Chapter 164: Money Game (1)

Qiong's life story actually wasn't all that complicated, but it shared one characteristic common to many Federation powerhouses—they had all suffered tremendously.

She was born on Dikui Chaos Planet, but she wasn't one of its native inhabitants.

On the contrary, one of her ancestors had once borne the title of "the one closest to a god." However, during a battle over a divine-grade treasure, their family suffered devastating losses and was nearly wiped out.

Powerful families always had countless enemies. After her family fell from power, they were gradually driven to survive on Chaos Planet. Eventually they disappeared into obscurity. Generation after generation passed, until by Qiong's generation, she was the only one left.

Her parents had died young. Qiong had endured unimaginable hardships before mastering countless different skills. To grow up on Chaos Planet and become so powerful, she had encountered every sort of person imaginable—criminals, monsters, outcasts, and lunatics.

Of course, no one knew exactly what she had gone through.

She herself had never talked about it.

Just those few brief {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} sentences were enough to reveal how bitter her past had been.

Qiong spread her hands and shrugged.

"There. Now you know enough, right?"

He Yu nodded.

"I do. You're very straightforward."

He raised a hand to stroke his chin before asking with genuine curiosity,

"How about telling me more about the Federation? Blue Star had only just begun connecting with the Universe Federation before we were dragged into the Top Talent Show. I haven't even had the chance to understand how the Federation works."

Zhen Xing didn't object.

Qiong looked at him speechlessly.

"We're trapped inside a competition where we don't even know whether we'll survive, and you're actually in the mood to learn about the Federation..."

He Yu blinked.

"There's nothing else to do anyway. Even if I'm going to die, I'd at least like to die understanding the world."

Zhen Xing nodded.

"Fine. I'll tell you what I know."

Qiong stopped objecting and simply crossed her arms, standing nearby.

—

Blue Star.

For once, Wei Jiaguo wasn't watching the livestream.

Instead, he sat in another conference room together with Ye Kaijun and the others. Nearly everyone wore worried expressions, their emotions incredibly complicated.

Across from them sat representatives officially sent by the Federation.

The atmosphere between the two sides was almost confrontational.

Wei Jiaguo raised his voice.

"So you're saying you still don't know who attacked the passageway?!"

Kang Lai, the head of the Federation delegation, frowned deeply, his expression equally unpleasant.

"Do you think we wanted something like this to happen? The people who died were all from the Federation's Main Planet."

Taking a deep breath, Wei Jiaguo replied,

"I know this wasn't intentional on your part. But the passageway was about to be completely opened when something like this happened. Don't we have the right to know?"

Someone within the Federation delegation frowned and let out a cold laugh.

"Do you think Blue Star is something special? The passageway hasn't even opened yet. You're nothing but a garbage planet. Even after the passage opens, you'll still be a weak little planet. What gives you the right to question us?"

Wei Jiaguo's face darkened slightly.

The speaker belonged to the Keli Hai family.

Apparently, he had joined the Federation delegation to investigate Blue Star's true situation. Throughout this period, he had constantly treated Blue Star's officials with contempt. If Kang Lai hadn't been keeping him in check, he probably would have already attacked Blue Star's people.

Wei Jiaguo looked at him deeply before shifting his gaze away, refusing to acknowledge him.

Instead, he stared directly at Kang Lai.

"Mr. Kang Lai, I believe we're partners. During this period, we've contributed considerably toward opening the passageway."

Kang Lai sighed.

"We're still investigating exactly what happened. That team concealed themselves extremely well, killed everyone responsible for opening the passageway, and completely destroyed every single smart brain. We truly have no clues whatsoever."

Ye Kaijun asked,

"Has anything similar ever happened in the Federation before?"

Kang Lai shook his head.

"No. This is the first time."

The Keli Hai family member sneered again.

"Heh. The first incident of its kind in the Universe Federation. It's obvious someone doesn't want Blue Star joining. But what's there to stop from a barren little planet like yours? More likely, that Blue Star contestant He Yu offended someone in the competition, and now their family is taking revenge."

"You—!"

Ye Kaijun exploded with anger.

Wei Jiaguo raised a hand, stopping him.

His expression remained stern.

"He Yu is fighting on behalf of Blue Star. He hasn't gone around murdering people inside the competition. I don't wish to hear remarks like that again. Otherwise, we'll regard them as deliberate provocation."

After a brief pause, he added,

"If He Yu has become powerful enough that others fear him to this extent, then that's Blue Star's honor."

The Keli Hai family member was about to continue arguing when Kang Lai let out a cold snort.

The man immediately fell silent.

Kang Lai said,

"The Universe Federation is a democratic society—open and inclusive. Since we've agreed to allow Blue Star to join the Federation, we won't go back on our word. This incident was never something we wanted. Anyone daring to attack the Federation will absolutely be investigated thoroughly."

Wei Jiaguo's expression remained unreadable, his voice calm.

"They killed everyone, destroyed the ship, and wiped every smart brain. Mr. Kang Lai... that wasn't an ordinary team."

Anyone capable of accomplishing all that was no ordinary force.

Yet such a force had tried to stop Blue Star from joining the Universe Federation.

Why?

And who stood behind them?

Kang Lai inhaled deeply before standing.

"We'll continue sending people to reopen the passageway. But for now, Mr. Wei, the Federation needs to bring your researchers to the Royal Palace on Main Planet to study the new cultivation system."

Ye Kaijun frowned, about to speak.

Kang Lai placed both hands on the conference table and leaned forward.

"The Federation keeps its promises. The Federation Accord guarantees that. Please rest assured—the passageway will definitely be opened."

Ye Kaijun didn't want to agree.

Once the researchers and materials reached Main Planet, the new cultivation system would spread rapidly.

Meanwhile, Blue Star's passageway still wouldn't be open.

The entire universe would begin cultivating while Blue Star remained unable to do so.

Wouldn't that completely erase the equal starting line He Yu had created for them?

But Wei Jiaguo didn't refuse.

Instead, he stood up and nodded.

"Very well. I'll arrange for the materials immediately. I hope, Mr. Kang Lai, that you keep your word."

Kang Lai nodded with satisfaction.

The Keli Hai family member's eyes shifted slightly, clearly harboring malicious intentions.

The meeting ended.

After the Federation delegation from Main Planet departed, Wei Jiaguo led Ye Kaijun into another room.

Every screen displayed livestreams.

The largest one in the center belonged to He Yu.

There was currently no live broadcast, only He Yu's promotional photo.

He wore a white sweater and blue jeans, with rimless glasses resting on his nose.

He looked slender and frail, yet his back remained perfectly straight, radiating quiet resilience.

His slightly cold eyes seemed to say that everything was under his control.

Confident.

Intelligent.

Blue Star's pride.

Once they were inside a secure room, Ye Kaijun anxiously asked,

"How could you agree to that? Doesn't that make Blue Star a disposable pawn? Once we're no longer useful, they won't care about Blue Star anymore. And if we can't cultivate, who knows whether the passageway will ever reopen?"

Could the Universe Federation really be trusted?

Of course not.

Back when He Yu hadn't demonstrated his worth and Blue Star had possessed nothing worth exchanging, the Federation hadn't shown the slightest intention of accepting them.

If He Yu hadn't exposed the existence of the passageway, the Federation would never even have mentioned it!

Under those circumstances, how could they expect the Federation not to turn against them?

Even if they didn't, once the new cultivation system spread before the passageway opened, Blue Star would still fall behind.

If anything happened to He Yu, the Keli Hai family would be the first to invade Blue Star.

Their advanced technology and overwhelming combat power could destroy the entire planet.

Wei Jiaguo shook his head, his eyes filled with worry.

"Didn't you realize? We have no choice. We must send the researchers and resources to Main Planet if we want Blue Star to survive."

Ye Kaijun froze.

Beside them, Zheng Ke drew a deep breath.

He understood the situation more clearly.

"The mysterious force that attacked the Federation's passage-opening team is incredibly powerful. They're absolutely beyond anything Blue Star can compare to. In fact..." He paused, his expression gloomy. "They're powerful enough that even the Federation itself can't identify them."

After another pause, he continued,

"And that force clearly doesn't want Blue Star joining the Federation. I don't believe Blue Star alone is worth fearing."

"Which means..."

"...it's because of the new cultivation system."

Although they didn't know exactly why, it was highly likely that mysterious force didn't want the new system to spread.

Or perhaps...

They simply didn't want it spreading through the Federation.

Ye Kaijun's pupils contracted.

He immediately understood.

"If it's because of the new cultivation system... then if they can attack the passage-opening team, they can destroy Blue Star itself!"

Destroying Blue Star would be effortless for a force capable of threatening the Universe Federation.

No wonder they had to hand the researchers and materials over to the Federation now.

Once the official Federation possessed the materials, preventing Blue Star from joining the Federation would become meaningless.

Only then...

...would Blue Star be safe.

Wei Jiaguo fell into thought before suddenly asking,

"Do you think the Federation already knows?"

"They could have simply seized the materials by force."

"So why insist on cooperating with Blue Star to open the passageway?"

"And why make such a public spectacle of it?"

Wei Jiaguo had suspected the Federation's sudden goodwill before.

Now that suspicion had almost become certainty.

The Federation had another objective.

Zheng Ke nodded.

"I'm afraid so."

"The Federation is using us as bait."

Ye Kaijun rubbed his temples.

"My head is spinning."

"We've only been connected to the Federation for such a short time. Now there are bait operations, mysterious forces... it's impossible to make sense of all this."

His face was filled with despair.

"Once we hand over the materials, the entire universe will begin cultivating."

"And Blue Star, because the passageway still isn't open, will fall behind."

"Who knows how long it'll take us to catch up?"

If anything else happened...

If the Federation encountered another crisis...

If the passageway could no longer be completed...

Blue Star would be finished.

Moving forward meant death.

Retreating meant death.

Zheng Ke stared at the screen.

"If only He Yu were out here."

But he was trapped inside the competition.

No matter how brilliant he was, no matter how desperately he wanted to help Blue Star...

He couldn't.

Wei Jiaguo also looked at He Yu's face on the screen.

Though thin and frail...

Though his combat power was listed as merely 2...

He possessed terrifying abilities.

No matter the situation, he always analyzed it calmly.

Even trapped between impossible circumstances, he could always discover a path to survival.

Blue Star was now trapped in exactly such a situation.

Could it also find a way forward?

Wei Jiaguo slowly closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, clarity filled his gaze.

"We won't send the researchers."

"We'll only hand over the materials."

"Perhaps... Blue Star still has hope."

Ye Kaijun stared.

"You mean..."

"...someone will attack the Federation delegation again before they return?"

Wei Jiaguo rubbed his forehead.

"I think that's very likely."

"So let's gamble on that possibility."

If that mysterious force was truly so powerful...

It could probably accomplish much more.

If the delegation failed to return with the materials...

Then the Federation would have only two choices.

Either uncover that mysterious force...

Or protect Blue Star and reopen the passageway.

Neither outcome would harm Blue Star.

That...

...was Blue Star's only chance to survive.

—

Transit Station.

The Federation's power structure was incredibly complicated.

Chaotic...

Yet strangely orderly.

Through Zhen Xing's and Qiong's explanations, He Yu quickly grasped the Federation's political landscape.

The Federation had a King who resided in the Royal Palace of District One.

However, the position wasn't hereditary.

The King was elected.

A thousand years ago, the five Main Planets acknowledged no authority above themselves.

Conflict was constant.

Planetary wars erupted endlessly.

Each Main Planet possessed countless ordinary planets supporting its interests.

Whenever war broke out, it became a massive interstellar conflict.

Then, a thousand years ago, the robots rebelled.

Every major power united to suppress the uprising.

The robots ultimately obtained civil rights and became known as Mechanical Planet citizens.

The five Main Planets also abandoned their endless conflicts and reorganized themselves.

Battle Planet.

Mechanical Planet.

Inheritance Planet.

Biological Planet.

Weapon Planet.

These became the Five Districts.

They elected a King to maintain Federation order and preserve peace.

The King's authority wasn't nearly as absolute as outsiders imagined.

Instead, the old noble families of the Five Districts and each district's official government all formed powerful factions of their own.

Sometimes even the King had to compromise.

Although conflicts occasionally erupted between the factions, overall peace was maintained.

Since the King resided in District One, District One was largely governed according to the King's will.

But in the other four districts...

The King's influence wasn't nearly as strong.

The recent Kings had all come from District One.

As a result, the other four districts had become increasingly independent.

At least the overall direction remained stable.

As for ordinary planets...

It wasn't a matter of choosing whose orders to follow.

They simply had to obey everyone stronger than themselves.

That...

...was the Universe Federation.

Strength ruled above all else.

Whoever possessed the strongest fist possessed the strongest voice.

Powerful experts almost always stood beside their home planets.

In recent years, District Two and District Three had developed the fastest.

One controlled technology.

The other controlled military strength.

District One, once the most dominant, had gradually declined.

As for Chaos Planets...

They were worlds of exile, lying unimaginably far from the Main Planets.

Darkness.

Chaos.

No rules.

No order.

Competition over resources was brutal.

Killing was commonplace.

However, there were countless Chaos Planets.

Occasionally, one or two outstanding experts emerged.

That was also why Qiong and Qiao Yuan possessed so many votes.

Like contestants from garbage planets, very few Chaos Planet contestants survived to this stage.

Garbage planets had almost no votes.

Chaos Planets, however, concentrated nearly all their votes onto a handful of survivors.

As for garbage planets...

There was hardly any need to mention them.

They produced almost no powerful experts.

No resources.

No influence.

They occupied the very bottom of the Federation's hierarchy.

Most famous Federation experts currently lived on the Main Planets.

Regardless of where they originally came from, once someone reached S-rank, one of the Five Main Planets would recruit them.

The experts themselves could choose whichever district they preferred.

Only a handful remained on ordinary planets.

For example...

The strongest member of the younger generation on an ordinary planet—

Yuan Ze.

Besides Qiong and Qiao Yuan, Chaos Planets didn't possess many experts above S-rank.

Mechanical Planet was a special case.

It largely kept to itself.

It rarely recruited outside experts, and experts themselves rarely wished to move there.

Of course, Mechanical Planet never objected if someone wanted to come.

You could even marry there.

They certainly wouldn't force anyone to stay permanently.

District One had once been every expert's first choice.

Nowadays, many instead chose District Three.

Among the contestants, the already deceased Earlie, Jun, Cheng Zhao, Zhen Xing, Qu Wu, and others all came from District Three.

District One was represented by Wanrenzhan, Annie, Tang Ke, and others.

District Two was represented by Eugene, Gedai, and others.

District Four included Siya, Wei Bailer, and others.

District Five included Zhante, Duan Yuchen, and others.

The Federation's strongest experts currently ranked at High SSS.

Each of the Five Districts possessed such individuals.

Their combat power exceeded 3,000.

As for the legendary gods...

Only four had ever been recorded throughout Federation history.

The most recent was Li Zhan, champion of the 16th Top Talent Show.

The God-Making System had granted him...

Immortality.

The God-Making System behind the Top Talent Show had existed since ancient times.

It had been jointly created by every district of the Federation, countless powerful experts, and the gods themselves.

It was both the trial ground left behind by the gods...

...and their legacy.

He Yu pushed up his glasses.

"So the Federation's current political landscape is far more chaotic than its peaceful appearance suggests."

"Of course," Qiong shrugged.

"As long as resources exist, conflict will never disappear."

He Yu continued,

"So the Five Districts refuse to submit to one another."

"District One has the King."

"District Two has technology."

"District Three has the strongest experts."

"District Four controls resources."

"District Five manufactures equipment."

"So there isn't any truly dominant planet?"

Zhen Xing nodded.

Then, remembering something, he added,

"I once heard someone say that if a god descended upon a planet..."

"...that planet would immediately become the strongest."

After all...

A god completely overwhelmed every other expert.

He Yu narrowed his eyes.

"Li Zhan came from an ordinary planet."

"What about the other three gods?"

"They've retired, but they shouldn't be dead."

"Have neither of you ever seen one?"

"We've never seen a god," Qiong shook her head.

"The second god came from a Chaos Planet."

"It's said the Federation has never fully suppressed us because a god is hidden somewhere among the Chaos Planets."

Zhen Xing added,

"Very little was recorded about the first god, so nobody knows where they came from."

"The third god was Que God."

"They came from District Four."

Realization dawned on He Yu.

"So that's why District Four possesses enormous resources, yet nobody dares seize them."

"They fear District Four's god."

Both Zhen Xing and Qiong nodded simultaneously.

He Yu stroked his chin.

"The Federation really is an interesting place."

His face was filled with anticipation.

He almost seemed impatient to enter the Federation himself and witness those tangled struggles between its countless factions.

Both Zhen Xing and Qiong fell silent.

For some reason...

Whenever He Yu wore that expression...

They felt a chill run down their spines.

Zhen Xing asked,

"Anything else you want to know?"

He Yu shook his head.

"Not really."

"The answers I still want depend on whether Cheng Zhao is willing to talk."

They had already confirmed Cheng Zhao had been sent by District Three.

What his purpose was...

Or rather...

What District Three's objective truly was...

Those were the clues He Yu actually needed.

Hearing that, Zhen Xing looked toward Cheng Zhao's back.

"As long as we're still inside this competition..."

"...and as long as he's still alive..."

"...we'll find out sooner or later."

Cheng Zhao was extremely powerful.

He wouldn't die easily.

If they couldn't get the answers now...

They could ask again later.

Step by step...

Once they reached the finals...

His objective would eventually be exposed.

Qiong still hadn't understood.

She had just opened her mouth to ask when a familiar voice echoed through the Transit Station—

【The first round of the Elimination Tournament is about to begin. All contestants, please prepare yourselves!】

The announcement instantly changed the atmosphere.

Everyone became tense.

There was no need to adjust themselves.

They only had to wait for teleportation.

After all...

The Transit Station already restored them to their best condition.

Zhen Xing looked toward He Yu.

"I hope we're assigned to the same instance again."

Qiong sighed helplessly.

"For the first round of the Elimination Tournament..."

"I just hope I'm human this time."

"I never want to experience what happened in the previous round again."

Not being human...

Having no strength...

No equipment...

Every step had been painfully difficult.

Not far away, Wanrenzhan strode over.

"He Yu."

"I want to be assigned to the same instance as you."

Last time, they had simply stood together in the Transit Station...

...and ended up in the same instance.

It wasn't exactly reliable...

But Wanrenzhan still wanted to try.

Yuan Ze.

Cheng Zhao.

Eugene.

Gedai.

Duan Yuchen.

Tang Ke.

Annie.

Zhante.

And the others all walked over as well.

Moments earlier, He Yu's group had clearly been having a private discussion.

The others hadn't wanted to interrupt.

Now that the next round was beginning, everyone naturally gathered together.

Qu Wu hurried over too, his eyes sparkling.

"He Yu..."

"If we're assigned to the same instance..."

"...and things go badly..."

"...can we cooperate again?"

He Yu neither nodded nor refused.

Instead, he calmly took out a notebook.

A brilliant smile spread across his face.

"Since you've all come over voluntarily..."

"...please sign the 5 million Federation Coin IOU from the previous instance."

Everyone: "???"

Cheng Zhao said helplessly,

"Is money really all you think about?"

He Yu smiled faintly.

"Yes."

Everyone: "..."

—The IOUs had to be signed.

After every contestant who had cleared the Species Collapse instance signed their debt notes, He Yu put away the notebook.

Still smiling...

He entered the next round together with the other utterly speechless contestants.

—

【Welcome to the first round of the Top Talent Show Elimination Tournament: 1000 → 500! This round will eliminate 500 contestants. Powerful experts are everywhere. Contestants, please perform your best and fight for a place among the Top 500!】

【The theme of the first elimination round is—Money Game.】

【This is a world where "money comes before everything." Money Planet. Money determines social status. Capital has flooded every corner of society while resources are scarce. Humans will do absolutely anything for money. Money can buy everything. Money represents everything.】

【The wealthy are noble. The poor possess no human rights. Anyone whose assets fall below zero is equivalent to a slave.】

【Money decides everything. Money Planet is filthy and corrupt. Capitalists commit every imaginable evil to accumulate wealth. The rich commit crimes without consequence. The poor will pay any price to climb upward, and their methods are just as dirty and ruthless.】

【Everyone on Money Planet is evil.】

【Mission Objective: Money Slaughter. Within the instance, the contestant whose wealth completely overwhelms their opponent will achieve victory and advance.】

【Note: Each instance in this elimination round contains only two contestants. The contest is determined entirely by wealth. Once one contestant's money completely overwhelms the other's and establishes an absolute, unassailable advantage, they will advance. The loser will be erased!】

【Contestants in this instance (ranked according to completion score from the previous round): He Yu, Cheng Zhao.】

【Contestants may also advance immediately by consuming 5 million audience voting tickets.】

【Good luck to all contestants. We wish you success in advancing.】

The rules were extremely simple.

He Yu and Cheng Zhao would accumulate wealth together.

Once one contestant's fortune completely overwhelmed the other's and became impossible to surpass, the winner would advance.

The loser would be erased.

The greatest difficulty of this instance was probably extracting money from the pockets of filthy, corrupt capitalists...

...and accumulating enough wealth to claim victory in a world where money ruled absolutely everything.

An elimination match.

Two contestants.

One survivor.

One death.

The contest would be decided through money.

And...

That other person...

...was Cheng Zhao.

He Yu's expression suddenly darkened.

His icy gaze fixed on the distance, as though piercing through time and space itself to stare directly at the one manipulating everything behind the scenes.

His eyes...

...were unimaginably cold.