Chapter 327: Cornering the Celestial King

Chapter 327: Cornering the Celestial King

In the car, Zhong Ming still felt that Ji Xinghuo was taking too big of a risk, but he didn't try to dissuade him further. He merely sighed, "After all, it's a Stellar Meteorite Variant. Xinghuo, are you sure you want to gamble with it? What if you lose..."

"It doesn't matter if I lose," Ji Xinghuo said nonchalantly.

Zhao Manying glanced at him and smiled slightly.

Although Ji Xinghuo claimed that losing wasn't a big deal, she knew that with his personality, he would never do something unless he was confident.

Last year, when he faced Shi Renzhong, Ji Xinghuo had defied everyone's expectations and won the Heaven's Fury Crimson Blood Spear from him.

Today, he was using the same tactic again, but this time his opponent was a Celestial King.

"Do you think Li Xuan will take the bait?" Zhao Manying asked.

"It's hard to say," Ji Xinghuo said, looking at the speeding superconducting highway ahead. "Li Xuan is a smart man, otherwise he wouldn't have become a top global influencer. He probably suspects that I have a good chance of winning against him, but he won't give up easily."

"Why?" Zhong Ming asked, puzzled.

"He's too attached," Ji Xinghuo said with a smile. "Li Xuan's achievements today are due to his exceptional talent and his business strategy of monetizing his online influence. He uses his earnings to purchase Variants at high prices, expand his collection of exotic items, and acquire cultivation resources. He rarely ventures into the Star Realm himself."

Two years ago, when Ji Xinghuo was at the Star Realm frontier, he had an indirect encounter with Li Xuan.

Li Xuan used to be a bounty hunter and had slain many members of the Beilu Shimen tribe.

He even set a record for the most points earned in a single month.

A record that Ji Xinghuo later broke.

After returning to Earth, Ji Xinghuo specifically searched for information about Li Xuan.

It turned out that the record Li Xuan set was achieved after he became a Super Variant. He had teamed up with a few carefully selected teammates and the most experienced bounty hunter as their guide. They hunted members of the Beilu Shimen tribe, and all the spoils went to Li Xuan before being exchanged for points.

For that entire month, Li Xuan didn't encounter any real danger.

There were even rumors online that Li Xuan had hired a legendary powerhouse to protect him during that time. It was said that he was just putting on a show for marketing and propaganda purposes, crafting his public image.

This incident revealed Li Xuan's true character—he wasn't the type to dare to venture into the Star Realm and take risks.

Li Xuan's subsequent trips to the Star Realm were always brief, regardless of whether they were for adventure or hunting. His true purpose was never cultivation, but rather publicity stunts or other promotional goals.

As a global celebrity, Li Xuan had put almost every aspect of his life under the spotlight, and his records could be easily searched.

His every fusion with a Variant, evolution, and auction bid for treasures became a trending topic.

A simple analysis would reveal that Li Xuan had risen to fame as a Novice Variant and continued to gain popularity until he reached the Celestial King level, all while purchasing every Variant and exotic expansion item he acquired.

The Variants available for purchase on Earth had usually gone through multiple screenings before appearing on the market.

As a result, although Li Xuan evolved at an astonishing pace, his profession template was rather ordinary, and he didn't possess any "super model" abilities.

All the Variants he fused with were within the established system.

The highest grade he had was a Superlimit Variant, but he didn't have a single Stellar Meteorite-grade Variant, which was somewhat embarrassing for a Celestial King.

If he could buy a Stellar Meteorite Variant, Li Xuan would undoubtedly be willing to pay a higher price, even if it meant going broke.

Not to mention how perfectly "Absolute Hit" matched him.

"Yes, he definitely can't let it go," Zhao Manying said with a smile as she understood, "This bait is too enticing for Li Xuan!"

"Who wouldn't want it? A Stellar Meteorite Variant is something any Variant Seeker would desire," Zhong Ming said, stroking his chin as he sat in the back seat, his heart still stirred by the prospect.

Ji Xinghuo hummed, "If he wants to ride on my coattails, he'll have to pay the price."

"Is this also to avenge me?" Zhao Manying asked, her beautiful eyes sparkling.

"Of course," Ji Xinghuo nodded. "You were only sixteen or seventeen when you first became famous, not even an adult yet. And Li Xuan was already in his forties back then. It was despicable of him to create those unfounded romance rumors and keep them going for over a year."

"I was indeed very angry at the time," Zhao Manying said softly. "Fortunately, my mother and the club helped me through it."

Ji Xinghuo held her hand and smiled, "Watch me teach him a lesson and squeeze out his wealth."

At the mention of wealth, Zhong Ming's eyes lit up.

He had come to deeply appreciate the power of money during his time at the Aether Institute. Half a month of cultivation there was worth more than several months of his previous training.

The thought of spending 40 million Asia Dollars for each day of his cultivation pained him.

Often, he would lie awake at night thinking about how to make money.

"If a Stellar Meteorite Variant is the prize, Li Xuan should be willing to pay at least 30 to 40 billion Asia Dollars, right?" Zhong Ming calculated on his fingers.

With that much money, he could cultivate at the Aether Institute for several decades!

"30 to 40 billion won't even touch me," Ji Xinghuo shook his head.

He had purchased "Absolute Hit" from the Void Spirit for 1,300 Aether Crystals, which was equivalent to 260 billion Asia Dollars.

However, the true value of a Stellar Meteorite Variant wasn't calculated that way.

With 1,300 Aether Crystals, one could buy a Stellar Meteorite Variant in the Star Realm, but 260 billion Asia Dollars wouldn't even come close to buying "Absolute Hit" on Earth.

If it were put up for auction, the selling price would easily multiply several times.

Zhao Manying suggested, "Since Li Xuan is the one in a hurry, you can drag it out and the price will naturally go up.

"Xinghuo, how confident are you that you can win?" Zhong Ming dared not imagine the consequences if Ji Xinghuo lost. Not only would he fail to obtain the 100 billion, but he would also lose the Stellar Meteorite Variant.

Ji Xinghuo thought for a moment, "About ninety percent."

"Ah?"

Zhong Ming looked at him incredulously. If Ji Xinghuo had said he had a fifty percent chance of winning, he wouldn't have doubted him for a second. But ninety percent?

He shook his head. "Don't underestimate Li Xuan. After all, he's a Celestial King."

"So what if he's a Celestial King?"

Ji Xinghuo's expression remained calm. "The gap between Variants is even greater than the gap between humans and pigs. Not all Celestial Kings are created equal. If it were any other Celestial King, I would be more cautious, but if it's Li Xuan... hehe..."

Li Xuan was a rather unique Celestial King.

He was currently the youngest out of the 49 Celestial Kings worldwide, having just turned 50, but he wasn't the youngest in history, nor did he have the best talent.

While his combat talent was excellent, he had never faced a life-or-death situation.

His fighting style was also a bit flashy, often prioritizing grand visual effects over practicality. To those who had grown up in actual combat, his moves might seem a bit too showy and impractical.

His stellar power, which he had rushed to increase in order to reach the Celestial King level and create enough hype to attract attention, was not as deep as it could be.

In short, there were reasons why Li Xuan ranked 45th out of the 49 Celestial Kings.

Of course, Li Xuan wasn't completely useless.

To become a Celestial King and stand out among the hundreds of billions of people on Earth, Li Xuan's talent was undoubtedly exceptional, and he must have had a few tricks up his sleeve.

The gap between a Celestial King and a Legend was enough to overlook many of Li Xuan's shortcomings.

Moreover, Ji Xinghuo was only a Super Variant.

"A Super Variant beating a Celestial King? I wouldn't even dare to dream of that," Zhong Ming said, feeling like he no longer understood Ji Xinghuo. How could he not take a Celestial King seriously?

"Your perspective is too narrow, brother," Ji Xinghuo laughed. "What others can't do, I can."

He looked at his brother.

"I am the first on the Stellar Rankings, and I will be the first Legend, the best in the world!" Ji Xinghuo said seriously. "What others can't do, I can do. Rules that others can't break, I can break. Because I am Ji Xinghuo!"

Because I have cheats.

Zhong Ming was stunned by these words, feeling like he was meeting this person who had grown up with him for the first time.

Zhao Manying's eyes sparkled, and she squeezed Ji Xinghuo's hand.

"Awesome!"

It took a while for Zhong Ming to snap out of his daze.

"Hahaha..." Ji Xinghuo patted his shoulder. "You don't have to worry too much. Even if I do end up fighting Li Xuan, it won't be until October 1st. By then, I probably won't be a Super Variant anymore."

Zhong Ming widened his eyes. "You're going to become a Legend?"

"That's the plan," Ji Xinghuo nodded.

Advancing from a Super Variant to a Legend also presented a bottleneck, and the biggest challenge was increasing the density of stellar power, transforming it from a plasma state to a gas-flow state.

This required a lot of stellar power, which was extremely difficult for other Variants.

Countless Super Variants were stuck at this stage for years, trying to accumulate enough stellar power but never reaching the critical threshold.

Ji Xinghuo knew he wouldn't have any problems.

His stellar power was more than five times that of a conventional Super Variant, so reaching the critical threshold would be a breeze, and he would only need some auxiliary means to trigger the evolution.

The Aether Institute had conducted relevant research, so he could just ask Director Ke for help when the time came.

Advancing to Legend and then fusing with Overload.

His strength would rise to another level, narrowing the gap with Li Xuan. The upcoming October duel wouldn't be a guaranteed victory, but it would be a sure-fire bet.

"Damn," Zhong Ming suddenly cursed, his face full of helplessness. "We grew up together, we're the same age, and we used to be about the same in strength. Now you're about to become a Legend, while I'm still a mid-level Variant. The gap between us is getting bigger and bigger."

Ji Xinghuo laughed. "So, brother, you need to work harder."

"After dinner, I'll head back to the Aether Institute," Zhong Ming nodded firmly, deciding that he wouldn't rest tonight.

Zhao Manying also felt the pressure.

Just as she was about to say something, Ji Xinghuo's phone rang.

"It's Li Xuan," Ji Xinghuo glanced at the screen before answering and had a brief conversation before hanging up.

"What did he say?" Zhong Ming asked.

"He offered me all the earnings from the livestream, plus 20 billion Asia Dollars in cash," Ji Xinghuo said, then added, "I turned him down."

That definitely wasn't enough.

However, he wasn't in a hurry anyway, and with the absolute initiative in his hands, he could let Li Xuan be the one to worry.

Zhao Manying turned her phone screen towards them, "News of your duel with Li Xuan has already spread online, but there's no mention of the Stellar Meteorite Variant."

"Never mind him, let's eat first," Ji Xinghuo said.

The magnetic levitation car arrived at the restaurant the family had booked.

Over the next two days, Ji Xinghuo continued his cultivation as usual, spending 15 hours a day at the Aether Institute, and the rest of the time with Zhao Manying, enjoying their sweet time together.

However, he hadn't slept well for the past two days.

While he stirred up the topic, gave interviews, and repeatedly mentioned the duel during his live streams to increase his exposure, he also contacted Ji Xinghuo multiple times, raising his offer, only to be rejected each time.

The more this happened, the more reluctant Li Xuan became to give up.

On the 19th, his team changed their strategy and publicly revealed the Stellar Meteorite Variant, 'Absolute Hit'.

This immediately caused a huge sensation.

"What the hell!"

Ji Xinghuo hadn't cultivated today. In the afternoon, he paid a visit to Lu Yunhai, as tomorrow was Lu Yunhai's wedding day, and he needed to prepare as the best man.

The two men were discussing the arrangements for the next day when Lu Yunhai glanced at his phone and suddenly exclaimed.

"What's wrong? You're being so jumpy," Ji Xinghuo asked, puzzled.

Lu Yunhai turned the phone towards him, "Look at this."

Ji Xinghuo took a quick glance and realized that Li Xuan had disclosed the information about the Stellar Meteorite Variant, and immediately, someone was calling out to him, offering to buy "Absolute Hit" at a high price.

Even billionaires, legends, and Celestial Kings were bidding for it online.

The current highest bidder was a legendary powerhouse from the American Federation, the head of the Morgan family, and the seventh richest person in the world. His profession was "Sniper," and he had offered 50 billion Asia Dollars.

This price temporarily scared off the other bidders.

At the same time, it attracted countless onlookers, creating another wave of online frenzy.

"What is Li Xuan up to?" Ji Xinghuo muttered.

That day, in the lounge of the Aether Institute, there were a few other people present. He had originally thought that Li Xuan would keep it confidential among them.

The fewer people who knew about the Stellar Meteorite Variant, the better it would be for Li Xuan's chances.

Now, he had made it public knowledge.

Although the online fervor had surged again, bringing a huge increase in traffic, it also added pressure on both him and Li Xuan.

Perhaps, the duel might even fall through because of this.

"50 billion!"

Lu Yunhai's eyes widened, "If I had that much money, I would just lie back, never enter the Star Realm for adventures, have several children with Yinping, and live a happy life."

"You've got quite the imagination," Ji Xinghuo laughed, "Is that all you aspire to?"

"I don't have your level of talent or ambition. If I could become a Super Variant and have a few dozen billion, I'd be content," Lu Yunhai said seriously.

"That's actually quite easy..."

Ji Xinghuo had only spoken halfway when Li Xuan called, and he answered, "Li Xuan, do you still want the Variant?"

"Of course, I do." Li Xuan folded his arms and huffed, "But you shouldn't think that you can pressure me with this."

He looked quite confident, "Either you quickly agree to my terms for the duel and finalize the contract, preventing others from interfering with the purchase of the Variant, or you continue to stall, and we'll see how long you can withstand the pressure."

"It's up to you," Ji Xinghuo wasn't going to play along.

Li Xuan saw that he was about to hang up and quickly said, "I'm telling you, countless Celestial Kings and Legends worldwide have their eyes on your Variant now. Only I can help you bear the pressure and keep others from interfering..."

"Idiot." Ji Xinghuo cut him off before he could finish.

Lu Yunhai, who was beside him, gave a thumbs-up, "Only you would dare to call a Celestial King an idiot!"

Ji Xinghuo laughed.

Li Xuan's actions were unexpected. While his strategy was correct, he clearly didn't know Ji Xinghuo's official identity or who was backing him.

This also revealed something else.

Despite being a Celestial King and a global top influencer, Li Xuan hadn't actually entered the pinnacle of the power pyramid, nor had he accessed the core, otherwise, he would have known that Ji Xinghuo was a swordsman of the Sword Bureau.

"Being a net idol is not enough. Even as a Celestial King, he's lacking," Ji Xinghuo thought to himself.

He logged into his social media account.

Lu Yunhai saw that he had 2.2 billion followers and couldn't help but feel envious. He was surprised to see Ji Xinghuo about to post something and asked, "You're going to publish something?"

Ji Xinghuo nodded.

He quickly typed out a sentence and then posted it:

"Li Xuan is a big idiot."

Lu Yunhai was stunned, and then burst into laughter, "Hahahaha..."

On the social media platform, 20 billion followers instantly received the notification. Many people who saw Ji Xinghuo's post reacted just like Lu Yunhai, refreshing the comments section with 'hahahaha'.

Then, the onlookers started asking, "What's going on? After more than a year, Ji Xinghuo rarely posts anything, and now he's insulting someone? And it's a Celestial King, too!"

In a skyscraper in the center of Chang'an, Li Xuan had bought the top five floors of this building, one of which he had transformed into his studio. At that moment, he and his team were in the conference room, discussing matters.

Suddenly, Ji Xinghuo's post appeared on the large screen on the wall.

The entire conference room fell silent.

"Damn!"

Li Xuan held it in for a few seconds, but he couldn't contain his anger any longer. He slammed his hand on the table, and a burst of sword energy shot out from his fingertips, slicing the entire conference table into countless fragments.

"Organize a team immediately to strike back. Dig up some dirt on him, regardless of whether it's true or not, or how outrageous it is, pin it on him," Li Xuan said in a low voice. "Also, fabricate some salacious gossip about him and Zhao Manying. The more scandalous, the better; the crowd loves this kind of stuff..."

He issued several orders in one breath.

The self-media studio had a large number of internet trolls under their employ, and they immediately sprang into action online.

Li Xuan constantly refreshed Ji Xinghuo's social media account.

Under the post where he insulted himself, there were already several million comments, most of them from people looking for entertainment.

Although he had many fans who were also organizing to criticize Ji Xinghuo for his lack of manners, they were vastly outnumbered by the massive crowd seeking amusement. Most of the messages of support for Li Xuan were drowned out.

Moreover, Li Xuan knew he had a significant number of haters.

Usually, these haters didn't dare to show themselves, only daring to whisper behind his back. Now that someone had openly insulted him, they had come out of the woodwork.

They're all small-time haters! Li Xuan was extremely annoyed, his mind racing as he thought about how to release a formal response.

However, just a few minutes later, the manager in charge of guiding public opinion rushed in, his face pale, to report: "Boss, the situation is not looking good!"

"What's wrong?" Li Xuan looked up.

"There's someone backing Ji Xinghuo. All the negative information we tried to spread about him is getting blocked, and our accounts are getting banned. Even the unused accounts are getting caught in the crossfire. We're taking heavy losses," the public relations manager said anxiously.

Li Xuan also realized that something was amiss. Only official channels could do this, and the one thing all self-media personnel feared the most was the "Net Faith Department."

The public relations manager lowered his voice and said, "Boss, I think we've kicked a steel plate this time."

Li Xuan remained silent for a few minutes.

"Tell them to stop for now," he said as he picked up his phone. "I'll contact Ji Xinghuo..." But he found that his calls weren't going through and that he had been blocked.

On the other side.

After Ji Xinghuo posted his content, he didn't pay any more attention to the matter.

He and Lu Yunhai headed towards the wedding venue for the next day, a luxurious Chinese-style hotel nestled in the Qinling Mountains. Dozens of ancient-style buildings were built along the mountainside, offering a panoramic view of Chang'an. The place was spacious and scenic.

This ancient-style hotel was one of the best wedding venues in Chang'an, and its charges were naturally exorbitant.

Even though Lu Yunhai was now wealthy, he had hesitated for a long time before making the reservation.

In the car, Lu Yunhai said, "I've invited three groomsmen, and Yinping has invited three bridesmaids. We'll go through the wedding rehearsal today and have dinner together tonight. My parents and Yinping's parents have been wanting to meet you."

"Okay." Ji Xinghuo nodded and smiled. "Weddings are quite a hassle. No wonder many people don't want to get married."

"There's no other way. A wedding isn't just about the couple; it's about the union of two families," Lu Yunhai sighed. He glanced at Ji Xinghuo and suddenly asked, "When do you plan to marry Zhao Manying?"

Ji Xinghuo immediately shook his head. "No plans."

"Most people not getting married is understandable, but you and Zhao Manying aren't ordinary people. You two are so perfect for each other, and she's such a wonderful woman. Marrying her early would definitely not be a bad thing," Lu Yunhai advised.

"We'll see about that later," Ji Xinghuo said vaguely. He didn't know how to explain that if he married Manying, what would happen to Sister Ren? Polygamy was not allowed in the Asia-Pacific Community.

Why not? Having two girlfriends without marrying either of them is good, too, Lu Yunhai thought with some confusion. However, he could tell that Ji Xinghuo didn't want to talk more about it, so he dropped the subject.

When they arrived at the mountain hotel, Ji Xinghuo followed Lu Yunhai into a spacious ancient-style courtyard.

The courtyard was divided into a front hall, side rooms, a private chamber, a bridal chamber, and a grand hall spacious enough to accommodate thousands of guests. It was built in the style of ancient mansions, combining modern aesthetic demands and functionality, making it possible to complete the entire wedding process within its premises.

As they entered the front hall, both families were chatting there.

"Dad, Mom, Yinping, we're here," Lu Yunhai called out.

"You're finally back, Yunhai..." Before she could finish her sentence, Fang Yinping turned and saw Ji Xinghuo following Lu Yunhai. Her face lit up with excitement. "Mr. Ji is here! Yunhai told me he invited you to be a groomsman, but I couldn't believe it. I'm so glad it's true!"

"Congratulations on your wedding."

Ji Xinghuo wore a smile. "Yunhai is my best friend. I definitely couldn't miss his wedding."

Apart from Fang Yinping and her husband, everyone else present had not met Ji Xinghuo before, and Lu Yunhai had kept his identity a secret until now. Despite their guesses, they couldn't be sure.

Lu Yunhai announced loudly, "Let me introduce my university classmate and my best friend, Ji Xinghuo."

Upon hearing this familiar name, everyone was both surprised and delighted.

The parents, relatives, wedding staff, and hotel attendants all stopped what they were doing and looked at Ji Xinghuo with a mix of shock and curiosity.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end