[Volume 2] Chapter 6: Chen-Awelon

Celestial Sojourners generally divided cultivation into nine realms: the Perseverance Realm (Tier 1), Calamity Realm (Tier 2), Venerable Realm (Tier 3), Ethereal Realm (Tier 4), Emperor Realm (Tier 5), Auspicious Realm (Tier 6), Saint Realm (Tier 7), Immortal Realm (Tier 8), and God Realm (Tier 9).

Each realm was further divided into lower, middle, and upper stages.

...

Sainquartz was gentle and approachable. He was the only member of the Spacetime Destruction Bureau who hadn’t mocked Jimmy.

Among those present, Finn recognized quite a few familiar faces, but there were also many he had never met. The Endless Worlds were vast, after all. There was no way he could know everyone.

Some of them could not even be called “people.”

One had an octopus head, bat wings growing from its back, and a chin covered in dripping tentacles.

The tentacled monster was chatting with someone wrapped from head to toe in a dark yellow robe. A hood concealed its head, and beneath the hood lay nothing but impenetrable darkness.

Countless wet, slimy tentacles poked out from the hem of its robe and its sleeves, constantly writhing.

Another member was a bizarre, perfectly regular nine-faced polyhedron. Its entire body was smooth, with the cold sheen of metal. It hovered in midair, reflecting light from every direction.

If it didn’t occasionally rotate and emit high-frequency electromagnetic waves carrying information, everyone would have assumed it was some kind of decoration.

Finn was still chatting with Sainquartz when space suddenly trembled. An ethereal melody of strings and chimes filled the air as a dazzling golden gate swung open.

Six hundred and sixty-six exquisitely dressed young boys and girls, each as delicate and beautiful as a figure carved from jade, emerged in orderly ranks. They lined up on either side of the gate, ready to welcome someone with grand ceremony.

Then a luxurious carriage drawn by nine true dragons slowly flew through the gate. The carriage was carved entirely from fine jade, with gold and precious stones set into its window frames. Eighty-eight luminous pearls shone brilliantly upon it.

Two guards in golden armor stepped forward and helped an immortal-looking old man down from the carriage. His hair was white, his features kindly, and every inch of him radiated the refined air of a Daoist immortal. Dressed in embroidered robes, a jade belt, a ceremonial crown, and matching boots, he looked truly magnificent.

The old man’s name was Fuu-Honlon, courtesy name Deya. He had long since ascended to the ranks of immortals. He was the genuine article—an immortal with an official position on the Celestial Court’s payroll.

An immortal naturally had to make a grand entrance. Every time Fuu-Honlon appeared, he did so amid an enormous spectacle. Nine dragons pulling his carriage and celestial soldiers clearing the way were nothing special to him.

Fuu-Honlon was currently at the upper stage of the Immortal Realm, Tier 8, with an extraordinarily long lifespan. By Earth’s calendar, he had lived for five hundred and sixty million years.

The Six Realms had gone through cycle after cycle, and even the Heavenly Dao had perished. No one knew how many times the world had been overturned. Several Jade Emperors had come and gone, yet Fuu-Honlon remained standing—undying and indestructible.

He was the deputy director of the Spacetime Destruction Bureau, ranked only below the “boss.” His position carried immense authority, and his network of connections stretched far and wide. Even in the Star Cosmos Empire, a superpower spanning countless worlds, he wielded considerable influence.

Fuu-Honlon looked around in high spirits. Stroking his long beard, he declared in a resonant voice, “With the boss gone, that makes me the director!”

“Excellent! Greetings, Director Fuu!”

“Long live Director Fuu!”

Applause and praise erupted around him.

Fuu-Honlon was extremely popular, mainly because he was generous. Whenever he met with the members of the Spacetime Destruction Bureau, he always brought gifts.

Sure enough, Fuu-Honlon went from member to member, handing out presents.

He gave the little girl Moonbell ten monkey demons, each with a thousand years of cultivation, for use in her experiments. The poor creatures had absorbed the spiritual qi of heaven and earth, painstakingly awakened their intelligence, and cultivated for more than a thousand years—only to end up on a dissection table.

He gave the Daoist priest Jyan-Tyenhaw a bottle of pills that fortified essence, nourished the kidneys, and strengthened qi and blood.

Jyan-Tyenhaw accepted the pills, but his face immediately darkened.

“Director Fuu, my yang essence is as vigorous as ever. Why would I need something like this? Are you looking down on me? Do you think I can’t perform?”

Fuu-Honlon smiled mildly. “An oversight on my part. I didn’t realize Brother Jyan’s essence was so stable that he had no need for such supplements.”

With that, he reached out as if to take back the white jade bottle.

Jyan-Tyenhaw hurriedly put it away. Clearing his throat, he said, “I just remembered that I have a friend who desperately needs this. I’ll accept it on his behalf. Thank you.”

“Think nothing of it.”

Fuu-Honlon smiled and walked over to Finn, holding out a treasure box.

“Finn, feast your eyes on this! A Hundred-Million-Revolutions Resurrection Pill! Take it. Now this is a true immortal pill! It’s better than that Nine Revolutions Resurrection Pill by who knows how much!”

Naturally. A hundred million revolutions was 99,999,991 more than nine. Of course it was better.

Finn happily accepted the treasure box and thanked him.

Fuu-Honlon had a cousin named Fuu-Jinshen, who was also an immortal. Fuu-Jinshen believed that the cost of cultivation should be lowered so ordinary people could afford it. To that end, he vigorously promoted industrialized alchemy and mass-produced pills on assembly lines.

Such practices ran completely contrary to immortal tradition. They enraged the Celestial Court, and none of his clansmen understood or supported him.

Fuu-Jinshen was banished to the mortal world, but he refused to repent. He continued promoting industrialized alchemy, cultivating spiritual herbs without soil, and building enormous ranches to raise high-level magical beasts, among many other things.

At the same time, he opened a shop on the Myriad Realms Network, selling Nine Revolutions Resurrection Pills and all kinds of other inexpensive elixirs. Finn was one of his regular customers.

That was why Fuu-Honlon had come over specifically to give Finn a Hundred-Million-Revolutions Resurrection Pill refined by his own hand. He was clearly trying to spite and outdo his cousin.

After showing off his pill, Fuu-Honlon continued handing gifts to the others, and the hall soon filled with lively chatter.

Then a lonely yet stirring song began to play.

“How lonely it is

To be invincible,

How empty it is

To be invincible.

Alone atop the summit,

With the cold wind ever blowing...”

Accompanied by the impassioned song, a man strode into the hall with the bearing of a dragon and the stride of a tiger. His black trench coat snapped around him, and a pair of black sunglasses covered his eyes. He was handsome, dashing, and effortlessly cool.

“Here comes the King of Flexing.” Sainquartz stopped unwrapping his present and muttered under his breath.

Chen-Awelon—the ultimate King of Flexing.

He possessed both the Strongest Flex-and-Face-Slap System and the Flex God’s Legacy!

Who stood supreme at the end of the path of flexing? At the sight of Awelon, even the Dao became void!

Chen-Awelon was only the King of Flexing for now, but one day, he would become the God of Flexing.

“Hahahaha! Chen-Awelon, you’re only at the lower stage of the Ethereal Realm(Tier 4). Could you stop trying so hard to look cool? This is embarrassing for all of us!”

Jyan-Tyenhaw wrapped an arm around the slender waist of a female ghost and jeered loudly.

“Well, well, Chen-Awelon! You’re still at the lower stage of the Ethereal Realm? Your cultivation speed is pathetic!” The little girl Moonbell hovered in midair, smiling at him with contempt.

“Chen-Awelon, your aptitude is terrible, yet you still want to become the King of Flexing? Keep dreaming!” Bearmont folded his thick arms and snorted.

“I fear that even when this old man breathes his last, Chen-Awelon still won’t have advanced beyond the lower stage of the Ethereal Realm! Hahahahaha!”

Fuu-Honlon stroked his white beard and threw back his head in laughter.

“Chen-Awelon, you should keep your head down and know your place. With your abilities, breaking through your current realm is nothing but a delusion!” Even Sainquartz began mocking him coldly.

“Exactly,” Tadokoro chimed in. “Chen-Awelon, you should find some forgotten corner of a backwater world and hide there for the rest of your life. I’m not looking down on you, but at your level, you think you can roam the Endless Worlds? Watch out, or you might end up losing your chastity!”

Mockery erupted from every direction.

Even Jimmy, who normally kept his head down and tried not to offend anyone, joined in, loudly ridiculing Chen-Awelon along with the rest.

The only exception was Finn. He stood off to the side with his arms folded, watching everything in silence.

Chen-Awelon stood alone in the middle of the hall, enduring everyone’s ridicule, contemptuous looks, and insults. Every taunt struck him like a sharp sword, stabbing deep into his body.

Slowly, he removed his sunglasses, revealing a handsome face set in a cold expression.

“Do you truly believe I’m only at the lower stage of the Ethereal Realm?” Chen-Awelon asked coldly.

He suddenly spread his arms and unleashed his surging aura.

Heaven and earth seemed to change color. Space trembled, and cracks spread across the stone-and-metal floor.

“This... This is the power of the middle stage of the Ethereal Realm!” Jyan-Tyenhaw sucked in a sharp breath, utterly stunned.

“What?! He actually reached the middle stage of the Ethereal Realm? That’s impossible!” Moonbell cried out in shock.

“To think this young man could be so terrifying!” Fuu-Honlon also sucked in a sharp breath.

Chen-Awelon stood with his arms spread wide and threw back his head in laughter.

“Hahahahaha! Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—never look down on a poor young man!”

The voice of the Strongest Flex-and-Face-Slap System rang out in his mind.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host! Flex successful!]

[Flex Points +1] [Flex Points +1] [Flex Points +1] [Flex Points +1] [Flex Points +1] [Flex Points +1] [Flex Points +1] [Flex Points +1] [Flex Points +1] [Flex Points +1] [Flex Points +1]...

“Something’s wrong!” Moonbell’s eyes flashed. She pointed a hand toward the ceiling and shouted, “Clarity of Mind!”

Something seemed to shatter.

Then, like a retreating tide, the invisible force blanketing everyone receded and vanished.

“Chen-Awelon!” Bearmont roared. “Did you turn on your fucking IQ Suppression Aura and Mockery Aura again?!”

With a flick of her hand, Moonbell sent a device into the air.

“The results are in! He had his IQ Suppression Aura and Mockery Aura active the whole time!”

“Get him!”

The crowd erupted in fury.

Seeing the situation turn against him, Chen-Awelon spun around and tried to flee, but Fuu-Honlon raised a hand and dragged him back through the air.

“You dare flex inside the Spacetime Destruction Bureau? Beat this fucker to death!”

“Not the face!” Chen-Awelon’s screams were drowned out by the sound of fists and feet.