Shi Feng

A low murmur of surprise rose from the Star Level section of the spectator stands.

"What was that just now? The Earth Domain can be used to attack like that?"

"I didn't feel much pressure from his domain, but that vibration... It was bizarre!"

"The intelligence on Qin Zhao was wrong! He's definitely not just at the first level of the domain!"

"Lie Yuan had been at Planet Level for over two hundred years. He'd comprehended a domain more than a hundred years ago, and had spent all that time building on it! That newcomer seems to have joined the Holy Land less than a year ago, yet he can crush Lie Yuan's century of experience with domains?"

The battles that followed became almost a one-man show for Qin Zhao. Whether his opponent was a Wind-style prodigy known for speed, a Metal-style powerhouse with astonishing attacks, or a tricky Wood-style or Light-style fighter, none could stand up to him.

Earth Pulse Guard gave him nearly absolute defense at Planet Level, as well as powerful control over his surroundings. Shockwave became an omnipresent wave of death. Often, before an opponent could get close—or just as they launched an attack—the unpredictable force of vibration would inflict severe internal injuries and defeat them on the spot.

He didn't use even a trace of the power of law. Relying solely on his profound understanding of the mystery of "Pulse of the Earth" and the combination of these two secret arts, he displayed overwhelming strength.

His ranking shot up. Each victory was as solid as bedrock, unassailable. The students and spectators who had looked down on this newly risen prodigy had long since become shocked and wary.

"His domain... is definitely more than one level!" declared a Universe Level Core Student.

"With power like that, his domain is at least at the fifth level!"

"Looks like this Planet Level Ranking Battle will be worth watching. I wonder who's stronger, him or 'Shi Feng'?"

Shi Feng was widely recognized as the strongest Planet Level fighter in the Glacier Sacred Land. He came from the strongest region, the "Ice Ripple Divine Realm"! According to the intelligence, he had already advanced his domain to the seventh level and had also cultivated an offensive secret art to an extremely high level. He was the clear favorite to win this Ranking Battle.

"I still think Shi Feng is stronger. I heard he's been at Planet Level for nearly three hundred years!"

"But don't forget Lie Yuan. Hadn't he been at Planet Level for over a hundred years too? And Qin Zhao still crushed him!"

"It's not the same. Lie Yuan's talent can't compare to Shi Feng's at all! Lie Yuan lingered at Planet Level because he wouldn't be able to adapt to the competition at Star Level if he broke through. His resources would dwindle rapidly, and he was afraid of that happening, so he didn't dare advance! Shi Feng is different. The reason he hasn't broken through to Star Level yet is that a powerful figure set him a condition for becoming a disciple!"

"What condition?"

"To comprehend a trace of a law while still at Planet Level!"

"..."

After a series of fierce battles, the final match between Qin Zhao and Shi Feng began without a hint of suspense.

The final arena was a vast desert. Gale-force winds sent yellow sand sweeping across the sky, blotting out the sun.

Shi Feng was tall and powerfully built, his skin the color of stone. He held a massive stone warhammer, his gaze as steady as a mountain. Looking at Qin Zhao, he said in a low voice, "Qin Zhao, your strength is beyond what I expected. But I'm determined to claim the Longke Race Bloodline Evolution Agent!"

Qin Zhao replied calmly, "May the best man win."

There were no more words. The battle erupted at once!

Shi Feng let out a roar, and his ocher domain unfolded with a conception that fused "heaviness" and "solidity." Clearly, his comprehension of the Earth Element aspect of the Law of Earth was profound! He stepped forward, and the entire desert seemed to tremble with him. His hammer came crashing down on Qin Zhao with the force to shatter mountains and split the earth! Before the hammer even landed, its terrifying pressure sent the surrounding sand surging downward.

Qin Zhao's gaze sharpened. He didn't dare be careless. He drove Earth Pulse Guard to its limit, surrounding himself with a thick barrier of light. At the same time, he rooted himself to the ground, connecting with the desert beneath him. "Boom!" The hammer slammed into the barrier with a deafening crash. The barrier shuddered violently, but held firm.

"He blocked it?"

A flicker of surprise crossed Shi Feng's eyes. His hammer blow contained the "heaviness" of a seventh-level Earth Domain, and was combined with the third-tier Origin Force warhammer in his hand, "Mountain Splitter." Ordinary Star Level fighters wouldn't dare take it head-on; even if they could block it, they'd be sent flying or severely injured.

But Qin Zhao had not only taken the blow head-on—the seemingly thin ocher barrier had shuddered violently yet remained resilient and unbroken. It had even redirected most of the rebound force into the ground, while Qin Zhao himself hadn't moved an inch.

"What a powerful defensive secret art!" Shi Feng thought grimly, abandoning his last trace of disdain. He could sense that Qin Zhao's domain might be inferior to his own, but his understanding and application of power—especially in defense—were terrifyingly refined.

"Let's see how many blows you can take!"

Shi Feng growled and charged again like a savage dragon. As he swung the giant hammer, countless hammer shadows filled the air. Each blow was heavy and forceful, drawing in the surrounding Earth-style cosmic energy and creating an area of abnormal gravity. He meant to use his overwhelming strength and domain advantage to break through Qin Zhao's defense by force.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

A relentless barrage of hammer blows crashed down on the barrier of Earth Pulse Guard, each one ringing out with a deafening boom. The sand collapsed around them, forming a vast crater. The barrier shuddered violently, ripples spreading across its surface as if it might break at any moment, yet it held firm.

Qin Zhao remained calm at the center of the barrier. His feet seemed fused with the earth, drawing on the land's power without pause to replenish the energy the barrier consumed. Shi Feng's assault was fierce, but Earth Pulse Guard deftly dispersed most of its force and channeled it underground. Qin Zhao was like a reef amid raging currents: no matter how furious the waves, he stood unmoved.

"My turn." In a lull between another furious barrage of hammer blows, Qin Zhao's eyes flashed. At last, he moved after holding the defensive line all this time. He didn't dodge. Instead, he raised his right hand once more, facing the dense shadows of the hammer.

"Shockwave: Thousand Fold Waves!"

This time, he held nothing back, pouring nearly seventy percent of his comprehension of the mystery of "Pulse of the Earth" into the technique! He didn't aim at Shi Feng's body. Instead, he targeted the frenzied hammer in his hands and the core of the domain field it stirred up!

"Vmmm—"

An ocher ripple, more focused and profound than any that had come before, spread silently outward. It made no earth-shaking display, yet carried a strange power of penetration and a resonant frequency. In an instant, it swept across Shi Feng's giant hammer and his Earth Domain.

"Hm?"

Shi Feng's expression changed sharply! The Mountain Splitter Hammer in his hands suddenly felt unbearably heavy, and began to vibrate at an intense, high frequency. The shock numbed his palm, and the hammer nearly slipped from his grasp! Even more alarming, his vaunted seventh-level Earth Domain wavered as the strange ripple passed through it. It was as if a stone had been tossed into a still lake, sending ripples across the surface and throwing the domain's very structure into disarray!

The vibration threw off his hammer's momentum as it struck toward Qin Zhao.

"How is this possible? This vibration attack can affect my domain and my Origin Force weapon?"

A storm surged in Shi Feng's heart. A domain was the key to comprehending the laws. It was also the manifestation of one's will combining with Origin Force to draw upon the cosmic energy, and its structure was relatively stable. Yet his opponent's vibrations could provoke resonance in his domain—even interfere with it? This was completely beyond his understanding of offensive secret arts!