Astral Pet Store (WN)

Xingyue Shen'er didn't defend herself, merely saying proudly, "I'm too proud to make friends with untalented idiots, but I've met a brilliant genius as talented as me. Don't you think I deserve a recommendation?"

Her comparison made the Alliance of Stars members smile.

They truly revered Xingyue Shen'er, but they knew that Su Ping was probably much more talented than her!

"As talented as you?"

Frenkiel was rather surprised to hear that. He knew that the girl had always been proud, and that she wouldn't compare herself with anyone who wasn't a real genius!

What kind of guy had won the admiration of such a proud girl?

"What about it? I deserve one of the recommendations, right?" she snorted and said.

Frenkiel searched and noticed Su Ping in her small world, since he was too eye-catching. The others were obviously Star State warriors—even though they were concealing their cultivation—but Su Ping appeared to be peculiar from every perspective.

Is he hiding his cultivation?

He must be at least a Star Lord, to be able to hide his cultivation in front of Frenkiel, but most Star Lords were too proud to stay in other people's small worlds unless they were really close!

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"It's him?" Frenkiel asked in confusion as he carefully observed Su Ping.

"Yes. He's a member of my alliance and has just made a breakthrough to the Fate State. He actually reached the peak of the Fate State right after he broke through," said Xingyue Shen'er proudly after bringing out Su Ping from her small world.

"His nickname is Heaven Destroying Celestial. See, sir? It's a name that's only second to mine. He was already able to fight peal Star State opponents when he was a Void State warrior. He definitely has a chance of making it to the finals!"

Frenkiel: "…"

Aren't you afraid of being beaten because of that nickname?

He was sweating bullets at the moment; he didn't comment on the name, since he knew about her weird tastes, and only focused on what she said next. He asked solemnly, "He was able to fight peak Star State opponents when he was only in the Void State? Not even you were able to do that, unless you used your father's forbidden items."

There was a slight change of expression in her face. She coughed and said, "Who says I wasn't able to? I didn't try my best back then. As I said, Brother Heaven Destroyer is as talented as me!"

Frenkiel was lost for words. You almost detonated your own constitution back then, and you weren't trying your best!

"If he's so talented, he will advance smoothly even without having a recommendation. He's probably going to be in the top ten of Silvy. Wouldn't it be a waste to give him a recommendation?"

Frenkiel felt that the situation was somehow suspicious.

He knew that the girl was proud and would never approve of anyone easily, but he didn't think that someone in the Void State could face a Star State warrior!

There might not be such a genius in all of Silvy!

"He trained himself in seclusion and missed the initial screening. Besides, it wouldn't be fair for the others if he takes part in the screening battles, and it would be a huge waste of time. Don't you know that time is precious for geniuses?" said Xingyue Shen'er, rolling her eyes.

Frenkiel: "…"

Is it my fault that he missed the screening phase?

Frenkiel refrained from contesting her arguments, seeing how defensive she was of the young man. He vaguely noticed the abundant power inside Su Ping's body, which was dozens of times greater than what you would find in normal Fate State experts. The man was definitely a genius in his own right.

"Okay, but the recommendations are limited. I don't know if they've been given away. I'll take you to meet with the president." Frenkiel turned around and added, "But don't make a fuss if there aren't any left. It's said that the offspring of many senior experts will be taking part in this year's Universe Geniuses' Contest."

"Humph. No matter which families they're from, all of them will have to kneel before Brother Heaven Destroyer!" declared Xingyue Shen'er contemptuously.

She had participated in the Universe Geniuses' Contest and knew it well. Even if the competition were to be fiercer that year, how fierce could it be? Su Ping had shown enough strength to make it to the top ten of Silvy while he still was in the Void State. His recent breakthrough doubled his combat abilities!

Frenkiel frowned and said, "You can say that to me, but don't say it to others in case you cause trouble for your father. Those senior experts aren't only Ascendants, there are also Celestials involved. You should keep a low profile!"

Xingyue Shen'er slightly raised her eyebrows, but the term "Celestials" was quite intimidating. She didn't want to give in, but she no longer dared to say more.

It was OK to be rude when dealing with Ascendants, but Celestial State warriors were able to look down on the entire Federation. They could make Ascendants lower their heads with a single thought. Their names had to be mentioned respectfully!

The members of the Alliance of Stars wore troubled expressions while still inside the small world. Those who distinguished themselves in the contest would have a good chance of reaching the Ascendant State!

Even Celestials might pay attention to them. After all, they had grasped laws and found their own path; it would be easier to train and educate them.

Soon after, Xingyue Shen'er and Su Ping followed Frenkiel and headed to a certain manor in the academy.

They passed plains, forests and arenas on the way; the academy was as vast as a continent.

"Mr. President?"

Several men flew out all of a sudden when they were about to enter the manor. One of them was a tall middle-aged man who looked identical to the statue at the main entrance of the academy, except that he was even more extraordinary in the flesh; he was standing right there, but trying to detect his presence was impossible.

Once he overcame his shock, Frenkiel quickly flew to him and bowed respectfully. "President Alan."

"Huh?"

The middle-aged man looked at him and immediately shifted his attention to Xingyue Shen'er in surprise. Then, he put on a smile and said, "What brings you here? Why didn't you tell me that you were coming?"

The members of the Alliance of Stars in the small world were in awe, as the famous President Alan was an Ascendant State mentor who had tutored an Ascendant State student!

Nobody expected him to be that gentle towards Xingyue Shen'er.

The latter, however, was less rude than when she was interacting with Frenkiel. She paid her respects obediently and pouted her cheeks. "Mr. President, I was planning to surprise you while on my visit."

Frenkiel glanced at her.

Little girl, that was not what you said to me just now. Have you learned better now that you're in front of the president?

Alan smiled and said, "Indeed, I'm surprised. You're at the top of the Royal Rank and the most distinguished student in hundreds of years. Breaking to the advanced phase of the Star Lord State will soon arrive. Keep it up. You can come back when you reach the peak; I'll help you reach the Ascendant State."

Xingyue Shen'er's eyes glittered. She said quickly, "Thank you, Mr. President!"

Frenkiel also thanked him with glittering eyes.

Xingyue Shen'er was his student. It would be a remarkable feat in his career if she broke through to the Ascendant State!

"Who's he?"

Another mentor who wore the same uniform as Frenkiel did look at Su Ping and frowned just then, as he didn't pay respects to the president, at all, when he was only a Fate State expert!

He would have scolded the young man if the latter wouldn't have arrived together with Xingyue Shen'er; he could very well be her brother.

Alan had also noticed Su Ping, but he kept a nonchalant attitude. He didn't care if a little guy who hadn't even reached the Star State would revere him.

"He is my friend," Xingyue Shen'er quickly said to Alan, "Mr. President, by the way, I was hoping you could give me a recommendation for the Universe Geniuses' Contest to me. Is it possible?"

Frenkiel: "…"

So, this is not a casual visit; you straight out asked for a recommendation?

Alan was stunned for a moment. He glanced at Su Ping and realized what was going on. He chuckled and said, "Speaking of recommendations, we're about to distribute them. There are also a lot of promising candidates in our academy too; they should get the recommendations."

Xingyue Shen'er said anxiously, "Mr. President, the students should take part in the screening battles. Challenging opponents tier by tier will be a good practice, won't it? The recommendations should be given to those who are too strong for the screening phase, which will be a waste of time for them."

Amused, Alan said, "You're back mainly for the recommendation, aren't you?"

Xingyue Shen'er wasn't at all embarrassed; she flashed a big smile and said, "Of course not. I've always missed you since I left the academy."

"You never missed your teacher?"

"Him, too."

Frenkiel: "…"

Too?

Frenkiel's awkward expression made Alan burst into laughter and say, "What a mischievous girl. All right, now that you have expressly come for it, I'll give you one recommendation."

Xingyue Shen'er was stunned, not expecting to obtain it so easily. She asked in surprise, "Really? Mr. President, you must not go back on your word!"

Alan smiled and said, "Those recommendations aren't too valuable anyway. It's mainly for the guys who are too lazy to take part in the screening phase. Recommendations can only take them to the galactic elimination phase, not the finals. It will depend on their personal strength whether or not they manage to distinguish themselves in the galaxy."

He looked at Su Ping and nodded. "Your friend looks strong enough. He's deserving of a recommendation."

Xingyue Shen'er smiled proudly. "Mr. President, you do have keen eyes. My friend is a super genius; you'll soon find out how strong he is. Very soon!"

Alan smiled and said, "Now that you're back, why don't you come to Goddess Suha's Arena with us? You'll be an inspiration to the current younger generation."

"Okay. I've been meaning to see the changes in the Royal Rank too." Xingyue Shen'er accepted with delight.

Su Ping stood there, never having a chance to talk; he was quite happy since he was being ignored.

"Let's go." Alan waved his sleeves and flew forward.

Xingyue Shen'er followed Frenkiel while carrying Su Ping.

In Goddess Suha's Arena—

It was the place where the students of the Amir Royal Academy fought for the Royal Rank. Goddess Suha was a talented student in the early years, having reached the Ascendant State back then. She specifically built that arena on a subsequent visit to the academy; that place had witnessed the rise and fall of countless geniuses.

The Amir Royal Academy only accepted geniuses from powerful backgrounds, who in turn were proud and mostly spoiled. They always challenged each other in the academy, making the Amir Royal Academy only less competitive than the Dragon Tomb Academy, known as the Academy of Lunatics.

Goddess Suha's Arena was crowded at the moment.

The massive arena stood on a plain; the place was filled with students.

Countless of them were excited since the Universe Geniuses' Contest had just begun; it was an opportunity for them to prove themselves.

They were also craving for the academy's recommendations, which would allow them to skip the screening phase and directly enter the galactic stage that everybody would watch.

"Sister Offit, are all the members of the Conduct Committee going to compete for the recommendations?" said a worried silver-haired girl in the crowd.

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Next to her was another girl with silver hair; she seemed to be even younger, not older than twenty. And yet, she seemed calm and composed.

"It's fine even if they do. I can beat them," the girl named Offit said with a smile and a pair of sharp eyes.

"I believe in you, sis. Unfortunately, something did happen to the divine residence. I wonder what's going on in our hometown; otherwise, you could've visited Boss Su's store. You definitely could have benefited from a strength increase," said the first girl regretfully.

"Our family leader will find a way to prevent a disaster from happening. It is said that Ascendant State experts have been deployed to take care of it; we're too weak to help. I can still win without that pet store, it would not make a difference," said Offit gracefully and confidently.

A battle had already begun in the arena up ahead while they spoke.