The Shining Star Above The Heaven

The tournament proceeded normally without much trouble. The competition grew fiercer with each rise in category, as the battles became more intense. The spectators watching also grew more excited, especially when participants fought each other as the round was about to end.

With stronger cultivation, the battles grew more varied and much stronger, and their attacks could even destroy the surroundings.

However, although the participants became stronger, the challenges inside the secret realm were not forgiving. Many still "died," reducing the number of participants at a fast rate.

This happened in every category, and at this moment, when the viscount stage category had just ended, the participants who passed to the next phase were even less than twenty. Once they left the secret realm, these participants would directly proceed to the next round.

However, although these people were already confirmed for the next round, the staff still counted their crystals to determine the ranking for their achievements in this phase. After all of that was completed and the ranking announced, it was finally time for the next category, the earl stage.

"Alright, for the next category, the earl stage participants, please prepare yourselves. The competition will begin shortly," Orlav announced.

Zander, who was still in cultivation, slowly opened his eyes as a trace of sword intent leaked out before he retracted it. He took a deep breath and looked at the portal that had already formed, then stood up and stretched his body to relax his muscles.

"Alright, participants, you may enter the secret realm. I wish you good luck!" Orlav said.

As soon as his words fell, many participants instantly stepped into the portal. They rushed inside as if unwilling to be left behind or let the crystals be taken by others. Zander, who walked calmly toward the portal, could sense some participants glancing at him before entering. They were clearly wary of him, knowing he was a powerful competitor.

Zander ignored their looks and instead noticed Kang Yongjin, who gave him a brief nod before stepping inside. Not taking too long himself, Zander finally entered the portal. The moment he stepped through, he felt the distortion of space for a split second before suddenly appearing in a new environment.

He blinked a few times, still feeling the slight aftereffects, though they did not truly disturb him. At last, he looked around, and what he saw was—a desert. He stood atop a mountain of sand with nothing else in sight. Raising his head, he saw the sun blazing brightly above. The scorching heat he felt made it seem as if the burning rays were striking directly from the sun itself.

In the outside world, the sun should already be leaning toward the western sky, yet here in the secret realm it hung high overhead, as if it were still midday. This alone showed that the sun here was different from the one outside. In fact, he could not even be sure that the light shining in this secret realm was truly the sun.

All of this made him admire his master even more. To be able to create such a place, he was beginning to believe his master might truly be a god. Such ability was far beyond his comprehension.

Pushing aside his admiration, Zander started walking in one direction. He did not know where in the secret realm he had landed, but his first goal was to search for crystals. At the same time, he remained alert to any dangers that might lurk within this desert, spreading his senses and keeping his focus sharp.

He kept walking for the next fifteen minutes, yet he saw nothing. Not even his senses detected the presence of anything. Still, he pressed onward until, at last, something entered his sense. Without hesitation, he dashed toward it at high speed.

But then, he suddenly felt a disturbance and swiftly stepped aside, using his movement technique. A split second later, a monster burst out from beneath the sand, its massive mouth wide open as if it wanted to swallow him whole.

Zander finally saw what it was, and the sight left him astonished. It was a giant worm with crimson skin. Its circular mouth was lined with countless sharp teeth, and before he could observe further, the worm lunged at him with shocking speed.

Its maw gaped fully open, releasing a strange gurgling sound as it tried to devour him. The attack came so fast it nearly caught him, and Zander barely evaded in time, gritting his teeth at the narrow escape. Before he could counterattack, the worm had already burrowed back beneath the sand.

'This worm has the aura of a middle marquess stage. This will be tough,' he thought.

But he was not deterred. He instantly unsheathed his sword and moved quickly toward a thing his sense had picked up. However, he shifted direction again as the worm erupted from beneath him once more. Zander evaded, but this time he also slashed at the worm's body, imbuing his strike with his sword will.

Slash!

The attack left only a shallow wound, making him frown.

'Its body is tough. It looks like I'll need to use more power to cut deeper.'

The worm turned its head toward him and lunged again, maw wide open. Zander evaded by a narrow margin once more, his expression tightening. The creature's speed could not be underestimated. After all, it was almost an entire stage stronger than him. The worm burrowed back into the sand again, which made things truly troublesome.

For the next two minutes, he dodged, attack, dodged again, then attack again, matching the creature's simple attack pattern. Fortunately, although the worm possessed marquess-stage strength, its mind was not clever, it moved purely by instinct. Zander used this to his advantage, focusing his strikes on the same spot each time in an effort to break through its hardened defense.

Luckily, the worm did not seem to have strong regeneration. The wounds he inflicted remained, and as they grew deeper and more severe, the worm finally reacted, a pained sound erupted from its maw.

Grhooo!

Then, without warning, the worm spat out a blob of liquid from its mouth. The projectile shot forward with terrifying speed, like a cannon blast. Zander instantly evaded, and the moment the liquid struck the sand—

Psshhh!

The sand melted on contact, and parts of it were scorched black. Seeing this, Zander could only think of one thing—acid. The worm could actually spit acid, and now, enraged, it was using abilities other than its simple charges.

It continued spitting from its mouth, but with sharp focus, Zander evaded each blast, steadily closing the distance between them. His eyes shifted to the deep wound carved into the worm's body, and a faint smile tugged at his lips.

'I think it's enough.'

Standing near the worm's massive form, he moved swiftly into position. With a single breath, he took his stance, imbuing his blade with sword will before unleashing his technique.

Meteorite Slash!

His sword swung, and a streak of slash energy tore through the air, aimed precisely at the wound. A split second later—

Slash!

The slash energy cleanly cut through the worm's body. Green, corrosive blood sprayed from the worm's severed body as the creature collapsed, sending up a cloud of dust. Zander had already taken some distance, watching the fallen worm for a moment before exhaling deeply. He then sat down to adjust his breathing.

To be honest, he still felt nervous. This was his first battle against a being much stronger than himself, and the first time he had managed to kill such a creature. The experience he gained as an adventurer had proven useful, and combined with his master's training and his own growth, it enabled him to face a stronger opponent like this.

A small chuckle escaped him as he stood up again. If it had been in the past, he never would have imagined being able to face such an opponent. Taking another deep breath, he turned his gaze in one direction and resumed his journey toward the presence he had sensed earlier.

Meanwhile, in the stadium, the spectators were left in awe of his performance. Many could not help but marvel at the battle prowess Zander had just displayed.

"Amazing! That's a Giant Sandworm we're talking about! Judging by its size, it must have been at the marquess stage. To think that man defeated it while still at the high earl stage, truly amazing!" one spectator exclaimed.

"A Giant Sandworm… one of the strongest creatures in the desert environment. Back when the beast continent was under the devils, they were among the most feared in the desert regions of the devil territory. Their ambushes in the sand are deadly," another added.

"Doesn't that mean he can fight across at least three levels? And we still don't know the true limit of his power," someone else chimed in.

The discussion about Zander's performance quickly spread through the stadium. Aldrian, watching it all, could not help but smile.

Back inside the secret realm, after a short while of traveling, Zander finally arrived at the source of what he had sensed earlier. Something glimmered beneath the sunlight, half-buried in the sand.

He stepped closer and brushed the sand aside until its form became clear. The moment he uncovered it, his eyes lit up. His first find was a jackpot, and the sight brought a smile to his face.

'Yellow Crystals… and there are several of them.'