"What?" Wang Lan looked at Xing Feng in astonishnt.
"I surrender!"
WHOOSH—
But Xing Feng lifted his head, looked seriously at Wang Lan, and spoke those three words.
The entire audience let out a collective gasp of surprise; so even unconsciously stood up.
"Surrender? How can you surrender? I paid for a ticket, you know? You’re not even going to fight before you give up?"
"Yeah, I voted for you! I wanted to see your Thunder Step, and now you’re just giving up?"
"Damn, I bet on you to win, and now you’re making lose money!"
"If you can’t beat him, fine, but to just give up without even fighting?"
The uproar from the audience wasn’t deafening, but it wasn’t quiet either.
Yet, like needles, it pierced the protective barriers and reached Xing Feng’s ears. In that mont, his heart was truly wounded.
If one has no heart, one cannot be heartbroken; if a heart is numb, it cannot feel pain.
But Xing Feng had a sudden epiphany.
His past self-abandonnt, his renunciation of the dreams he held when he first beca a Star Martial Warrior, his willing degradation to a commoner far detached from the martial world... What he called ’seeing through life and death,’ ’seeing through the mortal world for a peaceful life,’ was, in truth, nothing but a cowardly escape.
The audience’s words were like knives stabbing into his heart.
Star Martial Warriors aren’t actors! Their battles aren’t for your entertainnt, nor for your betting!
But what reason did he have to refute them? What right did he have to argue?
Before this mont, when Wang Lan had turned away to rescue Cheng Qingzhu, whose limbs had been brutally twisted, wasn’t this what he himself had thought? What he himself had done?
You ca to act a part, so how can you bla them for treating you as an actor?
Is there anything wrong with giving up being a Star Martial Warrior? No! Is it wrong to want to beco famous, to make easy money? No! Tired of fighting, wanting a peaceful life—is that wrong? Also no.
What’s wrong is the state of your own convictions.
The good hate themselves for their evil, and the evil loathe themselves for their good. Xing Feng’s thinking had changed. That was why he now detested his forr, self-degenerating self and the heart that had lost its conviction through numbness.
Never forget your original intention, and you will reach your destination. Is it too late for to return to the battlefield now?
Xing Feng asked himself this, then slowly turned and left.
"Wait, contestant Xing Feng! Are you certain you want to surrender?" the host asked, trying to persuade him. "This is the semi-final of the Star Martial Competition. If you win this battle, you’ll not only earn a million in prize money but also have the chance to vie for the title of Champion of the Star Martial Competition. Are you really going to give up these honors, now that they’re within your grasp?"
"To you, these may be honors, but not to , not anymore," Xing Feng said, then silently turned to look at Wang Lan. "I’ve taken the wrong path, and I want to go back. I forfeit the match!"
"Little Wolf, I know you must be very young. As soone who’s been there, let give you a piece of advice: Never lose yourself in the years to co. If you ever beco numb, rember this experience in the Star Martial Competition—why you ca here, and what your original intention was. Brave the wind and rain, and forge ahead."
Xing Feng disappeared from the end of the stage. The production team instantly scrambled to adjust the competition’s schedule.
"Successful entry into the finals. Reward: 4,000 experience points, 400 skill points," a voice announced in his mind.
At that mont, the internet exploded.
"What’s going on with Xing Feng? Why the sudden change? He was so full of fighting spirit before! In the last match, when asked about his confidence in winning the championship, he said that while he had no absolute assurance, he would fight with all his strength."
"Yeah, Xing Feng’s strength isn’t actually inferior to Wolf King’s. The Thunder Attribute isn’t really countered by the Fire Attribute. Plus, his Star Martial Art level is higher than Wolf King’s, and his combat experience and fundantals are certainly not lacking in comparison."
"If they had really fought, it’s hard to say who would have won."
"Yeah! Why did he suddenly surrender?"
"He must have chickened out. Xing Feng is trash."
"It probably isn’t that he chickened out, but that his perspective has changed."
"Is there a psychological analyst who can figure out what’s going on with Xing Feng? What made him suddenly forfeit?"
"Sa question!"
anwhile, at the Star Martial Competition finals, the TV station had a contingency plan to ensure broadcast tis were t, prepared for any unexpected and uncontrollable events. After all, such things had happened multiple tis before.
They had invited celebrity guests for performances, with heavyweight stars for the opening act. Naturally, they had also made preparations for intervals in the broadcast.
But did the millions of viewers care about celebrity performances now? No. They cared about how this highly anticipated match had ended so anticlimactically.
The semi-finals! Just half an hour or an hour away from the championship match! Even if you had sothing urgent, couldn’t it have waited for this short while?
While the entire internet was ablaze with debate, a post analyzing contestant Xing Feng’s psychological journey caused a massive stir, being wildly reposted by countless people.
"His na is Xing Feng, a Star Martial Awakener from the Class of 5002. That year, he was young and full of vigor, gazing up at the stars. That sa year, the Fla Emperor from the South proved his path to power, dominated Sky Blue Star, and beca the youngest of the Five Emperors, his posture one of invincibility.
In 5005, Xing Feng failed to gain admission to any of the four major Star Martial Academies—the dream of all Star Martial Warriors. He didn’t even make it into a top-tier academy. Instead, he completed his studies at a little-known Star Martial Academy in the northwest.
By 5010, Xing Feng had retired from the Northeast Military District. Five years of military life had washed away all his youthful airs. He was no longer that spirited young man, but rely one among the two million rank-and-file Star Martial Warriors.
That year, his idol still shone like the sun, but he was no longer that young drear. Afterward, Xing Feng joined the Pioneer Legion.
Over eight years, forr comrades fell one after another. Many brothers who were talking and laughing together just yesterday would be dead on the battlefield the next. Many who had fought courageously on the front lines just the day before would pack their belongings today, saying they were going ho to marry and start families.
Fighting. Disappointnt. Disappearance. Farewell.
Xing Feng had grown tired of this life, never knowing if today would be his last.
More and more tired.
Finally, in 5018, he made a decision. He would leave the Pioneering Legion, return to the great cities, abandon the glory of being a Star Martial Warrior, and beco an ordinary person again.
To beco an ordinary person again, debuting and achieving fa seed the most comfortable path. He chose to participate in the Star Martial Competition—a very fast track to that life.
But was he really content with that?
He thought he was, but in fact, he wasn’t!
When he saw Wolf, participating anonymously, and asked why he’d co to the Star Martial Competition, Wolf’s simple answer was, ’To hone my combat skills.’ Such a pure answer, yet it touched Xing Feng’s heart.
Such a pure reason! Just like when Xing Feng himself had first beco a Star Martial Warrior. Back then, he too had been as pure as Wolf.
Many people see Wolf this way: although he wears a mask, they see his purity. anwhile, Xing Feng and others like him, though their faces are bare, are constantly wearing a taphorical mask of numbness.
Seeing Cheng Qingzhu’s limbs brutally broken by Chang Shuangyue reminded Xing Feng of comrades who had fallen beside him on the battlefield.
In that mont, Wolf stood up. He was a Star Martial Warrior of the dical Attribute; healing comrades was his duty. But what had Xing Feng said at the ti? ’If you go now, what about the upcoming match?’
Wolf replied, ’It doesn’t matter,’ and turned away without hesitation.
At that mont, faced with Wolf’s pure character, Xing Feng felt ashad—ashad not only in comparison to Wolf’s integrity but also in comparison to his own past self.
He too had once been like Wolf. But sowhere along the way, he had lost that forr self, becoming the very kind of person he once despised.
Wolf was clearly a powerful dical Attribute Star Martial Warrior; he was only gone for a few minutes, yet Cheng Qingzhu returned completely unhard.
Such a powerful dical Attribute Star Martial Warrior could clearly live a life that even Xing Feng would envy.
But what about Wolf? He possessed great strength. Whether in fighting techniques, Star Martial Skills, or actual combat experience, he was no less capable than any battle-hardened professional Star Martial Warrior who had faced life and death.
Wolf was ’just’ a dical Attribute, yet he had the heart of a warrior. Xing Feng, on the other hand, was a warrior, yet he had long possessed the heart of a retired old man.
To Xing Feng, Wolf was like a mirror. Talking to Wolf was like talking to his own forr self.
He once had dreams. He longed to be like the Fla Emperor of the South. Even if he couldn’t reach such heights, he hoped to make a na for himself through hard work.
But reality had subrged him in the vast sea of diocrity.
He had thought it was because he was born ordinary, destined never to fulfill his dreams. But seeing Wolf, he realized it wasn’t unjust fate; it was because he hadn’t tried hard enough—at least, not compared to Wolf.
The fla in his extinguished heart reignited.
He didn’t want to waste another second of his life on this stage.
So, he chose to concede, leaving the stage to Wolf. As for himself... perhaps he was going ho to pack his bags, ready to return to the true battlefield.
Xing Feng, blessings to you. May you ride the favorable wind and soar high into the sky!"
The post was long, yet it seed to perfectly capture Xing Feng’s innermost thoughts and feelings.
But everyone understood that Xing Feng couldn’t have written this post; he probably hadn’t even returned ho yet.
So who was it?
Everyone was curious about the identity of the poster. In the end, however, all they could find was an ID: ’Starlight Tear,’ with no other substantial information.
In an old residential complex in Suzhou City, a young girl gently stood up, drew back the curtains, and walked onto the balcony.
She looked up at the sky.
The weather was clear, yet there were no stars.
A tear slid down her cheek. She wept silently, then suddenly smiled, laughing even as she wiped her tears away.
DING-DONG—
The doorbell rang. The girl hurriedly wiped her tears and peered through the peephole.
Then, with a gentle smile, she opened the door. "Feng, you’re back?"
Xing Feng stood at the door, sowhat hesitant to et the girl’s eyes. He lowered his head. "Tear, I’m leaving."
Another tear escaped the girl’s eyes, falling with a soft PAT to the ground. "Going back to the frontier? When will you return?"
"Probably by the end of next year. I just called my old captain; he said they’re short-handed. If I go, I can lead a team of twenty."
"Mm, pioneering is dangerous. You have to be careful. Don’t be careless or push yourself too hard. If the Exotic Beasts are fierce, wait for the main force to assemble before going with everyone. If you encounter danger, find a place to hide..."
"Tear, there’s sothing... I want to ask you..."
"What?"
"Could we... get our marriage certificate tomorrow? I’ve held you back for so many years; you’re nearly thirty... I heard Granny has even started introducing you to potential partners. I know... this is terribly rushed, and I’m sorry, but they’re desperate for people over there. They want to leave tomorrow night. By the ti I co back, another year and a half will have passed. I’m afraid that by then... you’ll have married soone else..."
"Okay," the girl said softly.
"Really?"
"Really!"
Xing Feng scratched the back of his head and grinned, the sa foolish grin he’d had eighteen years ago.
"What are you still standing at the door for? Co in."
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