Paragon of Sin

San Luoyang's expression changed, °A spiritual amplification treasure?° The Spiritual Strength emanating this transmission covered thousands of miles and was abnormally powerful, yet was still fundamentally at the mortal level. 

The voice belonged to Wei Wuyin!

Wei Wuyin looked at the world below, riding Bai Lin, giving the image of an immortal soaring the skies upon a phoenix. With a comforting smile, he said: "There's no need. The voice of everyone beneath five hundred is equal; there is no difference between any of you." 

When he spoke, the entire world went into an uproar! Equal? No difference? What?! No one believed this, even the Earthly Saints and Creationists sitting upon their thrones gave Wei Wuyin looks, intrigued, curious, and wondering.

However, amongst the puzzled and disbelieving gazes, one gaze stood out—Su Mei! Her clear, untainted black pupils flickered with a knowing light. She knew exactly what Wei Wuyin meant! Why? Because she lived it.

"Alchemic Sovereign Wei, what do you mean by this?" San Luoyang's eyes narrowed. The events planned for the summit will not simply conclude because a single Mortal Sovereign Alchemist spoke, this would directly harm the Everlore Association's prestige, giving full momentum to Wei Wuyin to run the show! 

Wei Wuyin didn't shrink back from the attention or questioning. He swept his silver eyes across every throne, halting momentarily when it reached Empress Xiaocheng, his pupils imperceptibly shrinking for the briefest of moments before moving on. Then, those eyes looked down. Bai Lin soared as he got a good look at everyone, and those with good eyesight saw him. 

There were waves of awe and shock. Most hadn't known or noticed Wei Wuyin, but San Luoyang had revealed his identity to everyone! Moreover, he was even greater than the exaggerated rumors suggested! Especially in terms of appearance! 

That face, body, and demeanor of his was soul-impacting. The majority of females present's eyes widened, unrefined love sprouting in their hearts, sudden lust heating their bodies, and inspiring thoughts of imaginary futures and events swarming their minds. Who knew how many wedding ceremonies Wei Wuyin had in these daydreams?

"What do I mean? Simply this: All those here, every last one, has the potential to transcend the current standards of Chosen, as long as they are eligible. Therefore," Bai Lin returned to her original location, allowing Wei Wuyin to stare San Luoyang down, continuing: "there's no difference between those here now and the correlation of future Chosen. There's no need to voice their opinion, simply because they aren't qualified to do so. The ignorant and uninvolved can not decide the direction of the future; this includes…"

Wei Wuyin's words were like thunder in their ears, and those sitting on the thrones, these Earthly Saints, Forgers, Architects, and Alchemists all understood his implied intent! Their expressions all underwent drastic changes! 

°Interesting.° An imperceptible smile formed on the Number ONE beauty's expression, an extremely rare sight that elevated her looks by another notch. It was a shame that the vast majority of everyone's attention was on Wei Wuyin, an existence not the slightest bit inferior to her.

"Rubbish!" An old male Imperial Monarch shouted, waving their hands dismissively. "Youthful ignorance!" The Imperial Monarch held nothing back, his voice rumbling throughout the world and stating his opinion about Wei Wuyin's thoughts. Others might have some reservations about offending Wei Wuyin for no reason, but he had no qualms. 

What was a little Wei Wuyin before the Imperial Clan? 

Moreover, they know he's not from some extraordinary force exceeding their stellar region. At best, he's a member of those forces hiding away in the depths of the spatial folds, thriving off ancient legacies, and mostly forgotten by history. None of those forces inspired fear in the Imperial Clan, not even Wu Yu or the armored Earthly Saint. 

Tian Muyang was present too, his eyes a little gloomy after hearing the old Imperial Monarch's berating words. He didn't have the same belief as him, firmly of the notion that Wei Wuyin genuinely had a transcendent organization with the King of Everlore pinned in its shadow. 

"Are you suggesting that we, the Earthly Saints of the starfield, have no qualifications to determine the standards of Chosen?" A white-robed man with sword-like eyebrows, a green gourd at his waist, and a sword sheath on his back, gave Wei Wuyin a sharp glance. He was Jiang Wudao, the current leader of the Jiang Clan, and widely considered the number one Sword Cultivator throughout the stellar region. 

His line of questioning brought a formless pressure from most of the Earthly Saints' gazes to Wei Wuyin. Wu Yu was about to act as their Awakened Mystic Intent, an extension of their Will, unintentionally began infecting the ambient mana and affecting its fluctuations. Right now, Wei Wuyin's location was flooded by tumultuous mana, threatening to suffocate him and Bai Lin. That was formless pressure!

Yet Wu Yu found that Wei Wuyin and Bai Lin didn't even flinch against this pressure that would break most mortals, his eyes remained calm and serene without the slightest signs of discomfort. Wei Wuyin directly nodded, "I am." 

"...!" Those two words confirming his words had shaken everyone! To Wei Wuyin, the Earthly Saints lacked the qualifications to determine the Chosen standards?! The statement felt absurd to them! If not them, then who? 

"Hahahaha!" Chen Yibo laughed heartily. "Brave fellow," he commented with eyes flickering with an enraged light. His emotions were reflected in many of the Earthly Saints, especially those from the Imperial Clan. Even Tian Lingyu carried a heavy frown despite knowing of Wei Wuyin's means as a Saintmaker. 

"Presumptuous youth," An Earthly Saint scolded. 

"It's best if you allow the Everlore Association to continue their intended path. The Preliminary Discussions are still ongoing and you have a seat here that no one will object to. And we have questions that'll help solidify the initial standards." The sole Earthly Saint of the Rainbow World Starfield, dressed beautifully in the seven colors of the spectrum, spoke out for Wei Wuyin. 

Wei Wuyin was taken aback by this cultivator. It belonged to a young girl, no more than sixteen years in appearance, yet she gave him a terrifying feeling that almost matched the Soul Saint King. His instincts were telling him that she was extremely terrifying! Moreover, he felt a lingering feeling from his Bloodline of Sin. 

Blessed! 

If it wasn't for that and the terrifying feeling she gave him, her appearance was a rather ordinary, almost girl-next-door type. She looked dainty and sweet, her every action seemed innocent, and she could be easily forgotten in a crowd if not for her colorful attire. 

However, Wei Wuyin could only send a kind smile her way, silently thanking her for her good intentions. But he continued, ignoring the various remarks: "Who invented Chosen?" 

A single question and everyone went silent. They all knew who created it! A legendary figure of the greatest caliber, the first Earthly Saint Alchemist and first Worldly Saint Alchemist! The greatest alchemist in the last ten thousand years that has had the most influence throughout the stellar region! 

At one point in time or another, except for the newest Ascended, all those sitting on thrones had encountered this existence in the same way, shape, or form in their lifetime or were still being affected by his legendary reputation. More than half greatly benefited from his products, and amongst those who had the opportunity, they contributed their current success to his intervention. 

The King of Everlore! 

Wei Wuyin nodded, "Then you all understand; the only one qualified to set the standards of Chosen is an alchemist. Why? Because we excavate talent. Why? Because we can turn talentless into talented. Why? Because trash with no hope in your eyes can become treasure vastly exceeding you in every way with OUR assistance. The Chosen standards should be determined by our limits, not any theoretical limits, just as the King of Everlore had determined his Chosen standards by 'his' limits. After all, there's no Chosen King yet, is there?"

"..." A silent world was the reply. No one could deny his words! The continuous failure in the Chosen King Competition showed that no Chosen was capable of reaching the King of Everlore's standards of what a true Chosen, those beneath five hundred years, should or could be! They also knew that the absurd initial difficulty had caused many of them to lower the requirements for Chosen, and the King of Everlore never explicitly stated any set standards. 

"No one else but alchemists is qualified to determine the standards for Chosen. That's my honest belief," Wei Wuyin stated plainly. Moreover, it was insidiously difficult to refute this belief! Who didn't know the might of an alchemist's efforts? Alchemic Knights exist for a reason! They devote their lives to this opportunity, becoming a sword for their Alchemist to receive dedicated treatment. 

San Luoyang heavily frowned.

"Since you're confident of your claim, I ask: what do you suggest we do for this summit?" A majestic voice resounded! The eyes of everyone on the thrones lit with brilliant light! Wu Yu's eyes flickered with murderous intent, an instinctive reaction to this voice. Even he didn't know why! 

But those on the thrones were fully aware of the owner of this voice—Evergod! The Vice-President of the Everlore Association! A genuine Alchemic Saint! They didn't expect him to appear so early! At the moment, they were merely at the Preliminary Discussions stage. If any Alchemic Saint were to show themselves, it should've been at the end to officiate any final decisions! 

Wei Wuyin's eyes slightly narrowed, unable to determine where the voice originated from. His expression remained calm as he thought about the voice's identity, feeling confident about his initial guess. And from the reactions of everyone present, it was likely the case!

Evergod! 

"Change the preliminary discussion testing criteria. No one beneath the age of five hundred years lacks the ability to be molded into Chosen of any standards decided upon, so it makes no difference to hear their thoughts or anyone else's." Wei Wuyin seized the initiative and unhesitatingly spoke out his innermost thoughts. While those below felt a little miffed at being relegated to watchers, Wei Wuyin's words were both reasonable and brought them hope! 

If they thought themselves inferior to their peers, then it was merely because they haven't proven themselves enough to attract the right backing! 

On the square platform, Lin Ming frowned as the voice inside the Aegis of the Elements softly muttered: "He truly resembles him…down to the eyes…"

Lin Ming was startled. "What do you mean?"

With a tinge of unconcealed emotion, the voice said after a sigh: "The King of Everlore back then had similar thoughts. He didn't believe in the talented and the talentless, merely those who he favored and those he didn't. It is a little disheartening and displeasing to hear, but if you were his 'Chosen' then all concepts of limits were his to break. You had as much talent as he desired to give you."

"..." Lin Ming's expression changed, becoming contemplative. His understanding of Chosen and the King of Everlore grew. 

The Evergod went silent for a long moment, causing the atmosphere to grow tense. No one knew what the Everlore Association would decide. After all, they carried the rights to enter the Chosen King Competition. These so-called standards were merely a filter for the limited available slots, a prearranged intent by the King of Everlore. 

But when Evergod spoke again, the hearts of everyone shook!

"Prove it." 

Wei Wuyin took no time to blurt out his response, fearlessly saying: "Okay. What do you have in mind?"

After a pause, the majestic voice continued: "Since your Neo-Dawn Eclipse Pill Concoction Method is being offered for every challenge, let's decide standards that every force can participate in with it as the prize. A chance at having their voice heard, their qualifications tested—a challenge leaving a single voice for the standards of Chosen, just like before. What does everyone think?" 

Those sitting on the thrones had varying expressions, but they genuinely had no solid arguments that could refute Wei Wuyin's words! Moreover, was it worth arguing? The standards aren't going to be even more unreasonable than the King of Everlore's unwritten standards that no one has been able to reach in thousands of years, no? So they may as well watch the show! 

As for the Mortal Sovereign Alchemists, those awake didn't have the slightest disagreements! This was their pride as alchemists and if they argued against it, it would be as if they were denouncing themselves. How idiotic would that be? 

With no objections, Evergod continued: "Do you agree, Alchemic Sovereign Wei?" 

"Of course," Wei Wuyin confidently accepted. He knew this was the first battle between this Alchemic Saint, and he had no intentions to lose. But he wasn't one for one-sided wagers, "If I'm putting up the Neo-Dawn Eclipse Pill to this single winner, then shouldn't everyone else who wishes to participate in this challenge do so as well?"