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*****
Zhongtian City.
The capital of the Zhongtian Empire was currently bustling to an absolute extreme. Already a megacity that ranked among the top tier of the entire continent, it was now playing host to its greatest grand event. One could say that during this period, Zhongtian City became the most prosperous hub in the world, eclipsing any other city in any era.
Within the Inner City, various academies had long since arrived at the hotels meticulously prepared for them by the Empire.
The requirements for participating in the Heavenly Jewel Tournament were strict: contestants had to be Heavenly Jewel Masters, and each team had to consist of at least five members. In other words, a nation had to field five talented young Heavenly Jewel Masters just to qualify. Even with such high entry barriers, over twenty countries had sent representatives.
This did not mean that only these twenty-odd nations possessed five young Heavenly Jewel Masters. Rather, talent varied wildly, and not every genius had the opportunity—or the desire—to participate.
The Heavenly Jewel Tournament often required grueling long-distance travel and carried the risk of encountering unforeseen dangers. For many, it wasn't considered a particularly prestigious "assignment." While it offered a chance to network with other prodigies, the actual rewards often didn't justify the effort. This was especially true because the top ranks, which carried the most substantial prizes, were almost always monopolized by the same handful of elite teams. Under these circumstances, even large nations like the Fei Li Empire did not place an overwhelming amount of importance on the competition.
While they would dispatch a team of their best youth to represent the Empire's honor, they rarely provided any significant additional support to these warriors.
There were only three days left before the official start of the tournament.
Su Wen descended from Heavenly Jewel Island. Under the introduction of Shangguan Tianyue, he met Shangguan Tianxing, the Emperor of the Zhongtian Empire.
The three brothers—Shangguan Tianyang, Shangguan Tianyue, and Shangguan Tianxing—shared a striking resemblance. The eldest and second brothers served as the Palace Master and Second Palace Master of the Vast Expanse Palace, handling its internal and external affairs. Meanwhile, Shangguan Tianxing served as the Emperor, managing the secular governance of the Zhongtian Empire.
One could say the relationship between the Vast Expanse Palace and the Zhongtian Empire was the tightest in the world, and they displayed this connection openly. In contrast, the relationships between the other four Great Saint Lands and their respective empires were often characterized by vassalage or simple subservience.
"Master Wen, I heard long ago that you were a guest at our Vast Expanse Palace, but I haven't had the chance to pay my respects in person until now," Shangguan Tianxing greeted warmly.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Su Wen and the Emperor got straight to business.
"The tournament begins in three days. I have specifically moved the opening ceremony forward to today. Senior, you only need to make an appearance alongside me when the time comes."
The three Shangguan brothers had already meticulously arranged the promotional roadmap for the Academy; Su Wen only needed to cooperate. This suited him well, as it saved him from unnecessary mental exertion.
As for the possibility of the Vast Expanse Palace "stealing" the fruits of the Academy's labor, Su Wen wasn't worried in the slightest. Strength was the ultimate foundation. While Su Wen wouldn't claim to be stronger than Shangguan Tianyang, he was confident he wasn't much weaker either. With such power backing him, he had no fear of underhanded schemes.
Moreover, Su Wen was confident that with his current resources, he could track down Long Shiya and convince him to collaborate. Once that happened, he wouldn't be standing alone.
At the opening ceremony, Shangguan Tianxing displayed his majestic aura as a Heavenly King, captivating the entire audience. Su Wen, as a distinguished guest, was led by the Emperor to the primary seats on the rostrum.
This scene immediately drew everyone's focus. Under the pre-arranged publicity, word of Su Wen's identity began to spread through the crowd. The presence of a "Heavenly Emperor" caused a massive stir.
Power had a gravity of its own. Even if he did nothing but sit there, Su Wen became the center of attention.
However, Su Wen's brow furrowed slightly as his gaze shifted toward a corner of the spectator stands. There, amidst the crowd, sat a large, portly figure.
The tall, fat man was also squinting his eyes, staring back at Su Wen. Their gazes met for a brief moment before both parties looked away.
After the ceremony concluded, Su Wen traveled to the outskirts of Zhongtian City. The large, fat man followed closely behind him.
"I didn't expect that on this Vast Expanse Continent, there was still a Heavenly Emperor I had never met," Long Shiya said, looking at Su Wen with an expression of intense curiosity.
The number of Heavenly Emperors on the continent was finite—no more than ten or so in total. Most were either the heads of Saint Lands or their second-in-command. The number of "rogue" Heavenly Emperors unaffiliated with a major power could be counted on one hand.
While Heavenly Emperors rarely appeared in public, those of the same rank usually knew of one another. Yet, Long Shiya had never seen Su Wen before, nor had he ever heard his name.
"It doesn't matter if you don't know me. It's enough that I know you," Su Wen replied indifferently. "Long Shiya?"
"Correct. May I ask why your Excellency has summoned this old man?"
Long Shiya was a man of immense skill and even greater courage; he hadn't hesitated for a second to follow Su Wen's lead. He wanted to see exactly what "opportunity" Su Wen had mentioned. Relying on his legendary Six-Way Control Technique, Long Shiya was confident in his invincibility within the Heavenly Emperor realm. The only person on the entire continent he truly wary of was Xue Aotian, the Lord of Snow Spirit Mountain.
"There are two matters. First, I want to recommend a disciple to you. Second, I wish to discuss a partnership."
Long Shiya froze. He had run through dozens of scenarios in his head regarding Su Wen's intentions, but "recommending a disciple" wasn't one of them.
He let out a cold snort, his face twisting into an expression of blatant disdain. "This old man doesn't just take anyone under his wing."
The conditions for becoming Long Shiya's disciple were well-known to anyone with sufficient knowledge: the candidate had to be capable of inheriting the Six-Way Control Technique. To do that, they first needed the Alexandrite Cat's Eye jewel, and second, they needed to possess six different elemental attributes.
An Alexandrite Cat's Eye was already one of the rarest talents on the continent—only three of the five Saint Lands were confirmed to have such masters. As for six attributes? That was like finding a needle in an ocean.
Specifically, the Alexandrite Cat's Eye provided four attributes by default, which was rare enough. Finding six was a miracle, and those six attributes had to be perfectly balanced to have any hope of mastering the Six-Way Control Technique.
Long Shiya's own attributes were Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Light, and Darkness. The first four formed a foundational elemental balance, while Light and Darkness—two superior attributes—countered and stabilized each other due to their equal quality. If a master possessed Space instead of Darkness, they likely wouldn't be able to inherit his legacy.
Thus, a condition that sounded simple on paper had frustrated Long Shiya for the better part of his life. The inability to pass on his ultimate skills had become his greatest obsession.
This was precisely why he laughed so dismissively when Su Wen brought it up. Long Shiya assumed Su Wen simply had a talented younger relative and was trying to use a "Heavenly Emperor to Heavenly Emperor" connection to secure a prestigious master.
In his mind, Su Wen's second point—the "partnership"—was likely the trade-off for taking the kid in. Because he saw it as a bundled transaction, Long Shiya looked down on the offer even more. He had no interest in a partnership forged through such transparent nepotism.
(End of Chapter)