"The power structure," Shi Chun thought, "is different in the Shengshen Continent. Although the Star Lords do not report directly to the Right and Left Ministers, they answer directly to the Heavenly King, who is the highest authority in Shengshen Continent. The Right and Left Ministers, despite their higher status than the Star Lords, have no direct jurisdiction over the regions. They merely serve as the left and right arms of the Heavenly King."

Under normal circumstances, it was rare for all seven Star Lords to attend an event together.

Usually, the seven Star Lords wouldn't deem such occasions worthy of their presence unless they knew the Right Minister would be there. Otherwise, it would seem as if they were not giving the Right Minister due respect.

This time, the Domain Masters didn't audaciously take their seats as before; they all stood respectfully behind their respective Star Lords.

After a long wait, the Right Minister still hadn't shown up, and murmurs of confusion about his delayed arrival began to grow louder.

After all, with all seven Star Lords making an appearance, it seemed inappropriate for the Right Minister to keep everyone waiting without any explanation.

Just as the sunlight pierced through the mountains surrounding the parade ground, casting its rays on the top of a huge frozen column and reflecting a blinding light amidst the immense cold air,

at that moment, a man hurried over, bowed respectfully in front of the seven Star Lords and said, "Honorable Star Lords, there has been an urgent matter with the prince, calling away the Right Minister. He won't be able to make it for now and asks that you continue as usual."

The crowd found it odd. What urgent matter could have caused the Right Minister to break his appointment at such a crucial moment?

The seven Star Lords looked around at each other, and one stood up and said, "You may proceed."

With no intention of staying any longer, he promptly left.

Not just him, the other six Star Lords also left without a word.

A children's trifle to them. If it were not for the expected arrival of the Right Minister, they wouldn't have bothered showing their faces.

A competition among High Martial monks, in their eyes, was nothing more than child's play.

It seemed like a bustling scene inside the West Pole contest area, drawing some attention due to representing conflicts of interest. Once dissociated from those interests, it was merely a brawl among early-stage High Martial competitors, not worthy of attention from the major sects or these significant figures.

The casual attitude of the Right Minister, deciding not to attend without much concern, was also evident.

The remaining Domain Masters looked at each other, uncertain about what to do next.

"What should we do?" Wei Mo spoke out, as Sheng Province was ranked number one, and he genuinely cared about the outcome.

The less well-ranked Domain Masters couldn't care less about how things should proceed.

And so, it eventually fell to Wei Mo to go through the motions.

With the Right Minister absent, there was no need to follow the cumbersome protocols. After clarifying the procedures, he simplified them.

Just as the audience in the parade ground began to feel perplexed about why the event hadn't started yet, a figure soared across the sky and landed on the huge frozen column—it was Wei Mo.

After surveying the crowd, he stomped his foot. The ground trembled slightly, and cracks quickly spread across the ice armor on the great column.

With a thunderous crash, the thick ice armor suddenly collapsed like a collapsing mountain, piling up at the base of the column like shattered jade, guarding the column with cold air emanating like smoke.

A gigantic four-sided column was revealed, each side carved with large, clearly visible characters.

The same inscription was on all four sides: The rankings of the Sky Rain Meteor Conference.

From the first-ranked province to the tenth.

Then from the first-ranked sect to the tenth.

Followed by rankings from the first to the tenth individual.

The first-ranked province was Sheng Province, the first-ranked sect was Wukang Mountain, and the first-ranked individual was Shi Chun.

Huddled in a pavilion, Wu Jinliang elbowed Shi Chun excitedly and whispered, "Look, our names are up there."

Shi Chun maintained a calm exterior, but internally, he was also thrilled, feeling that he had finally made a name for himself. He wondered if that person would notice him after today.

His biggest trouble now was that when that woman was still around, his name was "Chun." He wondered if she would recognize that "Shi Chun" was him.

Weiying also saw her name, ranked fourth among individuals.

It was her first time seeing her name displayed before so many people, and she felt somewhat embarrassed by the unintended honor of being an uninvolved fourth place.

Seeing Wukang Mountain indeed ranked first, Bian Jixiong's face showed a complex expression, feeling undeserving and fearing impending calamity.

"Mother, Shi Chun really is ranked first," Miao Yilan whispered to her mother, turning her head slightly.

Looking at the names on the ranking, Lan Qiaoyan smiled wryly and shook her head, her face filled with emotion. With her husband's well-informed nature, she had a rough idea of the entire journey Shi Chun completed to win the championship. His bold and daring actions were indeed in the style of the Master of East Nine Plain—unmistakable.

It was merely a shift from the Land of Exile to the West Pole, a change of location for his plundering.

She felt uneasy for the side of Xuan State, as the first prize had been taken away by Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang like that.

Everyone with clear sight knew that the Sky Rain Meteor Conference was just a minor event; the real stage of action was outside the conference. This event was only temporary, but the continuous existence of various powers outside was permanent.

These two guys were really daring—weren't they afraid of being killed by the forces from Xuan State?

Even her husband asked her and their daughter to keep a proper distance from them, fearing they would get dragged into trouble.

Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, two figures flew onto the stone pillar, standing to the left and right of Wei Mo.

One of them cast a spell and announced loudly, "Sheng Province's Wukang Mountain, earned the first place in the Sky Rain Meteor Conference, please come up to receive the reward!"

As soon as the words fell, people immediately pointed and guided Bian Jixiong to come forward.

Bian Jixiong dared not hesitate; he flew up and also landed on the top of the stone pillar.

Wei Mo, with a smile, handed a decree to Bian Jixiong, "Sect Leader Bian, congratulations. After the meeting, take this to the Royal Court Manufacturing Bureau, and the bureau will create a special pass exclusively for Wukang Mountain disciples for Xun Gate, facilitating free movement throughout Shengshen Continent for your sect's disciples."

Everything was finally settled down. He was in a very good mood today, and it was the first time he spoke to Bian Jixiong with such a good attitude, making Bian Jixiong overwhelmed and continuously nodding and bowing in acknowledgment.

The caller immediately cast another spell and announced to the whole venue, "All disciples of Wukang Mountain, you have won the right to pass all Xun Gate in Shengshen Continent for free permanently!"

Despite hearing it beforehand, when officially announced, a tide-like commotion still erupted on the venue.

The fee to use Xun Gate was not cheap, and the whole sect's disciples enjoying a permanent free passage—it wasn't just the enormous benefit outlined but the honor itself was incredible. To be the only sect in Shengshen Continent to enjoy this honor, a perpetual pride shared among all the sect's disciples!

Even if Bian Jixiong was feeling insecure, at this moment, his blood was boiling. Regardless, this honor would shine permanently over Wukang Mountain!

"Damn it, Wukang Mountain just got some damn good luck, grabbing the first place with two previously locked up fillers," someone blurted out, voicing their envy and jealousy.

Similar envious and bitter words suddenly emerged in abundance.

Elder Wu Handong from Jieyun Mountain and his group sat silently, their faces tensed. They were the leading sect of Sheng Province and imagined that the attention Bian Jixiong was receiving should belong to them.

Of course, they wouldn't dare claim that, without Wukang Mountain, they could have won the first place in Shengshen Continent—it'd be laughable to suggest that, but being outdone by Wukang Mountain was equally laughable to them, leaving a sour taste in their mouths.

Elder Lin quietly asked, "Senior brother, the Domain Master mentioned that the sect that wins the first place in Sheng Province would get a Xun Gate built right at their doorstep, is that true?"

This remark made Wu Handong feel even worse. Without Wukang Mountain, they might not win the first place in Shengshen Continent, but they could have won the first place in Sheng Province.

That means, because of Wukang Mountain's unexpected emergence, the Xun Gate that should have been placed at Jieyun Mountain's doorstep got snatched away, and they couldn't even complain about it.

In the entire Shengshen Continent, only a few sects had a Xun Gate at their doorstep. The opportunity had been within Jieyun Mountain's reach.

The value of a Xun Gate was immense; having one could turn barren wilds into a bustling city. Didn't the domain masters from various states desperately compete for them?

Having a Xun Gate right at the doorstep, along with permanent free passage rights, Wu Handong could only fume inwardly as he envisioned the access convenience Wukang Mountain was about to achieve, turning his head to scold his accompanying disciple Bai Shuchuan, "Useless trash!"

Bai Shuchuan felt wronged and lowered his head, his eyes red.

He believed he had fought desperately, leading his fellow disciples into the Moon Sea, fighting monsters to come out of the Moon Sea, and did everything possible to clinch a top position. He thought he was first, only for such a monster from Wukang Mountain to suddenly appear.

He wanted to ask, if I, like Shi Chun, pretended to be Mulan Qingqing's fiancé, would you elders be afraid, could you protect me?

Up in the VIP stands, the Domain Master of Xuan State, Chi Rang, also had a bad taste in his mouth, his face showing evident regret.

The award of the permanent passage right through the Xun Gate was actually his suggestion and something he had fought hard for.

Originally, it was tailored for Su Yuan Sect to convince them to contribute significantly and help him secure more Xun Gate placements for Xuan State.

With so many disciples in Su Yuan Sect and having a Xun Gate at their doorstep, the allure of free passage through the gate was evident. Consequently, Su Yuan Sect sent their qualified elite disciples, including Mulan Qingqing, clearly for this reason.

Who would have thought his efforts to gain benefits would dress others for their wedding, he thought.

"Alas!" At this moment, all he could do was sigh.

He had tried to overturn the results later, but faced too much resistance and ultimately had to accept fate.

Bian Jixiong, standing on the stone pillar, bowed all around the venue as a gesture of concession.

After a short pause, Wei Mo patted his arm, smiling and said, "The rewards promised by Sheng Province I will not go back on. Make ready to choose the site when you get back; once the Royal Court here starts construction, you'll be given priority. Alright, you can go down now; don't obstruct others."

He was really in high spirits—striving to excel had never been imagined by Sheng Province to produce a first place, giving him a tremendous surprise. Holding any dissatisfaction towards Wukang Mountain now seemed a bit unreasonable.

Always feeling insecure, Bian Jixiong had actually forgotten about building a Xun Gate at his doorstep for a moment. This reminder had him almost numbed by the continuous benefits brought by being first. It excited him quite a bit.

A thought even flashed through his mind—gaining such great benefits, perhaps even offending others was worth it?

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