168: Chapter 168 A Galaxy of Stars

The morning mist had not yet dispersed, and the main venue of the Shattered Archipelago was already packed.

On the crystal stele, the names of the Top 24 were arranged like stars; after today, the final 12 powerhouses would be decided.

Dragon Country · Ling Feng (Seventh Arena)

As the last contestant to appear for the Dragon Country, Ling Feng's opponent was the "Iron Wall" Wallace from the Eagle Country.

This burly man was nearly three meters tall, covered in alloy armor. His past battle record included taking three ice spikes from the Polar Bear Country's Ice Emperor head-on, making him the defensive anchor of this tournament.

"Kid from the Dragon Country, I heard you're good at movement techniques?"

Wallace patted the alloy shield on his chest, the armor rubbing together to emit a harsh metallic sound. "But in front of my Iron Wall, no matter how fast you are, it's useless."

Ling Feng grinned, his figure drifting across the arena like willow catkins: "If you can't beat them, run; that's ancestral wisdom."

As soon as he finished speaking, he had already circled behind Wallace, the Wind Blade at his fingertips lightly slashing toward a gap in the armor—but it only left a shallow mark.

"Useless!" Wallace turned abruptly, his alloy shield sweeping out, the resulting strong wind forcing Ling Feng to retreat repeatedly.

This burly man looked clumsy, but he could always predict Ling Feng's movement, and every time the shield fell, it precisely blocked his evasion route.

Dozens of rounds passed, and Ling Feng's Wind Blade could never break through the armor's defense; instead, he consumed a large amount of spiritual energy by constantly dodging.

He spotted an opening, gathered all his spiritual energy into a Wind Spike, and thrust it directly at Wallace's throat—that was the only weak point in the armor.

Wallace, however, was prepared; he suddenly lowered his head, and the alloy shield blocked in front of him precisely.

"Clang!" The Wind Spike struck the shield surface, but was deflected back, grazing Ling Feng's shoulder and bringing up a string of blood droplets.

"It's time to end this." Wallace's shield suddenly glowed red, and complex runes appeared on its surface—this was his trump card, the "Resonance Shield," which could reflect absorbed attacks twofold.

Just as Ling Feng steadied his figure, he saw the red light surge, and the Wind Spike that had been deflected earlier transformed into several Wind Blades, attacking from all directions.

He twisted his body desperately to avoid vital areas, but was still struck on the thigh by a Wind Blade, and blood instantly stained his pant leg red.

With his spiritual energy exhausted and sharp pain coming from the wound, Ling Feng knelt on one knee, watching Wallace's shield rise again, and finally gave a bitter smile: "Alright, can't run away this time."

"You are very strong." Wallace put away his shield, his tone rarely softening, "If it weren't for your exhausted spiritual energy, the outcome would be uncertain."

Ling Feng waved his hand, and when he was helped off the arena by the medical staff, he didn't forget to lift his chin toward his teammates in the stands: "It's up to you guys!"

This narrow defeat made many people lament—Ling Feng's movement technique originally had a chance to create a miracle, but he happened to encounter a defensive contestant who countered him.

On the crystal stele, one name from the Dragon Country was missing, but the radiance of the remaining five people became even more dazzling.

When Ling Feng was helped off the arena, the wound on his thigh was still bleeding.

He watched the barrier of the Seventh Arena slowly lower and whispered: "What a pity, I was so close to doing it."

His teammates gathered around, and Su Qing handed over a Medicinal Pill for healing: "Your movement technique has already astonished many people; there's nothing to regret."

Zhang Wen patted his shoulder: "The team battle is still waiting for you to contain the opponents."

Ling Feng grinned and swallowed the Medicinal Pill: "Don't worry, after resting for two days, I'll be a hero again."

At this time, the battles in other arenas also ended one after another. The spiritual energy announcement from the referee panel resounded throughout the archipelago: "The third day of individual battles has concluded, and twelve contestants have won. Together with the twenty-four winners who advanced in the first two days, a total of thirty-six people have entered the final round-robin tournament. Over the next seven days, the strongest individual in the competition will be decided through a round-robin points system."

On the crystal stele, the names of the thirty-six people lit up in sequence, and the five from the Dragon Country were prominently listed: Zhang Wen, Su Qing, Xiao Zhan, Murong Wu, and Chu Yao.

Next to their names were marked their initial points—based on previous performance, Zhang Wen temporarily ranked first with a crushing performance, followed closely by Arthur from the Eagle Country, and then Andrei from the Polar Bear Country and Chiyo from the Yin and Yang Country.

As well as seed players from other countries, and there was no lack of some dark horses.

The outstanding Murong Wu was ranked tenth, while the remaining three from the Dragon Country were slightly awkward, with Su Qing at 28th, Xiao Zhan at 32nd, and Chu Yao at 33rd.

In the stands, teams from various countries began to study the match schedule for the round-robin tournament.

Arthur from the Eagle Country stared at Zhang Wen's name, his fingers tapping lightly on the handle of his star realm battle axe; Chiyo from the Sakura Country gazed at Su Qing's Thunder Fire sword, her eyes gloomy; Andrei from the Polar Bear Country, however, was dismissive, not taking anyone seriously at all.

In the twilight, Principal Gongsun's message talisman rang again, and this time the voice carried gravity: "The round-robin tournament is not just a test of strength, but also endurance. Remember, the Secret Realm of the Shattered Archipelago may open at any time; preserving strength is more important than fighting for momentary victory."

Zhang Wen looked up toward the direction of the core area, where the clouds were thicker than yesterday, and there was a faint Shimmer of Lightning Radiance.

The spiritual jade box in Chu Yao's arms suddenly became hot, and the Dragon roar of the Young Flood Dragon carried unprecedented urgency—it seemed that something was awakening deep within the Secret Realm.

The war drums for the round-robin tournament had not yet sounded, but the air of the archipelago was already filled with invisible smoke of gunpowder.

And the wound on Ling Feng's leg was gradually healing under the effect of the Medicinal Pill, but that scar was faintly glowing with a Shimmer similar to the direction of the Secret Realm.

The seven-day round-robin tournament is the stage for the Prodigy to prove their Dao.

There are no fewer than ten SSS-Rank Talent holders here, all of them heroes of various nations and talents of the universe.

To stand out here, one must possess world-shaking power and sky-high ambition.

Stars competing for brilliance, who can steal all the glory? After seven days of bitter fighting, let's see who will dominate!