“Damn it!”
Su Ping changed his expression, becoming gloomy and aggressive.
He had intended to hide his ultimate skills until the finals; he wasn’t prepared to use them so quickly.
Boom!
Su Ping unleashed the astral power in his body, right under the giant mouth. A horrifying stream of power began to spread out in an instant, like the explosion of a sun.
In the distance—both Su Jin’er and the young man who had golden wheels in his eyes were appalled by the sudden change. They looked back while running for their lives, thinking that a third lord-level void beast had shown up!
However, their eyes almost popped up when they saw Su Ping at the center of the energy outburst.
Did the guy just break through?
No, wait. He’s still in the Fate State.
But this amount of energy is horrifying!
Both of them trembled, thinking about the absurdity of it all. They wondered if Su Ping was truly on the same level as they were.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The astral power in Su Ping’s cells was released. The Astral Painting circulated quickly, forming an iron triangle with his chest as the center, facilitating the transmission of energy and increasing his destructiveness.
“Break!!”
Su Ping waved his arms. His muscles bulged as he grew, becoming almost ten meters tall. The bones covering his body grew accordingly, turning him into a scary giant.
Violent energy was unleashed from his arms, almost tearing the void apart. It was the first time that Su Ping had tried his best after rising to the third level of the Solar Bulwark!
Dazzling light burst out as he launched the Fist of Exorcist; a brilliant aura was pushed to the void as it headed right into the gigantic mouth.
Light suddenly radiated in the bottomless maw, like the first ray of light born in the darkness. Then, it became bigger and brighter.
Roar!!
A scream wrought with pain was heard, and the Black Shark wriggled crazily as if in agony. It turned its body and whipped its tail, covering an area of a hundred square meters.
Su Ping was already determined to kill it. In any case, he had already revealed his full strength, so he made the choice to go complete the task.
Hum!
A hundred laws were gathered in the void, turning into a glittering sword that landed in his hand; they released a strong path aura.
Flames spread from the point where Su Ping was holding the sword. They were the Golden Crow’s flames.
Slay!
The sword aura was gathered according to Su Ping’s bidding. The Void Sword he had just created was further improved to the Path of the Divine Sword. He also had new creations as his understanding of laws grew deeper.
That was the second move from the Path of the Divine Sword, Heavenly Punishment!
Boom!!
Billions of lightning bolts proliferated in the void; they were just illusions caused by the presence of actual laws. Most of them were Su Ping’s understanding of Heavenly Tribulations!
Thousands of sword auras darted out like lightning bolts, shaking the void and eclipsing the huge Black Shark’s tail.
An explosion took place as the sword auras moved and their energy was gathered.
The void quaked after a booming sound, and Su Ping was pushed back by the outburst; his hair was fluttering.
Far in the distance, Su Jin’er and the young man who had golden wheels in his eyes stopped running to look at the scene in shock.
Such a magnificent amount of energy, and that powerful sword technique… both were beyond their understanding of the Fate State!
That guy…
Su Jin’er woke up from her stupor. She looked at the back of the man with fluttering black hair, vaguely sensing that an unparalleled genius was about to shine in the universe.
Roar!
A devastating scream burst out as the Black Shark became even more enraged. It dashed out of the explosion and its fins grew sharper; bizarre mouths appeared on them and swallowed the explosive energy.
Then, it slithered and flashed to Su Ping’s back. A black lightning bolt was produced by its fins, slashing and illuminating the void.
Su Ping’s eyes were filled with aggressiveness. The power of the Astral Painting in his chest and arms flowed to his palm and formed a triangle with his fingers and his sword. He raised his sword again; this time, the energy inside his body was gathered on his sword like boiling water, combining all laws.
“Path Light!”
Su Ping slashed again. It was the Path of the Divine Sword’s third move.
The sword aura destroyed everything like a burst of light. It was a pure sword of destruction!
The sword’s aura was splendid when the sword was raised, then becoming small and insignificant after it left the sword, flying into the Black Shark’s mouth.
The Black Shark flashed away, intending to retreat from the horror.
However, dazzling light burst out of its head in the next moment, which then cracked. Rays were bursting out from its chins and cheeks, until its giant head exploded into a pulp of flesh and blood.
Su Ping took a deep breath and waved his sword again, unleashing Heavenly Punishment that tore the Black Shark apart and minced its internal organs.
The Black Shark stopped crying when the Heavenly Punishment’s effect faded; its huge body floated slowly, starting to drift away like a whale.
Its iron-like body was already ragged; part of its spine and the rest of its bones were exposed.
“Is it dead?”
Still a distance away, both Su Jin’er and the young man with golden wheels in his eyes were stunned.
Su Ping killed a Black Shark lord?
He killed it easily on his own, just like that?
It may not harness the power of faith, but the beast was as strong as a Star Lord in any case!
Both of them were in awe as they looked at the man who was at the moment ten meters tall and covered in bones; he was like a God of War!
Phew!
Su Ping breathed heavily. He quickly scanned the environment after the Black Shark was killed, not finding other living creatures. So, he closed his pores and stabilized his cells; his body returned to its original size. He felt more or less tired.
He had almost tried his best in that battle.
The third level of the Solar Bulwark can indeed multiply the energy inside my body and make me more tensile, Su Ping thought.
He stopped examining himself and looked at the floating Black Shark. He rushed towards it and cut off its torn heart, then stored it.
His hunting quest had been accomplished.
All he needed to do was wait until the end of the test.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
It was then that Su Jin’er and the young man who had golden wheels in his eyes rushed back to join him.
Both of them felt envious when Su Ping stored the Black Shark’s heart, knowing that Su Ping had completed the task to qualify and advance. It would be very hard for them to forget the short yet splendid battle they had witnessed earlier.
Even though he was only in the Fate State, he had finished off a Black Shark lord with only a few attacks. That was Su Ping’s hidden strength!
He’s a true monster! Ascendant State potential? He’ll definitely become a Heavenly Lord in the future! thought the young man who had golden wheels in his eyes.
Su Jin’er was astonished too, and somewhat ashamed. Being a reincarnation, she had the guidance of her original self, yet she couldn’t compare to him. She was too embarrassed to reveal her real identity now.
Her original self was very talented too, since it had once risen to the Ascendant State.
“Are you okay?”
Seeing that Su Ping was breathing heavily, Su Jin’er realized that he had probably used a forbidden technique that would have other consequences.
Unfortunately, she didn’t have such a technique. She did have skills that could multiply her strength, but they weren’t nearly as good as Su Ping’s.
The Black Shark was more than ten times stronger than them!
“I’m fine.” Su Ping took a deep breath, feeling lucky that he didn’t see anything during the early battle. Any distraction could have left him heavily wounded, even if he could survive with the Little Skeleton’s help.
On the other hand, the young man who had golden wheels in his eyes looked at the Purple Wind’s body. “The other one is over there.”
The beast’s neck had been bitten apart, but its heart was still intact; it was a free pass to qualifying.
He didn’t take any reckless actions. After all, that heart also belonged to Su Ping since he had killed the Black Shark.
“Give it to me. Tell me what you want in exchange; I should be able to satisfy your needs,” said Su Jin’er straight off, gazing at Su Ping and biting her lips.
Su Ping glanced at them, not minding to talk about how fast they had turned tail earlier.
It was pointless to mention it. It would only lead to them arguing that they didn’t expect him to be that slow.
Besides, you could only count on yourself when hunting; he only had himself to blame for being outrun.
“Brother Su, same here. My master is the lord of the Harus Galaxy; he has a lot of Ascendant State friends and there are a lot of Blood Tree Crystal Mines in our galaxy. I also know of three A-rated mysterious realms. My master can give them to you if you want!” said the young man.
He wouldn’t have a chance to compete if he didn’t offer his terms.
Su Ping glanced at them without saying a word; he flew to reach the Purple Wind and cut out its heart.
After that, he returned and said, “It isn’t safe here. Let’s head back first.”
The two of them looked at each other and saw hostility reflected in their eyes; they could only accept the arrangement.
The trio then made their way back.
They didn’t lose their way thanks to the map; it didn’t take long for them to return.
The pressure of the void disappeared once they were inside, under the base’s protective cover. The whispers and the flashing images were also dispelled; Su Ping was a lot more relaxed.
“There are still a few more days left. I’m exhausted because of the battle, so I would like to have some rest first.”
Su Ping headed to his residence and added, “I hope you can keep what you saw a secret, at least until the end of the competition.”
The young man with golden wheels in his eyes immediately said, “Of course. Don’t worry, Brother Su. Just come to me if you hear any rumors. Right, I have Astral Blue Fruits and Blood Crystal Cores that can restore astral power and heal most wounds. They can also improve your health.”
He presented many boxes as he spoke; there were roughly ten Astral Blue Fruits that could restore astral power.
The Blood Crystal Cores were of the highest level too, with enough power to kill ordinary people; however, cultivators could raise their strength with them. In the event of losing a limb, a cultivator could soak such crystals in water for an hour and then drink the mix; the lost limb would grow back. It was an alluring specialty of the Harus Galaxy.
What an obsequious man!
Su Jin’er was incensed after seeing how the young man was pandering to Su Ping. She wasn’t as good at flattering others; after all, many years had passed since the last time she had done that.
“I have great items too.”
Albeit a slow learner in such practices, she also took out a lot of treasures that she carried.
They were just as effective as those that the other had offered.
The young man glared at Su Jin’er upon seeing that, his expression changing.
Su Ping was amused by their antics and his anger abated. He accepted their items and said with a smile, “It would be impolite to decline your sincere gestures. Regarding the Purple Wind’s heart… there’s a couple of things I need.”
He waved his hand and projected the materials required for the fourth level of the Solar Bulwark.
He also drew their pictures.
He had asked Huan Lieshen to search for them, but the man had failed to collect all of them; he could ask his master for the rest if those two could offer some.
A Celestial expert would probably have enough treasures to cover the rest.
“These materials…”
They were dazed for a moment, but then both noted down the materials. Su Jin’er said, deep in thought, “Some of them might be extinct.”
“Do you recognize them?” Su Ping’s eyes glittered.
Su Jin’er nodded without offering an explanation; her original self had heard about some of those items years before.
The young man with golden wheels in his eyes was completely clueless about those materials. He felt threatened after hearing what Su Jin’er said, so he quickly added, “I’ll ask my master and see if he has any.”
“Sure,” said Su Ping with a smile.
Su Ping took out their items and started cultivating after the pair had left.
The Astral Blue Fruits could restore astral power, but they were obviously not as effective as the Astral Source Fruits that Su Ping had earlier.
Su Ping didn’t replenish his astral power until he swallowed three of those fruits.
He was reminded of his half-built small world, so he ate the rest of the fruits and continued his cultivation.
He had to admit that those geniuses were rich; all the treasures they offered were priceless on the market.
Su Ping had some of the Blood Crystal Cores while condensing the small world. He wasn’t wounded earlier, so they only strengthened his body.
Su Ping felt that he was indeed a lot stronger after having them. He had never eaten such things before, and that was why they showed their full effectiveness. The young man with golden wheels in his eyes had probably eaten too many of those fruits to strengthen himself.
My body was on par to that of a Star State warrior earlier on; now it’s even closer to the limits of this level. Normal Star Lords wouldn’t even be able to hurt me, unless they use the power of faith, Su Ping thought.