Su Yuan relied on Wind Walking and Hardened Iron Skin to deftly handle the three Ninth Stage Fire Stepping Wolves while keeping one eye on Zhuang Xun's battlefield against the Green Flame White Wolf.
"This Zhuang Xun, he really isn't simple..."
Su Yuan's gaze sharpened. The speed at which Zhuang Xun had slain the Fire Stepping Wolves earlier had already been impressive, and now, facing the Green Flame White Wolf alone, he remained calm and composed, with perfect control over his advances and retreats.
The black-and-red longsword in his hand surged with fierce flames. Empowered by Fire Element enchantments, each sword move released tremendous power. Even though the Green Flame White Wolf had some resistance to flames, it still suffered ongoing burning damage when struck by the longsword.
Moreover, Zhuang Xun skillfully utilized techniques like the Fiery Flame Sword Technique and Flame Explosion Technique at just the right moments. For a time, he wasn't at a disadvantage at all!
"That ferocious Fire Sword Skill is at least Green Grade, coupled with the Green Grade Flame Explosion Technique, and then there's that black-and-red longsword… The burning trait of his attacks must come from that weapon. It's safe to bet it's a Green Grade Weapon Card..."
Su Yuan's gaze settled on the black-and-red longsword in Zhuang Xun's hand, and he clicked his tongue in quiet astonishment.
"Truly the offspring of a wealthy family. No wonder he doesn't even care much about the Demon Core of the Green Flame White Wolf."
The set of equipment Zhuang Xun had on him was exorbitant. As a matter of fact, the long-range Flame Explosion Technique was the *cheapest,* costing merely around 200,000.
Next up was the Fire Sword Skill.
Skills like swordsmanship, staff techniques, or blade techniques weren't extracted from Beast Cores like other Skill Star Cards but were instead crafted differently—engraved by human experts.
Since the production cost was higher and they were rarer, their prices naturally skyrocketed, often doubling that of techniques like Flame Explosion Technique.
As for Zhuang Xun's black-and-red longsword, it made the standard longsword in Su Yuan's hand seem like dirt in comparison. That was a bona fide Star Device, conjured from a "Weapon Star Card"!
Weapon Star Cards, unlike ordinary Skill Star Cards, were a revolutionary creation of humanity. By combining forging techniques with Star Cards, normal objects were elevated into extraordinary artifacts capable of fully unleashing the power of Star Force—essentially, Star Devices.
In the process of driving out the mythical Star Beasts and solidifying humanity's rule, Star Devices had played a vital role.
Not only could they enhance the user's attributes, but they also granted traits, like the "burning" effect of this black-and-red longsword.
The rarity of Star Devices far surpassed that of sword skills. Their prices soared above Skill Cards of the same grade, sometimes even rivaling high-grade Skill Cards.
A Green Grade black-and-red longsword like Zhuang Xun's was likely worth as much as a lower-tier Blue Skill Card.
All in all, Zhuang Xun's setup cost no less than three to four million!
And for someone still in the Star Apprentice Stage to casually devote millions of credits, there was a 99% chance they came from a wealthy family. After all, it was nearly impossible to earn that kind of money during the Star Apprentice Stage.
However, Su Yuan wasn't overly envious.
After all, "You may have your money, but I have my plug-in..."
The battle between man and wolf raged on fiercely, with Star Force exploding everywhere, kicking up dust and debris!
After an intense exchange of blows, there was a muffled sound, and Zhuang Xun was sent flying over ten meters by a single paw strike from the Green Flame White Wolf. He let out a low grunt, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"It's really strong, truly worthy of being a Bronze-Level Elite!"
The Green Flame White Wolf's strength was even greater than anticipated. Zhuang Xun, who had been on the defensive throughout, finally began to lose his temper.
Casually wiping away the blood at his lips, Zhuang Xun channeled his Star Force once more. The flames on his longsword, which had been dispersed by the Green Flame White Wolf's strike, quickly gathered back together. Gritting his teeth, he prepared to launch another assault.
But just then, the Green Flame White Wolf seemed to lose interest in their entanglement. Opening its massive maw, surging Star Force rapidly condensed within, forming a highly compressed azure flame.
Elite Skill: Gray Flame Strike!
Zhuang Xun immediately felt an overwhelming sense of pressure. He wanted to dodge, yet he instinctively knew this attack wouldn't be so easy to evade.
Clenching his jaw, Zhuang Xun decisively retracted his longsword and swiftly began forming a massive fireball with his Flame Explosion Technique to counter it head-on.
Even though both were Elite Green Skills, in terms of energy fluctuation, Zhuang Xun's Flame Explosion Technique was vastly inferior to the Green Flame White Wolf's Gray Flame Strike.
The reason was simple—the difference in Star Force was just too massive!
Zhuang Xun was merely at the Star Apprentice Ninth Rank, while the Green Flame White Wolf was a Bronze-Level Elite Star Beast with D-rank Star Power Talent!
As both sides neared the culmination of their charges, Zhuang Xun grew increasingly grim. In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through his mind:
*"I let my guard down. Since it's a Bronze-Level Elite Star Beast, I shouldn't have approached so recklessly to begin with. Still too young... Earlier, just because I managed to kill two ordinary Bronze Early-Stage Star Beasts, I thought I could handle this Green Flame White Wolf too...*
*Damn it, am I really going to die here today? I'm so young, so handsome, and I've never even seen what the top-tier Star Power Academies look like… Oh, right, I've never even held a girl's hand! It's all my mom's fault for being so strict—no dating unless I get into a top-twenty academy.*
*This is the end, this is totally the end!*
*And what's worse—I knew I shouldn't have trusted others so easily. That Su Yuan guy is completely unreliable! Hasn't even finished off those three Fire Stepping Wolves yet? Nowhere to be seen—did he just run off?*
*Well, even if he did come back, there's no way he could take down this Green Flame White Wolf, right… Wait, is that—Su Yuan up there on the wolf's head?*"
Suddenly snapping out of his daze, Zhuang Xun's gaze locked onto the sight before him. Indeed, it was Su Yuan, who had somehow appeared out of nowhere, now standing atop the Green Flame White Wolf's head!
Earlier, Su Yuan had also realized that the Bronze-Level Elite Star Beast was even stronger than expected. Facing it head-on would be nearly impossible.
After taking down the three Fire Stepping Wolves, Su Yuan decisively used the remaining Star Dust to upgrade Steel Flame Finger to the Transformation Realm, patiently waiting for the perfect opportunity!
With the Green Flame White Wolf entirely focused on Zhuang Xun, the moment had finally arrived. Su Yuan instantly teleported into position.
Just as the Green Flame White Wolf prepared to unleash its Gray Flame Strike, Su Yuan's blackened, iron-like left arm began to glow red-hot, as though it were high-temperature metal being forged.
Without hesitation, he clawed his hand, driving five fingers straight into the Green Flame White Wolf's skull!
"Awoooo!!"
A heart-wrenching roar echoed as the Green Flame White Wolf thrashed violently under the excruciating pain. Its fully-charged Gray Flame Strike discharged uncontrollably, blasting the ground nearby with an explosion that left a crater several meters wide amidst a cloud of dust!
Su Yuan unleashed all his Star Force to resist the blazing azure flames coming from the Green Flame White Wolf's body. No matter how much it writhed or struggled, his clawed hand remained firmly embedded in its head!
A Bronze-Level Elite Demon Beast, while incredibly resilient, was far from invincible. Sustaining such catastrophic damage to its skull left it with no chance of survival. In mere seconds, the Green Flame White Wolf rolled its eyes back, foamed at the mouth, and collapsed lifelessly on the ground.