The truth was, the moment Venom heard Wuxian say he would remain standing in place and not move, a surge of wild joy exploded in his heart.
Hahahaha! This is it! This is our chance to win Miracle Nation's first victory!
So far, Dragon Nation's contestants had not tasted a single defeat in the Blue Star Deathmatch.
If he and Eddie Brock could be the first to hand Dragon Nation a loss, then once they returned to Miracle Nation, they would be praised without limit. They might even become national heroes.
Before victory had even arrived, Venom was already imagining the cheers.
Beside him, Eddie's face showed a trace of helplessness as he charged forward.
In Dragon Nation's livestream, the viewers were already cursing him out.
"What kind of delusion is this? He seriously thinks that trash attack can hurt Lord Wuxian?"
"Reality is about to shut him up."
"He's not even qualified to carry Lord Wuxian's shoes."
"Hahaha! 'High-density attack'? It looks like a cheap circus trick!"
Dozens of black spikes made from Venom's body shot through the air toward Wuxian.
And yet—
Wuxian did not move.
The black spikes entered the invisible circle around him, crossing the five-meter boundary, then the four-meter line, then three meters…
At the same time, the Deathmatch livestream zoomed in for an enormous close-up of the arena.
The moment the viewers saw the attack closing in, many foreign audiences and Miracle Nation viewers began shouting excitedly.
"Dragon Nation's contestant is finally going to lose!"
"And it's their mysterious ace, Wuxian!"
"So this is the so-called Lord Wuxian? Completely overrated!"
"Miracle Nation's contestant is clearly stronger!"
"I've been waiting forever to see Dragon Nation fail, and it's happening in the very first match!"
Inside the arena, Wuxian's face remained as calm as still water.
He didn't even seem mildly surprised.
It was as though those black spikes simply did not deserve his attention.
But as the spikes drew nearer and nearer, Venom's face twisted with delight.
In his eyes, Wuxian was already a dead man.
Then—
Wuxian looked at the attack.
Just one casual glance.
The next instant, every black spike abruptly reversed direction and shot back toward Venom and Eddie at a speed even faster than before.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The shrill sound of something tearing through air echoed again and again.
The joy on Venom's face vanished instantly. His eyes widened.
"What the hell?! How is that possible?!"
He cursed furiously and tried to reclaim control of the spikes.
But almost immediately, a look of horror spread across his face.
"My control… I lost control of part of my body?!"
Those black spikes had been split directly from Venom's own flesh. In theory, he should have been able to manipulate them as naturally as moving a finger.
And yet, in this moment, he could no longer command them.
The spikes tore through his body.
Tiny holes rapidly opened across Venom's form.
At the sight of this, Eddie's expression changed dramatically. He rushed to Venom's side and shouted,
"Hey! Are you alright? Don't tell me you're actually this weak!"
Venom instantly collapsed into a black stream and flowed back over Eddie's body, forming a living armor again.
His voice was grim.
"Forget it. I can't fight directly anymore."
"The rest is up to you."
Then his tone grew heavier.
"But I have to tell you something."
"I cannot think of any way to beat this man."
"And after what just happened, I can tell you for certain—within five meters of him, no object can achieve anything at all."
"So I suggest you give up."
But Eddie's face became even more serious.
"Lord Wuxian already said he wouldn't kill us."
"And chances to fight someone at this level are unbelievably rare."
"This time, I'm not giving up."
"Let me deliver one last strike."
With Venom once again forming a black armor over his body, Eddie's entire demeanor changed.
He shouted toward Wuxian:
"Lord Wuxian, I'm coming!"
Then he slammed one foot into the ground and burst forward like a wild beast.
Boom!
Small craters appeared wherever he stepped.
The spectators gasped.
"This guy really is a monster. How can someone that heavy still move that fast?"
"Maybe he really does have a chance."
"I still trust Wuxian more. That guy hasn't lost even once."
Inside the arena, Eddie crossed into Wuxian's invisible five-meter field.
He gritted his teeth. The muscles all over his body swelled as he drove his right fist forward with all his strength.
Boom! Boom!
The air itself compressed and roared.
His punch had surpassed the speed of sound.
The Deathmatch feed even slowed the scene just enough to give the audience a perfect close-up of the moment he threw the punch.
And yet—
Wuxian only looked at him.
One light, indifferent glance.
That was all.
Eddie stopped.
Completely.
His body froze in place as though every nerve had been severed from his mind.
The violent fury on his face disappeared at once, replaced by sheer disbelief.
What is this?
I can't control my own body?!
Inside his mind, Eddie was screaming.
Wuxian's voice rang out, clear and distant.
"You are actually quite strong."
"Among those who refine the body, you would count as first-rate."
"Admit defeat."
"Of course, you may also choose to keep resisting."
Only then did Eddie regain control of his mouth.
He laughed loudly at once.
"Hahaha! Thank you, Lord Wuxian! I surrender! Being able to exchange blows with a master like you is already the honor of my life!"
The Dragon Nation stream immediately exploded.
"He surrendered that fast?!"
"Look at him bootlicking! Shameless!"
"Miracle Nation's dignity just died on live broadcast!"
Even Venom was stunned by Eddie's utter lack of shame.
And over in Miracle Nation, their viewers instantly began cursing.
"This disgrace! He's actually flattering a Dragon Nation contestant?"
"He's throwing away Miracle Nation's pride!"
"How can someone like this even call himself one of our people?!"
Inside Miracle Nation's high-level conference room, Li Dapu's face turned pitch-black with rage.
He snatched up a white jade coffee cup and hurled it at the floor.
Crack!
The expensive cup shattered into fragments.
"Damn it! That bastard!"
"He's thrown Miracle Nation's face in front of the whole world!"
His chest rose and fell violently with anger.
A nearby adjutant carefully said,
"Sir… if we move against him immediately, won't that completely alienate Eddie?"
"He survived this round. And if nothing goes wrong, he'll represent Miracle Nation inside the Divine Domain."
"If we push him away now, we'll only be hurting ourselves."
Li Dapu took a long breath.
Then, almost instantly, the fury on his face faded back into calm.
"Forget what I just said."
"There's no one in this world who understands how to control the strong better than I do."
"Send the prepared rewards to his family."
"I'll make sure he continues contributing to Miracle Nation wholeheartedly."
That was the difference between rage and power.
As ruler, Li Dapu could not afford to stay furious forever.
Dragon Nation Studio Broadcast
Back at Dragon Nation's live studio, Bingbing was smiling brightly.
"Congratulations to our nation's contestant, Lord Wuxian, on winning the first battle!"
"Professor Luo, what do you think of this match?"
Professor Luo's face was equally bright.
"There's no doubt at all—this victory is an excellent opening for Dragon Nation."
"And Lord Wuxian's actions perfectly displayed the compassion a true superior being ought to have toward the weak."
"It was only because of Lord Wuxian's mercy that Eddie Brock was allowed to continue living."
"That kind of benevolence is worthy of praise."
But just as he said that, Bingbing caught some awkward comments flying through chat.
"Why let Eddie live? If he enters the Divine Domain, he'll just become our competitor."
"Exactly. What if resources that should've belonged to us get stolen by Miracle Nation?"
"Lord Wuxian is strong, but I think this decision was still wrong."
Bingbing hesitated, then turned to Captain Ryan Cole.
"Captain Ryan Cole, what do you think of these concerns?"
Ryan Cole's expression immediately turned stern.
"I think those people have too much free time."
"If you want to become a true powerhouse, talent alone is never enough."
"Your judgment, your vision, and your breadth of mind matter just as much."
"Such a simple truth—do you really think Lord Wuxian failed to consider it?"
"He must have his own reasoning."
"And let me remind everyone: the Divine Domain: Forbidden Zone is enormous. One extra person, one fewer person—it makes almost no difference at all."
"Moreover, many nations' contestants will be entering that place."
"If we can establish possible allies before going in, then wouldn't that be the best outcome for all of us?"
Bingbing immediately smiled again.
"Captain Ryan Cole makes an excellent point."
"A single chopstick breaks easily. That principle is simple enough for everyone to understand. I hope everyone can look at this issue more rationally."
Divine Domain: Forbidden Zone
Meanwhile, inside the Dreamlike Forest, Adrian Vale and Raven Shaw had already finished cutting down the transformed ancient trees around them.
The ground around them was covered in shattered branches, splintered bark, and rotting leaves.
Raven was breathing heavily as she said,
"I didn't expect those rotten trees to be that troublesome."
"If you hadn't stepped in at the end, things could've turned ugly."
In the previous fight, Raven's combat saber had still been as sharp as ever.
But the sheer number of roots, branches, and deadly wooden appendages attacking from every direction had been overwhelming. If not for Adrian stepping in at the final moment, the situation would indeed have spiraled out of control.
Adrian glanced at her, then at the wreckage around them.
His lips slowly curled into something that was neither a smile nor mockery—
but the audience instantly understood what it meant.
The next stage of the Dreamlike Forest…
had only just begun.
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