Chapter 152 – Lord Tianyuan, Online Introduction

In the exclusive zone of the Tide-Calling Territory, Mu Someone was entertaining various Heroes, engaging in pleasant conversation with them.

Through these Heroes, especially the ancient spirits, he gained deeper understanding of the Eternal World’s history. Mu Someone wished nothing more than to continue these delightful conversations.

Under the ‘tense standoff,’ none of the Heroes dared to be the first to disrupt the current peaceful situation. So why not chat more? Perhaps through conversation, they might catch the eye of Tianyuan Lord?

Just like…

Just like other Lords who exhaust themselves showing off their talents before him.

At this thought, several Heroes fell silent. But when they glanced again at Tianyuan Lord’s ‘earth-shattering presence,’ they felt it was worthwhile to appropriately set aside their pride and reserve.

Once pledged, Heroes and Lords become almost bound together. With such divine jade before them, how could they possibly settle for other talents?

Moreover, the Tianyuan Territory was incredibly young, reportedly established just months ago? Wasn’t this the perfect time for him/her to assist a Lord and achieve great deeds? Even if more heroes joined in the future, they would undoubtedly be the super veterans.

Thinking this, sparks seemed to fly between several, even dozens of Heroes’ gazes, though on the surface they continued chatting pleasantly, all smiles and laughter.

They could sit contentedly, Lord Mu could chat happily, but other Lords watching eagerly from nearby grew increasingly anxious while tasting sour grapes.

“Hurry up!”

“You’re amazing, you’re the big shot, but which Hero do you want to recruit? Make your decision already!”

At this moment, even the Queen, Glory Lord, Kongming City Lord, and others had to appreciate the rules of the Hero Ceremony.

Reportedly, this rule was originally established to prevent top-tier Lords from monopolizing Heroes, keeping everything for themselves without leaving even scraps for other Lords.

They had initially cursed this rule.

With their capabilities, were it not for these restrictions, they could have recruited three or four Heroes—if not that many top-tier Advanced ones, they could at least ‘make up numbers’ with ordinary Heroes.

Who would ever think they had too many Heroes?

But now, they only wanted to thank and praise the rules, praying that Tianyuan Lord wouldn’t take a liking to their desired Heroes. This way, even if complications arose, their target Heroes would ultimately end up in their bowls.

The Lord from the Eternal Star Empire looked rather displeased.

As the son of the prestigious Eternal Star Duke, a future top-tier Lord, how could he bear to only get others’ leftovers? He couldn’t stand this humiliation!

He stepped forward, his overwhelming Saber Intent spreading violently in his extreme anger, like a sharp blade pressed against the neck, ready to draw blood in the next moment. The observing Lords felt both alarmed, fearful, and furious.

“Hmph!”

Suddenly, Sword Intent cut through the air, like a Greatsword shooting from the horizon, fiercely cleaving through this domineering Saber Intent.

A slender young man in white approached from nearby.

He carried no sword—he himself was the sword.

“Big Boss Wuji!”

A Taixuan Lord exclaimed.

The Everstar Lord’s expression also darkened, but what frustrated him more was that this white-clad youth’s Concept not only matched his own, but… even seemed slightly superior.

Hmph, merely a martial artist!

He still took half a step back.

…

“Wuji’s actually quite a decent guy. Someone you can get along with.”Mu Yuan pondered silently, a vague idea forming in his mind.

Of course, even if Wuji didn’t intervene, this Everstar Lord couldn’t cause much trouble. Not only was this the Festival Grounds where actual harm was forbidden—no matter how powerful one’s Concept, they could only vent against empty air—but more than half of the dozen or so Heroes surrounding him could easily surpass the Everstar Lord in Concept mastery.

This was what it meant to be top-tier Heroes!

Most of the present Heroes were young, currently or in their previous lives merely at the Second-Order Elite Tier or Third-Order Warlord Tier. Yet each possessed a Concept, and their Realms were not low.

Don’t be fooled by how easily Mu Someone had grasped a Concept—he had actually benefited from the ‘Hero Arena.’ His natural talent was only moderately super-excellent.

As for these Heroes—wild Heroes like the Dragon Blood Valkyrie ‘Xiliu’ endured harsh conditions, wandering constantly without stable lives, let alone proper cultivation resources.

Ancient Heroes didn’t come from noble backgrounds either.

Though Feixi was a princess, she was from a minor kingdom and had even been sacrificed to a sea monster. Her living conditions weren’t just poor—her entire life was tragic.

Holy Light High Priestess Windsor, despite being a bishop, only led a small church without divine favor. Eventually, her entire church was destroyed, and she was labeled a criminal.

Grand Archmage Blaise lived the longest among the ancient Heroes, reaching the Peak of Fourth-Order Commander Tier in his previous life. Unfortunately, if Mu Yuan recruited him, the reconstructed Grand Archmage would at most retain Elite Rank.

His homeland was merely a small-to-medium kingdom, and he met a grim end in his old age—slain by enemy forces despite his advanced years, with the entire national library burned to ashes.

Looking at it this way, the Heroes in the Festival Grounds either lived miserably or died tragically.

Yet their natural talents were exceptionally high.

In fact, over half of the present Heroes even possessed terrain skills, each bearing the makings of legend.

“You are all unparalleled talents, and Yuan wishes he could work with every one of you. However… as you know, the Secret Realm’s rules impose restrictions. I can only invite one Hero, and currently, my Tianyuan Territory needs a Hero who is erudite and resourceful.”

Heroes like the Dragon Elephant General and the Ghost Mask Swordsman grew anxious.

In these times, combat prowess was what truly mattered! What use was erudition?

But no matter how frantic they were, they couldn’t change the Tianyuan Lord’s mind. Moreover, how could these ‘military officers’ match the eloquence of ‘civil officers’ like the Grand Archmage? Soon, they were rebutted into speechlessness, as if on the verge of being stripped of their Hero status.

The Pure Water Princess ‘Feixi’ was also somewhat disappointed. She was far from erudite, but she had anticipated this—her compatibility with the Tianyuan Lord wasn’t ideal. Even though the Tianyuan Lord radiated a vast ‘elemental aura,’ it was merely a faint trace concealed within the golden glow.

“However…

“Though most of us cannot build a territory together, there may still be opportunities for cooperation in the future. Princess Feixi, what do you think of my friend Liu Miumiu? She possesses exceptional talent, and her troop types and abilities align well with yours. Her territory just hasn’t had much time to develop yet.”

Mu Yuan pulled Liu Miumiu, who was nearby, over and presented her to Princess Feixi.

After all, she was the younger sister of a wealthy patron. Helping her when possible cost him little effort.Liu Miumiu let out a dazed “Ah,” still processing the situation, her foolish yet not-quite-clear eyes meeting Princess Feixi’s gaze as she blinked repeatedly.

Princess Feixi also froze for a moment before sinking into contemplation.

This seemed…

not entirely unacceptable!

She had long taken notice of Tide-Calling Lord Liu Miumiu. Though the aura of her titles was somewhat weak, it aligned remarkably well with Feixi’s own needs. Collaborating with this female lord would likely be quite comfortable. Moreover, as Tianyuan Lord had pointed out, accepting Liu Miumiu’s invitation would leave room for future cooperation, whereas…

If she accepted that Queen Lord’s invitation, they would probably become enemies when they met again.

“Then it’s settled~!”

She took Liu Miumiu’s pale hand and made the decision on the spot.

Liu Miumiu uttered another “Ah?” in surprise.

The joy came too suddenly. She opened her mouth but couldn’t find words, her face flushing slightly as she bounced with excitement.

She turned and gave Tianyuan a fierce hug.

Mu Yuan: I kindly helped you, yet you covet my body? How despicable!

In the distance,

The Divine Radiance Empire’s ‘Queen’ Lord was tilting her ear to listen carefully. When she saw Tianyuan had no intention of recruiting Princess Feixi, the corner of her mouth twitched upward as she muttered, “Know your place.”

Yet the next moment, the Princess Feixi she longed for fell into the embrace of another Taixuan lord.

How unreasonable!

Is there no justice left in this world?!

But all of this still complied with the rules.

Recommending one candidate was a recommendation, recommending several was still recommending.

Guided by the principle of avoiding waste and boosting the Taixuan Alliance’s momentum, Mu Yuan went on to recommend Jiang Luoxing, Wuji, and Yu Siyu to the heroes.

Some wealthy ladies and gentlemen offered compensation, but Mu Someone declined.

Better to earn favors.

These wealthy individuals might not possess great personal power, but their networks of connections were formidable.

To thrive in the Eternal World, besides excelling in combat, connections, background, and influence were equally indispensable.

By accumulating enough favors, he might eventually be able to directly wield the Face Fruit when stepping out.

In reality,

Mu Someone’s recommendations weren’t overwhelmingly influential. That Princess Feixi accepted his proposal had much to do with Liu Miumiu’s own merits.

His recommendation accounted for, at most, a tiny fraction of the decision.

Though sometimes that tiny push was the final straw.

But if one’s own capabilities were lacking—like Jiang Luoxing, who had provided him with much intelligence—they would still face some disdain from the heroes.

In contrast, the already powerful Limitless Lord, with Mu Yuan’s recommendation, gained significantly more options and successfully recruited the ‘Dawnlight Knight’—a skilled swordsman, loyal, dutiful, brave, and resourceful.

Mu Yuan believed this was the most suitable hero for Wuji.

He had reviewed Wuji’s profile: a martial fanatic with exceptional combat talent but relatively mediocre territory management skills. For Wuji, having a strong general was good, but a commander who could both assist in developing his territory and excel in both civil and military affairs would truly bring qualitative leaps to the Limitless Territory.

“Thank you for the recommendation, brother. If you ever need anything, just say the word.”

Wuji clasped his hands in a solemn salute.

By now, many heroes at the long table had understood Tianyuan’s choice. Their expressions complex, they turned to the girl with long pink hair and said, “Congratulations.”

Mu Yuan also walked up to her.The girl was not tall in stature; in fact, she was rather short. She wore a light purple dress that fell to her knees, with black stockings covering her legs below. Adornments hung from her skirt hem, chest, earlobes, and fingers, jingling softly as she walked.

Her features were delicate, but compared to the Holy Light High Priest, the Valkyrie, or the Dragon Blood Valkyrie, they weren’t particularly remarkable. Only her eyes stood out—exceptionally profound, as if containing countless stars within them.

The Daughter of Stars, Isloria.

「Profile: Isloria was born in a border town of the Eagle Kingdom. She awakened her bloodline at age fourteen; at sixteen, she was admitted to the Royal Central Spell Academy; by seventeen, she had mastered all spell theories and intermediate-to-low-level spells of various schools. Through nocturnal stargazing, she created the Star-Embracing Art and was hailed as the ‘Polymath Mage’.」

「That same year, she defeated numerous masters in spell debates, including deans of all academy departments. She also improved and invented multiple spells, lecturing in the grand hall as a student, nearly establishing an entirely new department.」

「The following year, Isloria was exposed as a Witch—one tainted with the blood of monsters, deemed impure and ill-omened—and was forced to leave the Central Spell Academy.」

「One year later, the genius Isloria fell in the depths of the Wilderness.」

(End of Chapter)