In the game "High Martial Arts," players start with the blessing of the Martial God.

Chapter 84 In Search of the Heavenly Demon

Ji Ming ultimately didn't make a move, mainly because he felt that the Battle Demon Arena wouldn't let him keep taking advantage of them like this.

Once or twice is one thing, but three or four times—he's afraid of being beaten to death!

Therefore, we must seize the limited opportunities and make a big one!

"I remember there were Heavenly Demons in this Demon Battle Arena, right?"

Ji Ming thought to himself, "Anyway, it's in the exam rules, so they probably won't lie to us. It's just that there are very few of them, and I haven't encountered them yet."

"The Heavenly Demon Clan!"

Ji Ming was drooling with envy. If even the mere Sirius Clan had such a powerful trait as Howling Moon, what if it were the Demon Clan?

Having obtained a drop of Heavenly Demon Blood, he felt he could kill gods and Buddhas alike!

The key issue is that this stuff is expensive; Ji Ming's entire fortune might not be enough to buy even a single drop of Heavenly Demon Blood.

The individual strength of the Heavenly Demon race is extremely high, and their lower limit is the upper limit of many races. They consistently rank among the top three in the myriad realms, and the human race, if not protected by the boundary gate, is truly no match for them.

Thinking of this, Ji Ming felt a surge of heat throughout his body. He had to get a drop of Heavenly Demon Blood Essence. Wasn't Yuan Dongqing trying to ambush him?

It's still uncertain who will be the hunter and who will be the prey at that time!

Ji Ming opened his bracelet to check the map. If there were Heavenly Demons, they must be within the core area!

The Star Realm Husband Examination is still in its final 33 hours. By now, the Husband's family should be fighting each other, right?

Several hours later, Ji Ming stood on the boulder, below him were several students who had been teleported away by beams of light. This time, he showed no mercy, directly inflicting fatal wounds to eliminate them.

There's no real danger to their lives. These are formal exams and competitions, and priests will definitely be assigned to them. They're currently in one of the four major star palaces, and it's not uncommon for them to be fifth or even sixth-tier priests. Once they're teleported out, it'll be hard for them to die!

As for why the Astral Trials are not held in the virtual world, it would indeed save a lot of manpower and resources.

But as a great sage in the martial arts world once said, real combat is real combat. Even if the virtual world can achieve 100% realism, you can't fool yourself!

Real combat is ultimately different. People's reactions and decisions differ in real combat and virtual combat, and their mindsets are also different. Combat results in the virtual world are not convincing enough.

As these students teleported away, Ji Ming's bracelet gained points accordingly.

[Rankings (1158 people)]

First place: Wan Jue (286 points)

Second place: Zhou Youran (269 points)

Third place: Liu Hao (245 points)

Fourth place: Xu Wenjing (198 points)

7th place: Yuan Dongqing (183 points)

8th place: Ji Ming (181 points)

I've had some good luck these past few hours, encountering several teams and gaining a lot of points after eliminating them. I'm almost surpassing Yuan Dongqing now.

Moreover, he discovered a problem: the teams he encountered were all far weaker than him, and he had yet to defeat any of the top-ranked students.

He guessed that this was intentional on the part of the Battle Demon Arena. The four star palaces would definitely select the strongest and most talented students, so in order to avoid the seeded players being eliminated in advance, the Battle Demon Arena separated them!

He also noticed that the leaderboard directly displayed the remaining number of people, with nearly two thousand people already eliminated. It seems that everyone had the same goal and did not want to be besieged. Those eliminated were definitely the weakest group.

By the third day, he estimated that the number of people would be reduced by half, and only the four who joined the Star Palace would remain.

One hundred people.

Of course, not all of these people were eliminated by other trainees. The weakest alien race in the Battle Demon Arena is at the second level, fourth stage, and they are not easy to kill. Some casualties are inevitable.

A life-or-death battle is never easy!

Seeing the first place score of 286, even Ji Ming couldn't help but feel despair, as there was absolutely no possibility of catching up!

and many more!

Ji Ming suddenly looked at the points behind Yuan Dongqing. If he could get them, it would be about right!

However, it's a bit difficult. Even if the top ten meet, it's hard to eliminate each other. They are not affected by the Battle Arena, and if they can't beat someone, they will run away!

But it doesn't necessarily mean there's no chance.

When the map shrinks to a certain size, the area where you can move around becomes smaller, and the probability of being eliminated will increase significantly.

He believed that Yuan Dongqing thought the same way, so the other party was not in a hurry at all, probably waiting for him to deliver it to his mouth.

Ji Ming suddenly sighed. He hadn't even gotten his hands on the Heavenly Demon Blood Essence yet, and he was the one who ran away when he encountered Yuan Dongqing.

"boom!"

Sudden-

Ji Ming's ears twitched. A booming sound came from afar, and two groups of people were chasing and fleeing.

"It's them?" Ji Ming's brow twitched, surprised.

"Brother Ji?"

"Ji Ming?"

The fleeing group also saw him, and two of them exclaimed in surprise.

Ji Ming smiled, clasped his hands in greeting, and asked, "Li Pengtao, Gu Yi, what brings you here?"

He looked at the two of them, wondering how they had gotten together.

He then looked at the others, a total of ten people, most of whom were familiar faces, having cooperated with each other in the Qingxuan Secret Realm.

Li Pengtao glanced behind him, sighed, and said, "I'm sorry you had to see this!"

"Who's chasing you?" Ji Ming asked.

"People of Xuan Yue City!"

Li Pengtao's face was grim. "Our two cities were cooperating perfectly well, but after the new rules were announced the next day, that bastard Wang Chen tried to break into the top ten. He took advantage of my inattention and secretly sabotaged me. Thanks to Brother Gu's rescue, otherwise I'm afraid I would have been eliminated!"

"It's my fault for misjudging you!" Li Pengtao coughed a few times, covering his mouth, his face turning deathly pale.

Ji Ming looked into the distance and could vaguely see a group of people chasing after him quickly.

He pondered for a moment and then suddenly spoke, "Brother Li, what is the strength of Xuan Yue City? If you trust me, why don't we cooperate?"

"I believe it! Of course I believe it!"

Li Pengtao nodded repeatedly, feeling as if he had found a new path after a long and difficult journey. Ji Ming's name was currently ranked eighth on the points leaderboard. Although he didn't know how Ji Ming had managed to do it, he understood that Ji Ming's strength was definitely superior to his own!

It's impossible for him to stay in the top ten for so long entirely by luck. Although it's incredible, Li Pengtao can only accept it.

"Xuan Yue City also has a team of ten, and they are stronger than us, but if Brother Ji is there, we can fight!" Li Pengtao said decisively.

Ji Ming nodded. It was stronger than Yu Hui City, so everyone should be at the mid-stage of the second tier. The leader should not be at the late stage of the second tier, otherwise Li Pengtao and his remnants would not have been able to escape.

Having made up his mind, he no longer hesitated and slowly stepped forward.

The students from Yuhui City looked at him with complicated expressions. Ji Ming's strength was not outstanding when they were in Qingxuan Secret Realm. They did not expect that after more than half a month, he could actually reach the eighth position in the eastern region!

The top ten are truly peerless geniuses!

Amidst their mixed feelings, they were also grateful. Without Ji Ming's help, they probably wouldn't have been able to escape for long. Although the map was gradually shrinking and they would eventually be eliminated, staying a little longer might increase their points and improve their ranking.

If they are eliminated now, they will basically have no chance to join the Star Palace.

Ji Ming didn't think that much about it; he only had one goal: points!

Besides their familiarity with each other, the reason for choosing to cooperate with Li Pengtao was that he certainly couldn't keep all the people of Xuan Yue City by himself. Although having someone help would mean taking away some points, it would also make things much easier for him.

Taking advantage of the moment, Li Pengtao began to explain the situation of Xuan Yue City to him. "The captain of Xuan Yue City is Wang Chen, a sixth-level Jade Purity martial artist. I estimate that his actual combat strength is extremely close to the seventh level of Jade Purity. The other nine people are four fourth-level Foundation Establishment cultivators, three fourth-level second-tier mages, and two second-tier beast tamers."

"There are beast tamers too?" Ji Ming asked, slightly surprised.

"Um!"

Li Pengtao nodded. "Wang Chen didn't invite the priest to join the team, so one of the beast tamers contracted with the Wind Chime Flower, and its healing ability is no weaker than that of a second-tier priest."

Ji Ming suddenly realized that if one were to say which profession has the most comprehensive abilities, it would undoubtedly be the Beast Tamer. However, even a second-tier Beast Tamer can only contract two beasts, so they are not considered too difficult to deal with.

Moreover, the weakness of the Beast Tamer is also obvious: just focus on attacking the main body!

It is said that this weakness will improve in the later stages, but it is still unavoidable for a mere second-tier beast tamer.

"We can handle the others, but Wang Chen—" Li Pengtao said in a deep voice, "...we can only leave him to Brother Ji!"

"No problem!" Ji Ming nodded lightly and said no more, because the people from Xuan Yue City had arrived!

The leader was a young man dressed in a silver-white martial arts uniform. He was taken aback when he saw Ji Ming. "Who are you? How dare you interfere in the affairs of my Xuan Yue City?"

Before Ji Ming could speak, Li Pengtao stepped forward, "Wang Chen, do you think this is still the East Sea, where you can act with impunity under the guise of Xuan Yue City?"

"You're trying to intimidate people with your connections; I wonder if the teachers outside the battle arena agree?"

Wang Chen chuckled. "Li Pengtao, I was just saying it casually, but you've taken it so seriously!"

"Fine, whoever you are, state your name! I don't kill nameless nobodies!"

Hearing these incredibly childish words, Ji Ming was speechless.

"You despicable scoundrel, what are you pretending to be, a hero?" Li Pengtao roared.

"Oh!

'

Wang Chen curled his lip in disdain. "I've been carrying you for so long, but you'll be eliminated sooner or later with the new rules. You weakling should just admit defeat and make way for me!"

"You!" Li Pengtao's face turned even paler with anger.

"Alright, enough said. Since this brother wants to get involved, don't blame me for taking care of him too." Wang Chen waved his hand.

At that moment, his henchman whispered a few words in his ear.

Wang Chen's expression immediately changed, and he looked at Ji Ming with a serious expression. "You're Ji Ming?"

Ji Ming nodded slightly.

"cough!"

"Brother Ji Ming, how about we pretend we never met?"

Upon hearing this, the air fell silent, and everyone's expressions were somewhat strange. Li Pengtao couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Seeing this, Wang Chen tried to salvage the situation, saying, "What are you laughing at, you piece of trash? I just don't want someone like you to take advantage of me."

"Brother Ji, what do you think?"

Ji Ming smiled faintly and said, "Not so much!"

"So there's no room for negotiation?"

Wang Chen's expression suddenly darkened, and he waved his hand, "Brothers, let's get him!"

"boom!"

Wang Chen exerted force with both legs, instantly creating several cracks in the ground. With a loud bang, a long knife slashed directly towards Ji Ming's neck.

"clang!"

Ji Ming raised his sword to block, simultaneously creating distance. His arm trembled slightly. "Such strength!"

He became much more serious. A martial artist at the sixth level of the Jade Purity realm shouldn't possess such strength. It seems that Wang Chen's talent is related to this.

The two sides clashed instantly. Li Pengtao reminded him, "Brother Ji, be careful, he has a high-level extraordinary talent."

"The power of the giant!"

really!

Ji Ming sighed inwardly. He had seen plenty of extraordinary talents who were rare in Baichuan City for decades, but he had seen them all in the Star Realm Grand Examination.

"snort!"

Wang Chen twirled his sword, "To be able to withstand one of my strikes with just physical strength, that's interesting!"

He was no longer careless. His reputation was well-deserved, and none of the top ten in the East were weak. He himself was still a little short!

"Come!"

Wang Chen's fighting spirit as a martial artist was aroused. He held his sword with both hands, transforming into the image of a mountain. He moved like lightning and slashed out. A dim yellow phantom appeared behind him, and the ground was instantly covered in dust and the earth and rocks exploded.

"Rock-Splitting Earth Slash!"

boom-!

A strong gust of wind swept in, causing the ground beneath Ji Ming's feet to sink slightly and crack. Yet, he remained calm, his eyes flashing with a sharp and unwavering will. Space seemed to freeze at that moment, and his sword-wielding movements were slow yet resolute. The stars in the sky seemed to echo his voice, and a conspicuous crack appeared on the ground.

The sword hadn't even fallen yet, but its power was already evident!

"Star-Shattering Heaven-Slaying Slaughter!"

boom!!!

Two blades of light, one black and one yellow, collided violently, creating a deafening explosion that resounded through the sky. Columns of source energy rose and fell, and the aftershocks of source energy and blade intent spread outwards. The others who were fighting in the surrounding area were all thrown to the ground, their horrified gazes fixed on the place where endless dust was being stirred up.

Li Pengtao and Gu Yi exchanged a bitter glance. Although they already knew that Ji Ming's strength must have surpassed theirs, the fact that the gap was so large still made them feel frustrated.

But now is not the time to think about these things. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the dissipating smoke and dust, where two figures were already vaguely visible.

Everyone held their breath, because this would affect the fate of the elite students in both cities.

Ji Ming and Wang Chen's longswords clashed together, and the two remained locked in a wrestling stance.

"This is... a draw?"

A murmur rang out, but Wang Chen's aura suddenly weakened.

"Pfft!"

Wang Chen spat out a mouthful of blood. A clean tear appeared on his silver-white martial arts uniform. Blood trickled from his right shoulder to his left waist, then instantly widened, and blood gushed out like a fountain. The shattered bones and beating heart inside were faintly visible.

"Snap!"

At the same time, the mountain behind him split in two, turning into primordial energy and returning to the world with a whoosh.

"What a sharp knife!"

Wang Chen managed to say with difficulty, "I lost, and I admit defeat!"

Then, a beam of light shot out from the battle arena and teleported him away.

Wang Chen is eliminated!

"call!"

Ji Ming used the tip of the knife to support his body, feeling a wave of exhaustion. This was the strongest opponent he had ever encountered in the Star Realm Trial, even the Flying Tiger was a step behind!

"It's over, the boss lost!"

Upon witnessing this scene, the remaining people of Xuan Yue City were terrified, as if they had lost their parents, and lost all will to resist. Their eyes were filled with fear as they looked at Ji Ming. Only they knew Wang Chen's strength best, and now that he was surrounded by people from Yu Hui City, it seemed that there was no chance of survival under these circumstances.

"We'll fight to the death! Avenge our boss!"

With a shout, the rest of Xuan Yue City reacted instantly. They couldn't surrender immediately; many teachers might be watching. Even if they lost, they had to lose with style!

"kill!"

They charged toward Ji Ming, who naturally dispatched them one by one from the battlefield.

Although he was exhausted, he was not someone these trainees could easily take advantage of.

The people of Yuhui City were also very sensible; none of them came to steal kills.

Finally, upon opening the leaderboard, Ji Ming felt a slight sense of joy.

[Points Leaderboard]

First place: Wan Jue (310 points)

Second place: Zhou Youran (278 points)

Third place: Liu Hao (256 points)

Fourth place: Ji Ming (243 points)

8th place: Yuan Dongqing (195 points)

They've made a fortune, so they basically don't have to worry about falling out of the top ten!

The probability of annihilating a team like Xuan Yue City is too low, but Wang Chen probably wanted to take a gamble. If he could take down Ji Ming, he could directly rush into the top ten, so he did not run away. Moreover, even if his points were halved, he would not fall out of the top 400, so he dared to go all out.

Once the battle begins, and the martial artists engage in close combat, it will be too late for him to run away!

Eliminating Wang Chen provided nearly 90% of the gains, with the vast majority of points concentrated in the hands of a very small number of top students. Those who came after him would only get a few points at most.

The weakest alien race in the Battle Arena is at the mid-stage of the second tier, while more than 70% of the students are at the third level of the second tier. It is not easy to get even one point. This Star Realm Trial is more of an opportunity for them to show themselves. To compete for a ranking, they need to have the strength of Li Pengtao.

"Now I can focus on finding the Heavenly Demon Clan." Ji Ming breathed a sigh of relief. The top ten didn't matter; he didn't necessarily need the number one spot.

With the current points, securing a place in the top ten is sufficient, so there's no need to specifically search for and hunt down other students to gain points.

"Thank you very much, Brother Ji!"

Li Pengtao was all smiles; they had gained something, more or less.

Ji Ming waved his hand, about to leave, when he suddenly asked, "Brother Li, have you ever encountered the Heavenly Demon Clan?"

Li Pengtao's expression changed, and he nodded solemnly, "We did encounter one, and our team was almost wiped out there."

"Oh?" It was just a casual question, but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Ji Ming quickly asked, "Could Brother Li tell me?"

"Why not?" Li Pengtao waved his hand, still filled with fear when he thought of that figure. The gap between them was too great, and he had no intention of going to attack again.

He opened the map and pointed out the location where he had encountered the Heavenly Demon Clan.

"Brother Ji, please be very careful. I feel that even a typical Tier 3 professional wouldn't be a match for him!"

"Hiss~"

That strong?

Ji Ming was startled, but no matter what, he still had to go and see.

"Brother Li, until we meet again!"

After clasping his hands in farewell, Ji Ming transformed into a rainbow and swiftly departed.

The desolate mountain had no name, but Li Pengtao encountered the Heavenly Demon Clan here and named it "Heavenly Demon Mountain".

Ji Ming finally arrived here after several hours. He was panting, sweating, and his right shoulder was twisted, as if he had just been through a big battle.

Thinking of the bald boy he had met on the road, Ji Ming felt heavy-hearted.

"Such formidable strength! Is it Wan Jue? Or Liu Hao?"

Zhou Youran is a woman, so there should only be these two left with such strength.

If he hadn't run fast, he probably would have been left behind!

"Ugh, the map is way too small!"

Ji Ming sighed. He had a premonition that he wouldn't be long before he met Yuan Dongqing.

Given his current situation, even if he uses all his means, the worst that can happen is mutual destruction, which is not what he wants.

Since the Yuanyuan School arranged for someone to target him, he had no choice but to return a generous gift.

His gaze fell upon the inky black ball of light in the mountains. Ji Ming gritted his teeth and resolutely fled into the mountains.