Practicing Earthsplitter was a real hassle. Evan spent ages rehearsing it in his mind and barely scratched the surface. “The deeper the martial art, the harder it is to master, huh.”
He sighed inwardly, not realizing that most people take days or even months to grasp a single technique. Evan was naturally gifted—and he had Luna, the Sword Spirit, backing him up—yet even so, he’d only figured out a tiny piece.
The harder it got, the less he could afford to give up. Only by pushing through could he unlock his true potential—exactly what Luna had told him back then, and those words still rang clear in his mind.
If once didn’t work, he tried twice. If twice failed, he went for a third time. Evan kept his mind perfectly clear throughout, drilling Earthsplitter over and over again.
Bit by bit, he found a breakthrough. This move wasn’t something you could just rehearse in your head—you had to actually use it. Mastery of Chaos Dragon Force, the speed and angle of the slash, and the exact control all mattered.
Even though Evan hadn’t unleashed Earthsplitter for real yet, he knew it would burn through a massive amount of Chaos Dragon Force. At his current Eighth Layer Divine Martial Realm, he could only use it once—just like when he’d first learned Tyrant Cleave, a single strike and he’d be totally drained.
Practice makes perfect—that’s an iron law. The Stellar Power here was so rich that, even if he burned through everything, he’d recover in at most two days. Evan could afford to push himself here.
Following the method he’d drilled in his mind, Evan slashed at the stone beside the Starflare Stone. The strike erupted with the roar of wind and thunder, and a destroy-heaven-and-earth momentum burst out across the Frostbane Sword’s blade.
A sword glow actually flashed across the blade—strangely, it had a faint purple tint, which made him feel a little weird.
Boom! A thunderous crash echoed through the spatial black hole, shaking the whole ground—like the earth itself was about to crack. That one slash burned away ninety percent of Evan’s Chaos Dragon Force.
But that wasn’t even the worst part—he’d been blasted back dozens of meters by the recoil, and the Frostbane Sword had already been knocked from his grip.
His whole arm felt like it was about to snap in half, pain so sharp it made cold sweat break out all over him. This kind of monstrous strike really hammered home just how brutal Earthsplitter was. Luna had claimed it could kill a Second-Layer Saint Martial expert, but Evan figured even a Third-Layer Saint Martial might die from it.
Even with the Fifth Layer of the Starforge Body, his defense was shaken so badly he could barely lift his arm. That made Evan realize just how terrifying Earthsplitter really was—a move you absolutely couldn’t use lightly unless it was life or death. One wrong slash and you could wipe out half a city.
Just then, Goldwing swooped over and asked, “Boss, was that an earthquake just now? I almost got shaken off my feet—don’t tell me that was your doing?” Goldwing saw Evan’s pale face and couldn’t help commenting.
The Starflare Stone’s glow was faint, but Goldwing’s eyesight was freakishly sharp—he could see everything crystal clear.
“Yeah, that was a new move I just learned. First time using it, so my control was all over the place. How’s your progress after all that cultivating, Old Goldwing?” Evan asked.
“I’ve already broken through two realms, and it won’t be long before I break through again. Boss, you look pretty pale—better rest up first!” Goldwing replied.
“Mm, you go keep cultivating. Don’t worry about me—if I need anything, I’ll call you,” Evan said.
Goldwing went back to absorbing Stellar Power, while Evan sat down to recover his Chaos Dragon Force. He hadn’t checked the results of that last strike yet, but he was sure it’d been absolutely terrifying.
Once Evan had recovered his Chaos Dragon Force, he headed over to the spot where he’d struck, heart pounding with excitement. Sure enough, the power of Earthsplitter was on a whole other level—the ground was littered with dozens of Starstones, just sitting there.
As Evan picked them up one by one, he realized there was even a supreme-grade Starstone among them. The amount of shattered ore around was way more than anything he’d managed before, and best of all—a crack had finally appeared beside the Starflare Stone.
Now Evan truly understood the power of Earthsplitter—and this was just him fumbling through it. Once he got really good, the destructive force would be off the charts.
He replayed the whole Earthsplitter process in his mind, determined to find the real secret to unleashing it. After a long stretch of trial and error, he figured out that you had to strike with a totally empty mind—fast, ruthless, and locked onto a single target, with no hesitation. But only after you’d practiced it to perfection.
With a thought, the Frostbane Sword flew back into his hand from where it had landed. Evan glanced at the crack’s position, then unleashed Earthsplitter again.
The roar of wind and thunder rang out from the Frostbane Sword, and the earth shook all over again. This time, Evan nailed the execution—he only staggered back a few meters, not dozens, and kept hold of the sword.
His arm still throbbed with pain—the Starstone ore was insanely tough. Good thing his defense was freakish; anyone else would’ve had their arm wrecked for sure.
Evan stepped forward for a closer look. The Starstones and ore by the Starflare Stone had been carved out into a huge pit, with Starstones scattered everywhere. He hurried to gather them up—this time, he got seven supreme-grade Starstones, over a hundred high-grade ones, and ignored the low-grade pieces entirely.
With a haul like that, he was fired up to keep going. Evan kept recovering his Chaos Dragon Force and repeated the process dozens of times. Before long, he’d mastered Earthsplitter—and just like Luna said, even a Second-Layer Saint Martial expert could be killed outright.
Now, a single Earthsplitter only burned through about sixty percent of his Chaos Dragon Force, and the recoil pain in his arm was way less intense.
By now, Evan had three Star Crystals and over a hundred supreme-grade Starstones, plus nearly a few thousand high-grade ones.
One more Earthsplitter and the Starflare Stone would finally be exposed. The moment was almost here—Evan couldn’t help but roar, “Break for me!”
An earth-shattering force erupted along the Frostbane Sword, and Evan looked every inch the war god as he swung with all his might. The wind and thunder roared, and the sword glow landed right beside the Starflare Stone.
Another deafening crash, another round of violent shaking—but this time, Starstones went flying everywhere. Evan retreated a few steps and stopped. Now the ground was blanketed in Starstones and ore.
The Starflare Stone, still glowing faintly, sat quietly in place. Evan rushed over to check—it turned out to be just palm-sized.
But when he picked it up, he realized this tiny stone weighed several thousand jin. Evan couldn’t help finding it utterly bizarre…