Sovereign of Stars

Chapter 54 – The Duel That Was Three Years Late

Three days passed quickly.

Imperial Capital, Martial Arena.

This is a massive venue, capable of accommodating hundreds of thousands of spectators at once.

The Imperial Capital Hunt, in its third and final stage, takes place within this Martial Arena.

In fact, not just this time...

Every Imperial Capital Hunt of the Heavenflame Dynasty is generally divided into three stages. The rules for the competition among geniuses in the first two stages vary and often change, but the final stage of the hunt has almost never been altered.

This final stage of the hunt is purely based on strength, a one-on-one duel!

Moreover, the first stage of the hunt is not open to the public, and the second stage is only observed by powerful figures from major forces and sects.

Only this final third stage of the hunt is absolutely open to the public.

In the Imperial Capital, countless nobles and commoners, as long as they can purchase tickets, can enter the Martial Arena to watch.

At this moment, the audience seats in the Martial Arena are packed with people.

When the thirty-six geniuses who advanced to the third stage of the hunt appeared in the center of the venue, led by someone, the entire arena erupted in an uproar.

Countless eyes focused on these thirty-six geniuses.

Among them, a few were particularly eye-catching.

"That's Xia Mang, right? He should be the strongest in this hunt. I heard he's a member of the Imperial Family."

"Top three for sure, but not necessarily the strongest. After all, until the final moment, who knows if these geniuses have hidden their true strength."

"I think Xia Mang is the strongest. Look at him, he clearly doesn't regard the other geniuses present."

Countless eyes were on Xia Mang, who stood in the center of the venue with a cold and arrogant demeanor.

Despite being watched by so many, Xia Mang's expression remained unchanged.

"Look, that big monk, that's Wu Chao. He's barefoot, smiling, and seems so approachable."

"That's Duan Yunfeng, right? I heard his swordsmanship is extremely formidable."

One by one, the geniuses were recognized.

"Where's Su Xin? Which of those geniuses below is Su Xin?"

"Over there, the one in black with a sword. Look at him, so young. I heard he's only nineteen this year, but in terms of strength, among all the geniuses in this hunt, besides Xia Mang, no one dares to claim they can definitely beat him."

"To have such strength at such a young age..."

Many people were also paying attention to Su Xin.

With the end of the second stage of the hunt, Crimson Dragon Tower released the latest genius intelligence to the public, not just to the participating geniuses but to everyone. Therefore, the audience watching the final stage of the hunt was also aware of the information about the top geniuses in this hunt.

Geniuses like Xia Mang, Su Xin, Tu San, Wu Chao, and Duan Yunfeng, who were among the top in strength and had the potential to be in the top ten, naturally attracted a lot of attention.

And Su Xin, being the youngest and with the lowest cultivation among these geniuses, yet also among the top in strength, was particularly noticeable.

"There are just too many people."

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Su Xin looked around at the dense crowd and the overwhelming noise, sighing inwardly.

Tens of thousands of people gathered in one venue, it was too lively.

Su Xin, being a scion of a prominent family, although young, had some experience and could adapt.

But some of the geniuses from the provinces and counties were visibly nervous.

Su Xin surveyed the surroundings, also observing some of the geniuses.

Xia Mang's face was indifferent, with a hint of arrogance, as if no other genius was worth his attention.

Only when Su Xin's gaze fell on him did Xia Mang return a glance, with a hint of battle intent in his eyes.

"Want to fight me?"

Su Xin smiled, then looked at the big monk Wu Chao.

Wu Chao was always smiling, giving off an incredibly warm and friendly vibe. Noticing Su Xin's gaze, Wu Chao clasped his hands together and smiled at Su Xin, performing a Buddhist salute.

"I've broken through to the peak Sea Transformation, my strength has surged. Among the thirty-six geniuses who have made it to the final stage, besides Xia Mang, only this big monk Wu Chao poses a threat to me." Su Xin looked at Wu Chao seriously.

For some reason, he always felt this big monk was even more terrifying than Xia Mang.

In the previous second stage of the hunt, it seemed he and Xia Mang performed the best, but he later learned that this big monk hadn't even exerted his full strength, deliberately losing at the fourteenth round.

Aside from these two, the remaining geniuses...

Though Tu San was formidable, Su Xin was absolutely confident of defeating him.

As for Duan Yunfeng... Up until now, Duan Yunfeng had been hiding much of his strength. Su Xin had only seen him use a trump card once. If it were before his breakthrough, Su Xin wouldn't have been confident of victory, but now, he was sure he could defeat Duan Yunfeng.

At this moment, Su Xin's gaze suddenly locked onto someone.

His eyes immediately turned cold.

And this person was Situ Yu!

"Su Xin!"

Situ Yu also had a sullen face, glaring at Su Xin.

Their eyes met, filled with a murderous intent.

The Su Family and the Situ Family were sworn enemies, long past the point of no return.

Both of them, as the top geniuses of their respective families, were destined for a showdown to the death.

Now, meeting their enemy, their eyes burned with hatred!

If this weren't the Imperial Capital Hunt, but another place or occasion, they would have started fighting immediately.

"Hopefully, in the final stage of the hunt, I'll have the chance for a one-on-one duel with you." Su Xin spoke, his voice not loud, but Situ Yu heard it.

"Hmph, we'll see!"

Situ Yu merely snorted coldly, saying no more.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two figures suddenly appeared on the high platform at the front of the venue, near the center.

These two were a man and a woman.

The man was an elderly man in a green robe, with a lean face and a well-groomed mustache. Though he had a slight smile on his lips, he gave off a somewhat sinister vibe.

As for the woman, she was a graceful and charming beauty. Despite her age, she maintained her figure and appearance well, exuding a mature allure, especially with her crimson lips, extremely enticing, every move captivating.

The appearance of these two immediately drew the attention of everyone present.

"It's the Palace Master Qingyang and Palace Master Diyue of Heavenflame Palace."

"According to tradition, in the final stage of each hunt, Heavenflame Palace sends a Palace Master to personally attend. But this time, they sent two?"

"The Palace Masters of Heavenflame Palace are said to be top experts of the Nirvana Realm!"

The venue was filled with discussions and exclamations.

Many dignitaries, including powerful figures from various forces and sects, like Elder Mo from Tianye Sect, stood up respectfully upon seeing the two Palace Masters.

Among the thirty-six geniuses standing in the center of the venue, all except Wu Chao looked up, their eyes somewhat fervent as they gazed at the two Palace Masters.

Their ultimate goal in participating in the Imperial Capital Hunt was to join Heavenflame Palace.

"Qingyang, the level of geniuses in this hunt is much higher than in previous years."

"They are indeed more outstanding. Otherwise, you and I wouldn't have needed to come together."

The two Palace Masters of Heavenflame Palace sat down in their respective seats, exchanging a casual remark.

"Hmm?"

Palace Master Diyue's expression suddenly shifted, looking towards a corner of the venue, "That person, he's here too?"

Palace Master Qingyang followed her gaze, immediately spotting a man in gray sitting in an inconspicuous corner of the audience, leisurely tapping the armrest.

"He's sitting there?"

Palace Master Diyue's expression was peculiar. Given his status, he was fully qualified to sit with them.

Though puzzled, Palace Master Diyue still smiled at him, as a greeting.

The man in gray nodded slightly.

As for Palace Master Qingyang, he also wanted to greet him with a smile, but the man in gray didn't even look at him, turning his head away instead.

Palace Master Qingyang's expression turned somewhat awkward.

"Haha~~ Qingyang, it seems you offended him last time, and now he holds a big grudge against you." Palace Master Diyue laughed.

"I'm not saying you should, but given his status, he personally came to Heavenflame Palace to recommend someone. You should have given him some face, especially since the Su Xin he recommended indeed has high talent, fully meeting our special recruitment requirements."

"Now look, he holds such a big grudge against you, and the Su Xin he recommended is participating in the Imperial Capital Hunt, almost certainly making it into the top ten to enter Heavenflame Palace. I heard that in the second stage of the hunt, Su Xin relied on defensive swordsmanship to pass the sixteenth round of attacks in the Heart of Heaven Realm, which is simply incredible."

"Alright, enough." Palace Master Qingyang waved his hand, speaking in a deep voice, "I admit I underestimated Su Xin's talent. I didn't expect him to improve so ridiculously in just over two months. But at that time, he barely met our special recruitment requirements, and he had been personally punished by His Majesty before. Not giving him a special recruitment spot was justified."

"Oh, is that really all?" Palace Master Diyue looked at Palace Master Qingyang with interest.

Being in the same Heavenflame Palace and both being Palace Masters, Palace Master Diyue was well aware of certain things, though she never spoke of them.

At this moment...

"His Majesty arrives!"

A sharp voice pierced the air, echoing throughout the entire venue.

Instantly, the massive Martial Arena, which had been extremely noisy, fell silent in the next moment.

Under everyone's gaze, a middle-aged man in imperial robes, with a mustache, walked to the central throne on the high platform of the venue.

Immediately, everyone present, including the two Palace Masters of Heavenflame Palace, stood up to pay their respects.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" The voices were thunderous.

"Heavenflame Emperor."

Su Xin also respectfully saluted, unable to resist glancing at the middle-aged man in imperial robes above.

It was this Heavenflame Emperor who ordered him imprisoned in the Magic-Sealing Prison for three years.

Despite this, Su Xin did not hold a grudge against the Heavenflame Emperor.

After all, his absence from the battle three years ago indeed disappointed everyone, including the Heavenflame Emperor, who had been looking forward to the battle and personally attended to watch.

The fact that the Heavenflame Emperor only imprisoned him in the Magic-Sealing Prison afterward, rather than executing him on the spot, was actually a mercy.

Moreover, when the Su Family faced its greatest crisis after the death of the Su Family's ancestor, it was the Heavenflame Emperor who gave the Su Family a lifeline, offering him the chance to marry the Ninth Princess, which he failed to seize.

The Heavenflame Emperor had already been exceedingly kind to the Su Family.

Neither the Su Family nor Su Xin himself harbored any resentment toward the Heavenflame Emperor.

"Rise." The Heavenflame Emperor raised his hand.

Everyone stood up.

An official brought a jade tray to the Heavenflame Emperor, on which were jade slips inscribed with the names of the geniuses.

A total of thirty-six jade slips, corresponding to the thirty-six geniuses who entered the third stage of the hunt.

"In the final stage of each hunt, the order of the one-on-one duels is generally determined by the high-ranking members of Crimson Dragon Tower through analysis and comparison of strength. Only the first match, the opening battle, is personally chosen by His Majesty. I wonder which two geniuses His Majesty will select for the opening battle this time."

Everyone in the venue was filled with anticipation.

The Heavenflame Emperor casually glanced at the jade slips, then picked out two and handed them to the official.

The official, carrying the jade slips, went to the center of the venue and handed them to the purple-haired elder hosting the hunt.

After looking at them, the purple-haired elder's grand voice resounded throughout the venue.

"Third stage hunt, one-on-one duel!"

"First match: Su Xin versus... Situ Yu!"

Standing in the center of the venue, Su Xin and Situ Yu both looked up instantly upon hearing this.

Su Xin's eyes even showed a hint of excitement and surprise.

"I just said I hoped to meet Situ Yu in a one-on-one duel in this final hunt, and now it's happening."

"And it's the first match, the opening battle!!"

Su Xin couldn't help but clench his fists, his gaze becoming sharp and cold.

"Situ Yu... This battle, delayed for over three years, I, Su Xin, am here!"