107: Chapter 107 You Have Talent

Above the Tianyuan Arena, the aftershocks of the 247th match had yet to dissipate.

Grayish-white Yin Qi and earthy yellow light intertwined and tangled in the void before finally fading away slowly. The bridge connecting the two worlds was crumbling, earthy yellow fragments drifting into the depths of the void like sand scattered by the wind.

On the light screens of thirty-two trillion viewers, the last frame of the scene was frozen.

The Ghost King hovered above the ruins of the Hou Tu Realm, his golden vertical pupils looking down at the collapsing land. Behind him, the phantom of the Ghost Gate Pass stood tall, the runes on the doors flickering with a faint blue light, as if announcing something.

The screen switched.

Returning to the promotion list for the winners bracket.

[Match 247, Su Bai, Promoted.]

[Current number of promotions: 750 people.]

[The third round of the elimination tournament will begin tomorrow.]

In the void passage of the Tianyuan Arena, a pillar of grayish-white light was rising.

Su Bai stood in the center of the light pillar, lifted from the world pod, ascending toward the winners bracket rest area. His face remained calm, grayish-white Yin Qi swirling around him like an invisible cloak.

Behind him, the battlefield of the 247th match was being reset by the eye of destiny. The fragments of the Hou Tu Realm were being reclaimed one by one, the earthy yellow light completely dissipating, replaced by the silver-gray void inherent to the Tianyuan Arena.

The speed of the light pillar's ascent was neither fast nor slow.

Su Bai looked down at the void beneath his feet, where Sikong Xuan's Hou Tu Realm had once been. Seven Rank Six Earth Deities, five million Earth Spirits, and the 18th ranker of the Tianying Star Sector with a twenty-two match winning streak had now turned into a small line of gray text on the Losers' Bracket list.

He withdrew his gaze.

At the end of the winners' passage, that silver-white ring-shaped building appeared before him once again. In the winners bracket rest area, a giant building three kilometers in diameter, less than four hundred points of light were still lit.

Three thousand people in the final selection; fifteen hundred eliminated in the first round, and another seven hundred and fifty eliminated in the second round.

Su Bai stepped onto the platform of the rest area, the silver-white metal floor vibrating slightly beneath his feet. He walked along the circular corridor toward his own rest room, passing several half-open doors along the way.

Inside the rooms, some Creators were reviewing battle recordings, some were adjusting their world cores, and some were staring blankly at their light screens.

No one spoke.

The cruelty of narrowing three thousand down to seven hundred and fifty lay in the fact that none who reached this stage were weak. And the weak had already been eliminated.

Su Bai reached the door of rest room 019. Just as he was about to push it open, the door to 020 next door suddenly opened.

A thin young man stepped out, wearing a deep blue Creator's formal suit with a silver star sector badge pinned to his chest. His face was very young, looking no more than twenty, but the steadiness in his eyes did not belong to that age.

The two of them made eye contact in the corridor.

The young man spoke first.

“Su Bai?”

Su Bai nodded.

The young man extended his hand, the corners of his mouth curling into a polite arc. “I watched the match against Shen Zhao. I also watched the match against the Hou Tu Realm. Your Netherworld is very interesting.”

Su Bai shook his hand, feeling a thin layer of calluses on his palm. Those were marks left by long-term manipulation of a world core, something only Creators who truly fought frequently would have.

“And you are?”

“Chu Xinghe.” The young man released his hand. “Tianshu Star Sector, Beidou Province. My world type is Star Civilization, Rank Six.”

Su Bai raised an eyebrow slightly.

Beidou Province of the Tianshu Star Sector was one of the top ten strongest provinces in the entire Great Xia Kingdom. No Creator who could fight their way out of that province was a pushover.

Chu Xinghe seemed to see through his thoughts, smiled, and stepped aside from the doorway.

Inside the room, a light screen was floating in the center of the rest room, displaying several names and avatars.

Su Bai's gaze fell on the screen.

The names were neatly arranged, each followed by a brief line indicating their world type and star sector ranking.

[Di Wudao, Tianshu Star Sector · Zhongzhou Province, Mythology World, Peak Rank Six.]

[Jun Luoyu, Tianxuan Star Sector · Tianji Province, Sword Dao World, Peak Rank Six.]

[Ye Qingxue, Tianquan Star Sector · Guixu Province, Chaos World, Peak Rank Six.]

[Jiang Taixu, Tianshu Star Sector · Ziwei Province, taiji world, Peak Rank Six.]

[Luo Qinghe, Tianji Star Sector · Canglan Province, Myriad Demon World, Peak Rank Six.]

[Murong Qiu, Tianxuan Star Sector · Hanyuan Province, ice phoenix world, Peak Rank Six.]

[Dugu Xin, Tianshu Star Sector · Jianyuan Province, Sword Grave World, Peak Rank Six.]

[Nangong Yi, Tianquan Star Sector · Tianyan Province, Talisman World, Peak Rank Six.]

[Bei Chenyao, Tianshu Star Sector · Beichen Province, Star World, Peak Rank Six.]

Nine names.

Nine Peak Rank Six worlds.

Su Bai looked at those nine names and remained silent for a few seconds.

“These are the nine strongest people of this session,” Chu Xinghe's voice came from behind. “Di Wudao's Mythology World is said to have already condensed twelve Rank Six main gods. Jun Luoyu's Sword Dao World can slash stars with a single sword. As for Ye Qingxue's Chaos World, no one has seen her go all out yet. Jiang Taixu's taiji world is where Yin and Yang generate each other, a perfect blend of offense and defense.”

He paused, his gaze falling on his own name on the screen.

Chu Xinghe. He was still some distance away from those nine people.

But he didn't dwell on the topic, instead turning to look at Su Bai.

“I watched your match with Shen Zhao three times. And the one with Sikong Xuan twice.” His expression became serious. “Your Netherworld isn't an ordinary Yin Qi World. Your Hero Units have a system. This wasn't just randomly thrown together; it has an architecture.”

Su Bai didn't say anything.

After all, he couldn't exactly say, “I'm a transmigrator, and these are all systems already established in the Great Xia Kingdom of my previous life.”

Chu Xinghe looked at him, an unidentifiable light flashing in his eyes.

“You have ambition, and you also have talent. Being able to create a world with a civilizational system means you are destined not to be an ordinary person.”

This wasn't a question; it was a statement.

Su Bai still didn't speak, only nodding slightly.

Chu Xinghe smiled, a hint of relief in his smile, but also a hint of unwillingness.

“Then let's see who can make it to the end.”

He turned and walked back into his rest room, the door closing behind him.

Su Bai stood in the corridor, his gaze falling on the light screen once again.

Nine names.

Nine Peak Rank Six worlds.

Nine individuals ranked in the top thirty of their star sectors.

He memorized every name, every world type, and every star sector ranking.

He pushed the door open and entered rest room 019.

The door closed behind him.

The rest room was very quiet.

Su Bai sat down on the sofa and closed his eyes.

His consciousness sank into the Netherworld World.

Grayish-white Yin Qi surged like a sea.

In front of Ghost Gate Pass, the Ghost King hovered in mid-air, his golden vertical pupils watching him. Black and White Impermanence stood side by side on the banks of the River of Oblivion, Ox-Head and Horse-Face silently guarded the entrance to the Tongue-Pulling Hell, the Day Patrol Envoy and Night Patrol Envoy, one gold and one silver, hovered high in the sky, and the Four Great Demon Underworld Envoys were scattered in all four directions.

The leaders of the six great races each stood in the center of their own territories.

Zhao Tiezhu stood on the walls of Rakshasa City, his dark golden vertical pupils burning with lingering fighting spirit. His aura was Rank Six.

Chen Ming stood before the church in the New Era Ruins, his pure golden eyes as calm as water.

Su Bai's consciousness avatar stood at the world core, looking down at this land two thousand four hundred and fifty kilometers in diameter.

He opened his eyes.

His communication terminal vibrated.

A bank deposit notification.

[Received: 100,000,000 federal credits.]

One hundred million.