Chapter 328
Chapter 328: Still Afraid to Die?
It was just as Wen Ze expected.
No matter how Jing Hong urged him afterward, Wen Qing never again performed the Nine Mystic Transformations. Instead, he showcased his other techniques one after another, visibly improving as if genuinely learning from Jing Hong.
Jing Hong finally grew impatient, saying irritably: “Why won’t you use that movement technique again?”
“You said you’d teach me, so teach me thoroughly. I’m willing to learn,” replied Wen Qing.
“Don’t you want to defeat me? That technique might give you the chance to win,” Jing Hong pressed further.
Wen Qing did not answer, instead choosing to strike once more.
Jing Hong’s brows knitted slightly. Watching Wen Qing launch the White Dew Southern Sky, Jing Hong responded with the very same technique.
Their palms collided—and Wen Qing lost.
The spectators felt confused watching this battle. There was no glorious clash of masters, nothing suggesting a fight between those blessed with enlightenment tea. It looked more like Wen Qing deliberately lost, lacking the slightest will to win.
Jing Hong’s victory felt equally flat and uninspired.
Within Armor One Sect, Wen Qing opened his eyes, gazing into the distance—he had lost.
No one felt this defeat more deeply than himself; the sense of being thoroughly seen through from beginning to end left him shaken.
The Nine Mystic Transformations were his brother’s ultimate technique. Wen Qing was confident he could seize victory using it against most opponents, but he couldn’t beat Jing Hong. Since victory was impossible, there was no reason to use it at all.
The red envelope?
He glanced inside his robes. The red envelope was still there.
[Truly strange.]
Wen Qing’s defeat broke, for the first time, Star Dome Visage’s rule that anyone who received enlightenment tea would surely enter the top twenty. Yet, because this battle was so dull, it did not cause much of a stir. Some even suspected Armor One Sect deliberately instructed Wen Qing to lose, just to challenge Star Dome Visage’s authority.
The truth remained unknown to the outside world.
As the last match ended, the top twenty participants—or more precisely, nineteen—were confirmed.
Next came the final rounds.
Wang Jie assumed the fights would continue, but suddenly his body disappeared from the arena. When he reopened his eyes, rolling mountains greeted him; he had returned to the Lock Path Interval.
[Finally, some rest.]
He exhaled, relieved. The rules soon came: before each following round, every competitor could rest for one full day.
Behind him, Hong Jian and the others hurried forward, anxious to know Wang Jie’s condition.
Standing up, Wang Jie replied, “I’m fine.”
Old Five excitedly burst out, “Boss, you’re amazing! You have no idea how many supporters Yuan Mu had before the tournament. So many people were insulting you, saying you only got the enlightenment tea through connections.”
“But after defeating Yuan Mu, you’ve truly become famous among the Four Great Pillars!”
“Let’s just hope you don’t meet Jing Hong.”
“Exactly! That guy is a monster—he pushed the orb’s score all the way to three million!”
Wang Jie thought he had misheard something impossible and turned sharply to Old Five: “What did you just say?”
Old Five slapped his forehead, remembering: “Ah, boss, you wouldn’t know since you were inside. Jing Hong’s teammates were all worthless, yet he alone drove the orb’s destruction value to three million—it’s beyond understanding.”
Hong Jian’s expression darkened, adding gravely, “Indeed, even a team with three enlightenment tea receivers only reached two million three hundred thousand. Jing Hong alone surpassed everyone.”
Wang Jie already knew Jing Hong was terrifyingly strong, far beyond ordinary Full Star Realm cultivators, but this revelation was even more frightening.
Three million points?
[How did he achieve that?]
“Oh, and there’s also Wu Ming, boss. Be careful around that bald monk. During the Balance Battle, he single-handedly defeated the entire opposing side, including Han Lin.”
“And Gui Xiao Die, her duel against Xiao Mu was equally horrifying…”
As they left the tournament area, outside news flooded in.
Wang Jie glanced at the replay in the projection, his expression heavy.
One after another, these prodigies had shattered common knowledge. Reaching the end of the tournament would be incredibly difficult, especially against Jing Hong.
Even now, all Four Great Pillars were still investigating Jing Hong’s origin, yet nobody could uncover anything about him.
After briefly chatting, Wang Jie sent everyone away, deciding to gather his strength and prepare for the coming battles.
When the crowd dispersed, Wang Jie respectfully bowed: “Greetings, Sect Master.”
Zhi Yu appeared before him, nodding appreciatively as he studied Wang Jie: “Rise. Excellent. You look spirited and have brought glory to our Black White Heaven.” He laughed heartily.
Wang Jie smiled: “This disciple will surely do everything possible.”
Zhi Yu walked slowly to the cliff’s edge, hands behind his back, sighing softly: “Not just everything possible—you must stake your very life. Not for Black White Heaven, but for yourself, and for your master.”
Wang Jie understood Zhi Yu’s meaning.
From the moment the enlightenment tea was bestowed upon him, retreat was no longer an option.
He didn’t know exactly what trouble his mysterious master faced. Right now, all he could do was climb to the peak of the Starry Martial Meet. Only by standing atop the Four Great Pillars, observed by countless eyes, could he protect himself.
“Sect Master, what trouble has my master encountered exactly?”
“He hasn’t told you yet?”
“He only said he has a powerful enemy.”
Zhi Yu smiled bitterly, shaking his head: “Powerful? More than that.”
Wang Jie’s heart skipped a beat.
“His enemy sent a message directly to our Black White Heaven before the tournament began. It was just one sentence.” Zhi Yu turned to face Wang Jie: “Your Black White Heaven can disappear now.”
Wang Jie’s pupils shrank sharply, utterly shocked as he stared back at Zhi Yu.
Zhi Yu’s expression grew solemn, his eyes heavy with seriousness as they held Wang Jie’s gaze.
“Sect Master, is that even possible?”
“Not merely possible,” Zhi Yu said gravely. “If he wishes it, it will inevitably happen.”
“Then my master…?”
Wang Jie listened as the figure spoke coldly: “I’m not asking you to handle it now, nor could you if you tried. All you can do is climb higher, as high as you possibly can—until you stand atop the pinnacle of the Martial Assembly, before countless eyes from the Four Great Bridge Pillars. Only then can you truly protect yourself. Otherwise, no one can save you—not even your master, who struggles to protect himself. My Black White Heaven is no different.”
With that, the speaker departed.
Wang Jie stared silently at the empty cliff, lost in thought.
…
The next day swiftly arrived.
Wang Jie opened his eyes to the rising sun in the distance, with numerous people from Blue Star gathered behind him.
He closed his eyes once more, vanishing.
The arena had grown larger, now holding only ten stages. One stage had just a single occupant who had received a bye—Wu Ming.
All others had their opponents.
Wang Jie looked toward his opponent, a woman named Gu Shang.
She was also an expert, recognized by Star Dome Visage.
Gu Shang hailed from the Illusory World Sect of the Second Star Cloud, under Big Dipper Bridge Pillar. Rumor had it she’d always trained within Gu Xun Yi’s painting, never battling others, leaving her true strength unknown.
Had she not been publicly announced before the assembly, none outside her sect would have known she existed.
As Wang Jie gazed at Gu Shang, Gu Xun Yi’s painting appeared in his mind, and he wondered if he might convince the elder to write him another Illusory character.
Meanwhile, Gu Shang regarded Wang Jie with a peculiar expression, as if she knew him.
Suddenly, Wang Jie remembered the shadowy figure he’d glimpsed inside the painting when Gu Xun Yi had brought him into that deadly place—could it have been her?
“You’ve seen me before?” Wang Jie asked.
Gu Shang nodded.
“You’ve always stayed within Senior Gu Xun Yi’s painting?” he pressed.
Again, Gu Shang nodded.
“So, the shadow I saw back then—it was you?”
Gu Shang finally spoke: “Do you still fear death?”
Speechless for a moment, Wang Jie replied simply: “I do.”
“Enough to willingly become a traitor?”
“Don’t talk nonsense,” Wang Jie countered irritably, “I contributed—a great merit, in fact.”
Gu Shang said no more, turning her head toward other stages.
Wang Jie and Gu Shang’s match would certainly draw attention. Two stages away, Zhou Ye’s clash with Shao Gu Chen was another highlight.
Zhou Ye was undeniably skilled—he had frustrated even Di Kun and defeated Blood Vine. To most observers, he might force Shao Gu Chen to reveal some hidden strength.
Besides these matches, little else was worth watching.
Among the nineteen contestants left, nearly half were already famed throughout the universe. Those remaining had merely been lucky to reach this point; their run was about to end.
Like Cheng Feng, for example.
His opponent was Gui Xiao Die.
Cheng Feng sighed helplessly, immediately attacking the moment the barrier vanished, striking fiercely with his sword spine.
He knew against someone as strong as Gui Xiao Die, he might only get one chance.
His instinct was correct—he managed only that single strike before defeat came swiftly and cleanly.
Gui Xiao Die remained proud, never sparing Cheng Feng a glance. Instead, she provocatively looked toward Hou Qing Ge, clearly interested in the decisive sword move Hou Qing Ge had previously demonstrated.
Next came Jing Hong.
He had tried bribing his opponent with red packets. When they refused, he casually slapped them to death using the technique White Dew Southern Sky, leaving members of Armor One Sect visibly uncomfortable.
Qing Kong, Hou Qing Ge—one by one, matches concluded quickly.
Soon, it was Wang Jie’s turn.
The barrier disappeared.
Without even glancing at Wang Jie, Gu Shang withdrew a brush. Starforce ink splashed around her, and in an instant, countless ink lines shot toward Wang Jie.
Raising an eyebrow, Wang Jie tested their power cautiously, thrusting forward a single finger imbued with the Starry Finger technique. He would not underestimate Gu Shang.
Yet, the finger shadow shattered instantly upon contact, startling Wang Jie with the immense hidden strength behind each line.
The ink lines appeared harmless, yet their concentrated power was astonishing.
In Black White Heaven, Zhi Nan Xing stood quietly behind Zhi Xing Xue, intently watching the projection.
He had also participated in the Martial Assembly but hadn’t even reached the top hundred. His luck had been terrible—his whole group was eliminated by Wu Ming alone.
At first, he’d thought that fellow Han Lin was ruthless, taking opponents down solo. Who knew that Han Lin and everyone else would be swept aside by Wu Ming instead? It had truly been sickening.
“The Illusory World Sect’s techniques look simple,” Little Blue explained anxiously, “but their true strength is extremely difficult to gauge. This ‘Thousand Ink’ is their killing move, ink formed from starforce combined with their unique Ten Thousand Scroll Method—a star method, really. Each ink line carries the power to slay an equally matched expert. Wang Jie will suffer greatly if he’s careless.”
Zhi Xing Xue took a sip of tea calmly: “He won’t be careless. Those who survive Slaughter Stone Planet never underestimate anyone—that’s their greatest virtue.”
Zhi Nan Xing asked cautiously, “Ancestor, how far do you think Wang Jie will go?”
Zhi Xing Xue remained silent, unsure herself.
It all depended on who his next opponent was. Either way, Gu Shang could not stop him.
On the stage, Wang Jie finally acted. Rain cascaded down, swords materializing within the droplets—six blades appeared at once, unleashing the Sword Rain technique.
Countless sword qi slashed toward Gu Shang.
Her body was immediately pierced through—but all that remained was a smudge of ink.
Wang Jie’s expression shifted slightly. How could this be? He had clearly used qi-sight—had Gu Shang even fooled his perception?
Suddenly, a pillar crashed down behind him, smashing heavily into the ground. Wang Jie reacted swiftly, sending sword qi slicing into the pillar, yet this pillar wasn’t even a star artifact—artifacts weren’t allowed inside—but merely condensed starforce, and yet it completely blocked his sword qi.
Ink lines rained down relentlessly, stabbing at him.
Wang Jie unleashed the Thunder Pattern technique. Though the ink lines pierced through, Thunder Pattern slowed them just enough for him to evade.
Solid.
At this moment, Wang Jie had only one impression of Gu Shang: she was terrifyingly solid.