Chapter 1369: 22 Three Years Later? [Request for official subscription]

Chapter 1369: Chapter 22 Three Years Later? [Request for official subscription]

The Tianhe Force has welcome ships, as well as farewell ships.

As the entire Tianhe Force was immersed in the joy of Jia Yan defeating a well-known genius from the Central Star Area, the farewell ship also appeared.

The green high-level talent monster, who had just ridden the impressive welcome ship to the Tianhe Force less than half an hour ago, departed again on the farewell ship.

However, this time, although the Tianhe Force sent him off with equal pomp, the green monster himself seemed a bit disheartened.

“Jia Yan, I’ll challenge you again next time!”

After leaving this harsh declaration, he didn’t even dare to turn his head back. The notion of using his challenge against Jia Yan as a springboard to challenge Duo Jian was no longer mentioned. He quickly boarded the farewell ship and departed.

“Haha, Jia Yan, although you won, your shortcomings are also quite obvious. Be sure not to become arrogant and complacent.”

“I understand.”

After Jia Yan secured this victory, Tian Rongguang, dizzy with exhilaration as if drunk, did not forget to give Jia Yan a bit of a lecture.

After all, many geniuses have self-destructed due to arrogance, and even some top-tier geniuses have followed this path. Tian Rongguang feared that Jia Yan, after arriving in the Central Star Area and immediately winning against a formidable genius, might become overconfident.

Jia Yan certainly wouldn’t let that happen. As a lifeform born on Earth, the challenges he has experienced far exceed Tian Rongguang’s imagination. Arrogance? Such a sentiment might only emerge once he reaches Galaxy Level.

“My Lord, we just received news that another wave of fluctuations has emerged from the Star Transmission Body, apparently from a challenger named ‘Territory Shell.'”

While Jia Yan was conversing with Tian Rongguang, the receptionist Tian Tesu chimed in with the report.

“Already here? Tian Tesu, go ahead and receive them.” Tian Rongguang’s expression changed slightly.

“Jia Yan, how about it? Do you need some rest before the next fight?”

“My Lord, let them come. I can still fight.” Jia Yan responded to Tian Rongguang without hesitation.

His physical resilience is not easily compromised. Being an Evolutionary Creature, consecutive battles of this intensity don’t pose much of a problem.

“Very well, it seems you have confidence in your endurance. Once this challenger arrives, you’ll fight them next.”

The more Tian Rongguang observed Jia Yan, the more impressed he became—particularly with Jia Yan’s demeanor, which was perfectly aligned with his preferences. Most creatures, upon meeting Tian Rongguang, would falter at the sheer force of his power and status within the Tianhe Force. Jia Yan, however, spoke earnestly and candidly, showing no sense of inferiority, which made Tian Rongguang value him even more.

Of course, such an attitude required talent and capability. If an ordinary Respect Level dared to speak to Tian Rongguang this way, it wouldn’t be surprising if he swatted them to death with a single blow, disgracing his title as the strongest in the Tianhe Force.

The newcomer challenger turned out to be a turtle-like monster.

“Jia Yan, take this blow from me!”

In the depths of space, combat energy surged.

The two monsters clashed directly, stubbornly refusing to yield.

“No way, Jia Yan is actually engaging in direct combat with this defense-specialized Territory Shell.”

“And it seems his defense isn’t inferior to Territory Shell’s. The two have turned into a pair of iron-shelled brutes—it’s laughable how evenly matched they are.”

The two monstrous entities battled relentlessly in space, exchanging strikes—one with a tail whip, the other with a claw slam.

In the end, neither could defeat the other.

“Roar! Jia Yan, let’s call it a draw. I can’t break your defense, and you can’t break mine.”

After a long time, the turtle monster let out a bellow.

The muffled, clumsy tone made it obvious that this opponent wasn’t someone skilled at scheming.

This opponent ceased their attack, and the azure-tinged monster who had been continuously pounding on the other’s shell also stopped casually.

Jia Yan shook his head. “Alright, let’s settle for a draw.”

It turned out that after battling for over half an hour, both parties had opportunities to strike directly at each other’s bodies. Yet, neither Jia Yan nor Territory Shell anticipated the staggering capabilities of the other’s defense. Jia Yan tried multiple methods but failed to harm his opponent; the same applied to Territory Shell.

“Jia Yan, I know you have a few tricks up your sleeve. I’ve got some as well. Let’s fight again when we meet next time!”

The large turtle-like monster let out another muffled bellow at Jia Yan before turning away without further interference.

“Territory Shell’s defense is truly terrifying.”

Tian Rongguang approached Jia Yan, satisfied with the drawn outcome.

“Hmm, although their speed and defense weren’t particularly outstanding, if the fight had continued, my chances of winning would have been at least seventy percent. It would just take too long—calling it a draw for now isn’t bad and leaves room for a rematch.”

Jia Yan nodded, accepting the draw without much regret. He had never claimed he had to win every match in these challenge rounds.

Moreover, Jia Yan truly had backup strategies—especially the starstone-based explosive energy reaction. Using that, he could inflict significant damage not only to Respect Level opponents but even to someone like Tian Rongguang.

Of course, such a fallback plan was not something he wanted to reveal lightly.

“It seems facing top-tier High-level Talent Venerables is still somewhat strenuous, with some battles even ending in stalemates.”

Reflecting on the previous fight, Jia Yan noticed his opponent was clearly a defense-talented monster. Whether it was using his forelimb sting or unleashing Brainwave Power blasts, Jia Yan couldn’t break through the shield of his adversary.

Somewhat exasperated at the time, Jia Yan ignored his opponent’s strikes and activated his Bluish defense, engaging them in direct combat within space!

And his Bluish defense proved to be comparable to the opponent’s, resulting in an impasse where neither side could overcome the other.

“Enough, Jia Yan. I’ve received news of yet another challenger heading over. But I think you’ve fought two consecutive matches now and should take a break for a few hours. I’ll stall for you.”

Under Tian Rongguang’s instructions, Jia Yan returned to his designated cultivation celestial body.

“My Lord, you’re incredible! Those were the legendary two Respect-level geniuses. I’ve heard of their names back in the 132 Star Zone. And yet, you managed to win one and draw one!”

Xiaoya, who had been waiting at the celestial body for Jia Yan, finally abandoned any odd glances she had about him and offered him genuine praise.

“Hehe, I still have far to go,” Jia Yan said, shaking his head.

“That’s not true, Master. Your strength is already among the top High-level Talent individuals. What, are you aiming to challenge the top-tier geniuses?” Xiaoya responded in surprise at Jia Yan’s words.

From her perspective, Jia Yan’s comment hinted at an ambition to challenge the top-tier geniuses.

But even though Xiaoya had grown to admire Jia Yan considerably, she still didn’t believe he could achieve such a feat. After all, top-tier geniuses were living legends and myths, with almost all of them advancing to Stellar Level—and once achieved, their Stellar Level power was terrifying. For Jia Yan to challenge them seemed almost impossible.

“Challenge top-tier geniuses?” Jia Yan chuckled faintly.

Indeed, he was thinking of challenging top-tier geniuses, but this was merely something he aimed to do within the Respect Level phase, just part of his earlier objectives.

His ultimate goal was to leap directly from Respect Level to Stellar Level. If that happened, his ambitions wouldn’t merely rest within the bounds of Respect Level.

He wanted to challenge top-tier geniuses and, just as he had done in the 132 Star Zone, climb his way up!

Secondary Powerhouse, Semi-permanent star—of course, attempting to surpass realms in combat would be exceedingly difficult later on, and Jia Yan held no certainty he could pull it off. Especially fighting remarkable geniuses, he found even facing peers within the same realm to be an arduous task, let alone surpassing tiers. Even Jia Yan himself deemed this idea overly fanciful.

But if certain goals weren’t settled in the present, the future wouldn’t see any effort toward them.

The challenge matches continued.

One week later.

The Stellar Academy’s group of genius creatures, along with Xi Fei, were on the Diplomatic Star of the Genius Battlefield, preparing for departure.

“That’s odd. None of the Respect-level challengers in the Genius Battlefield showed up to face Duo Jian.”

During this week of rest, the Stellar Academy saw challenges at every level of genius. Some accepted the battles, and others outright refused.

Among these, some won while others lost—even one genius ended up severely injured.

But this was par for the course. What puzzled Xi Fei most was that the Respect Level, which was usually the easiest to challenge, saw no battles unfold.

Could it be that Duo Jian’s strength intimidated the Genius Battlefield geniuses?

“That doesn’t make sense. Genius battles are about pride. Since we’ve arrived here, some geniuses in the Genius Battlefield should have been unable to resist challenging Duo Jian. Of course, them not challenging is fine too. Duo Jian has already mastered Great Clan Special Techniques. Once fully adept, he’d be akin to a top-tier genius. I wouldn’t want him encountering an opponent that requires all his strength to defeat.”

Xi Fei wouldn’t seriously believe that the Genius Battlefield lacked High-level Talent geniuses capable of battling Duo Jian. If the Genius Battlefield were truly so weak, it wouldn’t be on par with the Stellar Academy as one of the Holy Lands.

“Lord Xi Fei, I just received news. All the Respect-level individuals whom Duo Jian had refused to fight have gone to challenge Jia Yan instead. As it turns out, none of them could defeat Jia Yan. The strongest only managed a draw. That’s why none of them came here to challenge Duo Jian.”

A Secondary Powerhouse-level genius brought by Xi Fei approached him with a strange expression and reported the news.

“Hmm? Jia Yan actually fended off so many geniuses, with the most formidable only able to draw? It seems Jia Yan has made significant strides.”

Xi Fei was shocked upon hearing the report.

“Oh? So Jia Yan has also improved. Teacher, I think before we leave for the next stop, we should visit his location. I still feel uneasy since our scheduled match hasn’t been completed.”

Duo Jian, who was standing next to Xi Fei, showed a shift in expression upon hearing that Jia Yan had indeed dispatched all the Respect-level geniuses Duo Jian had disregarded. He didn’t think Jia Yan could now be a match for him, yet the unfulfilled battle left him unsettled.

“Forget it. Our itinerary is tight. Jia Yan doesn’t seem like an ordinary figure—three years later, as per usual protocol, their Genius Battlefield will send a team to challenge our Stellar Academy. Judging by his talent, he may be part of that team. You’ll meet him then.”

Xi Fei shook his head, unwilling to alter their scheduled plans for Duo Jian.