Translator: CinderTL
"Ten kills?" Jiang Ye nodded slightly.
There were only fifty Shadow Clan members in total, and eight candidates present. Killing ten already counted as quite fast.
Without a star weapon, I probably wouldn't have even managed five kills, Jiang Ye thought to himself.
Even with stellar energy, using only his fists would have made such rapid kills impossible.
Star weapons, however, unleashed the full power of stellar energy, posing a lethal threat to the Shadow Clan.
Still, the star weapon was part of Jiang Ye's overall strength.
Among the thousand-plus candidates, he wasn't the only one with such a weapon.
Wan Yaoyang and several top students from Qingyang High School also possessed these formidable tools.
"Hmm?"
Just then, Jiang Ye noticed a notification flash across his system panel.
New Achievement? Slaying a Demonic Path Practitioner?!
A strange expression crossed Jiang Ye's face.
What's going on?
Why is the Demonic Path even involved?
Is the system mistaking the Shadow Clan for Demonic Path practitioners? Jiang Ye wondered, somewhat bewildered.
But then he considered that most Demonic Path practitioners were neither human nor ghost, and the Shadow Clan shared a similar ambiguous nature. Given the system's history of questionable intelligence, mistaking the Shadow Clan for Demonic Path practitioners wasn't entirely surprising.
Moreover, in a low martial world, the division between righteous and demonic paths would naturally exist.
Makes sense!
I wonder what rewards this achievement will grant? Jiang Ye couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation.
After all, he was slaying Demonic Path practitioners and saving the world. Surely, such heroic deeds deserved a substantial reward?
As Jiang Ye pondered this,
Whoosh! Whoosh!
More shadows surged from the surrounding darkness, densely packed and far more numerous than before. A rough count revealed over a hundred Shadow Clan creatures had appeared, like a viscous black tide closing in from all directions.
The White-robed Swordswoman's expression shifted slightly. "So soon?"
The previous wave of attacks had barely ended. Less than a minute had passed before this second, even more ferocious assault crashed down, leaving no time to breathe.
While the White-robed Swordswoman was still reeling from the shock,
Whoosh!
A slender figure darted forward, piercing the darkness like a golden ray of light as it plunged into the endless black tide.
Slash! Slash!
Jiang Ye wielded his golden dagger, its blade flashing in a continuous arc, unleashing terrifying bursts of blade energy. He tore a gap through the relentless black tide with sheer force.
Seeing this, the White-robed Swordswoman quickly joined the fray.
The four girls had all achieved their first breakthrough and weren't afraid of the Shadow Clan horde. However, if the relentless waves continued without pause, even with their first breakthrough, they would soon be exhausted.
Meanwhile, a flicker of unease flashed through Lin Yushu's eyes.
"Continuous combat? Even with my first breakthrough, I can only sustain this for half a day at most before needing rest."
He had no time for further contemplation and swiftly plunged into the battle.
Time flowed relentlessly.
Within Qingyang City, fierce battles raged across the areas radiating from over a hundred Stellar Void Passages.
One hour.
Three hours.
Six hours.
In the blink of an eye, six hours had passed.
Stellar Void Passage 21.
"Huff... huff..."
Lin Yushu, the White-robed Swordswoman, and the others leaned against the wall, gasping for breath.
Nearby, Jiang Ye crouched on the ground, his forehead drenched in sweat.
"Six hours of continuous fighting... finally a moment to rest?" Jiang Ye glanced ahead. If the Shadow Clan left corpses behind, the streets would already be piled high with bodies.
But upon death, Shadow Clan members immediately dissolved into shadows, leaving no trace in this world.
"Kill count." Jiang Ye checked his wristband. "102 Shadow Clan members slain?"
He nodded slightly.
For the past six hours, they had been slaughtering without a moment's respite.
At this rate, killing just 200 Shadow Clan members per day would easily meet the 1,000-member target within five days.
"Brother Jiang," Lin Yushu said between ragged breaths, "you're truly relentless! How can you keep fighting for so long?"
There were four boys and four girls present.
Except for Jiang Ye, everyone else had already achieved their first breakthrough.
Even for them, fighting continuously for six hours had left them utterly exhausted.
Yet Jiang Ye, who hadn't even reached his first breakthrough, possessed such remarkable skill?
Lin Yushu looked at him with genuine admiration.
Jiang Ye smiled faintly. "We should rest while we can. The next wave of shadow tide could come at any moment."
Lin Yushu nodded, then suddenly asked, "Brother Jiang, could I borrow your star weapon for a bit?"
He wore an eager expression, clearly wanting to experience the weapon's power firsthand.
"No," Jiang Ye replied flatly, shaking his head.
"Alright then," Lin Yushu chuckled, unfazed by the rejection.
Jiang Ye glanced at him in surprise. Despite his unattractive appearance, the guy had a surprisingly decent personality.
Still, star weapons were never lent out, no matter how close the relationship. They were his lifeline, his ultimate means of survival.
Meanwhile, the white-robed swordswoman leaned against a corner, her gaze fixed thoughtfully on Jiang Ye.
Beside her, a cat-eared girl in a pink dress asked, "Sister Bai, why are you staring at that country bumpkin?"
Song Wanbai turned back, sighing, "That guy must have killed over a hundred already. I've only managed ninety."
"Tch, so what?" The pink-skirted cat-eared girl pouted. "He's just relying on his star weapon. Without it, he wouldn't have killed nearly as many."
Song Wanbai didn't deny it, sighing, "Star weapons are truly formidable."
With ordinary swords and blades, it's nearly impossible to unleash even ten percent of stellar energy's full power.
But star weapons? Even those of average quality can unleash over forty or fifty percent.
The problem is, ordinary weapons inflict limited damage on the Shadow Clan. Only stellar energy poses a real threat to them.
If she had such a weapon, she could probably kill a thousand in just two days.
As Song Wanbai was lamenting,
Buzz!
The kaleidoscopic Stellar Void Passage in the sky suddenly writhed.
Then, a pitch-black shadow surged forth from within.
An endless stream of Shadow Clan reinforcements was pouring into the area!
"It's starting again?" Song Wanbai's expression darkened.
They had rested for less than ten minutes.
Moreover, this was the first time the Stellar Void Passage had behaved strangely.
Previously, the Shadow Clan had always emerged from the surrounding darkness.
But this time, they were appearing directly from the Stellar Void Passage itself!
"Are you all rested enough?" Song Wanbai asked, glancing at the cat-eared girl and the others.
"How could we be?" The cat-eared girl gritted her teeth. Even after a first breakthrough, they weren't perpetual motion machines.
After six hours of continuous combat, they were all utterly exhausted.
Just as their heads began to throb,
a figure, wreathed in golden light, charged forward.
"That guy!" The cat-eared girl's eyelid twitched. "Doesn't he ever get tired?"
"Let's go too."
Song Wanbai gripped her longsword and swiftly followed.
If even Jiang Ye, who hadn't yet achieved his first breakthrough, was rushing forward, she, as a cosmic martial artist who had already surpassed that milestone, couldn't possibly hide behind.
Her pride wouldn't allow it.
(End of the Chapter)