"Before the fight has even started, you've already lost half your will to battle. A fight like that isn't worth looking forward to."
The moment Zhang Zhiwei said those words, Magneto went still.
Then, to everyone's surprise, he slowly drew in a deep breath and bowed his head slightly.
"Old Heavenly Master, thank you for the reminder."
"Today, I'll go all out and offer you a battle worthy of your time."
Only then did Zhang Zhiwei nod in satisfaction.
His right foot slid back.
His body lowered slightly.
And with that single movement, he settled into a Tai Chi opening stance.
Longhu Mountain had its own branch of Tai Chi inheritance. It was not the kind ordinary people imagined, and once it appeared in the old Heavenly Master's hands, the entire arena seemed to grow heavier.
At the same time, two clusters of blue lightning condensed in Zhang Zhiwei's palms.
"This move," he said calmly, "is called Palm Lightning."
The moment the words fell, his fingers flicked lightly.
Then his body vanished.
Whoosh!
Wrapped in blue lightning, Zhang Zhiwei crossed the distance in the blink of an eye and appeared directly in front of Magneto.
Magneto had clearly prepared for this.
Electric arcs crackled around his body, while the specially forged metal plate beneath his feet split apart into countless fragments. The pieces spun rapidly around him, forming a circular steel barrier.
Boom! Boom!
Two Palm Lightning strikes slammed into the rotating shield.
For an instant, the blue lightning stalled.
But the metal fragments surrounding Magneto began to disintegrate at a visible rate, crumbling apart under the force of the electricity.
Seeing that, Magneto felt no joy at all.
Because Palm Lightning was only one of Zhang Zhiwei's methods—
while these fragments were part of the special equipment he had prepared specifically for this battle.
If all of them were destroyed, then this fight would already be over.
Zhang Zhiwei drifted back, returning to a point nearly a hundred meters away.
Then he looked at Magneto and said mildly,
"Show me your real skill."
"If this is all you have, there's no point in me continuing to play with you."
Magneto's expression tightened.
Then he gave a heavy nod.
Creeeak—!
An ear-piercing metallic grind rang out.
The outer armor covering Magneto's body suddenly split apart, breaking down into countless thin metallic fragments that floated into the air.
Only now did people realize—
the armor he had been wearing until now was not protection at all.
It was one of his real weapons.
The metal pieces whirled and fused together in midair, finally forming a gigantic steel hammer.
Crackle! Crackle!
Blue arcs still danced across the hammer's surface.
Then, with a deafening roar, the huge hammer crashed down toward Zhang Zhiwei like a falling mountain.
"Good!"
A faint golden light flashed through the old Heavenly Master's eyes.
"Golden Light Spell!"
The next instant, dazzling golden radiance erupted from Zhang Zhiwei's body.
In a heartbeat, the entire Blue Star Deathmatch arena was dyed gold.
Within that sea of golden light, the enormous descending hammer stopped in midair.
It hung there, utterly motionless.
Magneto's face changed completely.
He frantically pushed his magnetic power to the limit, trying to force the hammer downward—
but no matter how much strength he used, it would not move even an inch.
The Dragon Nation livestream instantly went wild.
"That's Longhu Mountain's old Heavenly Master!"
"This is the face of Dragon Nation's ancient Daoist lineage!"
"No wonder he's the old Heavenly Master—one move and it's like the heavens came crashing down!"
"So this is the Golden Light Spell?! He's already cultivated it to the absolute peak!"
"Hahaha! Who could possibly keep fighting against power like this?"
In the arena, Magneto felt a wave of helplessness rise in his chest.
Even after using his full strength, he could not budge the hammer in the slightest.
The next moment, a strand of golden light condensed into a blade and appeared at his throat.
Zhang Zhiwei had not killed him.
He merely stood there quietly, watching.
Magneto let out a long breath and smiled bitterly.
"Thank you, Old Heavenly Master, for showing mercy."
"I lost this Deathmatch."
At once, Will of Blue Star announced the result.
[Congratulations! Dragon Nation contestant Zhang Zhiwei has won and secured a Divine Domain slot.]
[Miracle Nation contestant Magneto advances to the next Deathmatch round.]
For once, even Miracle Nation's viewers had little to say against Magneto.
"Against an opponent like that, just staying alive is already impressive."
"Honestly, if it were anyone else, the result wouldn't have changed."
"What I want to know now is this—between Zhang Zhiwei and Wuxian, who's stronger?"
"Why does it feel like Dragon Nation's contestants still haven't shown their full strength?"
"And if those two are this terrifying… what about Dragon Nation's other contestants?"
With that battle, the entire world gained a new understanding of Dragon Nation's strength.
That endless golden radiance had stunned everyone.
I Came to Watch the Divine Domain
Inside Dragon Nation's studio, Bingbing looked delighted.
"Professor Luo, have you done any research into the ability Old Heavenly Master Zhang just used?"
Professor Luo laughed helplessly.
"Bingbing, you're thinking too highly of me."
"I wouldn't dare claim I've researched it deeply. At best, I know a little."
"The first technique he used should have been Palm Lightning, one of Daoism's classic methods."
"And after that, he used the Golden Light Spell. The old Heavenly Master has cultivated it to an almost effortless, miraculous degree."
"In an instant, he covered the entire Deathmatch arena with golden light."
"Within that field, everything was brought under his control. That's the strength of a truly top-tier expert."
Beside him, Captain Ryan Cole was visibly excited.
"Many years ago, the old Heavenly Master once visited our military training grounds."
"I was fortunate enough to receive some guidance from him."
"At the time, he only taught us simple hand-to-hand methods, but every person in that training class went on to achieve extraordinary things in their own field."
"That's how great he is."
The Next Match
The next Deathmatch began soon after.
It was Miracle Nation contestant Joker versus Tofu Nation contestant Midozi.
Inside the arena, Joker still wore that bizarre custom circus outfit, his face painted in red and white, his green hair impossible to ignore. Over it all, he wore a bright purple coat and a green shirt that made him look even more absurd.
Across from him stood Midozi, a muscular giant of a man.
The moment he appeared, Midozi sneered openly.
"So what are you, some circus clown sent here to entertain me?"
"This might be the stupidest decision Will of Blue Star has made yet."
Hearing that, Joker's lips slowly curled upward.
Then his hands began to sway gently.
His whole body moved with them, as though he were made of paper floating in the wind.
"Hahaha…"
The laughter started low, then rose, then twisted into something unhinged.
He kept laughing.
So hard he nearly bent double.
His face became increasingly distorted, increasingly manic.
Soon, even the people watching the livestream felt their skin crawl.
"What the hell… why did I just get goosebumps?"
"This guy isn't funny. He's a complete lunatic."
"How does someone like this become one of Miracle Nation's top ten?"
Even Miracle Nation's own viewers were starting to feel uncomfortable.
"I don't care if he's our contestant. I really don't want to support this guy."
"He's a full-blown psycho."
But there were also some who grew strangely excited.
"This is what a real superhuman looks like!"
"Joker's madness is freedom itself!"
"Ordinary people will never understand his art!"
Then the fight began.
At first, it looked as though Midozi might be able to put up some resistance.
Unfortunately, that illusion did not last long.
A gust of wind swept across the arena.
Joker's body brushed lightly past Midozi.
And then Midozi's face went deathly pale.
The livestream camera zoomed in at exactly the right moment.
His abdomen, chest, and back were already covered in dozens of tiny cuts.
Sweat poured down his face.
He was barely holding himself together.
Joker slowly turned around.
The smile on his face spread wider and wider.
"Oh? Already can't take it?"
"The truth of life hasn't even started yet. This fight can't end so quickly."
As he spoke, he spread two fingers.
Between them was a bloodstained Joker card.
The audience instantly understood.
It was that card that had carved all those wounds into Midozi's body.
Midozi gritted his teeth against the pain and forced himself to turn around.
"You're right."
"This battle isn't over yet."
"How could I lose to trash like you?"
With a roar, Midozi's muscles swelled even further. He lunged forward, and his leg whipped out in a kick so fierce that it created a sonic crack in midair.
There was a reason Midozi had made it into Tofu Nation's top ten.
He was not weak.
But Joker only looked more delighted.
His polished leather shoes tapped lightly against the ground.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
In the next instant, his body disappeared.
A moment later, Midozi was kicked into the air.
Then Joker's form blurred again and again, darting around him with terrifying speed.
Each strike landed with horrifying precision.
Crack!
Rip!
One by one, the joints in Midozi's body were shattered.
The sheer brutality of it struck the audience like a hammer.
But Joker looked almost reverent, as if he were carefully refining a masterpiece.
"This artwork still has a few flaws…"
With those words, Joker leapt one final time.
A card appeared in his hand.
Shhk.
He lightly drew it across Midozi's cheek, then used one hand to support the falling body.
Under Joker's manipulation, Midozi's corpse was posed into the exact shape of The Thinker—one fist beneath his chin, elbow resting on his knee.
And the corners of his mouth had been sliced open just enough to make it look like he was smiling.
Blood streamed down his face, making the grotesque tableau even more horrifying.
By that point, Midozi was already dead.
He had not even been given the chance to surrender.
At once, Will of Blue Star announced the result.
[Miracle Nation contestant Joker wins and secures entry into the Divine Domain!]
[Tofu Nation contestant Midozi has died!]
Inside the arena, Joker pulled a white handkerchief from his chest pocket and draped it over Midozi's corpse.
Then he bowed politely in all directions, like a performer thanking his audience after a flawless show.
People around the world stared in horror.
"This guy is insane…"
"He could have killed Midozi instantly. Why did he have to do all that?"
"He treated the whole thing like an art performance."
"He's not just cruel. He's completely mad."
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/StrawHatStudios