Chapter 780: The Celestial Star Position

"Are they coming this way?" Chen Ling asked, his eyebrows subtly raised as he watched the group approach the restaurant.

Meanwhile, Jian Changsheng came up the stairs, hands in his pockets, looking mysterious.

"Did you finish ordering?" Chen Ling asked, knowing from Jian Changsheng's mischievous grin that he hadn't been up to any good. "...How much did you order?"

"Heh heh, guess?"

"The kitchen is already preparing it; you'll see when they bring it out," Jian Changsheng said with a wide grin. "I told them you're paying today, so they can just send the bill straight to you later."

As Jian Changsheng spoke, he seemed to recall something. He pulled a paper from his pocket and placed it on the table. "Oh, by the way, when I went downstairs to order, someone was posting this outside..."

"What is this?"

"Looks like some announcement jointly issued by the Five Great Realms."

Spade 9 picked up the notice. After a quick scan, a look of surprise appeared on his face.

"What's wrong?" Chen Ling asked.

Spade 9's gaze was subtle. He glanced at the black-clad figures entering the restaurant and slowly said, "I think I know... why the people from the Hanging Jade Realm are here."

He handed the notice to Chen Ling and continued:

"The Five Great Realms are finally making a move... They've each sent representatives to the Celestial Pivot Realm for 'Realm Talks' to discuss how to deal with the Limitless Realm and the King of Silver. We should have a conclusion soon. Regardless, the betrayal of the five Arbiters was a heavy blow to humanity, so they intend to fill the void in high-end combat power at all costs."

"Fill high-end combat power? How?"

"By pouring all the resources of the Five Great Realms into supporting a group of highly promising young individuals to grow as quickly as possible."

Spade 9 calmly took a sip of water. "Cultivating a group of individuals capable of rivaling the five Arbiters in a short time is no simple feat... Even if the Five Great Realms use all their foundations, they can only muster seven slots in total. They call them the 'Heaven-Reaching Constellations.'

"Obtaining a Heaven-Reaching Constellation means having all human realms as your backing. Not only will you receive immense support in terms of money, resources, and status, but you'll also have dedicated guides to lead you deep into corresponding Divine Path Ancient Tombs to explore the secrets of the Divine Path. Furthermore, each recipient can choose one special item imbued with a Divine Path foundation, which humanity has acquired from various Divine Path Ancient Tombs... This treatment is exactly the same as what the five Arbiters received.

"However... these aren't the most important things."

"These aren't important??" Jian Changsheng's eyes widened. "Then what is important?"

For ordinary people, these conditions were already unimaginable. Leaving aside wealth, resources, and status, just having a dedicated guide to lead one deep into the Ancient Tombs was an irresistible temptation... Perhaps it sounded abstract, but one should know that both Bai Qi, residing within Jian Changsheng, and the Theatre Dao secret art on Chen Ling, originated from the depths of their respective Ancient Tombs. As for the special items containing Divine Path foundations, they were even more crucial to the human realms' reserves. For instance, the *Guernica* painting in the Second Hall nearly cost Chen Ling and Heart 8 their lives.

"These seven individuals who obtain a Heaven-Reaching Constellation will bear a portion of humanity's destiny."

Spade 9's expression was more serious than ever. "The concept of destiny may seem ethereal... but it has indeed existed since ancient times. For example, the fate of a nation was once called 'national destiny,' and its rise and fall were closely linked to it. Although there are no 'nations' now, all destinies converge and manifest as humanity's destiny.

"Being able to bear humanity's destiny, even just a trace of it, means you will rise rapidly, turn misfortune into blessing, and achieve your desires..."

"Behind the Heaven-Reaching Constellations is the destiny of all humanity?" Chen Ling's brows furrowed slightly. "Is it that exaggerated?"

"Not exaggerated at all. After the Great Cataclysm, humanity's destiny was severely wounded. Of the nine realms that once existed, some perished, some are on the brink, and some betrayed... All things considered, only five realms remain now, which precisely reflects the decline of humanity's destiny. If nothing more is done, I fear humanity will truly have no future left within a short time."

Chen Ling and Jian Changsheng exchanged a thoughtful glance.

"So, those people from the Hanging Jade Realm are here this time..."

"To contend for the Heaven-Reaching Constellations," Spade 9 continued.

"It's not just the Hanging Jade Realm. During the Realm Talks, the Five Great Realms are jointly holding a 'Trial of the Stars' in the Celestial Pivot Realm, open to all Divine Path holders, whether from official Divine Path organizations within the realms or independent Divine Path holders. However, applicants must be under twenty-five years old and ranked above Tier 3... Oh, and there's a thirty-dollar registration fee."

Jian Changsheng blinked and silently raised his hand. "Can the Twilight Society participate?"

"What do you think?"

"What the Five Great Realms want to cultivate are prodigies capable of bearing humanity's future... If, in the end, they discover they've fostered a madman bent on resetting the era, the higher-ups would probably be furious enough to vomit blood."

Hearing this, Jian Changsheng let out a long, helpless sigh... He didn't care about anything else, but he truly desired that human destiny, which could 'change his fate against the heavens'... In his life, he had never known how to write the words "turn misfortune into blessing" or "rise rapidly."

Before his dejection could fully settle in, Spade 9 paused for a moment, then leisurely spoke:

"But then again...

"We're different from the Crimson Heaven Sect, the Fusion Faction, and the Usurpers of Fire. The first two don't possess Divine Paths, so they'd be immediately recognized. Anyone participating in the trial who practices a stolen Divine Path would definitely be under special surveillance... But if someone from the Twilight Society participates, who would know they're from the Twilight Society?"

Upon hearing this, both Chen Ling and Jian Changsheng were taken aback. When they saw the unconscious curve forming at the corner of Spade 9's mouth, their expressions instantly became priceless!

Alright, so Heart 9 was overtly insane, but this Spade 9 was quietly wicked on the inside!

"So... the organization doesn't object to us participating in this trial?" Jian Changsheng asked cautiously.

"The Twilight Society never interferes with its members' daily activities."

Spade 9 smiled faintly. "Furthermore... I know the nature of the people in the Twilight Society very well. If we had this idea, others probably thought of it too... How do you know that among those who have already registered, there aren't already some of our people?"

Looking at Spade 9's smile, Chen Ling suddenly had a premonition... It was highly possible that among those who had already registered, there weren't just members of the Twilight Society, but quite a few of them! Would this 'Trial of the Stars' by the Five Great Realms ultimately just become a team-building exercise for the Twilight Society?

Jian Changsheng was so delighted his mouth wouldn't close. For a long moment, he couldn't find anything to say, simply giving Spade 9 a vigorous thumbs-up. "Genius! Every damn one of us in the Twilight Society is a genius!"