Chapter 138 - 137: Star Shining Nine Heavens

Martial Combat Platform Number 1.

SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!

Luo Tian landed several slaps across the Seventh Prince’s face and stated with conviction, "The referee said I could."

Offstage.

The geniuses from the various Wu Mansions were dumbfounded. They were utterly shocked by Luo Tian’s outrageous behavior, frozen in disbelief.

The referee was speechless.

Luo Tian had indeed "consulted" him before hitting the Seventh Prince. Now he was slapping him with such self-assurance, leaving the referee to take the blame for some reason.

"St... Stop!"

Referee Hua Xu snapped out of it, thoroughly annoyed. In all his years of refereeing, he had never seen such a brazen contestant.

In a moment of carelessness, he had been completely played by Luo Tian.

When Luo Tian had prompted the referee, the Seventh Prince did indeed seem to still have some fight left in him.

However...

Luo Tian and the Seventh Prince had clashed head-on over a hundred times. Although Luo Tian had only used a fraction of his Divine Vein Power, it was like boiling a frog in lukewarm water—the Cold Power had gradually seeped deep into the Seventh Prince’s body.

Until the very end.

Luo Tian’s "Starfire, Spreading Like Wildfire" had coated the Seventh Prince’s body in frost, the Cold Power intertwining within and without.

In this state...

When the Seventh Prince tried to forcibly circulate his True Qi to dispel the surface-level Cold Power, it instead triggered the Cold Power within, causing him to lose all combat capability.

And so...

...the scene unfolded: the referee had been duped, and Luo Tian was now "legally" slapping the Seventh Prince.

On the viewing platform.

The members of the Royal Family and the Holy Mansion’s upper echelons were also stunned.

"Father Emperor,"

Crown Prince Li Sheng spoke respectfully in a low voice, "He is that Luo Tian. It seems my Seventh Imperial Brother made an enemy of him over a woman."

"Oh? So he’s that Luo Tian?"

A sharp glint flashed in the Azure Cloud Monarch’s eyes as he sank into deep thought.

At the mention of Luo Tian...

...the Monarch recalled the Divine Marvelous Medicine Formula that had restored his masculine vigor.

He also remembered the recent incident with the "Spring and Autumn Insect" that had nearly killed him. According to the Eldest Princess, it was this very youth who had seen through the plot.

One could say...

...Luo Tian had not only ensured the Monarch’s personal happiness but was also his savior.

"Monarch! This man struck a Prince in public, damaging the dignity of the Royal Family! He must be severely punished...!"

A royal eunuch interjected, seizing the opportunity.

’Hitting a Prince right in front of the Monarch... given the Sovereign of Azure Cloud Country’s temperament, he’ll never let this slide.’

Furthermore, this particular eunuch had been bribed by the Seventh Prince.

SLAP!

With the sharp crack of a slap, the Sovereign of Azure Cloud Country struck the eunuch with the back of his hand.

"Monarch..."

The eunuch, scared out of his wits, fell to his knees and begged for mercy, utterly baffled.

"That young man did well to hit him!"

The Sovereign of Azure Cloud Country’s expression was stern as he snorted coldly. "Bickering jealously over a woman—what a disgrace! This time, it’s a good opportunity for my seventh son to learn a lesson."

"The Monarch is wise and just!"

"This is a fair and just competition on the same stage. The Monarch truly governs with a firm hand."

On the viewing platform, the various high-level figures, after a moment of stunned silence, quickly chimed in with agreement.

Crown Prince Li Sheng was a bit dazed.

His earlier words were meant to kill two birds with one stone.

First, to give his father the impression that the Seventh Prince was a jealous philanderer.

Second, even if Luo Tian had his merits, he had still struck a Prince in public, which damaged the reputation of both the Royal Family and the Monarch.

Given the Monarch’s personality, he should have grown displeased with Luo Tian.

But he had never expected this.

Not only was the Monarch not displeased, but he had actually exclaimed that it was "well done," leaving the Crown Prince utterly perplexed.

"Number 66 wins!"

Referee Hua Xu announced the result, giving Luo Tian a long, hard look.

The Seventh Prince’s face was pale and filled with resentment. Gritting his teeth, he staggered off the Martial Combat Platform.

UPROAR!

The crowd offstage finally reacted, and an uproar ensued.

"Luo Tian actually defeated the Seventh Prince, who’s ranked seventh on the Human List!"

"Doesn’t that mean he has the strength of someone in the top ten, or maybe even the top five, of the Human List?"

The crowd was still reeling from the shock.

Those who knew Luo Tian, such as Senior Jin, Nangong Yu, and Xie Lin, were shocked but also somewhat gratified.

Liu Ziyan’s face was drained of color, her delicate body trembling uncontrollably.

Luo Tian’s earlier words had come true.

He hadn’t just slapped her; he had slapped the man backing her, too.

"This child... he can be considered the biggest dark horse of this Martial Mansion Grand Gathering."

The Cloud Heaven Sect Master and the Wu Kun Mansion Master exchanged a look, their faces filled with surprise.

To think that Sun Chasing, the lowest-ranked of the Three Great Holy Mansions, would produce such an astonishing prodigy.

"This kid... he’s actually brought glory to the Sun Chasing Holy Mansion."

Vice Manor Master Yue wore an appreciative expression, but he felt a little awkward inside.

Luo Tian was a genius ranked thirtieth on the Human List; logically, it should have been difficult for him to even break into the top twenty.

Before the Martial Mansion Grand Gathering...

...Vice Manor Master Yue had criticized him for being arrogant and conceited.

Who would have thought?

Luo Tian had defeated one prodigy after another, displaying terrifying strength on par with the top five of the Human List. Vice Manor Master Yue felt his own face burn with shame.

...

After stepping off Platform 1...

...Luo Tian immediately sat down cross-legged, seizing the opportunity to consolidate his newly advanced cultivation.

WHOOSH!

His Guiyuan True Qi began to open up the ninth Qi Vein, the one located deepest within the body. In return, a vast surge of latent human potential flowed back into him.

At the Ninth Layer of Meridian Opening, each subsequent advancement brought a greater increase in power.

This was why, after his breakthrough, Luo Tian was able to completely crush Li Yao, who was ranked seventh on the Human List.

Before his breakthrough, defeating Li Yao would have required a bitter struggle and a considerable price.

As quickly as possible...

...Luo Tian’s Guiyuan True Qi carved out one-sixth of his ninth Qi Vein. He decided to stabilize his condition there for now.

Time was tight, and his cultivation had not been fully consolidated.

Before long...

...the sixth round of matches in Division 1 came to an end.

At this point...

...the only ones left with a six-match winning streak were Luo Tian and Xia Bingyue.

In other words...

...Luo Tian and Xia Bingyue were destined to face each other in the seventh round!

Even though Luo Tian had advanced to the Ninth Layer of Meridian Opening, he still had no chance of victory against Xia Bingyue, the top-ranked genius on the Human List.

Xia Bingyue’s strength surpassed that of all other contemporary geniuses in the Azure Cloud Kingdom; she was on an unimaginable level.

Even the Seventh Prince could probably be defeated by her in just one or two strikes.

Luo Tian had the Creation Celestial Book perform an inference on his chances of victory.

’Less than a twenty percent chance of winning.’

The Celestial Book’s answer was about the same as Luo Tian’s own assessment.

Such odds were already a huge improvement.

Before his breakthrough, Xia Bingyue had seemed utterly invincible to him.

"Number 1 versus Number 66."

As the seventh round began, Referee Hua Xu made the announcement, shooting Luo Tian a look filled with schadenfreude.

As soon as he finished speaking...

...Xia Bingyue, dressed in robes as white as snow, appeared. With skin like ice and bones of jade, her black hair cascading like a waterfall, she looked like a Nine Heavens Profound Lady who had descended to the mortal realm.

"Xia Bingyue versus Luo Tian!"

The crowd offstage watched with anticipation.

No one held out any hope for Luo Tian; they simply wanted to see how he would lose.

Luo Tian’s repeated miracles and his domineering, ruthless image had earned him the jealousy and dislike of many.

"Your realm is unstable. I don’t bully the weak, so I will keep my cultivation suppressed at the Half-step Spirit Sea Realm..."

Xia Bingyue’s face was one of absolute beauty, and her voice was like an oriole emerging from a valley—ethereal and clear.

’Doesn’t bully the weak?’

Luo Tian raised an eyebrow. ’This woman sure talks big, but she has the right to.’

It was hard to imagine.

From the start of the Martial Mansion Grand Gathering until now, Xia Bingyue had maintained her Half-step Spirit Sea Cultivation, yet she had instantly killed numerous opponents with a single sword strike.

’According to the Celestial Book’s inference, this woman’s Sword Dao Realm is extremely high. It can’t be measured by conventional cultivation levels.’

Luo Tian grew cautious.

Even with her cultivation suppressed to the Half-step Spirit Sea Realm, Xia Bingyue still possessed the combat prowess of someone at the peak of the Human List.

However...

...this gave Luo Tian a sliver of an opportunity to vie for victory. His realm was unstable from his recent breakthrough, and he had originally intended to use this match against Xia Bingyue simply to hone his Martial Skills, while still hoping for a win.

"Since Miss Xia is being so considerate, I won’t hold back."

Luo Tian smiled faintly as the winning strategy, an inference from the Celestial Book, surfaced in his mind.

This plan had originally only a twenty percent chance of success.

If Xia Bingyue maintained her Half-step Spirit Sea Cultivation, his chances of winning would double!

"Celestial Star Six Techniques—Starfire, Spreading Like Wildfire!"

Luo Tian’s gaze sharpened. The Wind and Snow Sword in his hand trailed streams of Starlight Sword Aura that seemed to burn.

In an instant...

...the Guiyuan True Qi in his nine Qi Veins erupted with full force.

He unleashed eighty percent of his Divine Vein Power, and a faint, dark Cold Mist began to rise from his body.

FWOOM!

A vast sword light like spreading starfire billowed forth, sweeping up a wintery, dark-blue Cold Mist. It resembled a frost dragon of burning starlight as it lunged toward Xia Bingyue.

The power of this strike...

...was twenty to thirty percent stronger than the one he used against the Seventh Prince.

Against Xia Bingyue, a purely defensive strategy was useless.

Her Sword Dao was devastatingly sharp; her attacks were impossible to block completely.

Only by attacking could he fight for a sliver of hope.

Therefore, at the very start of the engagement, Luo Tian unleashed one of his most powerful Sword Techniques.

Xia Bingyue’s stunningly beautiful face remained as calm as still water.

CLANG!

With a clear ring, a silver-white Treasure Sword, as pristine as jade, left its scabbard.

SHIIING—

A silver-white rainbow of sword light, like an aurora piercing through a glacier, shot forward, carrying a sharp, freezing Sword Dao aura.

Luo Tian felt a piercingly cold sharpness stab directly into his spirit.

His vision was completely filled by that single sword strike, and everything else in the world seemed to fade to gray.

SWISH! BOOM!

The fiery dragon from Luo Tian’s "Starfire, Spreading Like Wildfire" was powerfully torn asunder by the aurora-like sword rainbow. Then, with a howl of frigid wind, it exploded.

After the explosion...

...Luo Tian was struck by a blast of freezing white sword light and sent flying. The vital energy in his body churned, and he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

BUZZ! PFFT! PFFT!

Luo Tian activated his True Qi Body Protection, and a shimmering yellow film of energy condensed over his skin. The Treasure Soft Armor beneath his robes also absorbed some of the attack’s force.

’Good thing my Guiyuan True Skill is especially proficient in defense!’

As he soared through the air, a hint of delight appeared on Luo Tian’s face.

"He actually blocked it!"

The students offstage cried out in surprise, completely shocked.

Since the beginning of the Martial Mansion Grand Gathering...

...Luo Tian was the first person to withstand one of Xia Bingyue’s sword strikes and not be defeated.

A flicker of surprise passed through Xia Bingyue’s starlike eyes.

Luo Tian’s attack had been much stronger than anticipated, neutralizing seventy percent of her own strike’s power.

Not only that, but Luo Tian’s defense was also exceptionally strong.

The combination of his powerful offense and defense was the key to him blocking her attack.

"The boy was forced into the air. Blocking that one strike must have been his limit."

In Division 3, Yuwen Xuan, who was watching the fight, shook his head and smiled.

Luo Tian had blocked the strike.

But in doing so, he had immediately been put at a disadvantage, forced into mid-air.

Only Xia Bingyue sensed that Luo Tian seemed to have intentionally used the force of her blow to launch himself into the air.

"Celestial Star Seven Techniques—Star Shining Nine Heavens!"

While still in mid-air, Luo Tian’s gaze became as deep and profound as a starry sky.

BUZZ! WHOOSH!

Luo Tian slowly raised his Treasure Sword. It erupted with a cold, brilliant glow like an immortal star. Behind him, an endless starry sky seemed to materialize, emanating a vast, ancient, and magnificent aura.

So powerful!

The immense power of this strike sent a tremor through the souls of the onlookers, making them feel as insignificant as ants.

How is this possible?!

The three Spirit Sea Realm experts—the Seventh Prince, Xu Mengxin, and Xi Shan—all felt an invisible pressure that made it hard to breathe.

Before this moment...

...had Luo Tian used this attack against them, they would have had no hope of blocking it head-on.

"What kind of swordsmanship is that? It carries the very essence of the ancient, starry cosmos."

It left the Holy Mansion’s upper echelons on the viewing platform staring in shock.

This strike exuded the distinct flavor of a true Sword Dao.

The Seventh Technique, "Star Shining Nine Heavens," was the strongest strike within the Great Achievement Realm of the Celestial Star Sword Technique. It contained the very essence of the swordsmanship, possessed immense power, and excelled at frontal suppression.