Yong Feng's Decision, Sacred Radiance Makes Pillars

Immediately, an uproar erupted in the main council hall.

On the huge circular light screen, the real-time scene of the airport outside the Ultimate Arena was still playing. Lin Yi and his group had already entered the depths of the passage, with Eternal Rock following closely behind, their figures gradually disappearing from the camera's view.

But the people in the hall were too preoccupied to watch what happened next.

"Father," Yong Qing asked hesitantly, "Is he serving as Lin Yi's bodyguard?"

Yong Feng took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

He sat back down, his gaze fixed on the spot where Eternal Rock had just stood on the screen, as if trying to discern some clue.

Musto was the first to recover. The elder, a peak-level expert in the Origin Realm, had a solemn expression and said in a deep voice, "Judging from their positioning, posture, and interaction, they are undoubtedly guards. The clan leader always lagged half a step behind Lin Yi, and his eyes swept around with obvious vigilance. When staff members approached, he took the initiative to negotiate. These are all standard guard behaviors."

"But Father is Eternal Divinity!" Yong Qing retorted instinctively. "Even if Lin Yi is a genius of the Ninefold Domain, does he really need a god to personally protect him? There have been Ninefold Domain geniuses in the history of our clan, but we have never heard of Eternal Divinity serving as a long-term personal bodyguard."

Her words drew nods of agreement from the other high-ranking family members around her.

Indeed, this is a very high standard.

Eternal Divinity are the backbone of a race, powerful beings capable of establishing their own Divine Kingdom and attaining eternal life.

Even among a powerful race like Human Race, the number of Eternal Divinity is finite.

Having such a being serve as a guard for a Star Core level being, even if that Star Core level is a genius of the Ninefold Domain, seems far too extravagant.

Yong Feng did not answer directly; instead, he turned to Yong Qing and asked a question.

"Little sister, why do you think Father accepted this mission? Or rather, what kind of guard mission would make an Eternal Divinity, who has only recently been resurrected and desperately needs clan merit to restore his Divine Kingdom, willing to serve as a guard for a Star Core level being?"

Yong Qing was stumped by the question. She frowned and thought for a few seconds before hesitatingly asking, "Is the clan honor reward exceptionally generous? Or... is the person being protected particularly important?"

"Both reasons are valid," Yong Feng nodded, "But not enough. If it were merely about the rich clan honors, Father could easily take on other, less risky missions. If it were simply about the importance of the person being protected, the clan wouldn't easily allow an Eternal Divinity to do something so wasteful."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the family members present. "I think there must be something special about this mission that we are unaware of."

The council chamber fell silent as everyone pondered Yong Feng's words.

Yong Qing bit her lip, then suddenly realized something. "Big brother, you mean..."

"Not bad." Yong Feng's gaze returned to the light screen. "Lin Yi's display of the Ninefold Spacetime Life-Death Domain in the preliminaries was already astonishing enough. But for the clan's higher-ups to be willing to send an Eternal Divinity as his protector is far too high a level. Unless..."

He looked at Yong Qing and said slowly, "Unless they know that Lin Yi's talent and potential are far greater than what they've shown so far—great enough to warrant this level of protection."

Yong Qing gasped, "Brother, you mean he has something else going on?"

Yong Feng nodded, his expression serious. "Very likely. Don't forget how much strength he hid before the competition started. For eight hundred years, from the Fourfold Domain to the Ninefold Domain, everyone thought he was stuck at a bottleneck, but then he suddenly erupted, shocking the entire starry sea. Who dares to say that someone like that has shown his full potential?"

Musto pondered for a moment and said, "That makes sense. If Lin Yi really has something hidden, then Father's mission to protect him is probably not just an opportunity, but also... the future."

He spoke the word "future" very softly, but everyone in the council chamber understood its meaning.

The implications of establishing contact with a future powerhouse who may reach the pinnacle of power for the currently troubled Yong Yan Family are self-evident.

Yong Qing had the same thought, but then she suddenly realized something and quickly said, "But brother, if Lin Yi's talent is really even higher than it's showing now, wouldn't he become a thorn in the side of the alien race? Wouldn't the task of protecting him be very dangerous?"

Her question echoed the sentiments of many people present.

The competition among the various races in the Star Sea is extremely brutal, and assassinations of rival geniuses are commonplace.

Lin Yi's display of the Ninefold Spacetime Life-Death Domain in the preliminary rounds was already remarkable enough; if it were not only that...

Upon hearing this, Yong Feng revealed a meaningful smile.

He turned to face Yong Qing, his tone calm. "Little sister, you are focused on cultivation and don't understand worldly matters much, which is why you have such questions."

Yong Qing frowned, unconvinced, and said, "Brother, although I focus on cultivation, it's not like I don't understand these things."

Yong Feng waved his hand, signaling her to calm down. "Did you notice before?" he said, "Father's identity as a bodyguard is almost completely exposed to everyone. This isn't a covert bodyguard; it's an overt bodyguard."

"Open cards?" Yong Qing, somewhat puzzled.

"That's right," Yong Feng said. "The so-called 'open-air guards' means displaying our guard force in the open, telling everyone that we take this person very seriously, and that anyone who tries to harm him will pay the price!"

Musto then chimed in, "Junior sister, you may not know this, but usually, guards of this caliber employ more than one method. Besides the clan leader as the overt divine protector, there must be other covert measures, and they're certainly more sophisticated than the last."

He emphasized, "Therefore, those races that are particularly at odds with our Human Race will immediately understand one thing when they see their patriarch by Lin Yi's side: mobilizing only god-level power is basically hopeless."

"And to mobilize a higher level of power... a Lord? Surely we wouldn't send our own Lord to risk his life in the heart of the Pan-Spirit Alliance just to deal with a potential future Human Race Lord?"

"Senior Brother is right," Yong Feng concluded. "Actually, the main purpose of this escort mission is to demonstrate our Human Race's determination to the alien races. After all, we're not afraid of one or two attacks, but we don't want to be targeted. The fundamental solution is to directly discourage the alien races from even considering it."

Yong Qing suddenly realized, "I see. Does that mean this mission is actually quite safe?"

"It's much safer than I imagined." Yong Feng nodded. "On the contrary, if Lin Yi's guards were only average, and Father had been assigned a covert protection mission, then there would have been real danger."

"Why?" Yong Qing pressed.

Musto said in a deep voice, "Because of the temptation. If the alien races see that Lin Yi's guard is weak, they will easily be tempted. What if there are internal conflicts among the Human Race, and they really aren't on guard? What if they succeed? As long as they succeed, they can eliminate a potential future enemy. Even if they suspect that there might be a hidden defense force, so what? The temptation to take a gamble is too great."

Yong Feng added, "In that situation, if Father had acted as a covert bodyguard, he might have faced a true battle at the level of gods. Because once the alien race decides to make a move, they will inevitably deploy forces capable of breaking through the open defenses. But things are like this now."

He pointed to the light screen. "By laying our cards on the table, the alien races dare not act rashly. Because they know that once they make a move, they will not only be facing their father in the open, but also potentially more defenses lurking in the shadows. The risk is too great, and the chance of success is extremely low; it's not worth it."

Yong Qing nodded to indicate that he understood.

She pondered for a moment, then a thought suddenly popped into her head, and she subconsciously said, "Doesn't that mean we can use Lin Yi as bait to lure out some alien gods who are hostile to our Human Race Human Race, or even those who are lurking in our territory?"

As soon as she said that, she saw her brother and senior brother looking at her with eyes that said, "Are you an idiot?"

Yong Qing paused for a moment, then realized, "That's right. Whoever makes this decision will not only risk the mission going wrong, but even if nothing goes wrong, they will face the hostility of the future Lord. Why bother?"

She smiled somewhat awkwardly, then quickly added, "Father did indeed take on a good mission. He probably didn't tell us the specifics beforehand because he wasn't with Lin Yi yet and didn't want to let it slip. If the information leaked prematurely and caused problems with the protection plan, the responsibility would be considerable."

Yong Feng nodded and sighed, "That's right, it tells us there are only disadvantages and no advantages. Perhaps it's precisely because of my father's cautious nature that he was able to receive such a mission and have such an opportunity."

After speaking, Yong Feng sat back down in the main seat, his expression becoming serious.

His gaze swept over all the family members in the council hall, his voice clear and forceful. "Now that Father has accepted the mission to protect Lin Yi, Lin Yi will be connected to our Yong Yan Family in the future. Issue my orders!"

All family members in the council chamber sat up straight, listening intently.

"First, no one in the family shall offend the East Peak Mercenary Group, the Silver Blue Civilization, or related personnel without cause."

"Secondly, if you encounter any difficulties with members of the Eastern Edge or Silver Blue Civilization during your missions, you should proactively offer assistance, provided it does not violate laws or clan rules."

"Third, closely monitor Lin Yi's information, and prioritize handling related intelligence."

Yong Feng paused, then looked at Musto: "Elder, the family's connections within the Mercenary Alliance and the military system can be appropriately tilted towards Eastern Edge. It doesn't need to be too obvious, but we must make sure he feels the goodwill."

Musto bowed. "Understood."

As for us.

Yong Feng's gaze swept over the family members present. "Watch the upcoming matches carefully. Since the clan has appointed Father as their bodyguard, it means Lin Yi's hidden strength will be revealed in this competition. This is not only an opportunity to watch the matches, but also an opportunity to learn about those who may cross paths with our family in the future."

Everyone responded in unison.

Yong Qing turned her gaze back to the screen, which had now switched to the interior of the Ultimate Arena, where the ranking matches were about to begin. Looking at Lin Yi's figure on the screen, she felt a complex mix of emotions.

The fact that the father accepted this task meant that the family finally had a chance to escape their current predicament.

More importantly, it's about establishing connections with future leaders like Lin Yi.

"Lin Yi," Yong Qing murmured the name, his eyes filled with curiosity, "Just how many secrets are you still hiding?"

--

Inside the Ultimate Arena, in the spectator area.

Eternal Rock, Aurelia, and four others sat on a small floating crystal platform.

The crystal platform is hexagonal and made entirely of translucent light blue crystals. It is suspended in mid-air above the main arena, providing an excellent spectator view.

The front row seats naturally belonged to Eternal Rock.

Behind him, Aurelia and Lin Yao sat side by side.

The two women, one calm and elegant, the other beautiful and lively, were both intently watching the competition below.

Following them were Chen Yu, Zhou Yuxuan, and Kaliya.

Although they were also Star Core level geniuses, they remained quiet in this situation, afraid of disturbing Eternal Rock in front of them.

"Sister Ellie," Lin Yao suddenly spoke in a low voice, a hint of worry in her tone, "Won't there be any problems having a real-world competition here? This isn't like Virtual Network; what if she loses control?"

Her words made Chen Yu and the others behind her prick up their ears.

Indeed, no matter how intense the competition is in the Virtual Network, there will be no real danger to life.

But this is reality, the true Ultimate Arena.

The aftershocks of a battle between Star Core level powerhouse are enough to destroy the surface of a planet; without sufficiently strong protective measures, even the audience seating area could be affected.

Aurelia turned to look at Lin Yao, her emerald eyes filled with a gentle smile, "Don't worry. The Ultimate Arena is a divine artifact-level facility built by the Spirit Race at the cost of countless resources, mainly for hosting the final stage of the Pan-Spirit Alliance Expert Tournament."

She pointed to the vast arena below, stretching as far as the eye could see. "The entire arena is presided over by the sovereign of the Life Law. Its internal space can be folded and expanded at will, and its defense mechanisms are perfected to the extreme."

"Let alone matches between Star Core level, even if the strongest experts in the Star Domain level were to fight here, they could instantly recover to their perfect condition once the match ended."

"Even Star Domain level being can recover instantly?" Lin Yao was taken aback.

"Um."

Aurelia nodded. "I've seen similar records in the Spirit Race's records. Three hundred Epoch ago, two Star Domain level experts fought Decisive Battle here, both suffering severe injuries and damage to their core essence. After the match, both instantly recovered completely, even their depleted core essence was replenished."

Chen Yu couldn't help but interject, "Isn't that a bit too exaggerated? How many resources would that consume?"

"So the Ultimate Arena is never open under normal circumstances," Aurelia said. "It's only activated during the final stages of the Genius Battle, the final stages of the Strongest Battle, or certain particularly important inter-race exchange competitions. It's said that the resources consumed just to activate it are enough to cultivate several World Derivation level."

Zhou Yuxuan remarked with a sigh, "The Spirit Race's foundation is truly terrifying."

Kaliya added softly, "But this is also for absolute safety. After all, those who can enter the final stage are the top geniuses of their respective races, and the loss of any one of them would be enormous."

As everyone was talking, the playing field below began to change.

The once flat, silvery ground slowly sank, replaced by towering crystal pillars.

These crystal pillars have a square cross-section, and their surfaces are covered with pale blue energy patterns.

Each crystal pillar is covered by a hemispherical pale Blue Barrier, and a platform can be vaguely seen inside the shield.

The number of crystal pillars is exactly one thousand, corresponding to the one thousand participants in the ranking competition.

"Looks like this is the qualifying arena." Aurelia gazed down. "I wonder what the rules are this time."

As soon as he finished speaking, a murmur arose from the stands around the arena.

In the waiting area in the center of the arena, the figures of the thousand contestants flashed simultaneously. The next second, each of them appeared on a platform at the top of a crystal pillar, enveloped in a pale Blue Barrier.

Lin Yi was among them.

He stood on a crystal pillar and looked around.

The other crystal pillars around them were already filled with contestants, each sizing up the other.

Almost simultaneously, a giant golden Universal Language appeared in the air in the center of the arena.

[Ranking Rules:]

[I. Rankings are determined by the final height of the crystal pillar occupied; the higher the crystal pillar, the higher the ranking.]

[II. Each participant has three opportunities to initiate a challenge. After the crystal pillar's protective shield disappears, the participant can challenge any other participant on any other crystal pillar. Only one battle can take place on each crystal pillar at a time.]

[III. Being challenged does not consume a challenge opportunity. If the challenge is successful, the challenged player will be forcibly moved to the lowest unclaimed crystal pillar. The challenger's unclaimed crystal pillar does not consume a challenge opportunity.]

[IV. During the competition, if a player's vital signs drop to the near-death threshold, they will be automatically moved to the lowest currently unclaimed crystal pillar and fully restored to their current state, but will lose all challenge opportunities. If challenged at this time, they will automatically lose.]

[V. The competition concludes after half a standard day. The top 128 crystal pillars in terms of final height advance to the finals.]

After the rules were displayed, the entire arena fell silent for a moment.

Immediately afterwards, a lively discussion erupted from the audience.

On the floating crystal platform, Chen Yu murmured, "These rules are quite interesting!"

"Indeed," Zhou Yuxuan analyzed. "It tests not only strength, but also one's self-awareness and competition strategy. The three challenge opportunities are extremely valuable; using them well can lead to advancement, while using them poorly can put one at a disadvantage."

Kaliya said softly, "Moreover, it requires a high level of continuous combat ability. Even if you successfully challenge and occupy a higher crystal pillar, you may be challenged by others immediately. If you can't end the battle quickly and your energy is depleted..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but everyone understood what she meant.

Just then, at a certain viewing platform, a live broadcast was underway.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we can now see that the rules for the ranking competition have been announced," the host said. "This competition format, which determines rankings based on crystal pillar height and limits the number of challenge attempts, is indeed very exciting. Your Excellency Yong Yao, what are your thoughts on the rules for this year's ranking competition?"

The camera pans to the other side.

Yong Yao nodded slightly. "Quite interesting rules. They not only test your strength, but also your self-awareness of your own strength, your strategy in the game, and they place high demands on your ability to fight continuously."

He paused for a moment, then explained, "Under these competition rules, if you use the wrong combat strategy, it's easy to end up challenging and being challenged multiple times, eventually running out of challenge opportunities and only being able to choose from the remaining crystal pillars."

"For example, some competitors might be too aggressive, challenging themselves with overly high goals from the start. If they fail, they not only waste opportunities but may also get injured, affecting their subsequent performance. Other competitors might be too conservative, only to find that the desired position has already been taken by a stronger competitor who has fallen from a height when they try to challenge it later."

The host then interjected, "So, Your Majesty Yong Yao, what strategy do you think would be more reasonable?"

It varies from person to person.

Yong Yao smiled and said, "For those top geniuses whose strength is absolutely superior, such as Lin Yi and Edith, they can occupy the highest position from the beginning and use their intimidation to avoid being challenged frequently."

"For players of average to above-average ability, it might be more suitable to first secure a position that matches their skill level, observe the situation, and wait for the right opportunity to challenge for a higher position."

"Thank you for your analysis, Your Majesty Yong Yao." The host turned to the camera, "Now, let's see how the contestants choose!"

In the arena, Lin Yi stood on the crystal pillar, his mind racing as he considered the rules.

"Under this competition mechanism," he thought to himself, "If the wrong combat strategy is used, it's easy to end up with multiple challenges and being challenged, resulting in running out of challenge opportunities and only being able to choose from the remaining crystal pillars."

"Clearly, the mechanism of this competition is essentially designed to serve the Myriad Secret Realm to come. It selects players who know when to fight, how to fight, and in what situations they cannot fight. After all, the rules of the secret realms are unknown, so adaptability is extremely important."

As Lin Yi pondered this, he noticed that the surrounding crystal pillars were slowly moving and adjusting their height.

Some crystal pillars are rising, while others are sinking, exhibiting an overall Dynamic change.

"However," Lin Yi said with a hint of helplessness, "It seems like my pillar isn't rising anymore? And isn't it a bit too low?"

It's not that it didn't rise, but rather that the speed was slow, and it kept declining in relative position.

A few minutes later, it had fallen to the lower-middle position.

At this moment, the tallest crystal pillar has risen to an awe-inspiring height, standing in the center of the arena, and is still slowly rising.

Lin Yi looked at the tallest crystal pillar, where a Holy Radiance Race contestant stood.

Meanwhile...

"Why is my pillar still rising? It's getting too high!" The Holy Radiance Race contestant felt somewhat frustrated.

He looked up and around. Below him, the crystal pillars were densely packed, their height spiraling outwards and decreasing downwards.

The crystal pillar he stood on was like a solitary peak, towering above all the other crystal pillars.

"Obviously, under this competition mechanism, it's best to be on a pillar of similar strength to oneself. This way, one usually won't be challenged at the beginning, and there won't be any fighting. One can simply observe and wait for others to fight for a round or two and become unstable before attempting to challenge a higher pillar. But now..."

He smiled wryly and looked at the second tallest crystal pillar next to him, where a Crystal Spirit Race contestant stood.

The two looked at each other from dozens of meters apart, and both saw the same helplessness in each other's eyes.

"Troublesome," the Holy Radiance Race contestant muttered to himself.

At this point, all the crystal pillars stopped moving.

Immediately afterwards, the pale Blue Barrier enveloping the crystal pillar began to flicker.

After flashing three times, the light shield vanished silently.

Ranked matches have officially begun!

The Holy Radiance Race contestant felt a chill run down his spine as he suddenly saw a figure appear before his crystal pillar.

It was Lin Yi.

The Holy Radiance Race contestant was stunned.

He hadn't expected Lin Yi to be so decisive, challenging for the highest position right at the start of the competition.

But on second thought, it seemed perfectly reasonable. With Lin Yi's strength, he really didn't need any strategy; simply occupying the highest point was the best strategy.

Lin Yi stood at the edge of the crystal pillar, calmly watching the Holy Radiance Race contestants, a smile on his face.

There was no provocation, no arrogance in that smile, only pure calmness, as if to say: I want this position.

The Holy Radiance Race contestant's mind raced.

challenge accepted?

What a joke! Three challenge opportunities are incredibly valuable; using them on Lin Yi would be a complete waste.

With this in mind, the Holy Radiance Race contestant made a decision.

He looked at Lin Yi, who smiled at him, and subconsciously returned the smile, muttering to himself:

"Giving up a pillar to Lin Yi is not beneath us."

Then, he transformed into a streak of light and flew towards the crystal pillar located in the upper-middle area that he had just chosen in his mind.

By the way, today seems to be the last day to get the Title for free. It might be a long time before you can become a member of the Human Race Council again.