The Shining Star Above The Heaven

Infinite slash!

Zander opened his eyes as he finally swung his sword toward the massive eye. His movement and the situation right now would remind anyone of Aldrian fighting Tarius at that time. The huge slash energy that resulted from the technique surged toward the eye. Its power was truly tremendous, reaching the level of a full attack at the middle Marquess stage.

A few moments later—

Slash! Crack! Clank!

The slash energy struck the eye directly, and it crumbled like shattered glass. The massive eye that had filled his heart with terror disappeared from sight, leaving the surroundings in silence. The whispers and the negative influence ceased, and the oppressive atmosphere faded into stillness.

Zander kept looking upward and took a deep breath before he collapsed. He breathed heavily, yet he could not help but smile and even chuckle. Covering his face with his palms, he muttered to himself,

"I did it. I defeated my inner demon."

He chuckled again, rubbing his face a few times before shifting into a sitting position. While he was still resting and trying to process his gains, a sudden loud clap startled him awake.

Inside the stadium, his eyes snapped open as his consciousness finally returned to his physical body.

He blinked a few times before finally observing his surroundings. The other participants also still appeared disoriented by the sudden change in scenery. They looked at each other and around them with confused expressions. Only after a few seconds did they finally understand and remember that they were in the middle of the stadium.

"Congratulations. For the participants who passed this phase, you may take a rest for now," Orlav finally announced. The staff then came forward to check each of the participants before escorting them out of the area. The number of those who passed this time was actually less than a hundred.

As Zander moved out of the challenge area, his gaze immediately shifted toward Aldrian's direction. What he saw was his master smiling at him. At that moment, he truly wanted to run to him and say that he had succeeded in defeating his inner demon and brought him pride. He had not brought him shame.

In one of the VIP rooms, Zander's family was also watching him. Knowing he would participate in the tournament, they had decided to come in person. Initially, they wanted to arrive by their own means and watch from the normal spectators' section. However, Aldrian had given them special treatment, offering them a VIP room so they could watch Zander more comfortably.

They had wanted to refuse, but Aldrian insisted, and in the end they could only relent and accept the privilege granted to them by the emperor.

At this moment, Zander's little sister was truly happy, her face bright with excitement as she cheered for her older brother. His parents also wore expressions of pride and emotion, his mother even on the verge of tears at the sight of her son growing into such a strong figure. Zander's grandparents likewise looked on with pride, marveling at how their grandson possessed such incredible talent.

Because of how talented he was, they could not help but feel a pang of regret. For someone like Zander to be born into their ordinary family… if he had been born into a much greater household, perhaps he might have achieved even more than he had now.

"Elder brother is truly great! To think he could make so many people talk about him," Zander's little sister said happily.

"Yes, to think that he could comprehend sword intent and sword will at his stage. Our son truly hid his ability well from us," Zander's father said as he looked at his wife. She only nodded, her eyes already red as she fought back tears.

This was the first time they had truly seen Zander's real talent, and it shocked them to the core. To think that Zander actually possessed such talent was something they had never expected. They knew he had found an unknown cultivation technique that helped him grow stronger, but they never imagined it would allow him to reach this level and achieve something so extraordinary.

Although they were only an ordinary cultivator family, they understood that what Zander had just accomplished was something not everyone could do.

The spectators were still talking about him even after the next category began. The Earl stage participants had finally learned what had happened while they were trapped in their illusions, and many could not help but glance toward Zander again and again. Even those at the peak of the Earl stage could not underestimate this masked figure who stood at a lower cultivation than them.

What he had achieved was truly worthy of being remembered as one of the greatest sword cultivator talents in the history of the continent.

As for Zander himself, he sat alone while he examined his gains. He ignored the attention he had drawn with his display of talent, choosing instead to focus inward. Yet he could not resist the happiness welling inside him, grinning behind his mask. After waking up, he had actually broken through to the High Earl stage!

He truly felt satisfied with his gains. Not only had he finally comprehended sword will, but his cultivation had also increased without him realizing it. He was now many times stronger than his past self. The sword will alone had already boosted the power of his sword techniques severalfold, and with his breakthrough to the High Earl stage, he was stronger than ever before.

While he was still focused on himself, a shadow suddenly fell over him, blocking the sunlight. Zander looked up and saw a figure towering above him. It was a young man with a robust body and tanned skin, his well-defined muscles radiating both strength and intimidation. His short black hair framed his quite handsome face.

The moment Zander saw his face, he instantly recognized him.

'The successor of the Black Dragon Pavilion, Kang Yongjin. What is he here for? Does he want to cause trouble, or—'

Zander's thoughts were cut short when Kang Yongjin suddenly spoke.

"I hope to meet you in the final."

With that, Yongjin turned and walked away. Zander, watching his figure, had thought the man would come to cause him trouble. Although he did not seek conflict, he would welcome it if it came, after all, he wanted to test his newfound power.

Still, to think that the successor of the Black Dragon Pavilion would say something like that… it did not feel bad at all. In fact, it meant that in Kang Yongjin's eyes, he was considered a worthy opponent. Many believed Kang Yongjin to be the most likely candidate to win the Earl stage category, despite being only at the High Earl stage himself.

Although the people outside the demon territory did not fully understand the extent of Kang Yongjin's power, the demon cultivators knew well that he was truly strong. He could battle across three levels, a feat rare even among geniuses. He had demonstrated this strength in a special competition within the demon territory, where many powerful figures gathered to fight for the prize.

Whether or not he had grown stronger since then remained unknown, but if he had, his combat prowess would be truly terrifying. And now, Kang Yongjin showed no interest in any other participants except for the masked figure, he was the only one who entered his eyes as an opponent.

At first, many thought Kang Yongjin had approached the masked participant to cause trouble. But instead, he had only spoken his mind before leaving. This made it clear, Kang Yongjin hoped that the masked figure would reach the final and face him there. To him, that masked figure was the worthy opponent.

This caused many in the audience to be filled with anticipation. They could not wait for the battle format to begin, hoping earnestly that these two would meet.

The Marquess stage finally concluded with only a hundred participants remaining.

With the competition for the Marquess stage finished, it also marked the end of the second phase.

"What a great performance from our participants here in the second phase. We have seen many outstanding cultivators who will bring pride to the continent in the future. Looking at them, we can truly feel that the Barisan Continent's future is bright!" Orlav said, his gaze sweeping over the participants, lingering on Zander for a brief moment.

"Now, before we enter the third phase, we will have an hour break for the participants to prepare. Please take this time to rest well, because once the third phase begins, you may not be able to rest for quite a while," Orlav continued.

Upon hearing this, many of the participants who had advanced to the next phase began to disperse from the arena. Some went to meet their families or acquaintances, while others chose to remain, cultivating or resting quietly.

For Zander, he chose to meet with his family in the VIP room. He actually wanted to meet with Aldrian, but he knew that at this moment he could not, because of his hidden identity. Aldrian wanted him to enter the tournament as an unknown participant who would shock the world.

Zander already knew which VIP room his family was in, so he made his way there. He did not encounter any trouble along the way, as no one bothered him or tried to stop him.

A few minutes later, he was nearly at his family's room when he turned into the empty hallway where it was located. But then his eyes suddenly widened as he spotted a figure standing there, leaning against the wall.

His face lit up with joy as he rushed toward that figure, stopping right in front of him before giving a deep bow.

"Master!" he shouted.