Chapter 506: Rivals and Rites Under the Silverplate Sky

Above the Silverplate Floating-land, two Torch battleships—one large, one small—glided along at a slow pace. To avoid any unwanted misunderstandings, neither ship activated their Void Shroud or other stealth systems, as they’d already left the public territory of Silverplate Floating-land and entered the Tuoba Royal Clan’s domain.

Not only did they refrain from using stealth, but neither the Calm-Sea Dragon-Xiang nor the Heavenly Ruin attempted any risky maneuvers like warping that might draw extra attention.

Their sizable ships traversed the controlled sector, catching the notice of the Tuoba Royal Clan’s patrol fleet sooner rather than later.

Within a dozen minutes, a Zhulu-class Cruiser flanked by ten cruisers appeared on the horizon. As the spatial ripples from their arrival faded, all eleven ships closed the distance quickly.

Once they entered the magnetic field perimeter, the Calm-Sea Dragon-Xiang was the first to receive a hail from the other side.

“Captain of the Dreadnought, you’ve entered the Tuoba Royal Clan’s private territory. Please state your identity and your purpose!”

Despite facing a dreadnought and a battleship, the Tuoba cruiser captain showed little awe, sounding formal but polite—a bureaucratic formality, really.

Song Wujian didn’t try to pull rank and simply explained the purpose of their visit.

The Tuoba Royal Clan had stood strong in the Silverplate Galaxy for over thirty millennia, its foundation incredibly deep. The Song Family hadn’t even crossed into the ranks of the Immortal Houses yet. Even with the Calm-Sea Dragon-Xiang’s possible upgrade to Star-Annihilator-class, it would still seem scrawny next to their might, not yet a true equal.

“Song Wujian, Dragonspine branch of the Morningstar Kingdom, here to visit an old friend. Please let your elders know.”

Hearing ‘Dragonspine of the Morningstar Kingdom,’ the Tuoba captain’s expression became noticeably more serious.

Back when the Morningstar Kingdom was founded, they immediately reported to the Ancestor Court of Xianqin, then notified the twenty kingdoms under the Imperial Court.

Nearly a century later, the name ‘Morningstar Kingdom’ had already spread throughout the Torch Human Galaxy Cluster, bringing attention to the Morningstar Family and Dragonspine Song Family, especially in the Tianpan Galaxy and neighboring regions.

“May I ask which elder you’re here to visit?”

“Tuoba Jun.”

“Understood. Please wait a moment!”

At the mention of ‘Tuoba Jun,’ the Fourth-Tier Tuoba captain turned even more respectful.

There weren’t many Dreadnought-ranked elders in the Tuoba Royal Clan—just over twenty. The ‘Tuoba Jun’ Song Wujian named was one of them. He’d only been promoted for under two centuries, but his position was solid.

As they waited, Song Wujian took the chance to explain things to Song Chi using the battleship’s secure channel.

Song Chi finally understood after the explanation.

Tuoba Jun turned out to be the same generation as their own Old Ancestor. Back when he was just a Zhulu-class Captain, the Old Ancestor had been traveling through the Yaohan Kingdom and met Tuoba Jun, who was also training there. They’d become fast friends after sparring, their bond growing over years of exploring the Outer Domain together.

As for this visit, Song Wujian only mentioned it was to temporarily borrow a part from Tuoba Jun’s battleship, without stating exactly what.

Song Chi wasn’t concerned—he even changed the subject.

“So, back during the Pioneer Wars, was our Old Ancestor planning to seek shelter with the Tuoba Royal Clan?”

Song Chi’s question made Song Wujian raise his brows and respond:

“That’s right. But it would’ve been nearly impossible for a single Sixth-Tier Dreadnought Captain to persuade a Star-Annihilator-class elder. I was ready to pay a hefty price, but then noticed something odd from Rosetta’s side—a stroke of luck, honestly!”

Song Chi nodded, secretly marveling at how perfectly timed that twist of fate had been, which had ended up saving much of the family’s foundation.

While they spoke, the Fourth-Tier Zhulu Captain from the Tuoba side sent their reply.

“Gentlemen, Elder Jun has replied—please come with me!”

…

Silverplate Floating-land, Brightmoon Lake, Central Island.

Brightmoon Lake was home base to Tuoba Jun’s branch of the royal clan. Compared to Qingyue Lake, Brightmoon was far vaster.

Only from high above could you see its true massive size. Song Chi figured that calling it a ‘lake’ didn’t do it justice—it was closer to being a sea, not much different from Earth’s Pacific Ocean from his previous life.

As for the central island?

It looked even bigger than Australia.

Atop a grand mountain in the island’s heart, amid pavilions and palaces, Song Chi and his companion finally met Tuoba Jun, inside a loft near the summit.

“Wujian, it’s been nearly a thousand years since we last met. This time, you owe me a drinking session!”

Tuoba Jun, Dreadnought Captain of the Tuoba Royal Clan, greeted Song Wujian warmly and without any airs, the happiness in his tone genuine.

As the junior, Song Chi kept respectfully quiet, standing to the side as the elders drank and conversed.

“Old Jun, when I heard you’d made it to Dreadnought Captain, I was truly happy for you. Too bad it was right at the start of the Yaohan grand expansion; I couldn’t make it to congratulate you in person. Let this glass make up for it!”

“Deal!”

“At this rate, who knows—maybe we’ll team up and explore the Outer Domain again like old times.”

…

After several rounds and some heartfelt reminiscing, Song Wujian finally turned to business.

“Old Jun, I have a rather awkward favor to ask…”

Catching Tuoba Jun’s gaze, Song Wujian explained:

“My family will soon be carrying out a major mission, and I need to borrow the ‘Sky-Seal Prison’ part from your Cleaving-Sea Jun-Tian-class ship!”

Silence filled the loft at these words.

It wasn’t that Tuoba Jun was unwilling, but the Sky-Seal Prison was the only golden-grade component on his Cleaving-Sea Jun-Tian, almost like half his life. Lending it out was a big ask.

But Song Wujian was prepared. His brow flashed, and a similarly gold-glowing part shot out from the Torch Ancestral Orifice.

“This is the Dark Energy Fission Constraint Shield. I’ll use it as collateral for your Sky-Seal Prison, and when I return it, my Song Family will pay you three Dominion Souls as rental!”

Tuoba Jun’s hesitation vanished, replaced by delight.

Do nothing, yet walk away with three Dominion Souls? Even if something happened and the Sky-Seal Prison was lost, he’d still get a matching gold-grade part as compensation—risk-free. Who could refuse an offer like that?

If the relationship were average, Tuoba Jun might have put on a show of declining, but he just nodded and agreed without fuss.

Once Tuoba Jun accepted the Dark Energy Fission Constraint Shield, Song Wujian received the untouched, freshly detached lv69 Sky-Seal Prison.

Song Chi had assumed things would end there, but just as he was about to leave with his elder, both men suddenly turned their attention on him.

Being sized up by a Sixth-Tier Dreadnought Captain made Song Chi feel uncomfortable all over. Luckily, Tuoba Jun was newly advanced, and thanks to the Motherbug’s Amethyst Skin armor Song Chi wore underneath, his mind stayed mostly protected. Tuoba Jun didn’t detect anything suspicious.

After looking away, Tuoba Jun spoke: “So this is your most outstanding junior? Not bad! Already a battleship captain at his age—the future’s wide open for him!”

He meant every word. Footage of the Heavenly Ruin destroying a Dreadnought projection over Calamity Star Floating-Land had become famous—and Tuoba Jun had looked up Song Chi’s records himself.

So his recognition of Song Chi’s potential was heartfelt.

Song Wujian simply smiled in response.

Song Chi sensed it was his turn and stepped forward:

“Thank you for the praise, Elder Jun. I don’t dare accept such compliments!”

But Tuoba Jun just shook his head.

“I said you deserve it! Modesty is good, but don’t overdo it. Youngsters should have some drive!”

…

Before Song Chi could reply, Tuoba Jun turned to Song Wujian and grumbled jokingly:

“See? I knew you wouldn’t come just to borrow a part—you timed it for the Tuoba Clan’s once-a-century Divine Fire Rite, didn’t you? Trying to get your junior a spot for Divine Fire Tempering?”

Song Wujian just smiled, still silent.

Tuoba Jun snorted but looked on Song Chi with genuine warmth.

“Divine Fire Tempering spots are rare, but I’ve got two now that I’m a Dreadnought Captain—one for my direct grandson, the other…”

A gleam passed through Song Wujian’s eyes as he murmured:

“So?”

“So what? You think I’m a hermit? I’ve got more than ten juniors at Fourth-Tier or above. I’ll let your boy have a shot, but whether he gets the spot depends on himself!”

Before Song Wujian could speak, Song Chi jumped in:

“Thank you, Elder Jun! I have confidence!”

…

Time passed, and in just a few months the Divine Fire Rite approached. Word spread among Tuoba Jun’s branch that an outsider was taking up the second spot.

So even though Song Chi stayed in the guest quarters on the island and hadn’t set foot outside, he faced constant challenges from the Tuoba juniors.

Considering the Heavenly Ruin’s current battle power, Song Chi didn’t pay these Fourth- and Fifth-Tier captains any mind.

If it were previous-gen elites from the Tuoba Royal Clan, he might have cared—but Tuoba Jun’s branch was just a regular line among many. They didn’t even have one member in the clan’s top thirty.

Eventually, fed up with the nuisance, Song Chi publicly announced: in half a month, he would accept all challengers together over Brightmoon Lake.

That declaration finally made everyone settle down.

…

None of this escaped Song Wujian and Tuoba Jun.

“Wujian, what do you think?”

“Old Jun, I really don’t want to insult your clan, but even if your top-line juniors got involved, my youngster here wouldn’t be outmatched. As for your own line, let’s not kid ourselves!”

“That confident, huh?”

Tuoba Jun was surprised; after nearly three thousand years of friendship, he knew Song Wujian well.

Song Wujian was never one to brag. Cautious to a fault, he wouldn’t speak so confidently without absolute certainty.

With that, Tuoba Jun couldn’t help but look at Song Chi again.

He did believe in Song Chi’s talent, but his own family’s strength wasn’t so bad either. Maybe they weren’t much in the context of a thirty-thousand-year-old clan, but two Dreadnoughts anchored their line. Their juniors could still hold their own, and surely wouldn’t lag that far behind Song Chi.

Half a month later, over Brightmoon Lake.

Song Chi’s words had drawn an intimidating crowd—Torch Captains from all over gathered above the lake.

Just the Zhulu-class and battleships already counted more than ten.

When the Heavenly Ruin finally cruised in, the sky above the lake exploded with excitement.

“You’re an outsider. What right do you have to take the tempering spot from our line?”

“If you know what’s good for you…”

Song Chi had no interest in trading threats. Before the Tuoba challengers could finish, he struck first.

“Hah, can you only act tough when you’ve got backup—”

Someone mocked Song Chi’s sudden attack, accusing him of bullying, but in the next instant saw him trapping all twelve of their Zhulu and battleships in a sealed area.

“Wait, is he really going to fight all twelve of us alone?”

Song Chi answered with direct action.

Once the Voidlock Skyseal Sigil finished sealing the area, he didn’t hold back.

His calm voice rang out from the Heavenly Ruin.

“I’ve got other things to do, so I’ll skip the one-on-one routine. Since we’re limited to battleship firepower, this will be just a friendly bout. Nobody’s ship will actually be sunk.”

“Just letting you know in advance—no need to panic or try anything reckless. As long as you stay on your ships, nothing bad will happen.”

“That’s all I have to say. Now… let’s begin!”

With those words, Song Chi focused, activating the Heavenly Ruin’s systems.

Interestingly, despite all the build-up, Song Chi only activated a single part.

The Divine Thunder Cannon’s ‘Ten-Thousand Sigil Violet Lightning Prison’—he didn’t even use Black Hole Energy from the Evolution Layer.

It wasn’t that he lacked methods, but he worried about sinking a cruiser by accident.

So as long as it was just a taste, it’d count as friendly sparring. If a ship really went down, though, then this would get a lot uglier—no one wanted that between captains.