Swallowing the Stars: Heart of the Martial God

Chapter 36, the Second Flame Emperor
The next morning.

At Giant Axe Square, 1000 unparalleled geniuses gathered.

Ling Xuan mingled in the crowd. Yesterday's whispered chatter had been overheard by everyone, almost causing him to get into trouble. Today, he had to be more careful and discreet.

Cao Benqi continued to stare intently at him, as if he wanted to tear him to pieces.

"Sir!"

In the distance, 1000 immortals respectfully bowed.

"Ah."

Venerable Beiyan nodded slightly, then turned and looked down at the 1000 young people below, and said, "Today is a good day. We will select the top 100, the top 10, the first place and the second place from among you 1000 people in one day."

"Are you all ready? The decisive battle begins now!"

With a wave of his hand, Venerable Beiyan conjured up a hundred giant arenas in the plaza, each covered by a black net around its edges and above.

More than 200 geniuses were teleported into the arena at the same time, with two people in each arena.

Opposite Ling Xuan was a man with blue scales on his head, wearing blue armor, and holding a broad-bladed greatsword in his hand. The sword was heavy and clearly indicated that he was a power-type fighter.

"Damn it, I didn't expect to run into Yanmo Lingxuan in the first match. I could have made it into the top ten." The man said with a lot of distress, his face full of helplessness and resentment.

"..."

Ling Xuan was speechless. He felt that if it weren't for the fact that he and Cao Benqi were too extraordinary, these guys would probably all think they could have won first place.

The virtual universe system has already matched you with me, which is giving you a chance to leave with dignity, but you're still not satisfied.

"Brother, at least you can tell people when you get back that you've only ever lost to a champion. Be content." Ling Xuan raised his sword, and blazing flames instantly enveloped the blade, causing it to gleam.

He swung his sword suddenly, unleashing a fiery blade of light, accompanied by a surge of heat, like a crimson fire dragon, sweeping towards his opponent. He uttered a soft cry: "Flame Blade Unleashed!"

"Don't even think about it!" the man with the blue scales roared, raising his greatsword high. The heavy earth elemental energy spread out like a tide, condensing into an earth-yellow shield in front of him.

The shield shimmered with light, resembling a majestic, indestructible mountain.

However, the moment the fiery blade touched the shield, the seemingly sturdy earthen-yellow barrier crumbled instantly, like thin ice meeting the blazing sun. It struck directly at the man's broadsword.

"Crack!" The powerful force sent the greatsword flying, and the remaining momentum followed the blade as it slashed at the blue armor, peeling off scales and splattering blood.

The man screamed and flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the black netting at the edge of the ring, collapsing to the ground and losing his ability to fight.

Ling Xuan was then teleported out of the arena and back to the plaza below.

Cao Benqi was already waiting there.

“You… are too slow.” Cao Benqi glanced at Ling Xuan sideways and said sarcastically.

"Yes, yes, you're fast, you're the fastest, you're too fast." Ling Xuan rolled his eyes and went to watch the other contestants' matches.

The focus is on the friends I met during the Genius Battle, the three women including Leng Yanqiu.

The duels on the hundred arenas ranged from fast to slow, with some as fast as Ling Xuan and Cao Benqi defeating their opponents in a single move.

The slower ones, who appeared to be of similar strength, were locked in a fierce battle, fighting for more than ten minutes before ending the first round.

"Congratulations to the young men and women standing on the arena." Venerable Beiyan looked down at the 100 young men and women on the arena. "First of all, congratulations on entering the top 100. You can enter the 'Heaven-Opening Secret Realm' of my Giant Axe Arena. Now we have to select the best 20 of you."

"According to the selection of the virtual universe system, I will submit a list of 20 people."

Immediately, most of the 100 young geniuses who had just won on the stage became nervous. Although they had won, only 20 of them were qualified for the next battle, which would determine the top 10!

"Cao Benqi!"

"Ling Xuan!"

"Feng Lishuang!"

"Leng Yanqiu!"

"Ren Yaoli!" "Amaterasu!"

……

"Naruto!"

"These are the twenty individuals selected by the Virtual Universe System," said Venerable Beiyan. "Take a short rest to recover your energy and spirit, and adjust your condition. The next battle will begin soon. As for who your opponents are... you'll find out during the battle!"

A group of young men and women sat casually in Giant Axe Square.

Ling Xuan and Feng Lishuang chatted casually, exchanging their views on the competition and their insights into the rules.

Cao Benqi exuded a low-pressure aura as always, giving off an impression that strangers should stay away.

When he caught sight of Ling Xuan saying something that made Ren Yaoli laugh so hard she almost fell over, and even the usually aloof Feng Lishuang smiled slightly, his knuckles gripping the halberd suddenly turned white, and a cold snort escaped his throat: "Ling Xuan, it'll be soon. I will personally eliminate you, let you taste the bitterness of defeat, crush you under my feet, and make you fall into ruin."

Half an hour later, the square suddenly began to shake.

Ten colossal arenas, each a hundred meters tall, burst forth from the ground. Dark purple lightning crackled across their surfaces, and a dome woven from black silk threads enveloped the arenas, resembling ten cages that imprisoned power.

Ling Xuan and the others were enveloped in white light, and the next second they disappeared from their original spot and reappeared on their respective arenas.

After Cao Benqi stepped onto the arena, he only glanced at his opponent before turning his gaze to the other arenas, searching for Ling Xuan's figure.

"You're really lucky, you've picked up another easy target." He spoke in a calm tone, as if he were talking about the weather, without even changing the way he held the halberd.

The young man shouted angrily, "Cao Benqi, although I know I am no match for you, aren't you being far too arrogant?"

Dozens of flying discs hovered in the air around the youth, their metallic edges gleaming with a cold light.

The frisbee spun rapidly in the air, piecing together the phantom of a giant beast a hundred meters long. It opened its massive maw, filled with sharp teeth, and with a piercing shriek that tore through the air, it pounced towards Cao Benqi.

“Even the wailing of the weak sounds so noisy.” Cao Benqi finally raised his eyes, a hint of disdain flashing in his scarlet pupils.

He slowly raised his halberd, the tip of which glowed with a crimson light, and seemingly casually swung it forward.

In an instant, a dark red halberd beam tore through the sky, moving at a speed too fast for the naked eye to perceive.

The giant beast phantom exploded like a bubble the moment the halberd touched it, its disc-shaped body disintegrating into countless fragments.

The remaining frisbees spun wildly in the air, attempting to attack from different angles.

Cao Benqi, however, seemed to have known everything all along, wielding his halberd with ease, leaving afterimages in front of him.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!" The sound of metal colliding continued. The frisbee was hit precisely in the center by the halberd blade. Like a kite with a broken string, it was sent flying to the edge of the arena and embedded deeply in the ground.

The young man's eyes widened, but before he could make a further move, Cao Benqi's figure appeared in front of him.

The halberd, imbued with a chilling killing intent, cleaved down heavily from top to bottom.

"Pfft!" Blood splattered as Cao Benqi cleaved his opponent in two with a single strike of his halberd. Then, without looking back, he stood at the edge of the arena, waiting to be teleported away by the arena.

A short while later, Ling Xuan was also teleported over.

"You're too slow again." Cao Benqi sneered and shook his head.

"Yes, yes, you're still faster." Ling Xuan shrugged helplessly.

"Hmph, how can you become a strong person if you're so careless and lax?"

Ling Xuan sighed helplessly, never expecting that the young Yan Emperor would be so immature, seemingly regarding him as an opponent he had to defeat.

Then the remaining top ten contestants also finished their battles one after another.

Thank you 'Free Wind' for the monthly pass, and thank you 'Carefree Wind' for the monthly pass.

Thank you to the two young men for the monthly tickets.

I'm still asking for votes, to keep reading, to add to my favorites, to invest, and to comment.



(End of this chapter)