362: Chapter 362 Even the heroes of the world cannot compare to him.

Chu Sheng sat by the window, turning the Moon Token in his hand as if gauging its weight.

Outside the window, the night breeze of Baicao City drifted through the streets and alleys, carrying a scent of plants mixed with earth.

It wasn't strong, but smelling it for a long time made one unconsciously relax a bit.

He said to Jiuer, "I just did a quick assessment; even among the seeded players sent by the Twelve Giants, I don't feel like many of them are truly capable."

"That kid Ye Wuhen seems to have signed up for the Heaven Ranking as well, but he's only at the Late Zhugong Stage; I'm afraid he's just here to go through the motions."

He paused, as if remembering something, his tone carrying a faint yet distinct sense of emotion: "It's not that their cultivation is growing too slowly; it's that my path is different from theirs."

"The people I deal with, which one of them isn't an old monster who has lived for thousands of years?"

"Demon Lords, Spirit Lords, Elders of various Sects... the people I see are not on the same level as them."

Chu Sheng's gaze fell to the floor, his tone remaining calm.

Yet it carried the certainty that only comes after confirming the facts: "As long as the opponent isn't above the Late Stage of Dao Completion, I have confidence."

"Besides—" his lips twitched slightly, "I have already learned a Divine Ability. What about them?"

A moment later, he added, "Although the world is full of heroes—"

"I, Chu Sheng, can defeat eight or nine out of ten of them."

Jiuer sat opposite him, holding a cup of half-cooled tea in her hands. Upon hearing his words, she was silent for a moment, then the corners of her lips curled up.

She didn't laugh out loud.

"You're certainly becoming more adept at cheering yourself on."

Her tone carried a helplessness of not knowing what to do with him, but that helplessness didn't feel heavy; it was more like a warm tease she had grown accustomed to.

"However, there is one thing I'm still not sure about."

Jiuer looked up at him.

Chu Sheng said, "That Zhu Yi from the Southern Region; I always feel like he's not that simple."

"The information provided by Guanxing Tower is too scarce. It only says he comes from a relatively secretive Sect in the Southern Region and once repelled a sea beast alone—"

"But being able to travel in a place like the Boundless Sea itself proves that his foundation is thicker than it appears on the surface."

"Moreover," he paused, "I always feel that he has deliberately hidden something."

Jiuer didn't refute him, just listened quietly until he finished, then asked, "Do you think he is your greatest opponent?"

Chu Sheng thought for a moment, not answering immediately. After a while, he said, "If we only talk about raw strength, I don't think he is stronger than me."

"But I am not familiar with his style. An unfamiliar opponent is harder to deal with than a powerful one."

"However—"

His tone relaxed slightly, "I only need to take second place. 'Withered Wood Meets Spring' is the reward for second place. Although the first-place reward is heavier, I don't need it."

"So even if he takes first place, it doesn't affect me."

The two chatted for a while longer about the competition format for the Earth Ranking and Heaven Ranking, the distribution of venues, and the possible competition procedures arranged by Guanxing Tower.

The topic gradually shifted from the competition itself to more relaxed directions.

Chu Sheng moved first; he placed the teacup on the corner of the table, turned to his side, and rested his fingertips on Jiuer's wrist.

Jiuer didn't pull her hand back, just gave him a look without speaking.

Chu Sheng said, "That Life and Death Qi within you hasn't fully balanced yet. Just now, while we were talking, I felt a slight fluctuation in your Dantian."

He didn't let go, and she didn't speak.

The two stayed quietly for a while, and a moment later, Chu Sheng withdrew his hand.

His gaze lingered on her face for a moment, as if confirming she was feeling a bit better, then he said, "Let's rest first."

The two's breathing intertwined in the quiet room.

Chu Sheng closed his eyes, but he wasn't truly asleep.

In his mind, he went over the information about those contestants he had collected during the day, then filed them away one by one.

Ye Wuhen, Shen Qing, Liu Changfeng, Baili Xi, that Cultivator from the Qu family, and also Zhu Yi from the Southern Region.

After he had gone through all the information he could find, he marked that figure from the Southern Region in his mind.

"This person is indeed the greatest variable."

His fingertips tapped lightly on his knee, as if to confirm it to himself.

"However—"

"As long as he is willing to take first place, I can take second."

Outside the window, a few scattered dog barks drifted by, only to be suppressed by the night breeze.

He turned over, facing the wall, his breathing gradually becoming steady.

Deep within his Divine Sense, that piece of information about the Southern Region was still quietly placed, like an unopened piece of paper with the name Zhu Yi written on it.

The next morning.

When Chu Sheng woke up, Jiuer was sitting by the window, flipping through a borrowed local gazetteer.

In truth, at his Realm, he had long since no longer needed to sleep, but both of them were a bit tired yesterday.

He sat up and rubbed his eyes, as if just surfacing from a not-too-deep sleep.

He looked at Jiuer, silent for a moment, his tone carrying the steadiness that only comes just after waking up: "Do you think it's really just a coincidence that Guanxing Tower and Medicine King Valley are here?"

Jiuer turned a page of the book without looking up: "What do you mean?"

Chu Sheng said, "I hadn't been in the Central Region long before I encountered the sphere of influence of Medicine King Valley. And the stronghold of Guanxing Tower just happens to be in this city too."

He paused, "Do you think it's a coincidence?"

Jiuer put down the book and looked at him: "You don't think so?"

Chu Sheng didn't answer directly, just leaned against the headboard, as if waiting for that information to slowly settle on its own.

Outside the window, a bird flew past the eaves, leaving behind a short, sharp cry.

He thought for a moment, then said one sentence: "I just feel that—that courtyard and this letter, both came too naturally."

He didn't continue.

Jiuer didn't press him either.

The two sat quietly in the morning light, as if waiting for an answer that had not yet arrived.

The shadows of the trees were still swaying on the window lattice.

From the distance came the hawking of the morning market opening; the day for this city had just begun.

The middle-aged man from Guanxing Tower was facing a map that had just been spread out, his fingertips landing on an unmarked location, tapping it twice lightly.

The gray-clothed old man beside him was still standing quietly, like an old tree that had grown accustomed to growing in a corner.

The middle-aged man didn't look up, just said: "He has noticed."

The gray-clothed old man didn't answer, as if he already knew that this matter didn't require him to say anything more.