Chapter 570 - 314: Appointment as Vajra Venerable; Preliminary Selection List Opens

’I’ve finally reached this step.’ Su Chen could barely contain his excitement, but he had no intention of Melting his Holy Profession here. He bid farewell to the Copper Spirit, exited the Creation Copper Heart, exchanged a quick greeting with Brother Ku, and hurried away.

...

"If the Bronze Sect hadn’t interfered, you would have taken the Profound Celestial Instrument to the Royal Court long ago."

On a Floating Island outside the Copper Heart, Han Xingliu sat across from Lu Huai, even though the members of the Profound Celestial Sect attending the Peak Star Conference were all housed on Dragon Abyss.

However, Lu Huai had merely informed Venerable Qingyi of his plans and hadn’t moved over.

Han Xingliu smiled. "Your deal with the Bronze Sect is nearly complete. Isn’t it about time you brought the Profound Celestial Instrument to the Royal Court?"

"Are you in such a hurry, Your Highness?" Lu Huai calmly refilled the teacup in front of Han Xingliu.

"You likely know what the Royal Court wants with the Profound Celestial Instrument. How could I not be in a hurry?" Han Xingliu said bluntly.

Lu Huai paused and couldn’t help but ask, "Is it really possible to elevate a Postnatal Talent to the Divine Dawn Level?"

"The Divine Dawn Level isn’t just an increase in development efficiency. It also possesses the Trait of the Morning Star Tier—the ability to ignite the Morning Fire. This originates from certain factors within the bloodline and genes, awakening sporadically and with extreme difficulty."

Han Xingliu said softly, "But the Royal Court has achieved results after many years of research. The probability can be increased significantly. Besides, to see whether it’s possible or not, all you have to do is take the Profound Celestial Instrument to the Royal Court for a test. If it succeeds, it would also be a great boon for the Profound Celestial Sect."

"Why the deliberate delay?"

Lu Huai said thoughtfully, "We aren’t deliberately delaying. It’s just that for the Bronze Sect’s side of the deal, there’s still one last person who needs their Talent enhanced."

"Still one last person? You’ve all been here for over half a year." Han Xingliu frowned slightly.

Lu Huai explained, "This spot was a last-minute addition. The quotas for the original deal were filled long ago."

"Where is this person now, and why haven’t they come? How can someone drag their feet when they have an opportunity to enhance their Talent?" Han Xingliu asked, puzzled.

Lu Huai sighed. "Apparently, it’s someone connected to Su Chen. He brought it up with us months ago but has yet to send the person over. Since you’re in such a rush, Your Highness, I’ll hurry him along."

"Su Chen..." Hearing that name again, a flicker of emotion crossed Han Xingliu’s eyes.

’But he shouldn’t have any real connection to this. It’s probably just a coincidence.’ He didn’t think much of it and said, "Go hurry them along. The Royal Court is waiting."

"Understood." Lu Huai nodded. He then saw Han Xingliu open a virtual screen on his wristband and chuckle. "These guys certainly know how to hide."

"What is it?" Seeing that Han Xingliu had brought it up himself, Lu Huai figured it wasn’t a secret and decided to ask.

Han Xingliu stood up. "It’s nothing. The preliminary rankings are out. I imagine today will be especially lively."

...

"It’s finally out..."

At Dragon Abyss, the area outside the Peak Star Arena was packed shoulder to shoulder.

Over the past month, numerous factions had arrived at the Bronze Sect, and now nearly all of them were gathered outside, craning their necks to look at the list now filled with names.

"Our big bro is a dual Top-Level Tier Six Professional! Back home, he’s practically invincible among his peers. How is he ranked below four thousand?"

A group huddled together, poring over the list in front of them, completely dumbfounded.

The list outside the Peak Star Arena only showed the top 100, but that didn’t mean there were only 100 participants. More detailed rankings had to be checked individually.

"Impossible. Are you telling me the four thousand-plus people ahead of him are all stronger than our big bro? There has to be something wrong with the system, right?"

The group exchanged stunned glances, having never expected this outcome.

The young man at the center of the group had a shifting expression. He sighed in resignation and gave a bitter smile. "Invincible among my peers? This place is crawling with people who are ’invincible among their peers.’"

This past month hadn’t just been for seeding the ranks; it was also a trial period for the Bronze Sect’s challenge system.

After the initial seeding, anyone who doubted that the challenge system had fully recorded their data could choose to fight a training projection of themselves for verification.

At first, many people were skeptical, but by now, hardly anyone doubted the challenge system’s credibility.

"I’m a Tier Seven Professional! Why am I not on the list? How come the last few spots are taken by Tier Six Professionals?" another person demanded, his face dark and his brows tightly knit.

"Those are Star Seeds. What kind of Tier Seven are you? You’re not even dual Top-Level..." Someone beside him shook their head. "Don’t make a fool of yourself."

"Nine hundred and twenty-fourth place!" A one-armed old man’s face was flushed with excitement. The people with him were just as thrilled, crowding around a young man. "We made it! Our bet with the Grizzly Group was to make the top thousand! We’ll get the investment! We’re saved! We’re saved!"

The crowd was a cacophony of voices. The release of the rankings was a true eye-opener for many. Some celebrated, while others were dealt a heavy blow.

A number of people, refusing to accept their rankings, immediately charged into the arena, wanting to experience the gap between themselves and the top contenders firsthand.

"He Muyang..." From a corner, Qin Tianlin looked up at the name ranked number one.

’Those guys who have Melted their Holy Professions are being cautious. They’re probably planning to make their move at the last minute—challenge some mid-ranked guy to secure a spot without revealing too much. This actually works out perfectly, letting a Tier Six take first place for now...’

’Su Chen could probably beat this He Muyang, couldn’t he?’ Qin Tianlin suddenly wondered.

’However, a Trait of these rankings is that they favor those who act first. Once a rank is secured, being of similar strength is meaningless if you can’t score a win.’

’I have the Immortal Vajra. Once I seize the advantage, how could he possibly beat me?’

Qin Tianlin composed himself and walked straight into the arena, oblivious to the few subtle gazes from the crowd that had fallen upon him.

They exchanged a look, and one of them quickly broke away from the crowd, heading toward a building in the distance.

...

As Su Chen stepped off his Flying Device, he came face-to-face with Ming Lin, who was just exiting the main building. Ming Lin looked a little surprised. "You’re back?"

"Yeah." Su Chen nodded and asked casually, "Heading out?"

"The preliminary rankings were just released. Things should be getting lively over at Dragon Abyss, so I was about to go take a look."

"The preliminary rankings are out?" Su Chen raised an eyebrow. "When did that happen?"

"Just earlier today." Seeing Su Chen’s unfamiliarity, Ming Lin activated his Wristband and pulled up the list. "Here, see for yourself."

Su Chen’s eyes immediately fell on the person in first place. "He Muyang?"

The name was unfamiliar. It didn’t belong to any of the non-Sect, non-Royal Court members he’d heard were suspected of having Melted a Holy Profession.

His eyes then drifted to the person in second place, someone he recognized: Li Guanting, a Tier Seven Professional from the Bronze Sect who was ranked fourth on the Holy List.

Wei Zhenghong was ranked just ahead of him.

"This list..." Su Chen trailed off. ’This is completely different from what I expected.’

’For Li Guanting to be ranked fourth on the Holy List is no small feat, but how did he end up in second place so easily?’

"He Muyang, the one in first place, is from the True Martial Sect," Ming Lin explained.

Su Chen nodded, then asked, "And what about the Tier Seven Professionals who have Melted a Holy Profession?"

"Oh, you mean them." Ming Lin’s face lit with understanding. After he’d returned with the item from the Dark Moon Group, he had hidden out on a Floating Island for a few days. Once that unsettling feeling finally faded, he had visited Dragon Abyss a few more times and picked up quite a bit of information.

He explained, "Those top contenders are probably lying low. Our Sect’s preliminary round is different. There are no eliminations, and you have practically infinite chances to make up for mistakes. As long as you have the strength, you’ll eventually climb the ranks."

"The Top-Level Tier Seven Professionals are all holding back to avoid revealing their true strength too early and giving others time to devise countermeasures."

"I see." Su Chen understood. ’Making the top one hundred in the preliminaries is enough to advance. For those who’ve Melted a Holy Profession, getting first place in this round doesn’t really matter.’

’Their goal is to become the Peak Star, so revealing their hand early isn’t wise. They just need to secure a respectable, but not too flashy, rank before the preliminaries end.’

’However, this strategy only works in the Bronze Sect’s unique preliminary format. It would be much harder to hide one’s strength in a standard tournament-style preliminary.’

"Want to go see it together?" Ming Lin asked, noticing his interest.

"I’ll pass." Su Chen shook his head. Right now, nothing was more important than Melting his Holy Profession.

"Alright, I’m heading out then." Ming Lin boarded his Flying Device and went straight to Dragon Abyss.

Su Chen turned, entered the main building, and made his way to a training room. He adjusted his posture and sat cross-legged on the floor.

After a moment’s thought, he took out a large handful of healing Potions from his Storage Space and arranged them in front of him, just in case.