88: Chapter 88 Five Sixth-Rank Individuals

In a corner of the viewing platform, a slender figure sat alone in the shadows.

Lin Canglan.

She wore a plain-colored long dress, her long hair draped over her shoulders, her face as cold as frost. Her eyes were fixed on Su Bai's name on the light screen, and deep within her pupils was an indescribable emotion.

There was regret.

There was resentment.

There was also a hidden trace of envy that she herself was unwilling to admit.

Two months ago, she was still the number one on the Qinglin Province heavenly pride list. Sword Dao World, peak Rank Four, the strongest prodigy recognized by the entire province.

Then Su Bai appeared.

That youth who came out of the old, broken-down district of Qingshi City; that "trash world Awakened" whom everyone looked down upon; that monster who silently constructed the Underworld amidst everyone's ridicule.

With one victory after another, he trampled her number one position underfoot.

She didn't hate him.

The one she hated was herself.

She hated that after being surpassed by him, her mindset collapsed. Driven by a thirst for quick success, she signed a bunch of gambling agreements to forcibly raise her world level, resulting in her world core nearly collapsing. Three Hero Units died, more than half of her common units perished, and her world's diameter shrank by a third.

When the heavenly pride list competition started, her world had not yet recovered. She fought one match and lost. She fought a second and lost again. By the third match, her Sword Dao World's core nearly collapsed completely, and she was forced to withdraw.

She became the biggest joke on the Qinglin Province heavenly pride list.

The former number one in the province couldn't even survive the preliminaries.

Meanwhile, Su Bai—the youth she had once left far behind—was now standing on the highest stage in the country, representing Qinglin Province.

Lin Canglan clenched her cuffs, her nails digging deep into her palms.

"You must win," she whispered, her voice so soft only she could hear.

"Finish the road that I couldn't finish."

...

On the other side of the viewing platform, an old man with white hair and a white beard sat quietly, out of place with the surrounding clamor.

He was the Old Principal of Qingshi City No. 1 Middle School, a Rank Nine Creator, and Su Bai's guide to awakening.

There was no light screen in front of him.

He simply closed his eyes, as if reminiscing about something.

He thought back to that Awakening Day three weeks ago.

Qingshi City No. 1 Middle School, the awakening ceremony.

The third-year students of the entire school stood in the awakening formation, waiting for destiny's decision. Some succeeded, their worlds brilliant as stars; some failed, their worlds dim as dead ashes.

Su Bai stood at the very back of the line.

That youth was very thin and small, wearing a faded school uniform and carrying a worn-out backpack. He came from the most dilapidated district of Qingshi City, with no family background, no resource support, and no one who thought well of him.

When the awakening formation lit up, his world projection emerged.

Grayish-white.

Wreathed in Yin Qi.

There was nothing.

The entire audience burst into laughter.

"Trash world!"

"A Yin Qi World? What can this thing evolve? Ghosts?"

"Hahaha, another one just to make up the numbers."

The Old Principal still remembered that laughter to this day.

But the youth didn't cry, didn't get angry, and didn't even show any expression.

He just quietly looked at his grayish-white world, as if looking at something worth cherishing.

Finally, he looked up and said one sentence to the Old Principal.

"Teacher, I want to try."

The Old Principal opened his eyes and looked at the name on the light screen.

The thin youth who had walked through the school gates from the old, broken-down district and the young man currently under the burning gaze of the entire province overlapped into one person in the void.

"Try it," the Old Principal said softly, "just like you said back then."

...

Kaiyang Star Sector, Dayan Province.

Unlike the tension and anxiety of Qinglin Province, a relaxed atmosphere permeated the viewing platform of Dayan Province.

"Thirty-two against eighty-nine?" A middle-aged man in a golden robe sat with his legs crossed, a smug smile on his face. "This draw is just too good. That kid Shen Zhao is getting free points in the first round."

He was the current head of the Shen Family, Shen Wanjun, a Rank Thirteen Creator and Shen Zhao's father.

"Indeed," another family head sitting next to him agreed. "Tianxuan Star Sector's Qinglin Province? That most watered-down province? They actually had someone qualify this year? I thought they had given up on competing long ago."

"He seems to be called Su Bai, a Yin Qi World." Shen Wanjun flipped through the data and sneered. "A Yin Qi World? This kind of world can reach Rank Six? It seems the level of the Tianxuan Star Sector is just so-so."

"Still, Shen Zhao shouldn't underestimate the enemy too much," someone reminded. "Although a Yin Qi World is countered by the Incense Divine Kingdom, to reach Rank Six, he must have his unique strengths."

"Underestimate the enemy?" Shen Wanjun smiled. "That child Shen Zhao never underestimates his enemies. He will use the fastest speed and the cleanest method to end this match."

He paused, his gaze falling on Su Bai's name on the light screen, a cruel light flashing in his eyes.

"Let that kid from Qinglin Province see what a true Rank Six looks like."

...

Kaiyang Star Sector, Dayan Province, Shen Family ancestral land.

Shen Zhao stood in the center of the world pod, a transparent light screen floating before him.

On the light screen was all of Su Bai's public information.

[World Type: Yin Qi World]

[Hero Units: Not public (known to include at least one Rank Six ghost unit)]

[Combat Style: Frontal suppression with a ghost army, Hero Units for harvesting]

[Weakness Conjecture: Yin Qi units are countered by light, fire, and faith attributes. The Power Of Faith of the Incense Divine Kingdom has a natural purifying effect on Yin Qi.]

After Shen Zhao finished reading the data, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

"Yin Qi World," he said softly, "interesting."

He raised his hand, and his consciousness sank into his own world.

Incense Divine Kingdom.

It was a world of brilliant golden light.

The sky was golden, the earth was golden, and countless tiny golden specks of light drifted in the air.

That was the Power Of Faith of the believers, the blood and soul of this world.

On the ground, countless believers were kneeling in prayer. Their bodies emitted a faint light—the proof of their faith and the bond between them and their deity. The number of believers exceeded three million.

Three million believers prayed day and night, producing Power Of Faith that gathered into a golden river, flowing from all directions toward the divine temple at the center of the world.

The temple was a thousand zhang high, its entire body condensed from pure golden light. Floating above the temple's dome were five golden orbs of light, each representing a deity.

Hero Units condensed from Power Of Faith.

The first was the God of War. Ten zhang tall, clad in golden battle armor and wielding a greatsword, his face was as resolute as iron. His aura was high-stage Rank Six.

The second was the God of Agriculture. Eight zhang tall, dressed in hemp robes and holding stalks of wheat, his face was as kind as a father's. His aura was mid-stage Rank Six.

The third was the God of Water. Seven zhang tall, dressed in blue robes and holding a water jar, his face was as calm as water. His aura was mid-stage Rank Six.

The fourth was the God of Plague. Six zhang tall, dressed in black robes, his face blurred and indistinguishable, surrounded by dark green mist. His aura was high-stage Rank Six.

The fifth was the central orb of light. That orb was larger than the other four combined, its light more intense, its aura more profound.

That was the Main God.

The supreme existence of the Incense Divine Kingdom.

An ultimate hero condensed from the accumulated faith of eleven generations of the Shen Family's Creators over a thousand years.

Peak Rank Six!

Shen Zhao's consciousness avatar descended before the temple, looking up at the five golden orbs of light.

"This battle's opponent is a Yin Qi World," he said softly. "Power Of Faith has a natural restraint against Yin Qi. There's no need to use the Main God; the God of War, God of Agriculture, God of Water, and God of Plague—four are enough."

He paused, a cruel smile playing on his lips.

"I want that kid from Qinglin Province to know what true despair feels like in the very first round."