Stepping onto the battle stage.
Countless divine gazes focused on the scene, stirring excitement even in the heart of the god-level expert named ‘Lie Xiao’.
“Begin,” a golden-armored general standing beside the stage declared. Above the stage, a floating hourglass began to pour luminous grains of time downward.
“Die!” the Savage Witch Soldier roared.
Whoosh!
Lie Xiao instantly transformed into a blurry shadow, his flight speed astonishing—nearly twenty thousand miles per second.
“So fast,” Dongbo Xueying observed from a distance, inwardly startled. This speed was almost on par with his own.
The Savage Witch Soldier bellowed as it gave chase, but no matter how it tried, it couldn’t catch up.
Swish, swish, swish…
The Savage Witch Soldier’s body began to split apart naturally, soon dividing into twelve smaller versions, each roughly five meters tall. Though their speed didn’t increase, the twelve Savage Witch Soldiers surrounded Lie Xiao from all directions, leaving him no room to evade. Yet, Lie Xiao began using his speed to engage them one-on-one.
“After splitting, each Savage Witch Soldier’s strength is greatly reduced. Brother Lie Xiao can defeat them one by one.”
“One by one? Countless participants in the Divine Court’s Myriad Flower Feast have tried that—how many have succeeded?”
“Even divided into twelve, each of these bodies is no easy opponent.”
The spectators in the palace buzzed with discussion.
Dongbo Xueying, watching from afar, agreed. The Savage Witch Soldier was immensely powerful, its mastery of laws and techniques flawless. Even a single divided body was no weaker than a Mo Lou Beast—perhaps slightly inferior in raw strength, but superior in speed and combat finesse. Facing twelve at once and trying to defeat them individually? Nearly impossible.
Lie Xiao wielded a pair of short spears, barely managing to pierce through one Savage Witch Soldier before the remaining eleven overwhelmed him. “I surrender!” he shouted hastily.
…
“I surrender!”
“Ah!”
“No!”
“Surrender!”
One after another, challengers stepped forward, only to concede defeat. The few who refused even lost their lives.
“One hundred and second, Cang Qiu!”
Cang Qiu appeared to be an ordinary god-level expert, wielding a long staff.
“Incredible,” countless spectators soon gasped in awe.
“What formidable staff techniques—likely a self-created secret art,” Dongbo Xueying mused, nodding as he watched. “At first glance, it doesn’t seem dazzling, but it has no weaknesses—offense, defense, area attacks, killing moves, illusions…”
This was a complete secret art, one derived from the second-tier divine heart, the ‘Space Divine Heart.’
When the Savage Witch Soldier found itself unable to win one-on-one, it split into twelve. Yet under the onslaught of Cang Qiu’s staff, space itself seemed to twist and distort, his strikes unpredictable and impenetrable. One by one, the Savage Witch Soldiers fell.
After half an hourglass’s worth of time, Cang Qiu shattered the last of the Savage Witch Soldiers, becoming the first in the Wushan Starfield to pass the preliminary selection.
“Divine Cang Qiu has passed the starfield preliminary!” Guan Xunshou, seated high upon his throne, straightened and announced loudly.
“Cang Qiu?”
“Amazing!”
“Brilliant!”
Cheers erupted like a tidal wave, sweeping across the heavens.
Cang Qiu soon descended from the stage, guided to Guan Xunshou’s side, where he was seated among the honored guests.
…
After Cang Qiu’s success, though most continued to fail, a few more managed to pass the preliminaries.
When a red-haired man with a half-mask and an aura of overwhelming bloodlust stepped onto the stage, countless gods turned their attention to him.
“Such intense killing intent.”
Even Guan Xunshou, General Tu, and the other World Gods on the high platform focused on him.
“For a god-level expert to have such killing intent, he must have endured extraordinary trials.”
“Look at his eyes—I have high hopes for him. He should pass.”
“Agreed.”
“I think so too.”
Guan Xunshou and the others exchanged opinions, judging his strength based on demeanor and presence. The red-haired man’s bloodlust was impossible to ignore.
On the stage, ‘Blood Cloud’ clashed with the Savage Witch Soldier. His blade techniques were swift and ruthless, his murderous aura overwhelming. An ordinary god would tremble before such ferocity—but the Savage Witch Soldier, a divine construct, felt nothing.
The battle was brutal and grueling, but after most of the hourglass had drained, Blood Cloud succeeded in destroying each of the twelve bodies one by one.
Blood Cloud became the fifth to pass the starfield preliminary.
…
The order of battle wasn’t based on registration sequence—the initial token assignments were merely for record-keeping.
Thus, though Dongbo Xueying had registered early, his turn had yet to come.
“One thousand one hundred and twenty-second, Seventh Plum Rain!” As the crimson-armored general at the palace entrance announced the name, the handsome youth in white robes stepped out. Instantly, countless divine gazes locked onto him.
“Him?”
“That woman seated up there is his subordinate!”
“This white-robed youth must have an extraordinary background.”
“Let’s see how strong he is.”
News spread swiftly among gods, especially since this lord had arrived openly. The spectators’ attention sharpened, anticipation thick in the air.
Not just them—even the World Gods on the platform were eager.
“The lord has emerged,” Guan Xunshou said with a smile, glancing at the beautiful woman beside him. “With his strength, passing the preliminary is assured.”
“Naturally,” the woman replied calmly.
“The lord’s composure is remarkable—the calmest of them all,” the black-robed elder remarked, speaking for the first time in praise. “To remain utterly unmoved under the gaze of countless gods… such mastery of the heart is truly admirable.”
The other World Gods echoed the sentiment. Though it bordered on flattery, it wasn’t insincere. The collective gaze of gods carried immense pressure—a mortal’s soul would shatter instantly. Even most gods would falter, either burning with excitement or trembling in awe. To remain completely unaffected was rare.
Yet this lord had done so effortlessly.
“Begin!”
As the battle commenced, Seventh Plum Rain extended his left hand, grasping a snow-white sheathed sword. He regarded the Savage Witch Soldier with icy calm.
“Roar—!” the Savage Witch Soldier bellowed.
Seventh Plum Rain remained tranquil.
Drawing his sword, he unsheathed it.
“Swish.”
A blinding sword light, like a streak of white silk, slashed through the air.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Seventh Plum Rain moved like a phantom, weaving around the Savage Witch Soldier. Each sword strike grew more powerful than the last, until petals began drifting through the air.
“Pfft.” The Savage Witch Soldier’s body abruptly shattered and dispersed.
Only then did Seventh Plum Rain halt, sheathing his sword with the same unshakable calm.
The spectators fell into stunned silence before erupting into thunderous cheers and gasps of amazement, the sound shaking the heavens.
Unbelievable!
He was the only one who hadn’t waited for the Savage Witch Soldier to split into twelve—instead, he had faced it at its strongest and defeated it head-on!
“Fifteen strikes. Just fifteen, each growing stronger, until the fifteenth shattered the Savage Witch Soldier outright,” Guan Xunshou laughed. “Repairing this thing will take extra time.”
The Savage Witch Soldier’s unique material allowed swift repairs, but the feat was still staggering.
“As expected of the lord, crushing the Savage Witch Soldier at its peak.”
“Remarkable.”
The World Gods showered praise, and the beautiful woman smiled faintly.
…
Passing the preliminary was already difficult, and most barely scraped by. Yet Seventh Plum Rain had done so effortlessly, overwhelming the Savage Witch Soldier in its strongest form with just fifteen strikes.
One after another, challengers continued to step forward, only to fail.
The crowd remained restless, still buzzing about ‘Seventh Plum Rain.’
“One thousand two hundredth—Dongbo!” The crimson-armored general at the palace entrance called out another name.
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