Chapter 1241: Big Brother Ming, good! I was just young and foolish!

The official start time of the Sacred Site Exchange Competition is 9 a. m. the next day.

By 8 a. m. the next morning, the Noah Sacred Site competitors had already begun gathering.

"Big Brother Ming, good morning!"

"Big Brother Ming."

"Good morning, Big Brother Ming!"

"......"

At the gathering point outside the villa, Xu Jingming had just arrived.

Ye Lan and the other Star-Class experts merely nodded slightly in greeting.

The Starlight-Class members had already begun offering respectful greetings.

Even the two Starlight-Ninth-Stage experts wore full smiles.

Clearly,

yesterday's apology statement issued by the Sacred Site had shown them the true terror of Xu Jingming's power.

"Big Brother Ming, good morning~~"

A voice sweet as honey followed immediately.

Yuli stepped forward from the crowd with long, graceful strides.

Her serpentine waist swayed gently with each step, the silver chain at her waist clinking crisply.

"Looks like I can't call you junior anymore~"

She deliberately drew closer, her crimson lips parting slightly, breath fragrant as orchid.

A pair of large, glistening eyes gazed at him with sultry allure.

Undeniably, she was a seductress.

Every frown and smile carried boundless charm.

But to Xu Jingming, who had seen countless beauties,

it stirred no great emotion—perhaps just a few extra glances.

Behind him, Lu Yunji clenched her pearl-white teeth against her crimson lips.

That Yuli, she's becoming more and more annoying.

"Big Brother Ming, good morning!"

With a loud voice, Zack stepped out from the crowd.

He had completely shed his former arrogance, replaced by the meekness of a quail.

He bowed deeply to ninety degrees and said respectfully:

"It was all because I was young and foolish.

I dared question your strength—please forgive me, Big Brother Ming!

To show my apology, I've already transferred 200 million credit points to your account."

Upon hearing this, the several prodigies nearby nearly burst out laughing.

Young?

A child who's two hundred years old, right?

Ignoring the reactions around him, Zack felt his heart was bleeding.

A Level One genius receives only 100 million credit points per year.

Even completing missions yields little in credit point rewards.

Add in daily expenses, and 200 million credit points were undoubtedly a fortune to him!

But to minimize the incident's impact, he had no choice but to do this.

'Ding, your account has received 200 million credit points.'

Seeing the notification pop up on his smart armband, Xu Jingming raised an eyebrow.

Didn't expect this guy was quite astute.

"It's fine. Just don't jump to conclusions so hastily in the future."

Xu Jingming waved his hand casually.

He accepted the money and did the job—Zack's sincerity was sufficient; he wouldn't press further.

"Thank you, Big Brother Ming!" Zack's eyes lit up, a heavy stone lifting from his chest.

The universe's resources are vast, with countless means to raise one's level.

But resources that aid in comprehending cosmic laws are exceedingly rare.

If Xu Jingming's previous level breakthroughs might have relied on external aids,

then this breakthrough in his domain was undeniably genuine—no trickery possible!

In five months, his Lightning Domain and Destruction Domain each advanced six and five layers respectively.

Such a prodigy, he dared not provoke.

Spending 200 million credit points for peace of mind was worth it.

"Oh, Xu junior, you made a fortune this early morning."

Lu Yunji appeared beside Xu Jingming without warning, her crimson eyes glinting with mischief:

"By the rules, if you earn money, you must treat everyone to a meal."

Today she wore the standard Noah Sacred Site battle suit—a silver-white, form-fitting design that accentuated her fiery figure perfectly.

Compared to Yuli, Lu Yunji's figure and face were no less stunning, only lacking that seductive flair.

"Of course, I'll treat everyone after the competition," Xu Jingming smiled and nodded.

"That's what you said! Then we won't be polite anymore."

Lu Yunji's eyes lit up, and the other Starlight Tier members cheered: "Thank you, Ming-ge!"

The atmosphere in the crowd instantly grew lively.

Ye Lan watched this scene with keen interest.

She had a cold and detached personality, even after nearly two hundred years of cultivation in the Noah Sanctuary.

Except for a select few, she treated everyone else as mere acquaintances.

But Xu Jingming was different—he had been in the Sanctuary for less than a year, yet he was already so popular.

A few more minutes passed, and all members of the Noah Sanctuary had assembled.

Instructor Nikki was not present; the team was led by Sol, a Star Peak cultivator.

After merging, the group immediately flew toward the competition arena.

A few minutes later, Xu Jingming saw the arena.

Before him floated a circular arena over a thousand kilometers in diameter.

Around it hung countless spectator seats, like a massive beehive.

Tens of millions of spectators were already seated; their cheers could be heard even kilometers away.

"Impressive, right?"

Lu Yunji flew beside him and smiled.

"As a mid-level civilization empire, the Lingshu Empire never skimps on costs for such events."

"They say the arena's interior space has been specially treated to withstand full-power battles from Star Peak experts."

Xu Jingming nodded, his gaze sweeping over the countless camera devices floating around the arena: "Will the Virtual Universe broadcast it?"

"Of course."

This time, it was Yuli who answered—she had somehow squeezed in beside Xu Jingming's other side.

"The Sanctuary Exchange Competition draws massive attention across the Lingshu Empire's territory. Last year's finals reportedly drew over tens of quintillions of viewers."

"That many?" Xu Jingming couldn't help but silently whistle at the number.

Then again, the Noah Empire alone had 45 million inhabited planets.

Within the Lingshu Empire, there were thirty empires similar to the Noah Empire.

Combined, their total population reached an astonishing scale.

Soon, Xu Jingming's group landed in the competitors' preparation zone.

There were thirty-one preparation zones, each corresponding to one of the thirty-one Sanctuaries.

Naturally, the most eye-catching was the frontmost Lingshu Sanctuary's competitor area.

Even before they arrived, dozens of cameras were already broadcasting live.

Another ten minutes passed, and all competitors from the thirty-one Sanctuaries had arrived.

Except for the Black Cliff Sanctuary.

Their Starlight Tier competitors were still undergoing treatment and could not attend today's match.

The remaining Star Tier competitors stared over here, eyes bulging, as if ready to devour Xu Jingming alive.

Xu Jingming, of course, glared back without hesitation.

After all, Star Tier cultivators couldn't possibly fight Starlight Tier ones—no matter how angry they were, they couldn't touch him.

Just as both sides were locked in a stare-down, suddenly, all the arena lights dimmed.

A spotlight struck the central podium, and a host clad in a golden battle robe appeared out of thin air.

His voice echoed through the entire circular arena, over a thousand kilometers in diameter, via the amplification system:

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the 【Blank】th Sanctuary Exchange Competition!!"

Cheers erupted like a tidal wave; tens of millions of spectators rose simultaneously, waving flags of their respective empires.

The Virtual Universe broadcast cut in at that moment, countless comments flooding the screen like snowflakes.