Powerful and Dazzling

"Qian Min." Ning Yu could no longer sit still. He stood up abruptly and strode toward the person he had been longing for, yet as he drew near, his pace slowed until he came to a complete stop.

Qian Min, who had been resting with her eyes closed, sensed something amiss. She opened her eyes to find Ning Yu staring at her with glowing eyes. She frowned at first, then immediately turned her head away, refusing to look at him.

Ning Yu lowered his gaze, a flash of disappointment hidden beneath his slightly curly hair.

He curled his lips into a forced smile and approached slowly with heavy, expectant steps. He watched her without blinking, and under her indifferent, cold gaze, he sat on the other side of the chair next to her.

Qian Min's brow smoothed out as she glanced at him. "Brother Ning Yu, is something the matter?"

"Nothing, I... I'm sorry." Seeing her like this, a pang of heartache and self-reproach flashed in Ning Yu's eyes.

"Brother Ning Yu, you haven't done anything to wrong me, so why are you apologizing?" Qian Min tilted her head to look at him, her eyes filled with genuine confusion. That was truly how she felt.

Although Ning Yu had defeated her, as a practitioner, victory and defeat were natural.

She had simply realized during that battle that if one was not strong enough, one would only be suppressed and humiliated.

Ning Yu was not in the wrong, and neither was she.

She was satisfied with her current situation, and as for Ning Yu, she held no grudge; she simply returned him to the status of a normal clan brother.

Ning Yu was left speechless.

Qian Min left, as she was in the first match.

Being one of only five Planetary Level Fighters qualified to compete, her strength was naturally not to be underestimated.

Her opponent was Yi Jian, a Cixing Alien who was also at the Planetary Level.

Her goal was to defeat the other four Planetary Level opponents, take first place in the Planetary Level, and secure the most generous prize.

Possessing a domain, she could be considered invincible at the Planetary Level, not to mention her blade techniques were masterful and coordinated with her Fire Domain with such ease. In just three moves, Yi Jian was knocked off the arena by her blade.

With her blade tip resting on the ground, she stood on the arena, listening to the jubilant cheers of her clansmen. Her eyes were full of brilliance, and Ning Yu watched her without blinking.

She was becoming more and more dazzling!

He turned his head to scan the others of the same level around him; the looks they cast toward the stage were filled with both awe and a sense of determination to win.

Si Yao, sitting in the contestant area, watched Qian Min, who seemed to be glowing on stage. Her eyes were equally bright as she sighed.

"Her domain is so powerful!"

She had never seen anyone at the Planetary Level who could utilize a domain so effectively.

As expected of one of the top three of the sixteen great families, the excellence of their descendants was simply incomparable to ordinary factions.

On the other side, Li Yilin, who had watched the entire process, could not help but nod.

Her Fire Domain was used with masterful skill; clearly, she had already gained a thorough understanding of it, and she was likely not far from breaking through to the second level of the domain.

The raging fire was incredibly docile under her blade, and the cosmic origin energy diffused within the domain neutralized the enemy's attacks while simultaneously adding violent lethality to her strikes.

It was a perfect match.

"Qian Min is the most outstanding descendant of the Yunhai Family in recent years. I heard that when she was a teenager, she requested to train in the clan's forbidden grounds. She only came out five years ago, and the moment she appeared, she already possessed a Fire Domain," Ba Ku said.

Forbidden grounds—the name alone suggested it was a place of great hardship.

"She has perseverance," Li Yilin chuckled. Cultivation was an act of defying the heavens; even if most people were diligent in their youth, a little laziness now and then was understandable.

Being able to persist in day-after-day cultivation was already beyond what ordinary people could manage, and the fact that she had requested to enter the forbidden grounds was enough to show how clear her plans were for the path ahead.

As long as such a person did not fall and had a bit of luck, they would soar sooner or later.

With only five Planetary Level opponents, each would duel the other four. The one with the most victories would be the first-place winner, representing the champion of the Planetary Level tournament.

After Qian Min and Yi Jian's match, it was Si Yao's turn to take the stage.

Her opponent was a member of the Red Feather Race, who, like her, possessed a pair of wings—though they were red. It was said that she came from a small faction within the Silver Blue Empire and had followed her elders to Cloud Sea Planet to attend this grand event by chance.

"Miao Ling, Planetary Level Nine Spirit Reader." Miao Ling did not use her wings but instead deployed her movement technique, appearing on the arena in a few flashes and giving Si Yao a shy smile.

Her fiery red wings unfolded behind her, with clusters of nimble flames adorning them, looking magnificent and beautiful. Si Yao's eyes drifted toward them involuntarily.

Every race placed great importance on the aesthetics of certain body parts; for instance, Earthlings valued the softness and thickness of their hair; the Dragon-Man Race valued the strength of their tails; the Ox-Horn Star Race valued the horns on their heads—

The Star Feather Race valued their wings.

To the Star Feather Race, if one possessed beautiful wings, their soul must also be beautiful.

Beautiful wings easily attracted their attention; for example, Si Yao now felt a sense of affinity for Miao Ling because of her fiery red wings.

"My name is Si Yao, Planetary Level Nine Fighter, Wind Domain Level One," Si Yao said solemnly.

This was her first time fighting someone in reality, and in such a setting, with her teacher watching from above, she was naturally very serious.

Miao Ling covered her mouth and giggled. As the host gave the order, she did not hesitate to use her movement technique. With a few flashes, she retreated dozens of meters, almost standing at the edge of the arena, while twelve deep streams of light flew out from various parts of her body, forming a flying fish formation in the air as they flew toward Si Yao.

"Understanding the limitations Si Yao's domain places on her and knowing her own advantages as a Spirit Reader—a very clever approach," Ba Ku, who was watching the match intently, first gave affirmation to Miao Ling's reaction.

"Si Yao excels in speed. If she cannot make an effective response, the outcome will not change," Li Yilin, who knew his student's strength, chuckled.

Spirit Readers excelled in long-range combat, and Fighters easily suffered if they were caught off guard, but this assumed that the gap in strength or law comprehension between the two was not significant.

Possessing a domain at the Planetary Level was equivalent to being invincible among peers; even a Spirit Reader could not escape this rule.

Sure enough, in less than three breaths, Si Yao's silver sword was pressed against Miao Ling's slender neck, securing her first victory.

"The gap is just too wide." Watching Si Yao hop off the arena stage after her victory was confirmed, Ba Ku shook his head, his face filled with emotion.

He was a Fighter too, but whenever he faced a Spirit Reader, even one at a lower power level, as long as they were within the same major rank, winning was incredibly difficult.

This was the predicament faced by the vast majority of Fighters.

Not everyone was a genius; the world was still made up mostly of ordinary people.

After Si Yao, the last Planetary Level contestant, Quan Lin, drew lots to determine his opponent and ended up matched against Ji An. The two engaged in a duel, and Ji An emerged victorious.

Excluding Ji An, the remaining four drew lots to match up against one another and fought in sequence.

Si Yao did not draw Qian Min, whom she most wanted to face, but instead drew Quan Lin, while Qian Min drew Miao Ling.

Qian Min and Si Yao both possessed domains and were the strongest among the five; unsurprisingly, the champion of the Planetary Level would be decided between them.

Since neither drew the other, their opponents were naturally no match for their strength, and they easily secured their second victories.

At this point, the results of the initial Planetary Level matches were clear.

Si Yao: 2 wins;

Qian Min: 2 wins;

Ji An: 1 win, 1 loss;

Miao Ling: 2 losses;

Quan Lin: 2 losses;