I will eventually become a divine being through accumulating constantly

"Let us solemnly welcome—Competitor Xue Jing!"

As soon as the words had fallen, applause ten times louder than Huang Lu's entrance erupted.

The tall figure appearing at the exit of the competitor's passage caused countless screams and cheers.

"Old Xue's popularity is really something now, it's too exaggerated."

Wei Junwu sighed.

"After all, Zhou Yinglin has become his stepping stone; there's no easier way to become famous than defeating a well-known person... Half the reason lies with you."

Song Nanxing stood next to him, speaking in an even tone.

"Me?" Wei Junwu raised his injured hand with effort and pointed to his nose.

"If not for your loose talk about Zhou Yinglin intending to kill Xue Jing on the stage, which caused this incident to escalate, the hype too high leading to Xue Jing being attacked by Zhou Yinglin's fans, the backlash now would not be so intense."

Song Nanxing patted Wei Junwu's shoulder, "Zhou Yinglin's now so focused on Xue Jing, if he ever recalls this incident, he will definitely hold a grudge against you. Better watch yourself."

Wei Junwu: "..."

...

The audience's applause and cheering continued unabated until Xue Jing stepped onto the stage and still did not stop.

Photographers started sitting on the rafters circling Xue Jing, conducting the obligatory three hundred sixty-degree surround shoot... only this time, they did it with extraordinary care.

The footage, shown clearly on the onsite big screen as well as the live broadcast, caused a massive wave of comments on various streaming platforms, stirring up chants of "my husband, my husband" again.

"After yesterday's battle that shocked the nation, Competitor Xue Jing broke all expectations, showcasing his unparalleled talent and overwhelming strength..."

The commentator went on and on, heaping praises on Xue Jing.

"...so, let's take a look at Competitor Xue Jing's brand new hexagonal data chart."

"Attack, speed, defense, skill, spirit, intellect... uh, it seems we have come full circle, all attributes are marked with uncertain question marks!"

"But contrary to the beginning, the question marks on Xue Jing's data chart no longer symbolize the unknown, but have completely surpassed the limit, reaching an unknown realm that no player in U19 history has ever reached!"

"With such credentials beyond people's understanding, what kind of exciting match will he bring us next?"

"Well, enough talk, the match... begins!"

As the words landed, the referee positioned himself between the two players on the stage, unconsciously leaning a bit more towards Huang Lu, slightly away from Xue Jing.

He waved his hand between the two players to signify the start of the match, then immediately slipped off the stage, faster than in any previous matches.

Xue Jing looked towards his opponent.

With his Eye Power, he easily discerned that Huang Lu was filled with fear, devoid of any fighting spirit, and the thoughts of turning and running were almost written on his face. The Dynamic Qi essential for martial artists in combat had dropped to its lowest point.

He shook his head slightly, somewhat disappointed.

After all, this was someone who had made the top eight on a stage as grand as the U19 finals; yet, he was so weak.

Uninteresting.

Thinking about it, Xue Jing no longer had the heart to make a move.

His gaze shifted slightly towards Huang Lu's left shoulder.

Huang Lu had assumed a fighting stance at the very start, becoming extremely defensive on the spot, barely daring to make a move.

He had not planned to strike first but thought about dodging or surviving just a few moves from Xue Jing before immediately admitting defeat…

But suddenly, his arm broke clean off at the shoulder, falling to the ground as thick blood spurted out, the cut incredibly smooth, as if severed by a sharp Divine Weapon.

Huang Lu broke into a cold sweat as intense pain hit, and he immediately clutched his arm screaming.

But then, regaining his senses, he looked at his arm...

Unharmed, not broken?

What's going on? An illusion?

The audience watching this scene was also puzzled, unable to make heads or tails of it. Read the latest on empire

"What is Huang Lu doing? Faking it?"

"His acting is questionable. Demon King Xue hasn't even moved yet, why is he screaming already?"

Only a few people, upon witnessing this scene, flashed a thoughtful look in their eyes.

On the stage, Xue Jing's gaze shifted slightly towards Huang Lu's thigh.

"Swoosh—!"

Two flashes of blade light swept past, cutting his thigh into three pieces.

Huang Lu lay on the ground, clutching his thighs and letting out a dreadful scream.

"Ah!!"

But he quickly regained his composure, and his thigh was still intact.

Only the pain lingered, so real it was hard to believe.

Cold sweat dripping from his forehead, he looked at Xue Jing, completely baffled.

At that moment, Xue Jing's gaze shifted to his neck.

"Swoosh——!!"

Huang Lu only saw a blade light so incredibly fast and fierce that he couldn't react in time as it swept across his neck, severing his head.

The final sensation of pain hit him, his eyes rolled back, he lay back, and lost consciousness completely.

"Huh?"

The audience, confused, watched Huang Lu who had fainted on the ground.

"What's this acting? Get up and fight, at least make Demon King Xue move a bit!"

"Fuck this, refund!"

"This acting is worryingly bad, at least wait for Demon King Xue to move before pretending to faint, why get scared like that?"

In the competitors' viewing area, Otogirusu's eyes shimmered seductively with some excitement:

"Xue Jun... have you reached this realm?"

Yin Muhu hurriedly asked, "What happened?"

Otogirusu murmured softly, "Consciousness Slash..."

On the stage, Xue Jing turned around and slowly walked towards the competitors' tunnel.

The judge, though not quite understanding, saw Huang Lu lying on the ground and Xue Jing acting as though the match had ended, quickly blew the whistle and declared Xue Jing's victory.

The match ended while most of the audience was still in a bewildered state.

On his way back to the competitors' lounge, Xue Jing opened his panel to check.

[...Aiming Experience Points +626]

[...Warlord Experience Points +537]

[...Contemplation·True Experience Points +692]

...

The technique he had used just now was known as 'Consciousness Slash,' a skill of spiritual manipulation.

Unlike 'Tsukuyomi Slash,' which uses spiritual power in a semi-physical form, 'Consciousness Slash' is a pure state of mind.

Martial Artists tirelessly forge their bodies, the strong body nurturing the spirit, gradually enhancing their spiritual willpower until it can influence 'one's own reality.'

When one's mastery over a certain weapon reaches a certain level, augmenting it with their spirit, it can create such phenomena.

Intending to strike down the opponent with a blade, having this thought, making this preparation, and having absolute confidence that one can indeed strike the opponent down—

At that moment, the spirit can instantaneously affect the opponent, making them experience the real illusion of having been struck down, including the actual sensation of pain.

This is similar to how releasing killing intent can create the illusion of having been killed, only the difficulty is several orders higher.

Xue Jing had reached this state only yesterday after his Combat Skills had evolved into Divine Powers.

"Boring."

He shook his head and returned to the lounge.

...

With Xue Jing's fight done, the quarterfinals quickly ended.

The last match was between Wei Junwu and Zhou Yinglin, in which Wei Junwu, perhaps due to a reminder from Song Nanxing, immediately stated that he could not fight due to severe injuries and conceded straightforwardly.

Next, there would be three days of rest, followed by the semifinals of the final four.

But having finished the match and intending to return to the Zhige Base, Xue Jing encountered some trouble.

Outside the parking lot, he looked at the person in a black robe in front of him, puzzled, asking: