Sovereign of Stars-Chapter 38 – Gathering of geniuses

The next morning, the ten geniuses who had secured spots for the hunt gathered at the prefecture's mansion.
"Is that a Purple Wind Beast?"
Everyone looked at the dozen or so beasts standing before them.
The Purple Wind Beast is considered a relatively low-level beast, but its flying speed is extremely fast, and it has a gentle temperament, making it easy to tame. As a result, many people in the Heavenflame Dynasty use it as a mount for travel.
"Let's set off."
Yuan Qing, the manager of the Crimson Dragon Tower, personally led the team.
In just two hours, the group arrived at the Cloud Province's capital.
At this moment, the Cloud Province's governor's mansion was already filled with numerous geniuses selected from various prefectures within the province.
"Yuan Qing."
As soon as Su Xin and his group landed, someone immediately approached them.
"Tie Ying, you rascal."
Seeing the newcomer, Yuan Qing smiled, clearly indicating that they were old friends.
"Tie Ying, is that the genius selected from Sishui Prefecture behind you? I heard that this time, there's someone who passed the second level of the Crimson Dragon Tower. Who is it?" Yuan Qing asked, pulling Tie Ying aside.
"Ha, he's over there." Tie Ying pointed to a stern man in a black robe at the back.
The man in the black robe had a cold expression, standing there like a sharp blade, exuding an intense aura.
"Hmm, he seems to be quite skilled." Yuan Qing nodded.
"What about your Yongning Prefecture? It doesn't seem like there's anyone particularly impressive. Hmm? Why is there someone at the Sea Transformation level mixed in?" Tie Ying also observed the ten geniuses from Yongning Prefecture, and when he saw Su Xin, he showed a peculiar expression.
"Don't underestimate this little guy. Although he's only at the Sea Transformation level, in terms of strength, he's the strongest among this generation of geniuses from Yongning Prefecture, definitely not inferior to the best from your Sishui Prefecture," Yuan Qing said.
"Oh?" Tie Ying became interested. "A Sea Transformation level is the strongest in your Yongning Prefecture? Come on, tell me more."
Yuan Qing and Tie Ying, both managers of a prefecture's Crimson Dragon Tower and friends, chatted casually.
Meanwhile, Su Xin and the other ten geniuses looked ahead in surprise.
In front of them, a dense crowd of geniuses from various prefectures gathered together.
"There must be two thousand people here, right?" Dragon Blade exclaimed.
"In the Cloud Province, there are a total of two hundred and six prefectures. Selecting ten geniuses from each prefecture makes two thousand and sixty geniuses," Su Xin said solemnly.
"The Heavenflame Dynasty has thirty-six provinces in total. Assuming an average of two hundred prefectures per province and two thousand geniuses per province, that's seventy-two thousand geniuses!"
"And that doesn't include the major families, powerful forces, and many independent sects within the Heavenflame Dynasty. They don't need to go through the preliminary selection and directly receive hunting spots when the hunt begins."
"If you count all of them, nearly a hundred thousand geniuses should participate in this Imperial Capital Hunt!"
Su Xin, once a young master of a prominent family, naturally knew more about the Imperial Capital Hunt.
As for those major families, powerful forces, and even some independent sects, they all have fixed hunting spots, which is a fact.
Like the Su Family, when the Su Family's ancestor was alive, it was a powerful family in the Heavenflame Dynasty, possessing vast resources to nurture its disciples. Whenever the Imperial Capital Hunt was held, the Su Family would receive many hunting spots. But as the Su Family declined, those spots naturally disappeared.
"Nearly a hundred thousand geniuses!"
Dragon Blade and the others were a bit overwhelmed.
In Yongning Prefecture, a mere prefecture, they were indeed the top geniuses, but within the Cloud Province, they were only considered relatively outstanding.
And among the nearly hundred thousand geniuses gathered from the entire dynasty's thirty-six provinces, they were even more ordinary.
"So many geniuses gathered in one place." Su Xin clenched his fists, feeling a surge of ambition.
Among these nearly hundred thousand geniuses, the most ordinary ones were like Kang Jing, barely able to pass the first level of the Dragon-Seeking Tower or close to that level.
Those slightly stronger were at the level of Dragon Blade, Qiu Ze, and Ling Yu.
The truly formidable ones were those top-tier geniuses who had passed the second level of the Dragon-Seeking Tower, and there were likely over a thousand of them in this Imperial Capital Hunt.
This was truly a gathering of geniuses!
Compared to the entire Heavenflame Dynasty, a single Yongning Prefecture was indeed too small!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! ~~~
Dozens of figures simultaneously emerged from the governor's mansion, led by a vigorous elder, the governor of Cloud Province.
Cloud Province, one of the thirty-six provinces of the Heavenflame Dynasty.
The governor of Cloud Province was also a high-ranking official.
And to oversee a province, the governor's strength was extremely formidable, having long reached the peak of the Void Shattering Realm.
"All the geniuses from each prefecture have arrived. In that case, let's set off."
With the governor's command, two thousand and sixty geniuses from the two hundred and six prefectures within Cloud Province simultaneously mounted their Purple Wind Beasts and set off grandly toward the imperial capital.
The Purple Wind Beasts were extremely fast.
What would have taken over half a month was completed in just two days.
The group arrived at a vast plain dozens of miles away from the imperial capital, where they could see the magnificent imperial capital in the distance. However, they didn't enter the city but instead arrived at a vast camp on the plain.
This camp, close to the royal hunting grounds, was specifically prepared for the numerous geniuses participating in the Imperial Capital Hunt.
Under the personal guidance of the governor of Cloud Province, the many geniuses from Cloud Province orderly entered the camp, registered their identities one by one, received an identity token, and were assigned accommodations.
After everything was arranged, the geniuses were free to move around.
...
At night, the camp was bustling with activity.
With less than two days left until the hunt began, nearly ninety percent of the nearly hundred thousand geniuses selected from all over the Heavenflame Dynasty had already arrived at the camp. With so many geniuses gathered together, it was hard for the camp not to be lively.
In the camp, there were over a hundred arenas set up for sparring and dueling.
And almost all of these arenas were occupied.
"Haha, that was exhilarating, let's continue!"
"Hmph, you're no match for me!"
"Take this hammer of mine!"
...
Su Xin wandered alone through the camp, passing by arena after arena, watching the geniuses sparring on them.
These geniuses, usually scattered across various provinces and prefectures, found it difficult to find suitable opponents. But at this Imperial Capital Hunt, there were countless opponents.
Naturally, they didn't hesitate to engage in combat.
Those who were slightly more battle-hungry moved from arena to arena, constantly sparring with other geniuses.
Even Su Xin couldn't help but want to spar with someone.
But after some thought, he restrained himself.
After all, he was only at the Sea Transformation level. If a Sea Transformation level genius were to continuously defeat those who had passed the first or even the second level of the Dragon-Seeking Tower, it would draw too much attention. With enemies lurking around, it was better not to be too conspicuous.
After the first round of hunting, when they entered the imperial capital and all the top experts and forces of the Heavenflame Dynasty gathered, it wouldn't be too late for him to showcase his talent and strength.
Just then...
"Haha~~ Big guy, your attack methods are too clumsy. Come, come, let's test our blade skills again."
A familiar voice suddenly reached Su Xin's ears.
Su Xin turned his head and immediately saw on a nearby arena, among the two people fighting, a sloppy figure carrying a long blade with a mischievous smile.
"It's him!" Su Xin was delighted and immediately walked toward the arena.
On the arena, the one referred to as 'big guy' was a burly man nearly two meters tall. He wielded a heavy battle blade, his blade techniques powerful and imbued with a heavy intent, making them terrifyingly formidable.
In terms of strength, this burly man could definitely pass the second level of the Dragon-Seeking Tower.
But in front of the sloppy youth, he indeed appeared very clumsy.
His blade techniques, though formidable, couldn't touch the sloppy youth at all. Instead, the sloppy youth's casual blade swings left the burly man in a sorry state.
In just a moment...
"I lost."
The burly man admitted defeat.
From start to finish, he was utterly dominated, with no room for struggle.
Below the arena, a large crowd of geniuses watched. Seeing the burly man admit defeat, they couldn't help but sigh.
"Another one lost. That's already the eleventh, right?"
"It's the eleventh, and among these eleven, only four passed the first level of the Dragon-Seeking Tower. The other seven all passed the second level, yet they were no match for this sloppy youth."
"Who exactly is this sloppy youth, and why is he so strong?"
"I know this youth. His name is Duan Yunfeng, a genius with a very peculiar temperament. It's said he has been traveling and challenging various strong opponents throughout the dynasty for years. In terms of strength, among the nearly hundred thousand geniuses participating in this hunt, he definitely has the potential to break into the top ten!"
"Potential to break into the top ten? No wonder he's so formidable!"
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The crowd was filled with discussions and exclamations.
After defeating the burly man, the sloppy youth stood on the arena for a while longer, but no one else came up to challenge him.
"Not interesting." The sloppy youth pursed his lips and then stepped down from the arena.
"Duan Yunfeng!"
As soon as the sloppy youth stepped down, he heard someone call him. He looked in the direction of the voice.
"Su Xin?"
The sloppy youth's eyes lit up.
He had roamed the Heavenflame Dynasty, battling countless talented and strong opponents, but among these, only a few had left a lasting impression on him.
And Su Xin was undoubtedly the one who impressed him the most.
Back in Dongyang City, he was already at the peak of the Sea Transformation level, while Su Xin was only at the True Martial Realm. Despite the vast difference in their cultivation levels, in a pure skill contest, he couldn't do anything to Su Xin. Even when using his strongest moves, he wasn't confident he could defeat Su Xin.
Such a genius certainly deserved to be remembered.
...
In the camp, there were not only arenas for sparring but also taverns for relaxation.
At this moment, in one of the taverns, Su Xin and Duan Yunfeng sat facing each other.
"Su Xin, back in Dongyang City, you said you'd come to the Imperial Capital Hunt to face me. I didn't expect you to actually come." Duan Yunfeng was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected that in just a few months, Su Xin's cultivation would rise from the True Martial Realm to the Sea Transformation level.
"I said I would come." Su Xin smiled. "Duan Yunfeng, it's been a few months, and your cultivation has also improved. It seems you're definitely going to be in the top ten of this hunt."
"Haha, I can't say for sure about anything else, but I'm confident about the top ten." Duan Yunfeng smiled confidently.
Su Xin nodded secretly. He had already noticed that Duan Yunfeng's cultivation had advanced from the peak of the Sea Transformation level to the peak of the Sea Transformation Realm.
Back when Duan Yunfeng was at the peak of the Sea Transformation level, the power he unleashed with his techniques was comparable to the peak of the Sea Transformation Realm. Coupled with his blade skills and high comprehension of intent, now that he had broken through to the peak of the Sea Transformation Realm, his strength was indeed astonishing.
Ordinary geniuses who had passed the second level of the Dragon-Seeking Tower, even if two or three of them joined forces, might not be his match.
"What about you? What level are you aiming for in this hunt?" Duan Yunfeng asked.
"If you're confident about the top ten, I won't be far behind," Su Xin replied with a smile.
"You're aiming for the top ten too? Are you confident?" Duan Yunfeng looked intently at Su Xin.
"Of course." Su Xin nodded.
"Haha, that's great. Back in Dongyang City, your cultivation was a bit too low, and I couldn't really go all out against you. In this hunt... the competition in the first stage of the hunting grounds aside, when it comes to the final stage of the battles, if we meet, I definitely want to have a proper fight with you." Duan Yunfeng said.
"Deal." Su Xin was equally eager to face Duan Yunfeng.
Just then...
"Sister, look, it's Duan Yunfeng!"
A few figures walked by, and one of them pointed in Duan Yunfeng's direction.
Among them, the leading woman glanced at Duan Yunfeng, pondered for a moment, then cupped her hands in greeting before leaving.
"Duan Yunfeng, do you know those people?" Su Xin asked.
"I don't know them, but I'm aware of them." Duan Yunfeng smiled faintly. "That's Fairy Luo, the top genius of the Purple Cloud Sect. She also has the potential to break into the top twenty in this hunt."