Chapter 521 - 291: Drinking Molten Iron
"Considering the timing, there’s a high chance it’s about the Morning Star Essence."
Su Chen privately speculated. The personnel the Royal Court was actually sending to the Peak Star Conference had probably departed as soon as the roster was finalized.
But from what Jiang Mufeng had said, this Profound Turtle King character had only recently departed from the Royal Court. The timing seemed to line up with when he had mentioned the Morning Star Essence to the Ancient King.
Su Chen felt a surge of excitement. After he brought the matter up with the Ancient King, he hadn’t received any word back, and he certainly couldn’t pester him for an update.
Still, since the Ancient King hadn’t given him a definite answer, the matter probably wasn’t set in stone yet.
’I hope nothing goes wrong...’
Chu Ran couldn’t help but ask, "Can’t we just use a projection to welcome him? It’s just a formality, after all."
Jiang Mufeng glanced at him and shook his head. "It’s not that simple. When they aren’t looking to cause trouble, it wouldn’t matter even if the Ancient King himself didn’t show up."
"But at a critical time like this, the slightest misstep will become an excuse for them to make a scene."
This was a way of applying pressure, but it was a rather gentle one, all things considered.
’Restrained, yet forceful, always maintaining a delicate balance,’ Su Chen couldn’t help but think. ’This must be what it means to contend without shattering.’
"Damn it..." Chu Ran muttered, though it was hard to make out what he was saying.
Since there was nothing they could do about it, Wei Zhenghong brought the topic back to the Peak Star Conference itself. "It’s not just Sheng Huaxu. There’s also Luo Yao. That guy has a Divine Dawn Level Star Seed, too."
"What’s more, he’s from the Star Dome Sect. His sect’s unique ’Stellar Grace’ can increase the strength of one’s class to a certain extent. He has a deep foundation and can’t be underestimated."
’The Star Dome Sect... the last of the Five Great Sects.’
Su Chen had previously made a point to learn about the special abilities of each sect. He’d already had dealings with the Bronze Sect, the Profound Celestial Sect, and the Holy Cauldron Sect.
’The True Martial Sect excels at weaponsmithing. The weapons they forge are, on average, much stronger than others of the same Tier, and they have unique insights when it comes to crafting Morning Star Artifacts.’
’So the Star Dome Sect has this ’Stellar Grace’ power that can increase class strength... It sounds a bit like the Cunning Fox Divine Power...’
The group’s discussion gradually shifted to who the strongest contenders for the Star Seed were. They brought up several names. Some, Su Chen had vaguely heard of; others were entirely new to him.
’It seems Old Wei and the others no longer believe that the situation with Qin Yun will have any terrible consequences for the Sect. Their attention has completely shifted to the Peak Star Conference.’
’That makes sense. As long as the Four Great Sects aren’t united with the Royal Court, it won’t be a huge problem.’
Su Chen was just starting to get a sense of the situation when Jiang Mufeng spoke up again. "There’s one other person you’ve all forgotten: the Royal Court’s Han Xingliu!"
"We can forget anyone, but we can’t forget him," Wei Zhenghong said with a cold laugh. "The timing of his age is just perfect. In two years, he’ll still only be 49, older than those other two guys. And with all the resources the Royal Court provides, his power is unfathomable."
"A pity..." Shen Yi’an said with a hint of resignation. "The Peak Star Conferences held at our Sect are the ones with the least suspense. They minimize the influence of things like mentality, combat experience, and other factors."
Hearing Shen Yi’an’s comment, Su Chen grew curious and quietly asked Chu Ran what he meant.
Chu Ran replied, "It’s because our Sect’s challenge system is linked to the Creation Copper Heart. The virtual projections it simulates have a power level with less than a 1% margin of error compared to the real person."
"Whether it’s the initial screening, the mid-round eliminations, or even the final showdown, thanks to these training projections, participants get more than one chance to fight their opponents."
’So that’s how it is.’ Su Chen suddenly understood.
In a regular tournament, with people fighting one-on-one, raw power would naturally be the most important factor. But if the power gap wasn’t too large, things like mentality and combat experience could make all the difference.
But the Bronze Sect’s challenge system was anything but ordinary.
You could even challenge an opponent 10 or 100 times, minimizing the influence of any factor besides pure strength and ensuring the fairest possible outcome.
Still, it did give the members of the Bronze Sect something of an advantage.
Su Chen listened a while longer and was surprised to discover something. He could understand Wei Zhenghong’s ambition, but even someone with Shen Yi’an’s reserved personality seemed quite eager to win the title of Peak Star.
He quietly asked Chu Ran, "Besides the fame, are there any other tangible benefits to being the Peak Star?"
"Of course there are!" Chu Ran’s excitement was almost palpable. "There are tons of benefits! If you become the Peak Star, all the major sects will offer up their most core resources as a reward."
"Take our Sect’s Creation Copper Heart, for example. Under normal circumstances, it can only support the requirements of a class up to around Tier Eight."
"But if the Ancient King himself activates it, it can even help one meet the requirements to advance to Tier Nine or the Morning Star Tier. However, even within our own Sect, very few people get such an opportunity."
As Chu Ran gave the example, Su Chen grew thoughtful.
Chu Ran continued enthusiastically, "For instance, there’s the Holy Cauldron Sect’s Top Level Potion, which takes several years to concoct and can even temporarily enhance one’s Talent. Then there’s a chance to have the True Martial Sect forge a weapon for you. As long as you provide the materials, they can even create a Morning Star Artifact..."
"And that’s not to mention the other sects and the Royal Court..."
"That’s a hefty pile of rewards..." Su Chen was stunned. Prizes of this magnitude would be incredibly precious even for people with Shen Yi’an’s and Wei Zhenghong’s standing, saving them immense resources and effort.
The two of them conversed privately while the others chatted on.
Su Chen listened a bit longer and finally learned that this Han Xingliu had been planning to come to their Bronze Sect all along. His purpose, it seemed, was to retrieve the Profound Celestial Instrument and take it to the Royal Court.