Chapter 655 - 355: Captivating Spirit of Sun

"Hurry up and tell me! The old man is being so secretive and refuses to tell me anything," Chu Ran urged, his eyes sparkling with intense curiosity.

Su Chen thought for a moment. Some of the basic information wasn’t exactly a massive secret, so he decided to share it. "According to what Senior Brother Qing Cang said, it should be related to that Lost Flame..."

***

"Why are Father and the others in such a rush?"

In a room at the Royal Court’s station, Han Xingliu stared at the notification message. His expression was incredibly ugly, tinged with a hint of indignation and anger.

"It involves the Spirit of Sun, after all. Naturally, they are eager." The Peng King glanced at him from the side.

The expression on Han Xingliu’s face didn’t soften in the slightest; instead, it grew even gloomier. He obviously knew it was because of the Spirit of Sun. But that was exactly why he was furious—the timeline for selecting the acknowledged one was too fast. It was faster than he had ever imagined.

He figured the Profound Celestial Instrument had only just arrived at the Royal Court, and the research hadn’t truly begun yet. In the short term, there was absolutely no way he could achieve his Talent Transformation to the Divine Dawn Talent. To participate in the battle for the Spirit of Sun’s recognition with only a Star Amber Talent... he didn’t have the confidence to stand out.

"It’s just timing and fate," the Peng King said flatly. "Among those who failed to become a Star Seed, Divine Dawn and Dual Divine Dawn Talents are everywhere. Perhaps they were born into a faction that was too weak, or maybe they were simply born at the wrong time. If they can’t make it, they just can’t.

"Complaining about it is useless. You should focus your sights on the Star Prime position. Even if you become recognized by the Spirit of Sun, it doesn’t guarantee you can take it a step further."

"Not being able to take it a step further and completely failing to get it are two entirely different things." Han Xingliu’s face was taut, still unwilling to accept it. He had a sixty to seventy percent certainty of becoming the Star Prime.

The only ones worth paying attention to were Sheng Huaixu and Luo Yao. As for Xiao Linfeng, although he possessed the Dual Divine Dawn Talent, the Long River Family was ultimately a notch weaker than the Five Great Sects and the Royal Court. There were some core resources circulated exclusively within the Five Great Sects and the Royal Court that Xiao Linfeng had never even had the chance to use.

The Peng King frowned, watching Han Xingliu’s contorted expression.

"And right now, the person most likely to be recognized by the Spirit of Sun..." Han Xingliu’s cheek twitched slightly at the thought of that name.

It was Su Chen!

That guy was so young, yet he possessed the Dual Divine Dawn Talent and the Tier Six Melting Holy Profession. His terrifying strength made everyone look sideways at him, giving him the highest probability of success.

And it was all precisely because of him!

Whenever he thought of that name, the resentment in Han Xingliu’s heart surged endlessly. If Su Chen hadn’t used the Profound Celestial Instrument to suddenly undergo a Talent Transformation to the Dual Divine Dawn Talent, the Profound Celestial Sect wouldn’t have temporarily raised the price. The ensuing back-and-forth negotiations had delayed things for nearly half a year.

Falling behind by one step meant falling behind every step of the way. If the Profound Celestial Instrument had been sent to the Royal Court half a year ago, he might have already transformed his talent to the Divine Dawn Level. At least he would have retained some possibility of competing.

"They are just selecting a recognized one, not a Chosen One. There will still be opportunities in the future. Besides, it’s not absolutely certain that a recognized one will even be born," the Profound Turtle King said slowly, his eyelids twitching slightly. His voice was hoarse and murky.

Given his age and the countless things he had experienced, he could naturally see the turbulent fluctuations in Han Xingliu’s state of mind.

"Do not let your mindset affect your performance, or you might end up letting the Star Prime position slip through your fingers." After all, he was still a member of the Royal Court, so he offered a warning. "There are no absolutes in this world. Do not underestimate the others. You are not guaranteed to be the Star Prime!"

The final sentence exploded in Han Xingliu’s ears like the ringing of a massive, ancient bell.

Hearing this, Han Xingliu’s gloomy expression suddenly sharpened. After a long silence, he slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. His expression smoothed into something much calmer as he solemnly bowed to the Profound Turtle King. "Thank you for your guidance."

The Spirit of Sun was truly enticing, inevitably making people yearn for it. The Profound Turtle King was right. As for the Spirit of Sun, there might still be another chance later. But if he lost the position of Star Prime right now, it would be a loss that could never be repaired.

He thought, "Even if Su Chen, Xiao Linfeng, and the others all gain its recognition, they’ll merely be one step ahead of me. It’s not like I can’t catch up."

Whether it was just self-comfort or genuine acceptance, at the very least, his mindset had completely relaxed and quieted down.

Seeing this, the Peng King nodded secretly. However, he would never have said the words the Profound Turtle King just said. Who knew if Han Xingliu would actually come to his senses, or if his obsession would only grow deeper, leading him to hate the very person trying to advise him?

"I’ll be going now." Han Xingliu bowed to the two of them and walked out of the room.

"Turtle King, are you not going to take a look?" the Peng King asked, glancing over.

The Profound Turtle King shook his head without even lifting his eyelids. "You go. I’ve already seen it far too many times."

In his lifetime, he had seen too many Star Primes. Some soared straight to glory, some died prematurely halfway there, and some faded into mediocrity. It was nothing out of the ordinary.

***

A vast open space had already been cleared around the Peak Star Arena. Many had already gathered, comprising the Star Seeds of various factions and the top one hundred Professionals from the preliminary selection.

Outside the tower, a newly added, floating, ring-shaped observation platform hovered in the air. It had been temporarily erected just over the last two days and was divided into upper and lower tiers.

A few people were already seated on the lower tier. Among them were Chu Lingyuan of the Bronze Sect, Li Qingyi of the Profound Celestial Sect, Wu Yue of the True Martial Sect, and Qi Heng of the Star Dome Sect—all of them Morning Star Tier existences. Zhou Lingtian was also present. The group seemed to be deep in conversation, smiles adorning their faces.

A massive crowd of Professionals were kept at a distance, looking up in awe at the high and mighty Morning Star Tier big shots, murmuring among themselves.

"In previous years, we’d only see a setup like this when determining the Star Prime. What’s going on this year? Didn’t the preliminaries just end not long ago?"

"Who knows? Those six seats on the upper tier of the observation platform—could they be prepared for the Ancient Kings of the Five Great Sects and the Hanhai Emperor?"

"No shit. If not them, who else has the right to sit above the Morning Star Tier?"

"Then this is way too huge of a spectacle. In the past, even during the final battle for the Star Prime, these figures wouldn’t necessarily all show up."

"I heard it’s related to a certain major incident from a while back."

"Are you talking about how several Morning Star Tiers died to that Lost Flame?"

The Professionals who could make it to Dragon Abyss all had some level of connections, allowing them to dig up information that ordinary people couldn’t possibly find. However, upon mentioning this topic, the discussions gradually quieted down, with everyone looking incredibly tight-lipped and secretive.

Han Xingliu walked out from a specially opened passageway. At a glance, he spotted Xiao Linfeng, Sheng Huaixu, Luo Yao, and the others. The group also looked over at him. The moment their eyes met, an uncontrollable hostility sparked between them.

There was only one Star Prime position. The one who claimed it would be hailed as the absolute strongest of their generation. And the numerous resources rewarded to the winner were exceedingly precious, even to them.

The Five Great Sects and the Royal Court would occasionally trade some core resources amongst themselves, but these transactions were highly infrequent. Moreover, if there was a grudge between factions, they absolutely would not trade such core resources. But for the Star Prime’s reward, they had to cough it up, regardless of whether they were willing to or not.

***

"...It actually involves the Spirit of Sun?"

When the Flying Device arrived at the station closest to the Peak Star Arena, Chu Ran stepped off, his expression still somewhat dazed. "Does that mean there’s a very high chance that someone recognized by the Spirit of Sun will be born during this Peak Star Conference?"

"Pretty much." Su Chen also stepped out of the Flying Device. He could already see the Peak Star Arena, which was surrounded by layers upon layers of Professionals.

He couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional. Strictly speaking, this was only his third time setting foot in Dragon Abyss. The scene of Dragon Abyss being built and the start of the preliminary selection a year ago were still vivid in his mind. In the blink of an eye, a whole year had passed, and quite a lot had happened in that time.

"I can’t believe it’s happening during this Peak Star Conference. Why couldn’t it be the next one? I might have actually had a chance then," Chu Ran muttered under his breath. Then, noticing that Su Chen had already walked far ahead, he quickly hurried to catch up.

Outside the tower, there was a specially designated pathway leading directly to the central area.

The guards responsible for watching the entrance were naturally from the Bronze Sect. Spotting the two approaching, their expressions sharpened. After a brief identity check, they let them pass.

Logically speaking, Chu Ran didn’t have the qualifications to enter. But who could argue when this was the Bronze Sect’s turf?

"That looks like Su Chen, doesn’t it?" a man with stubble on his cheeks muttered, gazing from a distance.

Having maintained the number one spot on the preliminary rankings for over half a year, and as the only Tier Six Professional, Su Chen carried far too many halos of glory. He naturally drew the attention of countless people.

"I finally get to see him in person. I’ve been here in Dragon Abyss for over half a year, and I think this is my first time laying eyes on him."