Chapter 1 Mountain Valley

Surrounded by jagged peaks, forming a tranquil, idyllic valley, Xu Jingming held a long spear. Very familiar with his surroundings, he picked up a fist-sized stone from the grass and hurled it towards a distant peak.

Whoosh!

The stone flew like a cannonball, instantly traveling seven or eight hundred meters, embedding itself into the distant mountain peak. It struck the mountainside with a thunderous boom, blasting a crater of about half a zhang in diameter, sending rubble flying.

The surrounding mountains, which had been filled with the sounds of ape calls, fell silent after the explosion.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Figures leaped out from the various peaks, arcing through the air. They landed on treetops or on the grass. More than ten apes appeared, all glaring at Xu Jingming with hostility.

"We're old friends. I'll make this quick," Xu Jingming said. His body moved like a shooting star as he burst forth at full speed.

The dozen or so apes, each wielding a dark, gleaming club, watched Xu Jingming's speed as he charged toward them. Their fur bristled as they instinctively surrounded him, trying to overwhelm him with numbers.

"Pfft."

A dark-red figure flashed. An ape's chest was pierced. Xu Jingming had already passed by, his spear piercing the neck of the next ape!

In their first exchange, he killed two apes.

Xu Jingming fully displayed the speed of the Huahong (Rainbow Transformation) spear technique. His speed far surpassed that of ordinary apes, and his spear techniques were terrifyingly sharp. The apes' crude club techniques were no match for him, and one after another, they fell.

"Aowu…" The remaining apes let out mournful cries filled with grief and fear.

"These virtual opponents are even programmed with high intelligence," Xu Jingming muttered to himself. No matter how many times he attempted the fourth level of the Star Cluster Tower, he always faced these apes and their king. At first, their cries made him feel a twinge of pity.

But after a while, he got used to it!

After being killed, they would turn into illusions, only to reappear for the next attempt!

"Pfft, pfft, pfft…" Wherever Xu Jingming's figure passed, the apes fell, turning into illusions.

When the ape king, with its slightly reddish fur, appeared, it couldn't help but feel rage at the sight. It roared, and the remaining apes immediately retreated, keeping their distance.

"Couldn't you have come out sooner?" Xu Jingming said, his gaze serious as he looked at the ape king.

"Boom."

The ape king moved, transforming into a reddish blur as it pounced on Xu Jingming. Xu Jingming transformed into a dark-red, indistinct figure and instantly met the ape king's charge, his speed slightly superior.

The two forces collided!

The ape king's club techniques were powerful, heavy, flexible, and varied.

Xu Jingming's spear was fast!

Fast... naturally meant terrifying kinetic energy! Xu Jingming perfectly combined his own momentum with that of the spear. Every strike made the ape king feel immense pressure. It was forced to use its movement techniques, changing direction rapidly to dodge and then counterattack!

Xu Jingming, on the other hand, focused on attacking, attacking, and attacking! He didn't give the ape king a chance to breathe!

"Heh heh heh…" The ape king couldn't help but let out angry, low roars, its eyes filled with shock and rage.

Xu Jingming's attacks became even more frantic. The Huahong spear technique was like that! He abandoned defenses and other considerations, purely using his attacks to overwhelm the enemy. If the enemy could defend and counterattack... then he would likely be defeated!

A prolonged defense would surely crumble!

With his thirty-first spear strike, Xu Jingming grazed the ape king's left arm, drawing a wound. Xu Jingming's eyes lit up, and he immediately took another step forward, his attack becoming even fiercer.

One spear strike after another, without pause.

The wounded ape king panicked slightly. Its club techniques became noticeably weaker, and the force behind them diminished. It barely managed to block two strikes before the thirty-fourth strike tore a large wound in its abdomen. With the abdominal injury, the strength of its entire body immediately weakened!

With the thirty-fifth strike, the ape king desperately held its club in front of its chest, but Xu Jingming's spear, like a dragon rising from the water, deflected the ape king's club and pierced its chest.

The ape king was resilient and still didn't die! Even as its chest was pierced, it swung its club, trying to strike Xu Jingming's head.

"Tear!"

The spear, which had pierced the ape king's chest, suddenly made a horizontal slice, cutting open most of the ape king's chest, including its heart and lungs. The ape king's swing became feeble, its eyes dimmed, and its body turned illusory.

Xu Jingming withdrew his spear, watching the ape king disappear.

Thirty-six consecutive strikes! He had killed the ape king!

"I did it." Xu Jingming breathed a sigh of relief.

"You have cleared the fourth level. Preparing to enter the fifth level of the Star Cluster Tower," a voice sounded in his ears. Xu Jingming's armor and weapons became clean, and his stamina returned to its peak.

"Let's see what the opponent on the fifth level is," Xu Jingming thought.

The scene before him changed, and he had arrived at the fifth level.

It was a beach. On the beach, a figure was lying comfortably in a chair, basking in the sunlight, with juice and drinks beside him. This figure was a very handsome young man.

"A human?" Xu Jingming was surprised.

A very handsome human. Even from the side, one could tell that his face was extremely handsome. When he turned his head to look at Xu Jingming, his eyes made Xu Jingming's heart flutter involuntarily.

A human male youth with a sense of allure?

"That is?" Xu Jingming saw it. The youth had a furry tail. His ears and face had very light down, and his eyebrows were silver.

The silver-browed youth glanced at Xu Jingming and casually tossed the few pebbles he had been playing with in his left hand.

Swish swish swish swish swish!

Five pebbles, each faster than Xu Jingming could imagine. Xu Jingming had barely reacted when the five pebbles had already pierced his body. His body turned illusory...

He had been eliminated from the fifth level of the Star Cluster Tower!

"Pebbles, so fast that I didn't even have time to block them?" Xu Jingming clicked his tongue in amazement.

Xu Jingming exited the Star Cluster Tower and saw his name on the second scroll of the Star Cluster Rankings.

Star Cluster Rankings (Fourth Level) –

Global Rank 1: Liu Hai (Xia Country)

Global Rank 2: Tiano Xire (Bowana)

Global Rank 3: Xu Jingming (Xia Country)

"Hoo." Xu Jingming returned to his personal training space. Li Miaomiao was still waiting for him.

"Jingming, I've already seen it," Li Miaomiao said, even more excited than Xu Jingming. "The three of you cleared the Star Cluster Tower one after another in less than three hours. By the way, what's on the fifth level of the Star Cluster Tower? I've always been curious."

"The fifth level?" Xu Jingming said with a complicated expression. "It's a person, but not a normal human."

"A person?" Li Miaomiao asked, puzzled.

The first level was a pack of wolves, the second level was a group of bears, the third level was a group of tigers, the fourth level was a group of intelligent apes, and the fifth level was a person?

"Moreover, the fifth level might just be one person," Xu Jingming guessed. "He also has a furry tail, and his face has very light down. Never mind, just watch the video!"

With that, Xu Jingming pulled up the video of his attempt at the fifth level of the Star Cluster Tower. Of course, he didn't show the combat footage—he had been utterly crushed.

"Wow!" Li Miaomiao's eyes lit up. "So handsome!"

"I don't know why the virtual world designs the opponents to be so handsome," Xu Jingming said helplessly. Even he, a man, had felt a moment of infatuation. It was the most handsome person he had ever seen in his life, including online. The main reason for such shock was his eyes, which held a charm that captivated the mind!

Li Miaomiao immediately coaxed him, "Of course, in my heart, Jingming, you're more handsome than him."

"Don't flatter me. I know my limits," Xu Jingming said, shaking his head.

...

The global media had gone crazy. What day was it?

In just over two hours, Liu Hai, Tiano Xire, and Xu Jingming had consecutively cleared the fourth level of the Star Cluster Tower! Each of them was only an hour apart. This made the whole world feel... Did they arrange this?

"Three people clearing it one after another. Is the fourth level that easy?"

"Let's wait and see. Maybe a fourth person will clear it."

"I understand the strength of Liu Hai and Tiano Xire now. Just compare them to Xu Jingming. The three of them are on the same level."

"Maybe another peerless expert will appear and clear the fourth level!"

The world was watching.

In the past, the fourth level of the Star Cluster Tower had seemed unattainable because fewer than a hundred people worldwide had cleared the third level. But today? Three people had cleared it in a row. Would there be a fourth? A fifth? Or even more?

The world was full of hidden talents.

People in every country were filled with anticipation. Even small countries had ambitions.

"Even a small country like Bowana can produce a Tiano! Our Xinluo country is much larger, with tens of millions of people. Maybe a peerless genius will appear too."

"Warriors, charge! Clear the fourth level of the Star Cluster Tower, Ula!"

The entire internet felt like it was celebrating a grand festival. Everywhere, people were discussing Liu Hai, Tiano, and Xu Jingming, while also looking forward to the appearance of a fourth and fifth person.