Reston had been staying with Jess for almost two weeks now. In truth, he hadn't come out of the military district just to have fun — he simply wanted to spend more time with Jess.
"Hey, Reston, pack up your things! The Military Grand Tournament's about to start. You didn't forget, right?" Lin's voice came through the phone.
"Of course not, Instructor Lin. Don't worry." Reston replied.
After hanging up, he told Jess about the upcoming tournament. Jess didn't ask much, just helped him pack, but then said,
"I've got a feeling this won't be your last time coming over. Why not just leave your clothes here? Saves you from hauling them back and forth every time."
Reston thought about it for a moment — that actually made sense. So he decided to leave his clothes there.
...
**Military District**
After saying goodbye to Jess, Reston got into Lin's car and headed straight to the competition venue. On the way, Lin casually asked how Reston was doing — his current cultivation level, whether he'd enjoyed himself — sounding more like a kind father than an instructor.
Reston figured there was no need to keep hiding things anymore, so he told the truth.
"I've already reached Martial King! And I've been doing great here. Having Jess around made things even better, haha."
Even though Lin himself was at the peak of Martial Lord, his hand trembled on the steering wheel — nearly slamming the car into the guardrail.
"You… what did you just say? Martial King?!" He could hardly believe it. Two weeks ago, Reston was just a Martial Warrior — how in the world…?
"No, wait! You mean you're already a Martial King?! God damn!! That means…" Lin suddenly realized — Martial Warriors could break their limits and reach the twelfth stage. If Reston had already advanced beyond that…
"I ruined your foundation, didn't I?! Ah, damn it!" Lin smacked the steering wheel in regret. If he'd known, he never would've let Reston go off for fun. Once this was over, he might as well resign as instructor…
"Uh… Instructor Lin, aren't you overreacting a bit? Professor Shen, Jess's teacher, gave me a martial manual and an Innate Spirit-Gathering elixir. So there's really nothing to worry about." Reston said, trying to reassure him.
"Professor Shen? You mean… the Sky-Scorning Martial Emperor?" Lin's eyes widened.
"Huh? Instructor Lin, you know him too?" Reston asked.
"Of course! That man's not just the strongest Martial Emperor alive — he was once the unrivaled genius of his generation. Awakened at eighteen, became the strongest Martial Emperor by twenty-four. How's that for impressive?"
"Incredible, absolutely incredible." Reston nodded, though he'd already heard some of it from Jess. Hearing it again from Lin still left him amazed.
"Well, if he's guiding you, then I can rest easy…" Lin exhaled in relief.
During the drive, Reston opened his system interface — the holographic screen only he could see.
---
**Name:** Reston
**Talent:** War God's Soul, Lord of Nightfall
**Occupation:** War God, Child of Starlight
**Age:** 16
**Realm:** Martial King – Stage 4
**Skills:** None
**Martial Arts:** Thunderblade Technique, Formless Blade Domain
**Innate Skills:** Wrath of the War God, Seven Forms of the War God, Nightfall Domain, Gift of Nightfall
**Occupation Skills:** Skyrend, Eternal Starlight, Starfire Fury
**Passives:** War God's Blood, War God's Will, War God's Body, War God's Eyes, King of Nightfall, Starry Dancer, Cultivation of Eternal Slumber Lv10
**Bonded Weapon:** Skyrend Blade
**Strength:** Lv15
**Defense:** Lv10
**Speed:** Lv13
**Luck:** Lv10
**Charm:** Lv10
**Spirit:** Lv10
**Intelligence:** Lv10
---
Over the past two weeks, Reston spent his mornings idly hanging out with Jess, and his nights adding system points in his dreams. He had already reached Martial King Stage 4 — and had even purchased a new martial art from the system shop:
**Formless Blade Domain** — Creates a domain of blades within a defined area. Every strike within this domain can be freely chosen to hit or miss, or even spawn infinite slashes within it. The domain's size scales with the user's cultivation level.
When Reston saw that description, he didn't hesitate — *it looked too damn cool not to buy.*
...
At the tournament grounds, Reston got out of the car and saw competitors from various military districts gathered in one place. He quickly pulled up his hood to hide his face, hoping to avoid attention — which only made him stand out more.
Lin noticed his nerves, gently patting his shoulder to calm him down. He decided not to leave Reston alone until the tournament was over — he didn't want the kid to freeze up from stage fright.
Soon, Lin led him to the registration counter.
"Hello, you're one of the contestants, correct? Please hand me your ID. Also, remove your hood for facial verification. Thank you."
Reston followed the registration officer's instructions.
The moment she saw his face — a perfect match with the one in the database — she froze for a second.
Can someone this good-looking really exist in the world? she thought blankly, before quickly snapping back to professionalism and completing the registration.
Five hours later, the tournament officially began. It was a knockout-style competition — each round randomly matched, and even eliminated contestants could challenge someone who had advanced.
"First match: Qin Feng versus Zhang Yu! Both contestants, please step onto the stage!" the referee announced.
"Qin Feng, Body Tempering Stage 7."
"Zhang Yu, Body Tempering Stage 6. Please advise me."
"3! 2! 1! Begin!"
At the signal, both charged forward and clashed violently. The spectators were thrilled, cheering wildly — but Reston found it boring. To him, that was just a one-slash fight. So he reclined in his seat, resting his head on his folded arms, and waited for his turn.
About an hour later, Lin gently shook him awake. Startled, Reston blinked.
"So it's my turn already…" he muttered, lazily stretching as he climbed onto the stage, still yawning.
The audience frowned. The military district wasn't some casual playground! And what was with that cat-eared hoodie?
"Ahem. Both contestants, take your positions!"
"Huo Lin, Body Tempering Stage 11."
"Reston, Martial Warrior Stage 6."
That was the cultivation level Lin had filled in during registration.
"What? Martial Warrior Stage 6? No way!"
"That can't be right! Did the organizers even check?"
"He looks so unserious — there's no way he's that strong!"
"Don't tell me he skipped all the Body Tempering stages just for show!"
Even the high-ranking officers in the viewing stands stood up in surprise. It was rare enough to reach Martial Warrior Stage 6 within two months of awakening — even without a Body Tempering manual!
The referee was stunned too but quickly started the match.
"3! 2! 1! Begin!"
Huo Lin immediately dashed forward. Given their supposed power gap, his only hope was superior technique. But to Reston, his movements were in *slow motion*. Reston calmly lifted his blade — a single horizontal guard — deflecting the strike effortlessly. Then, with a casual sweep, his attack sent Huo Lin flying clean off the stage. If not for the referee intercepting his trajectory, who knew how far he'd have flown?
"Winner: Reston! Advancing to the next round!"
The audience erupted in noise.
"What the hell? One slash? That's it?!"
"Did you see that? He just sidestepped, swung once, and it was over!"
"That's insane…"
"Didn't think someone that lean could hit like a truck…"
Even the officers in the stands broke into discussion.
"You saw that, didn't you? That's not the speed of someone without Body Tempering training."
"Which district is he from? With power like that, I need to ask about their methods."
"With that kind of display, no one can beat him — unless it's Yan Wuyou himself."
After all, those officers were powerful cultivators themselves. Even to them, Reston's attack speed and strength were absurdly overwhelming.
Meanwhile, Reston had already stepped off the stage, ignoring the crowd's chatter. He tugged his hood lower and hurried back to his seat.
"I wonder when this'll finally be over…" he sighed inwardly.