"How is this possible?!"
Date Xingyun roared, his voice cracking with panic.
The golden palm descending upon him felt like the wrath of heaven. The pressure alone made his scalp tingle.
'Mediocre? He calls this mediocre?!' Xingyun cursed internally. 'This is a natural disaster!'
He wasn't the only one. The guests in the Golden Palace were frozen, their wine cups halfway to their mouths.
Xingyun reacted on instinct. He was a prodigy of the Date Clan, after all. His survival instincts screamed.
"[Star-Picking Hand]!"
He channeled every ounce of his Mana. Starlight erupted from his body, condensing into a massive, translucent hand that reached up to grab the falling golden palm. It was his signature technique, capable of crushing mountains.
BOOM!
The collision shook the palace foundations.
The golden palm didn't even slow down. It smashed through the [Star-Picking Hand] like a hammer through glass.
CRACK!
"Guh!"
With a sickening crunch of bones, Xingyun was swatted out of the air. He flew backward, crashing through the palace doors and leaving a long trench in the courtyard outside.
Silence.
Dead silence.
The guests looked at the trench, then back at the boy in white standing calmly in the center of the hall. He hadn't even moved his feet.
"Monster..." someone whispered. "A true monster."
Even Minamoto Ruri and Minamoto Sayaka were stunned. Their mouths hung open in unladylike shock.
But then, Ruri's eyes began to sparkle like strobe lights.
'Handsome AND strong?' Ruri thought, her face flushing. 'He meets all my criteria! No, he exceeds them! He is the Perfect Being!'
Sayaka, however, saw something deeper.
"That golden blood... that physical pressure..." Sayaka narrowed her eyes. "It really is the Ancient Sacred Body (Kongo-Seitai)."
The Elders in the room realized it too.
"The Sacred Body? I thought it was a useless physique in this era?" "How can he cultivate? Did the Ryuzaki Clan force open his shackles?" "Even so, the Sacred Body shouldn't be this strong at ten years old."
The revelation sent shockwaves through the assembly. A cultivation-capable Sacred Body was a terrifying prospect.
The Star King's Struggle
Outside the hall, Date Xingyun struggled to stand. His chest felt like it had been hit by a meteor.
"You... you possess the Ancient Sacred Body!" Xingyun gasped, wiping blood from his mouth.
"As I said," Haruto shook his head, looking disappointed. "My strength is mediocre. There was no need to fight."
"It's not over!" Xingyun gritted his teeth. His pride wouldn't let him end like this. "I wasn't ready!"
"Young Master..." Uncle Fu, the old servant, tried to intervene.
"[Chaotic Star Finger]!"
Xingyun ignored him. He thrust his finger forward. Starlight condensed into a beam of destruction, aiming straight for Haruto's heart.
"Boring."
Haruto raised his hand.
SNAP.
A golden palm materialized and snapped the Star Finger in half.
Then, Haruto made a grabbing motion.
Dark, hellish flames erupted from the void. They spiraled into a long, purplish-black spear.
[Spear of the Underworld God].
SCREECH!
The air screamed as Haruto threw the spear. It moved faster than sound, trailing ripples of void energy.
"[Celestial Star Shield]!"
Xingyun summoned a Royal-Grade shield artifact in panic.
CLANG! ... CRACK!
The spear, imbued with 400 Million Kin of force, pierced the shield like paper. It continued forward, aiming to impale the Star King.
"[Star-Devouring Black Hole Palm]!"
Desperate, Xingyun unleashed his ultimate technique. A miniature black hole appeared in his palm, swallowing the spear.
BOOM!
The spear detonated inside the black hole. Xingyun was blasted backward, coughing up blood. His arm trembled violently.
"It's over."
Haruto waved his hand.
[Art of a Thousand Soldiers].
Golden light flooded the hall. Thousands of swords, spears, and axes materialized in the air, pointing at Xingyun.
"[Star Form]!"
Xingyun roared to the sky. He could no longer afford to hold back. He released the seal on his cultivation.
True Spirit Realm: Fifth Stage!
His aura exploded, shaking the hall.
"He broke his promise!" a guest shouted. "He's using his full power against a ten-year-old!"
Haruto's expression remained unchanged.
"Full power?" Haruto smirked. "Fine."
BOOM!
Haruto released his own suppression.
Golden Mana rose like a pillar of fire, piercing the roof of the palace.
True Spirit Realm: Ninth Stage (Peak)!
The pressure was suffocating. It was heavier, denser, and far more terrifying than Xingyun's aura.
"What?!" "Ninth Stage?!" "He's ten years old! How is he higher than Xingyun?!"
The guests looked as if they had seen a ghost.
Xingyun froze. His heart sank into the abyss.
Haruto was younger. Haruto was stronger. And worst of all... Haruto was more handsome.
"ARGHHH!"
Xingyun screamed in frustration and charged.
It was a massacre.
Haruto didn't even need techniques. He simply suppressed Xingyun with brute force.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Finally, Haruto kicked Xingyun in the chest.
CRACK!
Xingyun's sternum shattered. He flew out of the hall like a rag doll, landing in the dirt.
"Young Master!" Uncle Fu rushed over, feeding him a healing pill.
Xingyun lay there, pale and broken. He looked up, hoping to see pity in Ruri's eyes.
Instead, he saw Ruri standing next to Haruto, clasping her hands and drooling.
"Brother Haruto is so cool! So handsome!"
She didn't even glance at Xingyun.
Pfft!
The sheer emotional damage was too much. Xingyun spat out a fountain of blood and fainted.
The Vision
In the darkness of unconsciousness, Date Xingyun's mind drifted.
He found himself floating in a vast, starry void.
In front of him stood a magnificent Star Palace. And standing before the palace gates was a figure.
The figure had his back to Xingyun. He was draped in the sun, moon, and stars. He exuded an aura that seemed to stand above all Heavens.
"Who..." Xingyun tried to ask.
But before he could see the figure's face, his consciousness faded into total blackness.