Chapter 3169: No More Rewards! Twisted Jealousy! How to Reward?

The words of the Emperor of the Great Qian Empire echoed through the hall, and for a moment, silence fell like a shroud over the chamber.

The Pallax family had retreated into their shells, not daring to utter another word, terrified of becoming the target of all eyes.

It wasn’t impossible.

With Wang Teng’s current status, even the Emperor had begun to take notice.

If the Emperor himself were to fully align with Wang Teng, the Pallax family would likely face reckoning.

As for the other families—there was no way they wouldn’t seize the chance to kick someone already down.

The more he thought about it, the deeper Waltergo’s heart sank.

Unease!

Restlessness!

And a twisted, gnawing jealousy!

He believed all of this was caused by Wang Teng.

If not for him, the Pallax family would still stand tall, unafraid, untouchable.

A mere Domain Master-level warrior—what right did he have to shake the foundations of the Pallax family?

The weak should know their place. How dare he challenge the Pallax family? Wasn’t that nothing but a death wish?

“If only I had killed him back then,” Waltergo thought, and the idea sprouted like a vine, twisting wildly, refusing to be rooted out.

“Your Majesty,” asked the Prince of Chongshan suddenly, “given Wang Teng’s current achievements, shouldn’t we elevate his title?”

“What rank does he hold now?” the Emperor of the Great Qian Empire inquired.

“Before entering the Star Academy, Wang Teng was already a Baron,” said the Prince of Chongshan, adding, “In truth, based on his ranking, he should have been granted a Marquis title. But…”

“He is too young,” the Emperor replied. “So we settled on Baron.”

“Young?” The Emperor chuckled. “Indeed, he is young.”

“Only in his twenties, yet already at this level. Our Great Qian Empire may soon have no titles left to bestow.”

Silence.

The hall plunged into a silence as heavy as stone.

No titles left to bestow.

Such a statement from the Emperor carried the weight of mountains.

Waltergo’s heart leapt with sudden joy.

Was the Emperor afraid of Wang Teng?

Afraid of his growth?

Yes!

How could the Great Qian Empire tolerate a prodigy who might one day threaten its dominion?

Such a prodigy must be eradicated early, before he could grow into a threat.

“Hahahaha!” He laughed aloud in his mind. “Wang Teng, as long as the Emperor cannot bear you, what good are your talents or status?”

“The Great Qian Empire has no room for you!”

To Waltergo, this was a dramatic turn of fate—never had he imagined the Emperor would reject Wang Teng.

“Your Majesty!”

Prince Chongshan gasped, equally startled, believing the Emperor would not accept Wang Teng, and quickly interjected:

“Given Wang Teng’s talent, his world lies beyond our Great Qian Empire. Even if we run out of titles, it won’t matter.”

“In fact, Wang Teng’s strength will only benefit our empire.”

“His very presence is enough to deter enemies.”

Upon hearing this, Waltergo could no longer sit still. Forgetting any fear of offending the Prince, he snapped back:

“That’s a grave mistake.”

“With Wang Teng’s growing influence, he will only become more dangerous in the future.”

“If he ever decides to strike against our Great Qian Empire, to steal its power—wouldn’t that pose an even greater threat?”

The Prince of Chongshan frowned, coldly turning toward Waltergo. A Domain Master dared to speak so boldly in front of him?

Had the man not been the head of the Pallax family, he wouldn’t even have the right to stand here.

He knew full well the feud between the Pallax family and Wang Teng.

Now, the man’s urgent rebuttal revealed only one thing—fear that Wang Teng’s rise would endanger the Pallax family.

Waltergo stiffened under the Prince’s gaze, nearly losing his balance.

This man was an Immortal-level being. In any other place, he would never dare contradict him.

Now, he could only bow his head, silent.

“Your Majesty!”

A figure stepped forward from the shadows on either side, bowing deeply toward the Emperor seated above:

“Wang Teng’s loyalty to our Great Qian Empire is strong. From the beginning, he rose from within our realm.”

“To outsiders, he is a prodigy born of our empire—this truth can never be changed.”

“And we have invested in him from the start—whether it was his initial baron title or later promotion to count…”

“These honors clearly demonstrate Your Majesty’s grace and benevolence.”

“But now, if because of…”

He paused, not finishing the sentence.

Yet the meaning was clear enough.

The Great Qian Empire had already poured significant investment into Wang Teng. To now withdraw due to fear would mean losing everything previously spent.

Better to go with the flow, and double down.

“Bolagou! I know your Clan Kalandish has a close bond with Wang Teng, but there’s no need to defend him so fervently,” Waltergo said, his expression darkening. “We should always stick to facts.”

“Wang Teng’s position already poses a threat to our Great Qian Empire. Can’t you see that?”

Bolagou was Diqu’s father, and also the head of the Kalandish clan—his status equal to Waltergo’s.

That was why he stood here.

But now, facing Waltergo’s accusations, his face remained unchanged. He didn’t even glance at the man.

In his view, Waltergo's argument was utterly baseless.

The man had been completely blinded by hatred.

The Great Qian Empire would never turn away a genius warrior out of mere fear.

The Sovereign was a true divine-level being and should well understand Wang Teng’s worth and significance.

If handled properly, Wang Teng could become the greatest asset to the Great Qian Empire.

Now he stepped forward only to declare the stance of the Calandish family—and to offer the Sovereign a graceful way down.

Did Waltergo truly believe that when the Sovereign said “no more titles can be granted,” it meant rejecting Wang Teng?

Wrong!

Absolutely wrong!

Fear and caution might exist, but they would never lead to outright rejection of Wang Teng.

"Hmph."

Thinking this through, Boragu let out a cold laugh and spoke slowly:

"Our Calandish family has indeed formed a close bond with Wang Teng—there is nothing to hide. Everyone knows it."

"We walk upright and act honestly; we have no fear of others' words."

"On the contrary, your Pylax family, which has fallen into enmity with Wang Teng, harbors prejudice and desperately seeks to push him aside."

"Your actions are completely disregarding the interests of the Great Qian Empire!"

By the end, his voice had turned into a thunderous shout, directly confronting Waltergo.

All present shifted in expression, taken aback by how firmly the head of the Calandish family stood.

He was clearly determined to champion Wang Teng.

And yet, what he said held truth—Waltergo’s behavior was indeed harming the empire’s interests.

Pushing Wang Teng away brought no benefit, only harm.

If other powers learned of their foolishness, they’d surely mock the Great Qian Empire for its shortsightedness.

This Waltergo was truly blinded by hatred—pathetically so.

"My clan, the Jia family, supports the Calandish family’s position."

At that moment, another figure stepped forward from the side and bowed toward the sovereign seated above.

"The Ji royal clan agrees!"

"The Jiang royal clan agrees!"

"The Xiahou royal clan agrees!"

"The Rodrigo royal clan agrees!"

"The Perez royal clan agrees!"

Before Waltergo could speak, voices of agreement echoed from all around, choking his words in his throat.

Waltergo’s face instantly stiffened, a lump rising in his chest as if he were about to vomit blood.

His pupils contracted to pinpoints, staring at the crowd as though betrayed by everyone.

His lips trembled, unable to utter a single word.

His complexion turned deathly pale.

"How flustered you all look!"

The Sovereign of the Great Qian Empire smiled faintly, as if not taking the spectacle seriously at all, his dignified and detached gaze fixed upon those below.

Everyone felt the weight of that gaze, yet none knew what he was thinking.

"Since all of you favor Wang Teng, then let us discuss what reward he should receive."

"Oh, right—now he is already the Second Star Envoy of the Hall of Stars."

The Sovereign suddenly dropped a bombshell, leaving everyone stunned into silence.

The promotion to Second Star Envoy had not yet been fully announced—only the high-ranking officials knew.

So none present were aware of this news, except the Sovereign himself.

Now, hearing it abruptly, the shock was beyond description.

Though they had long suspected that Wang Teng’s accumulated merits would grant him a significant rank, none had imagined he would reach the status of Second Star Envoy of the Hall of Stars.

That was the Hall of Stars!

The people here were, after all, members of the Great Qian Empire’s royal families—of elevated status and greater knowledge than ordinary citizens.

They were familiar with the Hall of Stars.

Hearing now that Wang Teng had become a Second Star Envoy, all were struck speechless.

Star Envoy!

A rank surpassing even the common honor insignia!

Even the elders within their own families rarely possessed common honor insignias—yet Wang Teng had achieved the Star Envoy honor insignia.

It was simply unbelievable.

"Sovereign, is it true that Wang Teng has already obtained the Second Star Envoy honor insignia of the Hall of Stars?!"

Boragu of the Calandish family swallowed hard, asking in astonishment.

Even though he held Wang Teng in high regard and maintained a close relationship with him, facing the Second Star Envoy insignia, he still found it difficult to accept.

It perfectly illustrated the saying:

You fear your brother’s suffering, yet dread his success.

"This news came directly from the Hall of Stars, and has already been publicly posted there."

The Sovereign’s voice remained unchanged, yet beneath it lay a subtle complexity.

A domain master-level martial artist bearing the Second Star Envoy insignia—even he found it hard to believe.

And more notably, he himself was not as accomplished as Wang Teng.

How absurd it seemed—a true divine-level being, ruler of an entire nation, inferior to a domain master-level martial artist like Wang Teng.

Yet such was the truth.

Not just him, the Sovereign of the Great Qian Empire.

Even those divine beings stronger than him, with greater power and influence, might not surpass Wang Teng.

An empire’s sovereign may be remarkable, but in this vast universe, empire rulers were numerous.

He might not even rank among them.

The great powers—the true dominators—were the ones who truly ruled.

The true True God-level entities among them were the genuinely powerful ones, any single one of whom stepping forth would be enough to fill Him with deep apprehension.

This was precisely why He placed such immense value on Wang Teng.

As long as the youth could grow to that level, his future strength and status would inevitably surpass that of an imperial ruler.

The notion that he was beyond further ennoblement was a stark fact.

Though a sliver of wariness lingered, He certainly would not shut Wang Teng out because of it.

That would be the height of folly.

Upon hearing the words of the Grand Gan Empire's sovereign, everyone present fell into silence once more.

The expressions on each of their faces were nothing short of spectacular.

They no longer knew how to describe the state of their own minds.

Beholding that first place in military merit had been shocking enough, yet they now realized it was merely the beginning.

Compared to this Two-Star Star Envoy of the Hall of Stars, it was simply a dwarf before a giant.

Valtergu's face had turned as pale as paper.

A genius possessing the honorary badge of a Two-Star Star Envoy of the Hall of Stars—how, how could this be possible?

Just what kind of enemy had their Parax family conjured up for themselves?

He felt a groan rising in his chest, a sensation of unspeakable agony so sharp it felt as though his heart might fail him.

It was as if an arrow had pierced straight through his heart!

After a long moment.

The remaining members of the royal clans present finally snapped out of it, a glimmer of joy surfacing in their eyes one after another.

Wang Teng securing the honorary badge of a Two-Star Star Envoy of the Hall of Stars was undoubtedly a blessing.

For families like theirs who had not crossed paths with Wang Teng, as long as they maintained good relations with him, they might reap no small benefits in the future.

In this world, there were never permanent enemies—except, of course, for the Parax family, who had offended him beyond redemption.

Among these royal clans of theirs, at most a few juniors had once clashed with Wang Teng, which was hardly a grave matter.

Wang Teng had, after all, emerged from their Grand Gan Empire, giving them a certain geographical advantage, unlike outsiders who could barely even establish a connection.

In any case, they had made up their minds to befriend Wang Teng at all costs.

"Your Majesty!"

Bolagu drew a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and called out loudly: "I believe Wang Teng should be granted the title of Duke!"

"And bestowed with an Immortal-level treasure!"

"Only thus can Your Majesty display your appreciation and favor toward him!"

Hearing this, the members of the several great royal clans present expressed no surprise whatsoever.

They all felt that the rewards proposed by Bolagu were perfectly reasonable.

Indeed, most reasonable!

Wang Teng already held the title of Count, and now that he had become a Two-Star Star Envoy of the Hall of Stars, elevating his title directly to Duke carried no impropriety at all.

To many martial warriors, the chasm between a Count and a Duke might seem like a heavenly moat.

Even back then, the difficulty of rising from a Baron to a Count had been immense.

Yet to a genius like Wang Teng, it was hardly a daunting feat.

With even the honorary badge of a Two-Star Star Envoy of the Hall of Stars in his possession, a title within the Grand Gan Empire truly amounted to very little.

Compared to each other, it was like a firefly against the bright moon.

When all was said and done, it was merely adding flowers to a brilliant tapestry.

As for the so-called Immortal-level treasure, it could only be counted as a mere throw-in, added simply because the ducal title felt insufficient, thereby requiring a little extra weight on the scale.