Chapter 174: Stellar Sky Ladder Ranking Tournament

【Steam Capital, Upper City, Tianhai Group · Steam Capital Branch】

"Good morning, you garbage from Rust Iron Hell!"

"Yesterday’s Death Lottery hit the jackpot—thirty confirmed deaths!"

"Thanks to the endless gang wars, ten people were wiped out just in the Fifth District!"

"But compared to that, there are two even more explosive pieces of news."

"First—last night, a high-ranking church official in Upper City suddenly died."

"Guess what? His chest was pierced clean through. The scene was absolutely gruesome!"

"And the second? It seems the Upper City elites are no longer satisfied with the current state of Rust Iron District. They’re planning a full-scale overhaul. Now, tell me—do you think this 'redevelopment' will be a blessing… or a curse?"

Click!

Chen Kong flicked off the radio, silencing the cacophony.

"Why’d you turn it off?" Isabelle asked, lifting her Blue Melody Mountain City Soda from the sofa, her expression puzzled.

"Because my gut tells me someone deliberately chose this moment to drop this news. And for Lower City? It’s definitely not good."

"Yeah, I guess you’re right."

Isabelle set down her drink, her gaze turning serious.

Even she—this outsider—could now smell the tension thick in the air of Steam Capital.

Yesterday’s Trial had been like a blade, slicing open the last shred of illusion shielding Lower City.

Before, yes, the district was chaotic. But its people still clung to one last hope: this was their territory. The claws of Upper City’s White Eagles hadn’t reached here yet.

But when Jack and Vivian exposed the Gear Church’s decades-long collusion with Lower City gangs—its dirty deals, its manipulation—everything shattered.

The people of Lower City were furious.

Because now they realized: they’d never been free. They were just puppets, strings pulled by those aloft in their ivory towers—laughing, indifferent, playing with their lives like toys.

The anger was real. But the spark? It hadn’t ignited yet.

And then—right now—this news drops like a bomb: Upper City is coming to remodel Rust Iron District.

Chen Kong didn’t know who leaked it. But whoever did… had ill intentions.

"Isabelle, has Tianhai Group picked up any rumors lately?"

Isabelle shook her head. "No. You know our business—seafood and processed food. Real estate? That’s not our specialty."

"So I don’t know much about this ‘Rust Iron District overhaul.’"

"Instead of asking me, you should talk to her."

Isabelle pointed upward, toward the ceiling.

The implication was clear.

Chen Kong hesitated.

He already owed her a massive favor.

If he asked again, he’d be forced to join Liu Ma—and represent Qianxia Group—in the Stellar Sky Ladder Ranking Tournament hosted by Wudou Tian Du.

And even now, Chen Kong still hadn’t decided whether to enter.

It wasn’t just the difficulty of the tournament.

It was the exposure.

If someone noticed something strange about him—saw the thing inside his body—then history would repeat itself.

The same fate that nearly consumed him in Embers…

And this time? No one would come to save him.

"What’s wrong? Can’t you bring yourself to ask her?" Isabelle teased, grinning.

Chen Kong sighed. "Let me think about it."

"Seriously? You’re refusing a leg this thick? Stop being such a wimp."

As Isabelle laughed, the screen shifted—suddenly bathed in warm, nostalgic hues.

This was a flashback—recent memories from Yu Qianxia explaining the Stellar Sky Ladder Ranking Tournament to Chen Kong.

"The Stellar Sky Ladder Ranking Tournament," Yu Qianxia said, placing the invitation on the table, "a joint event between the Stellar Envoy Association and the New Federation. Held at the Sky Tower in Wudou Tian Du."

"Take this," she said. "If you’re willing, you and Liu Ma can join Qianxia Group’s team—right under our banner—in the most elite battle of young Stellar Envoys in the entire Federation."

She leaned in, eyes sharp.

"Let me tell you something. This isn’t just a competition. It’s also a Catastrophe qualification trial."

"Make the top ten. Meet the win conditions. And if you’re not a Dark Stellar Envoy? The Association hands you a gift."

"A key that can push you over the threshold into Catastrophe."

"So if you want to rise higher? This tournament isn’t optional. It’s mandatory."

"Because if I hadn’t finished third twenty years ago—and obtained that key—I’d never have broken through to Catastrophe."

Chen Kong frowned. "So… breaking into Catastrophe requires that thing?"

Yu Qianxia nodded. "Absolutely. There’s no substitute."

"Interesting…"

No longer the naive child who barely understood what a Stellar Envoy was, Chen Kong now knew the truth.

The gap between Catastrophe and non-Catastrophe wasn’t just a step—it was a chasm.

And the size of that chasm? It varied with each person’s talent.

The greater the talent, the harder the climb.

That’s why while Third Rank Stellar Envoys were common—some even achieving Third Rank Perfection—the number of those who reached the Fourth Rank Catastrophe dropped to barely over a hundred in the entire history of the Association.

And among those hundred? Only five ever achieved Perfect Awakening at the Fourth Rank.

One of them? The legendary Grand Councilor of the Stellar Envoy Association—Ainet.

And Ainet’s record on the Starry Sky Ladder? A perfect 100%.

Curious, Chen Kong asked, "If you only came in third… who were the two ahead of you?"

Yu Qianxia fell silent. Long silence.

Then, softly: "Two disciples of the Grand Councilor. One was a genius in mechanized combat—Dragong, the Dragon Mechanist."

"The other? I can’t tell you. His name is forbidden. Classified at the highest level within the Association."

"Even your rank isn’t enough to know his past."

"Really?"

"One thing I can say? They both left—because of the same woman."

"It infuriated Ainet. He’d been grooming them as his successors."

"Wait—what?"

The memory faded.

The audience—longtime fans of Stellar Prodigy—knew this trick well.

This wasn’t just a flashback.

It was intelligence drop.

"Got it. The entire third season hinges on the Starry Sky Ladder."

"An event gathering the whole New Federation? This is gonna turn into another civil war, isn’t it?"

"Wait… Doctor had a past love story like this? I never saw that coming."

"Old-school drama triangle? There’s gotta be a lot of secrets here."

"Bet there’s gonna be a movie later—uncovering Doctor’s love and betrayal. This has major potential!"

"Must-watch!"

"+10086!"

As the Dimensional Audience went wild with speculation, the scene snapped back to the present.

Suddenly—BOOM!

A massive explosion echoed from beyond the screen.

"What was that?" Chen Kong bolted to the floor-to-ceiling window, scanning the direction of the sound.

And then he saw it.

The worst thing he could imagine.

Hundreds—no, thousands—of Rust Iron District residents surged toward the Nut Hub Station.

In a frenzy, they smashed nearby mechanical police booths. Others threw Molotov cocktails, setting buildings ablaze.

But most of them raised signs: "Rust Iron lives matter!"

"No to Upper City forced demolition!"

They charged the station—frenzied, desperate, screaming into the storm.

Shouts. Roars. Explosions—nonstop.

Chen Kong understood.

The fuse had finally been lit.

The firestorm in Steam Capital—Upper and Lower—had begun.

And once it started… it wouldn’t stop.

"Let’s go."

No hesitation.

Chen Kong turned and strode toward the door.

Because he knew—only one person could stop this.

Not a hero.

Not a general.

Not even a Stellar Envoy.

But the former owner of the Rust Nail Bar.

Jack Bailey.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end