Chapter 523 - 326: The Top Internal Member
"No wonder what?" Ares asked, keenly catching the implication in Li Wen’s words.
"It’s nothing." Li Wen didn’t want to discuss the recent conflict in front of everyone, so he brushed it off.
Bringing the matter up would only embarrass Isabel and serve no other purpose.
Since the man had threatened him in public, he obviously wasn’t afraid of his intentions being known.
The conversation between them, and especially Ares’s familiar attitude toward Li Wen, once again made the other Saint Realm geniuses in the hall look at him in a new light. The murmurs of amazement grew louder.
"Ares is that close with this Li Wen?"
"And Isabel..."
"Duh, didn’t you hear? Saphis is only making trouble for Li Wen because of Isabel!"
"Tsk, tsk. To be treated as an equal by Ares and earn Isabel’s special attention..."
"But he’s gone and offended Saphis... The Yingge Clan is not to be trifled with..."
Just then, the door to the Star Lord certification room opened.
Saphis Yingge walked out with a blank expression, having clearly completed his certification.
His gaze swept across the hall, and the first thing he saw was Isabel standing quite close to Li Wen.
Seeing the subtle atmosphere between her and Li Wen, the suppressed jealousy in Saphis’s eyes instantly flared, almost bursting forth.
He shot Li Wen a death glare, his eyes bone-chilling and filled with warning and venom.
He then let out a cold snort and strode out of the certification center without a backward glance, an icy aura radiating from him.
"Did you... just have a run-in with him?" Ares, Raymond, and the others were no fools.
Ares, in particular, had clearly felt the intense hostility Saphis directed at Li Wen before he left.
"Nope," Li Wen said, his expression serene. "Probably just crazy. It makes no sense."
His tone carried a trace of disdain.
He truly did not fear Saphis.
As an internal member of the Source Net, he was in the core region of Alka Star.
Especially within the jurisdiction of a Source Net branch, Saphis wouldn’t dare to make a move openly, not even if he had a hundred times the courage.
As for underhanded plots and schemes? Li Wen was even less concerned.
He had no plans to leave the safety of Alka Star alone anytime soon, anyway.
As long as he remained under the protection of the Source Net, not even an immortal powerhouse from the Yingge Clan would dare to touch a single hair on his head, let alone Saphis.
The Source Net was the strongest protective talisman within the Human Race’s cosmic territory.
Soon, it was Li Wen’s turn for certification.
He was guided into a room made of heavy metal, its walls inscribed with complex Law patterns that blocked all forms of external probing.
In the center of the room, an intricate device shimmered with a faint blue light as it hovered silently in the air.
"Relax, don’t resist. There might be slight discomfort."
A High Tier Star Lord Level Source Net staff member operating the device said curtly. His eyes were placid, showing he was clearly accustomed to seeing geniuses.
Li Wen did as he was told and stood still.
A gentle yet powerfully penetrating, invisible wave instantly enveloped him.
The wave bored deep into his very marrow, attempting to precisely measure the marks of time on his Life Origin.
However, when this probing force touched Li Wen’s Dantian, something unexpected happened.
The silver seed of law, condensed from the Time Law and floating silently in the sea of qi within his Dantian, seemed to sense the external "intrusion" and instinctively trembled.
HUMMM—!
An indescribable, bizarre ripple, one that seemed capable of warping the very flow of time, emanated faintly from Li Wen.
Although the ripple’s range was minuscule, confined to the device itself, its fundamental nature caused the instrument’s faint blue light to flicker erratically and emit an extremely soft, yet piercing, buzz.
A sharp glint suddenly flashed in the eyes of the High Tier Star Lord staff member, who had remained impassive until now.
He swiftly and steadily operated the console, forcing the device to stabilize.
But the look he gave Li Wen had already changed from one of routine placidity to one of unconcealable astonishment.
He had seen all the data from the device, especially the final number it settled on—
Bone Age: 57 years old!
’A fifty-seven-year-old with a Saint Realm body who was also a Tier One Primordial Spirit Star Lord! And his main cultivation was the supreme Time Law!’
The High Tier Star Lord staff member’s fingers unconsciously tapped twice on the console. Even his heart was stirred.
A moment later, the certification was complete, and the instrument’s light subsided.
The staff member regained his composure and handed Li Wen a microchip, signifying that he had passed.
"Li Wen, certification passed. Your information has been entered into the Cosmic Peak Genius Battle registration system."
"Thank you." Li Wen took the chip, nodded calmly, and turned to walk out of the certification room.
Returning to the hall, he greeted the waiting Ares, Isabel, and the others.
After telling them he had passed, Li Wen didn’t linger and promptly left the certification center.
He needed to make final preparations for the upcoming Cosmic Peak Genius Battle.
The minor incident with Saphis was quickly pushed to the back of his mind.
...
「That night.」
In the Soul Origin Tower’s cultivation room, pure Wish Power, like a gentle stream, slowly nourished Li Wen’s Primordial Spirit.
He had just finished a round of cultivation.
In his sea of consciousness, a colossal Primordial Spirit sat in meditation. The Primordial Divine Ring around it emanated gentle yet powerful waves of Wish Power, and his realm as a Tier One Primordial Spirit Star Lord was now completely stable.
Just then, the Source Net emblem that had merged with the skin on his wrist began to vibrate slightly.
It wasn’t a communication request, but an official emergency notice from the Alka Star Source Net branch.
[Internal Member Summons: All internal members of the Alka Empire Source Net are to immediately access the Virtual Cosmos: ’Source Net - Alka Branch - Strategic Meeting Room No. 7’.]