The lights in the grand Golden Pyramid venue suddenly dimmed. Twenty-six circular platforms ascended, bearing the representatives of the Six-Star Civilizations, hovering in mid-air. Below, the venue, constructed in a complex, spiraling, nested spatial structure spanning several tiers, accommodated over twenty thousand Star Alliance functionaries seated according to rank, descending from the highest levels. Prominently positioned in the uppermost seats were members of the Star Alliance Supreme Council, including Chairman Yan Long.

The dome above the hall gradually shifted in color. Accompanied by a deafening dragon's roar, a monstrous, fearsome dragon—pitch black with three heads and twelve wings—slowly materialized from the dark expanse overhead. Its massive eyes swept over every person in the hall, their crimson depths strangely filled with an expression of peculiar affection. Behind the dragon, a colossal black planet began to contract. After a full fifteen minutes, the planet shrunk into a sphere of light that shot upward, embedding itself directly onto the forehead of the central dragon head.

A haunting, mysterious melody began to rise from all around. Everyone, including Yan Long, closed their eyes and swayed gently, humming along to the tune. They produced only simple "Mm, mm, hum, hum" sounds, yet guided by the melody, these monotonous tones layered upon one another like rising ocean waves. Gradually, the pitch ascended higher and higher, coalescing into a vast sonic wave that seemed poised to shatter the very hall into dust.

Gu Xiechen felt the sound growing louder and stronger, threatening to tear his body apart and draw his soul into the heavy surge of noise. As his body began to tremble, on the verge of being assimilated by the sound, the mighty chorus and the ethereal music abruptly ceased. Calm returned to the hall, disturbed only by the ghostly passage of the three-dimensional holographic dragon overhead.

Another dragon's roar echoed, and the dragon’s form gradually dissipated. On the dome remained only a single, immensely large, semi-transparent black crystal, radiating a terrifyingly vast energy fluctuation.

It was an undeniable, massive Divine Crystal, yet Gu Xiechen could not discern by what means or from where this crystal had appeared.

He glanced back at Penghua, standing beside him. Penghua’s face was slick with cold sweat; that immense sound wave had severely taxed him as well.

Taking a deep breath, Gu Xiechen gently made a calming gesture. Like the representatives of the other twenty-five Six-Star Civilizations on their platforms, he bowed his head towards Yan Long and the others. A razor-thin column of light descended from above. Yan Long and his cohort slowly ascended within the beam, eventually standing directly above the massive Divine Crystal, looking down upon everyone in the hall. Slowly raising his hands, Yan Long commanded in a deep, resonant voice, "Brothers, another century has passed."

The heads of the Star Alliance functional departments below rose in unison and bowed deeply toward Yan Long.

Yan Long spoke with gravity, "We are all brothers of equal bloodline. In this sacred venue, all opinions are fair and equal. Brothers, open your eyes wide and engage your wisdom. The allocation quotas for Divine Crystals this time, for the twenty-six Six-Star Civilizations, rest entirely in your hands."

A stream of large script materialized behind Yan Long—the rules for the Divine Crystal Quota Conference. Gu Xiechen hastily scanned them and couldn't help but let out a soft laugh of exasperation.

The so-called Divine Crystal Quota Conference was essentially a division of spoils where the Six-Star Civilizations offered tribute to the Star Alliance, and the Alliance used every means possible to extract benefits from them. At the conference, every Six-Star Civilization would continuously bid for a share of the Divine Crystal quota. With every bid, the assembled heads of the Star Alliance functional departments would appraise the value of the items offered by the Six-Star Civilizations. The civilization presenting the highest total value would secure that portion of the Divine Crystal.

Clearly, no single Six-Star Civilization could produce enough resources to truly match the value of the Divine Crystals. Therefore, in order to maximize their nation's crystal acquisition, these civilizations inevitably engaged in private bribery of the Star Alliance functional department heads, urging them to show bias during the evaluations.

All Six-Star Civilizations offered bribes, but the value of their clandestine offerings varied, leading to differing degrees of favorability in the minds of these department heads. Determining how much to offer in private and how much to bid publicly to secure a larger quota involved a sophisticated calculus, weighing numerous factors.

It was important to remember that regardless of whether a civilization won the bid for a quota, all items presented for the bid became the property of the Star Alliance. Thus, achieving the greatest crystal allocation for the smallest cost was a true test of the capability of each Six-Star Civilization.

“What a damned regulation!” After reviewing the rules, Gu Xiechen and Penghua felt the stipulations were utterly outrageous. It was clearly designed to completely strip the Six-Star Civilizations of the most valuable wealth they had managed to accumulate over the past hundred years. It was akin to the Star Alliance raising twenty-six pigs, only to joyfully slaughter them once a century to feast the great families within the Alliance—truly despicable!

What was most infuriating was that items bid in the Quota Conference did not yield Bloodline Merit Points. Yet, these points were equally vital for Six-Star Civilizations, as the pinnacle military power—the Death Star Cruisers—required these points for exchange. The Bloodline Merit Point system and the Divine Crystal Quota Conference system were twin blades slicing at the twenty-six Six-Star Civilizations, forcing them to bleed out valuable pieces of their substance.

The other twenty-five Six-Star Civilizations clearly possessed extensive experience with the Quota Conference. Upon hearing Yan Long's words, their respective Emperors instantly adopted stern expressions, their gazes rapidly sweeping over the functional department heads seated below. The representatives of the Elder Council families, who had already feasted on pre-conference benefaction, stared expressionlessly at Yan Long, adopting an air of strict impartiality.

Yan Long glanced at Gu Xiechen and his companion, about to wave his right hand downward, when a voice suddenly pierced the hall: "Esteemed Chairman, the Polaris Empire has been annihilated. Why then does a representative of the Polaris Empire stand in this venue? Are they still qualified to contest the Divine Crystal quotas?"

As the challenge was issued, a grim-faced elder stepped forward from the platform nearest to Gu Xiechen among the twenty-six floating platforms. He glared venomously at Gu Xiechen and Penghua, then sneered at the representatives on the other platforms, "What use is it if a nation already destroyed acquires more Divine Crystals?"

Gu Xiechen coughed lightly. Penghua strode to the edge of the platform, pointed at the elder, and snapped, "Go home and use your Divine Crystals to entertain your children, what business is it of yours?"

The elder’s expression twisted. The fine spikes at the back of his head stood erect like countless steel needles. A sharp aura burst from him as he pointed furiously at Penghua, roaring, "Insolent whelp, you—"

Yan Long’s cold snort interrupted the elder's tirade. A vast wave of divine consciousness descended, pressing the elder backward until he nearly tumbled from his platform. Yan Long looked coldly at the nation representatives on the platforms and stated flatly, "The Polaris Empire is annihilated? Then, let the Polaris Empire be re-established. Does anyone else have an objection?"

Yan Long’s colleagues behind him simultaneously unleashed terrifyingly immense pressure. The nation representatives on the platforms simultaneously lowered their heads, tacitly accepting Gu Xiechen's qualification to attend the conference.

Gu Xiechen smiled at the elder, whose face had turned ashen under Yan Long’s pressure, and lightly flicked his fan.

On a distant platform, Emperor Chi Long Yanlie of the Blazing Dragon Empire looked toward Gu Xiechen with astonishment. Gu Xiechen’s face had been disguised when he arrived in Davirmus, but his Taiyin Dharma Robe and the Five-Water Dragon Whisker Fan in his hand were unchanged. Chi Long Yanlie scrutinized Gu Xiechen up and down, his mouth twitching strangely.

Gu Xiechen nodded congenially to Chi Long Yanlie. With his smile, he confirmed his identity to the Emperor.

Chi Long Yanlie instantly felt a dizzy spell coming on. He was thoroughly convinced of Gu Xiechen's capacity for chaos. How had this man ended up as a representative of the Polaris Empire? If the Dark Tide that destroyed the Polaris Empire was Gu Xiechen's doing, how could he now be their representative, even allowed to contest the Divine Crystal quota? Chi Long Yanlie felt his mind might explode. Was he delusional, or was the world truly this insane?

Yan Long announced the item and quantity for the first batch of coveted Divine Crystals: five Level One Divine Crystals, each approximately one hundred cubic meters in volume. Crystals of this size could serve as the energy cores for Death Star Cruisers, powering their flight and sustaining their routine combat operations. Extracting all the energy from such a crystal for a full-power strike could grant a Death Star Cruiser an attack capability nearing that of a Golden Immortal.

Undoubtedly, these crystals were the primary strategic resources Six-Star Civilizations needed to stockpile.

Gu Xiechen looked at the representatives of the other nations. Their gazes burned with fierce heat as they stared fixedly at the five enormous Divine Crystals suspended in the air. Like the mountain-sized cluster from before, Gu Xiechen could not perceive where these five crystals originated; they seemed to have simply materialized into existence.

Yan Long began the countdown. As he spoke the final number, all twenty-six representatives, including Gu Xiechen, simultaneously hurled a shower of brilliant light from their hands.

What Chi Long Yanlie threw was dozens of exceptionally high-quality materials, refined using the Blazing Dragon Empire’s secret imperial technique, the Yuqing Heaven Burning Art, to near absolute purity. Fifteen pieces each of pale-gold Dragon Soul Gold Essence, milky-white Three Yin True Jade Marrow, and light-blue Ren Water Crystal—each lump the size of a human head. These materials were all of innate, primordial origin, superb for artifact forging. Even with the Blazing Dragon Empire’s might, finding materials this pristine required taking risks in the sub-space. Moreover, refining and purifying them with the Yuqing Heaven Burning Art took decades to yield the flawless, crystal-clear specimens now before Chi Long Yanlie.

The Emperors of the other Six-Star Civilizations mostly offered various primordial materials, generally comparable in quantity to Chi Long Yanlie’s offering, but their level of refinement was far inferior. After all, different cultivation methods yielded different results, and Chi Long Yanlie's technique was perfectly suited for purifying various materials.

"Hahaha!" Chi Long Yanlie laughed uproariously three times, proclaiming loudly, "Gentlemen, you are too kind, too kind. These five Divine Crystals—"

Yan Long’s voice rang out joyfully. He laughed loudly, "These five Divine Crystals belong to the Polaris Empire!"

Chi Long Yanlie’s laughter abruptly choked off, like a duck whose neck has been squeezed, emitting a grotesque sound. He stared, wide-eyed, at what lay before Gu Xiechen, then rubbed his eyes in disbelief. Most of the other nation representatives performed the same action, their expressions deeply peculiar.

Lined up neatly before Gu Xiechen were eighteen oddly shaped weapons, faintly shimmering with treasured light: Crescent Swords, Water-Pattern Blades, Tortoise-Scale Shovels, Electro-Wave Shuttles, and more. Each weapon gleamed brightly, but the radiant light pulsed like water ripples, confined strictly within three inches of the weapon's body; beyond that boundary, not a single stray line of light could be seen. These were clearly eighteen Immortal Artifacts, and furthermore, eighteen of exceptional quality—the very finest among high-grade artifacts.

The other Six-Star Civilizations had offered materials capable of forging high-grade Immortal Artifacts, but the value gap between raw material and finished product was something even a simpleton could grasp. Artifact forging carried a significant risk of failure, turning all materials to waste. But a ready-made high-grade Immortal Artifact—possessing one could enhance a Loose Immortal's strength by fifty percent, and increase the power of a true Immortal several times over, even tenfold.

An Immortal at the Taihuang Huangzeng Heaven cultivation level wielding a high-grade Immortal Artifact could contend against at least fifteen or sixteen Immortals at the Taiming Yuwan Heaven realm.

Yan Long and the others narrowed their eyes to slits. The four old men nodded in satisfaction toward Gu Xiechen. With a casual wave of their hands, the raw materials offered by the various nations and the eighteen Immortal Artifacts before Gu Xiechen vanished simultaneously. The five Level One Divine Crystals flew directly toward Gu Xiechen. Gu Xiechen smiled contentedly and stored them in his Green Lotus Ring.

Penghua’s heart felt as if it were bleeding. He thought Gu Xiechen was an absolute spendthrift. How could he discard eighteen Immortal Artifacts at once? These were eighteen Immortal Artifacts, not eighteen Spirit Artifacts! In truth, the value of a single high-grade Immortal Artifact surpassed the combined value of all the materials offered by Chi Long Yanlie and the others. How could Gu Xiechen casually cast aside eighteen of them?

Gu Xiechen, however, remained serenely smiling, completely unconcerned by Penghua’s visible distress.

The second batch of Divine Crystal quotas consisted of three thousand Level Two Divine Crystals, each the size of a human head. These crystals were sufficient to power White-Wing Class warships, covering all their energy needs for a century. If all the energy contained within these crystals were channeled for a single devastating strike, a White-Wing Class warship could unleash an attack approaching the initial level of a Taihuang Huangzeng Heaven Celestial Immortal.

Level Two Divine Crystals were obviously valued significantly less than Level One, but White-Wing Class warships were the absolute combat mainstays of a Six-Star Civilization. Three thousand Level Two Divine Crystals represented the entire energy supply for three thousand such warships over the next hundred years. Consequently, the Emperors of all nations placed high importance on this quota and offered substantial bids.

However, in the face of the three high-grade Immortal Artifacts Gu Xiechen casually tossed out, all other bids paled into insignificance. All prior submissions were swept into the coffers by a beaming Yan Long, and all three thousand Level Two Divine Crystals went to Gu Xiechen.

Next came five thousand fist-sized Level Three Divine Crystals, the energy cores for those White-Wing warships about a hundred meters in length. Gu Xiechen cheerfully smashed down two high-grade Immortal Artifacts and snatched up these five thousand Level Three Divine Crystals. Yan Long and the four old men smiled until their eyes were mere slits, while the representatives of the other nations glared at Gu Xiechen as if he were a mortal enemy. Even Chi Long Yanlie’s eyeballs seemed ready to spew fire. Wasn't this blatant price manipulation?

Batch after batch of quotas vanished, followed by three or five Immortal Artifacts, then three or five more...

The Golden Pyramid hall fell utterly silent. None of the Star Alliance leaders who had accepted benefits from the nation representatives spoke up during the Quota Conference. Faced with the Immortal Artifacts Gu Xiechen tossed out as if they were refuse, all other bids seemed utterly futile.

Now, they were frantically scheming on how to secure an Immortal Artifact from Yan Long, having completely forgotten their obligation to speak up for the representatives of the Six-Star Civilizations. An Immortal Artifact could significantly boost a family's power; this was an opportunity not to be missed.

Yan Long and his cohort grew increasingly astonished. Where had Gu Xiechen acquired so many Immortal Artifacts? It was unbelievable. Had he somehow discovered an ancient armory?

The Emperors, including Chi Long Yanlie, were long past shock; they were numb. Facing Gu Xiechen's continuous cascade of discarded Immortal Artifacts, their painstakingly collected refining materials and precious alchemical ingredients seemed like stones thrown into the ocean—creating mere splashes before disappearing without a trace. If they had offered these precious materials to the Star Alliance, they could have exchanged them for considerable Bloodline Merit Points, but here at the Quota Conference, massive quantities of resources were being given away for free to the Star Alliance.

Chi Long Yanlie’s mind worked fastest. He began to strategically reduce the amount of material he bid each round. However, the other Six-Star Civilizations increased their offerings.

The Star Alliance maintained a stringent regulatory system: all Six-Star Civilizations were strictly forbidden from circulating Divine Crystals among themselves; violators would be instantly annihilated. No one dared risk incurring the Star Alliance's prohibition by smuggling Divine Crystals, nor would any Six-Star Civilization trade such strategic resources. But Chi Long Yanlie possessed the audacity. Gu Xiechen had revealed his identity to him; as Gu Xiechen's friend, Chi Long Yanlie felt he should not simply allow his empire's wealth to be squandered so easily.