"People from the Tianyu Empire and Tianyu Palace?"
"How long has it been since we last had any exchanges?"
"Haha, who cares? What do guests from the Tianyu Empire have to do with us Pink-Skin Humans? In my opinion, our top priority should be to uncover the truth behind the disappearance of the two Stellar Palace elders. That's what really matters."
The Pink-Skin Humans' Stellar Palace elders were all voicing their opinions, but in the next moment, the room instantly fell silent. Only the clan patriarch, Leon Ashburn, swept his authoritative gaze across the hall, commanding all attention.
A sharp smack echoed through the room.
Leon Ashburn pressed both palms firmly onto the surface of the long table.
His hair burned fiery red, his skin a natural pink hue, with waves of flame occasionally swirling around him, as if he were a noble being born from fire itself.
As a peak Stellar Palace existence with a notoriously harsh style, just one glance from Leon Ashburn was enough to silence all the elders.
The atmosphere grew even more tense; no one spoke, no one moved.
In the vast council hall, Leon Ashburn's solemn gaze swept across every elder's face. "Listen up. We must win this exchange battle!"
"Aside from the White-Horn Human Clan, the other five major factions have all publicly declared: whichever side's cultivation genius defeats the Tianyu Empire’s guests will be awarded a block of free Imperial Merit. Our rivalry with the White-Horns has reached a critical, white-hot stage—the difference between us is razor-thin... But! If we seize this Merit, we’ll take the Chenriver Empire’s throne ahead of schedule!"
His voice rose, growing ever more powerful, echoing throughout the chamber.
Leon Ashburn’s face was flushed deep red, brimming with passion and fervor.
He was clearly impatient, his heart surging with anticipation.
Their focus on Earth and Andrew Han isn’t driven by jealousy or a desire to suppress genius—it’s all about who will claim the imperial throne. Now that a second contender has appeared, they won’t let the chance slip away.
The moment these words left his mouth, the elders erupted into a frenzy.
Even the elders who’d paid little attention before widened their eyes and sprang to their feet. "Is that true? If beating the Tianyu Empire’s guests means free Imperial Merit, then victory is as good as ours!"
"That Merit is ours by destiny."
"Exactly. Our clan has the once-in-a-millennium Sen—even if Tianyu Empire and Tianyu Palace send their best, none of them could withstand even a single move from Sen."
The elders erupted, every gaze locking onto Patriarch Leon Ashburn.
Though it was somewhat disrespectful, at this moment no one cared—every Stellar Palace elder awaited a response, their eyes focused on Patriarch Leon Ashburn's fiery face, vaguely envisioning the grand scene of the Pink-Skin Humans ascending the imperial throne.
"That's right—we have Sen."
Leon Ashburn smiled, his deep eyes shining with joy and anticipation.
Boom!
He flashed a row of pink teeth and slapped the table. "The two elders will not have disappeared for nothing—we will investigate! But right now, notify Sen at once: we must win this exchange battle!"
Whoosh!
The Pink-Skin Humans' Stellar Palace elders erupted, all rising to their feet, dreaming of a glorious future and grand ambitions, as if witnessing the dazzling prologue of their clan ascending to the Chenriver Empire's throne.
The Pink-Skin Humans were in an uproar, urgently sending word to their strongest cultivation genius—Sen.
At the same moment, the other factions—including the White-Horn Human Clan—were closely watching, quietly awaiting the arrival of the Tianyu Empire's Tianyu Palace guests.
If this were just an ordinary exchange battle between cultivation geniuses, it wouldn't have caused such a sensation.