Chapter 352: Chu Shanhe

Within the Domain, the temperature was terrifyingly low. Even the air grew thick, hindering movement.

"Is that... a Frost Domain prototype?" someone in the spectator stands cried out in alarm.

"No, it’s not complete. He’s forcibly activating it with a Secret Technique!"

"Even so, it’s still terrifying! A Domain prototype!"

"Zhai Zidu is going all out!"

On the arena stage, Zhai Zidu’s face was ashen, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Forcibly activating the Domain prototype placed a massive burden on him; he wouldn’t be able to hold on for long.

But he didn’t hesitate.

"Icebound... Expanse!"

He thrust both fists forward. The ice-blue fist energy transformed into two raging torrents of cold. Wherever they passed, the air froze and a thick layer of ice formed on the arena floor!

This strike had already surpassed his usual limits, reaching a completely new level!

He wanted to force out Xu Wuyi’s true strength!

Watching the two torrents of cold rush toward him, Xu Wuyi’s expression finally changed slightly.

He slowly raised his long spear.

On its tip, a dark golden light began to gather.

He was reminded of how Hong Nianyi had treated his opponents in last year’s youth tournament.

A true Martial Artist deserved respect.

And the way to show respect was to answer their Martial Arts with your own.

Xu Wuyi took a deep breath. Within his sea of consciousness, the Golden Crow Illusion spread its wings and let out a shrill cry.

He slowly thrust his spear.

The dark golden light on the spear tip didn’t erupt, but instead coalesced into a small "sun."

Within the sun, the faint silhouette of a three-legged Divine Bird could be seen, radiating an Intention as brilliant and vast as the great sun itself.

The thrust was neither fast nor fierce.

But the moment the spear moved, Zhai Zidu’s Frost Domain began to tremble violently!

The instant the two raging torrents of cold touched the "sun" on the spear tip, they were like snow meeting the sun—rapidly melting and evaporating.

The ice shattered, and the frigid air receded.

Before this "sun," Zhai Zidu’s Domain prototype was as fragile as paper.

The spear tip stopped three inches from Zhai Zidu’s throat.

The dark golden "sun" slowly dissipated, revealing Xu Wuyi’s calm face.

"This spear technique is called ’Golden Crow Sky Splitting,’" Xu Wuyi said slowly.

Zhai Zidu stood frozen in place, motionless.

His face was pale, blood continuously spilling from his lips. The backlash from forcibly activating his Domain prototype had already begun.

But it was as if he felt no pain, only staring blankly at Xu Wuyi.

After a long moment, he finally spoke, his voice hoarse. "...Thank you."

He knew that Xu Wuyi had held back with that last strike.

Xu Wuyi withdrew his spear and nodded. He offered no comment on Zhai Zidu’s Domain. He felt that he himself had not yet achieved true mastery over this level of spiritual application.

’If I haven’t mastered it one hundred percent, then I shouldn’t give pointers. I might lead him astray.’

Zhai Zidu’s figure dissolved into motes of light.

[Victory! Advanced to the semi-finals!]

The system notification chimed, but the spectator stands were utterly silent.

Everyone was still reeling from the shock of that last spear thrust.

That strike had no earth-shattering momentum, no explosive burst of Qi and Blood.

There was only a small "sun" and an Intention as brilliant and vast as the great sun itself.

But a strike just like that had easily shattered the Frost Domain prototype Zhai Zidu had activated with all his might.

The gap in their power was beyond comprehension.

"Was that... a Heart Image Prototype?"

"Definitely! Only a Heart Image Prototype could have that kind of overwhelming Mental Realm!"

"Xu Wuyi... has he already reached that stage?"

"A second-year with a Heart Image Prototype... He’s another monster, just like Hong Nianyi last year!"

Amid the discussions, Xu Wuyi’s figure faded away, and he returned to the preparation room.

The first match of the semi-finals was over.

Xu Wuyi had advanced to the semi-finals.

And next, he would face—

Chu Shanhe.

...

The scene in the Virtual Battle Network’s main arena slowly coalesced into a boundless, starry sky.

Below was a deep black void, dotted with sparse starlight. In the distance, one could see the hazy glow of swirling nebulae.

This was the Starry Sky Martial Arts Academy’s classic battle stage—the "Star Dome Battlefield."

Here, there was no Gravity and no ground. Martial Artists had to fly using their Qi and Blood, which demanded an even higher level of control.

Xu Wuyi’s figure materialized in the starry void. He held his Meteor Iron Long Spear, its tip pointed downward.

Almost simultaneously, Chu Shanhe’s form materialized ten meters away from him.

He was still dressed in black training clothes, his posture upright and his features gentle and handsome. But his eyes were even more profound than during their last spar, and the aura around him was perfectly contained, seeming to faintly resonate with the starry sky.

[Opponent: Chu Shanhe]

[Affiliation: Starry Sky Martial Arts Academy]

[Life Energy Level: 34.8]

A flash of surprise appeared in Xu Wuyi’s eyes as he saw the data displayed by the system.

Chu Shanhe hadn’t been a Martial Artist for long, yet his level had already jumped to 34.8. While this rate of improvement couldn’t compare to Xu Wuyi’s, it was still astonishing.

It seemed that, with the help of a Miraculous Technique like the Blood Nerve, Chu Shanhe hadn’t been idle either.

"We meet again," Chu Shanhe said with a warm smile. "Last time we sparred, I lost to that one spear strike of yours. I went back and thought about it for a long time, and I’ve been training hard."

"I can see that," Xu Wuyi nodded. "You’ve improved a lot."

"I can’t just keep losing," Chu Shanhe chuckled, but his gaze gradually sharpened. "This time, I want to see your second strike."

Xu Wuyi said nothing, only raising his long spear and aiming its tip at Chu Shanhe.

Chu Shanhe fell silent as well.

He took a deep breath, and the Qi and Blood throughout his body began to circulate.

At first, it was just a subtle fluctuation, but it quickly swelled like a surging tide.

Dark red Qi and Blood poured from his limbs and torso, forming a flowing layer of armor that covered his entire body.

Unlike during their last spar, this Qi Blood Armor was more solid. Although its thickness hadn’t increased, the luster flowing across its surface was more subdued, as if it were forged from real metal.

The armor’s silhouette also clung more closely to his form, and the connections at the joints were seamless. His control had clearly become much more refined.

What caught Xu Wuyi’s attention even more were the faint patterns that had appeared on the surface of Chu Shanhe’s Qi Blood Armor. The patterns seemed to writhe slowly like living things, exuding a profound and domineering quality.

"The second level of the Blood Nerve—’Blood Weave Armor,’" Chu Shanhe explained calmly. "Projecting Qi and Blood to form patterned armor. Its defense is more than fifty percent stronger than before. And..."

Before he could finish his sentence, his figure vanished from its spot!

There was no sound of tearing air, no disturbance in the airflow. It was as if he had instantly merged with the starry sky.

Xu Wuyi’s eyes narrowed as he fully extended his Spiritual Perception.

The next instant, he shifted half a step to his left.

A fist clad in dark red armor grazed past his right shoulder, the force of the punch causing faint ripples in the void itself!

’His speed has increased too,’ Xu Wuyi realized.

Missing his mark, Chu Shanhe’s figure reversed direction like a phantom. His right leg swung like a steel whip, aiming straight for Xu Wuyi’s waist.