Chapter 335

Chapter 335: Final Battle

Wu Ming couldn’t win a straight fight. So he planned to use the Non-Abiding Heart Scripture to force someone into a breakthrough—and once they broke through, they’d be expelled from the tournament.

“You’ve got to be kidding. That bald bastard has no shame.”

“Reverse-Delusion Mountain built its name on being spotless. Doing this just to win? He’s already paid the price. If he still loses after getting exposed and drags their reputation through the mud, it’ll be a joke for the ages.”

“Don’t underestimate Reverse-Delusion Mountain. Who knows what they’re really thinking?”

“I just don’t think it’s that simple…” Wang Jie listened as Wu Ming muttered the Non-Abiding Heart Scripture under his breath. A breakthrough?

No. Not him. Not yet.

His lockforce still hadn’t fully fused into his blood and bones.

Even if the Non-Abiding Heart Scripture could push someone over the threshold, it only worked on those at the peak of the Full-Star Realm—those one step away from the Roaming-Star Realm, or peak Full-Star cultivators deliberately suppressing their realm.

It wouldn’t affect him at all.

And Ting Chen didn’t look affected either.

If she were, she would’ve acted.

Which meant Wu Ming’s target was—

Jing Hong.

Jing Hong strolled to the edge of the arena, smiling as if he were out for a walk. “Baldy. You’re aiming at me, aren’t you? What’s the plan—clear me out so this woman can win? So you can tell yourself you only ever lose to the strongest?” He snorted. “That kind of self-deception is pathetic.”

Wu Ming didn’t even look at him. He just kept reciting.

Jing Hong turned to Ting Chen. “Miss, deal with him. Stop wasting time.”

Ting Chen didn’t respond.

Jing Hong studied her for a beat, then sighed. “Rude.”

He glanced at Wang Jie and offered a friendly grin, flicking his red-envelope fan as if he were lounging at a teahouse.

Wang Jie’s eyes slid right past him to Wu Ming.

Jing Hong’s smile twitched. “All of you are rude.”

Minutes passed.

Wu Ming’s face grew paler by the second. Sweat beaded on his brow and ran down in shining trails. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, mixing with sweat as it dripped onto the arena floor—grim, almost solemn.

Jing Hong shook his head. “All this for nothing. What a waste—”

Then he froze.

Wu Ming’s body… was shrinking.

Not a technique. Not an illusion.

He was truly getting smaller.

Ting Chen stared. Wang Jie stared. Outside the arena, countless eyes widened as the shock rippled through the audience.

A human… shrinking?

At Reverse-Delusion Mountain, Han Zhang sat with his eyes closed. “When the outer robe is empty, the person enters. You really did comprehend this layer.”

Those who understood Reverse-Delusion Mountain best went cold with awe.

This was the Non-Abiding Heart Scripture at an absurdly high realm—so high it brushed the Nirvana Stage itself.

If Wu Ming could reach this level, then with time he would inevitably break through the Little Small-World Realm and become the next Reverse-Delusion Mountain Lord.

Reverse-Delusion Mountain had already chosen its inheritor.

On the arena, Jing Hong frowned as the recitation thundered in his ears. He slowly curled his fingers and finally tucked his red-envelope away.

“You bald lunatic. I didn’t even offend you. Why are you fixated on me?

“If I fight that woman next and take her out for you, doesn’t that count as revenge?”

The chanting only grew louder.

Wu Ming shrank further, and his robe seemed to ride the sound itself, sinking through the arena like a shadow and settling around Jing Hong’s body.

Jing Hong drew a long breath, then let it out with a rueful laugh. “I thought the lower realms were boring.

“Turns out you had one last surprise for me.”

He lifted his chin, eyes bright with reluctant admiration. “Fine. I’ve played long enough, and I’ve seen what I wanted to see. I’ll leave the rest to you.” He smiled, sharp and arrogant. “Maybe I’ll show up again for the Wandering-Star Tournament.”

“I’m leaving.”

His aura surged straight into the sky.

The crowd exploded.

Was he breaking through?

Breaking into the Roaming-Star Realm meant he could no longer compete.

Jing Hong was withdrawing.

His figure vanished from the arena.

No one saw the exact breakthrough, but the truth was undeniable—he had surpassed the Full-Star Realm.

At the same time, Wu Ming opened his eyes. His body restored itself to normal size. Exhaustion lined his face as he looked at Ting Chen and Wang Jie.

“May you both have great fortune in battle.”

Then he, too, disappeared.

Just like that, the Full-Star Realm tournament came down to two names.

Ting Chen.

Wang Jie.

The champion would be decided between them.

No one had expected this.

Jing Hong—the biggest favorite—had withdrawn. And the two finalists were the two no one had taken seriously at the beginning.

Wang Jie, a lockforce cultivator, had been doubted from day one. Outside, he’d barely dared to speak, afraid of drawing attention.

Ting Chen had been ignored even more completely.

Yet the two of them had cut down one famous genius after another and walked all the way to the end.

Whether people liked it or not, they had earned the right to fight for the crown.

Wang Jie met Ting Chen’s eyes and felt a strange, unreal chill.

This was the woman his cheapskate master had marked as his target.

—

When the scene shifted, Wang Jie was already back in Suo Xing Jian.

He opened his eyes and exhaled slowly.

Did Ting Chen know?

Probably not.

But the thought still made him uneasy.

If his target were only one person, it would be one thing. Now it was two sisters.

“Are you confident?” his cheapskate master asked from behind.

Wang Jie stood and turned. “No.”

In the Full-Star Tournament, two people had left him unable to see the bottom of them.

One was Jing Hong.

The other was Ting Chen.

Everyone else—Zhou Ye, Hou Qing Ge, Gui Xiao Die—no matter how terrifying, he could still find an answer. A way to respond.

But those two… they were wrong in the bones. Too strange.

Shu Rang smiled as if it were all a joke. “Her technique is called Guang Yin San Jie.”

“It’s a technique that spans eras.”

“The cultivation requirements are brutal. I didn’t expect this girl to succeed.”

His eyes glittered. “But that’s fine. The stronger she is, the more it stirs the urge to conquer. Hahahaha!”

Wang Jie could only force out a bitter laugh. “That only matters if I can actually conquer her.

“Master—do you understand Guang Yin San Jie?”

“I’ve heard of it,” Shu Rang said lightly. “But I’m not telling you.”

He tilted his head. “Otherwise it’s cheating, isn’t it?”

Then his expression shifted, turning heavy. “If you can’t clear her, then the task I gave you isn’t worth thinking about.”

“What comes after will be harder. Much harder.”

Wang Jie fell silent. After a moment, he said quietly, “This disciple wants to be alone.”

Shu Rang nodded. “Don’t carry too much on your shoulders. You shouldn’t be paying for other people’s fate.”

“If you lose, I’ll find a way to cut ties with you. Even without me behind you, with everything you’ve done, you’ll still live comfortably in Black-White Heaven.”

And with that, he left.

Wang Jie stared at the space where Shu Rang had vanished.

Cut ties?

His cheapskate master really had prepared for everything.

—

At the Star Vault Vista, a low voice pressed into the air like a threat.

“Wang Jie must not win. Guang Yin San Jie must not lose.”

“I told you to get lost,” another voice snapped. “I won’t get involved in your rotten business.”

“There is right and wrong in this world,” the first voice said coldly, “and the Star Palace is never wrong.”

“Only by unifying the Star Palace can we reach the peak of the era. Anyone who obstructs the great plan deserves death.”

“You can’t stay out of it forever—not even the Star Vault Vista.”

“So that’s why you harmed him?” the other voice scoffed. “Ridiculous.”

“Was it you who pushed away the Blue Star? Was it planned from the start?”

“So what if it was? So what if it wasn’t?”

“Old friend—take my advice. The Star Palace has a seat for you. Why fight the heavens?”

“If I want that seat, you’ll give it. If I don’t want it, you’ll keep it waiting for me,” the other voice said, sharp as a blade. “Don’t treat me like him.”

“Otherwise—even if it’s you—I can flip the whole table.”

“Get out.”

A moment later, Ting He was watering flowers when her eyes lit up.

“Great-grandfather! You’re here?”

The old man walked toward her with a smile. “I argued with someone. I’m in a foul mood, so I came to see you.”

Ting He hooked her arm around his and leaned in, coaxing. “Who could possibly make Great-grandfather angry? Someone that strong?”

“Just a shameless old thing.”

His gaze swept the courtyard. “Where’s Ting Chen?”

“She hasn’t come out yet.”

“Call her.”

Not long after, Ting Chen stepped out and stood beside Ting He. If not for the difference in their eyes and aura, you could hardly tell them apart.

The old man studied them both, then asked calmly, “What do you think of Wang Jie?”

The sisters froze.

They didn’t understand why he was asking.

“Great-grandfather,” Ting Chen said coolly, “if you have something to say, say it.”

He cleared his throat, awkward for the first time. “He has a star dao master behind him. And that person once said…”

He paused, then pushed through. “He claimed his disciple would one day marry a descendant of my Ting Can.”

Ting Chen’s brows tightened.

Ting He’s face went bright red. She lowered her head, flustered.

The old man spread his hands. “Right now, his only disciple is Wang Jie. And my descendants are you two. So…”

Ting Chen cut him off instantly. “Don’t even think about it. A lockforce cultivator thinks he’s worthy of marrying us?”

Ting He stole a glance at Ting Chen, cheeks burning. She thought Wang Jie was… good. But marriage? The idea alone made her want to disappear.

Ting Chen’s gaze snapped to her. “What are you thinking?”

Ting He turned even redder.

“I know you helped him,” Ting Chen said, voice hard. “But don’t even think about it. He’s not worthy.”

“I—I wasn’t thinking that,” Ting He mumbled, pressing her lips together.

The old man smiled, watching the two of them like he’d just found something amusing. “Words are words. It wasn’t a promise.”

“If he wants either of you, then he’ll have to earn it.”

“And I’m not saying one of you must marry him. Relax.”

Ting Chen’s eyes stayed cold. “Tomorrow is my final battle with him. I’ll make him give up that fantasy.”

Ting He blurted, “Sister… go easy on him.”

Ting Chen’s stare turned razor-sharp. Ting He’s voice died in her throat.

The old man left, expression complicated.

That old bastard wanted to tie his disciple to my bloodline so he could drag me into opposing the Star Palace.

And the old monsters in the Star Palace would do the same—make their inheritor marry my descendants to pull me over.

Both sides were grabbing at him with the same leash.

The girls would suffer for it.

Wang Jie…

Was it fate?

Back then, when I pushed away the Blue Star—was this where it was always going to lead?

Otherwise, how had that man ended up as that old bastard’s disciple?

Who could say.

Outside, the universe buzzed with noise.

Everyone argued about who would take the championship.

They replayed Wang Jie and Ting Chen’s battles over and over, comparing every exchange, every breath, every shift of stance.

In the end, the conclusion was brutal.

Ting Chen’s odds: 99.9%.

Wang Jie’s odds: a pitiful one percent.

Wang Jie had shown real strength—power, lockforce, movement, chen art, swordsmanship. Yuan Mu, Gui Xiao Die, Zhou Ye… his chain of victories proved the Star Vault Vista’s eye wasn’t wrong. He was worthy of Enlightenment Tea.

But Ting Chen was a different kind of unknown.

Wu Ming had crushed Hou Qing Ge with suffocating pressure—yet against Ting Chen, he had simply collapsed.

Most people believed Wu Ming would beat Wang Jie.

That was the gap.

Unless Wang Jie had some hidden trump card.