Chapter 1716 — Chapter 1716 Shura's System

"Have you guys received any news from Yuan recently?" Kelan asked the Demon Sealing Faction afterward.

Everyone there turned to look at Meixiu and Chu Liuxiang since they were usually the ones in contact with Yuan.

"No, I haven't heard from him." Meixiu shook her head.

"Me neither—at least not after his last return."

"Did he say how long the Dragon God Festival would last?" Kelan continued asking.

"No, he didn't. However, it probably shouldn't take that much longer—at least considering the type of trials he had to partake in."

Yuan had mentioned the three trials to her before he returned to participate in the Dragon God Festival.

"I understand. Keep me updated. My superiors have been hounding me lately because of the lack of information. They're getting impatient, especially Celestial Overlord Xu."

A few days later, Kelan brought the Demon Sealing Faction to the Ning Family's location with the Grand Mystic Sect.

Meanwhile, the head of the Ning Family requested an audience with Yuan after Guard Sau explained the situation to him.

"My surname is Xiao." Yuan greeted a middle-aged man wearing a pair of golden robes as he sat on a majestic throne.

"I understand that you came here by accident, but we are delighted to serve someone from the upper heavens, Senior Xiao. If you need assistance during your stay, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you. I appreciate your hospitality."

"If you don't mind me asking, why did you come down to the Fourth Heaven?"

"Ah, I'm supposed to look for someone, but we don't really have any information on him, so I am just wandering around for now."

"I see… What of the Grand Mystic Sect? What's your relationship with them?"

"I have a few friends there. Since I am here, I might as well visit them. It's been many years, after all."

Their conversation didn't last long, and Yuan returned to his room to study Shura' System.

"Character status."

[Heaven Refiner]

[Cultivation: First Level Spirit Sovereign]

[Chaotic Dragon Core: Perfect Chaotic Master]

"..."

"That's it?"

Yuan was left speechless by how simple his new character status was. Moreover, his name had changed to Heaven Refiner for some reason.

He retrieved a random item from his storage ring and inspected it.

[Poison Sac]

[Description: A rare item dropped by Demonic Spiders. It can be used to enchant weapons or used to create poison pills]

The system was able to analyze items properly, which was good enough for Yuan.

"Poison sac, huh? This was one of the first items I've gotten, but I never really found a good use for it. Now that I have upgraded the Starry Abyss to Baneful Abyss, this is essentially useless…"

Despite its uselessness, Yuan was reluctant to throw it away. He stored it back into his spatial ring shortly later and continued experimenting with the new system.

As the tournament drew near, more and more people gathered at the Ning Family's territory. A few hundred miles from the Ning Family's household, a colosseum-like structure had been built specifically for the tournament, its grand design capable of holding the immense crowd that had arrived to witness the event.

"Senior Xiao, would you like to watch the tournament with the Ning Family? His Majesty said he'd prepared a seat for you just in case." Guard Sau asked Yuan the day before the tournament.

Yuan used his divine sense to sweep the crowd. A smile appeared on his face when he saw Meixiu and the others.

"Sure, I'll watch." He nodded.

On the day of the tournament, Yuan met up with the Ning Family before they headed to the tournament.

The Ning Family consisted of Emperor Ning, his four wives, and their twenty-one children. Emperor Ning made his family introduce themselves to Yuan. Yuan introduced himself afterward.

"Senior Xiao, why are you wearing a mask?" One of the younger children asked.

"Ah, I don't have any special reason. I just enjoy wearing masks." Yuan removed his mask to show them his handsome face. Naturally, it was disguised, as he'd consumed an appearance-altering pill before leaving the room.

"You must be very strong since you're from the upper heavens. How strong are you, Senior Xiao?" Another asked out of curiosity.

"How strong, huh? Good question. I also don't know how strong I am right now since I have nothing to properly scale to."

"Can you destroy stars with your fists?!" Another child asked.

"I think I am still quite far away from accomplishing such feats, unfortunately."

"Okay, enough bothering Senior Xiao. We need to move out now, or we'll be late." Emperor Ning eventually stepped in to stop them.

They were escorted to the tournament area shortly later by a group of powerful guards. Most of them were at the peak of the Spirit Enlightenment, with a few in the Divine Realm.

When they arrived, they sat in the private seating area reserved only for the Ning Family. However, they made an exception for Yuan and allowed him to sit with them.

"..."

The rowdy crowd quickly became quiet when the Ning Family arrived, and almost everyone there had their heads lowered toward their seating area.

Kelan was one of the few individuals who didn't bow his head, as the Ning Family was no different than an ordinary family in his eyes.

He wasn't even paying attention to the Ning Family at this moment but to the mysterious masked individual sitting with them.

'That man… is formidable.'

Despite Yuan's efforts to suppress his presence, Kelan could instinctively sense that Yuan was a powerhouse.

"Hey, do you know the identity of that masked man with the Ning Family?" Kelan turned to ask Du Daomi, the Sect Leader of the Grand Mystic Sect.

"No, I don't recognize him. However, to be able to sit with the Ning Family, his background must be extraordinary," Du Daomi remarked thoughtfully.

"Is that so…" Kelan continued to stare at Yuan.

Noticing his gaze, Yuan confronted Kelan's gaze in a somewhat provocative manner. 'Interesting…!' An excited smile appeared on Kelan's face.