Gu Xiechen bent down, drawing the twelve short swords one by one, feeling their weight in his palm. He smiled toward the delighted princes, "For Fuya, I will not fear your threats! Be it a personal duel, a family feud, or a war between nations, I will accept them all!"

Gu Xiechen stifled a laugh, the effort nearly bursting his lungs. These charming princes—they truly fit his initial impression of them: a collection of glittering extortionists! In Gu Xiechen's mind, he wasn't taking any of them seriously!

The prince dressed in a purple robe, the self-proclaimed 'literary youth,' suddenly cried out, pointing at Gu Xiechen with satisfaction, "No. I won't kill you in the duel. If you lose, you must swear an oath to lead my fleet to find your so-called Earth Federation before you kill you! Can you do that?"

Gu Xiechen didn't answer. Linghu Zhao, standing beside him, interjected with solemnity, "Rest assured, I stake my 'honor' on it; he will absolutely keep his word! If you can defeat him, we will definitely lead your fleet to the Earth Federation. Furthermore, I swear on my 'honor,' our Earth Federation's fifteen administrative stars are quite appealing!"

"What did you say?" The attention of all thirteen princes snapped toward Linghu Zhao, their voices laced with disbelief. "What did you say?"

Gu Xiechen tightened his grip around Fuya Ming's waist and spoke word by word, "Our Earth Federation possesses thirteen administrative stars! I, too, swear upon my brother's soul, I am not lying in the slightest."

Indeed, Gu Xiechen was not lying; the Earth Federation had far more than fifteen administrative stars. Earth Prime, Heaven Star, the Thirteen-Star Chain—that alone totaled fifteen administrative stars, not even counting the former Exile Stars and Immigration Stars. Of course, Gu Xiechen had no obligation to inform these arrogant princes that Heaven Star and the Thirteen-Star Chain were currently at war, or that the conditions on the exile and immigration stars were extremely harsh, perhaps even hosting monsters like Fire Dragon Lizards.

Gu Xiechen smiled broadly. There was simply no need to reveal these gritty details to them. This wasn't a real duel for him; it was merely collecting a fee, doing a job.

The eyes of Dolun and the others turned a solid, dizzy blue! Watching Gu Xiechen, the thirteen noble princes simultaneously leaped up, crying out, "Duel now!"

"No!" Gu Xiechen resolutely refused their demands for an immediate duel.

"You coward!" the thirteen princes accused him in unison.

"No, I just need to know the conditions of the duel, and... why we are dueling? What are the stipulations? We can't just start fighting randomly, can we?" Gu Xiechen’s smile was more wickedly ancient than a seasoned fox's. Fuya Ming, beside him, felt a sudden chill, wondering if she had chosen the wrong person to seek help from.

Dolun and the other twelve princes exchanged glances, frowning, before agreeing to Gu Xiechen's terms.

"Very well, then. Let my strategist discuss the details of the duel with Your Highnesses. Of course, I will be supervising," Gu Xiechen said with a grin, beckoning Linghu Zhao over. He chuckled, "Actually, it’s quite simple to understand. Thirteen noble Highnesses have simultaneously issued a duel challenge to me. There must be a rule of first come, first served, mustn't there? Are you suggesting that if I duel one of you, I won't duel the others? That makes no sense; everyone must share the benefits equally."

Linghu Zhao, round, plump, and wearing an honest, simple smile that instantly made him seem incredibly trustworthy, walked over. He cupped his hands respectfully towards the princes, but a mere flicker of his eyes sent them into a daze. One by one, they followed Gu Xiechen and Linghu Zhao's lead like dazed fools.

Fuya Ming watched from the side, her skin crawling. How had the thirteen princes suddenly transformed into lovesick fools with rosy cheeks? This bizarre and eerie scene made Fuya Ming tremble.

Gu Xiechen grabbed Fuya Ming, chuckling, "The thirteen princes issued a challenge to me simultaneously. If they lose, what's the recourse if they renege? Is there any way to notarize it?"

"Notarize?" Fuya Ming gave Gu Xiechen a look of wary uncertainty, then nodded thoughtfully. "Notarization is possible. The Star Alliance Supreme Council has established offices throughout the Alliance. The Chief Administrative Officer there can act as a notary. However, the service fee is quite..."

Fuya Ming explained that the Star Alliance encompassed tens of thousands of large and small civilizations, with territories spanning billions of light-years. To strengthen the Alliance's influence over member nations, they established six tiered offices based on the strength of the respective civilizations—from the lowest one-star office to the highest six-star office, with the office's ranking corresponding to the civilization's level.

The Yafik Kingdom was a four-star civilization in the Alliance, a relatively powerful upper-middle-tier power. Thus, the Star Alliance stationed a four-star level Administrative Officer on Yafik Star.

This four-star Administrative Officer hailed from an alien civilization based deep in the ocean, making his excursions complicated and cumbersome. His massive, life-sustaining aquatic pool was difficult to transport, which was why he hadn't appeared during the chaos in the main arena, barely saving his life. Deploying an officer inconveniently prone to travel was also a Star Alliance strategy—to maintain a presence within the host nation without allowing these immobile officers too much contact with its populace, thus preventing potential political friction.

After hearing Fuya Ming's explanation, Gu Xiechen immediately proposed inviting this Star Alliance Administrative Officer stationed in the Yafik Kingdom to serve as the notary for his duels.

The thirteen princes, already completely enchanted by Linghu Zhao's Domain of Fascination, cheerfully agreed to Gu Xiechen's request. The entire party immediately left the palace and headed toward the Star Alliance Office.

The Star Alliance office in Yafik, constructed from white stone inlaid with crystal specks, possessed a dignified and imposing appearance: a square building with a height of over thirty meters and sides nearly three hundred meters long. Four thick, ancient square towers stood at the four corners of the structure, and the blue flag bearing the stars of the fifteen six-star founding member nations fluttered from flagpoles atop the towers.

The office housed a mere thirty-person guard contingent. After Fuya Ming presented her scepter, seal, and the late king's handwritten abdication document, her identity was officially registered with the Star Alliance. The Alliance formally recognized her legitimate control over Yafik.

Gu Xiechen found this amusing. It seemed Prince Dolun and the others had harassed Fuya Ming quite severely, otherwise, she would have rushed to the Star Alliance Office immediately to confirm her authority, rather than frantically running to him for help.

Led by the new Queen of Yafik, Fuya Ming, the group proceeded to a massive, fully enclosed pool in the core section of the office.

It was a colossal pool sealed with transparent specialty alloy. The hexagonal pool had sides exceeding two hundred meters. In the deep, ethereal blue seawater, a seahorse approximately one meter fifty tall, completely translucent and pinkish-blue, floated silently in the center. This seahorse possessed more than a dozen flowing, transparent fins that undulated gently with the water, appearing exquisitely graceful and mysterious.

The seahorse had a pair of eyes the size of a fist, glowing a deep crimson. Pure wisdom shimmered within its gaze.

Seeing Fuya Ming lead the group inside, a stream of fine bubbles erupted from the seahorse's mouth, and a soft, androgynous voice emerged: "Welcome, Your Majesty, the noble Fuya Ming. I was quite surprised by the events in the main arena; I have already relayed the relevant information to Star Alliance headquarters. I trust the esteemed superiors will have a judicious course of action." As the voice spoke, a faint spiritual force, like a gentle ripple in the water, softly swept over Gu Xiechen and the others.

Gu Xiechen paused, glancing thoughtfully at the giant seahorse.

After stating its position regarding the main arena incident, the beautiful seahorse continued, "Congratulations, Your Majesty. I believe the Yafik Kingdom will prosper further under your leadership."

Fuya Ming raised the scepter in her right hand and bowed to the seahorse: "Thank you, Your Excellency Youyou."

"We are here to request your assistance in notarizing a duel."

The giant seahorse Youyou smiled gently. "A duel? Oh, let me see. Prince Dolun, Prince Ciel, Prince Lie, Prince Zilu... Oh, my goodness, you wish to duel?"

Gu Xiechen strode to the edge of the pool and nodded at the giant seahorse. "Your Excellency Youyou? They are dueling me—all thirteen of them, against me. I request that you notarize our duel. As compensation for your effort... what do you think of this gem?"

After entering the cultivation world, Gu Xiechen learned that the so-called Zakula Energy Crystals were the Spirit Stones used by cultivators, and that these stones were categorized by grade and five-element attributes.

Facing this seahorse, which possessed potent spiritual power and was surreptitiously probing his physical condition with its mental energy, Gu Xiechen pretended to rummage through his pockets for a while. He pulled a fist-sized, high-grade Water Attribute Crystal from his Spatial Pouch. The pale blue crystal shone with a gentle radiance, continuously emitting wisps of moisture that condensed into a small patch of mist near his palm.

Swish! Youyou's eyes widened drastically, and two fist-sized eyeballs popped out of their sockets. He gasped urgently several times, and his body suddenly surged forward, his forehead pressing tightly against the transparent alloy plating of the enclosure.

"I believe you can draft the duel contract now!" Youyou managed to squeeze out, feigning composure. Gu Xiechen could sense that his internal blood flow rate had inexplicably increased severalfold.

Gu Xiechen smiled, turning the Water Attribute Spirit Stone over in his hand before walking back to Linghu Zhao.

Half an hour later, thirteen duel contracts—identical save for the signatories' names—were printed. Youyou personally affixed a stamp symbolizing the supreme authority of the Star Alliance using his mental power.

The terms of the contract were established. Gu Xiechen was now free to duel the thirteen impatient princes.