Allocation of Slots

What King Daqin said, Su Yu did not know. Su Yu was not old. Deep down, he was still hot-blooded and impulsive, and he did not always think things through completely, not to mention that sliver of kindness that still lingered in his heart. Yet there were people teaching him, instructing him by personal example. *Cast aside your kindness. Lay down responsibility. You cannot bear its weight!* *You are merely Su Yu. You are just one among the countless billions of the human race. Without you, the human race remains the human race; you are not indispensable.* *Do not fancy yourself a savior!* *You are no saint.* *Those who prosper help all under heaven, but you can barely keep yourself alive, so how dare you speak of saving the world?* Certain voices still rang in his ears. Certain memories had not yet been erased. Perhaps, without those words, today would have been an entirely different scene. He would have racked his brains to help the human race fend off every crisis, found a way to secure the Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus for King Daqin, devised a way to help the humans produce another Half-Emperor... found a way to introduce the three Half-Emperors to the human race, found a way to let humans take control of the thirty-six ancient cities, and given the bearer objects on his person to human experts who needed them to attain the Dao. Yet Su Yu had done none of that. He had not done it! He had done nothing of the sort! Ever since gaining control of the ancient cities, apart from a single trip to Liu City, he had done nothing and taken no sides. Because the human race still possessed dozens of Invincibles, while he, Su Yu, was nothing at all. No matter how much he sacrificed, in the end, it would likely be taken for granted rather than earning him the title of savior. A true savior only appeared at the very brink of doom, truly delivering everyone from destruction. People had to endure despair, feel the peril, and suffer the agony—only at that moment would you be their savior! Otherwise, you were not one, nor would you ever count as one. ... All of this, Su Yu understood intimately right now. He might not have analyzed it so deeply on his own, but he knew plenty of scheming old foxes, and all of them were teaching him. Even Niu Baidao had taught him long ago: it did not matter what you thought; what mattered was what everyone else thought! The opinions of a minority did not matter! Therefore, there was no need to care about what a few individuals thought. At this moment, Su Yu sat atop the ancient city, looking coldly upon all directions. His strength had not reached the Invincible Realm, but that did not matter. Even Invincibles dared not make a move against him here, and that was enough. All of this was something he, Su Yu, had fought for and won by himself. Perhaps... on the day he was besieged, if more than a dozen Invincibles had come to rescue him, Su Yu would never have converted into an ancient city resident. And had he not converted, there would be no Lord of the Ancient Cities today. Perhaps everything would have been rewritten. Yet there were no "what ifs"! King Daxia and King Daming had come that day, but they were not enough. The others had not stepped forward, so Su Yu had no choice but to convert into a resident. Thus, today came to pass. As for King Daqin and the others issuing orders to execute the Dragon Silkworm King, while it had indeed signaled support for him, that had not been the primary objective; the main goal had been to salvage the human race's situation. Naturally, Su Yu had already repaid that debt—the last time he aided the human race, the slate was wiped clean. Even if King Daqin and the others had not gone to slay the Dragon Silkworm King, Su Yu would have been fine. Still, on that day, Su Yu had been deeply moved. On that day, King Daqin had declared that he was Su Yu of the human race, and that the myriad races were not permitted to kill him. Yet those past impulses and that fiery blood had once again been suppressed by Su Yu in the wake of Wan Tiansheng's actions and the emergence of certain figures. Atop the ancient city, Su Yu thought of many things. His gaze drifted slightly. It was not until the void rippled and a palace descended that Su Yu snapped back to reality. Beside him, an ancient palace had materialized. "The Hunting Heaven Pavilion arrives late!" An aged voice resonated, carrying a hint of a smile. "Please take no offense, everyone. Wandering the void makes the journey take a bit longer." Su Yu glanced sideways. The palace gates remained tightly shut, revealing no one within. However, he sensed someone observing him from inside this very palace of the Hunting Heaven Pavilion. Su Yu smiled, raised a hand, and called out, "Which department minister, pavilion master, or tower master has arrived? The Xuan Division Elder of the Hunting Heaven Pavilion, Xuanjia, greets you!" The moment those words were spoken, silence fell over the surroundings. Su Yu smiled. "Since we are family, why not come over and sit?" The aged voice sounded once more, laced with amusement. "Elder Su is too polite. This old man is the Minister of the Tian Division. Let us forgo it for today; we can converse in person when the opportunity arises in the future." Su Yu chuckled heartily. "Fine! The Minister of the Tian Division... perhaps Big Brother Xinghong knows you. Next time you come to my place, you can reminisce with him. If that doesn't work, I'll call Big Brother Hongmeng over to chat. Perhaps you are all old friends! Not many have survived from the ancient era!" "..." Silence reigned on all sides as everyone listened quietly. They too wished to know the true background of this Minister of the Tian Division. The Hunting Heaven Pavilion was simply too mysterious an organization. Yet everyone knew that the two most enigmatic titans of the Hunting Heaven Pavilion were the Master of the East Pavilion and the Minister of the Tian Division. Both were likely survivors from the ancient era, and even if not, they were ancient antiques of that caliber. The Hunting Heaven Pavilion had not been spared from blows; joint sieges by the myriad races were hardly a novelty. Yet after every siege, it had quickly risen from the ashes, and all of this was tied to these two old monsters. The Minister of the Tian Division rarely revealed himself, yet he had actually shown up today. It came as quite a surprise! This figure was likely close to the Half-Emperor Realm, or perhaps was a Half-Emperor already. Among the Invincibles present, there were probably very few who could match him—King Dazhou of the humans, the White-Haired Heavenly King of the Gods, Demon King Moge of the Demons, Immortal King Tianxuan of the Immortals... Only these few might stand a fighting chance. Su Yu exchanged a few pleasantries and spoke no further. Soon, he swept his eyes across the surrounding palaces, spotting experts from many races. The mysterious Destiny race, the eerie Tianyuan race, the Ancient Iron-Eating race, the Spatial Beast race, the Archaic Giant race, the Heavenly Spirit Ape race, the Five Elements race, the Suanni race, the Mountain-Breaking Ox race, the Xuan Armor race... Some Invincibles had arrived in person, while others had not. Even among those who came, most were merely three-life embodiments; rarely did anyone descend with all three bodies merged into their true self. The Allheaven Battlefield was far too perilous! If a three-life embodiment was destroyed, there was still a chance to recover. If the true self perished, everything was lost. On the Allheaven Battlefield, one rarely saw experts with their three bodies fused, especially after a batch of Invincibles had perished not long ago. The White-Haired God King glanced around as well and spoke indifferently, "Most of the races are here. Those who haven't arrived will be deemed to have forfeited this opportunity! Has Wan Tiansheng not come?" Someone chuckled. "Wan Tiansheng probably won't come. If he shows up, it would be awkward for King Dazhou and the others to strike, and just as awkward not to strike. In my view, he won't be coming!" "My, don't say that!" Right at that moment, the void trembled, and an exquisitely seductive woman stepped out, trembling with laughter like a blooming flower. "Thank you all for your kind regard. Tiansheng cannot come as he needs to undergo secluded cultivation. I have come on his behalf to attend this gathering. Surely you won't spurn a humble maiden like me?" "..." Dead silence! At this moment, even King Dazhou could not help rubbing his brow. He would rather Wan Tiansheng had come; at least that would have been more normal. Goosebumps erupted all over Su Yu's body as the woman laughed enchantingly. "Little Su-su, I'm so scared. They're going to kill me. Won't you invite me into the city to take shelter? I'm terrified!" "..." Su Yu, who had just been acting overwhelmingly overbearing and demonic, swallowed hard and stammered, "I must trouble Lady Yunxiao to open Yunxiao Sacred City and let Lan... Lan... cough, cough, go inside for a seat!" The woman cast a sorrowful, reproachful glance at Su Yu, wearing the look of an abandoned lover. "Why won't you invite me to your place for a seat? I wanted to have a good chat with you. You truly have no heart!" "..." Su Yu genuinely could not bear it. If this were a normal woman, that would be one thing, but the key issue was... Lan Tian was a man, wasn't he? Well, he didn't actually know. In any case, Lan Tian had become a complete deviant by now—that much he knew for certain. He had no desire to sit alongside Lan Tian; it would give him goosebumps all over. Su Yu offered a strained laugh. "Well, Cult Master Lan had better head over there and take a seat. Since the myriad races invited you, whether anyone enters or not, it's always good to snatch a few slots, even if you just give them away for free. If you come over to my side, wouldn't people think you're throwing your lot in with me?" "True enough!" The bewitching woman smiled charmingly and strolled toward Yunxiao Ancient City, allowing Su Yu to breathe a sigh of relief. Among the experts of the myriad races, some looked on with indifference, some with strange expressions, and some even wore faint smiles, clearly unbothered by Lan Tian's eccentricity. Su Yu grumbled inwardly and paid it no further heed. Lan Tian had actually come! What was Old Wan planning? If he obtained slots, did he intend to enter personally? Or give them to Lan Tian? How bizarre! Just then, the White-Haired God King spoke up, smiling faintly. "Since everyone has arrived, let us discuss the distribution of slots! There are 3,240 standard slots and 360 special passage slots. What we are dividing here are the standard slots. As for the special passage slots, everyone must rely on their own capabilities!" At this, the Dao King of the Immortals remarked calmly, "The Immortals have always held 810 standard slots. All slots for the northern passage belong to the Immortals. This is an ironclad rule!" "The south belongs entirely to the Demons!" Demon King Moge spoke from the Demon race's side. Moge had another identity—he was an ancestor of Moduona and a formidable Demon King of the Primal Demon race. The White-Haired God King chuckled. "If we go by the old rules, the Gods occupy the western passage, while the eastern passage is left for everyone else to divide?" Su Yu remained silent, and King Dazhou said nothing either. At this moment, the experts of the other races had peculiar expressions, seemingly waiting for the human race to speak. King Dazhou glanced at Su Yu, then turned his eyes toward the Hunting Heaven Pavilion. Su Yu yawned, produced the little fur ball, and kneaded it casually, not the least bit in a hurry. There was no need to be the vanguard. He wasn't in any rush! He hadn't planned on using the standard passages anyway; special passages would do just fine. Anything went. Before the humans could speak, a Dragon race expert said in a low voice, "If we are still following the old rules, do the slots previously promised to the humans still count?" When the various races had previously entered the Human Realm, they had promised a number of slots to the humans. The White-Haired God King smiled. "They count, of course they count! Witnessed by the myriad races, how could they not?" The Dragon King said in a heavy voice, "The two hundred slots promised to the human race were extra! According to your logic, subtracting those two hundred, what remains to be divided among the rest of us is merely 610 slots from the east?" Six hundred and ten! To be carved up among the hundred races! Races with Invincibles would all expect to walk away with a few slots. Moge said indifferently, "That is your business. Those two hundred belong to the humans. As for how many more the humans can seize, you may divide the rest amongst yourselves!" At this point, King Dazhou, who had remained silent all this while, smiled faintly. "Dividing it like this doesn't seem very fair, does it?" Moge replied coldly, "Then how does King Dazhou propose we divide them fairly?" King Dazhou chuckled softly. "In my view, we should allocate them according to the number of Eternals each race possesses. There is no need for them to come in person; projecting a phantasm will suffice. Let me see how many Eternals exist in the myriad realms, and we can distribute the slots based on that count!" Nonsense! The major strong races could not be bothered to entertain such words, as was the case for several ancient races. Aside from the humans—whose Invincibles had all attained the Dao within the past four hundred years, making their numbers common knowledge—how could anyone know the exact number of Invincibles dwelling within the other races? If they claimed thirty, they might actually have fifty. Revealing them all would expose their true foundations. Yet underreporting would mean losing out on slots. King Dazhou's proposal held nothing but ill intent. The human race had laid all its cards on the table, but the other races certainly had not. At this moment, Su Yu chimed in with a grin, "You know what, that works! In my Sacred City Alliance, we have thirty-five ancient Eternals. With the Ancient God-Devouring race added in, there are three Half-Emperors—wait, three Eternals, five Half-Emperors... let me calculate... 120 slots should be enough!" Su Yu laughed heartily. "This is quite fair. I'm not asking for much: only three Invincibles and five Half-Emperors. Out of over three thousand slots, it's not like the myriad realms possess over a thousand Invincibles, right?" "A hundred and twenty should be considered modest!" "..." Many turned to look at Su Yu. Was he serious? A hundred and twenty! That was a massive appetite. The Invincibles of your ancient cities were different from ordinary Invincibles; they could not simply leave at will. Seeing everyone staring at him, Su Yu shrugged and smiled. "Don't look at me like that. What's the matter? I haven't even counted the Invincibles from the dead spirit realm! If I factored them in, I'd have several hundred Invincibles on my side—giving me a thousand slots would be entirely justified!" "..." The Dao King chuckled faintly. "City Lord Su jokes. Besides... the ancient cities do not need so many slots, do they?" Su Yu said with a grin, "Don't single me out; I'm just making a suggestion. Everything is negotiable! Besides, if I have excess slots, I can sell them! Why don't you all allocate more to me, and whoever wants to buy can buy from me! You would otherwise have to fight tooth and nail, which is far too troublesome. Wouldn't it be better to give me a larger share and purchase them from me in the end? How about that?" His laughter echoed in all directions. While the Invincibles negotiated within the grand palaces, the geniuses and experts of the various races on the island were listening as well. This assembly was known throughout the myriad realms and was no secret. Some Invincibles who had not attended in person were likely watching the broadcast at this very moment. Hearing Su Yu's words, many wore peculiar expressions. This man truly had no taboos, openly talking about selling slots—he was probably the very first to ever do so. The surrounding palaces fell silent once more. At that moment, an expert from an ancient race spoke slowly, "In past assemblies, our demands were modest—three to five slots were sufficient. Whether Gods, Demons, humans, or Immortals entered the Star Residence Mansion, we paid it little mind. But this time, the Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus is about to mature. Across countless eras, three thousand tides must pass before this treasure ripens once..." A tide was the standard epoch of the Allheaven Battlefield. One tide was ten human years. Three thousand tides—thirty thousand years? Su Yu was somewhat taken aback. This thing matured only once every thirty thousand years? That long? The ancient race expert said softly, "This time, we must contend as well. Countless eras have passed, and while we sometimes abstained and sometimes paid it no heed, this time, my Destiny race demands thirty slots!" "The Tianyuan race demands fifty slots!" "The Nether race, eighty slots!" "The Spatial Beast race, thirty slots!" "..." One ancient race expert after another called out their numbers. In the past, the ancient races asked for very little, easily appeased by three to five slots. Today, however, they were unwilling to yield. All because of the Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus! The experts of the Gods and Demons cast their gazes toward the Hunting Heaven Pavilion. The news of the Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus maturing had almost certainly been leaked by them. It truly presented a headache now. In truth, the major races knew that monopolizing the slots of an entire quadrant would be as difficult as ascending to heaven this time around. Some of these ancient races possessed Half-Emperors! The reason ancient races were called ancient races was that their lineages had persisted unbroken from the ancient era to the present day, with an Invincible overseeing every generation. It was possible that an ancient Invincible among them had long since attained the Dao Merge Realm. Such ancient races might not have many Invincibles—perhaps only a single one—yet that single individual had carried the lineage down through the ages. Whether that person was a Half-Emperor remained unknown to outsiders. Such was the origin of the ancient races! Just like the Ancient God-Devouring race: how many living members did it have? Yet two Half-Emperor-level experts had appeared at once! That was foundation; that was heritage. One ancient race after another spoke up. Meanwhile, Su Yu kept his eyes on the Ancient Iron-Eating race. An expert of that race was currently in his true form, sprawled across a throne in a palace and munching on food. He lifted his head, looked at Su Yu, blinked his large eyes, and gave a slight nod. His movements appeared somewhat sluggish. It was not that he recognized Su Yu, but rather that he had sensed something—the Iron-Eating Seventy-Two Castings! Finding it curious, he said nothing and asked no questions. He simply continued eating! Only after the other ancient races finished speaking did this Iron-Eating expert slowly utter, "The Ancient Iron-Eating race... ten? Our race doesn't seem to have many members; ten should suffice." When he asked for ten, hardly anyone objected. That was a reasonable demand! Ten slots. The Ancient Iron-Eating race possessed a considerable reputation, and while the one present was not their patriarch, he was nonetheless an Invincible. Even so, for an ordinary Invincible to break his defense... would be as difficult as scaling the heavens! This race was most renowned for its defensive might. In the same realm, very few could breach it. Su Yu was the same; if he stood still and let a Soaring Realm strike him, the Soaring Realm would probably knock himself silly. With the ancient races intervening, the slots were even more insufficient. Forget the remaining 610 slots in the east—even 810 would not be enough to satisfy these ancient races. The Hunting Heaven Pavilion had not uttered a single word! That was because the current allocation plan would certainly not pass, and the three major races had little hope of monopolizing an entire passage this time. Originally, the human race had estimated securing eight hundred slots, but that was predicated on the Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus not surfacing. Now that it had, that estimate had become an unattainable pipe dream. Amidst the discussion, Demon King Moge suddenly said, "Since everyone is dissatisfied with this division, are we to ignite an Eternal War just for these slots? How about this: this time, geniuses and experts from every race have arrived. Across the Soaring, Lingyun, Shanhai, and Sun Moon Realms, there are thirty-six levels in total. Each race puts forward one person per level, with each person representing one slot, totaling 3,240 participants! Defeating someone of the same level earns you one slot!" Moge smiled faintly. "That way, we can also gauge everyone's true strength! Each level will gather ninety participants! Whoever sweeps their peers will secure ninety slots, including their own. Of course, it could also be split evenly—for instance, if two people of the same level remain, we can see how many each has defeated..." Moge smiled. "What do you all think? This won't harm our relations, and it tests the younger generation's prowess! If their strength is too pitiful, entering the Star Residence Mansion is merely courting death!" The White-Haired God King chuckled. "Moge, you sly fox! Moduona is here—at first-level Shanhai, who can rival him?" Moge smiled faintly. "You cannot look at it that way. If ninety first-level Shanhai cultivators are placed in a secret realm or minor world, won't the rest join forces? Since we are testing strength, it is not merely a test of one-on-one combat, but an assessment of all facets. If you are powerful enough to achieve solitary victory, those ninety slots are yours... or perhaps you will be eliminated by their combined might?" Was this method fair? Relatively speaking, it was fairly equitable. However, in making this proposal, the major races like the Gods and Demons likely intended to gauge the strength of those entering the mansion. Compete first! Allocate the slots after the contest! Certain geniuses might be targeted or even slain during this process. Naturally, it was also a way to probe everyone's depth. For instance, where could Su Yu possibly assemble geniuses who were invincible among their peers at every level? As for the human race, their talents were somewhat lacking in continuity. If the slots were divided this way, the humans might not secure very many. Meanwhile, the ancient races had always remained mysterious, and this would force them to reveal their hand as well. The moment Moge spoke, someone immediately objected, "This is improper! How many participants should each race dispatch? Thirty-six from every race? What about the surplus? The Gods and Demons are formidable—are they to dispatch only thirty-six as well?" King Dazhou spoke up as well, smiling faintly. "Indeed, it is improper. Pointlessly killing one another and souring relations before even setting foot in the Star Residence Mansion makes little sense! What if a race is completely wiped out? Would they not receive a single slot? Take the Five Elements race, for example. They have quite a few Eternals, yet if all their participants are eliminated, would they not receive a single slot? That would be far too callous!" He did not mention the humans, because the humans would certainly be targeted! Better to pull out a shield first. The Five Elements race remained silent. In truth, their individual combat strength was not exceptionally high; if gang-pressed, they might genuinely fail to secure a single slot, which was not an outcome they wished to see. Across thirty-six levels, the formidable races like the Gods, Demons, and Immortals simply fielded far more experts. Moge said indifferently, "This is improper, that is improper! What, then, do you deem proper? If you want slots, rely on strength! The Eternals do not wish to wage war, yet you also forbid the juniors below from sparring. In that case, let none of us participate! Perhaps before we finish arguing, the Star Residence Mansion will have already opened!" The White-Haired God King added coolly, "Seizing slots based on strength might indeed be fairer. I have no objection!" With that, he turned toward Su Yu and said with a faint smile, "Does City Lord Su have suitable candidates? If not, why doesn't City Lord Su step onto the field to play? I believe that with City Lord Su's strength, sweeping those of your realm will not be difficult. In the Lingyun Realm, there is likely no one who is the City Lord's match. Ninety slots are yours for the taking!" He spoke with a smile, but it was dripping with malice. Su Yu chuckled. "I'll pass. Bullying people is uninteresting! It would needlessly demean my status; an elder picking on juniors is unseemly! Besides... I haven't agreed to this method of seizing slots, have I?" The Dao King smiled faintly. "Could it be that City Lord Su lacks confidence in the experts under the ancient cities?" Su Yu shrugged and laughed. "Don't try to provoke me; I'm young and easily provoked! If you force me onto the field, I don't mind, but let us add one condition: within the same realm, one can challenge upward, but not downward! How about that? For example, I am at the ninth level of Lingyun. Once I sweep the ninth level of Lingyun and claim ninety slots, I'll go fight the first level of Shanhai for another ninety, then the second level for another ninety... If you have no objections, I'd gladly step onto the field to play with you all!" Su Yu said with amusement, "Demon King Moge, if you want to play, fine by me! I think fighting all the way up to the ninth level of Shanhai won't be an issue. If so, I'll take nine hundred slots for myself!" He grinned. "If you're not convinced, Moduona, Zhan Wushuang, Xuan Wuji, and the rest can all come to intercept me. I can certainly keep you company. That would be thrilling! Since it's a contest of strength, let us see where my limits lie. What do you say?" Several people cursed inwardly! Get lost! Truth be told, if they really did that, Su Yu might actually tear through the entire bracket. If he swept away nine hundred slots, everyone would be weeping. What a joke! The Dao King coughed lightly. "That will not be necessary. Restricting it to the same realm will suffice. Doing that would throw everything into chaos!" Su Yu scoffed with utter disdain. "If you truly wish to do this, I have no objections. However, I have my own condition. If you want to proceed, fine, but we must choose the venue for the sparring. For the ninth level of Lingyun, I choose the ancient city! That way, there will be no slaughter, preventing bad blood! If you agree, I have no objection. If you don't... then I reject this proposal!" *Spar right inside the ancient city—let's see you try to scheme against me!* If they agreed, those ninety slots were guaranteed to be his. If they refused, they could go right back to bickering. At that moment, King Dazhou's eyes flickered. "Why stop at the ninth level of Lingyun? If we are truly sparring, I suggest holding all matches within the ancient city! That way, bad blood can be avoided! If you insist on this format, I have no objection either! Additionally, we must set a time limit; we cannot drag this out indefinitely. One hour per match! Proceeding match by match, it will take thirty-six hours!" Without a time limit, a top-tier expert who swept their peers would eventually harvest everyone. With a time limit, one could at least stall. Furthermore, killing was prohibited inside the ancient city—or rather, one could kill, provided they were unafraid of dead spirits cutting them down and being plagued by death qi afterward. King Dazhou could already envision that agreeing to this format would likely lead to human participants being hunted down and slaughtered by groups. Inside the ancient city, it would actually be safest! At the very least, anyone intending to strike a lethal blow would hesitate. The moment they spoke, experts from several ancient races chimed in as well. "If the Gods and Demons insist, I believe the ancient city is quite suitable! Why throw away lives before even entering the mansion? What is the point!" "As for the candidates, if the Gods and Demons wish to field more, that is acceptable too. With a fixed total of 3,240, some races can simply refrain from fielding thirty-six participants, granting some leeway to the Gods, Demons, and Immortals to occupy more slots." "..." Expert after expert voiced their opinions, some agreeing and others dissenting. The method was sound, but they feared the Gods and Demons would murder their racial geniuses. Under these circumstances, the ancient city was genuinely a fine choice! At the very least, killing someone inside the ancient city would draw the pursuit of dead spirits. If you killed one person and wanted to kill a second, you would have to shake off the dead spirits first! Moge frowned slightly, the Dao King smiled faintly, and the White-Haired God King looked around before falling silent for a moment. He said coolly, "Does everyone truly believe sparring within the ancient city is appropriate? After all, the ancient city is City Lord Su's domain." Su Yu bared his teeth in a grin. "Appropriate, of course it's appropriate! With so many people watching me, could I seal the city and slaughter them all? How boring would that be! If I'm going to kill, I would kill Invincibles; what meaning is there in killing those below the Invincible Realm? The Invincibles won't enter the city—you can just watch from outside. Could it be that you all fear I'll play dirty in secret? Of course, during the sparring, the ancient city must be sealed to prevent interference! That is actually the fairest way—once the city is sealed, anyone who meddles will face the consequences! Naturally, activating the ancient city's barrier consumes a great deal; you just need to provide some heavenly origin qi as a service fee, and I'd be delighted to serve you all!" In truth, Su Yu did not oppose this plan; it was quite workable. *I am in the Lingyun Realm!* If the contest took place inside the ancient city, he would participate. Counting his willpower as ninth-level Lingyun, he refused to believe any Lingyun could surpass him. Once the city was sealed, he would beat them half to death, and ninety slots would easily fall into his hands! Why not? In reality, everyone was weighing their options. If they continued wrangling, with everyone demanding more slots this time, it would be nearly impossible to reach an agreement. The appearance of the Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus was the primary reason the slots were so difficult to allocate. As for Su Yu being invincible in his realm and virtually certain to seize dozens of slots... if Su Yu took them, so be it. If he ended up with a surplus, he might genuinely sell them. The critical issue was that every race was contemplating whether they possessed an overwhelmingly powerful figure within each respective level. If not, they could barely compete! They might not secure a single slot! For a time, everyone fell into deep thought. King Dazhou suddenly asked, "Can participants enter the ancient houses?" Moge said coldly, "Then we might as well not compete at all! Everyone can simply run into a house upon entering! That way, entering would guarantee a slot!" Nonsense! If they could enter the ancient houses, what was the point of competing! King Dazhou was not angered and smiled. "Better to clarify in advance to avoid loopholes once the sparring begins! Furthermore, can the ancient city residents intervene?" "They cannot!" Moge said coldly, "King Dazhou, if the human race has the strength, then seize more slots; if not, give them up! Crooked paths will never last!" This fellow thought of nothing but underhanded schemes the moment he opened his mouth. Humans were truly a deceitful bunch! Moge looked around and said indifferently, "The Demon race will field eighty participants—that isn't asking for too much, is it? One participant represents one slot. If you have the ability, eliminate all the Demons, leaving none behind!" "The God race will also field eighty!" "The Immortals as well!" This time, the demands of the major races were not exorbitant. Eighty participants, each representing one slot, was an exceedingly modest demand compared to before. Of course, it also reflected their supreme confidence—confidence that their people would seize far more slots once they entered the fray! As for sparring in the ancient city, it was tacitly accepted by all sides. Gauging each faction's strength came first; there was no rush to slaughter. This time, without dispatching elites, one would receive no slots, so every race would send their finest into the city. That would allow everyone to see the strength of each race's geniuses and experts. That was enough! ... Beside King Dazhou, King Tianzhu transmitted his voice with some concern, "Old Zhou, for the humans... this might not be entirely favorable! Strong as the human race is, when it comes to the same realm, the Gods and Demons are still somewhat stronger. The humans don't even have a single person on the Heaven Ranking right now. Though Qin Fang and Huang Teng are stronger than the rest, securing many slots... will be very difficult!" King Dazhou said softly, "Do you think we still have room to choose? If we keep wrangling, the human race will end up with even less!" With that, King Dazhou spoke aloud once more, "What about the two hundred fixed slots promised to the human race?" Moge said indifferently, "However many a race previously promised, they will give you from what they seize this time! If that race fails to win a single slot, then you get nothing, and you can take it up with them yourself! My Demon race previously promised you eight slots. If we win more than five this time, we will naturally grant them. Could the human race truly fear that we will break our word?" Hearing him say this, King Dazhou gave a slight nod and pressed no further. If they won slots, they would give them; if they didn't, they wouldn't give a damn. However, this meant the humans might end up with even fewer slots. Still, what the major races promised would likely be honored. Regardless, the human race had secured a solid baseline of slots this time. How many more they could seize would depend on strength and luck. He suddenly asked, "Can those who have manifested their three-life embodiments participate?" "They cannot!" Without a second thought, Moge said coolly, "The three-life embodiments touch upon spacetime; it is improper!" He was mainly concerned about several formidable quasi-Invincibles of the human race participating—figures like the Primal Cult Master and Zhu Tiandao, whose strength was excessively monstrous. With that, the various races began discussing amongst themselves. Meanwhile, that faint, eerie voice sounded beside Su Yu's ear once more: "Little Su Yu, what about me? I don't have any candidates on my side. Do you have any spares to lend me? Otherwise, it will be hard for me to explain things to Old Wan!" Su Yu was covered in goosebumps! How agonizing! He could not help saying, "Cult Master Lan, you are at the ninth level of the Sun Moon Realm yourself; just participate in person! You haven't manifested your three-life embodiments either. If that doesn't work, call Manor Lord Wan over too. Both of you are at the ninth level of Sun Moon..." All around, several people froze. Did... did that count? How on earth did Wan Tiansheng count as a ninth-level Sun Moon? He had slaughtered two Invincibles single-handedly, and he counted as a ninth-level Sun Moon? Then everyone else might as well quit! If dozens of ninth-level Sun Moon experts joined forces, they might stand a chance of resisting him, but one-on-one... he would cut down one little fledgling with every strike of his sword. The gap was far too absurd! Of course, Wan Tiansheng seemed to have detonated many of his divine characters and might not possess his previous strength, but he was certainly far more powerful than ordinary ninth-level Sun Moon experts. Lan Tian chirped happily, "True enough! I'm also at the ninth level of Sun Moon. I haven't merged my Dao yet; merging the Daos of the myriad races is just too difficult. Last time I swallowed a bearer object, it had no effect whatsoever, so I'm still at the ninth level of Sun Moon!" The expressions of Moge and the others grew rather unnatural. Was this proposal truly a good idea? These people were outright monsters. Su Yu, Lan Tian—these individuals were freakish anomalies. Could anyone rival them in the same realm? Lan Tian was still manageable; if several ninth-level Sun Moon experts banded together, they could put up a fight. But over on Su Yu's side, there was likely no one in the ninth level of Lingyun who could even scratch him. Su Yu, however, paid no more mind to this. He looked toward the human side, smiling faintly as he wondered who the humans would send onto the stage. The humans had asked for seventy slots, but frankly, he had not seen many human experts capable of sweeping their peers. There were plenty of elders, but many of the older generation had already attained the Dao. Among those who hadn't, the formidable geniuses remaining were few and far between. If luck was against them, the human race might end up with very few slots this time—perhaps fewer than in previous assemblies. "King Dazhou..." Su Yu muttered softly. The Zhou family... was truly an interesting clan. King Dazhou's generation was formidable, and Zhou Potian's generation was formidable, yet when it came to the next generation, not a single member of the Zhou family was famous. There was Shan Xiong, but he had a different surname. Where were the direct descendants of the Zhou family? They seemed to have virtually no renown! They rarely even showed their faces! Earlier, he had known a collateral descendant from the Quest Realm named Zhou Hongbo or something. He didn't even know if the fellow was dead or alive, but his strength had felt utterly mediocre. Would the direct lineage of Old Zhou's family step forward this time? Moreover... Su Yu realized that this current generation seemed rather underwhelming across the board. Xia Huyou and Xia Chan of the Xia family, Zhu Hongwen, Zhu Hongliang, and Zhu Qingyan of the Zhu family... all of them felt rather ordinary. He raised an eyebrow, wondering whether they were all hiding their true abilities or if they were genuinely all useless pigs. Regardless, the preceding generation had seemed quite formidable. Without strength, attaining the Dao would have been impossible. The second generation of the Old Zhu family had been so formidable; could it be that by Zhu Hongliang's generation, they truly knew nothing but eating? With some doubts lingering in his mind, Su Yu said nothing more. If the humans failed to seize many slots, it had nothing to do with him anyway. Sometimes, having more slots did not necessarily mean it was useful. A single slot might just be enough! He truly wished to witness the methods of the various races before entering, especially those ancient races he had never seen before; Su Yu remained intensely curious about them. This provided him with an opportunity to understand them, and incidentally... to see who among them was a Civilization Master! *I love Civilization Masters!* *Commit every last one to memory, so that when I encounter them later, I can reap a fine harvest.*