Chapter 00151: Lending a Hand
# Lending a Hand
Chapter 151
Novel: After the Myth
Chapter 151: Lending a Hand
The four great families were seething with hatred towards Ding Huan and Lou Buzhi.
Normally, they would try to control those who came to present treasures, all to prevent situations like this from happening.
Yet, in the end, it still happened.
Unfortunately, allowing all treasure holders from the Four Directions Star Continent to present their treasures was the decree of the powerful beings from the advanced civilizations, and they couldn’t change it.
Now, with only one spot left, neither the four great families nor the three major sects dared to be the slightest bit careless.
They all hoped that someone from their family or sect could be chosen to cultivate in the advanced civilizations.
In the future, this person, once they had achieved success in their cultivation, could freely bring their family or sect members from the Four Directions Star Continent.
The first to present a treasure was the Yu family, who brought out a spiritual herb.
The herb was of a decent grade, but unfortunately, it only scored sixty-five points.
This score was among the top three of all the treasures presented so far, but it would still be difficult to secure the only spot with such a score.
Next was the Zuo Shi family.
They had just been scolded by Sang Yuhe and were now keeping a low profile.
Zuo Shi Ken presented a well-preserved spiritual herb, clearly aged.
Sang Yuhe gave it a score of sixty-five as well.
The Tong family presented a demon beast egg, though no one knew where they had obtained it.
The egg was of average quality, scoring only sixty points.
After that, the treasures presented by the Fa Sect, the Four Directions Sect, and the Star Bridge Merchant Guild all scored no higher than seventy points.
The highest score, seventy points, was given to a piece of black material presented by the Star Bridge Merchant Guild.
Ding Huan didn’t use his divine sense to scan it, so he had no idea what it was.
Just as Ding Huan was wondering why Zhan Changjing hadn’t presented his treasure yet, he saw Zhan Changjing take out a red ore.
The ore gave off a slight sense of heat, and Ding Huan thought it must be something extraordinary.
Sure enough, Sang Yuhe gave it a score of seventy-five.
It seemed like Zhan Changjing would be the one to secure the spot.
Ding Huan felt uneasy about this.
Earlier, when the Zuo Shi family had targeted him, Zhan Changjing had also spoken in their favor.
But what really bothered Ding Huan was the way Zhan Changjing looked at him—it felt like being stared at by a venomous snake.
If they were to leave on the same spaceship, Ding Huan felt that Zhan Changjing might take the opportunity to attack him.
However, Ding Huan had no right to ask Sang Yuhe not to choose Zhan Changjing, as his ore had the highest score.
“Haha, congratulations, Clan Leader Zhan,” Zuo Shi Ken was the first to congratulate Zhan Changjing, knowing that his own family had no chance.
Everyone else also understood that the spot would likely go to Zhan Changjing and joined in the congratulations.
Zhan Changjing clasped his fists and said, “Thank you, everyone. It was luck that my material scored seventy-five points. I believe everyone will have a chance next time.”
“No rush, I haven’t presented my material yet,” a sudden voice interrupted the harmonious scene.
“Star Lord Ding Qi?”
Not only Zhan Changjing, but everyone else was stunned.
Ding Qi was indeed the Star Lord, but wasn’t he just a puppet? How dare he present a treasure here? Did he not know how to write the word “death”?
Ding Huan chuckled inwardly.
He finally understood why Ding Qi and Zhan Changjing had fought earlier.
It must have been over the treasure presentation and the competition for this spot.
Since the Star Lord was also presenting a treasure, the five powerful beings from the advanced civilizations naturally didn’t object.
To them, the more treasures, the better, and anyone could present one.
Ding Qi took out a jade box and handed it to Sang Yuhe.
When Sang Yuhe opened it, inside was a belt.
A belt?
The heads of the four great families and the three major sects looked at Ding Qi as if he were an idiot.
Even if the belt was a magical artifact, it wouldn’t catch the eye of the powerful beings from the advanced civilizations.
What did advanced civilizations produce? Magical artifacts! And here he was, presenting a magical artifact as a treasure.
To everyone’s surprise, Sang Yuhe didn’t dismiss it as worthless.
Instead, she examined it carefully for a while before saying, “A decent storage artifact. I’ll give it seventy-five points.”
So it was a storage artifact.
But why only seventy-five points? If Ding Huan had to choose between the Immortal Demon Pill and this belt, he would definitely choose the belt.
Hearing that his treasure had only scored seventy-five points, a flicker of disappointment passed through Ding Qi’s eyes, though he hid it well.
Sang Yuhe put the belt away and said, “Now, both Star Lord Ding Qi and Clan Leader Zhan Changjing have seventy-five points. There’s only one spot, so this is tricky. Is anyone willing to voluntarily withdraw?”
No one spoke.
Clearly, neither Zhan Changjing nor Ding Qi was willing to back down.
“Elder, may we add our treasures to Clan Leader Zhan’s to increase his score?” asked Zuo Shi Ken, the head of the Zuo Shi family.
“Yes, we’re willing to add our treasures to Clan Leader Zhan’s,” the others chimed in.
Ding Huan was taken aback.
Were these families and sects really so united? But when he saw the look on Zuo Shi Ken’s face, he immediately understood.
These people were incredibly selfish.
If they could send Zhan Changjing away, they would have one less powerful figure looming over them.
Whether Zhan Changjing’s Dan Yun Realm was real or not, his strength was clearly a level above theirs.
If they couldn’t leave, sending Zhan Changjing away would give them a louder voice on the Four Directions Star Continent.
Sang Yuhe nodded. “That’s possible. However, since your treasures all scored below seventy-five points, even if you combine them, the maximum additional score is five points, bringing Clan Leader Zhan’s total to eighty.”
Eighty points would be enough.
The heads of the families and sects all agreed to this score.
Ding Qi’s eyes flashed with unwillingness.
He had prepared for years for this day, only for his carefully chosen storage belt to score only seventy-five points.
Just as Sang Yuhe was about to announce the result, Ding Huan suddenly stepped forward and bowed. “Elder Sang, if the treasures I brought can earn extra points, I’d like to give those points to Star Lord Ding.”
Ding Huan knew he was taking a big risk by saying this, but he had no choice.
If Zhan Changjing were to come along, Ding Huan would undoubtedly be ambushed by him during the journey.
Besides, when the Zuo Shi family had targeted him earlier, Ding Qi was the only one who hadn’t sided with them.
Rather than risking it on the ship, he might as well take the risk now.
“This…” Sang Yuhe turned to the other elders.
After a brief discussion, she nodded and said, “Your Immortal Demon Pill is indeed a good treasure. Although you’ve brought several people, we can still add ten points to your score.”
“Thank you, elders,” Ding Huan quickly bowed in gratitude.
It seemed that with his intervention, the fight between Ding Qi and Zhan Changjing wouldn’t happen.
In fact, Ding Huan believed that Ding Qi would have the upper hand if they did fight.
He chuckled inwardly.
The true strongest person on the Four Directions Star Continent wasn’t Zhan Changjing, but the unassuming Ding Qi.
He just didn’t know whether Ding Qi had created his own realm beyond Foundation Establishment or if he already knew about the realms beyond it.
From the reactions of the powerful beings, it seemed they hadn’t noticed Ding Qi’s true cultivation level either.
Hearing that Ding Huan had helped him, Ding Qi was overjoyed and gave Ding Huan a grateful look.
Zhan Changjing, on the other hand, shot Ding Huan a murderous glare.
Ding Huan pretended not to notice.
He was about to leave the Four Directions Star Continent—what could Zhan Changjing do to him now?
After the treasures from the four great families and the three major sects were collected, the middle-aged man announced, “The treasure presentation for the Four Directions Star Continent has concluded. We’ll meet again in a hundred years. Those who have secured a spot, please follow us.”
With that, the middle-aged man led the way out of the city lord’s mansion, followed by the other four.
Ding Huan quickened his pace to keep up.
“Friend, if you give me your spot, I’m willing to offer you the position of sect leader in exchange,” a square-faced man whispered to Ding Huan as he caught up to him.
“No deal,” Ding Huan replied, glancing at Qi Xin Yue and quickening his pace.
A spaceship several times larger than Ding Huan’s Blue Star flew in from the Four Directions Star Continent’s interstellar plaza and landed on the large square outside the city lord’s mansion.
As the five powerful beings from the advanced civilizations boarded the ship, Ding Huan, along with Qi Xin Yue and Lao Liu, followed.
Behind them were Ding Qi, Lou Buzhi, and seven talented disciples.
As Ding Huan boarded the ship, he casually touched the outer edge of the ship, leaving behind a few divine sense marks.
Worried that the ship’s speed in the void might erase his marks, he even embedded them deeper.
Only after the ship’s hatch closed did Ding Qi clasp his fists and say, “Thank you, friend.”
Ding Huan waved his hand. “Brother Qi, we share the same surname. If I can help, I will.”
Sang Yuhe walked over and said, “Ding Huan, take your friends to Room B1. Ding Qi and Lou Buzhi, you two go to Room B2. The rest of you, go to Rooms B3 and B4. Remember, unless there’s an emergency, don’t leave your rooms.”
Everyone quickly acknowledged the instructions and headed to their respective rooms.
(That’s all for today’s update.
Goodnight, friends!)
(End of Chapter)