Chapter 1468: People Compared to People Drive You to Death! Prepare Your Report!

As the final trace of potent essence from the Thunderflower merged into his limbs and organs.

Xu Jingming's surging purple-gold qi slowly retracted, finally fully sinking into his body.

Hum—

A deep, vast vibration, like an awakening ancient god stretching his body, quietly spread outward from him.

This vibration was not showy, yet carried the stability and perfection of a fundamental transformation.

As if his entire being had become a towering mountain brimming with infinite energy.

Xu Jingming's eyes snapped open!

Brilliant light flared!

That gaze was like thunder cleaving chaos, instantly illuminating the entire dim valley.

"This is… Star Peak!"

He murmured, his steady voice carrying an indescribable sense of emotion.

Within him, surging Yuan energy flowed like an endless star-sea, boundless yet perfectly unified.

He could clearly feel that his total Yuan energy and its purity had nearly doubled since his Star Ninth Stage.

His Yuan energy had reached the absolute limit of the Star Stage!

As if only one final thread separated him from breaking through to the Cosmic Stage.

Of course, he understood.

That single step from Star Peak to Cosmic Stage.

Though it seemed like a thin sheet of paper, it was in truth an impassable abyss.

Countless brilliant geniuses spent their entire lives trapped beyond this threshold.

Even in this Hunting Demon Competition, which gathered the universe's top prodigies.

Those Star Peak talents, if they wished to break through to Cosmic Stage,

Required at least a thousand years of accumulation without a miraculous opportunity.

But that was for others.

For him, as long as the Source Points were sufficient, Cosmic Stage was no problem.

"From arriving at Star Dome Academy to now, only three years have passed."

Xu Jingming wore a satisfied expression.

This breakthrough speed was indeed fast.

"Jingming, congratulations!"

A clear, joyful female voice sounded beside him.

Xu Jingming turned his head and saw Yue Ying walking up, her long, slender legs gliding forward.

Her exquisitely white face beamed with a bright smile, radiating pride and joy.

"It's all thanks to you—I never would've found this treasure spot otherwise."

Xu Jingming grinned.

The aura naturally radiated during his breakthrough had fully receded; his energy once again became steady and restrained.

"Now isn't the right time—we'll celebrate properly after the Hunting Demon Competition."

Yue Ying smiled, then hesitated slightly:

"Jingming, you're now at Star Peak.

Next, are you going to operate alone and focus entirely on climbing the rankings?"

"Operate alone?"

Xu Jingming raised an eyebrow, surprised, "Don't you want to stay with me?"

"Of course I do…"

Yue Ying quickly replied, "But my strength is too low—I'd hold you back…"

Her voice carried a faint hint of disappointment and self-awareness.

The later the Hunting Demon Competition progressed, the fiercer the competition became, and the stronger the opponents grew.

Though she had absorbed Moonlight Grass and improved her strength, she could at best handle opponents around Star Fifth Stage.

If she encountered true top-tier experts, or was ambushed by multiple foes as before,

She wouldn't just be useless—she'd force Xu Jingming to divert attention to protect her, becoming his weakness.

Hearing Yue Ying's reasoning, Xu Jingming suddenly understood, then smiled:

"Who said you're holding me back?

With my current strength, on this Blood Refining Star, the number of people who can threaten me can be counted on one hand.

Even if I did encounter them, if I can't beat them, can't I just run? Your weight doesn't slow down my Thunderwing flight speed at all."

His tone was casual, brimming with absolute confidence.

Indeed.

Though Yue Ying was tall, standing at one meter seventy-four,

Her weight was only a little over one hundred and twenty jin—light as nothing to him.

After a pause, Xu Jingming's lips curled into a smile as he continued:

"Besides, your Silver Moon Bloodline's ability to sense heavenly treasures is a fantastic talent for treasure-hunting.

We partner up—you find the treasures and demon beast clusters.

I handle the clearing and harvesting. Our efficiency might even surpass what I could achieve alone.

How could you call that holding me back?"

"This..."

Yue Ying blinked her clear, large eyes.

This actually sounds right!

Instantly, her reluctance melted away completely.

That meant, for the next few months, she could continue staying with Xu Jingming!

Thinking of this,

Yue Ying could no longer suppress her excitement and joy; a brilliant smile bloomed across her exquisite face.

Forgetting all reserve, her slender, graceful body launched straight into Xu Jingming's broad, warm embrace.

"Where do we go next?"

"First, leave this place, find somewhere with more demonic beasts."

"Okay, I'll follow your lead!"

Yue Ying nodded vigorously, utterly obedient.

"Let's go!"

Xu Jingming wasted no more time.

With a thought, dazzling golden thunder wings unfolded behind him.

Lei Ting runes flowed, emitting a terrifying ripple of cosmic law.

He tightened his arms, lifting Yue Ying into a comfortable horizontal hold.

Yue Ying, familiar with the motion, wrapped her arms around his neck, snuggling fully against his chest, her face radiant with happiness.

The thunder wings flared violently!

"Boom—!!"

The violent sonic boom erupted again.

Golden Lei Guang enveloped the two as they shot skyward, becoming a golden lightning bolt that tore through the heavens.

They streaked toward the distant horizon, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Only a fading scar remained.

The valley fell silent once more.

Only hundreds of milky-white emergency shields, still scattered everywhere and uncollected, remained.

And within each shield, faces filled with complex expressions—bewilderment, frustration, envy, jealousy, even numbness.

Xue Fu stared blankly at the direction where Xu Jingming and Yue Ying had vanished.

His mouth opened, then closed; he said nothing, only wiped his face hard.

The other competitors around him wore mostly the same sullen expressions, as if they'd been force-fed a whole bowl of dog food.

Fuck!

People comparing people drive you insane!

All of us got eliminated.

But this guy Xu Jingming? He's still roaming around with a gorgeous girl in his arms.

Just this one point alone made it impossible not to envy and resent him.

"Huh? Why are there so many people over here?"

At that moment, a voice tinged with mild confusion rang out.

A burly figure in silver-white uniform descended from the sky, landing in the valley.

He appeared middle-aged, his face rugged, his aura deep as an ocean.

He was the rescue operator of the Demon Hunting Contest, a Cosmic Realm expert.

"We were outclassed, eliminated."

Xue Fu smiled bitterly from within his shield.

"Oh?"

The Cosmic Realm expert grew interested. "Who did it? To eliminate so many at once? Impressive."

Among these five hundred, there were three or four Star Peak experts alone.

After all, when the peak experts of the Star realm face each other, it's hard to eliminate one another—since if they can't win, they can simply run.

Such mass eliminations like this were extremely rare.

"Xu Jingming," Xue Fu said gravely.

"Xu Jingming?"

The Cosmic Realm expert paused, then showed surprise. "That 'Loot King'? He's capable of this?"

"The 'Loot King' was just his disguise."

Xue Fu shook his head, his tone complex. "He's now Star Peak—and..."

He paused, briefly recounting everything that had just happened.

From the phenomenon of Moonlight Grass drawing everyone here, to Xu Jingming single-handedly

sweeping all competitors with Lei Ting—including him, a Star Nine expert with two perfected laws, and the later Star Peak masters.

"Interesting."

The Cosmic Realm expert stroked his chin, eyes flickering with thought.

He himself came from the Eternal Star Alliance.

In the past, the Eternal Star Alliance had always been at the bottom, rarely producing powerhouses.

But judging by this scene, Xu Jingming seemed quite different.

It seems I must report this matter to Lady Yeli.

He quickly made his decision.

As for the God-Slaying Martial Temple and the Mercenary Alliance, he would never be foolish enough to report the situation to them voluntarily.