Chapter 29: First Battle

"This newcomer of mine seems to be quite tempting." Ji Ning did not rush to accept the challenge, but waited silently. One, two, three, four, five...

There were actually quite a few who challenged Ji Ning!

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, there was one challenge from the third level of Star Island, two from the second level, and twelve from the lowest 'first level'!

"A total of fifteen World-level cultivators have challenged me," Ji Ning thought to himself. According to the rules of challenge, each World-level cultivator could only issue one challenge per day! Ji Ning could also challenge other World-level cultivators. If the other party agreed, then they would fight. If the other party did not agree... then Ji Ning could only choose one from the fifteen challenges and must fight that one.

In fact, large-scale selection of opponents was very, very rare. It only happened when newcomers arrived, knowing that they must carry some treasures and artifacts, leading to so many challenges.

On ordinary days, it was very possible that there would be no challenges at all!

"And who?"

"These Star Islands are divided into six levels. The third level is neither high nor low... After all, there are over three thousand World-level cultivators at this level. I'll go with him." Ji Ning was bold due to his skill. If a weaker cultivator had just arrived, they would probably choose an opponent from the first level.

Through the golden scroll, Ji Ning moved his mind and crushed the other party's challenge message. This represented—accepting the challenge!

...

There were over three thousand floating islands on the third level. On one of these Star Islands.

"Accept the challenge?"

"He actually accepted?" The chubby boy with rosy lips and white teeth jumped up, his face full of ecstasy. "Haha, he actually accepted! Great! Could it be that my 'Danbao' has run out of bad luck and is starting to have good luck?"

This Danbao showed his emotions clearly, not hiding them at all.

"Think of me, a great alchemy master! But here, alchemy skills are completely useless, and I have to fight other World-level cultivators." The chubby boy muttered to himself as he walked into a house.

Pushing the door open, the floor and walls inside the house were covered with numerous divine runes. As long as one was inside the house, they were within this runic formation.

"Humm～～～"

Space shifted.

Danbao, the World God, vanished without a trace.

...

The beautiful island was covered in a layer of ice and snow, and for a moment the entire island was silent.

Whoosh.

The chubby boy appeared out of thin air. He looked around; the entire island was clad in silver, visible at a glance, which pleased him: "This battlefield isn't bad, at least the scenery is good, much better than last time."

"It seems I'm really starting to have good luck." Danbao, the World God, lay leisurely on the snow, squinting his small eyes. "I've gathered inheritance treasures but am at the bottom of the list. But those damn World-level cultivators from the fourth level always come to plunder me. I hope this time luck is better, preferably that the opponent has an Eternal Divine Weapon. If I get an Eternal Divine Weapon, my strength will greatly increase, and I can fight those on the fourth level. Maybe I'll even have hope of gathering a full set of inheritance."

Last time he gathered a set of inheritance ranked ninety-sixth, which was scattered across a hundred inheritance treasures. He had already gathered ninety-one, but damn it, a World-level cultivator from the fourth level challenged him. At that time, he immediately challenged a World-level cultivator from the second level. If the other party accepted, then he wouldn't have to fight the one from the fourth level.

But that cultivator from the second level did not accept!

He had no choice; he had to accept the challenge from the fourth level.

That battle...

He lost, and all his inheritance treasures were plundered! All his hard work over so long was gone in an instant. He almost went crazy at that time.

"Whoosh."

Space twisted.

Ji Ning appeared on this frozen sea island. He looked at the surrounding scenery and smiled faintly, then noticed the chubby youth sleeping on the snow not far away.

"Whoosh." The chubby youth stood up, stared at Ji Ning, his eyes burning: "Fellow Daoist, you seem extraordinary; I suspect you have a valuable treasure on you."

"Yes." Ji Ning nodded.

The chubby youth's eyes lit up, and he grew excited: "An Eternal treasure?"

"Yes." Ji Ning nodded again with a smile. Tens of thousands of World-level cultivators had gathered here, and quite a few likely possessed Eternal divine weapons. Ji Ning saw no need to hide it. For the weak, having such a treasure might invite covetousness, but Ji Ning's strength left him utterly unafraid.

"Heh heh, such a treasure should belong to the strong. In your hands, it's wasted." The chubby youth's aura suddenly surged. He manifested six arms, each gripping a black great hammer. "Hand over the treasure quickly, and I'll spare your life."

For some reason, Ji Ning felt a fondness for the chubby youth before him, as if looking at a baby. Every emotion showed plainly on the youth's face, and he seemed free of malice, like a pure-hearted child.

But then Ji Ning's heart jolted.

How could someone who had reached the World level be treated as a mere child? The fact that he could unconsciously evoke fondness might mean the World cultivator truly had such a nature, or it might be due to the cultivation method he practiced.

"Let's see what you've got." Ji Ning gripped a divine sword, Violetjade, in each hand. On Starclaw Island, even against the weakest opponent, one could not afford to be careless.

Though wielding two swords was not his strongest state, with his sword arts, the dual swords could form a watertight defense.

"Take my hammer!" The chubby youth shot forward, his great hammer turning into a streak of light. Space compressed layer upon layer, and the sheer power made even Ji Ning gasp.

Peak World God? Perhaps even beyond?

"Boom!" Ji Ning's sword light swung casually, directly meeting the hammer head-on. Using a sword to strike a hammer was generally foolish, but Ji Ning was too confident in his strength. It was extremely rare to find a World-level cultivator who could overpower him in raw force. Even if he encountered such a freak, he could use the impact to retreat.

Sure enough, Ji Ning's casual sword strike sent his opponent flying backward.

"How is that possible?" The chubby youth landed, stunned, staring at Ji Ning. "I just challenged a newcomer among the World-level cultivators, and I end up with someone this strong?"

"I don't believe it. I don't believe it." The youth charged again, his six hammers stirring the void. Ji Ning felt as if heaven and earth were collapsing, the six hammers raining down on him in succession.

Ji Ning sighed inwardly.

His opponent was indeed at the peak of World God level, and his hammer techniques were overwhelming and hard to block. But this method of pure force, influencing space so that the enemy had no choice but to clash head-on, had a fatal flaw: if the enemy was even stronger in a direct confrontation, it was over.

"Boom, boom, boom." Ji Ning no longer held back. Three consecutive sword strikes: the first sent the youth flying, the second forced him to parry frantically and sent him crashing to the ground, creating a huge crater on the island.

The third strike hit the opponent lying in the crater, making him spit blood from the shock.

"Do you admit defeat?" Ji Ning pointed his sword at the opponent.

"Too strong! Even among the fourth level, only those freaks who once reached the fifth level are this strong." The chubby youth lay in the crater, blood at the corners of his mouth, dazed. "Why am I so unlucky? Out of over thirty thousand newcomers, I randomly challenge one, and I run into a freak with hopes of reaching the fifth level."

Ji Ning's heart stirred. He didn't know much about the strength levels of opponents on Starclaw Island, but this opponent, who had spent a long time on the island, seemed well-informed.

"Such freaks are pitifully rare, and I had to meet one." The chubby youth looked at Ji Ning and quickly said, "Can you not take my hammers? They're just Dao treasures."

"Dao treasures?" Ji Ning was secretly shocked. Using Dao treasures, this opponent could unleash peak World God power? This World-level cultivator was far stronger than Black Lotus God Emperor and the like. If he used an Eternal treasure, wouldn't he surpass peak World God?

"Really, if you don't believe me, look." The chubby youth hurriedly said, "You can release your divine sense and inspect all the treasures in my divine body. Alas, even my chaos nectar has been looted. All I have left are these six hammers..."

Though he had encountered opponents slightly stronger than himself, they usually didn't go too far, because pushing too hard would make 'Danbao World God' fight desperately. Killing a powerful World God was very difficult and would typically consume a huge amount of divine power.

Recovering divine power took a long time, and on Starclaw Island, one could be challenged any day. Once strength was greatly diminished, it was easy for opponents to seize the opportunity.

Thus, without an absolute gap in strength, one would not force the opponent to fight to the death.

But Ji Ning had the power to easily kill him, because the gap was indeed huge. The opponent was only at peak World God, while Ji Ning was comparable to a first-step Daolord.

"These six hammers are all I have." The chubby youth looked at Ji Ning, truly afraid he would take them.

...