Sky-cracking Rider

"Shh! The 'Arsonist' is coming, what's he up to?"

Just as the seniors of The First Sovereign were getting "intimate" with Chen Fei, someone approached with a stride likened to a dragon walking and a tiger leaping.

"'Arsonist', do you have any business here?"

The Sky Knight of The First Sovereignty, "Light Asura" Ke Quan, stepped forward first, blocking the way of the 'Arsonist' Manasseh Cheh.

If the other party was here to cause trouble, he absolutely wouldn't back down.

The combat power of a Sky Knight isn't just in the sky; they can fight on the ground too, and they're willing to fight!

Other combat pilots of The First Sovereignty also protected Chen Xiao'er behind them. If this local rookie were to be bullied, it would only be by their own. If outsiders wanted to bully him, they'd better ask if their fists agreed first.

If this sky knight from the Yangzhou Continent was overconfident, they'd definitely make him realize the iron fist of The First Sovereignty comes without warning.

"Light Asura? Congratulations!"

"Light Asura" Ke Quan was also a participant in the sixth round and had defeated his opponent. Manasseh casually congratulated him, then shifted his gaze past Ke Quan to the young man shielded by the crowd. Finally, he spoke again, "No need to be nervous. I came to meet the friend who defeated me, the 'Rookie', and also to congratulate you!"

Before this, if the sky knight "Night Cry" Mylan of the 11th Air Squadron Sky Cavalry Combat Team in Alaska disregarded the civilian-born "Rookie" Chen Fei, most other sky knights remained silent or just watched the drama unfold. Even if they didn't blatantly express their attitude like Mylan, deep down, their mindset wasn't much different.

Sky Knights are strong, Chen Xiao'er is an amateur; the strong do not play games with children.

Yet, a single sentence from this top-tier sky knight of the Yangzhou Continent leveled Chen Fei's status with his own.

In a way, the 'Arsonist' Manasseh Cheh effectively acknowledged this rookie commoner's true strength on behalf of other sky knights. From now on, no one like Mylan would rashly ostracize or arrogantly declare to "teach a lesson."

In the military, strength is respected, whether it's openly or cunningly achieved; status forged with fists will inevitably earn the due respect.

"Thank you, Mr. Cheh, for your compliment. I have gained a lot from this battle and am genuinely grateful for your guidance."

Chen Fei hurriedly put on airs, knowing that speaking carelessly at this moment would indeed get him beaten up.

Therefore, it's crucial to show humility at times, allowing everyone to save face.

The 'Arsonist' Manasseh Cheh calmly said, "You have a way with words, but in the sky, it ultimately depends on real strength. I look forward to our next encounter."

At his level, he no longer wasted energy on meaningless issues of face or pride.

This visit was merely to satisfy his curiosity, wanting to see who successfully played the role of the hunter pretending to be prey.

"Alright, I'll buy you a drink!"

Chen Fei raised his hand in a welcoming wave.Drink?

Whoa!

The combat pilots of The First Sovereignty collectively paled, nearly thinking their secret of stealing drinks the previous night had been leaked. Even if they won this "ranking battle" and fought to be No. 1, it wouldn't outweigh having to write a self-critique.

They specialize in their craft; while they could handle writing a professional paper, just the thought of writing a self-critique was enough to make their heads swell to the size of a bushel, feeling like they'd rather die.

"Mmm!"

Manasseh nodded noncommittally, then turned and left.

The aerospace industry of The First Sovereignty prohibits alcohol, though this wasn't necessarily the case for other sovereignties. Therefore, Chen Fei's invitation to drink didn't frighten everyone.

The combat pilots of The First Sovereignty, feeling anxious, exchanged glances. The "Rookie's" careless words caused them a fright, making the pressure brought on by top-tier flyers from the Yangzhou Continent seem insignificant.

"Brothers!"

The Sky Knight "Light Asura" Ke Quan suddenly shouted.

"Yes!" ×n

The combat pilots of The First Sovereignty collectively responded.

"The 'Rookie' has another fight tomorrow; time for training!"

Training?

Training who?

While Chen Xiao'er was still bewildered, he was suddenly grabbed by the arms from both sides and dragged away, prompting him to yell loudly.

"Hey, hey, hey, where are we going?"

"Good-Good-Study, Day-Day-Up!"

The nearby "Americas Gang" perked up their ears, wanting to eavesdrop on what kind of secret weapon these guys from The First Sovereign were preparing, but they were left completely confused.

"Is this some kind of code?"

Each word was recognizable, but when put together, it made no sense at all?

Some did catch on, with twitching lips, thinking why couldn't they just speak plainly? Always leading people astray.

"Hey hey, what's going on here!"

"'Rookie', if we encounter each other tomorrow, we won't hold back!"

Sky Knight "Light Asura" Ke Quan walked at the front, escorting Chen Fei to his Cooperative Ship. The Barksdale Air Force Base had many ears, making eavesdropping and surveillance impossible to guard against. The Sovereigns wouldn't adhere to the Jianghu code, so that airship was the most reassuring.

"I just placed a bet, a million Star Yuan! Twenty to one odds, I need to go claim my prize first..."

The less likely the outcome, the higher the odds, making it hard to be a good person.

Outside the hangar of the "Ranking Battle" main venue, a few people at the betting point looked at each other, collectively turning pale. It was clearly a chance to earn a million Star Yuan, but they couldn't hold onto it and ended up barely breaking even after taxes from what they earned from others, possibly losing money to pay Chen Fei.

"'Rookie', got any booze?"

As soon as they entered the bridge of the Cooperative Ship, the hatch closed and locked, Sky Knight "Light Asura" Ke Quan directly asked about the alcohol.

"Alcohol, bring the booze!"

"Quick, quick, quick, hurry up!"

"Just one cup, one cup is enough!"

Other comrades had the same idea—each combat pilot revealed their true selves.

The "Ranking Battle" against peers from other Sovereigns was as meaningful as a real battle, and the pressure was evident. At this moment, having a small drink to relieve fatigue and stress, even for those who didn't drink, was a temptation they couldn't resist.

Once it was time to serve the drinks, Chen Fei switched to a different wine, but the Two Tael Cup stayed the same. The wine was blood-colored, dark red, and viscous. If not for the enticing aroma, one might mistake it for blood.

"Mad Devil" Sun Ruzheng held his wine cup, puzzled, "Why isn't this the same wine as yesterday? Did we finish it?"

While still puzzled, he didn't refuse, instead, he took a small sip, feeling a line of heat coursing down his esophagus, landing straight in his stomach, swirling a few times, expanding warmly from the Dantian, spreading heat throughout his body, invigorating his blood circulation, everything felt lucid and open.

He exhaled a long breath.

"Ha! This wine is invigorating!"

Compared to the gentle and fragrant wine from yesterday, yesterday's was a tender and lovely little jasper, today it's a bold and capable warrior flower, one is Diao Chan, the other is Hua Mulan.

"Great wine, great wine!"

"Really great, I like this one!"

"Oh yes, what a pleasant surprise!"

...

Like Sun Ruzheng, the combat pilots of The First Sovereign were surprised after tasting it.

A 2.5-liter bottle, filling the Two Tael Cups at the scene, directly emptied one and a half bottles, and not all of the combat pilots were present; a portion remained at the "Ranking Battle" scene, competing for ranks 57 through 100, where the intensity was no less than that of the top 56 battles.

Holding the bottle, Chen Fei asked, "How is it?"

"This wine... not cheap, right?"

The changes after tasting made Ke Quan feel this blood-like strong wine was extraordinary, likely a high-end product.

"'Dragon's Blood Wine,' sourced from the Fire System's adult Giant Dragon Fasir, Slan Royal's fifteen-year-old reserve."

Chen Fei admitted to the quality of this blood-red strong wine, originally allocated as the princess's ration for Cangqiong Star's Slan Dynasty Imperial Princess Lin Ziyu·Slan, receiving about ten bottles annually, usually too valuable to be sold.

If forced to set a price, it would be about 200,000 Star Yuan per bottle, though that's not too outrageous, but dragon blood is hard to obtain—it's not like you can slay a giant dragon for its blood—so you have to get the dragon's consent to donate blood. Each batch will have the dragon's name on the label to differentiate brewing batches.

Incorporating blood into the wine is not unique to "Dragon's Blood Wine." On Blue Star, many wines also include blood (cow blood, serpent blood) as a secret brewing technique.

"Learned something new!"

Ke Quan cautiously took another sip.

Having already drunk it, there was no need to consider how expensive it was; the opportunity was rare, and he should savor it carefully.

This wine doesn't give a hangover!

With half a cup down, the combat pilots quickly confirmed one of "Dragon's Blood Wine's" characteristics; it doesn't hit too hard, so there's no worry about it affecting their upcoming "Ranking Battle," it invigorates and benefits them without harm.