Chapter 53: Lightning-Fast Strike

Chapter 53: Lightning-Fast Strike

"Qi brother, we meet again."

Ji Xinghuo strode into the living room, a sudden smile appearing on his previously expressionless face, though his eyes remained icy.

The Star Realm was a lawless place.

Even though Olympia was under the jurisdiction of various countries, the lack of technological means of supervision, coupled with the supernatural powers of the mutants, gave rise to countless illegal activities.

When adventuring in the Star Realm, your greatest danger often came from your own kind, perhaps without exception.

More terrifying than monster attacks were the attacks from your fellow mutants.

Because the human heart was unpredictable.

Even before entering the Star Realm, Ji Xinghuo had read about numerous such cases online – mutants preying on each other, backstabbing teammates, being ambushed by enemies from rival countries, and so on. He had been mentally prepared for this and had always been cautious, yet he had still ended up encountering such a situation.

He felt no anger, only the desire to eliminate the source of the problem.

After using his magnetic field perception to confirm that no one was approaching and that this courtyard was safe, Ji Xinghuo boldly revealed himself.

The reason he didn't launch a surprise attack was that he wanted to observe the other two people in the room. Their magnetic field strength and aether reactions were within the normal range.

The man was a high-level mutant, his eyes holding a beast-like ferocity, his body strong and clad only in a vest, with no weapons in hand.

The woman leaned against him, likely a couple.

She was the weakest of the three in terms of strength, only a mid-level mutant, her long hair shimmering slightly, her eyes holding a flickering light like flames, giving off a warm feeling but posing little threat.

Ji Xinghuo made his judgment in an instant.

This couple's professions were Beastmaster and Star Torchbearer.

The former relied on transforming into beasts to fight, while the latter was an auxiliary profession lacking in offensive capabilities.

Beastmaster, Star Torchbearer!

The greatest threat was still Qi Zhaofeng, not only because he had a well-rounded profession template, but also because he was a very rare Martial Ninth Level, with ample combat experience and the best weapons and equipment.

"You were tailing me?"

Qi Zhaofeng glared at Ji Xinghuo and signaled for the couple to spread out to his sides.

Acting as if he didn't see the two encircling him, Ji Xinghuo said, "I don't understand, Brother Qi. Do I look weak? Why would you choose to target me?"

"You're not weak, but I'm stronger. You're just unlucky to have crossed paths with me." Qi Zhaofeng stopped pretending, having confirmed that Ji Xinghuo was alone with no helpers outside. He relaxed and coldly smiled, "Plus, you're stupid. A fat sheep delivering itself to my door."

As he spoke, Qi Zhaofeng drew the alloy longsword from his back.

His gaze fell on Ji Xinghuo's Leichi, his greed unconcealed as he nodded, "Good sword, but you don't deserve it."

A two-star superpower weapon, far superior to his own one-star superpower longsword.

Selling it would earn him the equivalent of five or six hunting trips.

"No one is more deserving of this sword than me." Ji Xinghuo smiled, "There's a saying, Brother Qi, that you should know: the most excellent hunters often appear in the guise of prey."

"Based on what?"

Qi Zhaofeng scoffed, "You don't seriously think that because you beat me a few times in the martial arts hall, you're qualified to be my opponent? My Martial Ninth Level was earned through bloodshed, I've never used my full strength in the hall."

His face was full of confidence.

"What a coincidence, so was I." Ji Xinghuo said calmly.

Qi Zhaofeng had no response to this statement because he had already launched his attack. In an instant, he appeared before Ji Xinghuo, fast as lightning.

Flash Step!

The Beastmaster profession was the fastest, adept at both long-distance running and close-quarters movement, and possessing the fastest attack frequency.

Sometimes, all it took was a blink of an eye for a Beastmaster to end a fight, the enemy unable to react in time.

The fastest wins! Qi Zhaofeng struck with his sword, the table and chairs between them sliced in two, the sword light piercing towards Ji Xinghuo's face, the tip of the sword a palm's distance from his nose.

His sword was a one-star superpower weapon with an acceleration effect when swung.

Ji Xinghuo also moved as Qi Zhaofeng drew his sword.

His speed was inferior to Qi Zhaofeng's, his right eye pupil flashing with an invisible light circle, as if he had foreseen the enemy's ambush. He shifted his feet and his body turned left in advance, dodging the sword perfectly, the longsword brushing past him.

Electricity crackled on Ji Xinghuo's skin, his speed surging as he dodged the longsword and closed in on the female mutant to his left.

One step, two steps...

On the third step, he suddenly raised Leichi and blocked behind him.

Clang!

This block was as if a third eye had appeared at the back of his head, precisely blocking Qi Zhaofeng's pursuing longsword, the electricity on the knife instantly conducting onto the sword, causing Qi Zhaofeng's body to go numb, and he instinctively activated "Lost Track" to create distance, dodging Ji Xinghuo's counterattack.

However, Ji Xinghuo completely ignored Qi Zhaofeng.

This profession was primarily supportive in nature; 'Stellar Flame' could channel stellar power to accelerate teammates' recovery, enhance them with 'Frenzy' and 'Repulsion Field', grant immunity to certain mental attacks, increase their strength and speed, and 'Purifying Torch' could dispel negative status effects.

Her only means of attack was 'Meteor Shower'.

Even as Qi Zhaofeng drew his sword, she had already gathered a string of fiery orbs in her hand, preparing to hurl them at her enemy.

But Ji Xinghuo was already upon them.

With a slash of Leichi, he sliced through her right hand as if cutting through tofu, extinguishing the unthrown meteors and eliciting a pained cry.

"Ah!"

Ji Xinghuo's blade did not waver as he continued the downward motion, severing her thigh and sliding past her body. His empty left hand pushed her away casually.

Gravely injured, the Star Torchbearer was powerless to resist and could only tumble forward.

Her head collided with the massive maw of a bear, crunching noisily as her skull was reduced to a mess of blood and brains. Her cries abruptly ceased.

The bear that had bitten her was a two-and-a-half-meter-tall giant bear standing erect on its hind legs. Its bear-like body was akin to a small mountain, covered in black fur, with claws as sharp as knives. One could still discern the outline of a human form, a fusion of man and bear, its eyes reflecting both beastly ferocity and human intelligence.

It was a 'Stellar Night Giant Bear', a transformation of the beastman before them.

This bear-like monster possessed keen hearing and smell, formidable strength, and resilient hide. When enraged, its destructive power increased exponentially, and it could even see in dim environments, making it an extremely versatile creature capable of filling multiple roles within a team.

"No..."

The beastman hurriedly spat out the woman, mumbling incoherently.

His initial target had been Ji Xinghuo, but he had never expected his beloved to be thrust into his mouth and killed instantly.

Accidentally killing his own teammate, and his beloved at that, left the beastman stunned and bewildered.

His mind went blank, and he froze on the spot.

"Get out of the way!"

Qi Zhaofeng's shout came too late.

By the time the beastman reacted, a flash of lightning sliced through the air from the side, and his world spun. As his vision dropped to the ground, the last thing he saw before losing consciousness was the headless giant bear spraying blood and the woman beside it with her head exploded.

"Her face looks so familiar..."

Bang!

The headless giant bear transformed back into a human body and slowly collapsed, revealing Ji Xinghuo behind it.

Qi Zhaofeng's eyes widened in fury and fear. A tiny mistake had cost him two teammates, and Ji Xinghuo's strength far exceeded his expectations.

"As expected of a good sword!"

He took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the Leichi in Ji Xinghuo's hand with a mix of envy and dread. "The defense of the Stellar Night Giant Bear couldn't even withstand a single blow from your sword."

If the weapon hadn't been so sharp, the beastman teammate wouldn't have been beheaded so easily.

Ji Xinghuo remained silent.

Stepping over the beastman's corpse, he brandished his sword and charged forward.

Lightning crackled along the blade of Leichi, filling the air with the scent of scorched lightning. In the blink of an eye, Ji Xinghuo closed the distance between them.

Qi Zhaofeng's figure shot backward several meters, turning and fleeing out of the living room into the courtyard.

He was trying to escape! Ji Xinghuo's magnetic field spun wildly, and the Windwalking Combat Boots he wore had long been activated, allowing him to immediately give chase. Qi Zhaofeng's figure suddenly blurred, moving back and forth at high speed within the courtyard, appearing to be in multiple places at once, creating a dizzying afterimage effect that made it difficult to lock onto him.

This was the Mystical Steps.

It allowed mutants to move at high speed within a small range, enabling them to dodge attacks and launch surprise counterattacks.

As soon as Ji Xinghuo stepped into the courtyard, a sword light stabbed towards his back.

Having anticipated that Qi Zhaofeng was only pretending to flee, he calmly turned and lifted Leichi, meeting the incoming sword with a solid clash.

Clang!

Qi Zhaofeng stumbled back several steps, forced back into the living room.

His eyes were filled with disbelief as he struggled to comprehend how his Mystical Steps had failed to confuse Ji Xinghuo, and how his lightning-fast ambush had been blocked.

Ji Xinghuo seized the opportunity to counterattack, slashing with three consecutive cuts.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Three powerful chops, enhanced by the rotating magnetic field, caused the electric arc on Leichi to slice through the air, sending sparks and lightning flying.

Each strike was heavy and forceful, landing on the same spot on the longsword, forcing Qi Zhaofeng to give ground. The electricity on the sword numbed his body, leaving him unable to resist, not even able to use his Flash Steps, and in the blink of an eye, he was forced back into the corner with nowhere to retreat.

Qi Zhaofeng's defense had crumbled, and his longsword was broken in two.

Ji Xinghuo rushed forward, twisting Leichi in his hand and pressing the back of the blade against Qi Zhaofeng's neck with his arm, pinning him against the wall.

This scene was identical to their sparring session at the martial arts hall.

"Don't make the same mistake in your next life."

Ji Xinghuo applied force to his arm, pushing the blade deeper into Qi Zhaofeng's neck and swiftly slashing across.

Puh!

A thin line of blood appeared on Qi Zhaofeng's neck, and a few beads of blood dripped out before the wound gushed open like a turned-on faucet, spraying blood wildly.

Qi Zhaofeng desperately tried to stem the bleeding by covering his neck with his hand, but he couldn't stop the flow of life slipping away.

"You... you're not... Eighth Level..." Qi Zhaofeng managed to utter in a halting voice before his head lolled to the side and he breathed his last.

The light circles in Ji Xinghuo's eyes faded away.

He looked at the bodies of Qi Zhaofeng and the other two, knowing that while he was only a Martial Eighth Level, with the activation of the Myriad Phenomenon, his combat prowess was comparable to a Martial Grand Master.

The Myriad Phenomenon consumed a vast amount of stellar power.

Initially, he could only maintain it for two or three seconds before it drained his mental energy, stellar power, and physical stamina. Now, with his stellar power increased to 185 points, he could sustain the Myriad Phenomenon for nearly six seconds.

Six seconds of future prediction was enough to take down three enemies.

That was why he dared to reveal himself and take action.

Ji Xinghuo wiped the blood off Leichi with Qi Zhaofeng's body and sheathed it before turning to leave. However, he suddenly noticed a ring on Qi Zhaofeng's left hand, emitting a dense etheric energy that indicated it was no ordinary piece of jewelry.

He wrapped his hand with cloth and removed the ring, bringing it close to inspect it.

The ring's body was a plain silver-gray color with a simple design, but the inner circle was engraved with intricate patterns that flowed with subtle etheric energy, giving it an unassuming appearance.

"Stealth Ring!"

Ji Xinghuo's eyes lit up with delight.

While sword, armor, and other such superpower equipment were common, these small and delicate pieces crafted into jewelry were much rarer and often two to three times more expensive than equipment of the same grade, or even more.

For example, Ren Jie's Thought Necklace and Jiang Nan Caiyi's Phantom Orb.

This Stealth Ring was a superpower of the first rank.

It was infused with two abilities: "Silence" and "Refraction."

When activated, 'Silence' could absorb the sound waves produced by the user, allowing them to move silently as long as the volume didn't exceed the absorption limit.

'Refraction' was a form of optical invisibility, but it wasn't a complete transparency; up close, one could still make out the user's outline with careful observation.

With both abilities in effect, it allowed the user to enter a stealth state! Qi Zhaofeng had used this ring to track him, and when he had used Lost Track for an instant, Qi Zhaofeng had also activated the Stealth Ring, but it had no effect against the Myriad Star Pupil.

"What a great item!"

Ji Xinghuo immediately put the ring on his left index finger.

The Stealth Ring was the most valuable item on Qi Zhaofeng's body. His longsword was already broken, and the other two didn't use any weapons, so their other equipment was of little worth. Although they had some cash on them, Ji Xinghuo wasn't interested, and so he didn't waste time searching them.

He dragged the three bodies together and dropped a black flower on them.

Before leaving, Ren Mian had given Ji Xinghuo some plant samples that even non-Plant Witches could use, which he carried in a small pouch.

The Black Devouring Fungus looked like a flower but was actually a type of fungus that could rapidly devour organic matter and turn it into black water, making it the most convenient way to dispose of bodies.

After dealing with the bodies, Ji Xinghuo activated the Stealth Ring and climbed over the wall, leaving the courtyard.

Using his magnetic field perception to avoid crowds, he silently made his way out of the neighborhood and then walked a few more kilometers before taking the last bus back to Qinghao Street. However, instead of returning to the villa, he checked into the same inn from before and spent the night there.

The night passed without incident.

The next day, after finishing his morning cultivation, Ji Xinghuo went to the Extreme Martial Arts Hall as usual for combat training.

Naturally, Qi Zhaofeng didn't show up, but no one was surprised.

Members of the martial arts hall came and went, and it was common for people to be absent due to travel or other reasons.

After the training session, Ji Xinghuo returned to the villa and opened the Myriad Star Pupil interface.

By killing Qi Zhaofeng and the other two, he had gained 20 points of spiritual source energy, adding to the remaining 6 points he had, but it was still far from enough to upgrade any of his abilities.

Upgrading Thousand Dexterity Hands and Rotating Magnetic Field would each require over 1000 points of spiritual source energy.

Upgrading Etheric Sensitivity to Level 4 would only need 433 points of spiritual source energy.

Ji Xinghuo's eyes lingered on the interface as his thoughts turned active.

If he wanted to cultivate even faster, the key still lay in "Etheric Sensitivity." Each additional level would permanently increase his stellar power growth rate.

He gently stroked the Stealth Ring on his index finger.

After much contemplation, he finally made up his mind to go on a solo hunting expedition, but before that, he needed to make some preparations.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end