Chapter 1 Dispute Resolution

In dispute adjudication, the general adjudication center can directly make judgments. However, difficult or influential cases are reported to the Anthem Committee. Higher-level disputes or those involving jurisdictional conflicts are appealed to the Supreme Anthem Committee located in the Empire.

The current well-developed Anthem system is a significant foundation for transactions within the Star River Alliance. Combined with the Submersible Convention and Commercial Convention, it constructs the present Star River order.

Li Hao spent a considerable amount of time thoroughly understanding these three areas. They were excellent, but nearly everything desirable required a high fee. Everything available was usable, just don't expect anything for free.

Li Hao arrived at the Anthem Conquest Center, managed by a mechanical being. Its metallic head reminded him of his first good friend upon entering the Star River Alliance: Number... Damn, he'd forgotten. He really was awful. The mechanical being's name was on its work badge: Kasika 2.

"Hello, Kasika, what a handsome name. Did you get a good skin treatment today?" Li Hao said warmly.

The mechanical being stared silently at Li Hao. "Sir, do you require assistance?"

Li Hao awkwardly touched his nose, no dice.

"Ahem, I'd like to understand the conditions for using the conquest chamber."

"Conquest chamber, 1,000 credits per hour, boundary stones are 5,000 credits each, non-attribute Ozir Empire standard Tianren (Heavenly Human) armor is 1 million. If you have special needs, we have a more comprehensive mall that also offers personal customization," the mechanical being replied diligently, reciting the standard procedure.

Li Hao's mouth twitched a few times. Personal customization? This was a damn ripoff.

"Um, are there any discounts for newbies?" Li Hao asked.

"Sorry, sir, that service is not available," Kasika said very directly.

Li Hao painfully paid 1,000 credits for an hour of usage and purchased a combat boundary stone for 5,000 credits, using his Anthem Warrior credit loan.

Li Hao, Solar System Civilization (origin), 20 years old (human calendar), Judgement Anthem (affiliation), merit points: 5,100 (warrior level)

Asset Balance: -615,890.

This included classes, daily expenses, and the 50 for the standard Tianren armor he received, which wasn't free, but on credit. If it broke, the repair costs would be recorded in his StarNet, his identity authentication. As long as he was alive and within the Star River, he had to repay the money.

The main reason Li Hao didn't want to study the StarNet, or even open it, was that his heart couldn't take seeing that string of negative numbers every time.

Honestly, he didn't like being in debt, especially when the debt was so inexplicable. Was he destined to be poor? He was given a sweet treat, but it still belonged to someone else.

In terms of being poor, Big B remained consistent. If he were more generous, Li Hao might not even have the thought of resisting.

Entering his combat chamber, he placed the boundary stone into the slot according to the operating manual and paid 100 credits for a single combat session. *Whoosh*...

Li Hao entered the combat space, finding himself amidst the galaxy, with the feeling of the universe above and the Milky Way below. With a wave of his right hand, the operation interface appeared.

"Esteemed Star River Warrior, welcome to the special warfare system. As this is your first login, please read the combat rules, fill out the information, and select the corresponding personal permissions. Please note that your public information will directly affect the probability of being conscripted. Please fill it out carefully and highlight your strengths." An elegant voice sounded, and a filling interface popped up.

Li Hao unhesitatingly chose all-rounder, super all-rounder, high cost performance.

ID: Li Hao

(Human Solar System Judgement Anthem)

Li Hao didn't want to fight at the Anthem Warrior level. It wasn't that he didn't like harvesting leeks (newbies), but these leeks were too tender and tasteless. He tried to accept higher-level challenges, but they all had conditions that he couldn't meet.

Li Hao didn't want to waste time. According to the requirements, he put on the Tianren armor and entered the Anthem system for automatic promotion to combat.

His first Anthem battle was about to begin.

His opponent was an Orc warrior from the Lartu Empire's Mag Anthem.

With a burst of light, the two appeared on the same battlefield. This was the Anthem's spatial technology, a temporary space formed with boundary stones as the fusion point, so it wasn't a virtual battle.

The giant Orc warrior, shrouded in Tianwu armor, looked at his opponent. He'd already seen the information: Human. Anyway, the Lartu Empire and the Solar System were already at odds, disliking each other intensely. Whether in life or in the Anthem system, they wouldn't be polite if they met.

The Orc warrior raised his battle axe, roaring as he activated Zhou energy (Cosmic Force). His armor radiated black Zhou flames, charging ferociously at Li Hao with imposing momentum and heavy steps. He closed the distance and leaped into the air.

"Kill!"

...

Two figures, one large and one small, swelled with power. The next second, the giant Orc warrior was sent flying, slapped away by Li Hao.

He didn't plan to waste too much time in this vegetable garden. He wanted to finish quickly and improve the efficiency of his time usage. He also didn't want to over-consume his Tianren armor. As a formal Anthem Warrior, this training Tianwu was a discount price. If it was damaged, it could be repaired. But replacing it would cost at least 80 based on the level. Li Hao decided to cherish his equipment.

And then the Orc was slapped away.

The second match was a Goat-head monster, also belonging to a Tianren seed civilization. Let's just say, Li Hao wasn't interested in this kind of leek, and the leek wasn't interested in someone like Li Hao. Its abilities were ultrasonic attacks and wild charges. Li Hao still sent it away with one slap.

In one hour, Li Hao easily fought more than forty matches, all finished with one slap. Sometimes, he would encounter particularly polite opponents, and Li Hao would be embarrassed. He would politely greet them before slapping them away.

Why slap them? Mainly to avoid causing too much damage to the opponent. The Anthem special warfare system had a relatively high rate of serious injury. Accidentally causing death would trigger a review and audit system, and the account would be banned. The Anthem identity would also be suspended until the audit was completed. So, without fully understanding the rules, slapping them unconscious was the most cost-effective option.

Within the Anthem, there are three levels of Zhou energy: Zhou Yan (Cosmic Flame), Zhou Lan (Cosmic Tempest), and Zhou Gang (Cosmic Zenith).

The strength of Zhou Yan is equivalent to a human's flowing heart martial arts. As long as humans unlock their genetic locks or achieve the Overlord Body, the top tier is quite competitive. In fact, those who aren't exceptional generally can't be selected. Those who are selected by chance will be eliminated. The human method is soul-based, while in the Tianren system, when Zhou Yan is cultivated to its peak, the "Heavenly Eye" is opened, strengthening a certain ability of the self. Different paths, same destination. At this time, Zhou Yan is mature.

When the strength of Zhou Yan breaks through the bottleneck, the Zhou energy greatly increases and becomes violent, presenting a tornado state, reaching the Zhou Lan realm. This realm will fully unleash the power of Tianren armor, reaching perfect unity with it. The peak manifestation is the opening of the "Star Ring."

The ultimate state of soul power is "Zhou Gang," the ultimate form of understanding soul power in Tianren civilization. It is said that only in this state can the power of the Emperor's Tool be truly unleashed, the limit of a single soldier in Star River civilization.

Li Hao didn't commit, because it was still not the same as his understanding of power. Of course, these were just appearances. Perhaps there were still unknown forms of power. Once discovered, the Blee truth would be close.

After fighting for an hour, Li Hao immediately renewed for another hour. It reminded him of when he was younger and went to play games with Zuo Xiao Tang. One slap per enemy. Li Hao also paid attention to the status of his Tianren armor at all times. The Tianren armor had a built-in testing system that displayed the energy level and damage level of the equipment. If a red area appeared in the virtual miniature diagram, it meant that the area was damaged and might not provide a defensive effect in battle. If the damage exceeded 50%, it meant that the Tianren armor was in danger of collapsing at any time. The feeling was quite comfortable.

The Ozir Empire excels at fire-type Tianwu, but the one Li Hao had was relatively ordinary, just the basic Glory Zero, without fire-type enhancements. Even so, the Tianwu was fully functional. Its perception, comfort, and attack and defense attributes completely crushed human mecha in terms of performance. It felt a bit like memory metal and nanotechnology.

Tianwu is not simply covering. In addition to providing technological functions, it has very high requirements for physical and soul strength, especially the latter. The activation of the energy core requires sufficient soul strength. If the standard is not met, it either cannot be activated, or the true function of Tianwu cannot be exerted, turning it into an exoskeleton. Also, Tianwu needs to be charged; it's not infinitely usable.

According to Li Hao's wishes, if he had enough time, he felt that he could harvest the whole area. However, the Vermillion Bird battle zone, where he spent the whole night harvesting, was calm. The main reason was that the base number of Star River Warriors in the Star River Alliance was too large. Also, the gains and losses at this level were low, in order to provide fault tolerance for growth.

A certain worker's merit points reached 6,900.

The increase was a bit slow, but Li Hao was a patient person. Things would get better as opponents improved.

Returning to his residence, he inserted the Tianwu box into the dedicated charging slot. During battle, he would ensure that his Tianren armor was damaged as little as possible, because to use the special warfare system, unless one was a Zerg, Tianren armor was required. As for energy consumption, it was basically not consumed in combat, but Li Hao's usage itself seemed to consume a lot of Tianwu.

Having been in Judgement for some time, Li Hao finally felt that he had grasped the rhythm and was on the right track. His first goal was to save enough merit points to exchange for an "Anthem," so that he could establish humanity's first Anthem in Kepler. The beginning is always difficult. With an Anthem, it would be connected to the entire Star River Alliance and no longer be subject to arbitrary slaughter.

That night, Li Hao slept especially soundly.