IWYTBW - Chapter 33

 Chapter 33

Rumors and Gossip Are All Snow That Will Eventually Melt.

“You’re trending.”

“I know.”

“No, look! You’re really trending!”

“I really know.”

Yi Zhen lay in the medical pod, giving Anji perfunctory replies. Ji Qing’s last punch had nearly pulverized his kidneys. Fortunately, the medical technology here was incredibly advanced. Two days in a medical pod, and he’d be as good as new. Though his plans to soak in the hot springs of Moon Deer Island were ruined; now he could only soak in this sticky nutrient bath.

Immediately after the arena match, Anji rushed him to a hotel owned by Rong Hongxue. Moon Deer Island was a tourist destination, and after serving as a preliminary exam site, all accommodations were instantly booked. Even the streets were filled with candidates sleeping in the rough. Yet, the entire top floor of the Moon Deer Island Grand Hotel was surprisingly empty.

This is where Yi Zhen was placed.

During this time, Anji practically became his personal assistant, fending off all interviews and visits, as well as the rumors and harassment.

As the rising star who defeated Ji Qing, a higher-ranked competitor, Yi Zhen’s battle footage had gone viral. His physical and mental assessment results were also circulating on the StarNet.

B-class physique, B+ class mental power – this level of strength could at best place him in the mid-tier circle. Yet he unexpectedly defeated the A-class powerhouse, Ringing Scorpion, after eight consecutive victories, securing a spot in the qualifying rounds.

Ringing Scorpion himself was a controversial contestant with a striking appearance and a dedicated following. Yi Zhen, with his strange footwork, swiftly eliminated the first seven contestants. His jade-like face and star-like eyes, combined with his astonishing act of grabbing Ringing Scorpion’s tail, and the mystery of Ji Qing’s unexplained collapse and subsequent mental outburst…

Finally, add in the world’s natural focus on the protagonist… and the explosion of public opinion had been thoroughly ignited.

Someone revealed his connection to Rong Hongxue, highlighting how he appeared during Rong Huaiyu’s funeral as a weakling, questioning if Great Dark Sky had given him preferential treatment. Others suspected him of using underhanded tactics to sabotage Ji Qing. Still, others fervently confessed their admiration, praising him for his “lightning-fast movements and thunderous power.”

To avoid affecting his mood, Anji only showed him the praise. Yi Zhen dismissed it all with a smile, not appearing particularly enthusiastic.

[I believe humans have many self-preservation mechanisms,] Tai’a said. [Player, facing a large amount of malicious comments, your mood remains calm. Is this your self-preservation mechanism activating?]

“Of course not,” Yi Zhen said languidly, gazing at the ornate ceiling. “There’s nothing to be angry about.”

“People are bound to face criticism. Anyone who stands in the spotlight must understand that there will always be as many people who hate you as there are who love you.”

[I don’t understand.]

Yi Zhen laughed: “I see everything in this world as my responsibility – starting from the moment I clearly understood that I could no longer escape, could no longer go home. Since they are all my responsibility now, what impact can their opinions have on me? At least they’re not saying it to my face.”

He sighed: “Actually, I’ve always been a very tolerant person.”

Tai’a fell silent. After three seconds of comparison and filtering through its database, it concluded: [I believe only an emperor would say such a thing. Because the emperor sees his subjects as his property, their criticism and praise are also his possessions. He can ignore them with a smile or punish them with his wrath. Player, are you this type of person?]

—People are most tolerant only towards what belongs to them. Tai’a believed it had deduced the truth. If Yi Zhen regarded the world as his territory, then he could naturally ignore criticism and rumors because they were simply products of his domain.

Yi Zhen frowned slightly, then laughed again.

“Haha... Ow,” The laughter tugged at his wounds, causing him to gasp. “Don’t make me sound like a tyrant. I wouldn’t think that way.”

He changed the subject: “Speaking of which, when are the qualifying rounds?”

[The preliminary selections will last three weeks,] Tai’a said. [After three weeks, your assigned planet number will be sent to you, along with your wristband.]

Yi Zhen mused: “It seems I’ll need to recuperate for a while... Well, there are gains and losses. I can lie here for a few days and still have plenty of time to prepare for the qualifying rounds.”

He combined his reward money with the additional bonus for passing the preliminary selection – yes, there was a bonus reward for eight consecutive wins. Although it was only a meager three thousand StarCoins, every little bit helped. Yi Zhen saved it, intending to buy a better finger guard.

He hadn’t yet redeemed his system reward points. After some thought, he allocated them all to agility.

He had barely kept up with Ji Qing’s punching speed thanks to the incredible 《Illusory Body of Mo Luo》technique. Without it, he would have been crippled by the first punch.

An assassin who wasn’t fast enough was a disgrace, utterly unqualified!

Born an assassin, yet so shameful, I’m truly sorry!

Yi Zhen sighed inwardly and opened his character panel for the first time in a long while.

【Name: Yi Zhen Gender: Male Age: 23 Occupation: Great Miracle Worker (Unidentified), Mechanic (Intermediate), Assassin (Intermediate) Special Identity: Protagonist Strength: 50.6 (Rating: B-) mental Power: 56 (Rating: B+) Agility: 52 (Rating: B) Comprehensive Evaluation: I salute you as a qualified ‘striver’. You have achieved your current results with sweat and unwavering will. Your warrior’s physique allows you to lift three times your weight. Your strong spirit allows you to withstand hundreds of tear-jerking masterpieces without flinching. Agility is your foundation. You firmly believe that “speed is the ultimate martial art,” and you are working towards your goals with that in mind.

Keep going! Involve the whole world!!】

“What kind of comprehensive evaluation is this? It’s infuriating!” Yi Zhen yelled. “System, you better not let me catch you, or you’ll be in for it!”

“Ah, speaking of which,” he asked Tai’a, “Is Ji Qing alright? I haven’t heard anything about him.”

He was still a little uneasy about Ji Qing. In the final moment, he had grabbed Ringing Scorpion’s tail hook, extracting the concept of its poison, and then, while pushing Ji Qing down, he returned that concept to him.

He wasn’t sure what effect this would have on Ji Qing, but he hoped he was okay.

[He’s awake.] Tai’a said. [He woke up earlier than you, also declined all interviews and meetings, and this morning, after eight matches, advanced to the qualifying rounds.]

Yi Zhen breathed a sigh of relief: “That’s good.”

He turned to the mustard seed leopard pouch beside him: “I thought there’d be a big commotion, so I brought all my gear, but it turned out to be useless.”

Tai’a said: [The qualifying round is the real hurdle. A month of wilderness survival, along with the traditional wristband competition rules, makes it very competitive.]

Yi Zhen closed his eyes: “Forget it, it’s too early to talk about this. I’ll rest for a while.”

After a moment of silence, he opened his eyes again.

“Tai’a, there’s one more thing I forgot to ask. Has Rong Hongxue made any moves?”

Tai’a replied: [That depends on how you define ‘moves.’ Anji has been reporting back on your situation. Does that count?]

Yi Zhen closed his eyes again: “...it’s fine. I could have guessed that much.”

He lay in the medical pod and fell into a deep sleep.

Elsewhere in the Crimson Cloak Galaxy.

Rong Hongxue was also resting with his eyes closed.

However, his rest was clearly uneasy. His mental form thrashed restlessly within him, seemingly ready to break free and unleash carnage at any moment. Everyone kept their distance. Even his long-time subordinates couldn’t bear to be near a super S-class pilot suppressing his killing intent.

His thin lips turned slightly downwards. Although his board of advisors maintained a facade of composure in their suits, dark circles ringed their eyes as they wearily massaged their temples.

There was another tough battle ahead.

Negotiations with the Sage Priests of Falling Star were nearing their end. The other party completely ignored the fact that Lady Yun Xingchen had breached the contract first and stubbornly refused to hand over the first batch of bio-mineral mining rights to Rong Hongxue. The priests even cited ancient laws of the Azoth Empire, claiming that “40% of all discoveries in new star regions must be submitted to the imperial treasury,” attempting to prove that Rong Hongxue’s demands were unreasonable.

The two sides had gone back and forth for over a hundred rounds, neither gaining an advantage. Fighting on enemy territory was a disadvantage to begin with, and the negotiation location being beneath the Falling Star Sage Hall further compounded the issue. The Sage Priests, bathed in the Great Sage’s radiance, were like characters in their home base, constantly replenishing their health and mana.

In contrast, the Rong Hongxue’s human think tank was suffering.

It was impossible not to feel frustrated. At this moment, Rong Hongxue really wanted to emulate Yi Zhen’s direct approach and bomb the Sage Hall from the first floor to the top, all the way to Lady Yun Xingchen’s bedroom.

—But he couldn’t. The Great Sage’s power was unfathomable. Even their weakened, deceased shell could nourish an entire star region. Even Rong Hongxue in his current state was no match for them.

When his personalized notification tone rang, he quietly opened his eyes and activated his optical computer.

A gentle blue light swirled, and Yi Zhen’s figure appeared on the screen, his moon-white sleeves fluttering in the breeze – it was the recording of his battle against Ringing Scorpion.

The camerawork was clearly professional, the slightly tilted angle accentuating Yi Zhen’s straight and tall posture, placing him at the center. When he moved, his sleeves billowed, exuding an imposing aura, as if it were a brilliant solo performance, leaving Ringing Scorpion with almost no screen time.

Rong Hongxue glanced at Ji Qing standing in the corner and continued to stare expressionlessly at the video. It was hard to tell what he was thinking. At first, he resembled a parent critically examining a test paper. As the battle progressed, his brow furrowed slightly. The moment Ji Qing’s fist connected with Yi Zhen, Rong Hongxue’s eyes seemed to freeze, unmoving until Yi Zhen achieved victory through inexplicable means. Only then did his pupils relax slightly.

The video ended with Yi Zhen smiling, the cheers of the crowd about to erupt. Rong Hongxue’s expression gradually softened, as if he had taken a satisfying rest.

He looked at Yi Zhen, his gaze both cold and critical. But after watching for a while, he seemed unable to maintain his composure, and a hint of affectionate amusement crept into his eyes.

Someone approached quickly. Rong Hongxue, still watching the video, didn’t look up: “What? Are those Sage Priests ready again?”

“No,” Ishtar whispered, “It’s Lady Yun Xingchen. She wants to see you.”

After a pause, she added: “Alone.”

Rong Hongxue paused, his eyes lighting up like ignited ghostfire, almost manic.

“Finally,” he stood up slowly, “After waiting so long, she’s decided to negotiate with me one-on-one.”

The top floor of the Sage Hall. In all of human history, only a handful of people had ever been here. Rong Hongxue being here for the second time was, in a way, a miraculous new record.

Yun Xingchen—The Fallen Star, Flowing Aether, Myriad Laws of the Heavens, Wisdom’s Fire Illuminating the Long Night—the Sage bearing such a grand title didn’t look particularly healthy. On the contrary, she appeared incredibly thin.

She wore royal robes, her cheeks slightly sunken. Compared to the radiant golden skin of the Sage Priests, bathed in the watery starlight, her complexion was closer to pale silver. Dozens of silver-like tendrils were piled high on the back of her head, secured by a fan-shaped jeweled crown.

She was beautiful, there was no doubt about that. Whether judged by human aesthetics or the aesthetics of the Crimson Cloak galaxy’s natives, her beauty transcended species, gender, and age, like the sun hanging in space, illuminating the world.

“Hello, Rong Hongxue.” She addressed him directly. In the vast hall, her voice seemed to emanate from all directions. “I’m glad to see you again.”

Rong Hongxue replied cautiously, “I’m also pleased to see you again, Sage.”

Sages were beings who, standing in the present, could see the past and the future. Legend had it that in their eyes, time was flat, and space was simplified into a line. They could freely traverse time and fold space. There were no secrets before a Sage, no unknowns, only things they chose to reveal or conceal.

Therefore, he had to be cautious, even if caution was a futile defense.

Yun Xingchen was silent for a moment, then said: “I’ve heard that you’ve gone to great lengths for the mining rights. My priests are almost at their wit’s end.”

Rong Hongxue smiled. Unnamed white flowers bloomed in the hall, their petals scattering in the air. He picked one up and said casually: “You’re too modest. Your priests are an impenetrable wall. Despite all my efforts, I haven’t been able to bite off a single decent piece of meat. It’s not so much that your priests are at their wit’s end, but rather that I’m running out of tricks.”

Yun Xingchen also chuckled softly. When she laughed, all the flower buds on the trees burst open, then fell, fluttering in the wind. For a moment, it was as if a fragrant snow had fallen in the hall.

“Greedy human,” she shook her head. “You already possess so much wealth and power, the world basically lies at your feet. Why are you still unsatisfied?”

“Because I cannot accept that something promised to me ultimately doesn’t belong to me. I’ve already grasped it; asking me to loosen my fingers one by one…is very difficult.”

Yun Xingchen sighed obscurely: “Rong Hongxue, trying to take back a reward already offered, how can that be considered reasonable?”

Rong Hongxue raised an eyebrow: “I don’t recall offering you any reward. On the contrary, going back on your word isn’t very Sage-like, is it?”

Yun Xingchen smiled faintly: “Indeed, going back on my word. I wonder why I did that…”

“Forget it,” she suddenly relented. “The Azoth Empire has already taken a mineral planet. It’s fine to give you the remaining mining rights.”

Rong Hongxue immediately looked up at her, his brow furrowed. The victory came too quickly, giving him an uneasy feeling.

“Leave, Rong Hongxue, leave Crimson Cloak.” Yun Xingchen gave a mysterious smile and decisively issued the order to leave. “You shouldn’t linger here too long. It’s not the right time yet. Go!”

The world blurred before Rong Hongxue’s eyes. He had already been transported out of the top floor of the Sage Hall.

“Mr. Rong!” His subordinates rushed to him. “Are you alright?”

Rong Hongxue looked down at the flower petal in his hand, then released it, letting it drift away.

He had many questions. No one could meet with a Sage without becoming perplexed. But at this moment, he only cared about two things.

What was the reason for Yun Xingchen’s initial refusal, and subsequent change of heart?

After a long and drawn-out stalemate, why did she suddenly agree to fulfill her previous promise?

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