This Character is Suspected of Cheating! [Unlimited Flow]

The moment He Yu's words fell, everyone froze.

The audience froze. The contestants inside the competition froze as well. Every single word He Yu had spoken was perfectly understandable—yet somehow, once put together, no one could make sense of them.

—What was He Yu talking about?

Someone interfering with the competition?

The Tree of Life adding scenes to the script?

Eugene, Zhen Xing, Duan Yuchen, and Qiong reacted the fastest. They looked at the Tree of Life, then back at He Yu. Their pupils contracted, their faces filled with shock. Qiong covered her mouth, almost unable to believe the conclusion forming in her mind...

The <Top Talent Show> system had malfunctioned. The fact that they still couldn't leave was proof enough.

Although the Tree of Life had suddenly "awakened," which was admittedly strange, no one had cared as long as it didn't affect their advancement.

But now, He Yu was clearly implying that the Tree of Life's "awakening" was the result of outside interference!

Shock.

Then anger.

The <Top Talent Show> system had existed throughout the Federation for countless years. Even today, recreating another system like it would be nearly impossible.

The competition was brutal. The survival rate was pitifully low.

But it had always been absolutely fair.

A god-making system was no ordinary system.

Stable.

Powerful.

Impossible to interfere with.

Those were the advantages that had always been advertised.

They had willingly entered this slaughter.

That did not mean they were willing to be thrown into uncontrollable danger.

The appearance of bugs—not just once, but repeatedly—already meant they had entered an uncontrollable situation. The system itself had become unstable.

Could they really be certain they wouldn't die because of some "accident"?

Dying at an opponent's hands wasn't shameful in the Federation.

If you were weaker, then you deserved to die.

You were still considered a brave warrior.

But dying because of an accident...

That would be utterly infuriating.

They wouldn't even be able to die with their eyes closed.

More importantly—

Someone was actually interfering with the competition?!

Was there any fairness left at all?

[Bullet Screen: "What is He Yu talking about?"]

[Bullet Screen: "Is it what I think it is? Was the Tree of Life created by the organizers?"]

[Bullet Screen: "Didn't they promise they would never interfere???"]

[Bullet Screen: "...Honestly, I can accept it. They were trapped because of a bug. If the organizers hadn't fixed it, that would've really... gotten them killed."]

[Bullet Screen: "Fixing bugs is one thing, but they have to explain it! Didn't they always say the competition system couldn't be interfered with? Was all of that fake? Were they lying?"]

The audience had already begun questioning everything.

Earlier, after He Yu and Wanrenzhan had discussed the "NPC rebellion," viewers had already started doubting the competition system.

Now, those doubts multiplied.

The enormous face growing from the Tree of Life looked calmly at He Yu.

"Human, I don't understand what you're talking about. Let go. Allow me to devour this hateful devil."

He Yu continued gripping the vine tightly, his eyes icy.

"You understand perfectly. You interfered with the competition at will, and you even tried to fool me. Do you really think I have no way to deal with you?"

"I have nothing to say to a human like you."

The Tree of Life stopped speaking and simply continued absorbing the Devil Vine's life force.

The Devil Vine wrapped tightly around the Tree of Life lost several more vines.

The thick vines that had once danced menacingly gradually withered.

The Devil Vine, which had seemed so overwhelmingly powerful, now appeared able to do nothing but helplessly march toward death.

He Yu sneered.

Then...

He slowly released his grip.

The vine he had been holding dropped onto the ground, twisting slightly as though it wanted to tell him something.

Yet it struggled in vain.

Unable to speak.

Only growing weaker as its vitality continued draining away.

—If possible...

Xiao Lü wanted to die by He Yu's hand.

—He wanted to say goodbye to He Yu.

But...

It seemed impossible.

One vine after another, the Devil Vine was devoured by the Tree of Life.

Everyone thought He Yu had given up.

So did the Tree of Life.

But the instant He Yu let go, a broom appeared beneath his feet.

Holding his longsword, he stepped onto the broom and shot into the sky.

Wanrenzhan tilted his head upward.

His exceptional eyesight allowed him to clearly see both He Yu and the current Tree of Life.

Standing beside it, He Yu looked no bigger than a tiny ant.

If the Tree of Life attacked...

Wouldn't it kill him instantly?

Bo Jingshan saw even more clearly than Wanrenzhan.

His face was filled with worry.

Gripping the Crescent Moon Blade tightly, he stood ready to act at any moment.

The audience's attention shifted away from questioning the <Top Talent Show> organizers.

He Yu's sudden ascent caught countless people by surprise.

"What is he trying to do? Challenge the Tree of Life?"

"I know he wants to save Xiao Lü, but even Xiao Lü couldn't resist the Tree of Life. Where does He Yu get his confidence?"

"Eight combat power! And his weapon only has six combat power! What on earth is he thinking?!"

"He's gone crazy. He Yu's been driven insane."

"If he dies like this, Duan Yuchen and the others will laugh in their dreams."

...

Crazy.

He had to be crazy.

Otherwise...

How could he dare challenge such a colossal Tree of Life with a weapon worth only six combat power?

—Who gave him that courage?

—That useless broken sword?!

Doubts filled the air.

He Yu neither heard them nor cared to.

Standing high in the sky, he gripped the longsword tightly.

His cold gaze fixed upon the Tree of Life.

He raised a hand.

With one finger, he lightly adjusted his glasses.

His right hand pointed the sword toward the heavens.

His voice remained calm.

"The Devil Vine is a bug. A bug you desperately don't want made public. That's why you interfered with the competition through the Tree of Life to eliminate it."

"Let me guess how you intended to explain this. The Devil Vines in other instances definitely don't look like this, nor have they grown so rampant. So after removing the bug, you planned to claim that the Devil Vine's recovery disrupted the rules of the instance, while the Tree of Life naturally balanced those rules by killing it. Then we'd leave as normal. The instance would be perfect. No bugs. Is that the explanation you prepared?"

His voice was gentle.

Calm.

Yet every word was like a blade stabbing straight into certain people's hearts.

Qiu Dao clutched his chest while staring at He Yu in the projection.

Beside him, the staff member responsible for drafting the official announcement looked incredibly awkward...

Because what He Yu had just said...

Matched the announcement they had written word for word.

"..."

"Mr. Qiu Dao... should I keep writing?" the staff member asked.

Qiu Dao: "..."

He felt like he couldn't breathe.

He simply couldn't understand it.

How could a contestant trapped inside the competition, with no freedom whatsoever...

Cause them so much trouble across both time and space?

—Why is He Yu so smart?!

Qiu Dao turned toward the person beside him.

"Mr. Abier... please think of something."

Love Planet.

Everyone stood in a daze.

They already knew He Yu was intelligent.

But wasn't this intelligence a little too excessive?

And somehow...

He just kept getting smarter.

Every time they thought they had caught up with his train of thought...

He immediately leaped far ahead again, leaving everyone behind.

The Tree of Life possessed the characteristics of a living plant.

It was calm.

Detached.

It seemed capable of seeing through everything.

Like an elderly sage silently watching a child throw a tantrum.

After a long pause, it sighed.

"I don't understand what you're talking about. But my mission is to kill the devil. He ruined Love Planet. Without him, my world... my people... would still exist."

Those words were practically an open accusation that He Yu was meddling where he didn't belong.

He Yu's expression never changed.

"If you were truly the Tree of Life, then why were there no living beings when you were flourishing? Why were there no living beings when you were weak? Yet now, suddenly, one appears?"

"I've already told you."

"Don't add scenes."

"And don't take me for an idiot."

The moment those words fell—

Everyone's expressions changed dramatically.

Their eyes widened.

Siya muttered blankly,

"My god..."

Not because of what He Yu had said.

But because while he was speaking...

The longsword pointing toward the heavens had begun to change.

The sword blazed like the sun itself.

That infuriating "flashbang" effect assaulted everyone's vision once again.

Yet no one could look away.

Because countless invisible streams of energy were gathering toward the blade.

The energy itself couldn't be seen.

But the dark clouds were being swept aside by it, forming countless black currents flowing toward the sword.

Through those currents...

Everyone could vaguely perceive the terrifying amount of energy converging.

Even the lightning stopped striking downward.

Instead, every bolt gathered at the tip of the sword.

The blade devoured every flash of lightning directly.

None of it could harm the person holding it.

It could even consume lightning.

Was the longsword He Yu had forged really a useless sword?

No.

Its six combat power only reflected the materials used to forge it.

He had never altered those attributes.

Which meant...

It was actually a blank sword.

A sword that, just like He Yu himself...

Could absorb and convert the surrounding energy.

Holding the sword aloft, He Yu stood among the clouds.

It was as though some blood-stirring background music had begun to play.

Between heaven and earth...

Only he remained, confronting the gigantic tree.

Energy poured endlessly into the blade.

Lightning flowed into it.

The surrounding storm clouds rushed toward it.

The sword shone like a blazing sun, radiating brilliant, blinding light.

Pressure.

A pressure emanating from both the sword...

And He Yu.

The Tree of Life sensed it.

For the first time, it completely lost its composure.

Its massive crown trembled violently as though preparing for battle.

Its voice tightened.

"Human... don't you want to leave? Only by killing the devil can you leave. I'm helping you..."

He Yu smiled.

"Helping me?"

"Sorry."

"I don't need your help."

"If anyone is going to kill him..."

"It will be me."

The moment he finished speaking—

The sword traced a dazzling arc before slashing downward.

As it descended...

It transformed into what seemed like tens of thousands of swords.

Layer upon layer.

Finally merging into one heaven-shattering giant blade.

It descended with unstoppable force.

The winds howled.

The clouds churned.

Nothing could block its advance.

One slash fell.

Then another rose.

"The first sword."

"I cut down those who toy with me."

"The second sword."

"I cut down those who seek to control me."

"The third sword."

"I cut down the rules and order imposed by others."

His cool, slightly hoarse voice carried incomparable confidence...

And pride.

He Yu...

Obeyed only the rules he himself established.

If only the strong were allowed to create rules—

Then he would become strong.

If only gods could create rules—

Then he would become a god.

—In this world...

—In this universe...

No one could force him to bow his head.

—Between death and glory...

He would choose only one.

Three swords rose.

Three swords fell.

The first sliced away the Tree of Life's left side.

The second severed its right.

The third...

Completely sheared off the top of the tree.

Boom—

The towering, overwhelming Tree of Life was reduced in an instant to nothing but a bare trunk.

He Yu sneered.

"As expected."

"You're nothing but a bluff."

"If you were truly the Tree of Life, there is no way you could have been completely unable to fight back."

"You're merely a newly created NPC program inserted into the Tree of Life."

An NPC program.

Inserted into the Tree of Life.

Its task was to erase the Devil Vine.

To provide both the contestants and the audience with an explanation.

That was all.

Of course it couldn't fight back.

Because it merely existed inside the Tree of Life.

It was not the Tree of Life itself.

The Devil Vine, whose life force had been forcefully drained and devoured...

Was being manipulated by the system.

People outside the competition were forcibly erasing it.

Either they publicly erased He Yu as well...

Or...

They would have to stand by helplessly as he exposed the truth and destroyed this so-called Tree of Life.

They wanted a fig leaf.

He Yu intended to rip it away.

The sword rose again.

One final strike.

The Tree of Life could no longer endure it.

Even a newly created NPC possessed an instinct for survival.

It cried out involuntarily,

"If you kill me, you'll kill him too! The Devil Vine and I are one!"

"Then you'll die together."

He Yu raised the sword high overhead.

The blade descended.

"The final sword."

"I cut down all things that threaten me..."

"...or seek to restrain me."

If the Devil Vine had to die...

Then it should die by his hand.

—That was He Yu's dominance.

—His absolute will.

Rumble—

Lightning flashed.

Thunder roared.

The final strike descended with even more terrifying momentum.

The dazzling sword shadow tore through the sky toward the Tree of Life.

Its overwhelming killing intent seemed capable of destroying everything.

Even the afterimages screamed—

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

The sword struck the earth.

The last remaining stump of the Tree of Life...

Was obliterated.

The primordial forests covering Love Planet were blasted into a vast empty wasteland.

The earth overturned.

Roots buried deep underground withered at terrifying speed before crumbling into dust.

The storm clouds dispersed.

The sky cleared.

Yet the silence that followed...

Was strangely unsettling.

The air itself still seemed filled with killing intent.

Eugene and the others fell silent.

So did the audience.

—The battle had ended far too quickly.

Four strikes.

Only four.

The Tree of Life and the Devil Vine had both been annihilated.

The terrifying might displayed by that sword...

Was it S-rank?

SS-rank?

Or perhaps...

SSS-rank?

No one could tell.

They only knew one thing.

It was terrifying.

Even separated by countless layers of space...

The audience still felt chills.

And all of it...

Had been done by He Yu.

He Yu.

With only two combat power.

Holding a nameless sword worth merely six combat power.

Everyone stared at him in shock.

Confused beyond belief.

At that moment...

Only a single question filled their minds.

—Wasn't he supposed to be the strongest support?

—How did the strongest support suddenly become the strongest carry?!

Where had their delicate, fragile He Yu gone?

Had the world changed...

Or had they all gone blind?

Love Planet remained silent for a very long time.

The Bullet Screen stayed completely empty.

Then...

It exploded.

"HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT!!"

"HOLY SHIT!! HE YU AHHHHHH!"

"My god! How did he do that?! That sword only had six combat power!!"

"I was pinching my thigh the whole time! He Yu is terrifying!!"

"My mom asked why I was kneeling while watching the livestream."

"What just happened?! WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!"

"Damn, He Yu is so cool! God He! God He!"

"I'm officially his fan!!"

"His personality is so overbearing... so unbelievably charismatic."

...

Qiu Dao looked toward Abier.

The latter's expression had become extremely grim.

His face was dark.

"Mr. Abier..."

Abier stood up.

"The bug has already been eliminated."

"Come up with another explanation."

"Or..."

"Explain nothing at all."

"He Yu..."

"...isn't someone to be underestimated."

"We underestimated him."

With that, he strode away.

Qiu Dao stood there blankly.

So...

What now?

What were they supposed to do now?!

Love Planet.

Duan Yuchen and Eugene exchanged glances.

Both saw the same shock...

And solemnity.

They had always known He Yu was frightening.

The strongest support.

Anyone worthy of being called the "strongest" could never be ordinary.

Even before today...

They had already realized they could no longer allow He Yu to continue growing unchecked.

They had to eliminate him as quickly as possible.

But now...

Every previous plan had become meaningless.

He Yu...

Wasn't merely the strongest support.

He seemed to possess terrifying combat power as well.

Even if it wasn't his own...

His sword certainly did.

An enemy possessing both overwhelming intelligence and overwhelming strength...

Could they really defeat someone like that?

Could it be that...

Before even reaching the finals...

While only among the top two thousand...

They already had to admit—

They were going to lose?

That the final victor could only be...

He Yu?

They couldn't accept it.

Accepting defeat meant waiting for death.

And no one wanted to die.

Siya felt despair.

She had always known her chances of winning the competition weren't high.

But before the final round...

Who knew?

Maybe she'd obtain some heaven-defying equipment and defeat everyone else.

Zhen Xing hadn't made her despair.

Neither had Wanrenzhan, Eugene, or Duan Yuchen.

Even Bo Jingshan, armed with the Crescent Moon Blade, hadn't made her despair.

—Only He Yu had.

Back when He Yu possessed only eight combat power and unmatched intelligence...

They had already needed to discuss elaborate strategies just to surround and kill him.

Now...

He seemed to possess heaven-defying combat power as well.

Could they still successfully hunt him down?

Despair.

Nothing but despair filled her heart.

High above.

The broom descended.

He Yu slowly landed.

Everyone had been watching him the entire time.

Naturally...

They also saw how deathly pale his face had become.

And the blood slowly trickling from the corner of his lips.

Crack—

The longsword shattered.

Everyone froze.

They stared blankly at the broken sword...

Then at He Yu.

[Bullet Screen: "A sword that powerful... was destroyed just like that?"]

[Bullet Screen: "...Can it still be repaired?"]

[Bullet Screen: "Oh my god... He Yu's combat power is back to 2! That's miserable... Not only didn't it increase, it actually dropped back..."]

[Bullet Screen: "It's impossible to imagine that someone who created a scene like that only has two combat power!"]

The audience felt regret.

Meanwhile...

The contestants led by Eugene all brightened.

Gedai exchanged a glance with Siya.

Both saw joy in each other's eyes.

He Yu's sword...

Had been destroyed.

In the next instance...

As long as they found He Yu before he reunited with Bo Jingshan and Zhen Xing...

They could kill him.

They absolutely couldn't give him another opportunity to forge a new sword.

Gedai's eyes flashed.

A blade extended from his mechanical arm.

He slashed viciously toward He Yu's head.

The Crescent Moon Blade instantly intercepted the attack.

Bo Jingshan blocked it firmly.

At the same moment Gedai moved...

Eugene lunged forward as well.

Zhen Xing stepped in to stop him.

Gedai roared,

"Have you all gone insane?! If you keep letting him grow, every one of you will die!"

Eugene didn't become angry.

He simply withdrew his mechanical arm, stepped back twice, and sighed.

"Ah..."

"The sneak attack failed."

"We'll just have to try again next time."

—He didn't even bother hiding the fact that he wanted to kill He Yu.

Then again...

There was nothing worth hiding.

Everyone wanted everyone else dead.

If you didn't kill others...

You would die instead.

As the greatest threat in the competition, wanting to kill He Yu was perfectly reasonable.

Bo Jingshan and Zhen Xing said nothing.

They simply stood on either side of He Yu...

Protecting him.

Wanrenzhan, however, hadn't attacked.

When Gedai and Eugene struck, he had actually taken two steps forward instinctively, intending to help He Yu.

Of course...

Bo Jingshan and Zhen Xing had been faster.

Looking at the three of them standing together in remarkable harmony...

Wanrenzhan couldn't help sneering.

"You made such a huge spectacle..."

"...only to kill a Tree of Life that couldn't even fight back."

His gaze swept toward the broken sword lying on the ground.

His face was full of disdain.

"So this is the equipment you forged?"

"It broke after being used once."

"Doesn't seem that impressive."

"Want to reforge it?"

"If you say something nice to me..."

"I can give you some excellent forging materials."

What kind of mockery was that?

Just saying a few pleasant words in exchange for top-tier forging materials...

That was an incredible bargain!

Duan Yuchen had been staring heartbreakingly at the broken sword.

Hearing those words...

He couldn't help glaring fiercely at Wanrenzhan.

His conclusion became even firmer.

This guy had definitely defected to He Yu's side.

He had sold them out.

—Idiot.

—Moron.

He Yu raised a hand and slowly wiped the blood from the corner of his lips.

Smiling faintly, he said,

"My equipment is rather special."

"So is the way it's used."

"Ordinary forging materials simply aren't sturdy enough."

"They really can't withstand it."

He looked up at Wanrenzhan.

"If I reforge it..."

"I'll need something even harder."

"You actually happen to possess one forging material that would suit me perfectly."

The way he wiped away the blood was strangely beautiful.

Lazy.

Wicked.

His faint smile seemed capable of shaking people's hearts.

Wanrenzhan had already been staring at him in a daze.

Subconsciously, he swallowed.

"What?"

He Yu answered leisurely,

"The spinal bone..."

"...from your body, tempered through countless battles."

Wanrenzhan: "???"

Although He Yu looked perfectly calm...

For some reason...

Wanrenzhan suddenly felt a chill crawl down his spine.

—Holy shit.

What kind of monster is this?!

He instinctively reached back to touch his spine.

"You... you... you're talking nonsense!"

He Yu spread his hands.

"I am not."

"For people whose combat power exceeds two hundred..."

"...their spinal bones are the hardest."

"They make the finest forging materials."

Hearing that...

Wanrenzhan instinctively took two steps backward.

He Yu chuckled and ignored him.

Bending down, he picked up the broken sword and stored it inside his backpack.

Just as he was about to straighten up...

His hand paused.

Nearby...

A single emerald-green vine quietly lay on the ground.

His fingers moved slightly.

In the end...

He picked it up.

The vine rested in his palm.

His hand felt cool.

But the vine was even colder.

It lay motionless against his skin.

—Yet he knew...

It was still alive.

He Yu spoke softly.

"Xiao Lü."

That single call was like flipping a switch.

The tiny leaves trembled faintly.

The vine pressed itself tightly against He Yu's palm.

As though yearning to be close to him.

Or perhaps...

Trying to express its reluctance.

Its attachment.

It was only a vine tip.

Thin.

Fragile.

He Yu lowered his eyes, hiding the emotions within them.

"I killed you with my own hands."

"Do you blame me?"

The vine tip was too weak to speak.

It merely wriggled faintly.

Then...

A tiny bud emerged.

With great difficulty...

It tried to bloom into a flower.

Just like it had done every day before.

With every fraction the bud grew...

Another portion of the vine withered away.

Finally...

The flower struggled half-open.

All that remained in He Yu's palm was that half-bloomed blossom.

The vine's vitality had completely run out.

The little white flower Xiao Lü wanted to use to cheer He Yu up...

Could no longer bloom.

It felt as though a raindrop landed upon someone's face.

—Was he sad...

Because the flower couldn't bloom?

—As expected...

It really was Xiao Lü.

He Yu lowered his head slightly.

His lips gently brushed the white flower.

Then he pulled away.

The little white flower froze.

After that...

It no longer stubbornly tried to bloom.

Instead...

It gently rubbed itself against He Yu.

Just twice.

Then...

Its life completely faded away.

Turning into a wisp of dust...

Before disappearing.

There were no farewells.

No final words.

Even the half-open flower vanished.

He Yu sighed silently.

The system announcement echoed.

[Congratulations to He Yu, Zhen Xing, Wanrenzhan, Bo Jingshan, Eugene, Gedai, Duan Yuchen, Qiong, and Siya for advancing to the Top 2000! Remaining slots: 9/2000.]

[Congratulations to all contestants for clearing the instance <Universal Romance>, completing the thirty-day survival mission, and receiving nine pieces of high-grade equipment.]

[Congratulations to He Yu for killing the NPC Tree of Life. Reward obtained: High-Grade Forging Material.]

[Congratulations to He Yu for eliminating the bug Devil Vine. Special Reward obtained: Precognition Card.]

[Until the next instance begins, contestants are prohibited from killing one another.]