Chapter 352: A Gathering of Stars

Chapter 352: A Gathering of Stars

October 1st.

A week after Ji Xinghuo advanced to the Legendary realm, the day of his showdown with Li Xuan arrived. The time was set for 7 o'clock in the evening.

However, as always, he spent half a day cultivating at the Aether Institute.

It was only in the afternoon that Ji Xinghuo left.

He rode in a luxurious maglev hovercar, speeding along the superconducting highway. Soon, he left the urban area of Chang'an and entered the Qinling Mountains south of the suburbs. Driving along the winding mountain road, he arrived at a villa built on the mountainside, overlooking the city below.

This was the house that his eldest sister, Ye Dongyun, had chosen, and the family had already moved in two months ago.

Usually, Ji Xinghuo alternated between staying at his own apartment and Zhao Manying's, but he would come over to spend a day or two every weekend.

The car drove into the parking lot.

Although it was called a villa, there were seven or eight buildings, along with over 200 acres of garden land, making it more like a small manor.

The only difference was that, unlike the manors of the New Roman Empire, this one did not hire servants, relying instead on domestic robots.

Using electromagnetic induction, Ji Xinghuo scanned the villa and found that his family and friends were all present.

Due to Li Xuan's publicity stunt, the duel had attracted global attention, and each of his friends was very concerned and would be there to cheer him on.

Even though it was still early in the afternoon, everyone had already arrived.

Ji Xinghuo invited everyone into the house, thinking it was a good opportunity to gather, and they could set off together in the evening.

"Xinghuo is back!"

In the garden, there was a large grassy area with a clear view, beautiful scenery, and a panoramic view of most of Chang'an. There was also a standard-sized heated swimming pool, surrounded by flowers and plants to block outsiders' prying eyes.

Ye Dongyun had set up tables, chairs, sofas, and drinks by the side, and everyone gathered in small groups to chat.

As soon as Ji Xinghuo's car arrived at the entrance, everyone took notice.

He casually strolled onto the grassy area by the pool, first exchanging a glance with Zhao Manying, a smile playing on his lips.

Then he turned to face everyone else.

All five of his siblings were present: Zhao Manying's younger brother, Zhao Cangming; Qi Feng from the Imperial Star Club; Jiang Nan Caiyi; Lu Yunhai and his wife; and his teammates from the hunt for the Nile River Lizard—Chi Zhonglin and Zhuoligetu, who were already quite drunk.

There was also his university classmate, Wu Qifeng. After the wedding, the two had kept in frequent contact, and their relationship was even closer than it had been during their university days.

An Yitian and An Zhisu, the dragon-and-phoenix siblings, as well as Su Ziyu, were also present.

Surprisingly, they had a guest with them—the number one on the Legend Ranking, Wang Yulong!

They had met once two months ago in Ivankov, and had even made a promise to spar if the opportunity arose, but it had not happened yet.

"Brother Wang," Ji Xinghuo greeted him.

Wang Yulong was only 42 years old, not much older than Ji Xinghuo.

"Xinghuo, I hope you don't mind me dropping by unannounced today. I wanted to witness your battle with Li Xuan in person this evening," Wang Yulong said with a smile.

"Don't mention it, you're always welcome!" Ji Xinghuo replied casually.

His gaze swept over the four Legends, all of whom were well-known powerful figures on the Legend Ranking. His family and friends held a certain amount of reverence for them, and although they didn't put on airs, there was still a sense of distance.

Fortunately, Zhao Manying acted as the semi-hostess, ensuring that the atmosphere didn't become too stiff.

Suddenly, Su Ziyu asked, "Xinghuo, how confident are you about tonight's battle?"

As soon as he spoke, everyone's attention was drawn to him.

"99%," Ji Xinghuo replied nonchalantly.

"That's so awesome!"

An Yitian was taken aback, finding it hard to believe.

He was ranked 24th on the Legend Ranking and had become famous even before Li Xuan. Although he knew that Li Xuan, the internet celebrity king, was likely one of the weakest among all the kings, a king was still a king.

If he were to face Li Xuan, he wouldn't be at all confident.

"Haha, I was just speaking casually," Ji Xinghuo said without further explanation.

In truth, he wanted to say 100%.

However, he was considering the sudden surge of confidence Li Xuan had displayed when they made the bet, and that 1% possibility of failure was due to this unexpected factor.

"I believe you!"

Chi Zhonglin walked over, putting one arm around Ji Xinghuo's shoulder and holding an expensive bottle of wine in the other hand. He exclaimed loudly, "Xinghuo even outran the Sun King, so defeating Li Xuan should be a piece of cake!"

His family and friends all nodded in agreement, sharing similar views.

Wang Yulong smiled but didn't comment.

Of course, he didn't underestimate Ji Xinghuo's strength, but he also didn't hold high hopes for him. Others might not know the true power of a king, but as the number one on the Legend Ranking, his insight and experience far exceeded that of ordinary extraordinary beings, and he understood the difference intimately.

The other Legends present shared similar thoughts.

Su Ziyu sighed, "If you win against Li Xuan, you'll be the first person on Earth to defeat a king while being at a lower realm!"

It was not uncommon for someone to challenge and even defeat an opponent at a higher realm, be it an ordinary extraordinary being or a Legend.

However, no one on Earth had ever defeated a king while being at a lower realm.

Wu Qifeng expressed his admiration, "Xinghuo, you've already broken so many records. It wouldn't be surprising if you did something else that no one else can do."

As they drank and chatted, the conversation inevitably turned to the evening's battle.

With Ji Xinghuo's presence, he acted as a bridge between his family and friends and the Legends, creating a relaxed and harmonious atmosphere.

Another maglev car drove into the villa.

Two people emerged from the vehicle, both familiar—Jing Ji and Yuan Chongzhen.

"It's been a while," Ji Xinghuo greeted them with a smile.

The last time they had met was when they went hunting in Africa. Scanning them with electromagnetic induction, he found that they were still Super Extraordinary beings. Not everyone could easily break through the bottleneck to become a Legend, even if they were extraordinary beings on the Ladder.

Jing Ji also sized up Ji Xinghuo, exclaiming, "It's been over a year since we last met, and you've accomplished so much in that time.

Ji Xinghuo returned to his room and called the two men over to give them each a hyper-limit exotic species. Jing Ji received the "True Spirit Fugue," while Yuan Chongzhen received an incarnation exotic species called "Fungal Giant," both of high quality and very suitable for their profession templates.

The two men gladly accepted without hesitation and expressed their gratitude.

At 6 p.m., the group set off from the villa, each traveling by car to the battle venue.

Most of the arrangements for today's duel were decided by Li Xuan.

Of course, he consulted Ji Xinghuo and obtained his agreement on the most critical points.

Li Xuan hired a professional team of over a hundred people to handle the live stream, sponsorships, ticket sales, advertising bids, and hosting.

Ji Xinghuo did not interfere but asked Zhao Manying to assign a few trusted individuals to join the operation team to supervise the process and prevent Li Xuan from taking advantage of any loopholes.

The battle venue was set at the "Tianqin National Stadium," the home stadium of the Imperial Star Team, and they would be utilizing the spiritual realm world within the stadium.

To accommodate tonight's duel, competition schedules were adjusted domestically and internationally to avoid any clashes.

Upon arriving at the Tianqin National Stadium, they were met with a sea of people.

The scene was reminiscent of the Imperial Star Team's final match, with an electrifying atmosphere.

Two months prior, over 400,000 tickets were sold out in less than a minute, with an average price of over 10,000 Asian Yuan. Including the VIP boxes, the ticket sales alone generated over 50 billion in revenue.

The virtual tickets for online viewers were a huge success, with over 1 billion sold worldwide at a low price!

And the numbers were still climbing.

When factoring in additional sources of revenue, such as live streaming, sponsorships, and advertising, the total income for tonight's battle was expected to exceed 500 billion Asian Yuan.

The wager between the two combatants stood at 1,500 billion.

This was a 2,000-billion-worth battle, the most sensational and talked-about event in over a decade, attracting global attention!

Ji Xinghuo, accompanied by his family and friends, entered the stadium through the official channel.

He had booked the best VIP box, capable of accommodating over twenty viewers.

As they entered the box, they overlooked the entire Tianqin Stadium, which was already filled with an audience of over four hundred thousand. The live audience was buzzing with excitement, and over a hundred million viewers were already tuned in online, awaiting the start of the battle.

Five hosts and guests were warming up the audience with pre-battle analysis, comparing the strengths and backgrounds of the two combatants, guiding the viewers in predicting the outcome.

Giant projection screens displayed promotional clips, mostly focusing on Li Xuan, with Ji Xinghuo's appearances amounting to less than one-fifth of the footage.

This was obviously per Li Xuan's instructions, but Ji Xinghuo didn't mind.

The cameras then switched to the VIP box.

The large screen displayed Ji Xinghuo, who sat there with a relaxed posture, chatting with his friends.

The audience immediately erupted in cheers, and Ji Xinghuo waved at the camera before returning his attention to his companions.

While he remained calm, his family was tense, with the exception of Zhao Manying, who had experienced such grand occasions before.

It was now almost 7 p.m.

The Tianqin National Stadium was packed to capacity, with social elites, legends, tycoons, celebrities, and foreign dignitaries occupying the front rows and boxes. Some had come to witness the spectacle, others to ride the trending topic, and some were simply there to enjoy the battle.

Ji Xinghuo recognized many familiar faces, and they acknowledged him without intruding.

Just before the battle commenced, Li Xuan arrived at the VIP box.

He wore a traditional ancient-style robe, as was his custom, but today's attire was even more exquisite and luxurious, giving him an otherworldly aura.

The box fell silent as Ji Xinghuo stood up, his gaze meeting Li Xuan's before shifting to the people accompanying him.

Several floating cameras surrounded them, capturing Li Xuan from multiple angles, along with several uniformed official staff members.

They were from the National Notary Office.

The two combatants shook hands.

In front of the cameras, Li Xuan said solemnly, "According to the contract, we need to complete the notarization before the start of the battle."

"Alright," Ji Xinghuo agreed without further ado and presented the "Absolute Hit" exotic species for appraisal by a Notary Office expert.

Li Xuan then accessed his bank account to display his funds.

Once the Notary Office confirmed that everything was in order, both parties gave their consent.

Usually, per the professional process of the Notary Office, Ji Xinghuo would have to hand over the exotic species to a third party for safekeeping, and Li Xuan's account funds would be frozen. After the outcome was decided, the third party would directly transfer the wager to the winner.

However, due to the extremely high value of the Star Extinction exotic species and the massive sum of 150 billion Asian Yuan, it was challenging to find a suitable third party to handle the arrangements.

Therefore, the two decided to retain possession of their respective stakes.

Neither Ji Xinghuo nor Li Xuan was concerned about the other backing out, as the stakes, though enormous, were not worth risking their reputations.

"Then I'll see you on the battlefield. Good luck," Li Xuan said, exuding confidence and composure.

Ji Xinghuo merely smiled in response.

He saw Li Xuan out of the box and then sat back down.

While the evening's main event was the duel between the two of them, Li Xuan had arranged additional content to extend the live stream, boost viewership, and maximize revenue. He organized other programs, including a five-game match between two teams composed of celebrities, renowned anomalies, and retired competitive anomalies.

Entertainment performances by top artists from across the nation and the globe were interspersed between the matches to further enhance the spectacle.

Finally, it would be time for the main event: the battle between Ji Xinghuo and Li Xuan.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end