Chapter 576 - 317: Everything Comes to Nothing

’How is this possible!’

Qin Tianlin raised his head and stared blankly at the name at the very top. The sounds around him faded away, leaving only the increasingly frantic pounding of his own heart as blood rushed to his head.

Perhaps because he had just been in a fierce battle and his injuries had yet to fully heal, he felt a wave of dizziness and staggered back a few steps.

’Why? Why is it like this again?’

After the dizziness passed, Qin Tianlin felt lost and bewildered. ’Clearly... I even used my Holy Power, so why couldn’t I win?’

"He actually beat you?"

The voice in his ear sounded somewhat incredulous. By its estimation, Qin Tianlin had already developed his Tier Six profession to 100%. Furthermore, the Holy Power was an additional boost, and his inherent strength was not to be underestimated.

At his absolute peak, no one should have been able to defeat him, aside from those Tier Seven experts who had already completed their Melting Holy Profession.

’Could that Su Chen already be on par with someone at Tier Seven who has integrated a Holy Profession? But no matter what, he’s only Tier Six. The ferocity of a Holy Profession isn’t a gap that can be so easily bridged.’

’Or did he achieve it through some other means?’

If it couldn’t obtain the Morning Star Essence, it would be difficult for it to gain the ability to act independently of Qin Yun’s body in the short term. Its investigation into Su Chen would also be postponed indefinitely.

"This Qin Tianlin appeared out of nowhere and certainly surprised me, but he was still suppressed by Su Chen."

Han Xingliu murmured to himself, a thoughtful and expectant look flashing in his eyes. "He finally made a move. I’ll have to take a close look at his battle record later."

Every change in the preliminary selection rankings had a corresponding battle record saved, which anyone could view freely to ensure fairness.

"And Qin Tianlin... although he can’t compare to Su Chen, his level of strength is still quite unexpected. I wonder what secrets he’s hiding."

"Su Chen... a Star Seed..." At his side, Xiao Linfeng mulled over the name.

"A Star Seed?" Hearing Xiao Linfeng’s low murmur, Han Xingliu turned around and couldn’t help but say, "Brother Xiao, you seem to have misunderstood something. If he were just a Star Seed, he could never reach Su Chen’s level."

"I am well aware." Xiao Linfeng glanced at him. "It’s just a pity that he is *only* a Star Seed."

Han Xingliu paused, understanding the other’s meaning. The highest achievement a Star Seed could reach was the Morning Star Tier. No matter how powerful they became, they could never defeat an Ancient King.

He then added, "The next Bronze Ancient King will likely be one of these two."

A flicker of emotion crossed Xiao Linfeng’s eyes as he said wistfully, "This damn exclusivity."

「...」

"Amazing. He was suppressed in the blink of an eye."

"Yeah, I heard that Su Chen came from a Desolate Planet and has only been in the Bronze Sect for two years. To have grown this strong already is terrifying."

"He’s really from a Desolate Planet?" someone asked in surprise, immediately drawing astonished looks from those around.

"You don’t even know that? When he became a Star Seed and emerged from the Desolate Planet, it caused quite a stir."

"The rumor that he had the Ink Jade Talent was so widespread I almost believed it. As expected, it was just a rumor."

"This kid..." Qing Cang’s eyes filled with astonishment. For those unfamiliar with the mechanics of the Bronze Sect’s challenge system, a change in rank might seem to mean one person was just slightly stronger than the other, allowing them to climb up.

But in reality, it was far from being that simple. The ranking lock-in period was over; to climb the list now, one had to defeat their target.

It was very difficult to win if you were only slightly stronger.

"Qin Tianlin defeated He Muyang, which likely puts him second only to those Tier Seven experts who have completed their Melting Holy Profession. And yet, Su Chen defeated Qin Tianlin..."

’Thankfully...’ Qing Cang felt a sense of relief. He didn’t know what had happened with Qin Tianlin, whose strength had suddenly skyrocketed. If Su Chen hadn’t won this confrontation, it would have undoubtedly caused a huge stir within the Sect.

Still, the fact that he could now occupy the second-place position was astonishing enough.

The Qin Family had been quiet for a long time. They might use this opportunity to stage a comeback, adding a new variable to the situation.

’The Ancient King Stele hasn’t been sent back yet, but it will be sooner or later. Qin Tianlin will, in all likelihood, receive its acknowledgment, which will just complicate things...’ Qing Cang’s brow furrowed.

Further away, Qin Yun wore a grave expression. "Even with the help of the Sun Residual Fire, he still couldn’t defeat Su Chen."

He had already guessed that Qin Tianlin must have used the Sun Residual Fire to reach that level of power, and it was highly likely connected to Fan Zhao’s death.

At this thought, the anger in his heart flared even hotter.

’He tried to pull a fast one and ended up losing out, all while paving the way for Su Chen’s success!’

No matter where it was, or what ranking list it was, first place always attracted over 90%, even 95%, of the attention.

For the Qin Family and for Qin Tianlin, the so-called "Little Star Lord" reward was not even worth mentioning. This year’s addition of the Morning Star Essence was nice, but it wasn’t something they absolutely had to obtain.

In his opinion, Qin Tianlin had made this foolish move purely to one-up Su Chen.

’How many times have I told him? What is he in such a rush for? Even if Su Chen is incredibly talented, smoothly advances to the Morning Star Tier, and even becomes the strongest of that tier, like that Zhou Lingtian... what does it matter?’

Qin Yun’s expression turned cold and desolate. "Faced with an Ancient King, isn’t he still just someone who can be swatted to death with a single slap? A siege by two Morning Star Tier experts would be enough to leave him struggling and unable to resist."

’Once he enters the Lost Flame and becomes the Chosen One of the Spirit of Sun, won’t his future be far grander? Why be so fixated on these immediate gains and losses!’

As he thought this, the anger in Qin Yun’s eyes suddenly subsided. He held his breath and focused, reining in his emotions before sighing.

"Forget it. This is my fault, too. If I hadn’t made him believe from the very beginning that Su Chen’s Star Seed Position was his for the taking, his obsession wouldn’t have built up to this point."