95: Chapter 94 Lu Xingye's Shame

The comment section went silent instantly.

It was as if everyone had held their breath at the same time.

Three seconds later.

The number of replies under the post began to skyrocket at a speed of one hundred thousand per second.

"Holy crap, if you hadn't mentioned it, I almost forgot!"

"Fate Master... judging by the strength shown in the video just released by the Little Life Society and the Revival Society... if the one who dealt with those two overlords in the video really was Fate Master..."

"If Fate Master participates in the individual sequence battle..."

"Then what's the point of competing? Just hand over the award already."

"No, no, that's not the question. The question is—if Fate Master participates in the Faction Sequence Battle, which team will he join?"

"..."

"I suddenly feel that this is the real core issue."

The focus of the entire discussion on the Cause and Effect Fate Platform shifted completely at this moment.

All discussions regarding the Revival Society's mobilization order and the buzz about powerful individuals signing up were swallowed by this single question.

The gazes of over 1.3 billion people, passing through screens, through the sea breeze, through the endless Magic Sea—

Fell upon the same name.

The top of the individual merit ranking, the master behind the Cause and Effect Fate Platform, the god-like existence revered by the world as Fate Master—Yang Hang!!!

"Fate Master! First on the merit ranking! Nearly 30 billion merit points individually! If he participates in the individual sequence battle—"

"Then why fight? Just courier the trophy to Fate Master's doorstep."

"The point isn't the individual competition! The point is the Faction Sequence Battle! If Fate Master personally joins a team, which civilization would dare to take them on?"

The heat of the discussion climbed at a visible rate. Within thirty seconds, the interaction volume of this post had already exceeded the data from the first five minutes of the Revival Society's mobilization order post.

The pro-war faction was the first to raise their flag.

"Fate Master will definitely participate."

A survivor with the ID "Iron Hammer Zhang" wrote an eight-hundred-word analysis post, with only one core argument: Everything Fate Master has done is for Yanhuang Civilization.

"From the Cause and Effect Fate Platform to the magic sea compass, from the Numerical Panel to the three-colored life spring, from the first beast tide to personally stepping in to destroy the overlords during the second beast tide—every step Fate Master has taken is paving the way for over 1.3 billion Yanhuang Survivors. The Faction Sequence Battle concerns the survival of the entire civilization; why wouldn't he participate?"

"Well said!"

"Spot-on analysis! Fate Master is the guardian deity of Yanhuang Civilization; he cannot stand idly by in such a matter concerning the fate of the civilization!"

"Besides, the announcement says the top ten in the individual sequence get rewards like treasure chest quality upgrades, lifespan leaps, and talent advancement. Even if Fate Master doesn't need them himself, it would be good to let other strong Yanhuang Civilization individuals use them!"

This analysis was pushed to the top, attracting a huge wave of agreement.

Immediately after, the tone of the conversation began to veer off course.

"Wait, wait, wait! If Fate Master participates in the Top 1000 Tournament—doesn't that mean we have a chance to see Fate Master?!"

"Ahhhhhh!!!"

"I don't care, I don't care! I'm going to start grinding for merit points today! Even if I have to crawl, I will crawl into the top 1,000! Even if it's just to catch a glimpse of Fate Master's back from afar!"

"Bro, wake up. Your merit ranking is 630,000; even if you wipe out all the sea beasts, you won't make it in."

"Then I'll go as service staff! I'll handle serving tea, pouring water, and sweeping! Is the Revival Society taking volunteers?"

"Yes! I'm signing up too! I can cook! I'm willing to be a cook for life to cook for Fate Master!"

"Can you guys calm down... Fate Master can get a Gold Treasure Chest whenever he wants. Does he really need the food you make? The food god shrine... have you forgotten? Are you sure you can compete with that?"

"Even if I can't compete, I still have to try! Do items have a heart? Does the food god shrine have a heart? I do!"

For a while, the comment section turned into a massive celebrity-chasing scene.

But cold water was quickly poured over it.

"I'm going to say something unpleasant, so please don't flame me."

An anonymous user posted, their tone restrained.

"Fate Master hasn't posted a single word on the Fate Platform to this day. Not a single post, not a single reply, and even his name on the individual merit ranking is just automatically generated by the System. Videos can't capture his true appearance, and those who have met him in person can't remember his face. Do you really think someone like that would voluntarily run to the Renaissance to hold a meeting with a thousand people?"

The comment section paused for a moment.

"What he said... actually makes some sense."

"Fate Master even comes and goes without a trace during beast tides; he leaves right after killing them. Would an existence like that really care about a Top 1000 Tournament?"

"And think about it, the rewards the Magic Sea gives to the top ten in the individual sequence—treasure chest quality upgrades, lifespan leaps, talent advancement. Are these things useful to Fate Master? He slaps a 300-meter overlord to death with one hand; does he need talent advancement? Uh, actually, maybe he does..."

"..."

These words precisely struck the survivors who had just begun to harbor hope.

The mood in the comment section took a sharp turn for the worse.

"It's over; thinking about it, it really is like that. For an existence at Fate Master's level, most of these rewards are like toys."

"So I really won't be able to see Fate Master in this lifetime?"

"Fate Master, I'm suffering so much. Do you know that the first thing I do every morning when I wake up is to check your merit ranking? Seeing that number of over 20 billion makes me feel like I can survive the day."

"Fate Master, I beg you, just go once. Even if you just stand in the distance and leave right after, that's fine. We won't pester you, really."

"Right, right, right, just treat it like a vacation. The Renaissance has a swimming pool, a basketball court, floor-to-ceiling windows... wait, if Fate Master also has his own Gold Tier Houseboat, he must have these things too, and it must be ten thousand times more luxurious than the Renaissance."

"...Your attempt at comforting is a total failure."

A sense of frustration spread. All kinds of self-deprecating posts flooded dozens of pages.

Someone started writing a doggerel poem.

"Day and night I long for Fate Master, losing appetite for tea and rice. Gazing across three thousand miles of Magic Sea, I see only 30 billion in merit."

"Bro, it's 29 billion."

"29 billion doesn't rhyme either! Besides, 30 billion is a breeze for Fate Master."

"To be honest, I'd rather Fate Master didn't participate. That high-and-mighty, otherworldly feeling he has is what makes us feel most at ease. If he doesn't come, it means everything is under control. If he comes, it actually suggests the situation is so serious that he needs to step in himself. Think about it, isn't that the logic?"

This post was silently pushed to the top with high likes.

But among all these posts, the most eye-catching one came from an ID everyone was familiar with.

Universe's Number One Beautiful Girl, President Lu Xingye:

"Fate Master, whether you come or not, I will be holding a sign waiting for you at the entrance of the Top 1000 Tournament every day. The sign will say: 'Fate Master, Lu Xingye misses you again today.' Rain or shine, I will never break my word."

"Additionally, I am officially announcing—"

"I am also officially signing up to participate in the Top 1000 Tournament."

"The president of the biggest Fate Master fan club on the Fate Platform is personally stepping in to cheer for Fate Master. As long as I can get selected, even if Fate Master doesn't come, I will still cheer for Fate Master ど⁰̷̴͈꒨⁰̷̴͈う♡."

Hundreds of thousands of replies flooded in under this post instantly.

"Sister Xingye! Go for it!"

"The God-Seeing Society is the forever god!"

"Wait, what is Lu Xingye's merit ranking? Can she make it into the top 1000?"

"But isn't this based on strength? Even if your merit points are high, you might not necessarily be selected, right?"

"I don't know, but she is one of the three people who have seen Fate Master with their own eyes! Even if her strength isn't enough, the Revival Society would definitely be willing to provide an extra spot just for that status alone!"

"That's right, didn't President Xingye say before that the Revival Society has always been inviting her to join?"

The hustle and bustle on the Fate Platform had nothing to do with her anymore.

President Lu Xingye closed the comment section and leaned against the cabin wall. The zipper of her brownish-green tactical jacket was pulled up to her collarbone, and the metal pendant engraved with fine lines on her collarbone rose and fell with her breathing.

She was thinking about one thing.

Would Fate Master really participate in the Top 1000 Tournament?

She had read all the analyses in the comment section.

Both sides made valid points.

But she had her own judgment.

Fate Master Yang Hang is not someone who would show his face in public; that much is true.

It had been thirteen days; he hadn't posted a single post or replied to a single sentence.

When he descended twice during the beast tides, it was because the Yanhuang Survivors had encountered disasters they couldn't handle; he came and went without a sound.

But Fate Master is also not someone who would just let things be.

Every update to the Fate Platform had precisely hit the nodes where Yanhuang Civilization needed it most. The magic sea compass, Numerical Panel, three-colored life spring, Karmic Trading Realm—every feature was like sending charcoal in snowy weather.

The Faction Sequence Battle concerns the fate of the entire Yanhuang Civilization.

If Yanhuang Civilization loses when the results are tallied on the thirtieth day, all merit points, resources, talents, and even the Cause and Effect Fate Platform itself—would have to be handed over to others.

Fate Master would not sit idly by and let such an outcome happen.

So he would definitely participate.

Just not necessarily under the name "Yang Hang".

President Lu Xingye remembered a post in the comment section that most people ignored: "Fate Master might participate anonymously."

She felt that this post hit the nail on the head.

Given Fate Master's personality, even if he participated, it would definitely be in some covert way. Maybe using a pseudonym, maybe disguised, maybe standing right in the crowd, and no one would recognize him.

But she felt that she would definitely be able to recognize him.

She had met him.

Although she couldn't remember his face—the fog of Karma made it so no one could remember—she remembered the feeling.

That day on the sea, the young man wearing an Ultraman mask had used one million karma points to buy the rights to open her sunken sea treasure chest.

After the transaction was completed, he gifted her an extra set of clothes.

It was the set she was wearing now.

Perfect, as if it had been made by sticking to her panel.

Although there was an inexplicable sense of shame, it made the frequency of her daily leg-crossing a bit high.