Hearing that Gu Lingling was attempting to break through to Realm 2, Gu Zhen couldn't help but feel a sense of helplessness.
Truly, comparing oneself to others could be infuriating.
He had worked tirelessly—selling star skill insights, absorbing star beast cores, pushing himself to the brink—just to reach Realm 1, Level 7.
And yet, he now heard that she was already on the verge of reaching Realm 2.
If she succeeded, Gu Zhen wasn't entirely confident he could defeat her.
She wasn't the kind of star warrior whose potential capped at Realm 2.
Her current realm was simply a result of the limited time she'd had to cultivate.
If it were the former, Gu Zhen wouldn't be worried at all. But if it were the latter, he'd need to be extremely cautious.
Now, Gu Zhen could only prepare for the worst-case scenario: facing a Realm 2 genius with a B-grade superpower, backed by the support of her family.
Suddenly, Gu Zhen felt that the few star skills he had weren't nearly enough. If he really had to face her, it would be a serious problem.
But on the eve of the competition, where would he find the time to learn new star skills? It was better to maintain a calm and steady mindset.
The day of the Grand Combat Competition soon arrived, and everyone from Sunmoon Academy gathered at the arena.
In addition to the academy members, the three major families of Sunoom City—the city's "big three"—had also sent representatives to attend.
Gu Zhen blended into the crowd, sitting in the audience stands, quietly waiting for Headmaster Zhu Yong speech.
"Ahem, distinguished guests, teachers, and students, good morning to you all. I am Zhu Yong, the headmaster of Sunmoon Star Warrior Academy, and I am delighted…"
Listening to the principal's bland speech, Gu Zhen shook his head and continued to rest with his eyes closed while soothing the resentment in his spiritual sea.
To boost his strength, he had absorbed several more star beast cores recently, which had caused the irritating howls to reemerge in his spiritual sea.
However, with his prior experience, Gu Zhen was no longer worried about the resentment. Instead, he began searching for its hiding place within his spiritual sea.
Many who absorbed star beast cores had been disturbed by the beasts lingering resentment, and naturally, some had tried to locate its source.
Yet, without exception, they had all failed.
Gu Zhen attempt was driven by curiosity.
How could mere resentment hide so well in the spiritual sea that even countless spirit-type powerhouses couldn't find it after searching?
Spirit-type powerhouses had a simple method for clearing resentment: using their powerful spirit energy to purify the entire spiritual sea. So, even if they couldn't locate it, it didn't matter.
But the more this was the case, the more curious Gu Zhen became.
Perhaps there was a hidden secret within the resentment.
Unfortunately, despite his efforts so far, Gu Zhen had found no clues and was still painstakingly searching.
After nearly an hour of searching, Principal Zhu Yong finally finished his lengthy speech on the podium.
"I hereby declare the 237th Grand-Combat Competition of Sunmoon Star Warrior Academy officially open! I wish all students the best in achieving a good ranking"
With the opening announced, the competition began. All the students headed to their assigned zones, and Gu Zhen followed the crowd to Zone C.
Each zone had four competition platforms. To determine the top four in each zone, seven rounds of matches were required.
The competition spanned five days: the first three days to decide the top four in each zone, and the final two days to determine the champion.
Gu Zhen glanced at the display screen. It could only show eight names at a time, and with 139 participants, he had no idea how long it would be before his turn.
While waiting, he suddenly noticed the name "Zhang Changming" appear on the screen.
His opponent was someone Gu Zhen was very familiar with: Zhou Xin
Seeing these two names, Gu Zhen interest was piqued. This was a perfect opportunity to use Zhou Xin to gauge Zhang Changming true strength.
Zhou Xin was fairly well-known at the academy, but Zhang Changming was practically a celebrity.
Their match immediately drew the attention of the entire arena.
Even the representatives from Sunmoon City three major families had come to watch the upcoming match.
"Old Zhang, how's your eldest young master doing these days?" Gu Lang asked, picking up a cup of tea and glancing at the Zhang family representative, Zhang Qifan.
"He's doing alright, barely scraping by. He became a disciple of a star artifact master," Zhang Qifan replied casually, taking a sip of tea. Though his words sounded critical, his tone was brimming with pride.
A star artifact master were names that could make Sunmoon City tremble. It was a guest of honor in any major family, with a status equivalent to a Realm 5 star warrior. Even in the twelve states, they would be treated with utmost respect.
Hearing this, Gu Lang maintained his smile, but a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. He had thought that with a genius like Gu Lingling, a once-in-a-century opportunity for the Gu family, they could rise to the top. Who would have thought the Zhang family would also produce geniuses like the Zhang Changming brothers, refusing to be outdone?
Nearby, the Fang family representative, Fang Li, quietly sipped his tea, saying nothing.
Though his family had produced a C-grade superpower genius, which in the past would have been something to boast about, now…
It was better not to bring it up and humiliate himself.
But while Fang Li wanted to stay quiet and unnoticed, the other two weren't about to let him off so easily.
"Old Fang, what about your family's genius? I heard your eldest young lady is quite talented and strong," Gu Lang said first, his face full of ill intent.
"Yes, yes, tell us all about it," Zhang Qifan added with a mischievous grin, ready to humiliate Fang Li.
Fang Li naturally wasn't falling for their bait and immediately turned his gaze to the arena.
"Ahem, look, your second young master match is starting."
At his words, both men immediately shifted their attention to the competition platform.
At that moment, as the referee announced the start of the match, Zhou Xin and Zhang Changming activated their superpower.
However, while Zhou Xin fully transformed, Zhang Changming only partially transformed.
Even so, Zhou Xin didn't dare to be careless.
He couldn't help but feel bitter. Who could have imagined that in the first round, he'd face Zhang Changming, a top contender for the tournament? His master was going to scold him for sure.
Zhou Xin immediately unleashed a star skill, diving straight into the ground.
In contrast, Zhang Changming remained calm and composed, his expression leisurely, clearly not taking Zhou Xin seriously.
Though he appeared relaxed, he hadn't let his guard down in the slightest. With Zhou Xin diving underground, Zhang Changming had no way to force him out, so he opted to wait for Zhou Xin to reveal a flaw.
But according to his estimation, Zhou Xin had to maintain a full transformation while staying underground—possibly even setting traps—which would undoubtedly drain his star power quickly.
The moment Zhou Xin showed himself, Zhang Changming was confident he could end the match with a single strike.