Chapter 38

Yet there was absolutely no nervousness befitting a “minor.”

Though respectful and courteous toward him—the Sovereign of Lanxing—Su Yu remained perfectly composed.

A youth capable of such composure was nearly nonexistent.

He had deliberately tested Su Yu by offering to recruit him under the pretext of marrying his daughter—only to be flatly refused.

This even made the Sovereign briefly wonder whether the young man was deliberately acting this way to draw his attention.

Yet after investigation, Su Yu turned out to be nothing more than an ordinary commoner.

He did not even own a single house.

He rented accommodation just to attend school.

Such a person possessed extraordinary fortitude—an unshakable calmness as if weathered by decades of hardship.

It stirred genuine admiration in the Sovereign.

Yet that admiration dissolved into nothingness upon Su Yu’s second refusal.

The Sovereign of Lanxing shook his head.

A sparrow may harbor the ambition of a swan—but its gaze remains confined to the sparrow’s horizon.

This young man simply failed to grasp how extraordinarily rare—even priceless—a high-tier or rare cultivation art truly was.

“Please sit.”

The Sovereign of Lanxing said; Su Yu immediately sat down.

Since Su Yu had declined voluntarily, the Sovereign could say no more.

“Ajisen.” The Sovereign’s gaze shifted to Ajisen.

“Yes, sir!” Ajisen excitedly rubbed his small hands together and stepped forward to receive the high-tier cultivation art he’d just been awarded.

“A rare cultivation art—‘Nine Transformations of Psychic Abilities’—belonging to the Psychic Ability system. I hope you like it.”

“I love it—I love it beyond words! Thank you, Your Majesty!”

Ajisen eagerly exchanged for the cultivation art.

Next, the Sovereign of Lanxing began calling out the next name.

……

Su Yu took his seat, utterly indifferent to the surrounding whispers and amused glances.

“Brother, what were you thinking—refusing a cultivation art?” asked a newly appointed lord seated to his right.

Su Yu smiled faintly and replied, “One accepts no reward without merit.”

“Sigh—what a windfall for that handsome foreign boy.”

“They’re even bullying us citizens of the Sovereign’s own nation.”

The lord muttered under his breath, clearly indignant on Su Yu’s behalf.

“Sovereign’s Nation” referred to the core federal state where the Sovereign of Lanxing ruled.

Su Yu glanced at Ajisen—the exuberant foreigner.

Who wore an arrogant, smug expression and openly challenged him with a defiant stare.

Su Yu shook his head, unmoved.

Truthfully, he found even rare cultivation arts unworthy of his interest—let alone high-tier ones.

Even legendary-tier arts held little appeal for him.

With two Mythic Heroes governing his territory—and such overwhelming Mythic Talent—

Why cultivate a mere rare art?

In the end, it might prove less effective than his own defensive towers—so what was the point?

For Su Yu, only an epic-tier cultivation art would suffice.

After all, even the weapon gifted to him by Sylph was epic-tier.

He refused to waste time cultivating low-rank arts.

Having beheld the Mythic, how could the rare possibly impress?

Once the Sovereign of Lanxing finished distributing the cultivation arts, the full banquet spread was served.

Everyone enjoyed the dinner heartily, laughter and camaraderie filling the hall.

Immediately afterward, the Sovereign of Lanxing announced a momentous piece of news.

————

(Gu Gu Linger, dressed in a white dress, sat on a low stool, her hair pinned up with a jade hairpin, quietly embroidering something.

After a while, she lifted her head, extended the embroidered piece with a gentle smile, and said, “This humble princess… presents you with an embroidered flower. Esteemed reader, would you grant me a flower in return?”)

“I imagine everyone is curious as to why I am bestowing a cultivation technique upon this year’s Lords.”

The Sovereign of Lanxing said slowly.

“We are deeply honored by Your Majesty’s generosity.”

“Your Majesty’s benevolence and special favor toward us is our great fortune.”

“Indeed, Your Majesty is wise and sagacious!”

Many of the newly appointed Lords began flattering him profusely,

dredging up every sycophantic phrase they had picked up from farmers and troops back in their own territories.

Each newly appointed Lord was only eighteen years old—mere youths.

In their spare time, their favorite pastime was chatting with their troops and farmers,

basking in the other side’s flattery.

The chorus of flattery made the Sovereign of Lanxing chuckle silently,

amused that these young people—fresh out of graduation—were already growing so worldly.

“That said… ”

The Sovereign of Lanxing paused mid-sentence, his expression turning solemn.

The newly appointed Lords instantly fell silent.

“Since you have been granted special treatment, it naturally follows that you differ from past generations of Lords.”

Hearing these words, many looked on with keen curiosity.

Different?

How could we possibly differ from past Lords?

The Solar System had enjoyed peace lately; no conflict had arisen between Lanxing and Queen Yuexing,

nor had there been much contact with extraterrestrial powers beyond the system.

The world was at peace, utterly tranquil.

Where, then, lay the difference?

Many felt an itch of anticipation, eagerly awaiting the Sovereign’s next words.

Each one looked like a courtesan in a brothel spotting a wealthy patron entering the door—full of expectation.

Even Su Yu felt a flicker of curiosity stir within him.

Lords of the Ten Thousand Realms,

each generation ought to be identical,

so why treat them differently?

Given Lanxing’s state of peace and steady development,

there was no need to specially prop up this new cohort of Lords.

Gazing at the sea of expectant faces, the Sovereign of Lanxing continued:

“The Myriad Races Ranking War is about to begin.”

The Myriad Races Ranking War?

What is that?

Many wore blank, puzzled expressions,

while others looked stunned.

The Myriad Realms Ranking War!

A tempest of shock roared through Su Yu’s mind.

Having transmigrated to this world, he craved its knowledge with unparalleled intensity.

He naturally knew of the myriad realms and ten thousand races.

He also understood what the five characters “Ten Thousand Races Ranking War” truly signified.

Across the multiverse of myriad realms existed countless races and civilizations.

Among them, the top 10,000 ranked races—immensely powerful and guiding the future of all realms—

were known as the “Ten Thousand Races.”

They controlled the vast majority of resources across all realms.

The Human Race ranked 8,321st on the Ten Thousand Races Ranking List.

It was said that the Ten Thousand Races Ranking List was recalibrated at regular intervals.

According to historical records from Blue Star’s first contact with the multiverse, no one could trace when the last ranking war had occurred.

After all, Blue Star’s entry into the cosmos and its participation in the multiversal battlefield spanned barely a century.

Unexpectedly, the Ten Thousand Races Ranking War would erupt precisely now!

In an instant, Su Yu grasped the key point.

Within the multiverse of myriad realms, numerous advanced and formidable civilizations possessed the power to destroy entire universes.

Resource allocation and interests could rarely be settled through warfare alone.

Too many immensely powerful entities engaging in war would inevitably result in mutual devastation.

Thus, the Multiversal Battlefield came into existence.

Existing in another dimension—an infinite, boundless realm—the Multiversal Battlefield

served as the primary arena for resolving conflicts among the countless races across all realms.

To prevent severe damage to the Multiversal Battlefield,

and to avoid excessive losses of strength for each civilization,

each Ten Thousand Races Ranking War did not involve battles between the current generation’s supremely powerful sovereigns,

but rather contests fought by the newly appointed sovereigns!

Within the Multiversal Battlefield, sovereigns from different generations could not trade with one another.

Assigning the Ten Thousand Races Ranking War to the new generation of sovereigns ensured a certain degree of fairness.

Each civilization’s rising generation embodied its future.

Hence, all Ten Thousand Races accepted this method of allocating resources via ranking wars.

The Blue Star Sovereign explained the nature of the Ten Thousand Races Ranking War to those unfamiliar with it.

After all, Blue Star’s textbooks contained no such records.

Only those who enjoyed learning about the myriad realms and races—and privately read books chronicling sovereigns’ extraordinary tales—might know of it.

“The Human Race’s main universe, the Taiqing Universe, will select outstanding human prodigies from across all human territories to participate in this Ten Thousand Races Ranking War.”

“Any newly appointed sovereign possessing at least an Advanced Hero or Rare Troop-tier force may enter the selection.”

The Blue Star Sovereign spoke calmly; every face in the hall radiated excitement and fervor.

“You may now register your information via your sovereign terminal.”

The Blue Star Sovereign activated his own terminal, projecting the registration address, and smiled: “All of you are Blue Star’s future.”

“We ask for nothing else—not even participation in the Ten Thousand Races Ranking War.”

“So long as you make a name for yourselves in the Human Race’s grand selection tournament, you’ll soar to prominence!”

As the Blue Star Sovereign spoke, every newly appointed sovereign felt their heroic spirit surge!

Su Yu also grew focused—though he held rare-tier cultivation techniques in contempt,

and Blue Star, given his domain’s level, could offer him little assistance.

But the entirety of the Human Race across the multiverse certainly could.