I will eventually become a god through sheer hard work.

"I thought the skyscrapers in the nine major metropolitan areas would be similar, but I didn't expect them to be so much smaller than those in the first metropolitan area."

Li Ziyuan smiled and said respectfully, "During the Eternal Night War, among the nine 'Sun Pillars' built with the full strength of the nation, the First Metropolitan Area had the largest radiation range, so its size was maximized, ultimately creating what can be called the largest Sun Pillar in the world."

"After the Eternal Night War, all the sun pillars have been transformed into skyscraper centers. The 'Azure Court' at the top of the skyscraper center in the First Metropolitan Area is now known as the 'highest point in the world,' which is the pride of our Zhuxia. The Fifth Metropolitan Area cannot compare."

Zhou Yinglin turned and glanced at him.

That hawk-like, sharp gaze, like a tangible blade, caused Li Ziyuan to feel a phantom pain wherever it passed.

"Mr. Li, I've called you here today for no other reason than to borrow your authority to change the opponents I'll be drawn in the competition."

He spoke softly.

“Well… our U19 draw has always been random…” Li Ziyuan said hesitantly.

Zhou Yinglin's tone remained completely unchanged:

"You should know that I'm not discussing this with you."

Li Ziyuan's expression shifted for a moment, then he said helplessly:

"Yes……"

Zhou Yinglin reached into his pocket and pulled out a photograph. He didn't seem to exert any force; he simply held the photograph between two fingers and shook it.

The photo flew out of his hand in an instant, spinning as it flew towards Li Ziyuan. The edge of the photo cut into his clothes on his chest and stopped there, just a hair's breadth away from cutting into his skin.

"No matter how you arrange it, I must meet this person in the ring."

Zhou Yinglin said.

Li Ziyuan carefully removed the photo from his chest and took a look at it.

The photo shows an incredibly handsome young man standing on a ring, staring intently at the scene opposite him with his silver eyes.

"...Xue Jing?"

Li Ziyuan said the boy's name in surprise.

He knew this person; he was the most eye-catching dark horse star who suddenly appeared in this U19 competition.

Because of his good looks and his ability to show off, the U19 team has garnered significantly more attention than in previous years.

Members of the U19 organizing committee, including Li Ziyuan, had a high opinion of the boy.

"This……"

Li Ziyuan was somewhat reluctant.

Zhou Yinglin's deliberate arrangement to fight his opponent on the ring suggests he likely harbored malicious intent.

Although Xue Jing was also a brilliant young man, in Li Ziyuan's eyes, he was far inferior to Zhou Yinglin, and this arrangement would likely lead to dire consequences.

But... he couldn't do anything about it.

Li Ziyuan sighed, nodded, and said in a low voice:

“I understand, Young Master Zhou.”

……

Yuancheng, a secluded area.

In the vast, ancient underground temple, a throne made of stacked stones sits in the center.

Behind the throne is a statue of a god, tens of meters tall.

It was a majestic deity standing upright with two legs and six arms. The deity's head was a dragon head, and behind the dragon head were a thousand different snake heads intricately carved.

This is the 'eldest son of the serpent,' the 'infinite dragon'—Anandashesha!

Its true form cannot be recognized by mere humans. This statue is merely a sculpture created by humans according to their own understanding and perception, rather than the real Ananda Shesha.

On the throne sat a young man dressed in a black robe and hood, with only his eyes visible. His red vertical pupils looked down at the kneeling figure below.

"An Luping, where is Ning Fengwan, the branch leader you mentioned who is exceptionally talented? Why didn't you bring her along?"

His voice was calm and deep, clearly ringing in the ears of everyone in the temple, causing countless members of the Dragon Cult, clad in black robes, to bow slightly.

An Luping's forehead was covered in cold sweat. He looked up at the young man on the throne, his lips trembling slightly as he spoke:

"My son, please calm your anger. There is a reason for this..."

An Luping gave a brief account of his experiences in Qingcheng during this period, embellishing the story slightly to completely absolve himself of any responsibility.

After listening, the young man known as the Divine Child slightly turned his head, propped his head up with his right fist resting on the armrest, and said calmly:

"So, the whole reason lies with that person named 'Xue Jing'?"

An Luping replied respectfully, "You could say that!"

The Dragon Cult's Divine Child shook his head: "Ignorant woman, you're so preoccupied with worldly affairs, you don't understand at all what a great honor it is to be able to worship His Majesty Ananda Sasha."

An Luping whispered, "Your Highness, Xue Jing will soon be coming to Yuancheng to participate in the 'U19 Tournament' held in the mortal realm. Ning Fengwan is always by his side and should be coming with him..."

The Divine Child nodded: "If that's the case, then we'll save ourselves the trouble of a long journey... Once they arrive, we'll invite them to the temple to remove any unnecessary 'impurities' and see if Ning Fengwan, whom you mentioned, has the potential to become a 'Prince' of our sect."

"The more people who are qualified to bear children for this divine child, the better... After a thousand children are born, a true 'Shesha' will naturally be born among them."

“If ‘Shesa’ happens to be Ning Fengwan’s daughter, then she will become the Holy Mother of the ‘Infinite Era’, with a status equivalent to Mary of the Cross.”

An Luping complimented, "It's her honor."

……

In a spacious dojo in Yuancheng.

A girl... or perhaps a boy? She was kneeling in the center of the dojo, her upper body straight as a pine tree, her flawless, delicate hands resting flat on her thighs.

He had an extremely handsome face, androgynous, possessing feminine beauty yet also some masculine features. His waist-length hair was tied into a high ponytail and hung down his back.

He was dressed in a magnificent black men's haori, with an extremely beautiful old long sword placed on the ground beside him. He sat there, serene and beautiful like a painting, like a beautiful boy who had stepped out of a Bakumatsu manga.

Otogi Suzuka was staring intently at the holographic image playing in front of her.

In the scene, the silver-eyed boy passed by his opponent without looking back, while his opponent, covered in countless knife wounds, slowly collapsed to the ground.

“Sakura Mitsutsuki (サクラミツツキ), Mianbai い奥義だ (Sakura Mitsutsuki, what an interesting secret technique)”.

He spoke with great interest in the Far Eastern language, his voice somewhat androgynous, making it difficult to distinguish between male and female.

"Xue Jun seems to be a worthy opponent. I'm really looking forward to it."

When he spoke again, it was fluent and extremely authentic Chinese, completely belying the level of a foreigner.

At that moment, the sliding door beside them was pushed open, and a maid in a kimono knelt on the ground, bowing respectfully as she said:

"Lord Suzuka, another challenger has arrived."

Upon hearing this, Otogi Suzuka stood up, revealing a bright and beautiful smile:

"Perfect timing! I just saw something good, and now I'm itching to get my hands on it."

"The land of China is truly a treasure trove with no end in sight, always ready to surprise me..."

……

Chapter 211 Entering the Inner Ring, the Sixth Agency's Privilege, and the Sky Pirates Again

three days later.

Qingcheng South District, Baiya Temporary Base.

Xue Jing dragged a black rolling suitcase toward the nearby helipad.

The cat sat on his shoulder, licking its right front paw as if washing its face.

He only brought his cat with him when he went to Yuancheng to participate in the competition.

Xue Wan originally wanted to go along, as she had never been to an inner-ring city before, but Xue Jing refused.

One reason was that she didn't have the necessary permits to stay in the inner ring area and couldn't stay for more than a few days. Another reason was that Xue Jing had a premonition that this trip wouldn't be peaceful, so for safety reasons, he didn't let Xue Wan come along.

Although she can be a bit impulsive at times, Xue Wan is quite sensible when it matters. Seeing Xue Jing's serious attitude, she immediately obediently said that she would stay at home.

A sleek, black, and beautifully streamlined aircraft was quietly placed on the tarmac. Standing next to the aircraft's door was a young man who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing a dark blue tactical uniform and a paper pendant that looked like a talisman in his left ear.

It was Ning Yuantai.

Xue Jing walked towards him unhurriedly, dragging his suitcase with one hand and waving to Ning Yuantai with the other, greeting him:

"Young Master Ning."

Upon hearing this address, Ning Yuantai scratched his head and said, "Brother Xue, I'm not some rich young master. I got to where I am today entirely on my own."

Xue Jing laughed heartily, "That's good, the persona is very stable."

As he spoke, he looked at the plane next to him.

He was very familiar with this plane, having flown on it two or three times before; it was the Dragon Core plane that belonged to White Raven.

Compared to last time, however, some devices that Xue Jing didn't quite understand were installed on the wings and nose of the plane, which looked very much like weapons.

A few days ago, he called Xu Ren to ask which channel would be the fastest to get to the inner ring road.

After telling him to wait a moment, Xu Ren hung up the phone. He called back shortly after, saying that Commander Bai Ya had heard about the matter and would send a Dragon Core aircraft to pick him up and take off at any time for a quick arrival.

And so, we arrived at today.

"Isn't this Bai Ya's plane? Why are you here to pick me up?"

Xue Jing asked Ning Yuantai curiously.

“I mentioned to Bai Ya that I’m quite familiar with you, and that’s why they let me come over,” Ning Yuantai explained.

In terms of familiarity, it should be Xu Ren and Shan Xiao... but it doesn't matter, Xue Jing smiled and said:

"Let's go, can we set off now?"

Ning Yuantai nodded and said, "No problem, we can set off now."

The cabin door opened with a hiss, and Xue Jing and Ning Yuantai walked into the cabin.

On the way, Ning Yuantai suddenly noticed that the exceptionally beautiful black cat on Xue Jing's shoulder was squinting at him with its emerald-like vertical pupils, exuding an inexplicable danger that sent a chill down Ning Yuantai's spine.