Silence befell the room. Yao Yue pinched herself. "I'm not dreaming—we've really secured a spot for ourselves!"

Yao Yue's anticipation was obvious; no one knew better than her just what cooperation with Zhang Lie represented. The other blood demons began to cheer. They hadn't realized just how valuable such an opportunity was, but once Yao Yue explained everything to them, they could see that it was a precious gift indeed.

That said, Yao Yue's actions were being condemned by quite a few of the top-tier races participating in the tournament.

"Hong Yu, is this Yao Yue a friend of yours?" Phoenix asked disdainfully, a constipated expression on his face.

"We've met a few times and have exchanged a few messages. What's the matter, Young Master? Do you disagree with her actions?" Hong Yu smiled, as though she had just seen something entertaining.

"Disagree? Of course I do—she's nothing more than a bootlicker! It's disgusting!" Phoenix was utterly detested by what she did.

"Disgusting? Young Master, you should know that, because of what Yao Yue did, Zhang Lie guaranteed her clan a spot in the second batch of openings for limit fragment development. She beat out all her opponents by gracefully losing a single match. It was a smart, calculated decision, and I believe it will pay off for her clan at least a hundredfold," Hong Yu criticized Phoenix more severely than she had in years.

Phoenix stared at her dumbstruck, unable to believe that Hong Yu, one of the people he trusted most, would say such things to him. "Hong Yu, I don't understand why you're so enamored with this Zhang Lie fellow. Limit fragments this, limit fragments that— surely there's someone in the entirety of the Milky Way who can develop these fragments without the help of that odious human!

"Furthermore, these humans are no better than ants. Everything would be solved if we just kidnapped them by force; there's no need to be so polite! I was already quite upset when you brought Ali over to apologize to him, a member of an inferior third-rate race! Why the—"

"Young Master, open your eyes! It's true that, on the whole, the humans are a weak race, but their strongest hunters are hardly inferior to ours. Just look at Martial Sage Hong Tianqi! Even the winged could hardly get away without consequences if they were to rouse his ire. Don't you know that he even broke through recently?!

"I hope you'll come to your senses—this affair could very well disrupt the dominance of the four prime races. At this point, what we do now is crucial. If we continue ignoring the humans and think of them as inferior lifeforms, our actions will doom our race! Young Master, please, this is far more important than your pride!" Hong Yu urged, but Phoenix didn't care for her words.

"Get out! Scram!" His infuriated shouts drew the attention of the rest of the winged competitors.

In truth, this was the first time they had ever seen Phoenix so angry, especially to Hong Yu, who was one of his most trusted confidantes.

However, everyone was aware of his temper, and no one stepped up to defend Hong Yu.

"I will, Young Master, but please, think about what I said! Don't make enemies of the humans!"

"I said, scram!" Phoenix, seemingly having lost his senses, made as if to attack Hong Yu outright, shocking the other winged competitors.

In the end, as she sighed, Hong Yu fled from the room. Phoenix, snorting in anger, returned to his seat.

Zhang Lie! Zhang Lie! Everywhere he went, he heard this hated name.

Hong Yu had advised that he invite the other party to the winged's banquet, but Zhang Lie had snubbed him—him, the next leader of the winged!—directly, causing him to become the laughingstock of the other top races.

Even worse, that damned human even accepted the night spirits' invitation, implying that he thought of the winged as worse than a subordinate clan of the nightdemons! He couldn't take this insult lying down. If he hadn't known Hong Yu for so long, Phoenix might even have suspected that she was a spy that the humans had dispatched to him.

Phoenix swore that the humans, who had tended him such a grave insult, would surely pay for their mistake.

"From now on, if you meet a human competitor, kill them at any cost! I don't believe that such an inferior race will be able to overcome our might!" he commanded.

This command would ultimately herald the downfall of the winged. Be it because of pride or envy, Phoenix's response was overblown.

In comparison, the other races were significantly more thoughtful about what was going on. When they found out that the blood demons had secured a spot for themselves with regards to Zhang Lie's research, they were starting to wonder whether the gain would be worth it.

After all, the humans' strength was evident. They had been one of the weaker races; now, however, they were entities that even the four prime races had to be careful of offending. After seeing how much stronger the human hunters had gotten, the competitors from other races were eyeing these limit fragments with interest.

Some had even tried to research these limit fragments on their own, but it would surely progress much more slowly without an expert like Zhang Lie around. As a result, these races had no choice but to cultivate relationships with the humans. Pride was important, but so was getting a competitive advantage.

The next day, quite a few races who had disdained the blood demons for their actions became envious of their good fortune. If they had had the same opportunity, they would surely have done the same!

Thus ended the second round of the galactic stage. Every member of Team Zenith had ended up in the top hundred, a new record for mankind. The news was sent back to Earth at the speed of light, shocking the entire Solar System and causing all human hunters to cheer.

Zhang Lie, Sun Mengmeng, Fang Yi, Yang Ze, Sun Xiaowu, Li Feng, Yun Bing, and Chu Feng's names quickly became known throughout the solar system, especially Zhang Lie. His theory of limit fragments, Zenith Dojo, and participation in the Void Cup had left him a renowned hero and idol for just about every member of the solar system.

How long had it been since the rise of Martial Sage Hong Tianqi that Earth was afforded such honor?

In the Holy Glory Academy, in Zhang Hanxiang's suite, her suitemate, Lizi, held out her wristwatch excitedly as she flipped through the holographic images it displayed. "Hanxiang! Hanxiang! Look—your brother and his team became the top hundred competitors in the Void Cup!"

"Dragonwolf Zhang Lie, Team Zenith!"

Chants of Zhang Lie's name could be heard from outside their suite: it was apparent that Zhang Lie had quite a few fans in the Holy Glory Academy.

Zhang Hanxiang's eyes sparkled with tears. "I knew my brother could do it. He's the best!"

Beside her, Qingqing patted her back. "Hanxiang, this is a happy occasion, isn't it? Why are you crying? I'm so envious that you have such an amazing brother!"

"Right, I won't cry, I shouldn't cry! I'm just so—happy! Qingqing, Lizi, should I message my brother and congratulate him?" Zhang Hanxiang asked.

"Of course! You're his sister, aren't you? Your brother adores you so much, I'm sure he'll pick up," Qingqing murmured.

"Right, you're the most important person to him! And if you do so, we'll be able to see our idol again, too!" Lizi added.

Zhang Hanxiang called Zhang Lie on his private number, and he responded almost immediately. The familiar cadence of his voice brought her a comfort and relief she didn't know she needed.

"Hanxiang, how are you?" Zhang Lie had always prioritized Zhang Hanxiang's calls over anyone else's.

"Brother! I saw some footage of you during the Void Cup—you were amazing!"

"Haha, thank you, Hanxiang! But I've only gotten into the top hundred so far, so don't get too excited just yet. Wait until I bring the Void Throne back to Earth!"

"I understand, Brother! Your opponents had better watch out!"