A high-pitched dragon’s roar echoed. The drifting fog suddenly condensed, and the Stone Slab vanished, transforming into a lifelike red dragon that soared through the sky, thrumming with excitent.
"Co..." The red-haired figure reached out. The red dragon shook itself and quickly coiled around him, but its lively eyes held a faint hint of confusion.
"I’ve implicated you, and you nearly perished." The red-haired figure stroked the dragon’s head, then looked to the Bronze Ancient King. "Senior Brother, since you’ve brought people, let them have a go in the cauldron. It will count as fulfilling my original body’s last wish."
The Ancient King nodded. "As it should be."
...
In a place quite far from there, on what appeared to be a barren plain, a rock lizard several ters long galloped across the ground. Its skin was a thick, yellowish-brown hide, yet its body was surprisingly agile, covering over ten ters in a single bound.
THUD!
The rock lizard was sent flying with a dull thud. It shook its head, its grayish-brown pupils filled with confusion as it stared at the empty ground before it.
SWOOSH!
A blue laser beam suddenly shot out of the void, instantly carbonizing the rock lizard. When the wind blew, it disintegrated into dust.
Behind an optical concealnt device, several silver-gray airships were parked. Aboard the largest one, Ni Chuan stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing out the window.
"Lanhai is ruthless this ti. A Morning Star Tier Professional... to just hand one over to us like this. Do you know why?"
He turned to face a sturdy young man in a black military uniform. The young man had a buzz cut, and a crossed Sword and Shield Badge was pinned to his left breast. Hearing Ni Chuan’s words, his expression grew pensive.
"Is it because of the Wan Family? Lanhai and Wan Yang are competing for the position of Commander of the Bronze Guard Army. If Wan Chen becos the chosen one, Lanhai is sure to lose."
"It’s more than that." Ni Chuan shook his head. "That alone isn’t enough to make Lanhai do sothing that betrays the interests of his Sect."
"The chosen ones aren’t irreplaceable. Whether it’s our Royal Court’s Star Seeds or those of the Five Great Sects, every single one is being watched by many people. Replacing them just ans taking on so risk."
As long as the Spirituality exists, another chosen one can be found if the current one dies. It’s just a matter of ti and effort. This is a foundational resource that no one would give up easily.
"Hmm..." The young man frowned. After a long mont of thought, he had no choice but to shake his head. "I can’t think of anything else."
Only then did Ni Chuan explain, "The Bronze Ancient King’s true body hasn’t been seen in a hundred years. The Fla Fire of the Eternal Silence Star is constantly weakening. Lanhai is afraid, and he’s looking for an escape route."
The young man’s eyes widened in shock. "Is it really as the rumors say?" he asked, stunned. "Is the Eternal Silence Star truly close to being extinguished?"
"The specifics are hard to say." Ni Chuan’s expression was cold. "I hope it’s true. The Five Great Sects have been relying on their past glories, completely disregarding the Royal Court. They should have been wiped out long ago."
The young man fell silent. These matters were still far removed from him.
"However..." Ni Chuan’s tone shifted. "This is a rare opportunity. The last ti a Morning Star Tier Professional erged was one hundred and twenty years ago."
"If you can beco a Star Seed, our Ni Family might just ascend to the ranks of Royal Court nobility."
As he said this, an undeniable fervor burned in Ni Chuan’s eyes.
The young man was about to voice his determination when his expression changed slightly as he felt the airship tremble.
"What’s happening?" Ni Chuan’s reaction was much faster. He had already sensed Energy fluctuations in the distance. This was with his senses already weakened by the Nether Fog, so one could only imagine how intense the fluctuations truly were.
Soon, he saw the Nether Fog rolling back toward them, as if sothing was driving it away.
"It’s coming from the location of the Red Thunder Cauldron," Ni Chuan murmured, a suspicion forming in his mind. The ground began to shake even more violently, and his expression turned grim. "This is bad!"
He imdiately grabbed the confused young man and shot out of the airship.
...
"Is that... the predecessor to the Great Venerable Red Fla Thunder Resonator, Martial Uncle Red Sun?" Qing Cang squinted, looking at the phantasmal figure beside his master in astonishnt.
Gazing at the Spiritual Dragon coiled around the red figure, Qing Cang remarked with a sigh, "This martial uncle of mine was a fierce and domineering man. When he was alive, even Master found it difficult to sway his decisions."
"For you to see the Spirit Dragon, you must first pass his inspection."
"Is that so..." A worried expression appeared on Wan Chen’s face as he listened, even though he was quite confident in himself.
However, the complete Spirituality was not obligated to choose one of them as the chosen one.
His chances were rely higher than others. If he failed, the Professional Spirituality would be taken back for a massive selection process, and he would never get another opportunity.
And now, he also had to pass the inspection of this Venerable Red Sun, which increased the difficulty considerably.
At the sa ti, the red-haired figure disappeared, sinking into the cauldron. As for the Spirit Dragon, it transford back into the Stone Slab and hovered at the Bronze Ancient King’s side.
"Qing Cang, have the people you brought prepare to step forward." The Ancient King’s voice drifted over.
Wan Chen took a deep breath, readying himself.
Lin Yue’s face was flushed Scarlet; she was clearly excited.
Only Lan Hao’s face showed not a single hint of anticipation.
"Yes," Qing Cang responded. But just as he was about to act, his expression darkened, and he abruptly looked in a certain direction.
The next mont, a violent roar echoed from within the swirling, grayish-white fog. A white shockwave tore through the sky, its sonic boom blasting the mists apart.
In the blink of an eye, the figure was before them. He ca to an abrupt halt, and the imnse kinetic energy from his arrival stirred up a massive amount of fog, sending it rolling toward them like an overturning sea of clouds.
A tyrannical life aura raged outwards. The expressions on Chong Jingtian and the others changed drastically. The newcor made no attempt at concealnt, exuding the presence of a terrifying apex predator.
’So this is the person Xia Hanshi saw? Soone this strong didn’t even notice ?’ Chong Jingtian’s heart pounded.
’So this is the person Su Chen saw? Soone this strong didn’t even notice ?’ Xia Hanshi thought, clicking his tongue in amazent.
"Ni Chuan!" Qing Cang shouted. With a wave of his wide sleeve, a storm surged forward, tearing apart the mountain of fog that threatened to engulf them. He stared coldly at the burly, middle-aged man before him.
"Haha, Qing Cang, long ti no see." Ni Chuan laughed on the surface, but he felt sothing was off. The other man wasn’t very surprised by his arrival; it was as if he had been expected.
This made him uneasy. His eyes quickly swept his surroundings. When his gaze landed on the cauldron, his heart skipped a beat. ’The Bronze Ancient King really sent a sliver of his consciousness to accompany them!’
’Ni Chuan? He’s from the Royal Court. What is he doing here?’
Wan Chen’s brows furrowed. ’No wonder Master Qing suddenly beseeched the Ancient King to act. He must have sensed soone from the Royal Court was lurking nearby.’
"What are you doing here?" Qing Cang demanded coldly.
"What a question." Ni Chuan chuckled. "The Five Great Sects and the Royal Court have an agreent. Any who happen upon a Morning Star Tier Spirituality may compete for it."
As long as the Spirituality remained undamaged, another Morning Star Tier Professional could erge in due ti, even if the previous one died.
No one would give up such a foundational resource.
In the past, competitions for Morning Star Tier Spiritualities had devolved into absolute bloodbaths, dragging high-level figures into chaotic brawls and causing imnse damage. It was only after these incidents that an agreent was made to limit the scale of such conflicts.
"This was sothing our Bronze Sect lost," Qing Cang retorted.
"That’s not how it works." Ni Chuan shook his head. "Since it was lost, it no longer belongs to the Bronze Sect."
"You want to compete? Do you think you can?" Qing Cang’s face flashed with anger, but then he sneered. "All by yourself?"
"If the Ancient King himself orders to leave, I will retreat imdiately," Ni Chuan said, first showing his respect. He then imdiately countered, "However, Qing Cang, are you sure you want the Ancient King to intervene? To break the agreent is to beco a common enemy."
Qing Cang’s expression was uncertain. The threat of being targeted by all was just a deterrent, but dealing with Ni Chuan was genuinely a problem. He was wary; the Royal Court was powerful.
Su Chen, anwhile, remained mixed in with the crowd, watching from the side without a word.
’It makes sense... In a one-on-five standoff, if the Royal Court showed even the slightest weakness, they would have been devoured without a trace long ago.’
Ni Chuan didn’t press his advantage, instead calling out respectfully once more, "I implore the Ancient King to honor the agreent and grant the Royal Court an opportunity to compete."
"What kind of opportunity?" Qing Cang frowned, sensing the hidden implication in Ni Chuan’s words.
"Since the Spirituality itself is selecting the chosen one, then my son should also et the requirents," Ni Chuan said gravely. "You must allow him to face the Spirituality as well."
Having said his piece, Ni Chuan’s voice turned cold. "If Lord Qing Cang is unwilling to grant this opportunity, then I will have no choice but to fight with everything I have. Even if it ans dying at the hands of the Ancient King, it will have been worth it."
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