Chapter 383: Chapter 224: Ancient King Stele (Part 2)
"The difference in Talent really is obvious."
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"We’ve arrived at the Sect!"
Su Chen received the notification and went from his room to the cockpit.
The flagship’s cockpit was massive. Its front was a curved pane of thick glass, offering an unobstructed view of the world outside.
The fleet had already emerged from the Bronze Sect’s Star Gate, and Su Chen’s eye twitched—
Before him were three colossal stars clustered together, their surfaces covered with dense metal structures. Soaring spires and tiered platforms formed a dizzying, three-dimensional city, with countless Flying Devices zipping between the buildings.
Above it all was a floating metal landmass. There were no particularly tall structures on it, giving it a sense of rustic simplicity. At its center stood a single Bronze Tower.
That was the true core of the Bronze Sect. Wan Chen and the others were accustomed to calling it the "Copper Heart," while the satellite cities below were merely appendages.
But what truly captured Su Chen’s attention was not the Sect Headquarters before him, but a light from the other side. It was a dazzling sun.
’A real sun...’ He was momentarily lost in thought, feeling its warm glow. In all the time he had been in this world, this was the first time he had truly seen a sun.
Of course, this world was more accustomed to calling it a Flame Fire.
’How... strange...’ He scanned his surroundings. At the edge of his vision, he could see Life Stars of various colors, all slowly revolving around the Flame Fire.
’I wonder how they solved the problem of gravity, with so many Life Stars all drawing on the light of this one Flame Fire.’
"Strange?"
Wan Chen, at his side, was a bit surprised. It was normal for Su Chen to be shocked or awestruck on his first visit to the Sect Headquarters, but why would he suddenly blurt out that it was ’strange’?
’What, in his mind, would be considered normal then?’
The thought flashed through his mind, but it wasn’t a big deal, and he quickly put it aside.
The armed fleet was also unable to approach the Bronze Sect’s headquarters. They would have to transfer to smaller ships, as Lin Langtian needed to go handle the fleet’s handover.
Qing Cang had to leave ahead of them as well. "I need to store my Spiritual first. I’ll have Wan Chen take you to handle the formalities, like registering your identity."
Storing one’s Spiritual was a top priority.
Su Chen naturally nodded and boarded another ship with Wan Chen, Lin Yue, Ming Lin, and the others, heading toward the core of the Sect.
"It’s so grand and magnificent..." Ming Lin murmured to himself by the window, the look of shock in his eyes yet to fade since their arrival.
"Is the Ancient King on here, too?" Su Chen couldn’t help but ask as he watched the immense, boundless metal Floating Island draw nearer.
"No, he’s not." Wan Chen shook his head and pointed back at the dazzling sun. "The Ancient King is on that."
"He lives on the Flame Fire?" Su Chen clicked his tongue in amazement. Even though they called it a Flame Fire, its temperature was probably no different from a sun’s.
"It’s the Ancient King Hall," Wan Chen explained. "It’s just too far away for us to see."
"Oh." Su Chen nodded in understanding. There were no Flying Devices on the Copper Heart, so their ship could only be moored at the port.
The staff member in charge of the handover glanced at the data, and their expression faltered. With a hint of surprise, their eyes swept across the group before them, finally landing on Su Chen.
Curiosity, appraisal, scrutiny—a mix of emotions was plain to see, but in the end, they said nothing and completed the handover by the book.
"The people of the Sect are probably no stranger to you," Wan Chen said in a low voice. "Hu Qi’s death wasn’t a small matter. A lot of people were involved."
"Tsk, tsk..." Su Chen clicked his tongue, his expression unreadable. After leaving the port, Wan Chen led them onto the main road. The buildings on both sides looked very plain, as though they were simply cast from metal materials.
Most of the residents here were mid- to high-ranking members of the Sect, and they passed many of them along the way.
Some people didn’t pay them much mind at first, but their expressions would shift slightly upon spotting Wan Chen and his group.
Their gazes would sweep over them, land on Su Chen, then quickly move away. But their steps would slow, and they would continue to size him up covertly.
"So that’s Su Chen. He’s here..."
"A new Star Seed... To go from a Desolate Planet directly to being one of the Sect’s core figures—his luck is just off the charts..."
"The Ancient King even killed Hu Qi for him..."
’Tier Six, Tier Six, Tier Seven... That one’s probably Tier Eight...’ Su Chen clicked his tongue, astonished, as he sensed the life auras of the people around him.
Their final destination was the Bronze Tower at the very center.
Su Chen’s status as a Star Seed had yet to be registered. He needed to provide not only his identity information but also various biological signatures and a mental imprint.
Only then would he be granted access to the various areas within the Bronze Sect.
Ming Lin felt uncomfortable. Far too many people were watching them, and every single one was stronger than his own master.
Some people were even calling over their friends. Word of Su Chen’s name had arrived three months ago, but the man himself was only just now showing up.
Everyone—from the lower-ranking members to the mid- and high-ranking ones—was filled with curiosity and other unspoken feelings toward this newcomer.
Although he was the center of attention the entire way, people only stared. Even if some of them scoffed, not a single person jumped out to make trouble or pick a fight. He couldn’t even hear their discussions.
"It seems the Ancient King’s intervention really did intimidate some people. I thought someone would have jumped out by now."
Lin Yue remarked from the side. Lan Hao’s head was bowed, his thoughts a mystery.
After a considerable amount of time, they traversed the main road and arrived before the Bronze Tower.
At the base of the tower was a plaza, where a number of figures already stood. Their gazes converged on the group; they were all people who had heard the news and made a special trip to be here.
"Let’s go." Wan Chen glanced up. "After you register your information, you’ll be a genuine Star Seed of the Sect."
HUMMM—
Su Chen nodded. The group had only taken a few steps when a humming sound reached them, accompanied by the rattling of chains.
His gaze was drawn to a massive, bronze-colored monument not far away. It was about a hundred meters tall and was currently trembling violently.
Streams of golden light rose from its surface. A crowd had already gathered at its base, where a lone figure could be seen standing before it.
The sudden commotion drew the astonished gazes of many, and a flurry of discussion broke out. Even the curiosity directed at Su Chen seemed to fade as everyone crowded over to get a better look.
"That looks like... Qin Tianlin?" Wan Chen frowned, took a closer look, and said uncertainly.
’Qin Tianlin?’ Su Chen’s interest was piqued as he watched the large crowd gather around.
"What is that thing?" he asked, looking at the metal monument. From his angle, he could only see its side.
"That’s the Ancient King Stele," Wan Chen explained.
"The Ancient King Stele?"
"It has some kind of selection mechanism," Wan Chen explained, his voice filled with reverence. "Anyone acknowledged by the Ancient King Stele has, without exception, been a pivotal figure in the Sect’s history."
"Oh?" Su Chen’s eyes gleamed.
Lin Yue added, "Being acknowledged by it might not make you an Ancient King, but if you aren’t acknowledged, you can *never* become an Ancient King. That’s why it’s called the Ancient King Stele."
Wan Chen continued, "The last person to gain its acknowledgment was Venerable Qin Yun. Qin Tianlin has been striving for it for years, and some say he’ll be the next. From the looks of it now, his chances are indeed high."
While they were speaking, the golden streams of light on the stele gradually faded away.
"Isn’t that the phenomenon of being acknowledged?" Su Chen asked.
"This is nothing. Over the years, he’s triggered this strange resonance at least three times, but it’s only ever been a resonance," Wan Chen said, shaking his head. Then he suddenly realized something.
’This probably isn’t a coincidence. Qin Tianlin couldn’t have chosen this exact moment to come here on purpose, could he?’
"What qualifications does it take to be acknowledged?" Su Chen asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Who knows." Wan Chen shook his head with a bitter smile. When he saw Su Chen about to step forward, his expression changed slightly. "Let’s go register your information first," he said hesitantly.
’If Su Chen goes over there, it might just cause unnecessary trouble.’
"Just one look." Su Chen didn’t walk directly into the crowd but circled around the edge, approaching the front of the Ancient King Stele.
The bronze-colored metal monument was engraved with lines of special, pale-gold symbols. It was a language Su Chen had never seen before. Each symbol seemed to shift continuously, its edges leaking a flowing light.
It was like a Holy Word Stone, yet not quite the same.
But the instant he saw its full face, a panel unfurled before his eyes—
[Special Class Discovered—Candidate: Fulfill class requirements to acquire.]
[Class Requirement 1: Learn of the class acquisition information (Complete)]
’There’s only one requirement?’ Su Chen was stunned.
He truly hadn’t expected that the fruits of his hard work and effort would be revealed so soon after arriving at the Sect.
