Chapter 192: Arriving at Dragon Pot Star

“Hmm, not bad. The cutting speed has increased a little again. I can probably gain a bit more Battle Intent during the upcoming exchange competition.”

“I’ll check if there’s any good stuff in the Myriad Realms Market once I earn some money.”

At that moment, he suddenly received a message.

“Mr. Jiang Yan, your Personal Flyer has been delivered to the destination. Please check and confirm receipt.”

“Great, it arrives right after I leave.” Jiang Yan felt a bit regretful and could only trouble Old Zhang to help him sign for it.

Lilia had quieted down on her end. It seemed she was sulking, probably at herself.

Jiang Yan didn’t understand it, but he was greatly astonished, marveling at the diversity of species.

Two and a half hours later.

The spaceship disengaged from Escape Velocity and emerged from the Wormhole.

Directly ahead was a dark brown planet, roughly the same size as Blue Star.

A Membrane Barrier protected the planet. The spaceship passed through the membrane and landed on the surface ten minutes later.

The hatch opened, and Jiang Yan calmly stepped out.

Lilia followed closely behind.

“Mr. Jiang, this is Dragon Pot Star. On behalf of Lightning Studio, I welcome your arrival.”

As the only pre-selected peerless Genius, Jiang Yan naturally deserved such courteous treatment.

Jiang Yan nodded in acknowledgment.

He took the opportunity to observe his surroundings. Besides hundreds of docked spaceships, many bizarrely shaped creatures were coming and going.

Clearly, these beings were likely participants like Jiang Yan.

A Personal Flyer slowly docked.

The Crown Prince of Hill Prison Star stepped out gracefully, dressed in extravagant attire.

He had two horns on his head, his forehead densely covered with Keratin Spots. His skin was a pristine white, like porcelain or jade, startlingly bright.

As Jiang Yan sized up his opponents, he happened to meet the Crown Prince’s gaze.

Within those resolute eyes was a determination to face death without fear. His fists were tightly clenched, his body trembling slightly, unable to conceal the excitement within.

The moment the Crown Prince looked at Jiang Yan, his entire body went on high alert. The Keratin on his forehead churned and formed sharp Steel Spikes.

“So… so strong!”

The Crown Prince of Hill Prison Star took a step back, as if sensing some great terror lurking within Jiang Yan’s body—a palpitation he had only ever felt in the presence of certain ministers and his imperial father.

“No! Impossible! This is just a Prodigy exchange competition. No one could possibly be stronger than me!”

“I bear the hope of the imperial family’s resurgence. How can I be afraid at a time like this!”

“Get it together, you fool!”

Slap!

He slapped himself hard across the face, then regained his composure.

In Jiang Yan’s view, the other person had just slapped himself simply for making eye contact.

?

He then looked at someone else.

That other person arrogantly glanced at Jiang Yan with contempt, then made a throat-slitting gesture.

Jiang Yan did not respond.

—Later, I’ll just kill you.

Then, Jiang Yan stopped looking at anyone.

Here… it seems there isn’t a single worthy opponent—this was his conclusion, not arrogance.

“Mr. Jiang, please take your seat in the VIP section.” Lilia slightly bowed and made a gesture of invitation.

Jiang Yan was puzzled. “VIP section? Aren’t I a participant?”

Lilia looked up with a smile.

“Mr. Jiang, you must be joking. You are specially invited by our Lightning Studio. Why would you need to participate in the Preliminary Selection?”

“When the time comes, only the top ten contenders from the competition will have the qualification to challenge you.”

Jiang Yan suddenly understood.

“So being pre-selected is this awesome?”

I must be ill. I used to despise dark forces, until I became one myself—Jiang Yan.

Then, he was ushered into a luxurious lounge.

“Mr. Jiang, I have matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave now. If you need anything, just call for the attendant.”

Lilia left the lounge.

Soon, someone delivered a fruit platter.

A burly male creature, dressed in a revealing maid outfit, gazed shyly at Jiang Yan.

“Mr. Jiang, would you like any special services?”

Jiang Yan glanced at him.

“Leave the fruit platter.”

“Alright.”

The male creature left regretfully.

What on earth was he regretting, for goodness’ sake!

Zzz—

In front of him, a section of the wall descended, revealing a projection screen.

On the large screen, the pre-match preparations were being live-streamed.

Bullet comments on the right side were scrolling rapidly.

Jiang Yan thought he might as well start his own live stream—after all, every little bit of income helps.

“Zhuozhuo, start the live stream.”

“Understood. Starting the live stream for you now.”

Bullet comments quickly flooded in.

“Huh? Is this the missing person making a comeback?”

“Wow, I heard this streamer is the guy who took down an Eighth-Rank Punisher?”

“Here to spectate, here to spectate.”

“Streamer, can you perform swallowing the entire fruit platter in one bite?”

Jiang Yan didn’t bother with unnecessary chatter. Zhuozhuo shifted its focus to the screen.

“Everyone, let’s watch the live stream for now.”

Since the competition hadn’t started yet, the content of the live stream hadn’t been officially announced, so the bullet comments were now expressing pleasant surprise.

“Whoa, is this Dragon Pot Star? I heard the Rising Tide Prodigy Championship is being held here. Is the streamer competing?”

“Wasn’t the battle supposed to start at eight? Where did the streamer’s live stream come from?”

One by one, the bullet comments turned into curious babies asking questions, and Jiang Yan selectively answered some of them.

While chatting idly with the bullet comments, most of the participants had already arrived on the screen.

It was now Universal Standard Time 19:50.

The competition would begin in ten minutes.

The minimum requirement to qualify for the competition was Sixth Rank Transcendent, which corresponds to a Sixth Rank True Intent Martial Artist on Tianyuan Star.

Some of the older participants had even reached Seventh Rank.

The competition was restricted to those under forty years old. In the Galactic Domain, being under forty indeed counted as young—there was no denying that.

As for Eighth Rank…

As for Eighth Rank… there were none.

That’s right, reaching Eighth Rank Transcendent was that difficult—an insurmountable chasm in any Transcendent Civilization.

It was almost impossible for any creature to break through to Eighth Rank before the age of forty.

Therefore, the main contenders in this Rising Tide Prodigy Championship were those Sixth Rank Transcendents in their mid-twenties, as well as the seasoned Seventh Rank veterans approaching forty.

However, today, the excitement wasn’t limited to just the “Rising Tide Prodigy Championship.”

Far away on Klamar Star, countless light-years from Dragon Pot Star.

A game exhibition match was also in full swing.

Chasing the Sun

As the newly launched game product under Azure Orchid Studio of Myriad Realms Game Company, its target audience, like Rising Tide, was the young Transcendents with immense spending potential.

Unlike Lightning Studio, Azure Orchid Studio’s previous virtual game, Heaven’s Mandate, became a highly valuable blockbuster due to its exceptional quality and extensive marketing efforts.

Riding on the popularity of this game, Azure Orchid Studio hurriedly launched Chasing the Sun, aiming to cash in on the momentum.

And the Chasing the Sun Prodigy Championship was one of the marketing initiatives.

It was no coincidence—the date was deliberately set to coincide with the “Rising Tide Prodigy Championship.”

Lightning Studio and Azure Orchid Studio have been competing for nearly a century, occasionally finding ways to trip each other up.

As long as no malicious tactics are employed, headquarters rarely intervenes in this kind of competition.

Because no matter how fiercely they contend, it ultimately aligns with the interests of the Ten Thousand Realms.