58: Chapter 58 Crisis in Qinglin Province

Su Bai had just withdrawn his consciousness from the evolution of the Deep Blue Sea Abyss when the World Sigil on his wrist vibrated violently.

It wasn't a standard notification, but the exclusive frequency for emergency communications.

The kind of red alert that was only activated in extreme circumstances.

He looked down at it.

[Sender: Chu Kuangren]

[Priority: Highest]

[Content: Brother, something huge has happened. If it's convenient, reply immediately. I'm waiting online.]

Su Bai raised an eyebrow.

Chu Kuangren, ranked tenth in the province, was the madman who had gone three days and nights without sleep to force his way back into the top ten. He was the same guy who had sprawled on a sofa drinking wine and saying, "I'm waiting to see your performance."

What kind of urgent matter could he have?

Su Bai tapped to connect.

The call was picked up almost instantly on the other end. Chu Kuangren's face appeared on the light screen, but the sight of it made Su Bai pause.

The usual nonchalance was gone, as was the playful grin of the past.

On that face was an irrepressible anxiety, an unhideable fatigue, and an emotion Su Bai had never seen on this madman before.

Despair.

"Su Bai!" Chu Kuangren shouted the moment he saw him, "You finally picked up!"

Su Bai didn't waste words, asking directly, "What's the matter?"

Chu Kuangren took a deep breath, as if he were about to say something difficult, but in the end, he just waved his hand and tossed a pile of data over.

"Look at this first."

A string of information popped up on the light screen.

[national prodigy list · Latest Rankings]

[Number of Entrants from Qinglin Province in the Top 100: 0]

[Best Result: Lin Canglan, 142nd Place]

[Worst Result: No Ranking, Total Wipeout]

[Remarks: Qinglin Province has become the only province in this year's national prodigy list with no one in the top 100, and is being mocked across the entire internet. Trending hashtags: #ShameOfQinglinProvince, #WeakestProvinceOnTheProdigyList, #WhereHasQinglinProvincesDignityGone]

Su Bai's gaze lingered on the line "only province with no one in the top 100" for a second.

He looked up at Chu Kuangren.

Chu Kuangren gave a bitter smile, his face looking even more exhausted than before.

"Finished reading? Shocking, isn't it?"

Su Bai didn't answer, simply asking, "What happened?"

Chu Kuangren slumped into his chair, took a large gulp of wine, and began to speak.

"Lin Canglan, our province's former number one—you know him, right?"

Su Bai nodded.

"After you surpassed him, his mental state collapsed."

As Chu Kuangren spoke of this, his face held a complex expression—sympathy, regret, and some other indefinable emotion.

"He had been stuck at the peak of Rank 4 for a long time and desperately wanted to break through to Rank 5. After you overtook him, he became even more desperate. He searched everywhere for resources, sought investments, and signed a ton of Gambling Agreements."

"Gambling Agreements?" Su Bai frowned.

"It's the kind where he promises to reach a certain rank by a certain time in exchange for resources from investors. If he fails to meet the target, he has to pay back double, or even forfeit his world core."

Su Bai's frown deepened.

"How many did he sign?"

"Seventeen," Chu Kuangren said with a bitter laugh. "From the Provincial Capital Chamber of Commerce to several major clans, from small investment firms to some... well, not very friendly factions."

"Is he crazy?"

"He's not crazy; he just wanted to win too badly." Chu Kuangren sighed. "He thought that as long as he broke through to Rank 5, he could crush everyone, reclaim the top spot, and shut those investors up."

"And the result?"

"The result was failure." Chu Kuangren set down the wine bottle, the fatigue on his face deepening. "He tried to force his world to level up, and as a result, his world core nearly collapsed. It took him three months just to stabilize the situation, but the losses were devastating. Three Hero Units died, more than half of his ordinary units perished, and the world's diameter shrank by a third."

Su Bai fell silent.

He thought of the worlds he had seen that had failed to force an upgrade.

The ruins of the Stone-skin Wasteland, the emptiness of the Ghostly Mist, the silence of the Shadow Jungle.

Those races had all gone extinct.

Lin Canglan's world was at least still alive.

But it was only just barely alive.

"And then?" Su Bai asked.

"Then came the national prodigy list," Chu Kuangren said with a bitter smile. "You've been in seclusion, so you might not know, but the national prodigy list competition has been open for a month. The top ten from each province have to enter and fight. The rankings determine resource allocation, the level of support for the next year, and... the pride of a province."

"When Lin Canglan entered, his world hadn't recovered. He fought one match and lost. He fought a second and lost again. By the third match, his Sword Dao world core nearly collapsed completely, and he was forced to withdraw."

"What about the others?"

"Murong Xue lost as well. Her ice phoenix world was countered by a Fire-type world, and she suffered heavy losses. Chu Tiange made it to the second round but was crushed by a Rank 5 zerg world. As for me..." Chu Kuangren gave a self-deprecating laugh, "I lost in the first round."

Su Bai looked at him and said nothing.

Chu Kuangren was silent for a few seconds, then he looked up and stared at Su Bai.

"Do you know what they're saying outside right now?"

"What are they saying?"

"They say Qinglin Province is the 'weakest province,' that we're all 'trash built on resources,' and that we 'don't deserve slots on the prodigy list.'" Chu Kuangren's voice grew lower and lower, until he was practically speaking through gritted teeth. "They even say the Chu Clan is the 'weakest clan,' my father is the 'weakest patriarch,' and I am the 'weakest heir.'"

Su Bai remained silent.

He saw Chu Kuangren's hands trembling slightly, saw the irrepressible fury in his eyes, and saw his clenched jaw.

This madman, who was always nonchalant and playful, was currently struggling with all his might to restrain himself.

"Su Bai." Chu Kuangren looked up at him, and in those eyes, the usual flippancy was gone, replaced by a plea that was almost humble. "I know we've only talked a few times, I know I have no right to ask anything of you, I know..."

He paused and took a deep breath.

"But the Chu Clan needs you."

"Qinglin Province needs you."

"I need you."

As he said this, his voice shook, his hands shook, his entire body was shaking.

But he did not look away.

He just looked at Su Bai, waiting for an answer.

Su Bai was silent for a long time.

He remembered what he had said before:

"Before I face those people, I will make the Netherworld World a Rank 5 world."

Now, he was Rank 5.

It was time to face them.

Su Bai spoke.

"What can you offer me?"

Chu Kuangren froze for a moment, then suddenly sat up straight.

"You... you agree?"

Su Bai didn't answer, just looked at him.

Chu Kuangren took a deep breath and said rapidly:

"Funding in exchange for rankings. The Chu Clan provides the money, you provide the power. If you join the national prodigy list competition now and make the top 100, the Chu Clan will give you ten million federal credits. Top 50, another twenty million. Top 10, fifty million."

"No master-servant contract, no binding to the Chu Clan—a completely equal partnership."

"The money—I can transfer the first installment right now."

He stared at Su Bai, waiting for an answer.

Su Bai was silent for three seconds.

"Deal."

Ten seconds after Chu Kuangren's communication ended, a line of numbers appeared in Su Bai's account.

[Received: 10,000,000 federal credits]

Ten million.

Su Bai stared at the string of zeros for two seconds, then closed the communication.

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the prosperous provincial capital.

The night was deep, and neon lights flickered.

But he wasn't looking at those lights.

He was looking at a massive building in the distance.

The Provincial Capital Prodigy Arena.

That was the entrance to the Battle Stage.

That was the battlefield for the national prodigy list.

He closed his eyes, and his consciousness sank into the Netherworld World.

The grayish-white Yin Qi surged like an ocean.

The Ghost King levitated at the world core, his golden vertical pupils watching him as he gave a slight nod.

The Ghost Bride floated in mid-air, her face tilted up to look at him.

"Master, are we going to fight?"

Su Bai ruffled her hair.

"Yes."

"Who are we fighting?"

"The strongest in the country."

The Ghost Bride blinked.

"Great, great! Let them see how powerful we are!"

Su Bai looked at her, then at the other Hero Units.

Black and White Impermanence stood side by side before the Hall of Impermanence. White Impermanence still wore a smile, while Black Impermanence still looked fierce.

Ox-Head and Horse-Face stood on the other side—one brawny, one slender; one blood-red, one pitch-black.

...

Lan stood before the Council Building of the Deep Blue Sea Abyss, her pure silver scales shimmering in the Yin Qi.

Behind her were 100,000 Mushroom People, 120,000 Shadow Demons, 23,000 Ice Crystals, and 200,000 Naga.

Behind them were 2,769 Yin Soldiers and 200 Soul-Hooking Ghosts.

Su Bai watched all this, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.

He opened his eyes.

Outside the window, the neon lights still flickered.

But his gaze had already pierced through it all, landing on that massive building.

"Chu Kuangren."

He said softly.

"Tell the whole province, tell the whole country."

"Qinglin Province's seat at the table is not empty."

"The trump card has just been revealed."