Star Martial Era: From Mortal to Emperor

Chapter 31 The Final Peak: Star River Reflecting Ice Lotus - The Two Pride Scholars Enter the Provin

The excitement of the semi-finals had barely faded when the smoke of the finals began to rise. The cheers at the Qingyang City Martial Arts Hall nearly lifted the roof off, as tens of thousands of spectators rose to their feet, their eyes fixed on the center of the ring—this battle would not only determine the top martial arts prodigy of Qingyang City's younger generation, but also the final spots in the core class of Tianlan Province's No. 1 Martial Arts Middle School, the only path to the province's top martial arts resources.

On the high platform, President Li Changfeng made a gesture of observing qi with his fingertips, his gaze shifting back and forth between the two. His tone was filled with undisguised satisfaction as he said, "Lin Chen possesses a silver star martial qi that is a once-in-a-century occurrence, while Su Qingyue possesses a pure white icy qi that is a once-in-a-millennium occurrence. If these two children can both enter the provincial key high school, they will undoubtedly become the backbone of humanity's resistance against ferocious beasts and evil races in the future."

Wang Hu slapped the armrest and laughed loudly: "I bet Lin Chen will win this final! That kid has a ruthless streak in his bones; he's born to fight his way through hordes of ferocious beasts!"

Shen Qingzhou gently shook his folding fan, a hint of seriousness barely perceptible in his eyes, and said, "I hope they can both grow up before the seal on Qingyang City completely loosens. This seal has a three-hundred-year cycle, and the evil-suppressing array left behind by the first Martial Emperor is about to collapse."

In the athletes' rest area, Lin Chen slowly stood up. The Star Martial Core in his dantian was slightly hot. After the previous four rounds of fierce fighting, his martial skill "Chasing Star Step" had reached the peak of mastery, and "Myriad Manifestations Fist" had also touched the threshold of great success. His Body Tempering Realm foundation had been honed to the point where it was like refined steel that had been forged a thousand times, and there were faint signs that he would break through the shackles and break through to the Qi and Blood Realm.

Su Qingyue walked over, her school uniform from Qingyang No. 2 Middle School making her appear even more aloof. Her white aura flowed like moonlight above her head. She said to Lin Chen, "Show me your full strength later, don't disappoint me." She was the most talented person in Qingyang No. 2 Middle School in the past hundred years, with her cultivation at the peak of the Body Tempering Realm. She had mastered the superior-grade "Frost Ice Technique" and had never suffered a defeat against an opponent of the same level.

Lin Chen nodded, his eyes sharp as a drawn sword, and said, "Okay, you too."

After speaking, the two walked side by side to the arena. The silver starry sky and the white ice lotus above their heads reflected each other in the sunset, becoming the most dazzling scenery in the entire martial arts headquarters.

The two stood facing each other on the stage, and the battle was about to break out. At the referee's command, Su Qingyue made the first move!

She unleashed the full power of the superior-grade "Frostbite Technique" within her dantian, instantly covering the entire arena with three inches of frost. Countless ice spikes burst forth from the ground, precisely sealing off all of Lin Chen's evasive routes. This attack was devoid of any superfluous movements; each ice spike carried a bone-chilling coldness, embodying the essence of ice-based martial arts: "using stillness to control movement, striking after the opponent has moved first."

Lin Chen's feet moved with the "Chasing Star Steps," his figure weaving through the ice spikes like a ghost. He didn't rush to attack, but instead observed Su Qingyue's flow of Qi—the radiant white Qi and the power of ice were perfectly integrated, and every move was seamlessly connected. This was the ultimate manifestation of a top-tier Qi-enhanced technique.

"Only dodging, afraid to confront me head-on?" Su Qingyue said softly, forming hand seals once more. Three towering ice walls rose from the ground, forming a triangular shape that surrounded Lin Chen. Simultaneously, she leaped to the top of the ice walls, where a crystal-clear ice lotus condensed in her palm. With devastating force, she slammed it down towards Lin Chen's head: "Ice Lotus Palm!"

Lin Chen's eyes narrowed, and he stopped dodging. His dantian's star martial core vibrated violently, and immense star power surged into his right arm. The Myriad Manifestations Fist erupted at full power: "Starfall!"

The silver fist shadow collided violently with the ice lotus, the resulting shockwave sweeping across the entire arena. The ice wall shattered instantly into countless ice shards. Su Qingyue's figure swayed, drifting back three zhang, her palms slightly red; Lin Chen also took two steps back, the frost on his arms rapidly melting away with star power.

"Such powerful ice energy," Lin Chen thought to himself. Su Qingyue's strength was even greater than he had expected.

Su Qingyue looked at Lin Chen, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. She took a deep breath, and her radiant white aura surged above her head, transforming into a bright, clear moon: "Frostfire Technique - Ice Lotus Domain!"

In an instant, countless ice lotuses bloomed from the ground, transforming the entire arena into a sea of ​​ice lotuses. Within the domain, Su Qingyue was the absolute ruler, and Lin Chen's star power circulation instantly stagnates by 30%—this is the suppressive effect of the Qi Luck Domain, and also one of the core combat strengths of high-ranking martial artists.

"Ice Lotus Burst!"

Su Qingyue pointed her right hand, and the ice lotuses surrounding Lin Chen exploded simultaneously. The massive shockwave of ice energy completely engulfed his figure.

The entire audience gasped in surprise, thinking the outcome was already decided.

Just then, a dazzling silver light shot into the sky from the center of the explosion! Lin Chen appeared in mid-air, his clothes somewhat torn, but his eyes remained sharp as knives: "Star Chasing Step - Star Flash!"

His figure vanished instantly, reappearing before Su Qingyue, countless stellar energies coalescing into a dazzling sphere of light: "Wrath of the Stars!"

Su Qingyue's expression changed drastically. She quickly gathered all her luminous white energy into her arms, forming a massive ice shield. With a "crack," the ice shield, covered in spiderweb-like cracks, shattered completely. Lin Chen's fist continued its momentum, but just as it was about to strike Su Qingyue's chest, he suddenly twisted his wrist, sending the force of his punch grazing her shoulder and smashing the bluestone slab behind her to pieces.

Su Qingyue was stunned for a moment, then looked at Lin Chen: "Why aren't you fighting?"

"I don't want to hurt you," Lin Chen said calmly.

"I don't need your mercy!" Su Qingyue was somewhat angry. She gritted her teeth, burned a wisp of her original, radiant white energy, and unleashed her strongest attack of her life: "Ice Lotus Seal!"

A giant ice lotus bloomed in her palm, slamming towards Lin Chen with earth-shattering power.

Just as the Ice Lotus Seal was about to strike Lin Chen, a surge of immense blood and qi power suddenly erupted from his body!

boom--!

Body Tempering Realm Perfection → Qi and Blood Realm Initial Stage!

Under the pressure of life and death, the Star Martial Core automatically activated, transforming all the previously absorbed ferocious beast essence and pure fortune into pure blood and qi power. Lin Chen extended his right hand, and silver star power formed a huge vortex, firmly attracting the Ice Lotus Seal, slowly devouring and transforming it.

A moment later, the Ice Lotus Seal completely dissipated into the vortex. Lin Chen looked at Su Qingyue and calmly said, "You lost."

Seeing the surge of power emanating from him, Su Qingyue's fighting spirit gradually faded. She sighed softly and lowered her hands: "I concede."

"The final is over! Lin Chen wins! Congratulations to him on winning the championship of this year's Qingyang City High School Martial Arts Competition!"

The referee announced loudly, and the entire stadium erupted in thunderous cheers!