Chapter 3156: When It Comes to Low-Key, I Only Respect Old Man Ji! Hope to Advance...

"Damn it!"

"Old Ji was actually a Star Messenger all along!"

Wang Teng's eyes widened in astonishment as he stared at Old Ji beside him.

Old Ji, you really are something.

You've hidden so well.

In the other's words, becoming a Star Messenger seemed so difficult, making Wang Teng believe he hadn't even reached that rank.

But in the end, he had already achieved it.

Even if he'd only started at the 1-Star Messenger level, that was already incredibly rare.

And now, he had advanced to the 2-Star Messenger level!

"On being low-key, I'm just impressed by Old Ji."

Wang Teng thought to himself.

He'd known Old Ji was reserved, never showing off or drawing attention, but he hadn't imagined he'd be this discreet.

If not for this award ceremony, he might never have discovered that Old Ji was actually a Star Messenger.

Old Ji seemed to notice Wang Teng’s gaze, but didn’t care—just offered a faint smile.

A 2-Star Messenger? Expected.

Though Wang Teng had helped, he still carried considerable confidence.

It came from the self-assurance of a semi-god of the Light realm!

Right now, his mood was excellent.

From 1-Star to 2-Star Messenger, he was nearly close to Yao Feng, the True God.

The other was only a 3-Star Messenger.

One star difference—within reach!

Moreover, he was still only a semi-god, not even a true god yet, and his strength still lagged significantly behind Yao Feng.

So calculated like that, wasn’t he actually surpassing Yao Feng?

Generally speaking, the lower one’s current strength, the higher the honor medal grade they received—meaning greater future potential.

After all, entering the Hall of Stars from the beginning was entirely different from joining later.

From this perspective, Wang Teng’s situation was clearly exceptional.

Otherwise, those True Gods wouldn’t have taken him so seriously.

In short.

Awesome!

Extremely awesome!

No comparison, no pain.

Now, the one suffering was Yao Feng.

Seeing that even Old Ji—a semi-god—had risen to 2-Star Messenger, jealousy flared within him uncontrollably.

Why was this happening?

Even a semi-god was riding over him now—where exactly had things gone wrong?

Yao Feng couldn’t understand.

Then, suddenly, his eyes fell on Wang Teng standing beside Old Ji, and a flash of realization struck him like lightning.

Right. It was this damn Wang Teng again.

He remembered.

Not just Chi Huang and Zhu Long, two True Gods, but also the Immortals—and even this semi-god—had only defeated those [Calamitous Demonic Bodies] with Wang Teng’s help.

Without exaggeration, if not for Wang Teng, none of them could have beaten the [Calamitous Demonic Bodies].

Even he had to admit that.

After all, he’d experienced firsthand how insidious those [Calamitous Demonic Bodies] were—far beyond imagination.

Even True Gods gained nothing from fighting them.

So ultimately, it was all because of Wang Teng.

Thinking of this, Yao Feng felt even more heartbroken. He began to doubt whether he had made a mistake.

Shouldn’t he have avoided clashing with this Wang Teng?

Even if he needed to suppress him, shouldn’t he wait until after this great war?

That way, his own interests wouldn’t be harmed.

He should’ve pretended to yield first, then turned around and crushed him.

Play the game of surprise!

Next time, he must learn from this lesson.

But unfortunately, Yao Feng was only thinking about it. In reality, if given another chance, he would still act the same.

There was no changing him.

Some say nature is hard to change—no phrase fit Yao Feng better.

It wasn’t about anything else. He simply never took Wang Teng seriously.

A Domain Master-level warrior—how could such a person make a True God wary?

No matter how many times it happened, he’d always choose the same path.

"This Old Ji was actually a Star Messenger all along?"

Others present, hearing the True God’s words, also showed shock, exclaiming aloud.

Star Messengers were truly rare.

They saw only three True Gods among them had reached such a level—proof of its immense value.

"Unbelievable!"

"No wonder he’s a semi-god of the Light realm!"

"Yes, he’s a semi-god of the Light realm—not comparable to ordinary warriors. Reaching Star Messenger status makes sense."

"Now it’s even more incredible—directly reaching the 2-Star level. That’s almost approaching Yao Feng, the True God!"

"Does this count as the underdog overtaking?"

"It counts. Why wouldn’t it?"

"Can’t envy it. Can’t envy it at all!"

"Yao Feng Zhen Shen put in so much effort and still couldn't achieve it, yet Old Ji did. Have you noticed anything?"

"Oh my god! Oh my god! Seriously, isn't this all about Wang Teng?"

"Shh! Keep your voice down—don’t let Yao Feng Zhen Shen hear you."

...

The crowd couldn't help but erupt into murmurs, some speaking openly, others whispering telepathically, their hearts equally unsettled.

If before, the ascension of Chi Huang Zhen Shen and Zhu Long Zhen Shen had seemed impossibly distant from them,

now they saw an opportunity right within reach.

The gap between Immortal-level and Semi-God level was no longer insurmountable.

Especially for Immortal-level Venerables—the distance to the Semi-God level was already quite close.

Many had the foundation; they could take that final step.

Thus, when they saw Old Ji attain the Two-Star Star Messenger Honor Badge, excitement surged through them.

They thought of themselves.

Old Ji had indeed earned considerable martial achievements—but neither were they far behind.

Could this mean they too had a chance to become holders of Star Messenger-level Honor Badges?

Not even needing to reach Two Stars—just one star would satisfy them.

"Are these Immortal-level beings… getting pumped up on adrenaline?!"

Wang Teng watched the crowd's reaction, a strange expression flickering across his face.

He certainly knew why they were so excited—but really?

The Star Messenger-level Honor Badge was indeed tempting.

But they were, after all, Immortal-level existences—many of them Immortal-level Venerables.

Couldn’t they at least remain calm?

"You're just standing there talking without feeling the pain," Roundy retorted.

"You’re only at Domain Master level now, yet you’ve already attained a Seven-Star Common Honor Badge.

Do you realize how many Immortal-level beings you've surpassed?"

"And those Immortal-level beings? They’ve fought hard in countless battles, probably still can’t surpass you."

"If they have a chance to ascend to Star Messenger level this time, how could they not be excited?"

Wang Teng rubbed his chin, feeling that Roundy’s words… actually made sense.

He’d gotten the Seven-Star Common Honor Badge by sheer accident, completely unprepared, with no special feelings at all.

But others weren’t as lucky.

And now, with a real chance to ascend to Star Messenger level, naturally, their excitement was justified.

"I wonder if they’ll actually succeed," Wang Teng muttered to himself.

"It’s hard," Roundy said simply, clearly not optimistic about the Immortal-level beings.

"You think it’s hard too?" Wang Teng asked in surprise.

He felt the same way—not out of contempt, but because of what Old Ji had just explained, he had deeply understood the difficulty.

Blame Old Ji, though.

It was all his fault.

"What’s so hard to guess? Old Ji is at least a Semi-God-level existence of the Light faction. Whether in attributes or strength, he holds a massive advantage—no ordinary warrior can compare," Roundy said.

Wang Teng nodded. He agreed.

Though those Immortal-level Venerables were extremely powerful—especially Starfall Venerable, Red Demon Venerable, and others—

they ranked quite high among Immortal-level Venerables.

But compared to Old Ji, there was still a significant gap.

Now they believed they had a chance to ascend, but it was merely because Old Ji’s promotion had blinded them.

The Star Messenger Honor Badge dazzles the eyes.

"By the way, this Ji Tianming is truly lucky this time!" Ice Dithis’s voice suddenly rang out, laced with astonishment.

"Oh?" Wang Teng paused, surprised that even Ice Dithis had stepped forward to comment.

She had once been a Zhen Shen-level existence—she should look down on such things.

"He’s currently only Semi-God level, but after becoming a Two-Star Star Messenger, he’ll gain higher authority in the Hall of Stars. Combined with the merit points he’s earned, he might actually have a chance to ascend to Zhen Shen upon returning."

Ice Dithis seemed to sense Wang Teng’s confusion and bewilderment, explaining slowly.

"A chance to ascend to Zhen Shen!!"

Wang Teng’s heart trembled, his pupils involuntarily contracting.

Real or fake?

This wasn’t a joke!

Zhen Shen level!

That was beyond everything—above all mortals, raising divine kingdoms, ascending to the throne of gods, looking down upon all living beings.

Old Ji was currently a Semi-God-level existence, but crossing that chasm remained incredibly difficult.

Yet now Ice Dithis said he had a chance to ascend to Zhen Shen—this was utterly unbelievable!

Roundy was also stunned, his mouth slightly open, wanting to say something but unable to form any words.

As if something had blocked his throat.

Unbelievable!

Truly, too unbelievable!

"Have you forgotten where you’re going next?" Ice Dithis said meaningfully.

"Ssshh~"

Wang Teng suddenly snapped back to reality, drawing in a sharp breath. His eyes gradually brightened, glowing like stars.

Damn, after Ice Dithis said that, it actually seemed very possible!

That was the Light Secret Realm—wasn’t that divine assistance for Old Ji?

Wang Teng couldn’t help but glance at Old Ji beside him, his expression suddenly turning peculiar.

Why did this old man feel like the protagonist of the universe?

"What’s wrong?" Old Ji sensed Wang Teng’s gaze and immediately sent a mental query.

"Cough, cough—nothing wrong! Nothing at all!" Wang Teng quickly shook his head.

Some things were better left unsaid. After all, it was only speculation, not something to be revealed outright.

If exposed, it might even affect Elder Ji’s fortune.

From past examples of true gods ascending, one could see that such ascension also required a certain degree of luck. If the moment wasn’t right, even a near-perfect path could collapse mid-way.

Even if one stood just one step from becoming a true god, failure could still come.

As the saying goes: *Things succeed in secrecy; words fail in exposure.*

Sometimes, silence is an act of kindness for others.

Right now, this was merely a small guess between him and Bintis—nothing significant.

But if he told Elder Ji, it would affect the central figure of this matter, and no one could predict the consequences.

Of course, a gentle reminder was possible.

Wang Teng decided to wait until the right moment to give Elder Ji a subtle warning.

Elder Ji gave Wang Teng a suspicious glance, then saw him turn away. He sighed inwardly and said nothing more.

This kid always acted so strangely!

At that moment, the true god-level star envoy spoke again, calling out a name:

"Mechanical Clan, Starfall!"

Everyone immediately turned their gaze toward Starfall Venerable, eyes burning with anticipation.

After Elder Ji came Starfall Venerable—no one present felt surprised.

His performance on the battlefield had been undeniable, and they knew they fell short.

And Starfall Venerable himself, his eyes flickered slightly as he rose from his seat.

Elder Ji was a semi-god and didn’t need to stand for the honor.

But he was only an immortal-level venerable—now he must rise to show respect.

"You were originally a seven-star common honor badge; now you are promoted to a nine-star common honor badge!"

The words barely finished when everyone’s expressions froze for a moment.

They had hoped Starfall Venerable might reach star envoy level—then perhaps those behind him might have a chance too.

But this result struck like a hammer blow, jolting them back to reality.

Nine-star common honor badge!

Only a nine-star common honor badge!

Though it wasn’t low, and Starfall Venerable had jumped two stars at once,

the outcome still failed to meet expectations. Disappointment was inevitable.

Starfall Venerable felt a pang of disappointment too—but he quickly accepted the truth and soon found joy again.

Nine-star common honor badge!

Not bad at all!

"Thank you, sir!"

Starfall Venerable bowed respectfully toward the true god-level star envoy before sitting down.

The star envoy-level true god then turned to the other immortal-level venerables.

His gaze swept across the crowd, names called out one by one.

"Rolford!"

"Originally a six-star common honor badge, now promoted to a seven-star common honor badge."

"Yalot!"

"Originally a six-star common honor badge, now promoted to a seven-star common honor badge."

"Skybound Ocean!"

"Originally a six-star common honor badge, now promoted to a seven-star common honor badge."

"Blazing Flame!"

"Originally a five-star common honor badge, now promoted to a six-star common honor badge."

"Fengtai!"

"Originally a five-star common honor badge, now promoted to a six-star common honor badge."

...

A string of names and promotions followed like a barrage of cannon fire, leaving the audience overwhelmed.

Each immortal-level venerable whose name was called lit up with joy, unable to contain their excitement.

Like Starfall Venerable, they quickly accepted the reality—though they couldn’t reach star envoy level, being promoted was still good.

One must know contentment.

At least they fared far better than True God Yaofeng—none of them left empty-handed.

Now, looking back, they realized how mistaken they’d been.

With their current ranks, how could they possibly reach star envoy level?

It was simply too far off.

True God Ji had reached second-level star envoy because he was already a first-level star envoy.

Everyone rejoiced—except one person.

Just like True God Yaofeng, another remained deeply unhappy.

That was Venerable Yinlei.

His rank had not improved.

(End of chapter)