50: Chapter 50 Sacrifice

"Finished reading?"

Li Chengyuan's voice was calm, as if confirming contract terms with a business partner.

The Abyss Envoy's black mist writhed slightly, and a voice emanated from the depths of the mist. This voice did not travel through the air; it bypassed the eardrums and vibrated directly within the listener's brain.

[Three times.]

"Conclusion?"

[That human named Su Bai—]

The Envoy's black mist contracted violently. The eyeballs floating on its surface squinted simultaneously.

[Must die.]

Li Chengyuan's mouth curled slightly. It was not a smile. It was something colder—the certainty of a merchant after confirming a risk assessment.

"Agreed."

He turned and walked to the table in the center of the secret room, grown naturally from Abyss cuticle. Spread on the table were over a dozen photos and documents—all about Su Bai.

Monthly Exam screenshots. Class rosters. Dorm locations. Daily routines. Mental Power ratings. Social networks.

Even what he ate in the cafeteria last week was recorded.

"However—"

Li Chengyuan picked up one of the photos. It was the scene where Zhao Dahai was clutching Su Bai's calf in the exam room.

"He is now the treasure of the Truth Sanctuary. Copyright protection is already in place. Security at Jinghai Academy has been strengthened by at least three levels in the past two days. And—"

He flipped the photo over.

"Li Qingyue said on the spot, the moment the Monthly Exam ended, that she wanted Su Bai to see her."

The Envoy was silent for a breath.

[That old woman.]

"9th-tier Supreme, founder of Space-Time Theory," Li Chengyuan corrected. "Neither you nor I can afford to provoke her."

[So?]

"So, we cannot wait for her to react."

Li Chengyuan put down the photo.

"Tonight, Su Bai is still at school. The person beside him is at most a Rank 4 Lin Weiwei, and she went home to write a thesis. Two classmates who were hovering at Rank 1 a few months ago. A system novice who hasn't even activated a Magical Girl transformation."

He paused.

"This opportunity. It will never come again."

[You have a plan?]

"Shadow Demon."

When Li Chengyuan said these two words, the Abyss tumors on the secret room walls writhed simultaneously, as if responding.

This name itself was a taboo.

Shadow Demon, Rank 9. Ranked third in the Abyss Lurker sequence, an assassin.

A pure assassin.

Its existence was not material. Not energy. It was a "probability state" between the Shadow Plane and the Material Plane. It didn't need to pass through walls—when it wanted to enter a room, it would change the probability of its appearance in the room from zero to one.

In the past twenty years, four Rank 9 human powerhouses had died at the hands of the Shadow Demon.

The Abyss Envoy was silent for longer than before.

[The Shadow Demon cannot directly enter human cities.]

"I know, sacrifice."

Li Chengyuan's tone was flat, as if saying he needed to file some paperwork.

[Requires a living person, Mental Power rating not lower than Rank 3, completely voluntary. After the soul is devoured by the Abyss, the space blockade will open a channel with a diameter of three meters. Duration—]

[Eleven seconds.]

The Envoy added, [The stronger the sacrificer's Mental Power, the more stable the channel. If the sacrificer's Mental Power rating reaches Rank 5 or above—the channel can be maintained for thirty seconds.]

"Thirty seconds. Enough."

Li Chengyuan flipped the photo back, looking at Su Bai's face.

"Su Bai is only Rank 1. Mental Power rating—at most C-grade."

He tapped the table with his knuckles.

"Three seconds is enough. As long as the Shadow Demon gets within five meters of him, his Mental Power will automatically collapse. Mental suppression from a Rank 9 to a Rank 1 doesn't require action. A single glance is enough."

The Envoy was silent for a beat.

[The problem is the sacrificer. A volunteer with Rank 3 or higher Mental Power—]

Li Chengyuan raised his hand to interrupt.

"I have people."

His voice was flat.

"The Li family has been secretly cultivating death warriors; we are never short of volunteers."

The Envoy stared at him for a few seconds. The pupils of the eyeballs on the surface of the black mist contracted simultaneously, as if evaluating the human's sincerity.

Then the black mist nodded slowly.

[The Shadow Demon will bring a sealing artifact to cut off spatial teleportation. Even if Li Qingyue senses the anomaly, the speed at which she arrives using Space Folding will be forcibly slowed.]

Li Chengyuan nodded.

[A small request.]

"Speak."

[The soul of that Rank 1 Card Creator—]

On the surface of the black mist, over a dozen mouths split open.

Revealing teeth of different shapes.

[Belongs to me.]

Li Chengyuan glanced at the Envoy without answering immediately. He picked up another document—it listed Su Bai's card-swiping records, Mental Power attributes, and a conceptual analysis of that pink magic card.

The last line of the analysis report read—

[Warning: The core concept of this card involves causality. Recommended research priority: SSS. Recommended acquisition priority: SSS. If possible, recommend obtaining the original.]

"Fine."

Li Chengyuan closed the document.

"The soul is yours, the card is ours. The technology is ours."

The Envoy reached out. That hand extended from the black mist, the joints were miscounted—there were seven. The fingers were bent backward. The skin was translucent grayish-white.

But in the merchant's eyes.

It was just a hand.

Two hands clasped together.

The Abyss tumors on the secret room walls writhed violently simultaneously. Dense golden runes appeared on the dark purple surface—the oldest contract seal between the Abyss and the material world.

The sacrifice ritual.

Had begun.

Deep in the secret room, a hidden door slid open silently.

Five people in black robes walked out from behind the hidden door. Each person's expression was different—some fanatical, some calm, some trembling.

But they had one thing in common.

No one hesitated.

"Your families—"

Li Chengyuan faced them, his voice still flat, "will be on the Li Chamber of Commerce's highest protection list. Three generations, well-provided for."

The five people knelt simultaneously.

Then Li Haoran walked in from the side door.

He was not wearing that imposing dust-proof cloak from the Monthly Exam. He was wearing a pure black training suit, his hair tied loosely at the back of his head. The expression on his face was not angry, not jealous, not unwilling after having all his limelight stolen by Su Bai during the day.

There was only a cold, bone-deep calmness.

"Father."

He bowed slightly to Li Chengyuan.

"Haoran." Li Chengyuan turned around. "You did very well today. You performed appropriately at the Monthly Exam site. No exposure."

"Thank you, Father."

"Do you know about what comes next?"

"I know."

Li Haoran's gaze swept over the five voluntary sacrificers on the ground, over the Abyss Envoy's black mist, and over the pulsing tumors on the wall.

Then the corners of his mouth curled slightly.

"Su Bai's card is indeed very strong. But no matter how strong the card is—if the person using the card dies, the card is scrap."

This curve looked quite natural on Li Haoran's usually elegant face.

Li Chengyuan glanced at him and nodded slightly.

"You were not shaken by what happened during the day. That is very good."

"Shaken?"

Li Haoran laughed softly.

"I was just thinking—"

He took a mithril card box out of his pocket. It was the same style as the one at the Monthly Exam, just without the broken trim.

"Once Su Bai dies, the cards in Lin Xiao's and Zhao Dahai's hands, improved based on his circuits—will be re-evaluated by all the families."

"Especially the Lin family."

When he said this, his tone was as flat as stating a business law.

"Without Su Bai. That paper by Lin Weiwei is a sole piece of evidence. A sole piece of evidence cannot stand. Her academic achievements will be dug up and questioned line by line. The Lin family's recent expansion momentum will be directly severed. And the Li family—"

He looked up.

"Can rebuild the entire Magical Girl industry chain from the acquisition of Su Bai's technology."

Li Chengyuan and the Abyss Envoy looked at him simultaneously.

Then Li Chengyuan laughed.

Not a merchant's laugh. Not a father's laugh.

It was the pride of a competent creator watching his most satisfying work shine in the display case.

"Go."

He patted Li Haoran on the shoulder.

"Leave the rest to me."

Li Haoran bowed slightly and turned to walk out the side door. His pace was as calm as ever.

The dust-proof cloak fluttered gently behind him.

The Abyss Envoy's black mist writhed.

[Your son. Very much like me.]

"Compliment accepted."

Li Chengyuan looked away.

"Prepare to meet Su Bai. Once we arrive, start the sacrifice immediately."