Star Martial Era: From Mortal to Emperor

The deeper one ventures into the secret realm, the richer the spiritual energy in the forest becomes. Everywhere one can find rare, century-old spiritual herbs and low-grade spirit stones, while first-tier ferocious beasts roam the forest, their roars echoing throughout.

Each player went their own way: some focused on gathering spiritual materials to steadily accumulate basic points; some teamed up to hunt ferocious beasts for stable points; and some roamed around intercepting lone opponents to quickly improve their ranking through duels.

But ever since the news spread that Lin Chen had crippled four players from No. 4 Middle School, all the players who encountered Lin Chen avoided him from a distance, not daring to offend him in the slightest.

Lin Chen traveled smoothly without hindrance, gathering basic spiritual materials such as green leaf grass and century-old blood ginseng along the way. When he encountered a lone, single-tier ferocious beast, he swiftly killed it with his clean and decisive Myriad Manifestations Fist. His luck was extraordinary: whatever spiritual material he wanted, he could find it in the grass after just a few steps; when he encountered ferocious beasts, they always revealed their weaknesses first; once, a single-tier ferocious beast even tripped and fell down a hillside, breaking its leg, which Lin Chen easily killed.

Arriving at a clear valley, the stream babbled and the earth's spiritual energy rose. Around the valley grew many mid-grade spiritual materials, and several contestants were already there, wary of each other and picking them.

Upon seeing Lin Chen approach, everyone stopped what they were doing, looked at him nervously, and subconsciously took a few steps back.

Lin Chen ignored them and continued gathering spiritual herbs. He had just plucked a hundred-year-old ice lotus when he heard a clear, cold female voice behind him:

"You've also come here to collect spiritual materials?"

Lin Chen turned around and saw Su Qingyue standing on the blue stone in a white robe, her aura of coldness elegant and restrained. Bathed in the spiritual energy of the secret realm, the shimmering white aura above her head was pure and gentle, like moonlight, untouched by any dust. She had been incredibly lucky along the way, encountering no danger and finding three hundred-year-old spiritual herbs, consistently ranking among the top.

The two had no prior interaction, but now that they had met on a narrow path, the atmosphere was not awkward; instead, it was more like a mutual scrutiny between two strong individuals of the same level.

Su Qingyue spoke first, her gaze falling on the silver aura above Lin Chen's head, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes:

"There was quite a commotion in the dense forest to the southeast just now. I sensed four streams of qi dissipating from afar. Did you cripple the four people from the Fourth Middle School?"

Lin Chen nodded and readily agreed:

"They surrounded and provoked me, trying to cripple my cultivation. I was merely acting in self-defense."

A hint of approval flashed across Su Qingyue's cool, aloof eyes, and she nodded.

"The contestants from No. 4 Middle School are narrow-minded and lack magnanimity. They seek personal revenge after their defeat, which is unworthy of the Great Dao. Their dissipation of their luck is their own fault. You are decisive in killing but not indiscriminately. You are upright and honest, which is why you can gather such pure martial arts luck. You are more courageous than I imagined."

The spiritual resources in this valley are limited, and I've already plundered most of them. Further down in the valley, a second-tier ferocious beast lurks, offering even higher rewards but also posing greater danger. When I passed by earlier, I saw a glimmer of spiritual light there; it should contain valuable treasures. You may decide for yourself where to go. I have no intention of competing with you for resources; farewell.

After speaking, Su Qingyue moved swiftly, using the "Ice Shadow Step" technique (mastered) to slowly depart, her demeanor unassuming and open. She had only taken a few steps when a five-colored butterfly landed on her shoulder, lingering for a moment before flying away—a symbol of her peak fortune.

Lin Chen's heart stirred slightly. Su Qingyue was cool and upright, never taking advantage of others' misfortunes, never scheming behind their backs, and never deliberately making enemies. She was a rare righteous person among the top thirty-two, which explained why her luck was so pure and gentle.

The two have no conflict of interest, so there is no need for them to be enemies.

Lin Chen stayed in the valley and finished harvesting all the remaining spiritual materials, his basic points steadily increasing. A moment later, just as he was about to head to the bottom of the valley to search for second-tier ferocious beasts, a violent surge of energy and a deafening roar suddenly came from ahead.

Looking up, I saw Zhao Xuan fighting fiercely with a martial arts school disciple.

Zhao Xuan's "Mad Lion's Overbearing Body Strength" was fully displayed, his qi and blood condensing into a lion-shaped phantom; his "Mountain Splitting Fist" was perfected, domineering and savage, each punch fierce and unparalleled, his body hardened beyond measure. The martial arts disciple's attacks landed on him like tickles, having no effect whatsoever.

Under the illumination of the spiritual energy of the secret realm, the crimson aura above Zhao Xuan's head surged, but it was mixed with a lot of black impurities, which was obviously due to his bullying of the weak and his forced seizure of resources.

"Get out of here!"

Zhao Xuan roared and threw a punch, sending the martial arts gym contestant flying. The contestant coughed up blood and conceded defeat.

With Zhao Xuan's victory, the crimson aura above his head surged slightly, but the black impurities within it also increased. Just as he was about to step forward to snatch the contestant's storage bag, his foot suddenly slipped, and he almost fell flat on his face, drawing snickers from the surrounding contestants.

Zhao Xuan was violent and competitive. After winning the fight, he coldly swept his gaze across the entire arena, and no one dared to meet his eyes.

When his gaze fell on Lin Chen, a hint of disdain and provocation flashed in his eyes as he strode towards Lin Chen.

He could clearly see the pure silver aura above Lin Chen's head, which was even more condensed than his own. Jealousy and greed immediately arose in his heart.

"So you're that kid from No. 3 Middle School who got sixth place in the undefeated rankings? I heard you crippled those four good-for-nothings from No. 4 Middle School, you've got some nerve." Zhao Xuan crossed his arms, his tone arrogant. "But in my eyes, you're no different from those good-for-nothings. If you know what's good for you, hand over all the spiritual materials and inner cores you have, and I might let you off the hook and spare you a beating."