Welcome!

The hall fell silent for a moment.

The clan elders present exchanged glances in silence, their faces full of helplessness and disdain, as though they were ashamed to be associated with him.

That was right—five times!

In the span of a single day, they had accepted invitations from five island lords and visited them in turn.

Kong Mingze had said the exact same thing five times as well!

However—

"It's different. This time, it's different!"

There was not the slightest shame on Kong Mingze's face at being exposed. Instead, he spoke with righteous conviction:

"Island Lord Liang, you walk the orthodox path of martial arts. How could the other four island lords possibly be mentioned in the same breath as you?"

"Indeed, if those few island lords had not blocked your path, Island Lord Liang, your second-transformation Wave Devouring Manifestation would already have settled the universe and secured the First Seat!"

"What a pity..."

Kong Mingze suddenly sighed, then shook his head. With a solemn expression, he said:

"Rest assured, Island Lord Liang. My words remain the same."

"When the First Seat arrives, I will certainly offer my full support!"

"I... am different?"

Liang Feiyan stared at Kong Mingze's utterly earnest face. She truly could not see even a trace of falsehood in him. The suspicion in her eyes gradually faded, and a smile bloomed across her face.

"Elder Kong, then I'll thank you in advance."

A small gathering came to a harmonious end.

Outside the hall, the alien clan elders strolled out one after another, their pace unconsciously quickening as though something filthy were chasing after them.

"Everyone, why are you walking so fast?"

With a flash, Kong Mingze appeared before them, lightly fanning himself with his feather fan.

"Since everyone is so rarely gathered together, why not take this chance to have a proper get-together?"

In an instant, brows furrowed one after another, and they replied irritably:

"Kong Mingze, you may have lost your mind, but don't drag us down with you!"

"That's right. The island lords were provoked by the Four Saints Star System and acted out of temporary indignation—that's one thing. Why are you blindly joining in?"

"Exactly. We are stationed here. Long-term stability is what matters most. There is no need to take risks for the resource shares they promised!"

"Heh, full support? Have you forgotten that Li Qingshan is the First Seat personally designated by the Network..."

"Everyone, there's no need to rush!"

Kong Mingze's smile did not change. His gaze swept across them one by one as he said meaningfully:

"Aren't you curious who exactly the person I intend to fully support is...?"

Huh?!

In an instant, pairs of eyes widened in astonishment and suspicion.

Then, the clan elders followed Kong Mingze's footsteps and quietly vanished from sight...

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

Four Saints Star System, Taotie Domain.

Within a vast palace, the little fatty, his body draped in rolls of white fat, squeezed up to an enormous dining table and devoured the food with great relish.

Li Qingshan gently shook his head and set down his chopsticks.

The little fatty immediately turned to him in surprise.

"Coach, you're not eating anymore?"

"I should be leaving. You take your time... cultivating!"

Li Qingshan spoke with a faint smile and rose from his seat.

For those with the Taotie bloodline, eating itself was a form of cultivation.

Over the past three days, after meeting his two former leaders, Gu Feng and Ming Shuang, he had returned to Ziying Star to see Zhao Yang, and had also visited Seven Stars Academy to see his old classmate Mou Yu.

After that, he had caught up with Bao Hetong at the Investigation Division Three office, where he also met Zhao Ran and Yang Xiaoyu, who had become section chiefs...

Before leaving, he had originally wanted to see how the little fatty was doing in the Taotie Domain.

Now, it seemed his previous worries had been unnecessary.

"Mhm, Coach, don't worry. I'll definitely work hard at eating!"

The little fatty's mouth was slick with oil, his face overflowing with a blissful smile.

"Myriad Gold Ancestor said I'm not fat. I'm drawing closer to my ancestors! I'm still far, far away from the build of a true Taotie. I still need to eat lots and lots more!"

"As long as you're happy."

Li Qingshan shook his head with a laugh, took one step forward, and vanished into layer upon layer of space...

The place where the Four Saints converged.

The formerly desolate starry sky was now incomparably lively!

Ships from Star Martial Hall were docked in the void. Nearly a hundred research teams and thousands of researchers surrounded the Epoch Paragons.

Yang Zhixuan gazed eagerly at the top ten of the epoch and reminded them worriedly:

"After arriving at the Land of Return, you must be cautious in all things. You absolutely cannot let your guard down."

"You must understand that your safety is no longer merely your own concern. It is tied to the future of humanity's martial path..."

The endless reminders darkened Tu Xie and the others' faces. At the same time, resentful gazes gathered upon the young man who had arrived late.

For three days, some people had been on vacation, while they had remained in the starry sky, being studied by a group of people and forced to listen to an old man nag!

"Ahem!"

Li Qingshan coughed dryly. Not wishing to provoke them further, he directly turned his gaze toward Shi Feng.

"Councilor Shi, three days have passed. Shouldn't we set off?"

As he spoke, his gaze fixed on the area behind the stone stele. Last time, his eyesight had not been sufficient to see through the laws of the star realm. This time, he intended to take a good look at how the "road ahead" was opened.

Yet the familiar swirling nebula did not appear!

"The Land of Return is mysterious beyond measure. It is not something people like us can find."

Shi Feng gave a brief explanation, then raised a hand and pointed at... the Communicator.

Just as everyone was puzzled—

The void suddenly rippled with visible web-like waves, web-like waves filled with streams of green data!

Lines of green converged, beginning at the stone stele and stretching deep into the starry sky.

The Network opened the way!

"Set off!" Shi Feng pointed ahead and said with a smile.

"This road will send you to the Land of Return—to Primal Island!"

"A road woven between illusion and reality?"

Filled with curiosity, Li Qingshan placed one foot upon the "green road." The other paragons forcibly suppressed the shock in their hearts and followed him forward.

In an instant, green light blazed brightly. The streams of data webbing seemed to come alive, carrying figure after figure into the depths of the starry sky...

Land of Return, Primal Island.

Though called an island, it was actually a vast continent floating atop the Return Sea.

Above and below, left and right, in every direction, it was wrapped in raging, violent currents of chaotic laws.

At this moment, the island's center was densely packed with people. More than a million figures had gathered there, a sea of black stretching as far as the eye could see.

Bzzzt—!

High above the island, which should have been deathly silent and completely rejected the fluctuations of technological creations, a rift blazing with dense green light tore open without warning.

"It has begun!"

Before the crowd, Xiang Hong, Zhuang Yuanhua, Liang Feiyan, Ding Shan, and Shi Wentao each occupied one side. Their gazes were fixed upon the rift in the sky, as well as the alien clan elders standing at the very front.

"Let's speak plainly! The First Seat has always belonged to the capable. Even if the Network designated him, that does not mean it cannot be changed!"

Xiang Hong rested a hand upon the Golden Blade, his eyes locked on the other four as he spoke with imposing force:

"Having just arrived, today is the best opportunity to challenge for the First Seat. Elder Kong has already promised to give me his full support..."

"Heh, who hasn't heard that?" Zhuang Yuanhua laughed, shaking his head.

"Old Xiang, don't tell me you thought Elder Kong said that only to you?"

"Hm?!"

Xiang Hong frowned. Seeing the same expression on the other three faces, his own face darkened.

"Whether they support us or not is not actually important!"

Liang Feiyan spoke in a low voice, signaling for them to look at the clan elders ahead.

"What matters most is that they have chosen to stand forward!"

"As long as they take the lead in questioning Li Qingshan, we can justifiably ignite the contest for the First Seat!"

Her words struck straight into everyone's hearts.

What they lacked was merely an opportunity!

Boom!

The rift in the void suddenly spread open. Data streams poured down like a waterfall, tearing apart the dense, chaotic mist of mixed laws that filled the air above the island.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Figure after figure followed the torrent of data. Amid the hum of space, they stepped onto Primal Island's solid black rock, cool to the touch.

Yet as figure after figure descended, every pair of eyes unconsciously widened.

Five... ten... twenty... fifty...

One hundred and one!

In an instant, gaze after gaze turned vacant, and everyone was dumbfounded.

News of the First Seat had long spread, but no one had ever said that aside from the First Seat, the Four Saints Star System would be sending another hundred paragons!

In the past, even one extra person every ten thousand years would have been outrageous.

Now, there were suddenly 101 people?!

Xiang Hong and the others forcibly suppressed their shock and fixed their eyes on the young man at the front.

Dressed in black, standing tall, curiously surveying his surroundings—Li Qingshan!

Meanwhile, under Kong Mingze's lead, the clan elders standing at the very front stepped forward to greet him.

"The clan elders are making their move!"

In an instant, the few of them held their breath, excitement hidden in their eyes.

Beyond her excitement, the corners of Liang Feiyan's lips unconsciously curled into a faint smile.

How could the support of ninth-rank clan elders not be important?

It was simply that Xiang Hong and the others could not obtain it.

But she was different. Kong Mingze had personally—

Her thoughts broke off halfway.

Her smile froze upon her face.

Because the imagined "challenge and questioning" never came!

Liang Feiyan's eyes widened as she blankly watched the refined middle-aged man holding a feather fan walk up to the young man, then...

Cup his hands and bow?!!!

Behind Kong Mingze, the ninth-rank clan elders all bent at the waist as well, speaking respectfully.

"Welcome Primal First Seat, His Excellency Li Qingshan, to Primal Island!"