Devouring the Stars: Soul Master

Chapter 137 Qianwu's Personal Disciple
call out!call out!call out!
The orbital cannons mounted on 100 Destroyer Warriors bombarded the area relentlessly.

Some of these destroyers transformed into lightning as they ran, or flew directly into the sky, launching a comprehensive and multi-dimensional attack on Qin Ming.

The intelligent light brains and databases on these mechanical puppets, the 'Destroyers,' possessed an astonishingly rich amount of combat experience, instantly pushing Qin Ming into an extremely dangerous situation.

Normally, spiritual practitioners keep their distance, like kites flying at a long distance.

But against the mechanical puppet 'Destroyer', doing that would be suicidal.

Their attack range and attack frequency far exceed those of Qin Ming.

"We must find a way to get close, and then defeat them one by one!"

Not daring to linger for even a moment, Qin Ming used his Sky-Piercing Shuttle to dodge at lightning speed, drawing arcs with each step.

But there are too many shells.

Invisible railguns fired from the launchers on the Destroyer's arm, forming a dense network of fire.

Even though Qin Ming tried his best to dodge, he was still hit by a cannonball.

The moment the metal bullet entered the Earth Domain, it was pulled and bound by a powerful force, but this binding force was not enough to completely stop it.

Its speed only slowed down slightly.

Then, the metal projectiles bombarded the shield constructed from the secret patterns of the Sky Shuttle blades.

boom!
The shield shattered into pieces, turning into blades that flew backward.

Fortunately, after breaking through two shields in succession, the speed of the metal bullet decreased sharply, and Qin Ming barely dodged it at a very dangerous angle.

"What a powerful attack!"

Qin Ming was shocked. With the support of the Earth Domain, the defense of the Shield Heaven Blade Domain was broken through one after another.

Fortunately, they withstood an attack, and Qin Ming finally closed the distance between himself and the mechanical puppet.

"Heavenly Blade Annihilation!"

The blades, their runes gleaming, linked together at incredible speed before striking the Destroyer's chest.

There is a control chip on the Destroyer's chest.

Only by destroying the control chip can it be completely killed.

clang!clang!clang!
The sound of metal clashing rang out, and sparks flew everywhere.

However, the result changed Qin Ming's expression. The attack of the Sky Shuttle blade, even along the gaps in the metal, could not cause any substantial damage to him.

The metal puppet's iron fist slammed down, but Qin Ming's Sky Shuttle increased in speed, narrowly dodging the attack and causing the iron fist to crash into the ground.

The alloy floor cracked open, creating a large, deep crater.

In the instant he dodged, Qin Ming's Broken Army Halberd slashed down, striking the Destroyer's leg joint.

boom!
Sparks flew from the Destroyer's leg joints as most of the mechanical leg was severed, leaving only a few bits of metal clinging to it.

However, Qin Ming's expression became even more unpleasant upon seeing this.

The halberd, having gathered its power for a powerful strike, failed to completely sever his most vulnerable leg joint. Instead, the force of the recoil caused his own arm to go numb.

"This is a huge problem! The Heavenly Blade Annihilation is one of the stronger single-target attacks in the third form of the Sky Shuttle, and it's even difficult to break through the defense."

I haven't had enough time to master the Eight Desolate Halberds of Zhenyue, and I still can't use the "Mountain-Slaying Slash," which is best at breaking armor.

"I can only try using the Heavenly Escape Strike."

The Sky-Piercing Strike is the Sky-Piercing Shuttle's strongest attack, possessing the greatest penetrating power.

These destroyers are immune to any mental attacks; the only way to destroy them is through physical attacks!

However, the Heavenly Strike requires a bit of charging time, and Qin Ming had no chance to attack immediately amidst the Destroyer's encirclement.

Qin Ming dodged repeatedly under the Destroyer's iron fist.

These puppets were too hard and too strong. After trying to make contact with them, Qin Ming completely gave up the idea of ​​confronting them head-on.

He had not practiced martial arts secrets for long enough, and his movement techniques were far from sufficient, so he could only dodge by riding the Sky Shuttle.

Once injured in close combat, the speed will be slightly reduced, allowing for encirclement.

The battle can then be declared over.

Finally, during a series of maneuvers and dodges, Qin Ming seized an opportunity.

The 64 blades spun at an extremely high speed, and under the connection of the secret runes, they transformed into a sharp cone shape and shot out instantly.

boom!
A Destroyer's chest was pierced through, and its metal body collapsed helplessly.

"It's done!"

Qin Ming's eyes lit up.

However, compared to 100 Destroyers, one was insignificant. The remaining Destroyers quickly surrounded Qin Ming, forcing him to flee in a sorry state.

"After this battle, we must replace the Sky-Piercing Shuttle as soon as possible!"

Even the strongest strike from the Sky Shuttle can only withstand 64 times the amplitude of psychic power.

Although the third level of the Sky-Piercing Blade Domain enhances the Sky-Piercing Strike, allowing it to unleash several times its power and possess extremely strong penetrating power, it still requires a bit of charging time.

Charging up power, even if it takes only a short time, can be extremely deadly in battle.

This made Qin Ming feel extremely frustrated.

What troubled Qin Ming the most was that the Sky-Piercing Strike also consumed a lot of his mental energy.

In the virtual universe, there is no Myriad Soul Banner to continuously provide him with power. He must carefully calculate and control the consumption of his mental energy. Otherwise, once his mental energy is exhausted, it will be his death.

"Given the situation, it's probably unrealistic for me to succeed. So let's kill as many puppets as possible!"

Having made his decision, Qin Ming immediately changed his strategy.

Using the Destroyer's body as a human shield to dodge attacks from long-range railguns, look for opportunities to unleash a Sky-Piercing Strike to destroy the puppets one by one.

This is like dancing on a knife's edge.

Although the Destroyers are metal golems, that doesn't mean they are clumsy.

Its speed was so fast that it made Qin Ming's scalp tingle.

After unleashing over a dozen Sky-Piercing Strike attacks, shattering one Destroyer Puppet after another, Qin Ming began to suffer injuries. A metal bullet pierced through two layers of defense, grazing Qin Ming's shoulder and severely injuring his arm.

After the injury, Qin Ming's movements were noticeably less agile than before.

They started getting hit repeatedly.

Finally, after completely destroying 42 Destroyer Golems, he was caught off guard by one of them and punched in the body, turning him into a bloody pulp.

"Trial over!"

Trial Participant: Qin Ming
Points: 43123 million

Rank: 1”

Looking at the text displayed on the screen, Qin Ming sighed inwardly, but could only shake his head helplessly.

If the opponent on the fifth floor were replaced by a flesh-and-blood being with a soul.

Or perhaps his psychic weapon isn't the third-tier Sky Shuttle, but a fifth-tier one, or even a divine weapon that he wields, which would allow him to perfectly utilize his superior psychic amplitude.

Alternatively, one could improve their movement skills and gain a more proficient control over the "Eight Desolate Halberds of Zhenyue," using the advantage of increased power to move around and attack.

He wouldn't have had such a difficult time.

His cultivation time was ultimately too short. In just two years, he barely completed the foundational process, progressing from the apprentice level to the stellar level.

There's no time to cultivate truly powerful secret techniques.

However, the enemy won't give you a chance to prepare on the battlefield, and they won't refrain from attacking you just because you haven't trained for long.

"Although the results were a bit worse than expected, we still got first place, so it's not too bad."

"Give us some more time to consolidate our strengths and address our weaknesses; passing the fifth level shouldn't be a problem."

His body appeared outside the Trial Tower, and looking at the seven-story tower, Qin Ming breathed a sigh of relief.

To achieve first place in the first assessment should attract the attention of the ruler of Qianwu Kingdom.

My apprenticeship plan went relatively smoothly.

hum!
An invisible force enveloped Qin Ming's body and teleported him outside the trial space.

"Haha, very good! To break through to the Stellar level and reach the fifth level to win first place is something that hasn't happened in the Qianwu Secret Realm for a long time."

The Immortal 'Thirteen', the Scaled Giant, looked at Qin Ming and laughed loudly.

This is absolutely the most outstanding genius!

"You flatter me, sir. I was hoping to reach the seventh level, but I didn't even make it past the fifth."

Qin Ming shook his head; it was too embarrassing.

"You are an illusionist, so you are at a disadvantage against mechanical puppets. If it were a flesh-and-blood creature of the same level, you should be able to pass it easily."

"You might even be able to pass the sixth level directly."

The immortal Scaled Giant, however, did not think so.

He had seen everything that happened in the Trial Tower, and he was well aware of Qin Ming's strength.

"Let's go! Exit the virtual universe first. The King wants to see you! Your opportunity has arrived."

Without saying much to Qin Ming, the Scaled Giant Immortal 'Thirteen Paths'.

……

On the Qianwu Continent, inside the temple, Qin Ming opened his eyes, a hint of joy in them.

The ruler of Qianwu Kingdom summons me!

In reality, however, the implications are quite different.

A vast and mighty power emanated from the 13 Immortal Scale Giants, enveloping Qin Ming, and then the surrounding environment receded rapidly.

A moment later, the two appeared on an ancient array in the city.

hum!
A sensation akin to being transported to a divine realm washed over him, and when Qin Ming regained his senses, the surrounding environment had already changed.

This is a vast starry sky.

In the boundless starry sky, a majestic floating temple hangs suspended among the dazzling galaxies.

The temple is entirely dark gold, with countless star patterns carved on its surface, as if a vast starry sky has been frozen onto the building's surface.

At this moment, in the central hall of the temple, the imposing figure of a giant sat on the throne.

His face was as handsome as a sculpture, and his eyes seemed to contain an endless starry sky. Just by sitting there, the surrounding space constantly underwent subtle distortions.

When Qin Ming's gaze fell upon this person, he felt his soul tremble. It was as if he were seeing the entire starry sky, and the vast and boundless laws of space.

"Your Majesty, Qin Ming has arrived!"

The immortal scaly giant said respectfully.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

Qin Ming also spoke respectfully.

"Not bad! You were able to reach the fifth level of the Trial Tower right after breaking through to the Stellar level, surpassing all the Stellar level beings in the secret realm."

The ruler of Qianwu Kingdom looked at Qin Ming and smiled.

Qin Ming listened respectfully.

"You have obtained the inheritance of Meteorite Star, but Hu Yanbo has already perished. You have been able to possess such strength without any guidance during your cultivation journey, which shows that you have good talent."

I wish to take you as my personal disciple. Are you willing?

The ruler of Qianwu Kingdom asked with a smile.

Other cosmic venerables, upon discovering a promising talent, would not usually accept him as their personal disciple directly, but would instead subject him to repeated trials.

But he doesn't follow many rules.

"Disciple is willing!"

　The previous data calculation was incorrect and has been corrected. Thank you so much to Happy Baby for the 500 Qidian Coins donation and to 丿Unlimited丶Decade for the 588 Reading Coins donation. Many thanks!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)