"Then we'll use the time we have left to push hard for higher battle rankings. Once we've claimed our points, we'll start working toward breaking through to Universe Level," Huang Wuye said to Huang Xue and Huang Hu after the group had reached an agreement.
After they settled on a time to meet, Huang Wuye and the others didn't linger. They chatted for a while, then said their goodbyes.
Over the following days, Huang Wuye and the others threw themselves into action. Whenever they weren't training, they were stirring things up in the Battle Space.
Amid a frenzied string of battles, time slipped by before they knew it, and the final stretch arrived. Huang Xue and Huang Hu had both climbed into the top ten, ranking third and fourth, respectively.
The two had also made considerable progress over the past year. Huang Xue had long since grasped the Law of Water, and had even advanced far beyond the basics. She had also gained some understanding of the Law of Space. With her long whip, she had defeated wave after wave of challengers, securing third place with her elegant whip techniques.
If she hadn't started training so recently, she might even have been able to take on Ye Wuhen—and perhaps even defeat him, thanks to her fivefold genetic strength.
Huang Hu had already crossed the threshold in the Origin Law of Gold and had a basic grasp of the Law of Space. His secret technique, Golden Sword, had reached the minor mastery stage. Combined with his formidable willpower, this allowed him to resist illusions cast by opponents of the same level. He, too, had claimed fourth place through sheer strength.
The Golden Sword secret technique had been created specifically for Huang Hu by a powerful clan member. Its name was a little slapdash, but it was no less renowned than the Yan Shen Armament, the famous weapon of spiritual readers. At minor mastery, it surpassed the Yan Shen Armament's first form, Phantom Sword Style, and was comparable to its second form, Sky Piercing Style. Since the Golden Sword secret technique suited Huang Hu better, he could even bring out power enough to contend with the Yan Shen Armament's third form, Heavenly Sword Style.
"The Goddess Huang Xue and Drunkard Tiger are incredible. They've made the top ten in just a few years. The Desolate God Clan really is something else—their talent is overwhelming." At a table, a Long-Ear Clan man watched the match and spoke to his companion, a trace of envy in his eyes.
"Right? They really do have peak bloodlines. And there's an even more monstrous one! Fire Asura only emerged about a year ago, and now he can fight Ye Wuhen to a draw," his companion added.
"Look, Fire Asura and Ye Wuhen are about to settle it!" the Long-Ear man cried suddenly.
Following his gaze, they saw the battle on the screen change in an instant. The two had been evenly matched, but now the balance had shifted.
"Haha, Ye Wuhen, you're looking a little weak! What's wrong, didn't you eat today? Or were you off spending time with some pretty young lady last night?" Huang Wuye was in high spirits. At last, today was his chance to turn the tables and sing his own praises.
Ye Wuhen was at a loss for words. He had no idea how Huang Wuye had trained, but ever since Huang Wuye reached the ninth level of Star Level, something had felt off.
Not only had his strength multiplied several times over, but his comprehension of the Origin Law had also surged during the past month. He was clearly catching up. Had this kid been cheating?
Feeling his numbed hands, Ye Wuhen could barely keep hold of the War Blade. He gritted his teeth at Huang Wuye's taunts and said through clenched teeth, "Little Ye, don't push me too far. If you keep this up, I'll fight you to the death."
"Oh, you're mad now? Then come on! Don't just talk tough." Huang Wuye was delighted. Ye Wuhen was genuinely worked up.
"Fine. You've got nerve. I haven't been wasting my time, either. Today, I'll show you what I can do." Ye Wuhen was furious. He steeled himself and used the momentum to open up some distance.
"Heh! Shadow Light Void-Shattering Strike!" Ye Wuhen drew in all his aura, then shouted. The laws gathered around him, and the War Blade in his hand became a streak of light, hurtling straight toward Huang Wuye.
A figure turned into a flash of light in the space and reached Huang Wuye in an instant.
Suddenly, the blade's light turned and veered around, heading back the way it had come.
At that moment, Huang Wuye suddenly appeared right in front of the blade's arc. The situation reversed in an instant.
It turned out Ye Wuhen had anticipated this. After clashing with Huang Wuye so many times, the two knew each other inside out. He had predicted Huang Wuye's Instant Roar.
"Good! Spear Canon, second form—Heaven Leveling!"
Huang Wuye roared as he met the perilous slash, channeling his own laws and transforming them into a streak of red spear light that shot toward it.
Clang! A deafening crash rang out, and a tremendous surge of energy burst from the collision, powerful enough to wipe out a whole town with ease.
Red and white light blazed through the space, illuminating it from end to end.
"Who won?" Outside the screen, the Long-Ear man cried out anxiously.
The light slowly faded, revealing two figures. Ye Wuhen's armor was in tatters, and the War Blade had vanished from his hand.
Across from him, Huang Wuye's white robe was still spotless, and his eyes gleamed. Seeing Ye Wuhen in such a sorry state, he couldn't help grinning.
Then he tossed aside his spear, rubbed his hands together, and slowly walked toward Ye Wuhen. His smile grew more and more unhinged.
"Brother Ye, let me properly thank you for all the guidance you've given me lately."
Ye Wuhen was still dazed when Huang Wuye's hoarse voice reached him. The sight of Huang Wuye approaching with that increasingly unhinged smile filled him with dread. He stammered, "Huang Wuye, you—you'd better not go too far."
"Ah! Don't hit me in the face!"
The battle came to an end after Huang Wuye had a friendly little exchange with him.
Well! According to Huang Wuye, he had gained a lot from the fight.
During their previous friendly matches, Ye Wuhen had always used helping him as an excuse to give him a little friendly instruction.
This time, Huang Wuye had finally managed to offer Ye Wuhen a little help in return. Huang Wuye was quite satisfied. For a moment, he felt that his grasp of the laws had improved just a little.
Huang Wuye had made rapid progress over the past month. First, the boost from his doubled genetic strength had made him more attuned to the laws. Then his first innate secret technique had given him a pleasant surprise.
His second soul clone had finally been born. It wasn't as powerful as his first clone yet, but it had still brought about a qualitative change in his talent.
This had made his comprehension of the laws advance by leaps and bounds. Over the past month, he had honed himself in the Killing Field while comprehending the laws. His strength had changed with every passing day.
By now, his Law of Fire had reached minor mastery, and his Law of Space was close behind. He had no way to compare himself with others and couldn't tell exactly what level he was at, but among those at Star Level, he was already practically unbeatable.
During this fight with Ye Wuhen, he hadn't even used the Law of Space.
Another thing he had gained was his spear technique. After nearly a year of honing it, he had made astonishing progress and developed his own understanding of the spear.
After fighting a variety of opponents, he had already begun thinking about organizing and refining his spear techniques.
Over the past month, he had studied them closely and finally distilled his insights into a secret technique, which he named Spear Canon.
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