1: Chapter 1 Unlocks the Talent of Cause and Effect

[Global Announcement: Earth Civilization Trial has officially begun!]

A cold, mechanical voice exploded in Yang Hang's mind.

The surrounding scenery distorted instantly; the desks and chairs from his office and the sounds of work vanished.

In their place was a boundless, deep blue ocean.

The waves surged, slapping against the swaying wooden Houseboat beneath his feet.

Yang Hang grabbed the wooden railing beside him, his fingertips turning white from the force.

[Earth Civilization Trial Convention · Final Version]

[1. This competition is an internal selection within civilizations. The ultimate winner will lead the human civilization of Earth. The losing camps will temporarily lose their camp flags. Survivors will enter hibernation until the final winning civilization is decided, at which point the winners will determine their fate.]

[2. Surviving for one day earns one Merit point. If eliminated, the value returns to zero. Sea beasts will continuously evolve over time, and their aggression will increase. Hunting them grants extra Merit. A Fishing Spot is located in the center of the Houseboat; one sunken sea treasure chest can be obtained daily, resetting the next day.]

[3. The total Merit of a camp determines its level in the New Order. The competition lasts 365 days. Camp rankings and individual Merit leaderboards will be updated every three days.]

[4. One can actively choose to withdraw from the trial, deducting half of their individual Merit. Members of the same camp are encouraged to help each other.]

[5. Mutual killing is prohibited; violators will be eliminated immediately. The Houseboat provides basic protection but cannot withstand high-tier sea beasts.]

[6. You have been assigned to the Yanhuang Camp. Current camp population: 1,478,542,000.]

The six clauses were driven into Yang Hang's brain like nails.

Over 1.4 billion people... isn't that everyone in the country?

Does this mean his grandparents, mother, father, and younger sister have all come to this hellhole to survive?

Are you kidding me??

And that Merit leaderboard seems incredibly important!

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

Panic solves nothing.

The Houseboat was crude, with rough wooden plank walls and a dilapidated wooden roof overhead.

In the center was a circular area about one meter square, glowing with an eerie blue light.

That must be the Fishing Spot.

Yang Hang walked to the edge of the Houseboat and looked out through the wooden railing.

The seawater was bottomless and pitch black.

Occasionally, massive dark shadows swam beneath the surface, stirring up layers of ripples.

A chill surged up from the soles of his feet.

What the hell is this place?

Just a moment ago, he was in the company discussing work plans with colleagues, and the next second, he was thrown into this godforsaken place.

Yang Hang pinched his arm.

It hurt.

It wasn't a dream.

"Calm down, figure out the situation first."

He whispered to himself and walked back to the center of the Houseboat.

The Fishing Spot was a hole about a meter wide. Below was the deep, indigo seawater. A fishing rod was fixed beside it, and the hole emitted a faint blue light, as if summoning something.

The System said one treasure chest could be fished out every day.

Then let's try it.

Yang Hang crouched down and reached for the fishing rod.

As soon as his fingertips touched the rod, a sudden suction force pulled his hand, causing him to automatically cast the line down.

He almost fell over.

Fortunately, the suction only lasted for a moment.

About ten seconds later, a knee-high, dark brown, rotting wooden chest was pulled up from the faintly blue-glowing seawater.

The chest's surface was tangled with rotting seaweed, emitting a pungent, fishy stench.

The wooden planks were covered in traces of erosion from the seawater, looking mottled and worn.

Yang Hang frowned and reached out to touch the chest.

The moment his fingertips touched the wood—

The entire chest suddenly erupted with a blinding white light!

The seaweed instantly turned to ash, and the decayed wooden planks began to restructure themselves.

The light grew brighter and brighter, and Yang Hang subconsciously squinted his eyes.

When the light dissipated, the chest before him had completely changed its appearance.

The entire thing was made of diamonds, each facet reflecting brilliant light.

Complex patterns appeared on the surface of the chest, resembling some sort of ancient script.

[Congratulations on obtaining a Diamond-grade Treasure Chest!]

[Opening probability: 0.000000000001%]

The System prompt sounded again.

Yang Hang was stunned.

A one-in-a-trillion chance?

Seriously? In real life, he had a Physique that struggled to win even five bucks on a lottery ticket and was always excluded from all sorts of lucky draws.

Suppressing the faint excitement in his heart,

He reached out and pushed open the lid.

The interior of the chest was lined with soft velvet, and in the very center lay a fist-sized crystal.

The crystal was semi-transparent, with seven-colored light flowing inside.

[Item: Ability Crystal]

[Description: After use, a random talent can be awakened, varying from person to person]

[Usage: Press it into the glabella]

Yang Hang stared at the crystal for a few seconds.

A random talent?

This thing is either unreliable or a path to sudden, immense wealth.

There was no point in considering the risks; this was his only choice now.

In this hellhole, having no ability probably meant waiting for death.

He picked up the crystal, took a deep breath, and pressed it against his glabella.

The moment the crystal touched his skin, it melted directly into him.

An indescribable pleasure exploded from his glabella, instantly sweeping through his entire body.

His mind and body were simultaneously washed by some kind of power.

Yang Hang trembled all over, almost unable to stand.

Immediately after, his field of vision began to ascend.

The Houseboat shrank beneath his feet, and the ocean spread out before his eyes.

He saw countless Houseboats floating on the sea surface.

Some were in storm zones, swaying precariously under the battering of giant waves.

Some were in barren zones, where not even a single fish could be seen nearby.

Some were in shallow sea zones, where the water was crystal clear.

His vision continued to ascend.

The entire Trial Grounds were laid out before him.

Then Earth.

Then the Solar System.

Then the Milky Way.

Yang Hang's consciousness seemed to break through some boundary, touching the edge of the Universe.

There, he saw existences of higher dimensions.

Countless threads intertwined in the Void Realm, connecting all things.

Each thread represented a karmic relationship.

Some threads were as thick as a Dragon, while others were as thin as hair.

Some threads shimmered with golden light, while others were dim and lusterless.

Yang Hang subconsciously reached out and touched one of the threads.

The thread vibrated slightly, causing the surrounding lines to vibrate as well. Then, an image entered his eyes: it was his grandmother lying on a bed in a Houseboat, eyes closed and motionless.

With a flash of inspiration, he flicked a neighboring thread; it was an image of his grandfather, just like his grandmother, lying on a bed without a sound.

He suddenly understood.

These threads were Karma.

And he could pluck these threads.

Deep in his consciousness, a piece of information silently surfaced—

[Awakening Complete | Talent: Lord of Causality]

[Holder: Yang Hang]

[Age: 24]

[Survival Time: 0 Days]

[Camp: Yanhuang Civilization]

[Accumulated Merit: 0]

[Talent Attribute: Lord of Causality (Unique)]

[Trait Overview: Uniqueness, invisibility, capable of manipulating the Karma of the birth and death of all things.]

Yang Hang snapped his eyes open, gasping for air.

That feeling just now was too real.

It was as if he had truly touched the essence of the world.

Unique?

Lord of Causality?

Not only did it sound impressive, but its actual power was likely beyond his imagination.

This time, he might have truly struck it rich!

Yang Hang's breathing gradually became heavy.

What specifically can this ability do?

He tried to recall the feeling from earlier.

Those threads of Karma, each one connected to different things.

If he could pluck them, could he change the outcome?

For example, by plucking away the Karma Thread of "being attacked by sea beasts," could he make them bypass his Houseboat? Or control the sea beasts to kill each other while he reaped the rewards?

Or, change the Karma Thread of "fishing up trash" to "fishing up treasure"?

Pull his Family's Houseboats to his side?

It seemed this ability could not only provide security for him and his Family but also help him obtain a massive amount of Merit.

He could take the lead in this bizarre survival world.

The more Yang Hang thought about it, the more excited he became.

The potential of this ability was enormous.

Although he could only use it crudely now, as long as he explored it slowly, it would surely play an even greater role.

He paced back and forth in the Houseboat, his mind racing.

First, he had to ensure the survival of himself and his Family.

Then, find a way to increase his strength and explore this Trial Ground.

But first, he had to find a way to contact his Family.

He wasn't like those novel protagonists who had no parents or Family.

So how could he contact them?

Power of Causality...

Yang Hang tried his best to recall the experience when he awakened the ability, pondering over this new power in his body. Suddenly, he thought of something!

The Power of Causality seemed able to connect to anyone related to him. Could he use the Power of Causality to pull together a small Family group chat in that rootless realm where Karma takes effect?

In fact... he didn't have to stop at just his Family.

As long as there was a karmic connection between two people, he could manipulate it through the Karma Threads.

Did that mean he had the ability to directly contact everyone on Earth?

He had heard of the Six Degrees of Separation; you could contact anyone in the world through just six people.

If he directly connected everyone in the Yanhuang Civilization sector and created a communication platform similar to QQ or WeChat...

If he provided help to everyone, then according to the rules, his Merit would likely be astronomical!!

A small Family group?

No, that's thinking too small.

That spark of inspiration in Yang Hang's mind instantly exploded into a prairie fire. He almost instinctively held his breath, fearing that a heavy breath would blow away this newly ignited thought. But the fire didn't go out; instead, it burned brighter and brighter, making the blood in his entire body turn hot.

In this bizarre Magic Sea world, it had only been a few hours since he woke up, yet he already deeply understood the meaning of "information isolation." No cell phones, no internet, no TV or radio—he couldn't even see another person to talk to. Everyone was trapped in their own Houseboat, floating on an endless sea, beneath an eternally gloomy sky and above a bottomless ocean.

How is fear bred? It is bred from the fear of the unknown itself.

And the greatest nutrient for the unknown is a lack of information.

You don't know what monsters are in the sea, you don't know if there will be a storm tomorrow, you don't know how often supply chests are distributed, and more importantly—you don't know if you are the only one left alive. This sense of loneliness would seep into the cracks of one's bones like seawater, corroding a person's sanity.

In his previous life, Yang Hang had seen many works with apocalyptic themes. Whether it was a zombie outbreak or a natural disaster, the first thing to collapse was often not the supply System, but the human heart. And when the heart collapses, a place where one can shout, "I'm still here, what about you?" is the best sedative.

A platform that allows everyone to communicate in real-time would have immeasurable value.