Chapter 573 - 316: Shattering the Vajra

’But the "sooner or later" part is exactly what I’m worried about,’ Su Chen muttered to himself. He glanced at Qing Cang and tentatively suggested,

"How about this: if the Royal Court keeps dragging its feet, we just won’t let Lord Lu Huai leave. What do you think?"

"Don’t let Lu Huai leave?" Qing Cang frowned, looking hesitant.

"If it were just the Royal Court, that would be one thing. If they play dirty, we don’t mind using a few tricks ourselves. But this involves the Profound Celestial Sect. Lu Huai hasn’t done anything wrong; if he’s detained here for no reason, he’ll surely be unhappy."

Su Chen shook his head repeatedly and stressed, "It’s not an intentional detention. That friend of mine isn’t at the Bronze Sect, so it’ll take some time for them to return. Since Lord Lu Huai has already agreed, he has to wait for my friend to use it before he can leave, right?"

"Besides, he’s going to leave sooner or later anyway. He’s not in a rush."

Qing Cang was in charge of this matter, so to ensure everything went off without a hitch, Su Chen had to convince his senior brother.

"’Sooner or later’... Using the Royal Court’s own words to stonewall them... You..." Qing Cang shot him a look, and after a moment of thought, he nodded. "We’ll see. If the Royal Court really insists on delaying, we’ll use this to wrangle with them."

"But we still have to be mindful of the Profound Celestial Sect; we can’t delay for too long."

Seeing Qing Cang agree, Su Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Soon, the two arrived at Dragon Abyss. Some time had passed since the ranking list opened, but the area around the arena was still bustling with activity.

Town Guard Army patrols were everywhere, maintaining a semblance of order amidst the chaos. The main path was clear, with most people gathered in clumps, deep in discussion.

The rankings on the list had changed slightly compared to when it first opened. This was likely because some people had been holding back when the list was first established and hadn’t used their full strength.

But seeing their rankings fall, or perhaps wanting to make a name for themselves, they had no choice but to reveal some of their true skills.

The closer they got to the arena, the sparser the crowd became. Those who remained were all individuals of high status in the Dust Star Sea, who naturally kept others at a distance.

"Master Qing, Brother Su."

A voice called out, greeting them. Su Chen followed the sound and was surprised to see it was Han Xingliu. A few unfamiliar faces stood beside him, their gazes turning to size him up as well.

Su Chen nodded in response.

"So that’s Su Chen?"

As Han Xingliu retracted his gaze, he heard someone next to him ask the question.

"That’s right..." Han Xingliu nodded, looking at the speaker. "His reputation has reached your ears as well, Brother Xiao."

The speaker, a tall and slender man, nodded. "Of course, I’ve heard. That Wei Zhenghong is no ordinary figure. For him to be defeated by someone a whole Tier lower... how could one not take notice?"

"I bet he let him win on purpose to build up his name," said the person standing to Han Xingliu’s right, a man with a long, narrow face and a gloomy expression.

Han Xingliu shot him a glance, scoffing inwardly. But he was no friend or relative of Su Chen’s, so he couldn’t be bothered to argue on his behalf. He simply said, "Since he’s here today, he’ll likely want to show what he’s made of. Let’s just wait and see."

The others didn’t respond, clearly not taking his words to heart.

"That’s Xiao Linfeng, ranked fifth on the Talent list," Qing Cang’s voice sounded in Su Chen’s ear. "He isn’t a member of the Five Great Sects or the Royal Court. He’s from the Long River Family, and he isn’t a Star Seed."

Su Chen was taken aback. "Fifth?"

On the Prophet Council’s Talent list, age was the tiebreaker for those with equivalent Talent. The top five all possessed Twin Divine Dawns Level Talents, and Xiao Linfeng was the youngest among them.

A figure like that, even without being a Star Seed, was destined to contend with the Morning Star Tier in the future. His only drawback was a shorter lifespan. He was not to be underestimated.

’Tsk, tsk...’ Su Chen marveled inwardly. He then turned his gaze back to the arena before them. It was encircled by thirty-six entrances, with people constantly coming and going.

Right in front of them was the entrance marked "Seven." Su Chen thought for a moment, then said solemnly, "Senior Brother, wait for me here. I’m just going to go take first place and I’ll be right back."

Qing Cang gave him a baffled look. Since he had come with Su Chen, he obviously wasn’t going to leave halfway through. Did Su Chen really need to spell that out?

"Always so strange." Qing Cang shook his head, watching Su Chen’s back disappear into the arena. He then looked up at the preliminary ranking list and mused to himself,

’The True Martial Sect excels at crafting equipment, and their professions lean toward weapon-based support. This He Muyang has a Dual-Star Amber Level Talent. With the advantage of his weapons and a head start, he’s already taken first place. If Su Chen underestimates him...’

Just as he was pondering this, Qing Cang suddenly sensed something and turned his head. A person was standing not far away, watching him.

’Someone from the Dark Moon Group?’

Qing Cang recognized the insignia on the man’s attire and gave a slight nod in greeting.

Black Tuo offered an appropriately polite smile in return, but he was inwardly surprised. ’Why is Qing Cang here too?’

’Still, it doesn’t matter. Whether he’s here or not, he’s only good for one hit.’

Black Tuo looked up at the dazzling Flame Fire in the distance, when a clamor suddenly erupted around him.

"First place changed! First place changed!"

Someone suddenly cried out, their voice high-pitched. In the few hours since the preliminary list had opened, the highest-ranking position to change had only been 23rd place.

But this time, it was the very top spot that had changed.

"So fast?" Hearing the commotion, Qing Cang couldn’t help but look up, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

’Qin Tianlin? That name sounds familiar. Where have I heard it before?’

"How can it be a Tier Six profession?"

Qin Tianlin... Qing Cang tilted his head back, murmuring the name. Its appearance on the list was a genuine surprise to him.

’When did he get this strong? Just a little while ago, he couldn’t even hold on to his position as the top Tier Six.’

If Qin Tianlin had advanced to Tier Seven and then claimed this spot, he wouldn’t have been nearly as surprised.