Chapter 1014: Challenger
"Who's next?"
The young man wearing the bloody-colored robe looked around. He ended up covered in blood, but he looked even more ferocious than before.
The audience was silent. The Ascendant experts on the high platform were peacefully watching the scene unfold. They weren't really affected by the young man's arrogance. After all, they had been the same when they were young; all the top geniuses were proud.
A person had every right to be proud as long as there was the ability to back it up!
Seeing no response, the young man in the bloody robe chuckled. "It seems that I'll have to accept the egg. I thank the Loulan family for your generosity!"
Whispers burst out after he said that.
The Bleak Candle Dragon's egg was a prize that the Loulans had offered to attract fighters from the Divine Lord Rank. It was the egg of a precious Ascendant State dragon.
There weren't many Ascendant State pets!
Many Ascendants had a dozen pet spaces, but only a few of them had more than five Ascendant pets!
To have all the spots filled with such beasts, Ascendants would have to be members of super forces, such as the Loulan family. Otherwise, they could only manage it after becoming Heavenly Lords.
Most Ascendant beasts were very hard to catch. Also, they were very smart, and would run off if they couldn't win. Even if they were accidentally caught, they would even kill themselves at times!
Those beasts preferred to go down together with their enemies than to be enslaved as pets. This was a clear example of the wild beasts' ferocity.
Therefore, high level pets were cherished dearly. Few adult beasts with Ascendant State bloodlines were available on the market; beast eggs or younglings often sold quickly.
For the Loulans to offer the egg of an Ascendant State dragon as prize for the junior competition was a strong indicator of their abundant resources.
"Don't you think you're too weak to claim the Bleak Candle Dragon's egg?" said a golden-robed young man on the high platform. He was dressed in a casual style, with an obedient white cat in his arms. However, upon closer look, one would notice that the white cat was unlike the normal kind. Its eyes reflected purple light, and there were two black spots on its forehead, making it seem as if it had four eyes. Its tail was as agile as a snake too.
"Oh?"
The young man in the bloody robe raised his head aggressively. "Do you want to try me?"
"I never take advantage of others," said the casual golden-robed young man as he petted his cat, "I'll give you time to heal yourself and properly open your eyes after you recover. Right. Here are some medications; they should be enough to heal you in half an hour."
He then dropped a golden vial at the bloody-robed young man.
Brutality flashed in the bloody-robed young man's eyes. He snapped his finger and bounced the vial back before he said, "Fine. Let's see what you're capable of in half an hour from now!"
After that, he left the arena to treat his wounds.
The vial flew back to the golden-robed young man; he took it back with a smile, not taking offense from this.
"He's Xuanyuan Long from the Sword Skull Star Zone!"
"Is he?"
"He isn't very famous in our star zone, but he was the most talented genius five hundred years ago over there. He even rose to second place on their Divine Lord Rank once. He later fell to third place, but everyone knows that the top three on any Divine Lord Rank are monsters!"
"Tsk. The Loulan family managed to invite such a genius? What a great lineup of guests!"
"He is nothing. Even Heavenly Lord Ye Lan made an appearance. All the Divine Lord Ranking geniuses of the twelve star zones combined are no match for Heavenly Lord Ye Lan, even if he only uses one hand!"
"That's true. He's already a Heavenly Lord anyway. The Loulans are becoming more influential. The corporation that did business with us earlier seems to be run by one of their members. We should keep in touch with them."
Many people had made the trip over to that planet because of the gala. All of them were celebrities in their respective star zones; they could experience the Loulans' influence first hand at the moment.
"Some of the geniuses listed on the Divine Lord Ranks in several star zones are here. If only we could hold a universal contest for Star Lords someday… That way the strongest Star Lord would come to light."
On the high platform—the old man with red eyebrows smiled and drank without a care, unworried that such a contest would cause trouble.
"Unfortunately, such a contest will never take place. All the kids are trying their best to reach the Ascendant State; when they do, they may even become Heavenly Lords. So, they won't be interested in that contest. Even we would have a hard time persuading them," another guest remarked.
"We were all proud and confident too, back when we were on the Divine Lord Rank. I understand how they feel…"
"You were on the Divine Lord Rank. I, on the other hand, only rose higher because of luck."
"Give me a break. You're the one who will most likely become a Heavenly Lord from among all of us. Those rankings aren't everything; some geniuses are not interested in competing with others. It's too demeaning!"
"That's called keeping a low profile."
All the guests were talking and laughing.
Other participants fought after the bloody-robed young man got off the stage; some were in the Star State while others were Star Lords. However, all of them seemed to know that winning the Bleak Candle Dragon's egg was too far-fetched; that was why they didn't fight as fiercely.
Many members of the Loulan family went to the stage to spar, showing unusual talent.
Su Ping saw Hai among them. He happened to know the guy's opponent: Dragon Shepard.
Dragon Shepard had collected a lot of dragons over the years. Given the pressure inflicted by a full dragon lineup, Hai unleashed the power of his Skeleton Demon Constitution, turning into a giant Skeleton Demon and throwing laws like chains. Still, he lost in the end.
Nevertheless, his performance received the attention of many Ascendant experts and even Heavenly Lords.
Some Heavenly Lords were discussing on the high platform. One of them summoned Hai and asked him something after the match was over.
Hai sat down next to the Heavenly Lord soon after. It was likely that he had been taken in as a disciple.
On the other hand, Dragon Shepard had astonished the audience, but he was basically the same as he had been during the Universe Geniuses' Contest, even though he was better at controlling pets. After all, it was barely possible to make drastic progress in just a couple of years.
Besides, there was probably a Heavenly Lord behind the Dragon Shepard already, so none of the Ascendants issued invitations.
Soon, two others that Su Ping was familiar with went to the stage: Six Lives Buddha and Lilian.
Su Ping was eating and drinking; he watched their battle with great interest.
To Su Ping's surprise, just like Six Lives Buddha, Lilian had condensed a small world too. Their battle was rather fierce, but it was still under control; they didn't go all out. However, they still shocked all the audience. After all, they could already fight Star Lords with their Star State cultivation.
The gap between the Star State and the Star Lord State was almost too wide to cross, but some exceptional geniuses were capable of such a feat. Undoubtedly, both players on stage were such geniuses.
Obviously, everybody has been growing fast. I need to be faster, Su Ping thought.
"Mr. Su, both of them were your competitors during the Universe Geniuses' Contest, right?" someone asked Su Ping at that moment.
Su Ping nodded and replied, "We became friends after the contest."
"You did?" Some people were surprised, not expecting friendship to sprout among such fierce competitors.
"Years back, you condensed a small world in the Fate State and shocked the entire universe. Right now, your friends have also condensed small worlds in the Star State, which is equally remarkable. There are indeed more and more geniuses in our universe," someone remarked.
"Mr. Su, you must be a lot stronger than in the past. Why don't you go and have some fun over there?" said someone with a smile.
"That's true. I heard that Mr. Su was capable of challenging the Divine Lord Rank, whereas normal Star Lords would be crushed if they tried," said a female gently with glittering eyes.
"So to speak, wouldn't Mr. Su have the strength to go head to head with Xuanyuan Long in a couple of years?" asked a surprised guest.
"Of course. It's only a matter of time, considering Mr. Su's growing speed."
"Tsk, tsk."
Those guests looked at Su Ping with gentler eyes. Their conversation was partly aimed at flattering him, but all of them knew that Su Ping could really grow that fast.
After all, geniuses such as Xuanyuan Long would often stagnate in the Star Lords level for thousands of years before they reached the Ascendant State; that time was long enough for Su Ping to become a top Star Lord and compete with them.
It was worthy of note that people like Xuanyuan Long had claimed the positions of many geniuses on the Divine Lord Rank when they rose to prominence.
It wouldn't be long for Su Ping to nab a place on the Divine Lord Rank by the time he touched the limits of the Star Lord State!
Su Ping felt somewhat helpless while being watched by that many people. He didn't care about his public image, but it had become hard for him to only eat and drink like a glutton when a lot of people were shooting appreciative glances his way.
Su Ping decided to chit chat with them. "Has any of the Divine Lord Rank's top scorers of any star zone made the trip over?"
"Top Divine Lord rankers?"
A guest raised his head and looked around. He soon withdrew his gaze and shook his head. "I don't think so. However, the guy who ranks second in the Dragon Eagle Star Zone is here; he almost escaped my attention. It seems that the Bleak Candle Dragon's egg will be his."
"Oh?"
The other guests looked in that direction and soon found him.
"It's hard to say. The Divine Lord Rank of the Dragon Eagle Star Zone isn't that impressive. It's no better than the Golden Star Zone's." A guest shook his head.
"I would have entered the contest had I known that the Loulans would be this generous. The Bleak Candle Dragon can be extra loyal and intimate if you raise it up starting from its egg form. Only such loyal pets are trustworthy in dangerous moments; you can't rely on pets you tamed once they've grown."
"That's not true. Only if you trust your pets will they trust you back. Grown pets can be quite loyal if properly tended to and trained."
Those guests immediately started to discuss pet loyalty.
Su Ping was at a loss, seeing how they had apparently forgotten about him. But then, he enjoyed the newfound peace to eat and drink again.
He was no longer interested in the battles, since none of the top rankers were present. He was interested in witnessing what high-ranking geniuses from the other star zones were capable of, but there wasn't an opportunity for it.
Soon, the old man with red eyebrows next to Su Ping said, "Brother Su, someone is challenging you."
"Is that so?"
Su Ping raised his head. He first thought of Ye Ling, who had a conflict with him earlier. But then, he found that it was a Star State stranger.
This came as a surprise for him. The Star State young man stared at him and declared, "I heard that Brother Su Ping is also here, Lord Supreme's disciple and the champion of the last Universe Geniuses' Contest. I wonder if you can enlighten me."
"Lord Supreme's disciple?"
"Su Ping? That's a familiar name. Ah! Isn't he the genius who condensed a small world in the Fate State?"
"He's here too? Where is he?"
Everyone exclaimed after such a revelation; some even stood up and looked around to find him. They followed the young challenger's gaze and pinpointed Su Ping on the high platform.
Shock painted their faces when they saw him, seated among the most honored guests of the Loulans.
Su Ping was dazed, immediately realizing that he had become the center of attention.
The four maids next to him also became nervous. Even though they were famous stars, and no strangers to public attention, the guests who were attending the gala were celebrities in their respective galaxies; the pressure caused by their gazes would almost make the attendants collapse.
"Who are you?" asked Su Ping in confusion.
The young man said with a smile, "I'm from the Jiajiu Galaxy. I've also participated in the Universe Geniuses' Contest; unfortunately, I didn't make it to the end. However, one failure is nothing. Now that we're both in the Star State, I would like to practice with you and measure the gap between myself and the champion of the universe."
Su Ping shook his head. "Don't focus your eyes on someone else. A cultivator should try to improve himself; the gap between us doesn't mean a thing. We cultivate hard because we have to surpass ourselves. That's the only way to reach the top!"
The young man was stunned by that answer, but then he wore a cold smile and said, "Brother Su Ping, are you unwilling to fight me because it'll ruin your reputation? Or is it because it'll ruin the image of a super genius that you've built up?"
"What?"
Su Ping was dazed. He then noticed the malicious intent by looking the young man in the eye.
However, that man was only in the Star State. How could he be bold enough to challenge him?
Was he acting under orders?
Su Ping raised his head and looked around. He saw that some Ascendant experts of the Loulan family were frowning, as if angered by the young man's actions. Some of the guests looked at him with a friendly smile, while others seemed to be looking forward to the drama.
Su Ping couldn't tell which of them was targeting him from their expressions.
He thought for a moment, then suddenly understood what his master once said. Some enemies were invisible, because a lot of people might be accidentally offended by him just because he was strong.
That was the reason why even Celestial State experts had an endless number of enemies.
However, they would only remember the enemies that posed a true threat to them.
Higher trees catch more wind. It seems that I have to be one of those trees.
Su Ping looked down at the young man with glittering eyes. His face turned grim as he said, "It's not that I don't fight people on my level because I'm afraid to ruin my reputation. It is because it will devastate you. If you want to challenge me, try to defeat my partner first."
Once he said that, a shadow appeared next to him and stepped out of the summoning space.