King of Creation
Chapter 583 - 576: The President’s Embarrassment

Chapter 583: Chapter 576: The President’s Embarrassment

Moonlight Hall holds a major competition every six months, and the winner of the competition is given a special title: Chief!

At this moment, the martial artist who emerged from behind the Vortex Light Gate of the Sun and Moon Divine Altar, holding Green Peak in reverse grip, was none other than Yanz Jingshu, the Chief of Moonlight Hall, who had secured first place in the last three biannual competitions.

Not just Moonlight Hall had a Chief; other halls had their so-called Chiefs as well. Moreover, being a Chief was not merely a title. Sometimes, the word of a hall’s Chief could carry even more weight than that of the hall’s Deputy Hall Master.

Beyond that, whenever there were favorable opportunities, Chiefs could be given priority. If a mission was issued by the sect, the Chief could even decide whether or not to take it. Often in selecting personnel for the sect’s management, the Chiefs of the various halls would typically be considered first.

And for the Chief of Moonlight Hall, after their breakthrough, they could directly choose their next hall assignment.

For this reason, Yanz Jingshu cared greatly about the position of Chief of Moonlight Hall. He had already begun his Vein Forging journey, and it would take about a year to complete. As long as he maintained his position as Chief, once his Vein Forging succeeded, he could choose his own external assignment. At the very least, he would be a Deputy Incense Master, stepping right into the managerial tier of the Sun and Moon Divine Sect.

Such a status would also mean that he would have access to more Cultivation Resources.

Inside the Sun and Moon Divine Altar, Yanz Jingshu had pulled out all the stops, exiting the Divine Altar even faster compared to the last semi-annual competition.

Even though ranking first in the breakthrough of the Sun and Moon Divine Altar did not equate to becoming the Chief of Moonlight Hall, it was extremely important; prestige was accumulated bit by bit over time.

Therefore, when Yanz Jingshu saw Ye Zhen, he was momentarily taken aback, his gaze fixating on Ye Zhen.

Could there actually be someone who came out of the Sun and Moon Divine Altar before him?

How could that be possible?

Most importantly, he sensed that Ye Zhen’s Cultivation was only at the Third Stage of the Soul Sea Realm.

How could a martial artist of the Third Stage of the Soul Sea Realm exit the Divine Altar before him? That was simply unthinkable?

The only explanation was that this person had failed to navigate the Divine Altar and was transported out after crushing a Divine Altar Jade Token.

"To fail at navigating the Divine Altar? What a waste of space!" Now understanding, Yanz Jingshu held Ye Zhen in utter contempt.

At this time, Ye Zhen too sensed Yanz Jingshu’s gaze. Having traversed the Jianghu for so many years, Ye Zhen’s pride had been tempered into his very bones. He also knew the truth that it’s better to make friends than enemies.

Since Yanz Jingshu was staring at him, Ye Zhen felt it wouldn’t be right not to respond in some way.

Instinctively, Ye Zhen cracked a smile and offered Yanz Jingshu a distant cupped-fist salute as a form of greeting.

To the shock of Ye Zhen and the high-ranking members of the Sun and Moon Divine Sect present, Yanz Jingshu completely ignored Ye Zhen’s friendly gesture, walking past him with sheer disregard and casting a terribly contemptuous glance in Ye Zhen’s direction; a look as if he was regarding trash, leaving Ye Zhen’s raised hand awkwardly hanging in the air.

Even with Ye Zhen’s self-restraint, he still felt a flash of annoyance.

Had he somehow offended this person?

With a self-deprecating chuckle, Ye Zhen awkwardly withdrew his hands.

"Great Commanders, Elder Tus, Grand Commander, Master Fengh, I have completed the challenge and have come to present my token!" Yanz Jingshu’s resonant voice suddenly rose.

"Heh, not bad! You’ve navigated the Sun and Moon Divine Altar faster than six months ago by nearly sixty breaths. You’ve indeed progressed!" Grand Commander Jio Yuanxiu chuckled as he received the Divine Altar Jade Token from Yanz Jingshu, "But, you need to work hard. This time, someone has surpassed you. Be careful, or you may lose your Chief title!"

Just as Yanz Jingshu readied his hand to thank Grand Commander Jio Yuanxiu, the happy expression on his face suddenly froze, his demeanor turning stiff, "What? Someone has a faster time than me in navigating the Sun and Moon Divine Altar?"

"Yes, and he only took three hundred and six breaths!"

"What, three hundred and six breaths? How... How is that possible?" Yanz Jingshu was utterly dumbfounded.

He had participated in five semi-annual competitions consecutively. He knew all too well how powerful the Spirits of Spiritual Power within the Divine Altar were.

The first time he successfully navigated to the third layer of the Divine Altar, it took him about half an hour. Over the subsequent competitions, as his Cultivation improved and his understanding of the Spirits of Spiritual Power in the Divine Altar deepened, he managed to progressively decrease the time it took to navigate the Altar to just over a quarter of an hour.

Still, even then, it had taken him over twelve hundred and ninety breaths, and this time, after half a year of grueling Cultivation and recalling the distinctive features and positions of the Spirits of Spiritual Power on the third layer of the Divine Altar last night, he had meticulously calculated to shave off sixty breaths, reducing it to one thousand two hundred and thirty breaths.

Now, hearing that someone had managed to navigate the Divine Altar in a mere three hundred and six breaths, he was instantly shocked to his core.

Damn it, factoring in the time it took for the Spirits of Spiritual Power to condense and form inside the Divine Altar, one would have to move at the pace of slaughtering chickens to make it out in three hundred and six breaths.

"Who... is it?" Despite struggling to believe it, Yanz Jingshu still managed to force out these two words, wanting to see which godly figure it was.

"Didn’t you just see him? It’s him, Ye Zhen!" Great Commander Jio Yuanxiu indicated towards Ye Zhen with a nod of his head.

Then, Yanz Jingshu’s face flushed deeply with embarrassment. Seeing Ye Zhen looking at him with a beaming smile, Yanz Jingshu felt as if his face had been slapped resoundingly.

Just moments ago, he had disregarded Ye Zhen, showing disdain for his friendly advance...

Bang!

The explosive sound of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi behind the Vortex Light Gate of the Sun and Moon Divine Altar signalled another successful challenge by a Moonlight Hall Martial Artist, resolving the awkwardness of Yanz Jingshu.

"Brother Yanz, you’re first again, sigh, little sister still can’t surpass you!" Moonlight Hall Martial Artist Zheng Ling remarked as she walked towards Great Commander Jio Yuanxiu.

Yanz Jingshu’s handsome face turned crimson once again. But while Zheng Ling’s voice submitting the token rang out, even before she could finish, another figure appeared behind the Vortex Light Gate of the Sun and Moon Divine Altar.

Martial Artist after Martial Artist appeared out of thin air, and by now, several from the Sun and Moon Divine Altar had emerged. Naturally, they assumed Yanz Jingshu was still the first this time.

However, Ye Zhen was mostly ignored. With his Third Stage of the Soul Sea Realm Cultivation, in a group dominated by Peer of the Fifth Stage of the Soul Sea Realm Martial Artists, he really stood out. Most people were not willing to lower themselves to his level; instead, they flocked around Yanz Jingshu and Zheng Ling.

"How does it feel, not so good, right?"

"In fact, once you’ve been around for a while, you’ll get used to it. Most Martial Artists are a very pragmatic group, they elevate the high and oppress the low, and that’s just human nature!"

"Of course, there are exceptions, and that’s why you can hear my telepathic message right now!" Fengh Qingyue’s Divine Soul Telecommunication echoed in Ye Zhen’s mind.

Ye Zhen was taken aback for a moment. Fengh Qingyue’s words carried a hidden message. Her point was, if Ye Zhen was just another common man eager to curry favor and step on others, she probably wouldn’t have interacted with him.

With a shift of thoughts, Ye Zhen understood the reason. Fengh Qingyue was referring to an incident several months ago at the treasure competition, when Ye Zhen helped her despite threats from Yua Hanjing.

Speaking of Yua Hanjing, Ye Zhen felt puzzled. Yua Hanjing had issued such harsh threats, vowing to retaliate against anyone who dared to help Fengh Qingyue. Faced with that threat, even Tian Guizhang had to compromise.

But why had there been no movement for so long?

"After today’s martial competition is over, come to my courtyard for a feast and drinks. Well, today we really gave Yao Sen a good thrashing, we have to celebrate," Fengh Qingyue’s Divine Soul Telecommunication sounded again.

"About that, I don’t have any wine left..."

"I just won four hundred thousand Mid-grade Spirit Crystals, I’ll treat you to a drink!"

....

Quickly, two hours passed, and most of the Moonlight Hall Martial Artists, whether they broke through or failed, had already left the Sun and Moon Divine Altar.

The few who were still struggling inside were moved by Great Commander Jio Yuanxiu invoking a Magic Formula and were sent out of the Divine Altar, all showing an expression of regret. Those few had almost all fought fiercely within the third layer of the Sun and Moon Divine Altar.

With that, the semi-annual competition’s group stage came to an end.

The kind of disgrace Fengh Qingyue feared, someone who couldn’t even pass the first layer of the Sun and Moon Divine Altar, did not occur.

Furthermore, the number of Martial Artists who successfully broke through the third layer of the Sun and Moon Divine Altar was one more than the Vice Sect Hierarch Yao Sen had predicted, totaling seventeen instead of sixteen, giving Fengh Qingyue a bit of pride.

In the end, seventeen Martial Artists were assigned to the first group, sixty-five to the second group, and only eighteen to the third group.

Which level of Monthly Allowance each person would enjoy could only be determined after the ranking battles, but for Ye Zhen, enjoying the Upper-class Monthly Allowance was already a certainty.

"The group stage has ended, next up is the ranking competition. Due to the arrangement of the bouts, we will use a drawing lot for the ranking competition.

Each group will go through ten bouts by drawing lots, and the rankings will be determined by the accumulated points, especially for the top three!" At this point, Punishment Hall Elder Tus De paused and continued, "Of course, to show fairness, one can also choose to challenge instead of drawing lots, provided that the Martial Artist you challenge can only be the one who ranked ahead of you in the previous semi-annual competition!"

"All three groups will compete at the same time. As for the order of drawing lots, it will be based on the ranking of the Sun and Moon Divine Altar performance for each group, now let’s start drawing lots!" With the shout from Punishment Hall Elder Tus De, immediately three Punishment Hall Martial Artists brought forward three newly sorted buckets of lots.

Quickly, the second and third groups had Martial Artists stepping forward to draw lots, but no one had yet approached the first group’s bucket.

Instantly, all eyes, especially those of the first group’s Moonlight Hall Martial Artists, were fixed on the lead Martial Artist, Yanz Jingshu. Everyone subconsciously believed that Yanz Jingshu was still the number one.

"Brother Yanz, hurry and draw; what are you waiting for?" Zheng Ling urged with a smile.

Under everyone’s gaze, Yanz Jingshu’s handsome face turned beet red, and he awkwardly waved his hands to explain, "It’s not me! I’m not the first this time!"

"If not you, then who could it be?" Zheng Ling suddenly showed a surprised expression, "Brother Yanz, you aren’t joking, right?"

"It’s him!" Yanz Jingshu pointed forward awkwardly.

Right then, Ye Zhen walked from the back of the crowd towards the first group’s bucket.

"Ye Zhen?"

"Ye Zhen is the first?"

"How is that possible?"

Exclamations of shock, voices of disbelief, suddenly filled the air! (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)