Because soon, they’d fight.
The man examined Wang Jie repeatedly, his thoughts racing, trying desperately to devise a strategy.
Soon, the first battle ended.
Then the second began, the loser vanishing instantly.
One after another, battles concluded. Shao Gu Chen and Wu Ming won their fights smoothly. Finally, it was Wang Jie’s turn.
The instant the barrier vanished, the man rushed toward him, almost crazed.
Wang Jie pointed a finger forward, but the man’s figure twisted abruptly, startlingly fast. In the next moment, he vanished entirely.
Those watching gasped in surprise, but Wang Jie remained calm.
He had already seen through the man’s trick. “A Dagger Bearer? I didn’t expect to encounter one at this Meet,” Wang Jie murmured, casually sweeping his hand. A tremendous force rippled through his shadow, forcibly ejecting the man from within.
Indeed, the man had merged with Wang Jie’s own shadow.
Not surprised by being forced out, the man retreated, lightly tapped the ground, then rapidly shifted positions. With each step, ripples expanded in the air, quickly creating ten rings encircling Wang Jie, merging into a single deadly strike—Ten-Star Assassination.
This was a Dagger Bearer Star Method.
For a Full Star Realm cultivator to master any Star Method was impressive, especially this technique, far harder to cultivate than even Stacking Heavenly Light.
Wang Jie glanced casually, stepping aside and calmly stretching out two fingers. The dagger halted mid-air between his fingertips, and the man stared, eyes wide with disbelief.
“Is it really so surprising? It wasn’t difficult,” Wang Jie said lightly, twisting his fingertips sharply. The dagger reversed course, slicing across the man’s neck. The man stumbled back unwillingly before vanishing.
Within the Second Star Cloud, shadows sighed regretfully. “Ding Guo was too impatient. Against such an expert, how could he rush into action?”
“No matter how careful, it wouldn’t help,” another sighed. “That Wang Jie is a Six Dao Wanderer-level expert. Ding Guo is nowhere near him.”
“Indeed. Even managing to execute Ten-Star Assassination was commendable.”
“This defeat can still serve as valuable training. Perhaps after this experience, he’ll become the next Wu Yan.”
“Speaking of Wu Yan, is he truly dead? No one even found his body.”
“Ai…”
Not long after Wang Jie’s battle, the first round of duels swiftly concluded.
Only one hundred and fifty cultivators remained.
Each arena disappeared one after another.
In the blink of an eye, the space cleared significantly, becoming open and spacious. The arena beneath their feet expanded further.
Immediately, the second round began.
Wang Jie glanced around, [Is there no rest at all?]
From the Balance Battles to these arena duels, they’d already passed several rounds, eliminating over two hundred thousand people. Were they planning to settle it all at once?
As this thought crossed his mind, Wang Jie’s gaze settled upon one of the arenas. His eyes widened in surprise, [Is that… her?]
On the stage Wang Jie looked at, stood a young woman with long, pink hair. Her face was beautifully striking, yet her expression held a chill like frost. One glance at her was unforgettable, yet strangely, she was not the first you’d notice in a crowd—as if she both existed and didn’t exist at the same time.
It was an odd feeling.
She must be either Ting He or Ting Chen.
His casual master had shown him two pictures before, telling him plainly that he must marry both girls one day—one named Ting He, the other Ting Chen.
Judging by that icy expression, this woman must be Ting Chen.
As Wang Jie observed her, Ting Chen seemed to sense his gaze and turned to meet his eyes.
They looked at each other briefly, then turned away.
Wang Jie remembered his casual master’s words and suddenly felt awkward, even somewhat guilty.
He hurriedly shifted his gaze to another arena.
It was Li Ao.
The Dou Huo creature he had fought against on the battlefield.
Li Ao had already noticed Wang Jie, and it bared its fangs in a fierce grin, its eyes filled with challenge. In their previous fight, Li Ao had suffered a disadvantage and would have kept fighting if Luo Kui hadn’t taken it away. Now, it clearly had its sights set on Wang Jie.
Wang Jie looked toward Li Ao’s opponent. He didn’t recognize the man personally, but he’d heard of him—Qin Xiao Shu, a disciple of Non-path Temple, one of the talented experts featured by Star Dome Visage.
Yet Li Ao clearly didn’t take him seriously at all.
“Hey, you… wolf, right? It’s almost our turn. How about giving me a look?” Qin Xiao Shu called out casually.
Li Ao swung its head toward him with a vicious glare, growling in a fierce voice: “Human, rest assured—I’ll finish you quickly.”
Wang Jie overheard and raised his eyebrows. [So, this creature actually speaks human language.]
Qin Xiao Shu wasn’t offended, saying cheerfully, “Alright then, I’ll try to be fast as well.” After speaking, he followed Li Ao’s previous gaze to Wang Jie, giving a friendly nod. Then he turned his eyes toward Qing Kong, his face filled with admiration, and waved enthusiastically, “Kong’er! Here, here I am!”
Qing Kong ignored him entirely.
Li Ao sneered coldly: “Pitiful mating display.”
Qin Xiao Shu’s smile stiffened awkwardly. [That’s a harsh way to put it.]
Time flowed on steadily, and soon it was the battle between Qin Xiao Shu and Li Ao. Every gaze turned eagerly toward their stage, and countless people watched closely from outside.
The duel between Qin Xiao Shu and Li Ao was one of the most anticipated matches—both were exceptional geniuses highlighted by Star Dome Visage.
Li Ao was innately at eleven seals, with terrifying strength as part of the Dou Huo Clan.
Qin Xiao Shu, from Non-path Temple, was mysterious and cultivated the path of the void.
Everyone wanted to see who was stronger.
As the barrier vanished, Li Ao immediately lunged forward, its claws descending fiercely, black star-sand swirling around its body. Starforce instantly flooded the entire arena as its sharp claws swung down.
From his own battle experience, Wang Jie knew firsthand how frightening Li Ao’s starforce could be.
Qin Xiao Shu lifted his head, smiling faintly at the falling claws. His body twisted strangely, slipping into the void. Li Ao’s claws smashed down onto the arena floor, leaving only a slight crack behind.
What kind of material was this arena made of, that even such a fierce blow left only a faint crack?
Spectators outside gasped—the attack had passed right through Qin Xiao Shu.
Li Ao swept its claws horizontally. Qin Xiao Shu stood calmly in place, hidden in the void. Yet Li Ao knew clearly Qin Xiao Shu couldn’t stay hidden forever. Despite seeming arrogant, it never underestimated Qin Xiao Shu at all.
Qin Xiao Shu stepped forward gracefully, saying softly, “Profound Void Shift.”
His body instantly shrank, turning into a swirling vortex that kept shrinking.
Li Ao’s eyes flashed with bloodlust as a vast sea of starforce poured down from above, crashing onto the entire arena.
Wherever one looked, the immense starforce pierced heaven and earth, forming a mighty pillar of energy that left spectators shocked. Could a Full Star Realm cultivator really unleash such overwhelming starforce?
Their shock lasted only briefly. In the next instant, the immense starforce shattered, sucked inward toward Qin Xiao Shu’s vortex, compressing and shrinking endlessly.
Li Ao roared furiously, fur bristling as it struck wildly at the swirling vortex.
Yet the vortex was untouchable, as if not existing within this space at all, ignoring Li Ao’s relentless attacks.
Finally, the sky-reaching starforce completely vanished.
Qin Xiao Shu calmly stepped out, smiling toward Li Ao, “Returning this to you.”
In the next moment, the starforce erupted again, blasting fiercely back toward Li Ao. Overwhelmed by the starforce, Li Ao staggered under the massive pressure and howled to the heavens. Starforce surged again from its body, clashing violently against the incoming attack. Two massive streams of starforce collided midair, twisting space itself and sweeping outward. The sky changed colors from the immense impact.
A battle of such immense starforce should never happen in the Full Star Realm. Yet here it was, unfolding clearly before everyone’s eyes.
Qin Xiao Shu calmly walked toward Li Ao.
Li Ao lowered its head, watching him approach. When Qin Xiao Shu was about ten meters away, Li Ao’s starforce surged again, violently pushing back the starforce Qin Xiao Shu had reversed moments earlier. Spectators felt their scalps tingle at the sight.
The starforce Qin Xiao Shu had reversed had originally belonged to Li Ao itself.
Yet, incredibly, Li Ao could push back even harder. Just how much starforce did it actually possess?
On an arena separated by only two spaces from Wang Jie, Wen Qing spoke quietly, “Rumors say the Dou Huo Clan can absorb starforce into their fur for storage, making their starforce impossible to measure. It appears that’s true.”
Wang Jie glanced at Wen Qing, nodding inwardly. [No wonder Li Ao’s starforce seems endless—even my Star Sight can’t measure it.]
[Wait, what about Xiao Mu?]
Wang Jie scanned the surroundings curiously. Xiao Mu had been featured prominently by Star Dome Visage—had he been eliminated already?