Chapter 300: Inspiring the Hearts of the People |
In the Starport, silhouettes overlapped. At this moment, however, they all paid their respects to the Ancient King in unison. After the voices faded, it was once again deadly silent.
Even if Wu Yue was incomparably unwilling in his heart, he didn't stiffen his neck to express any kind of attitude. His etiquette was not lacking in the slightest.
After paying their respects, the crowd raised their heads, their gazes obscurely cast toward this Ancient King before them.
The Ancient Bronze King's eyes were entirely tranquil. His gaze swept over these major figures who already stood at the apex of the Dust Star Sea. Many people absolutely didn't dare to meet his eyes, dodging and giving way one after another.
A moment later, he finally spoke slowly: "Everyone, you are too polite."
Qing Cang looked at his Sect Master. He breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, but was also somewhat surprised.
Sect Master coming here was something he had spoken with him about in advance, so it wasn't considered too surprising, but the sudden blazing intensity of the Starfire had never been mentioned.
He couldn't help but mutter a bit in his heart. For Sect Master to leave the Ancient King Palace and no longer suppress the Mist Embers, just maintaining the Starfire from extinguishing would already consume quite a bit of a price. Why forcefully make the Starfire burn even brighter?
The fact that the Ancient Bronze King could appear here already indicated that the Bronze Sect was far from having reached a dead end.
But if any problems arose later, perhaps others might instead see through the clues. He didn't believe Sect Master couldn't think of this. Could it be...
His heart suddenly skipped a beat, seeming to have thought of certain things, but also somewhat daring not to believe it. His throat bobbed, and he immediately denied it.
'Impossible, absolutely impossible, how could it be so simple.'
His expression flickered uncertainly, but the others didn't notice.
'As expected of the Ancient King closest to the Blazing Sun Tier...' The Venerable of the Profound Heaven Sect, Li Qingyi, seemed to have strange lights in her beautiful eyes.
Since this person had already appeared, no matter what the situation was, it could indirectly indicate that he still had strength to spare, and was absolutely not as utterly crestfallen and unbearable as the outside world widely circulated.
"Martial Uncle Shi Yan." The Ancient Bronze King stepped forward, reaching out to support the doddering Black Tortoise King. He said gently, "Since the last time you and I met, I'm afraid some years have passed, right?"
"About over a hundred years." The Black Tortoise King breathed a sigh of relief. His withered hands patted the Ancient Bronze King's arm, saying with gratification, "The Ancient King's elegant demeanor remains as before, but I have become increasingly useless."
The crowd's gazes obscurely evaluated this Ancient King. He hadn't used any concealment whatsoever. Everyone could intuitively determine that this was his Main Body, and not a phantom image fabricated by other methods, nor a clone.
"To be able to see you once can be considered not making this trip in vain. The next time you see me, it should be before my grave."
The Black Tortoise King sighed softly. His profession originally excelled in Lifespan, and the various technologies of the Royal Court were the absolute peak of the Dust Star Sea. He had already lived for far too long, and his old friends from back then had passed away one after another.
His descendants were already separated by dozens of generations. If not for the maintenance of the bloodline, to speak of feelings, it couldn't be considered too deep.
If not for the Vast Sea Emperor personally coming to his door to invite him this time, he wouldn't have wanted to make this trip and ruin that sentiment from many years ago.
"I remember that before Martial Uncle left, he was still muttering about you." The Ancient Bronze King supported the Black Tortoise King as they walked forward.
"Hahaha!" The Black Tortoise King followed closely step by step, yet couldn't help but laugh out loud. "This old fellow definitely didn't expect that, despite being an Ancient King, he would actually die before me. He was very unwilling, ah."
The two conversed very happily, looking quite harmonious.
Behind them, Chu Lingyuan's attitude relaxed quite a bit. Since Sect Master had appeared, the pressure afterward wouldn't be so great.
And Qin Yun's gaze remained on her own Sect Master's back from start to finish, her eyes faintly carrying a bit of Suspicion.
Behind the two of them, the crowd from the Bronze Sect all craned their necks to look at the Ancient Bronze King, and even Shen Yi'an did the same.
The Ancient Bronze King hadn't publicly shown his face in the sect for far too long. Coupled with the increasingly flourishing public opinion recently, and the Four Great Sects and the Royal Court wanting to join hands to deal with them, it was inevitable that people's hearts were panicking.
The Ancient Bronze King's appearance this time was no different from a shot to the heart.
Wu Yue's expression was taut, suspecting that this was done deliberately by the Ancient Bronze King. Perhaps he had used some kind of Method, specially making the Starfire look more blazing, the price definitely not small.
But... this could also indirectly indicate that the Ancient Bronze King still had the ability to flip the table.
King Peng's good expression vanished. The Ancient Bronze King's appearance this time was not good news for the Royal Court. Their next plans would have to be further adjusted. He feared that the attitudes of the Four Great Sects would all undergo subtle changes.
Everyone had different thoughts. The Ancient Bronze King had already supported the Black Tortoise King and boarded the Flight Vehicle, and the others also followed one after another.
The Star Seeds gathered together. As for the other high-ranking members of the sects, they also each had corresponding people to welcome them, arranged properly.
The numerous Flight Vehicles set sail, heading one after another toward a certain Satellite City.
The newly built Satellite City currently hadn't laid down its infrastructure yet and couldn't be inhabited. The temporary residences of the Four Great Sects and the Royal Court were still set on Beiming Star, one of the other three Satellite Cities.
On one of the Flight Vehicles, the Star Seeds of the major sects stood scattered about.
They had long since simply exchanged pleasantries. Although they looked quite harmonious, in reality, they each had their own arrogance in their hearts. After a simple greeting, no one proactively spoke up. They each stood in an area, either gazing far off before a porthole, or closing their eyes to rest their minds.
Only Han Xingliu walked up to Wei Zhenghong and Shen Yi'an, greeting, "Brother Shen, Brother Wei, separated for many years, you two still retain your elegant demeanor, ah."
"Your Highness is too polite." Shen Yi'an responded gently. Wei Zhenghong merely nodded lazily.
After exchanging a couple sentences of pleasantries, Han Xingliu inquired, "That newly-advanced Star Seed of the Bronze Sect, Su Chen, why didn't he come today?"
Hearing this name, several Star Seeds nearby cast their gazes over. They were absolutely not unfamiliar with this name.
5th-Tier Rank-Defying Slaying a 6th-Tier—to them, it wasn't hard to accomplish either. But if the target was a Star Seed of the same level, or a Divine Dawn Grade Talent possessor, then that was an insurmountable heavenly chasm.
The vigilance in Wei Zhenghong's eyes flashed and disappeared. He said flatly, "Who knows? Su Chen has always been a lone wolf, Living in Seclusion. I don't understand him very well."
Shen Yi'an also just smiled, not saying anything further.
"Is that so." Han Xingliu looked thoughtful. Carrying a bit of regret, he said, "I've actually longed to meet him for a long time. It's a pity I couldn't witness his elegant demeanor today. It seems I can only wait until later."
Wei Zhenghong furrowed his brows. The Star Seeds of the Royal Court and the Star Seeds of the several major sects were somewhat different, because it involved the position of The Emperor.
Looking at the Royal Court's sphere of influence, the weight of this position was half a tier higher than even an Ancient King. Therefore, the fight for the position of Emperor was also even more cruel.
Han Xingliu was highly likely to become the next Emperor. For him to have such a great interest in Su Chen was not good news.
Seeing Wei Zhenghong to act in a secretive or evasive manner, the other Star Seeds also withdrew their gazes. Since they had already come to the Bronze Sect, sooner or later they would see this Star Seed shrouded in layers of fog.
Wei Zhenghong and the others were merely escorts. After delivering this group of people to the location, they turned back.
Halfway back, the quite excited Wei Zhenghong couldn't quite restrain himself. Opening his Comm-Bracelet, he sent several messages in succession:
'The Ancient King appearing is such a huge matter. Those few still don't know, I have to talk to them properly. And Su Chen, it's a pity he didn't make this trip. The face-changing skills of Morning Star Tiers are rarely seen.'
Shen Yi'an stood with his hands behind his back, shaking his head slightly.
Su Chen, who had just been sent back by the Ancient Bronze King not long ago, naturally also received Wei Zhenghong's message:
'There's a major matter concerning the Ancient King. Come quickly.'
Su Chen looked at the text on the Virtual Screen, actually not too surprised. Wei Zhenghong just had this kind of personality; whenever he encountered something happy, he absolutely had to call everyone to gather.
The Ancient King appearing probably gave quite a few people a shock.
"I wonder how many people are joyful, and how many are sorrowful."
Su Chen was actually quite curious about the general situation of what happened at that port, and headed straight to Wei Zhenghong's Floating Island.
"Aiya, Old Su, you came rather quickly today." As soon as Su Chen arrived, Wei Zhenghong came out to welcome him, saying repeatedly, "I thought you had blocked all messages and were continuously developing your profession's progress."
"What a pity, ah, you missed a grand play today."
Su Chen asked, already knowing the answer, "Oh? What grand play?"
"This matter is complicated to explain." Wei Zhenghong's eyes shifted, yet he said, "If I tell you first, when the others come later, I'll have to say it all over again. Let's wait until they come to say it together."
This Old Wei, he was even building up suspense. Su Chen was secretly speechless.
Seeing this, he didn't press the matter either. Greeting Shen Yi'an, he sat across from him and began drinking the tea meticulously brewed by this Star Seed, repeatedly voicing his praise.
Toward this kind of guy who liked to build suspense, acting uninterested was the greatest counterattack.
Seeing this, Wei Zhenghong shot him several glances, looking like he had Words Caught in One's Throat, finally revealing a bit of resentment.
Not long after, Chu Ran, Zhao Ming, Jiang Mufeng, and the others arrived one after another.
Facing Wei Zhenghong keeping them guessing, only Chu Ran gave him the emotional value he desired, repeatedly pressing, "What exactly happened? And it even involves the Ancient King, hurry up and tell us!"
"What's the rush?" Wei Zhenghong finally felt comfortable in his heart, yet frowned and scolded. Only after Zhang Heng arrived did he slowly say, "The Ancient King just showed his face, and it was his Main Body."
"The Ancient King's Main Body showed its face?" Chu Ran's entire body shuddered, exclaiming in shock, "Real or fake?"
The others exchanged a glance, their expressions subtle, yet they didn't have too much shock on their faces.
Jiang Mufeng looked thoughtful. "With the Four Great Sects and the Royal Court arriving together, if the Ancient King didn't appear, it would be a huge hidden danger."
Seeing the crowd's mediocre reaction...
Wei Zhenghong was rather dissatisfied, emphasizing again, "It's not just as simple as appearing. The Starfire seemed to have grown even more blazing. The True Martial Sect's Wu Yue and the Royal Court's King Peng's faces immediately changed. You guys weren't at the scene at the time; don't mention how exhilarating it was."
Wei Zhenghong narrated the matter entirely as it happened, and the expressions of the several people didn't look too good.
Su Chen was quite amazed. That whatever True Martial Sect's Wu Yue actually rode right up to their faces?
If the Ancient Bronze King didn't appear, the consequences would probably be very serious. No wonder, previously, even if the Ancient King had to pay a price, he had to make this trip.
Zhao Ming frowned deeply. "Wu Yue handled matters too unfairly. Although our two families have enmity, when the True Martial Sect had an incident a few years ago, we didn't engage in Kicking Someone While They're Down either."
"A breath that cannot be swallowed once, cannot be swallowed for a lifetime." Shen Yi'an shook his head.
"Fortunately the Ancient King appeared, otherwise who knows how excessive the True Martial Sect would be." Zhang Heng carried a bit of rejoicing.
Chu Ran, on the other hand, said excitedly, "I said so, didn't I? The Ancient King is so powerful, he's definitely fine. What the outside world spreads is a bit too excessive, things like the Starfire being about to extinguish, the Ancient King being about to fall, and whatnot."
"So what if the Ancient King Monument had a spasm for a bit? Couldn't it simply be because of Old Su?"
Su Chen shot him a glance. Why were there still people bringing this matter up?
Jiang Mufeng sighed softly. "I'm only afraid it's..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but other than Chu Ran, everyone understood his meaning—they were only afraid that the Ancient King's appearance this time was merely a stopgap measure.
"Believe in the Ancient King." Wei Zhenghong suddenly said in a clear voice, breaking the somewhat depressing atmosphere. Everyone let out a long sigh of relief and nodded one after another. The bad thing hadn't happened yet, so why engage in Baseless Anxiety?
Since the Ancient King could appear, no matter what, it was a good thing.
Immediately after, his gaze fell on Su Chen again. "Old Su, ah, there's bad news. Your reputation is a bit too great. I estimate there are quite a few people eyeing you. That Han Xingliu even specifically inquired about you."
"Since they are here, let them be at peace. This is our sect's territory, what can he possibly do to me?" Su Chen said flatly. He had already learned some news from the Ancient Bronze King, so hearing this, he wasn't too worried.
Jiang Mufeng, however, said, "This guy Han Xingliu is a ruthless character. Among the Royal Court's current three Star Seeds, two are descendants of the Vast Sea Emperor. He is the smaller one, but his prestige is not inferior in the slightest to his eldest brother, and perhaps even surpasses him."
"If he can seize the Star Prime position in this Peak Star Tournament, the position of Emperor can probably be settled by seventy percent."
"Old Su, it would be so great if you could share half of this reputation with me." Chu Ran carried a bit of envy. Becoming famous in the Dust Star Sea was something many people found hard to accomplish in their entire lives.
Su Chen shot him a glance, somewhat amused. "I actually wish I could give it all to you."
After saying this, Su Chen turned and asked, "Before the Peak Star Tournament begins, is there still a preliminary round? What's the process?"
"The preliminaries, huh." Wei Zhenghong looked at him with considerable surprise. "You want to participate? But..."
Halfway through speaking, he looked thoughtful again. "Although you're only 5th-Tier, since you could defeat Qin Tianlin, it's actually not like you can't participate. Your ranking might not necessarily be too low."
Several days had already passed since Su Chen advanced to the 6th-Tier. He could already roughly control his body's Aura well. Not to mention 9th-Tier Morning Star Tiers, at least Wei Zhenghong, Shen Yi'an, and these people would find it very difficult to see through it at a glance.
"The preliminaries don't really have any specific process." Zhao Ming was very experienced and explained to him in detail, "The new Satellite City—Dragon Abyss—will soon finish construction. Once it opens, the preliminaries will be held."
"According to past conventions, our sect should open the Challenge System and formulate a ranking similar to the Holy List, thereby filtering out the excellent ones."
"Is that so." Su Chen frowned. "Then won't it take a very long time to finish?"
Since it was aimed at all eligible Professionals in the entire Dust Star Sea, the arrival times would definitely be scattered.
"Yeah." Zhao Ming nodded, "Every time the preliminaries for the Peak Star Tournament are held, they have to last for about a year, picking out roughly a hundred people. Every iteration will have a few dark horses. Some guys can even make Star Seeds fall into a pit."
"However..." Jiang Mufeng suddenly said, "It's said that this year's preliminary process seems a bit different from previous years. It's being handled personally by Qing Shi, so I estimate there will be some surprises."