The Shining Star Above The Heaven

The spectators shouted in excitement. The battle was truly swift, as it did not even take a minute to finish. As expected from the masked man, he was still too powerful, which made the fight end quickly.

Zander did not react much after his victory besides releasing a deep breath. He was glad that his battle went smoothly. He could have ended the fight much faster, but that was not the only thing he was looking for in this match.

What he sought was the experience of battling in this kind of setting against a talented genius. He wanted to know what it felt like to fight one on one against a genius, exchanging varied techniques. In this kind of battle, he could also measure himself more accurately—how strong he truly was compared to the other participants, or even to cultivators in the same realm across the continent.

From this one-on-one format, he would gain far more real experience fighting a strong opponent.

It was different from the secret realm, where he had been ambushed by several participants. In that kind of situation, where everything was freer, he could not accurately gauge the real strength of his opponents because he had to eliminate all of them quickly.

In this battle format, he could compared each other techniques and also the good stage to test his technique that he had all this time. he has some sword techniques but there is not enough opponents that he could test his techniques. That's why this kind of setting is good for him.

For example, the last technique he used against Tristan was one he had obtained after cultivating with the cultivation technique he currently practiced. In the past, he had never tried to use it, as he had never had the chance to test it.

That technique caused the opponent to feel as if their mind was being sucked into the incoming slash. If they could not break free from that sensation, they would become stuck and unable to move.

The technique combined powerful sword slashes with the comprehension of illusion laws, which he had comprehended after beginning to cultivate with his current cultivation technique, in addition to his innate fire laws.

The fact that he could comprehend another law beyond his innate one at the baron stage, when he first discovered this cultivation technique, showed how extraordinary the cultivation technique truly was. It broke the common knowledge that, in order to comprehend another law, a cultivator had to reach at least marquess stage.

His technique then clashed with Tristan's strong technique, which impressed him greatly. He finally witnessed for himself how powerful his technique was and what effect it had on his opponent. It was a special sword technique that he could cancel midway, unlike most sword techniques.

After the winner announcement, Zander and Tristan returned to the waiting area. Zander did not say anything, keeping his mysterious personality intact. This personality caused the other participants to avoid him. It also prevented him from speaking recklessly, which might accidentally reveal his identity.

His master understood his introverted personality, shaped by his experiences. If someone tried to get acquainted with him, his awkward side would likely show. Because of this, his master had advised him not to talk too much throughout the tournament.

The mysterious and arrogant cultivator, that was the image etched into the minds of the others, and it worked, as no one wanted to approach him.

While Zander sat quietly without disturbance, one of the participants glanced at him and could not help but release a sigh. He was Arentinus, who would later become Zander's opponent. The winner of the first battle would face the winner of the second, the winner of the third would face the winner of the fourth, and so on.

The moment he learned that he would have to fight Zander, he seemed to have already resigned himself to whatever outcome awaited him. He knew his chances were not optimistic, since from what he had seen, the masked man had not even used his most powerful move, yet still won the fight with ease. He was not even certain if his trump card could defeat that mysterious man.

The only way he could avoid facing Zander was if he or Zander happened to draw a bye in the next round.

The round continued with the next participants' battle. Zander observed closely while also studying the contestants who might become his future opponents if he won his next match against Arentinus.

From his observation of Arentinus, he already had a general idea of how he would face him. He had even shaped his own strategy so that he could test his techniques against him.

The following battle featured a participant from the Buddhist sect and another from a noble family of the Doria Empire. The fight was quite exciting, with the Buddhist monk displaying his unique style. The Buddha's Golden Body technique he used was truly powerful, able to withstand many of his opponent's attacks. His mastery of the staff technique also could not be underestimated.

In the end, the monk emerged as the winner after more than ten minutes of battle. Before long, the next round began, and like before, Zander observed the fight. In fact, it was not only Zander who did this, the other participants also watched carefully, observing the battles of their potential opponents.

The matches continued, winners and losers appearing one after another, while the participants kept observing. Finally, the battle between slot seventeen and slot eighteen arrived. The moment the two names were called, the spectators grew much more lively, because at last it was time for Kang Yongjin to fight.

Zander turned his head toward Kang Yongjin, who leapt onto the arena. His burly body radiated power, ready for action, while his opponent, a spear user, had already taken his position. His opponent, Areklis Vanreimer of the Vanreimer family, was a handsome man with blonde hair. At this moment, his face was solemn and full of focus.

He knew he could not afford to lose focus in this battle, not even for a moment, because against Kang Yongjin, even a small mistake could prove fatal.

"Are the participants ready?" Orlav asked.

"I'm ready."

"Always."

Both of them answered, and Orlav nodded.

"Then, the battle begins!" he shouted.

However, even after Orlav gave the signal to start, both Kang Yongjin and Areklis Vanreimer did not move. Kang Yongjin simply stood there in a firm yet relaxed posture, while Areklis looked tense and wary. It was clear that one was waiting calmly for the strike to come, while the other hesitated to even attack.

After several seconds of stillness, Kang Yongjin finally opened his lips.

"How disappointing. I truly expected more, but to not even dare attack me? What a coward. Then let me make the first move."

He suddenly shifted his stance as if preparing to throw a punch. The movement of his muscles alone was intimidating, and his fist began to glow with a greyish hue. Areklis, feeling humiliated, wanted to dash forward and attack in anger as his emotions nearly overcame him. Yet the moment he saw Kang Yongjin's posture change, ready to strike, his fury vanished, replaced by tension.

He forgot his displeasure and instead took up a defensive position. A moment later—

BOOM!

Without Areklis or most of the spectators realizing what had happened, his body was suddenly hurled far away after Kang Yongjin threw a punch from where he stood. Areklis's body crashed into the ground more than a kilometer away, rolling several times before coming to a stop. His spear had even been flung from his hand.

The event happened so quickly that most people thought Areklis was playing a prank, as if he had thrown himself to the ground to make it look like he had taken a hit. But they knew that was not the case. Kang Yongjin had clearly attacked, but they could not even sense it!

However, the high-level cultivators above the duke stage could sense Kang Yongjin's attack. Watching from his place, Aldrian could not help but nod in amazement at how Kang Yongjin could unleash such a technique at his current stage.

'As expected from the successor of the Heavenly Demon's Black Dragon Scripture,' he thought.

"Dear, what is happening? How could Kang Yongjin's fist reach Areklis undetected?" Sylphia asked.

Aldrian smiled as he answered, "He is using space laws. Kang Yongjin has also comprehended space laws, and his fist technique is based on them. His strike actually reached Areklis while hidden within the void of space, making it extremely difficult for the opponent to detect. They will not realize what is coming until the technique hits them directly."

He could not help but remember the time he had sparred with Sect Master Kang. Sect Master Kang had also used this kind of trick, which meant that he must have already taught the technique to Kang Yongjin.

Sylphia and the others finally understood the secret behind the attack. Both Sylphia and Bark Jimin were truly amazed. Even with their cultivation being stronger than Kang Yongjin's, they still could not sense the attack. Suddenly, the strike had landed on Areklis directly, and it seemed quite fatal.

Areklis gasped for air, pain twisting his face as the attack struck directly against his chest. He vomited a mouthful of saliva and coughed violently, the force of the fist wreaking havoc inside his body. It felt as if his insides were about to burst from the impact.

He gritted his teeth, at first thinking he had been careless, but then he realized that was not the case.

'No, I wasn't careless. I was already on guard against any attack, but that kind of strike was completely beyond my prediction or expectation.' Kang Yongjin's blow had been undetectable, arriving too swiftly for him to react.

'Damnit!' he cursed inwardly. In his current condition, he doubted he could continue the battle.

"Give up. You can't keep fighting," Kang Yongjin said.

Areklis clenched his teeth once more, and after a few moments of silence, he finally let out a sigh.

"I lost."