Chapter 1837: Starsea Market’s Guardians

Under Song Zhen’s lead, the five guardians of the 6th Sector of the Starsea Market entered Shang Xia’s cabin one after another to pay their respects.

The person who led the group had reached the peak of the Martial Void Realm, while two others were at the level of Extreme Harmonization. The final two were at the level of Returning to the Origin.

That was only the 6th Sector. According to Song Zhen, there were at least 12 sectors.

If the guardians of every Starsea Market possessed strength comparable to the five present, it offered a glimpse into the overall power controlled by the Starsea Markets.

The reasoning was simple. The five before him were only the publicly acknowledged guardians. There was no way they represented the full strength hidden within the 6th Sector.

Not to mention the grand formation that Shang Xia sensed covering the market. It clearly had the power to resist an invasion from even a Sage.

Furthermore, as Song Zhen had gathered, each guardian commanded a team of elite cultivators under their personal control, responsible for enforcing their authority and keeping order within the market. On the surface, it resembled the Star Origin Guards of the Star Origin Dao Field.

At that moment, Shang Xia noticed something interesting. The lead guardian at the grand completion stage of the Martial Void Realm visibly froze the instant he saw Shang Xia. A flash of shock could be seen in his eyes.

Although the man quickly masked his expression, it didn’t escape Shang Xia.

What intrigued Shang Xia most was that in that fleeting instant, the man had clearly used some special secret art to perceive that he had advanced to become a fourth star Sage.

Based on available intelligence, Shang Xia should have only been a third star Sage...

And yet, after surviving a joint ambush by Yuan Ling and the two other second star Sages and forced into the great spatial vortex, not even a full year had passed and he reached the fourth star...

One question remained in the mind of the lead guardian.

Had the chasm between the early and middle stages of the Martial Emptiness Realm become so easy to surpass?

Even more baffling was that, as far as they knew, Shang Xia’s world had only ascended to an Essence World less than 10 years ago. That meant that Shang Xia became a mid-level Sage in under a decade!

What did that mean for those in the Chaotic Sea of Stars who had cultivated for 500, or even 1,000 years before barely reaching the Martial Emptiness Realm?

More importantly, now that Shang Xia had clearly become a mid-level Sage, any plans the guardians may have discussed previously were already obsolete.

Shang Xia didn’t plan to give them time to organize their thoughts. He immediately spoke. “Our ship, the You Continent, is about to enter the 6th Sector. Now that you have come, is there something you need to let me know?”

The lead guardian, who had just taken his seat, immediately sprang to his feet and replied respectfully, “You flatter us, Sage Shang. There is nothing we need to let you know. We are here to offer our sincere apologies.”

“Oh?” Shang Xia raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “And what for?”

Without consulting the others, the lead guardian gave a deep bow before he explained, “Some time ago, there was a misunderstanding between the cultivators of your Essence Luxuriant World and the Three Fleet Star Pirate Alliance. We failed to act in time to support your men, which forced them to withdraw from the market. They were later pursued in the void and had no choice but to flee into desperate circumstances. Our failure caused everything to happen! Fortunately, the heavens protected them and most of the cultivators from your world survived. Otherwise, we would have truly brought disgrace upon our title as guardians of the Starsea Market, and upon the 6th Sector itself.”

He held the bow to express his apologies.

The other four guardians behind him looked on in stunned silence. It was clearly not part of what they had agreed upon beforehand, but under the watchful gaze of a mid-level Sage, none of them dared to communicate via voice transmission.

Still, their long-time rapport quickly kicked in. The others adjusted their composure and rose to their feet instantly to bow in unison.

Shang Xia chuckled in response, “There’s no need for such formality. After all, the Three Fleet Star Pirate Alliance is formidable and backed by powerful Sages. It’s understandable to hesitate in such situations. My Essence Luxuriant World is still new and largely unknown in the Chaotic Sea of Stars. Besides, as far as I know, wasn’t our warehouse within the market left undamaged?”

His casual tone, however, caused the lead guardian’s bow to sink a few inches deeper.

“Failing to protect our comrades in the market already caused a breach in the rules,” he said solemnly. “Had we allowed your warehouse to be destroyed too, our 6th Sector would have no right to continue existing. We five would no longer be worthy of being called Starsea Market Guardians.”

He then retrieved two ornate boxes from his sleeve, removed their seals, and presented them to Shang Xia. “These are tokens of our apology to the cultivators of the Essence Luxuriant World. We hope for your understanding and forgiveness.”

Shang Xia’s gaze swept over the two boxes, and a glimmer of light flashed through his eyes. With a meaningful smile, he gestured to Song Zhen and said, “Since the guardians are so sincere, go ahead and accept their goodwill. There are always times when things are beyond one’s capabilities to control.”

“Thank you, Sage Shang, for your understanding!” The lead guardian visibly relaxed as he handed the boxes to Song Zhen. Only then did he and the others return to their seats.

Finally, Shang Xia exchanged casual conversation with the guardians, chatting about events from across the Chaotic Sea of Stars and various worlds. The mood finally lightened up..

During their introductions, Shang Xia learned the lead guardian was named Gong Da, the others being Guardian Ji, Guardian Qian, Guardian Ma, and Guardian Chai.

Shang Xia then asked, “I’ve heard there are no fewer than 12 Starsea Markets, each with a set rank. I’m curious. How are these sectors established? For instance, was the 6th Sector founded by you guys?”

The question visibly stumped the five guardians.

Seeing their hesitation, Shang Xia smiled faintly and continued, “What’s the matter? Is it inconvenient to answer?”

𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Gong Da rose once more and said, “Sage Shang, this was actually one of the matters we had hoped to discuss with you and seek your support on.”

“Oh?” Shang Xia’s curiosity was piqued. Though he suspected they were improvising, he saw no harm in hearing them out. “Do you need my support? Let’s hear it.”

Despite their prior coordination, Guardian Ji and Guardian Qian exchanged uneasy glances at Gong Da’s decision to go off on his own. They were about to object when Shang Xia’s gaze landed on them. The half smile on his face caused a chill to run down their spines. Their souls froze as if encased in ice, leaving their minds in a haze.

Unaware of what his fellow guardians experienced, Gong Da continued, “We heard that Song Zhen wasn’t originally from your Essence Luxuriant World. We had hoped to invite him to become the 6th guardian of the 6th Sector. We hope to ask for your approval.”

“Hm?” Shang Xia mused aloud. “So I assume guardians of a Starsea Market must not be affiliated with a specific world?”

Gong Da quickly answered, “That’s right, Sage Shang, that is exactly the case.”

However, Shang Xia chuckled in response, “From what I see, all five of you are at least of the fifth tier or higher. Though Song Zhen is indeed a high-level True Immortal, he only recently reached the fourth tier. Isn’t he a little unqualified to join your ranks?”

Gong Da hurriedly replied, “That doesn’t matter much. As long as Song Zhen has a written recommendation by you, Sage Shang, and once all of us agree, he will naturally become a guardian of our 6th Sector.”