158: Chapter 158 is a battle between SSS-class units.

The light screen of the martial arts arena was edged with gold in the setting sun; after eight rounds of battle, only Zhang Wen and Murong Wu maintained a perfect record.

At this moment, the two stood facing each other, the air filled with the aura of thunder and stars—the violence of the Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder and the crispness of Star Power collided in mid-air, stirring up fine ripples of spiritual energy.

As Murong Wu raised her hand, the star-stone hairpin tucked in her hair suddenly lit up, and the robes around her fluttered without wind.

"Zhang Wen, do you know the true meaning of Star Power?"

She traced her fingertips across the Void Realm, and a massive star chart emerged behind her, the Big Dipper shining like diamonds. "It is never a simple attack, but a 'Lure'—to lure the order of heaven and earth, and judge the count of victory and defeat."

Zhang Wen tightened his grip on his sky-splitting startling thunder spear, the thunder arcs at the spear tip flickering: "Then you should also understand that the true meaning of thunder is 'Break'—to break the order of all things, and define the outcome of strength and weakness."

When Principal Gongsun's voice fell, Murong Wu had already made the first move: "Star Orbit - Tian Shu Lock!"

The brightest star in the star chart, the Tian Shu star, suddenly flickered, and a silver chain of Starlight Ray darted out like a living creature, wrapping toward Zhang Wen's wrist.

The moment the Starlight Ray touched the sky-splitting startling thunder spear, it actually spread along the thunder arcs, attempting to lock the flow of spiritual energy in the spear's body.

This was a new move she had realized in the previous eight rounds—using Star Power to entangle the opponent's Magical Artifact, like putting shackles on a fierce tiger.

Zhang Wen flipped his wrist, charging his right fist: "Startling Thunder Arises!"

Three bolts of Lightning Radiance gushed out from his right fist, trapping the silver chain of Starlight Ray in mid-air in a triangular formation.

The instant the Lightning Radiance exploded, countless tiny threads of thunder flowed against the current along the silver chain, heading straight for Murong Wu's fingertips.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, and her fingertips lightly tapped the Tian Quan star: "Star Orbit - Star Shift!"

The star chart suddenly rotated, the positions of the Tian Shu star and the Tian Quan star swapped, the silver chain instantly tightened, and the thunder threads were bounced back.

At the same time, the other five stars lit up simultaneously, turning into five Starlight Ray blades, stabbing at Zhang Wen from five tricky angles—this was the ultimate application of her star talent, using the star position conversion to change the offensive, making it impossible for the opponent to defend.

"Myriad Thunders Heavenly Prison Lure!"

Zhang Wen advanced instead of retreating, his sky-splitting startling thunder spear sweeping out an arc-shaped wall of thunder; the thunder wall moved forward like a giant wave, emitting a deafening roar when it collided with the star blades.

The thunder mark on his right arm was dazzlingly bright at this moment, a sign of compressing the Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder to the extreme: "Murong Wu, no matter how exquisite your Star Orbit is, it cannot block the edge of thunder!"

"Not necessarily." Murong Wu suddenly looked up, all the stars in the star chart extinguished simultaneously, leaving only one dim auxiliary star lit: "Star Orbit - Return to Void!"

That auxiliary star emitted a suction force that devoured everything, and Zhang Wen's thunder wall was actually being pulled and twisted bit by bit, as if it were about to be sucked into an invisible black hole.

Only then did he realize with shock that Murong Wu had never used this move in the previous eight rounds—she had been hiding her strength, just to use this move to decide the outcome in the final round.

"This is... devouring Star Power?" Zhang Wen's pupils shrank, and cracks had already appeared on the thunder wall.

Murong Wu's face was pale; clearly, activating this move was extremely draining for her: "Stars have birth and death, and the Return to Void is the end. No matter how fierce your thunder is, it will be devoured by the star void."

Zhang Wen suddenly laughed, his laugh flamboyant and fiery: "You forgot, thunder not only has an edge, but also an undying will!"

He slammed his sky-splitting startling thunder spear into the ground, and the thunder mark on his right arm erupted completely: "Ninth Heaven Annihilation - Thunder Burial Great Heaven!"

Countless bolts of Lightning Radiance surged from the ground, condensing into a hundred-foot-long thunder dragon behind him.

The thunder dragon roared and soared into the sky, not only not being devoured by the star void, but instead spiraling up against the suction, its dragon claws tearing apart the star chains, and its dragon breath scorching the star chart.

The moment the thunder dragon collided with the star void, the entire martial arts arena was plunged into pure white.

Everyone subconsciously closed their eyes, hearing only the deafening roar of thunder interwoven with star explosions, as if the world were being created.

When the light dissipated, Zhang Wen was half-kneeling on the ground, using his sky-splitting startling thunder spear to support his body, the thunder mark on his right arm already much dimmer.

Murong Wu stood three zhang away, the star chart completely dissipated, blood spilling from the corner of her mouth, and the star-stone hairpin broken into two pieces on the ground.

"My Star Orbit... is broken."

Murong Wu looked at the broken hairpin and suddenly laughed, her laughter filled with relief: "You won, Zhang Wen."

Zhang Wen struggled to stand up, Lightning Radiance slowly flowing around him: "I accept your concession."

After a deathly silence, the whole arena erupted in mountain-shaking, sea-roaring cheers.

When Principal Gongsun walked onto the stage and handed the Dragon-patterned token to Zhang Wen, his voice was filled with excitement: "From today on, you are the captain of the Dragon Country representative team!"

Zhang Wen took the token and looked down at the stage—Zhou Tong was clapping vigorously, Su Qing's rusted sword flashed with red light, Lu Yan was grinning and giving a thumbs up, and Ye Chen's figure was hidden in the shadows, his expression unclear.

And the recorder of the Sakura Country Onmyoji under the stage had its screen completely shattered, as if damaged by the earlier thunder.

Only Zhang Wen knew how lucky he was to have won that battle just now.

If it weren't for Murong Wu's lack of spiritual energy after activating the Return to Void, the one standing on the stage right now might not have been him.

When the final battle between Zhang Wen and Murong Wu settled, the light screen in the center of the martial arts arena lit up with the final ranking: Zhang Wen with nine wins for 9 points, Murong Wu with eight wins and one loss for 8 points, Lu Yan and Su Qing followed closely, Ye Chen, Xiao Zhan, and Chu Yao were ranked fourth to sixth, and at the very bottom were Zhou Tong and Shi Lei.

Principal Gongsun's voice echoed throughout the arena with regret: "According to the rules, the two contestants with the lowest points will be eliminated from the representative team."

Zhou Tong stood under the stage, his Heaven Burning Flame Breath long extinguished, and the blood seeping from his bandages stained half of his sleeve red.

He looked at Zhang Wen on the stage, suddenly grinned, and shouted to the sky: "Zhang Wen! Don't forget the glory of Azure Mist!"

After shouting, he turned and left, his back straight, without a trace of dejection—he had long anticipated this result; when he exhausted his spiritual energy in a life-and-death battle with Zhang Wen in the first round, he had no intention of competing further.

Shi Lei lowered his head, his fingers picking at the cracks in the mysterious iron stage.

His Thick Earth Array was broken by Su Qing in the second round, and he lost six consecutive matches in the subsequent rounds; at this moment, his fingernails were almost embedded into the flesh of his clenched fists.

It wasn't until someone patted his shoulder that he looked up and saw the medicine Chu Yao was handing him: "Earth-type talents are steady and solid; practice for another three years, and there might still be a chance."

Shi Lei took the medicine bottle, his throat moved, but in the end, he said nothing, turned around, and merged into the departing crowd.

Zhang Wen held the Dragon-patterned token, watching the two figures walking away, suddenly recalling the determination when Zhou Tong blocked the Starlight Ray for him, and the unwilling look in Shi Lei's eyes when his earth wall collapsed.

He raised his hand and shouted to the crowd below: "Senior Zhou Tong!"

Zhou Tong's footsteps paused, but he did not turn back.

"Three months from now, when the representative team sets off, I will wait for you at the gate of Azure Mist."

Zhang Wen's voice spread throughout the arena through his spiritual energy, "Not as a team member, but as an accompanying... combat medic."

Zhou Tong's shoulders trembled, then he walked away with long strides, and no one saw him raise his hand to wipe his face.

Principal Gongsun looked at Zhang Wen, a flash of relief in his eyes: "Captain, you must not only lead the team to win, but also lead the team to go further."

Zhang Wen nodded and turned to look at the seven people behind him. Lu Yan's Vajra Body was glowing with a Shimmer, Su Qing's rusted sword shone with a cold light in the setting sun, Murong Wu was using spiritual energy to repair her broken hairpin, and there seemed to be a smile hidden in Ye Chen's black mist... They had been opponents, but now they had to face the wind and rain outside the country's borders side by side.

Outside the martial arts arena, the recorder of the Eagle Country's S.H.I.E.L.D. finally stopped running, and the representative rubbed his sore wrist: "Notify headquarters, the Dragon Country's captain this time is a troublesome character."

The Sakura Country's Onmyoji had long since vanished, leaving only the shattered remains of the recorder on the ground, still bearing the scorch marks from being burned by the thunder.

When night fell, the mysterious iron surface of the martial arts arena still retained its residual warmth.

Zhang Wen was the last to leave, dragging his sky-splitting startling thunder spear on the ground, creating long sparks. He knew that the end of the top ten battle was just the beginning of another battle.

Those undercurrents hidden outside the ranking list, those prying eyes of foreign forces, and those secrets yet to be spoken, would all be revealed in the journey three months from now.