Sovereign of Stars

Chapter 48 – Suspected

"What's my name?"

Su Xin was quite taken aback.

He had made several moves during the first phase of the hunt, showcasing considerable strength, so it was normal for the Crimson Dragon Tower to have recorded him in this intelligence report.

He just didn't expect his ranking to be so high.

"Suspected top ten combat strength?" Su Xin murmured.

Top ten...

Of course, he had the strength to be in the top ten, but during the first phase of the hunt, he mostly refrained from showing his full power.

The Crimson Dragon Tower only said "suspected," which meant they weren't absolutely sure.

"Su Xin, look, this report only mentions that you killed Lu Xiu in one encounter and then single-handedly fought against three geniuses, including Ba Jiu, without falling behind, so they think you might have top ten combat strength. But beyond that, there's nothing else."

"With just this record, many people might find it hard to believe." Duan Yunfeng said.

Su Xin smiled.

Indeed, his achievements in this report seemed a bit thin.

It only mentioned the big battle on the last night, where he killed Lu Xiu and blocked Ba Jiu and the other two for Duan Yunfeng. The report only stated that he held his ground against the three, but in reality, he was the one who ultimately eliminated all three of them.

"During that battle, there were seven attackers in total, and my achievements must have been spread by Fairy Luo, Xiao Mo, or that girl who slipped away early when she sensed danger." Su Xin speculated.

Whether it was Fairy Luo, Xiao Mo, or the timid girl who left early, they only saw Su Xin kill Lu Xiu and fight evenly with Ba Jiu and the other two, but they didn't witness Su Xin eliminating all three by himself later.

Even if the Crimson Dragon Tower investigated afterward, the three geniuses, being proud and arrogant, probably wouldn't admit that they were eliminated by a single Sea Transformation level cultivator. They would likely claim that Su Xin and Duan Yunfeng teamed up to eliminate them.

With just this record, saying Su Xin had the strength to break into the top twenty was enough.

As for top ten strength... it was indeed hard to convince people.

But Su Xin didn't care about these things and continued to browse through the list of geniuses in the report.

...

In the camp, following the release of the latest genius intelligence from the Crimson Dragon Tower, the entire camp was abuzz with discussions.

"Who is this Wu Chao, where did he come from, and why is there no background information on him? But his strength is truly impressive."

"Indeed, according to the report, very few can withstand his strike. Even the young lady from the Song family, who could at least aim for the top fifty in the hunt, was killed by a single blow from him. It's terrifying."

"In terms of combat strength, Wu Chao definitely deserves a spot in the top ten of the hunt. But where did this Su Xin come from? How can someone at the Sea Transformation level be considered for the top ten?"

"Being able to eliminate Lu Xiu in one encounter and fight against three geniuses, including Ba Jiu, without falling behind is impressive. Saying he can break into the top twenty is entirely plausible, but top ten seems a bit much."

"Indeed, top twenty is enough. Many geniuses considered capable of breaking into the top ten have records far more impressive than his."

"I don't know how the Crimson Dragon Tower ranked them, but maybe Su Xin has some special means."

"What means could he have? A Sea Transformation level cultivator, I really don't believe he has the strength for the top ten in the hunt."

The camp was filled with discussions.

Most of the discussions centered around Wu Chao and Su Xin.

After the first phase of the hunt, the latest genius intelligence indeed brought forth many geniuses, and among them, Wu Chao and Su Xin ranked the highest.

Wu Chao's combat strength was formidable, and his achievements were convincing, so the geniuses discussed him with admiration.

But Su Xin... while the geniuses in the camp were amazed that someone at the Sea Transformation level could have such strength, many felt that the Crimson Dragon Tower ranked Su Xin too high based on his record.

Su Xin, in their eyes, didn't deserve a top ten spot and was even seen as lacking the strength to challenge for the top ten.

"These fools."

In a corner of the camp, a burly blond man stood, listening to the discussions around him, especially the many disparaging remarks about Su Xin, and a trace of disdain appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"They have no idea of Su Xin's true strength and think he doesn't deserve a top ten spot? Ridiculous." Cang Yan sneered, "When these geniuses who belittle Su Xin actually encounter him in the upcoming hunt, they'll realize."

Unlike others, he had encountered Su Xin in the hunting grounds and had actually fought him.

The result was that he was forced to hand over thirty tokens to Su Xin to be allowed to leave.

He knew very well that Su Xin's strength was far superior to his own, who was considered capable of challenging the top twenty. Su Xin definitely had top ten combat strength.

Of course, he knew this but wouldn't say it.

Tang Xuan was the same. Even if the Crimson Dragon Tower asked him about his elimination, he would only say that Duan Yunfeng and Su Xin teamed up to eliminate him, perhaps praising Su Xin's strength a bit, but never admitting that he was inferior to someone at the Sea Transformation level.

...

In the Imperial Capital, within a beautiful estate, there was a lake.

A man in gray, wearing a bamboo hat and holding a fishing rod, quietly fished there.

The lake's surface was calm, without a ripple, and the entire estate was silent.

The man in gray had clear eyes, fishing quietly for more than half an hour without any movement.

The scene seemed frozen in time.

Until, not far away, a figure swiftly approached, landing behind the man in gray.

Whoosh!

The wind stirred, causing the surrounding trees and branches to sway, and the lake's surface gently rippled under the influence of the wind.

The man in gray's gaze shifted slightly, breaking free from the state of complete 'stillness.'

"Sir."

The suddenly arriving frail old man bowed respectfully to the man in gray.

The frail old man had a weathered face, clearly very old, and his cultivation was extremely high, having reached the peak of the Void Shattering Realm.

Yet, in front of the man in gray, this powerful figure appeared extremely humble and respectful.

"What's the matter?" The man in gray slightly turned his head.

"Sir, this is the latest information from the hunt." The frail old man respectfully handed over a piece of paper.

"The hunt?" The man in gray frowned slightly.

The Imperial Capital Hunt, a competition among some young ones, when did it ever concern him?

With a slight gesture, the man in gray had the paper float into his hand. After a quick glance, he smiled.

"The young one I praised before, he actually has the potential to challenge for the top ten in this hunt?"

"But why is it 'suspected'?" The man in gray looked over.

"Sir, based on the Crimson Dragon Tower's investigation, his achievements are slightly short of challenging the top ten, but during our investigation, we noticed something off about Ba Jiu and the other geniuses who fought him."

"They admitted that the three of them together could only fight Su Xin to a draw, but they were unwilling to discuss the final elimination process, suggesting that Su Xin might have eliminated all three by himself."

"Later, we also received some information from Tang Xuan, which led us to conclude that Su Xin has top ten combat strength. However, due to the lack of publicly convincing achievements, we used the term 'suspected.'" The frail old man explained.

"Is that so?" The man in gray nodded.

The Crimson Dragon Tower had always been meticulous in their work.

What they discovered already indicated that Su Xin had top ten combat strength, but due to the lack of absolutely convincing achievements, they used the term 'suspected' to avoid too much skepticism.

"Impressive, it's only been a little over two months, right?"

The man in gray remembered that he first learned about Su Xin when this young one attempted the Dragon-Seeking Tower a little over two months ago.

He was the guardian of the Dragon-Seeking Tower.

At that time, he was quite amazed by Su Xin's displayed strength, as someone at the initial stage of Sea Transformation could easily pass the first level of the Dragon-Seeking Tower.

For this reason, he personally went to the Heavenflame Palace, intending to recommend this young one to the Heavenflame Palace, allowing him to receive a special recruitment quota in advance.

And now, just over two months later, this young one participated in the Imperial Capital Hunt and had the potential to challenge for the top ten?

Such significant progress in just over two months?

"Old Qingyang, who previously went to great lengths to prevent this young one from entering the Heavenflame Palace, must be dumbfounded seeing his performance in the hunt now."

"Hmph!"

The man in gray snorted coldly, "That stubborn old fellow, having been in the Heavenflame Palace for so many years, still thinking about his former master. If this continues, I fear his position as palace master will come to an end."

The man in gray was quite displeased that Su Xin didn't receive the special recruitment quota from the Heavenflame Palace.

After all, with his status as a Nirvana Realm powerhouse and one of the highest-ranking members of the Crimson Dragon Tower, he personally recommended Su Xin, only to be rejected. Of course, he was displeased.

He also knew that most of the high-ranking powerhouses in the Heavenflame Palace admired Su Xin's talent and agreed to the special recruitment, except for that old fellow Qingyang.

The Heavenflame Palace had three palace masters, and Qingyang was one of them, wielding significant power. He strongly opposed the recruitment and even brought up the incident from over three years ago when Su Xin was personally punished by the Heavenflame Emperor, which led to the suspension of Su Xin's special recruitment quota.

But the man in gray knew that Qingyang's strong opposition was merely following orders from his old master.

"If the Heavenflame Palace doesn't grant the special recruitment quota, then let him participate in the Imperial Capital Hunt and seize a disciple quota with absolute strength... This young one has ambition, I like it."

The man in gray smiled, then stood up, placing the fishing rod on his shoulder.

"When does the next phase of the hunt begin?" The man in gray asked.

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread.com".

"The second phase of the hunt is in three days, taking place within the Imperial Capital, followed by the final phase three days later," the frail old man replied.

"Alright, keep an eye on it. If that young one makes it to the final phase, let me know, and I'll go take a look myself." The man in gray smiled.

These words surprised the frail old man.

For someone of this man's status to personally go and watch...

It meant that this man valued Su Xin more than just a little.

"Yes."

The frail old man nodded respectfully, then turned and left.

And the estate, including the lake before them, returned to its quiet state.