Chapter 656 - 356: The Anxious Ancient Kings

"Not to mention you, I’ve only seen him once myself, and that was when he took first place," a thin man beside him added, unable to help but sigh.

"Even though he’s already known within the Bronze Sect as the ’Ancient King’s Successor’—with much higher odds than another Star Seed named Shen Yi’an—he still keeps an incredibly low profile. Even core members barely see him a few times a year.

"Coming from a Desolate Planet, he has tempered a good Heart. His unwavering will is hard to shake."

Someone from behind chimed in, "Brother, does he even know you? Why are you singing his praises like that?"

After being teased, the thin man with the nostalgic expression didn’t get angry. Instead, he said, "This isn’t just empty praise. This man rose from a Desolate Planet, making his way to his current position step by step, yet he still has no arrogance. He lives simply and speaks little. If I don’t praise this kind of person, should I praise those born with silver spoons?"

Hearing this, the person behind him thought for a moment and nodded in deep agreement. "True. I hope this Star Seed with a humble background can go far."

"He’s probably going to go much further than you imagine," the bearded man said. "According to news from the Prophet Council, including the Star Seeds, there are fifteen people who have explicitly attained a Melting Holy Profession, and about five who might have.

"According to the underground betting odds, Su Chen’s odds for twenty-first place are 1:2. Do you know how exaggerated those odds are?"

At the mention of betting pools, more people joined the discussion.

"He is only a Tier Six Professional, yet a large number of people believe his strength is already second only to those Tier Sevens with a Melting Holy Profession. Even his odds for twentieth place are 1:10."

A young man asked, "Then what are his odds of becoming the Star Leader?"

The discussing crowd paused. After a moment, a voice replied, "1:200."

"1:200? Such huge odds?"

"You call that huge?"

A large group of people looked over, and someone couldn’t help but mock, "I say, brother, you don’t usually play the underground pools, do you? Do you know what the odds are for a slightly lower-ranked Tier Seven to become the Star Leader?

"1:2000! Those kinds of odds are just for show. Su Chen being at 1:200 is already extremely exaggerated. Someone might actually place a bet on it."

"Is that so?" After being teased for a bit, the young man couldn’t help but look embarrassed. "I haven’t really had much contact with betting pools. Do you have a link, brother? I want to place a bet for fun."

"I have one here," the bearded man responded enthusiastically.

From somewhere nearby, an eerie voice drifted over, "Those who urge others to gamble will meet a bad end."

The bearded man’s expression turned cold. He turned to look, only to see a hunched old man who looked so frail a gust of wind could blow him over.

Yet, he didn’t dare to ignore the old man, and could only let out a muffled snort.

...

In the Silver City Transit Hub.

This was a small transit hub under the Command of the Bronze Sect. The spaceships coming and going were not particularly luxurious.

On the hub’s streets, the flow of people was endless. A boy who looked quite young suddenly stopped in his tracks, tilting his head to look up at the virtual screen above.

Beside him, a sturdy man who looked somewhat rustic also stopped. He had a buzz cut and bulging muscles. Following the youth’s gaze, he looked up as well.

On the virtual screen above was a rather handsome face, walking slowly down a corridor.

"Su Chen, Su Xingzhong..." the middle-aged man sighed, his voice deep and warm. "Chuan’er, this Su Xingzhong’s conditions were even worse than yours, yet now he has quite a reputation throughout the entire Dust Star Sea. As a Tier Six, he took first place on the preliminary list of the Peak Star Conference, suppressing a whole group of Tier Sevens so much they couldn’t even lift their heads."

"Dad," the youth said, looking up, a faint trace of black light seeming to flash through his eyes as he spoke proudly. "Don’t worry. I will definitely make him my goal."

"Haha, make him your goal? If you can just pass the screening and enter the Holy Hall, our family will be thanking the heavens." The man laughed heartily and patted his son’s shoulder. "Let’s go, we still have to travel. Otherwise, we won’t make it in time for the third assessment."

Despite his words, he couldn’t help but look up a few more times, muttering, "In the past, the Peak Star Conference would only broadcast to the public during the latter half of the knockout stages. Why are they broadcasting it from the very beginning this time?"

The youth withdrew his gaze. Although he wore a smile on his face, his eyes were cold and silent as he followed behind the sturdy man and disappeared into the crowd.

...

On the viewing platform.

"Su Chen..." Zhou Lingtian cast his gaze down and sighed with emotion. "This young man will probably dominate the Peak Star Conference for the next ten or twenty years.

"Speaking of which, this kind of situation hasn’t happened in the Peak Star Conference before. Is the Star Leader allowed to serve consecutive terms?"

Chu Lingyuan chuckled. "Brother Zhou, you exaggerate. The Dust Star Sea is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. No one can say for sure what the future holds. At the very least, in this current edition, he can only serve as a foil."

As he spoke, his eyes slightly widened in surprise. He tapped his finger on the armrest, his voice turning noticeably colder. "Peeping at a junior isn’t very appropriate, is it?"

Hearing this, Wu Yue restrained his expression. He merely cast a faint glance downward and lost interest.

"With his aptitude, nine times out of ten he should be able to gain the Sun’s approval," Li Qingyi spoke up. "Two dragons are hard to say, but one dragon is definitely enough."

At the mention of this, the expressions of the other Morning Star Tier individuals, aside from Chu Lingyuan, all changed slightly.

The current situation was special. The value of being approved by the Spirit of Sun was far greater than being the Star Leader. Although Su Chen couldn’t become the Star Leader, if he could gain that approval...

"The Bronze Sect truly has good luck," Wu Yue remarked lukewarmly, gritting his teeth slightly on the word "luck."

"Everything is still unknown, and it’s hard to say anything for sure. Just watch, everyone," Chu Lingyuan continued to play dumb, showing no signs of joy.

At present, it was actually hard to say whether gaining approval was a good thing or not.

The greatest value in selecting an approved person was to serve as a medium to open the path to the Sun Flame. Moreover, it had to be done under the watchful eyes of the Ancient Kings. After all, this kid Su Chen had quite a few secrets on him.