Arrival on Earth

Chapter 628 Returning to Earth

Emperor Zhu Zhengxi of the Great Yan Dynasty did not find Chen Lie's reaction inappropriate at all.

"Okay, please take a seat!"

Zhu Zhengxi said to Zhu Jingxi, "Jingxi, you and your friend Chen Lie are both at Starry Sky University and will be going to Blue Star together. Why don't you sit with him?"

Zhu Jingxi responded with a "yes" and then invited Chen Lie to sit down, while she herself sat next to him.

At that moment, another loud voice rang out.

"Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!"

As the voice faded, a graceful and elegant woman in her thirties, dressed in a phoenix coronet and embroidered robe, entered the Hall of Preserving Harmony accompanied by palace maids. She was none other than the Empress of the Great Yan Dynasty.

"His Majesty!"

The empress approached the emperor's seat and bowed slightly in greeting.

"The Empress has arrived? Please take a seat!" said Emperor Zhu Zhengxi of the Great Yan Dynasty.

The empress sat down in the seat next to the emperor.

After everyone was seated, Zhu Luoying, who had double buns, suddenly came to the seat in front of Emperor Zhu Zhengxi of the Great Yan Dynasty and began to complain about Chen Lie.

"Uncle and Aunt, this person dressed in strange clothes actually picked up the dragon head of the 'Jade Dragon Crossing the River' before the palace banquet even started. This is clearly a serious offense of disrespect. A year ago, I did the same thing at a palace banquet, and my father and mother confined me for five days!"

I just told my elder sister Jingxi that she not only protected this person, but also reprimanded me!

"Luo Ying, you've gone too far!"

Zhu Jingxi immediately slammed her hand on the table, her face showing anger.

"Uncle, Aunt, what about my elder sister? She's still like this!"

Faced with Zhu Luoying's accusation, the Emperor of Dayan had a solemn expression and gave the Empress a look.

Upon seeing this, the Empress immediately turned to Chen Lie: "Jingxi, this must be Chen Lie, the candidate for Governor of Blue Star, hailed as the number one Qi and Blood Realm expert in the Eastern Star Region?"

"Yes, Mother!"

"But Lord Chen Lie is no longer just the number one in the Qi and Blood Realm of the Eastern Star Region. Just a few days ago, he overpowered ten star geniuses in the Starry Sky University's annual freshman martial arts competition and won first place. This is much more impressive than being the number one in the Qi and Blood Realm of the Eastern Star Region," Zhu Jingxi replied.

The Empress was startled: "I never imagined that such an outstanding person could emerge from our Eastern Star Region!"

"Luo Ying, come here!"

The Empress waved to Zhu Luoying.

Zhu Luoying stepped forward and called out, "Imperial Aunt!"

The Empress of the Great Yan Dynasty nodded and said, "Luo Ying, your aunt is telling you that this brother is a distinguished guest of our Great Yan Dynasty. This palace banquet is specially prepared for him. Do you understand?"

"But he started eating early, and even picked up the dragon's head!"

"This shows that the imperial chefs performed exceptionally well this time, and that they put their heart into preparing the palace banquet. They even managed to get our distinguished guests from Great Yan to start eating first. The imperial chefs and palace staff should be rewarded!" the Empress said gently.

Zhu Luoying said "Oh".

"Your royal uncle and I are entertaining distinguished guests, so I'll have a palace maid take you out of the palace for a stroll!"

"OK!"

The Empress immediately dispatched a palace maid to lead Zhu Luoying out of the Baohe Hall.

"Your Excellency Chen Lie, Luo Ying is still young, only eleven years old this year. She's just a child; please don't take it to heart!"

Zhu Jingxi said to Chen Lie.

"No!" Chen Lie waved his hand.

At this moment, Emperor Zhu Zhengxi of the Great Yan Dynasty said, "Issue an order to the Yong'an Prince's Mansion: Princess Wenyi is unruly and has offended distinguished guests of the court. She is to be confined for one month to reflect on her actions!"

"yes!"

The palace servants nearby received the order and immediately went to relay it.

After reading the imperial edict, Zhu Zhengxi said, "Let the feast begin! Young friend Chen Lie, please don't be shy!"

As soon as the emperor spoke, the palace servants immediately shouted, "Start the feast!"

Dozens of palace servants carried imperial dishes into the Hall of Preserving Harmony, and the table, which already had many dishes, was quickly filled with food.

"Lord Chen Lie, please!" said Zhu Jingxi, who was standing next to him.

Chen Lie did not refuse and sampled the Imperial Banquet of Yan Palace.

At this moment, the palace maids serving in the Hall of Preserving Harmony stepped forward and poured a cup of wine for each person at their seat.

Emperor Zhu Zhengxi of the Great Yan Dynasty raised his wine cup: "Young friend Chen Lie, this is your first time visiting Chiyan Star. How about we have a drink?"

Chen Lie took the wine cup handed to him by a palace maid and offered a toast to the Emperor of Great Yan from afar.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Your Majesty!"

Among the attendees at the palace banquet, Empress Zhu Jingxi of the Great Yan Dynasty also raised her cup and drank it all in one gulp.

The imperial wine of the Great Yan Dynasty must have been brewed with rare and precious medicinal herbs. After drinking a cup, Chen Lie felt that the wine had power.

"Your Excellency Chen Lie, I also raise a toast to you, congratulating you on standing out from 800 million new students across all the stars of Starry Sky University and winning first place among all freshmen!"

Zhu Jingxi then raised her glass to Chen Lie.

Seeing this, Chen Lie also drank a cup with Zhu Jingxi.

The Empress then said, "Young friend Chen Lie, I heard from Jing Shu that you helped her resolve the hidden dangers in her spiritual cultivation half a year ago. As her mother, I should thank you on her behalf."

"Your Majesty, you needn't be so polite. It was nothing at all," Chen Lie said.

"Blue Star's martial arts are slightly inferior to Crimson Flame Star's, but I never expected to produce such a talented person as you. I'm afraid it won't be long before Blue Star becomes the true number one star in the Eastern Star Region!" the Empress said again.

"Young friend Chen Lie, the Holy Envoy Temple has requested the formation of the 19th Interstellar Alliance. Does the Blue Star Court have any arrangements for this struggle for military command in the four star regions?" Emperor Zhu Zhengxi of the Great Yan asked.

"I've been at Starry Sky University all along, so I don't know any of this," Chen Lie said.

"Oh? Didn't the authorities on Earth inform you about the potential opponents you might face?"

Chen Lie understood the question posed by the Emperor of Great Yan; the so-called "official yamen" was the relevant department.

"No, I received a last-minute notice to return to Earth."

Zhu Jingxi was taken aback and asked, "The power struggle within the 19th Allied Army of the Four Star Regions began preparations three months ago. I received the notification more than a month ago. Were you notified at the last minute?"

Chen Lie nodded.

"Perhaps the Blue Star court has other plans!" Zhu Zhengxi said.

Chen Lie learned from Princess Lingyan Zhu Jingxi that each of the four star regions—east, west, south, and north—would select ten fourth-tier martial artists under the age of twenty to compete for command of the interstellar alliance.

In theory, each planet in the Eastern Star Region, led by Blue Star, should produce two people. However, the martial arts level of Water Star and Golden Field Star lags behind the other three stars, so these two stars cannot gather four peak Qi Gathering Realm cultivators who have reached the True Qi Extreme Realm.

"Young friend Chen Lie, this struggle for command of the 19th Interstellar Allied Forces is related to the interests of every star in the Eastern Star Region. Blue Star, Water Star, and Crimson Flame Star can only muster seven people."

Although Blue Star and Jupiter have been enemies for many years, this is a four-way starfield conflict, and there's no reason for Jupiter not to contribute.

"I hope that after you return to Blue Star, you will do your best to persuade the high-ranking officials of the Blue Star court to negotiate with Muyuan Star. Great Yan is willing to act as the intermediary," Zhu Zhengxi said.

"Can't even gather ten people to participate in the battle for the four stars of the Eastern Region?" Chen Lie asked.

Zhu Jingshu said, "Your Excellency Chen Lie may not know this, but there are a total of 28 stars in the four star regions of the east, west, south and north. Only the east star region and the north star region have five inhabited planets, while the south star region has 11 inhabited planets and the west star region has 7 inhabited planets."

These two star regions should be able to easily gather ten martial artists under the age of twenty, at the peak of the fourth-order Qi Gathering Realm, and who have broken through to the True Qi Extreme Realm.

It's not hard to find peak Qi Gathering Realm warriors under the age of twenty, but peak Qi Gathering Realm warriors under the age of twenty who have entered the True Qi Extreme Realm are extremely rare in the Eastern Region. I only recently completed the Five Qi Gathering Realm.

Anyone participating in the Four Star Domains Battle who is not a peak Qi Gathering Realm martial artist who has achieved the "Five Qi Gathering" stage will be defeated!

"I see!" Chen Lie nodded.

During this conversation, Chen Lie learned that Crimson Flame Star had produced three peak Qi Gathering Realm cultivators who broke through to the True Qi Extreme Realm, Watery Star and Golden Field Star each had one, and Blue Star had two, for a total of seven.

"The news from Blue Star says that two people have broken through to the peak of the Qi Gathering Realm of the Five Qi Gathering. Lord Chen Lie should have also broken through to the Five Qi Gathering Realm, right? I wonder if you are one of the two from Blue Star?" Zhu Jingxi asked.

Chen Lie said, "I don't know either. I'll find out when we get back."

The palace banquet ended quickly.

At the end of the palace banquet, a palace servant came to the Hall of Preserving Harmony to report.

"Greetings, Your Majesty and Empress! The starship ordered by the Twelfth Princess is ready!"

The Great Yan Emperor, seated on his throne, raised his hand.

Upon hearing the palace servant's report, Chen Lie said to Zhu Jingxi, "Princess Lingyan, now that the starship is ready, let's not delay any longer and set off!"

"Alright!"

Zhu Jingxi nodded slightly, stepped forward from her seat, and said to the Emperor and Empress of the Great Yan Dynasty, "Father, Mother, I am about to depart for Blue Star!"

The Empress smiled and said, "Go then. According to what you've said, this young friend Chen Lie is an unparalleled genius. You should learn more from him in martial arts!"

"yes!"

After leaving the Hall of Preserving Harmony, Chen Lie and Zhu Jingxi arrived together at a training ground within the palace.

From afar, Chen Lie spotted a miniature starship parked in the training ground.

Upon reaching the starship, Zhu Jingxi stopped and raised her hand to Chen Lie, saying, "Lord Chen Lie, please!"

Let's go together!

At Chen Lie's request, Zhu Jingxi also boarded the starship.

The miniature starship is the smallest of the starships, but it can still accommodate hundreds of people. After Chen Lie and Zhu Jingxi boarded the starship, more than a dozen guards and palace maids immediately filed in.

These people must all be serving Zhu Jingxi.

A moment later, the Starship's hatch closed, and a mechanical sound came from behind.

"Ready to depart, destination: Blue Star."

The voyage covers a total distance of 780 million kilometers and is expected to arrive in three hours.

As soon as the voice fell, the starship took off instantly, flying out of Crimson Flame Star in a few seconds, and then began to accelerate.

On the starship, Chen Lie glanced at his communication bracelet and found that it displayed a large question mark, meaning there was no signal.

The signal from this communication bracelet might not even cover the entire central star system, let alone the eastern star system.

"Your Excellency Chen Lie, the time you spent attending the palace banquet was just right. Adding the three hours of travel time by starship, we will arrive on Blue Star in the morning," Zhu Jingxi said.

"That's perfect!" Chen Lie nodded.

Zhu Jingxi looked at Chen Lie with her beautiful eyes: "Brother Chen, if I may ask, why has your martial arts progressed so quickly?"

When Chen Lie was still in the Qi and Blood stage, she was already at the third level of Qi Condensation Realm. And Chen Lie, who won first place among the new students, definitely possessed the strength of the peak of the fourth level of Qi Gathering Realm. In just half a year, his progress was beyond reason.

Some encounters are not worth mentioning!

"The newcomer from the Eastern Star Region has defeated the contestants from the Ten Star Alliance planets to win first place. Brother Chen, I can already foresee the grand welcome you will receive when you return to Blue Star."

As a student of Starry Sky University, Zhu Jingxi was well aware of the prestige of winning the annual freshman martial arts competition. This competition was a major martial arts event in the martial arts world of the Central Star Region, let alone on Blue Star.

Chen Lie did not respond to this.

The starship moves at a very high speed, traveling at tens of thousands of kilometers per second in deep space.

After an unknown amount of time, the starship began to slow down.

"Approaching Earth, deceleration begins—"

"50,000 kilometers ahead, approaching the atmosphere of Earth, the starship will land on Earth in two minutes—Blue Capital Starship Plaza—"

A series of sounds rang out, causing Chen Lie to open his eyes.

It seems that traveling from Weiguang Star to Chiyan Star was the right decision. We returned to Blue Star in just a few hours. If we had taken a starship directly from Canglong Star, it would have taken at least two days and two nights to reach Blue Star.

At this moment, the Starship Plaza on Blue Star is brightly lit and decorated.

A long red carpet stretched out from inside the square, while outside Xingzhou Square, crowds thronged, with reporters and staff from Lanjing TV station lined up at the end of the red carpet.

Across the square, on a giant screen atop a hundred-story building, footage and commentary of Chen Lie participating in the freshman martial arts competition at Starry Sky University were playing.

"Distinguished guests, I am Li Zhuxian, a reporter from Blue Star TV."

According to images captured by Blue Star's satellites, Chen Lie, the planet's governor who hails from Dongchuan Province on Blue Star and is hailed as the number one Qi and Blood Realm expert in the Eastern Star Region, is approaching Blue Star in his starship. He will land on this starship plaza within five minutes.

"At the request of the Blue Star Martial Arts Association, Blue Star TV will be conducting a special interview this time."

I believe that everyone here today has seen the footage of the martial arts competition broadcast by various TV stations from Xingkong University.

What I want to tell everyone is that Chen Lie from Dongchuan Province on Blue Star is unparalleled on Blue Star and ranks first in Dongxing Domain.

Even after arriving at Starry Sky University, a place teeming with martial arts geniuses across the entire star field, he didn't become mediocre. He remained like the rising sun, full of vigor and vitality, rising steadily until he reached his zenith!

"The Starry Sky University Freshman Martial Arts Competition has martial arts geniuses from more than eighty planets across the entire star field participating. Winning the championship is extremely difficult, because it means standing out among the martial arts geniuses of more than eighty planets, surpassing many martial arts superstars, and becoming number one."

"Starry Sky University has a history of a thousand years, but the champions of the martial arts competition for freshmen in each year are all from the ten strongest martial arts stars in the Central Star Region, which are called the Ten Star Alliance."

In the past thousand years, no one from outside the Ten Star Alliance planets had ever won the Newcomer Martial Arts Competition. But Chen Lie of our Blue Star broke this ironclad rule. He successively defeated the Ten Star Prodigies, snatching first place from the ten most prosperous stars in martial arts, making the name of Blue Star resound throughout the entire star field for the first time!

"Now, let us remain quiet, without making a fuss or causing any disturbance, and quietly welcome the great hero who brings glory to Earth, Chen Lie!"

The people around the square were mostly teenagers from Lan Jing, including students from Lan Jing's genius training camp, members of Lan Xing's youth genius group, and martial arts geniuses from nearby provinces.

Upon hearing the host Li Zhuxian's words, most people remained silent, while a small number of people shouted enthusiastically.

"Chen Lie is amazing! He's from the impoverished province of Dongchuan, and he's not only the number one on Blue Star, but he's now even stronger than those outside the stars!"

'

"I watched all the broadcasts of the martial arts competition on various TV stations. It was truly amazing! His sword aura stretched for a thousand meters, and he could slice that huge fighting platform in two. No wonder even aliens couldn't defeat him!"

"How can one person be so capable? Not only did he help Blue Star successfully seize the position of a permanent member of the Council, but he also managed to make a name for himself on an alien planet."

"I'd be happy if I could be even half as good as him in the future."

Amidst the commotion of a small group of people, a miniature starship landed in the center of the Blue Capital Starship Plaza.

Soon, the hatch opened, and Chen Lie and Zhu Jingxi stepped out of the starship.

As soon as he stepped off the Starship, Chen Lie saw a large crowd outside the Starship Plaza.

As soon as he appeared, tens of thousands of people began chanting "Chen Lie" in unison.

Zhu Jingxi, who was next to Chen Lie, glanced at Chen Lie, then slowed down slightly and walked behind him.

After Chen Lie stepped off the red carpet, a woman of elegant bearing, who appeared to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, came forward.

"Chen Lie, hello. I'm Li Zhuxian, a reporter from Blue Star TV. About half a year ago, we met at a public event..."

We had some exchanges online, do you remember?

Li Zhuxian approached Chen Lie and raised the microphone.

"I remember, hello, Reporter Li!"

Li Zhuxian smiled and continued, "Chen Lie, on behalf of the entire Blue Star, I thank you for winning the Martial Seal Medal worth 30 million Galaxy Coins for Blue Star and for bringing glory to Blue Star!"

"These are things we can do, of course we should do them!" Chen Lie said.

"I heard from the Blue Star Martial Arts Association's international affairs department that winning first place in the Starry Sky University Freshman Martial Arts Competition is extremely rare. As the first person from a non-Ten Star Alliance planet to win first place in the Freshman Martial Arts Competition, what are your thoughts?"

"I have no particular ambitions; as long as I have the ability, I'll naturally be number one!"

Li Zhuxian nodded and asked, "Would it be convenient for you to have a detailed interview with Blue Star TV? I won't take up too much of your time, half an hour will be fine!"

"Can!"

"Okay, please follow me, we'll go somewhere else!"

Led by staff from Blue Star TV, Chen Lie walked along the red carpet and left Star Boat Square.

As soon as Chen Lie left, special reception staff quickly came to pick up Zhu Jingxi and her group of guests from Chiyan Star.

They arrived at a quiet interview room, where Chen Lie was interviewed by Li Zhuxian for half an hour.

He knew that this interview was probably at the behest of Blue Star, and was nothing more than to cultivate the confidence of Blue Star's new generation of martial artists, so he cooperated with extra care.

After the interview, Li Zhuxian stood up and shook hands with Chen Lie.

"Mr. Chen Lie, thank you for your cooperation!"

Li Zhuxian said that despite Chen Lie's great achievements in martial arts, she still did not see any arrogance or conceit in him.

This is really strange for a boy from a poor province. Shouldn't anyone with such a glorious experience become arrogant?

His mindset is so mature beyond his years; he seems completely unmoved by worldly gains or losses. No wonder he can continuously reach new heights in martial arts.

"You're welcome. The interview is over, so I'll be going now!"

"I'll take you!"

Li Zhuxian quickly approached Chen Lie and escorted him out of the interview room.