Nebulae Fill the Sky, One Sword Instant Kill!

Falling behind was normal.

After all, they had become Starry-Sky Warriors three months earlier than him, which meant three extra months to hunt Star Beasts.

And among those who could break through to become Starry-Sky Warriors during the June Joint Exam, which one was not extraordinarily gifted?

They might even possess some kind of special innate physique.

Such geniuses might not necessarily be much inferior to Lin Yuan.

For ordinary newly advanced warriors, killing Stellar Behemoths steadily might require repeated tempering and painstaking effort.

But geniuses of this caliber could not be judged by common sense. Even if they could not instantly kill their targets in a single move like Lin Yuan and Gu Yiyi, they would surely be able to crush them with ease and kill them rapidly.

With three months, killing over a hundred Star Beasts was not impossible...

"One step behind, every step behind."

Gu Yiyi was somewhat frustrated as well, muttering softly.

She had heard a little about the top geniuses ranked in the top ten of the Azure River Regional Rankings.

They were basically all outstanding talents from the various Starry-Sky Martial Academies and martial arts families of Azure River Satellite City. More than half possessed powerful innate physiques and could not be underestimated.

Now that they had seized the initiative and pulled so far ahead, things had become difficult.

Even with her talent and aptitude, catching up to them would be very hard.

"Then don't compete. Just be yourself."

Lin Yuan remained in good spirits and did not care.

"The Azure River Preliminary Selection only requires a place in the top one hundred and sixty."

"Beyond that, whether one ranks one hundred and sixtieth or first makes no essential difference."

Lin Yuan saw things clearly.

This ranking was merely a screening mechanism for the preliminary selection.

There was no need to rush. As long as he entered the top one hundred and sixty and gained preliminary selection eligibility, it would count as a victory.

As for what came next...

They would each rely on their own abilities!

Afterward, the group officially began exploring the Minor Astral Realm.

Although they had said they would not compete, Lin Yuan and Gu Yiyi were both Star-Martial Prodigies, each with their own pride and ambition. How could they truly refrain from competing?

They were already so far behind, so naturally they had to give it their all. Otherwise, it would be humiliating if they stumbled at the last moment and failed to even enter the top one hundred and sixty...

That would be rather laughable.

"You killed a One-Stripe Rank Star Beast—Earth Desolate Bull Beast. Experience +20..."

"Your lifespan has increased..."

"You killed a One-Stripe Rank Star Beast—Inferno Starbird. Experience +20..."

"Your lifespan has increased..."

"You killed a One-Stripe Rank Star Beast—Blood-Eyed Star Rabbit Beast. Experience +20..."

"Your lifespan has increased..."

For several consecutive days, Lin Yuan entered a frenzied hunting mode.

With the Goddess Luo Squad holding the line for him, he could fight without restraint and without worrying about danger. He struck again and again, reaping plentiful rewards.

There were massive flaming birds roosting atop parasol trees, their entire bodies tempered with crimson feathers. When they spread their wings, they spanned seven or eight meters, and the flames they breathed were incomparably scorching.

Lin Yuan said nothing. He drew his sword and sunders heaven!

There were also enormous rabbit-like Star Beasts that stood on two legs, their long ears hanging to the ground. Their white fur was as pure as snow, while bloody beams burst from their crimson eyes and pierced through the earth.

Lin Yuan said nothing. He drew his sword and sunders heaven!

There were even terrifying Star Beasts with enormous fangs like saber-toothed tigers, swallowing heaven and earth energy as they ravaged the forest.

Lin Yuan still said nothing. He merely drew his sword and sunders heaven!

One move was enough to conquer all.

It was not that Lin Yuan did not want to vary his moves. It was simply that the Heaven-Sundering Sword Draw was too useful.

The sword was drawn in an instant, impossible to evade.

Its power was immense, enough to slice apart the toughest Boundary within a Star Beast's body. It was clean, decisive, and maximally efficient.

Naturally, he loved this move immensely. He used it frequently, and every strike achieved its purpose.

In just three days, seven Star Beasts had died beneath the Heaven-Sundering Sword Draw, earning him seven Contribution Points and over a hundred experience points.

Of course, it was not as though they had encountered no danger—

"Thunder-Origin Dragon Spear!"

With a sharp cry, the golden thunder spear in the girl's hand shot forth and instantly pierced through the silver-white giant wolf howling toward the sky before her. Lightning raged, tearing it apart.

Contribution Points +1.

Just as the girl was rejoicing, an enraged wolf howl suddenly rang out. Icy murderous intent rolled over them like a tidal wave, chilling them to the bone.

"Tap—"

From the forest, a silver-white giant wolf with brighter fur and a larger frame slowly emerged. Rage churned in its narrow eyes, and frost condensed beneath every step it took.

Although there was only one Star Pattern on its forehead, that pattern was exceptionally bright, faintly radiating a glow like swirling nebulae.

The enormous stellar force fluctuations it emitted far surpassed those of any Star Beast they had hunted before, bringing Lin Yuan immense pressure.

"They're both One-Pattern Star Beasts. Why does this one feel so much stronger?"

Supporting Gu Yiyi, who had been drained after using the Thunder-Origin Dragon Spear, Lin Yuan stared fixedly at the extraordinary silver-white giant wolf before him, astonishment filling his heart.

"Just like us human Starry-Sky Warriors, the First Realm of Mortal Transcendence is divided into nine stages according to the amount of Natal Stellar Force tempered."

"Among Star Beasts of the same rank, there are strong and weak ones as well."

At this moment, the expressions of the women from the Goddess Luo Squad became slightly grave.

The tall, imposing beauty holding a blood-red battle sword stepped forward and stood in front of Lin Yuan and Gu Yiyi.

Her expression was indifferent, her gaze solemn.

"The ones you killed before were all the most ordinary One-Pattern Star Beasts. The Boundaries within their bodies had not yet matured, and the stellar force they nurtured was relatively limited."

"Reflected in the Star Patterns on their foreheads, they appeared like scattered starlight—thin and faint. Their strength was low, so naturally you could kill them easily."

She spoke softly, her eyes never leaving the giant wolf before her.

"This one is different."

"Look at the Star Pattern on its forehead. It is incomparably bright, its stellar force dense and abundant, displaying the phenomenon of nebulae filling the sky."

"It already bears the traits of a Lord-Rank Star Beast."

"It is probably comparable to a warrior at the Fourth Order of Mortal Transcendence Realm or above..."

Lord Rank?

Comparable to a Fourth Order Mortal Transcendence Realm warrior on the human Stellar Martial Path!

Lin Yuan raised his brows.

Four times nine was thirty-six... A Fourth Order Mortal Transcendence Realm warrior had already tempered thirty-six strands of Natal Stellar Force. It was not on the same level as two rookies like them.

No wonder it exerted such overwhelming stellar force pressure on them.

Since that was the case...

Lin Yuan decisively retreated with Gu Yiyi, moving away from the battlefield.

The corners of Wu Junru's lips lifted, then her gaze gradually turned cold.

A strand of azure light flashed past.

"Whoosh—"

Threads of stellar force flowed from her body like a gauzy robe, yet also like blue flames, flickering and rising upward.

At the same time, the formerly enraged and ferocious silver-white giant wolf visibly began to panic.

Because the stellar force pressure erupting from the human before it was actually even stronger than its own!

"Since you came to us of your own accord, stay here with the rest..."

Wu Junru was draped in a gauzy robe of blue flames, her snow-white chest faintly visible beneath it, giving off an immense sense of oppression.

She spoke coldly and raised the blood-red battle sword in her hand.

A killing intent ten, even a hundred times sharper than before gradually rose.

"Awoo—"

The silver-white giant wolf was afraid. It kept retreating.

That stellar force fluctuation pressured it so heavily that it did not even dare turn around and flee, fearing that the instant it turned its head, it would be slain.

"Crescent Sky Rush!"

Unfortunately, Wu Junru, now fighting at full strength, did not dawdle as she had when dealing with the Earth Desolate Bull Beast. Instead, she immediately unleashed her killing move.

"Shing!"

A gigantic sword aura dozens of meters long swept out, its might overwhelming.

In a single instant, it split the enormous silver-white wolf in two. It even retained power afterward, shattering everything in its path inch by inch and tearing apart every giant tree across more than a hundred meters of forest.

"..."

Lin Yuan stared in stunned silence.

So this was Sister Ru's true strength?

A One-Pattern Lord-Rank Star Beast at least comparable to the Fourth Order of Mortal Transcendence Realm had been instantly killed with a single sword strike?

Just how many strands of Natal Stellar Force had she tempered?

"Terrifying indeed..."