The person in charge of the compet.i.tion came to meet Chen Xiaobei personally – he was exceptionally cordial. 

After a series of registrations, the man handed Chen Xiaobei a piece of token made out of bronze with the words 'Saint Duke' etched on it.

"Please bring this token with you, and you can travel to Saint Duke's capital planet to join the actual martial arts contest, sir." The man said politely.

"Mm, is there anything else? If not, I shall take my leave!" Chen Xiaobei said.

"You can deal with this deer at your own discretion!" The man said.

"Okay." Chen Xiaobei nodded and then transfused three torrents of Ethereal Force into the deer.

"Gahh…"

The stag gasped for breath and was soon awake.

Swoos.h.!.+

Sensing something amiss in its environment, the Cloud-riding Golden Antlers Deer sprung instinctively onto its feet and bolted out of the tent, vanis.h.i.+ng from sight.

This stag was astonis.h.i.+ngly swift, akin to an elite at the peak of Ethereal Force.

The man stared after the vanis.h.i.+ng stag, incredulous. "Ahh… Why did you release it? That stag is very strong! Once it's domesticated, it would make an excellent mount! Then anyone below G.o.d-Ascension won't be able to catch you!"

His fellow colleagues all seemed to share his sentiment that Chen Xiaobei had suffered a loss by letting the deer go.

But Chen Xiaobei answered indifferently, "To me, I wouldn't consider that very fast!"

After that, Chen Xiaobei left the camp grounds, leaving the man and his colleagues stunned.

While none of them said it out loud, they all felt the same way about Chen Xiaobei's response – he was too stuck-up! His combat power was only 200,000 yet he had the nerve to claim that the magical deer was too slow for him! 

What they did not know was that under Bei Xuan, there were four G.o.d-Ascension cultivation demiG.o.d level Beast Kings. Any one of them could have easily overtaken the Cloud-riding Golden Antlers Deer.

Even if Chen Xiaobei wanted an animal to mount, it would at least have to be at a G.o.d-Ascension level and above – not lower!

 ...

Having left the camp grounds, Chen Xiaobei made a speedy return to Boulder capital city.

Of course, for the sake of Bro Huo's safety, Chen Xiaobei made no attempt to contact him.

With the token, no one was allowed to refuse him. He went through a special portal that led directly to Saint Duke Imperial City. 

Since this place was at the very core of the starfield, the war had yet to spread here.

Majestic fortresses and bustling streets.

There were all sorts of people from different starfields and of different races.

Some were driving flying vehicles, while others were riding Spiritual Beasts. It all seemed very futuristic and dreamlike.

Chen Xiaobei felt as if he had entered a whole new world – everything was foreign and unfamiliar.

Of course, because he was in a rush, Chen Xiaobei did not hang around. Instead, he followed the directory next to the portal and found the usher in charge of receiving compet.i.tors.

He was a harrowingly thin middle-aged man, with a protruding mouth, a chin like an ape, and beady eyes which made him look somewhat unkind.

Chen Xiaobei went up to the man and greeted him, "How are you? This is my token."

"You're the tenth person?" The skinny slit-eyed man grabbed the token and said, "I'm the person in charge of welcoming the compet.i.tors from the elimination round, Liu Zijian! You can call me Master Jian!"

"Mm," Chen Xiaobei nodded but did not address him.

Liu Zijian narrowed his eyes at Chen Xiaobei, obviously displeased. Then he raised his hand towards Chen Xiaobei, rubbing his thumb against the rest of his fingers.

"What does that mean?" Chen Xiaobei asked.

"We're all adults here! There's no need act like you don't know!" Liu Zijian rubbed his fingers again, and said a raspy voice. "The nine compet.i.tors before you all brought gifts. Don't tell me you didn't!"

Chen Xiaobei frowned. "I didn't!"

If Liu Zijian had done his job well, Chen Xiaobei would not have minded giving him a little something nice, but this Liu Zijian did nothing at all and was already asking for something upon first encounter. He even wanted to be called master! There was no way in h.e.l.l that Chen Xiaobei was going to play along!

"You… How dare you refuse to give me face!" Liu Zijian had not expected Chen Xiaobei to reject him head-on.

Chen Xiaobei answered, "I do have a lot of Spiritual Stones on me. You just need to give me one reason why I should give you face!"

"I…" Liu Zijian faltered.

First, he had no status to speak of and second, he did not have any actual authority – he was just a small-time usher!

He had taken the opportunity to bully the compet.i.tors who were not from the imperial city. Since this was their first time there, uninformed of the rules and afraid to offend anyone, they compliantly gave him 'gifts'.

The nine compet.i.tors who came before Chen Xiaobei were all intimidated by Liu Zijian, and were forced to produce presents to him.

But Liu Zijuan did not receive a single thing from Chen Xiaobei. Instead, he had his nose rubbed in dirt.

"If you can't even give me one reason, then please refrain from wishful thinking. Do your part well, and avoid bringing trouble to yourself!" Chen Xiaobei cautioned.

"Kid, you are too presumptuous! I will remember you!" Liu Zijian peered at him. "Come! I'll bring you to your living quarters!"

Liu Zijian led the way, taking long strides.

Ding!

[Cultivation: Early phase of Ethereal Cultivation; Lifespan: 1,087 years; Health: 180,000; Combat power 180,000]

As he followed behind, Chen Xiaobei checked out Liu Zijian's cultivation and was secretly shocked.

180,000 combat power meant nothing much to Chen Xiaobei, but for a n.o.body, an usher being able have a cultivation as such was shocking!

Imagine how much stronger the first-rate elites of Saint Duke were!

Chen Xiaobei made a mental note to be vigilant in this unfamiliar territory rife with powerful elites; every move had to be made with precaution and he had to tread lightly.

They soon arrived at the living quarters.

It was a private villa with a well-tended garden, comfortable and quiet, away from the hustle and bustle of the noisy downtown.

"This is where you'll be staying!" Liu Zijian snorted, and walked away, not bothering to say another word to Chen Xiaobei.

Chen Xiaobei could not care less for him either, and headed straight for the villa. 

Once inside the garden, Chen Xiaobei was on high alert, carefully examining the place before entering the house.

Liu Zijian was just the kind of people who was annoying to deal with!

He had just offended Liu Zijian, so it was only necessary to be careful, just in case.

However, after a through inspection, Chen Xiaobei did not find anything unusual.

"Perhaps I've been thinking too much…" Chen Xiaobei shrugged, relaxing a little as he entered the house.

"After a day of troubles, I can finally have a good rest." Chen Xiaobei pushed open the door and walked into the living room.

The moment he walked in, Chen Xiaobei was greeted with an unexpected sight – right there in the living room was a young person in a nightgown. 

"AHHHHHH!" The person screamed.

Chen Xiaobei just stared, too shocked to react.