Starfall Arena

The ten-day deadline passed in the blink of an eye.

When Lin Feng followed Jiangnan City's competition team aboard the specially made maglev train bound for the Provincial Capital, an aura entirely different from Jiangnan City's—more majestic and more grim—rushed over him.

The train streaked through the clouds. Below, skyscrapers like a forest of steel flashed backward, along with more martial arts venues, research institutes, and Unknown Areas shrouded beneath energy shields. The spiritual energy in the air was clearly denser than in Jiangnan City, but it was also more turbulent, as though it contained countless conflicts and competitions.

"So this is the Provincial Capital..." Lin Feng gazed out the window, his eyes calm even as ripples rose in his heart. He could sense countless powerful presences lurking within this city, like vicious beasts lying dormant.

The train finally stopped at an enormous floating station shaped like an eagle spreading its wings. The group transferred to dedicated shuttle vehicles and headed for the venue of the provincial examination's main event—Starfall Arena!

When the legendary arena truly appeared before them, even someone as composed as Lin Feng could not help but be shaken.

It had not been built on the ground. It was an enormous circular structure floating in midair, with a diameter exceeding ten kilometers! Its entirety was made of some unknown dark-silver metal, its surface flowing with a starlike sheen. Countless intricate and ancient runes were carved into the arena's outer walls, faintly resonating with the energy between heaven and earth. From afar, it looked less like a man-made structure than a miniature star forcibly restrained there!

"It is said that Starfall Arena is the product of ancient ruins combined with modern technology. At its core lies a genuine extraterrestrial meteorite iron, containing mysterious power." The Jiangnan City Education Department official leading the team spoke with pride and reverence. "Only major provincial-level competitions and above are qualified to be held here!"

The shuttle vehicles passed through an energy detection gate and slowly entered the arena.

The scene before them changed once again. Tier upon tier of circular spectator stands could accommodate hundreds of thousands of people, and they were already packed shoulder to shoulder, their roars soaring into the heavens. At the center of the arena was not a traditional ring, but a vast area divided by powerful energy barriers, simulating all kinds of extreme environments—deserts, jungles, glaciers, volcanoes, and even a miniature ocean!

This was the stage of the provincial examination's main event! Far grander, more complex, and more brutal than the city-level qualifiers!

The Jiangnan City team was led to its designated rest area. The moment they sat down, Lin Feng felt countless gazes converging on them from every direction. Curiosity, scrutiny, disdain, hostility... all manner of emotions intertwined.

"Look, Jiangnan City's people are here."

"That's Lin Feng? The Top Scholar of both the mock exam and the qualifiers? He doesn't look like anything special."

"Hmph, how valuable could a Top Scholar from some little place like Jiangnan City be? He probably hasn't even seen a true genius!"

"The cold one beside him with the sword on his back—that's Zhao Feng, right? I heard his sword intent is powerful."

The murmurs drifted over, brimming with the innate superiority of martial artists from the provincial center.

Lin Feng closed his eyes to rest, unmoved. Yet his spiritual power silently spread out like mercury spilling across the ground, sensing the powerful presences around him that were worth noting.

In the eastern rest area, a group of examinees dressed in uniform fiery-red attire radiated scorching auras. Their leader had hair as red as flame and arrogant eyes, while even the surrounding temperature faintly rose. He was likely a genius from Lieyang Martial High, which specialized in Fire Element cultivation techniques.

To the west stood a group of examinees with cold, sinister auras and elusive figures, from Shadowy Specter Academy, famed for assassination and unorthodox arts.

To the north, several exceptionally tall examinees with knotted muscles and skin faintly gleaming with metallic luster stood out in particular. They were descendants of Vajra Gate, which specialized in body refinement.

To the south...

When Lin Feng's spiritual power swept across the southern rest area, it paused slightly. There were not many people there, only a dozen or so, but every one of them emitted incomparably pure and powerful energy fluctuations—sharp, heavy, or ethereal. Their clothing was not uniform, but each wore a special badge on their chest: stars encircling the Northern Cross.

"Beichen Martial University... Affiliated Middle School." Lin Feng recognized the badge. These people could be considered half-students of Beichen Martial University. Having received the finest resources and instruction since childhood, they were publicly acknowledged as the top seed contestants of this provincial examination!

As though sensing Lin Feng's spiritual probing, a white-clad youth in the Beichen Affiliated Middle School team, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them. His gaze was as clear as an infant's, yet as profound as the starry sky. It directly crossed the distance through space and collided with Lin Feng's spiritual perception.

There were no sparks, no hostility—only pure curiosity and investigation.

Lin Feng's heart tightened slightly, and he instantly withdrew his spiritual power. That white-clad youth felt like a bottomless deep pool. His strength was likely even above Zhao Feng's!

"That is Qin Wushuang, this generation's 'Star Leader' of Beichen Affiliated Middle School." Zhao Feng's icy voice sounded beside him. At some point, he too had opened his eyes, his sharp gaze fixed on the south. "It is said that he possesses the Star Constellation Battle Body and has already entered the Peak Martial Artist realm. He is the hottest candidate to take first place in this provincial examination."

Star Constellation Battle Body? Peak Martial Artist? Lin Feng's expression grew several degrees more solemn. As expected, this provincial examination stage hid crouching tigers and concealed dragons!

Just as examinees from every city gradually arrived and the atmosphere became increasingly tense, several figures appeared out of thin air atop the central platform! Powerful pressure swept across the entire arena like a tide, instantly suppressing all clamor!

At their head stood an elderly man in a purple-gold robe, with an ancient face. When his eyes opened and closed, it seemed as though suns, moons, and stars flowed within them. His aura was as unfathomable as the sea. He was clearly a powerful existence who had surpassed the Martial Master realm!

"It's the vice president of the Provincial Martial Arts Association, the Star River Martial King!"

Heavens! A Martial King-level powerhouse had come in person!

A chorus of sharp intakes of breath rose throughout the arena. Every examinee subconsciously straightened their backs, their eyes filled with reverence and fervor.

The Star River Martial King calmly swept his gaze over the tens of thousands of examinees below. His voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached the depths of every person's soul. "Little ones, welcome to Starfall Arena."

"In the contest of martial arts, one must row upstream against the current. The provincial examination is a selection, a tempering, and even more so, an opportunity! The rules are simple—you will enter the central Myriad Phenomena Battlefield. There are demonic beasts there, Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, and each other. Seizing others' points, hunting demonic beasts, and seeking treasures can all earn points! Ten days from now, the top hundred in the point rankings will advance to the final round!"

"Within the battlefield, slaughter is not forbidden, but the use of one-time weapons of mass destruction and external power beyond your own realm is strictly prohibited. Life and death... each shall submit to fate!"

"Now, the provincial examination's main event begins!"

As the Star River Martial King's words fell, the enormous energy barrier at the center emitted a hum and slowly opened an entrance wide enough for dozens of people to pass through abreast! Beyond it lay the bizarre and dazzling, peril-ridden Myriad Phenomena Battlefield!

"Charge!"

"Seize the initiative!"

After a brief silence, the tens of thousands of examinees erupted like a flood bursting through a dam, their earth-shaking cries ringing out as they surged toward the entrance in a frantic rush!

Lin Feng and Zhao Feng exchanged a glance, each seeing solemnity and fighting spirit in the other's eyes.

Without hesitation, their bodies moved. Like two arrows loosed from the string, they shot into the unknown battlefield amid the surging crowd.

At the exact moment Lin Feng's figure vanished into the entrance, in an inconspicuous corner of the spectator stands, a gaze as cold and sinister as a venomous snake locked firmly onto the direction in which he had disappeared. A cruel curve lifted at the corner of its owner's mouth.

The hunt had begun.