"Since this is a welfare trial meant for me, then these Starstones must be prepared for me too, right?"
Evan Chu looked up at the eight thousand stars still flickering with multicolored light. At this moment, as long as he willed it, he could instantly dissolve the illusion formations cloaking those eight thousand stars and reveal the true Starstone essence beneath.
Starstones are divided into four grades: low, middle, high, and supreme. For these eight thousand stars to serve as the trial force in this space, naturally, they’re all supreme-grade Starstones.
In the Frostbane Dynasty, ordinary soldiers only get a thousand low-grade Starstones as monthly cultivation resources, captains receive a thousand mid-grade Starstones, and deputy generals get a thousand high-grade Starstones.
As Destiny Guardian for the Third Person, Lord Thunder gets one thousand supreme-grade Starstones per month, while Henry Lin, deputy general under the Sacred Emperor, receives ten thousand supreme-grade Starstones.
It’s the same for the Seven Thrones—only the four Hall Masters get thirty thousand supreme-grade Starstones each month. At their level, lacking enough monthly resources means their cultivation will stagnate or even decline.
Even so, it takes ten thousand supreme-grade Starstones to equal a single Star Crystal. Evan Chu also has ten thousand Star Crystals from the Ninefold Sacred Emperor, but for reaching the Sacred Emperor Realm, these resources are just a drop in the bucket.
But right now, with another eight thousand supreme-grade Starstones on hand, Evan Chu obviously wasn’t going to let them slip away.
With a wave of his hand, the illusion formations vanished, and all eight thousand supreme-grade Starstones were swept straight into his Chaos World.
Outside, Henry Lin and Lord Jun Yang stood in the void, quietly watching the star-boat’s trial space below as they chatted in low voices.
"How long do you think he'll take to clear the first gate? I’m guessing at most two days." Lord Jun Yang had plenty of faith in Evan Chu—otherwise, he wouldn’t have set up this one-man trial.
"Two days? Too much. I say one day, tops."
Henry Lin shook his head. He knew Evan Chu had already refined a Crimson Demon Star before stepping into the Star-River Dominion, and had absorbed all its power without the slightest discomfort. With talent like that, can you really say his attunement to Stellar Power is weaker than Lord Jun Yang’s?
"One day? Come on! No way, that's just ridiculous. How about we make a bet?" Lord Jun Yang had cleared that gate himself and knew how brutal it was—and he was confident in the trial he’d personally designed.
"A bet it is! The stakes are next month’s cultivation resources—ten thousand supreme-grade Starstones. Not a single one less! If you try to weasel out, you can go to hell!"
"Deal! You’re on!" But before Lord Jun Yang could even finish sealing the bet with Henry Lin, Evan Chu had already found the Phantasm-Array Star Core and refined it on the spot.
The instant Lord Jun Yang sensed the mark he’d placed on the Phantasm-Array Star Core vanish, he reflexively cursed out loud.
"Holy crap! What kind of monster is this kid?!"
"Hey, Jun Yang, you’re the dignified first among the Seven Thrones—the supreme commander of the Blazing-Flame Legion. Can you not freak out like this?"
"How can I not freak out? This is nothing! If you knew what just happened, you’d be even more shocked than me! Just now, not even half a stick of incense after that kid went in, the mark I put on the Phantasm-Array Star Core disappeared!
Not only did he successfully locate the Phantasm-Array Star Core, but he refined it instantly. At this moment, he already wielded the full power of a star!
Watching Lord Jun Yang’s face—caught somewhere between joy and despair—Henry Lin nearly burst out laughing.
For Henry Lin, none of this was surprising—it was exactly what he’d expected! So he just roared with laughter.
"Jun Yang, oh Jun Yang, looks like those ten thousand supreme-grade Starstones are mine."
"Screw off! I’d rather go to hell!"
While the two of them were bickering, four powerful auras suddenly surged above the star-boat warship!
The Frostbane Dynasty’s true strength may rank mid-to-low among the Three Thousand Dynasties, but that’s because Frostbane has always followed a strict ‘quality over quantity’ rule—recruitment is extremely rigorous, so the legions are smaller and their territory more limited.
But when it comes to top-tier combat power, Frostbane can easily hold a spot in the top hundred among all Three Thousand Dynasties!
That’s because the current Frostbane Holy Emperor has reached mid-stage Holy Emperor Realm—several times stronger than the outside rumor of ‘early stage.’ And his four Hall Masters each stand at the very peak of early-stage Holy Emperor Realm, just half a step from mid-stage.
Besides that, among the Seven Thrones, five are still at peak late God-Venerable Realm, but two have already stepped into the Holy Emperor Realm—and now a third is on the verge of breaking through...
What neither Henry Lin nor Lord Jun Yang expected was that, just as Evan Chu cleared the first gate of his trial, he drew the attention of all four Hall Masters guarding the Frostbane Dynasty! Four Holy Emperor–level powerhouses pressed in, and Jun Yang and Henry Lin instantly shut their mouths.
"Jun Yang greets the four Hall Masters!"
"Henry Lin greets the four Hall Masters!"
"Mm, no need for formalities. Are you two in charge of this trial? Then, can either of you tell me—who is the one undergoing the trial in that space right now?"
Lord Trenton Zhan, War God Hall Master, looked at the pair, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
Henry Lin stepped forward. "Reporting to the four Hall Masters: the one currently undergoing the trial is Evan Chu."
"Evan Chu? Where’d this kid come from, to have such talent?" Punishment Hall Master Xing Lie asked, puzzled.
"Idiot! What do you mean, where’d he come from? Obviously he’s..." Asura Hall Master Liao Wuji was quicker on the uptake, instantly guessing the answer.
"So, he’s the Third Person..." The Hall Master of the Shadow Hall was an extraordinarily beautiful woman, dressed in a dark gown, her eyes deep and enigmatic, lost in thought.
Ye Yimeng glanced at the other three Hall Masters. "Looks like we’re luckier than the Holy Emperor—just out of seclusion, and we get to witness this moment. Shall we activate the Starglaze Mirror and take a look?"
"Great idea!"
"I agree! Yimeng, you’re always so clever!" Xing Lie teased Ye Yimeng with a sly grin, only to get a huge eye-roll in return.
At that moment, Jun Yang and Henry Lin were both stunned—who could've imagined that Evan Chu's breakthrough would actually alarm all four Hall Masters, and that they'd even bust out the Starglaze Mirror just to watch him!
You have to understand, the Starglaze Mirror is a technique only Holy Emperor-realm experts can use. It's insanely taxing, especially for peering across domains into the star-boat to spy on Evan Chu.
The four Hall Masters joined forces, and right before their eyes a beam of deep-blue starlight surged up, condensing into a mirror whose surface slowly revealed an image.
Looking closer, it was Evan Chu—he'd just finished refining all eight thousand Starstones, his eyes blazing with sharp light, his aura erupting as he stepped into late-stage Saint Realm!
"Good kid!" Xing Lie and Trenton Zhan shouted in unison.
"Quiet, the second gate's starting." Liao Wuji said coolly, eyes fixed on Evan Chu's every move in the Starglaze Mirror.