Having accepted the inheritance of the Crimson Star Clan, especially after the Second Underworld Star had fully transformed and the Third Bright Star was halfway through its metamorphosis, Nie Kong's strength had undergone a qualitative leap. At this moment, although Zhan Tianshan’s offensive possessed great momentum, Nie Kong could see at a glance that the punch was deceptively weak on the inside despite its fierce exterior.

However, to assume the punch posed no threat because of this would be falling right into a trap.

Nie Kong was certain that if he met the attack head-on rashly, Zhan Tianshan’s peak strength would erupt almost instantaneously, catching him completely off guard. Zhan Tianshan appeared enraged, yet his execution was remarkably calm. This showed that any Black Spirit Master who could cultivate to the Seventh Tier was no fool.

“Very well, I shall defeat you precisely when you believe victory is within your grasp!”

Nie Kong smiled inwardly.

“Tch!”

His figure flickered. Nie Kong did not dodge or evade; instead, he moved directly toward Zhan Tianshan—the short distance of a few meters between them rapidly closed.

Seeing this scene, the crowd could not help but be taken aback.

“Boom!”

In the next instant, under the gaze of countless astonished eyes, Zhan Tianshan’s fist collided squarely with Nie Kong’s chest.

Zhan Tianshan was also slightly surprised, but his attack did not waver in the slightest. The moment they made contact, the death energy within his body surged out instantly, crashing down upon Nie Kong’s frame like a tidal wave. Immediately, the explosive energy scattered, and the fierce impact reverberated loudly.

“This brat is simply arrogant, thinking his body can withstand my punch? But you haven’t overestimated yourself; I won’t make winning this easy either!”

Zhan Tianshan narrowed his eyes slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips.

However, the next moment, Zhan Tianshan’s eyes snapped wide open, his pupils filled with astonishment. He discovered that the instant his fist struck Nie Kong’s chest, the skin and muscle beneath his palm actually began to writhe rapidly. As the force shot out from his palm, the contact point proved to be incredibly hard, reaching the utmost degree of solidity.

Simultaneously, a tremendously powerful force rebounded. Zhan Tianshan’s palm went numb, and then his entire hand felt as if it exploded, causing unbearable pain.

“What’s happening?”

Before this thought could fully form, a heavy slap landed squarely on Zhan Tianshan’s shoulder.

“Slap!”

The loud report drilled into his ears, followed by searing pain surging to his core. Then, Zhan Tianshan felt his entire body fly sideways uncontrollably. Zhan Tianshan’s eyes widened like a pair of copper bells, but Nie Kong’s smiling face and raised palm receded further and further from his sight… the scene seemed to freeze at that very moment.

The surrounding crowd was left dumbfounded. The sparring match had been incredibly brief: first, a mutual exchange, then Zhan Tianshan landed a punch, Nie Kong returned a slap, and then… Zhan Tianshan flew away like a kite cut loose from its string.

The crowd had witnessed the process of the sparring clearly; they could even distinctly see the disbelief in Zhan Tianshan’s eyes.

Yet, the result of the exchange left everyone present momentarily lost.

Based on what they had just seen, Nie Kong should have been the one sent flying by Zhan Tianshan. How, in a flash of lightning and flint, did the roles reverse? Could Nie Kong’s body truly be so formidable that it could effortlessly withstand such an attack without sustaining the slightest damage?

“Poison!”

Zhan Tianshan crashed heavily to the ground, causing the earth before him to tremble slightly.

The massive commotion brought the others back to their senses. They focused their gaze and saw Zhan Tianshan abruptly roll over and leap up, but his left arm hung limply by his side. In contrast, Nie Kong slowly retracted the right palm that had sent Zhan Tianshan flying, casually rubbing his chest with an air of calm composure.

“Nie Kong wins!”

Zhan Baisong raised his hand to stop the still-seething Zhan Tianshan and shouted loudly.

In a fight to the death, Zhan Tianshan would certainly have the strength to continue, but in this sparring context, suffering a severely injured left arm in such a short span allowed Zhan Baisong to immediately judge the victor. Although Zhan Tianshan was reluctant, he had no choice but to halt his charge. He grumbled somewhat resentfully, “Nie Kong, what’s going on with your body?”

“The War God Star Seal.”

Nie Kong smiled faintly.

“The War God Star Seal?”

Zhan Tianshan vaguely recalled that when he struck Nie Kong, a faint golden light had indeed flickered from within his body.

Was that the War Clan’s primary Golden Art?

Zhan Tianshan retreated to the edge, somewhat dejected. He was now out of the running for the Elder position; he would have to wait three years to participate in the Elder selection again.

War God Star Seal…

The other dozen or so Seventh Tier Black Spirit Masters silently repeated those four characters, their expressions varied. Several Zhan Clan disciples who had only recently broken through to the Seventh Tier felt secretly relieved; to be defeated in such a manner was rather humiliating. Thankfully, Zhan Tianshan had gone first.

As for the onlookers, their expressions were even more complex.

“…”

“Nie Kong only obtained the ‘War God Star Seal’ not long ago—how is he already this formidable?”

“Otherwise, why would it be called the primary Golden Art!”

“I heard the Supreme Elder and the Clan Leader studied it for a long time but couldn’t find the method to cultivate the ‘War God Star Seal.’ What a pity.”

“…”

Amidst the murmurs of the crowd, Nie Kong walked to the edge of the clearing.

The so-called “War God Star Seal” was, of course, merely an excuse he threw out. What he had truly employed was the “Crimson Star War Body,” using the “War God Star Seal” merely as a cover. In truth, Nie Kong had only managed to render a specific part of his body exceptionally tough at that moment; he could not yet unleash the true might of the “Crimson Star War Body.” Naturally, this level of defense was more than enough to handle a Seventh Tier Black Spirit Master.

Before today, Nie Kong’s understanding of the “Crimson Star War Body’s” power was primarily based on Chi Lian’s descriptions and his own speculation. After the exchange with Zhan Tianshan, his speculations were confirmed, putting his mind at ease and significantly boosting his self-confidence.

“For this second round of sparring, who is willing to step forward?” Zhan Baisong laughed again.

“…”

The Battle Heart Hall fell silent. Those fourteen Seventh Tier Black Spirit Masters remained expressionless.

According to the established rules, in the next round of group sparring, the first and second victors would become opponents, and so on. Originally, they all believed Nie Kong had the lowest cultivation base, so when he volunteered, everyone was eager to spar with him. But after his fight with Zhan Tianshan, most of them lost their certainty of victory.

Zhan Baisong called out once more, but still, no one responded. He then turned his gaze toward Zhan Yunlan.

“Zhan Tiantang, Zhan Feihu! Zhan Tianying, Zhan Tianyu!” Zhan Yunlan nodded slightly, glanced over the fourteen Seventh Tier Black Spirit Masters, and called out names directly from left to right.

Those called responded immediately. The first two burly men looked somewhat resigned, while the latter two seemed much more relaxed…

The two sets of spars began simultaneously very quickly.

Compared to the battle between Nie Kong and Zhan Tianshan, the subsequent matches lasted longer and were more exciting, with cheers and applause erupting continuously. The Battle Heart Hall erupted with noise, wave after wave of sound soaring toward the sky, nearly lifting the roof off the structure.

Nie Kong stood quietly to the side, eyes closed, recuperating. The surrounding sounds flowed into his ears. Even without physically watching, the scenes of the Seventh Tier Black Spirit Masters battling on the ground clearly materialized in Nie Kong’s mind. This sensation was wonderfully profound, causing Nie Kong to become unconsciously immersed in it.

“The second round of the competition begins!”

After an unknown period, the previously noisy and lively hall suddenly fell into a profound stillness. Within seconds, Zhan Baisong’s loud call echoed by Nie Kong’s ear, “Nie Kong! Zhan Tiantang!”

Nie Kong was instantly startled awake. He looked up and saw Zhan Tiantang, the victor of the second spar, striding quickly toward the center of the arena.

“I wonder what level my Spiritual Sense has reached now. After leaving the Underworld, I must properly study the Crimson Star Clan’s Six Paths of the Battle Heart—that is a technique specifically for commanding Spiritual Sense.”

With this thought, Nie Kong strode forward.

“Nie Kong, Tian Shan said your body is incredibly tough! I want to see if your body is harder, or if my fist is harder!” Zhan Tiantang roared and charged toward Nie Kong, resembling a bloodthirsty nether-beast breaking free from its cage, his eyes flushed crimson, his heavy footfalls seeming to pound against people’s hearts.

“You probably won’t get the same chance he did.”

Nie Kong chuckled lightly. A ball of golden light suddenly burst forth from within his body, instantly expanding to several feet in diameter, casting itself down upon Zhan Tiantang’s head.

It was the “War God Star Seal!”

Seeing the massive golden nether-star appearing out of thin air, the hearts of the surrounding crowd involuntarily trembled, and their eyes involuntarily narrowed.

“Hmph!”

Zhan Tiantang stomped heavily, his twin claws suddenly slashing across the void, releasing ten streaks of inky black energy that shot out like unsheathed swords toward the brilliant golden War God Star Seal.

“Three Thousand Finger Sword!”

Nie Kong’s heart stirred slightly. He hadn't expected Zhan Tiantang to have cultivated such a spiritual technique.

The Three Thousand Finger Sword was the lowest-ranked Purple Art in the War Clan. While it was at the bottom among the Purple Arts, this did not mean its power was weak. Quite the contrary: the offensive power of the “Three Thousand Finger Sword” was no less than that of the War Clan’s “Heart Sword.” Its only drawback was that it was incredibly difficult to cultivate.

But once mastered, one could instantly unleash three thousand sword qi streams from both hands, making anyone who stood in the way utterly defeated. Unfortunately, over thousands of years, no one had ever reached that ultimate state.

“Hiss! Hiss! Hiss…”

The ten streaks of inky black energy, upon touching the mass of golden light, dissolved instantly like ice crystals under a scorching sun, yet the advance of the “War God Star Seal” did not pause in the slightest.

“Break for this old man!”

Zhan Tiantang’s hair stood rigidly on end like steel needles. As his palms danced, his entire being seemed to transform into a sharp blade, and sword qi filled the sky, sweeping toward Nie Kong. In an instant, Nie Kong’s “War God Star Seal” was halted in mid-air, with dozens of small, inky black dots appearing on its surface, becoming increasingly dense.

“Not bad; the sword qi you mustered must be at least five hundred strands! Unfortunately for you, two of my War God Star Seals have already fully transformed!”

Nie Kong’s gaze sharpened. With a mere thought, another “War God Star Seal” shot out, slamming directly onto the preceding mass of golden light.

“Bang!”

The two Star Seals instantly overlapped, crushing down upon Zhan Tiantang. The dazzling red light illuminated the entire Battle Heart Hall. Zhan Tiantang’s hundreds of sword qi streams were instantly shattered like dry weeds being swept away, and his robust body was pinned to the floor by the “War God Star Seal,” unable to move.