Chapter 33 The Victor [First Place: Chu Jue]
Chu Jue's technique was gentle, and apart from the fourth-tier man himself, no one knew what he had gone through.
They only saw the fourth-tier man fail to pursue, and then be killed by Chu Jue using his strength. A few seconds later, his spiritual energy exploded, and he just died like that.
"No way?" The men were surprised and doubtful, and they started talking amongst themselves.
"Chu Jue got a real treat," Yun Qiandu said with a smug look.
Unfortunately, none of the male opponents later on committed to a life-or-death battle like the fourth-tier male opponent. As the competition neared its end, Chu Jue only received merit points from the fourth-tier male opponent.
Although other things were also done, they only served a companionship purpose.
Chu Jue discovered that, apart from her, there wasn't a single female spiritual practitioner who had signed up for the one-on-one sessions. It seemed to have become the unspoken rule of the exchange meetings to have the male group leaders and members from each organization wrap things up.
The high-ranking male team leaders were suppressed by her, and they were eager to fight back, but in the end they could only leave the stage with regret under the judgment of the mechanical voice.
They clearly felt they could still fight, and Chu Jue was almost exhausted, but this wretched, inhuman machine judged them to be the losers—it must have made a mistake!
The men wanted to raise objections, but before they could put their ideas into practice, they belatedly noticed varying degrees of damage to their bodies and could only remain silent in frustration.
When it was Chu Jue's turn to face off against Liang Qian, she was prepared to put on a good show. However, Liang Qian was quite self-aware in this regard, and after a couple of tentative exchanges with her, he raised his hand to signal.
"I abstain."
Chu Jue wanted to reject his abstention.
As the last male spiritualist stepped forward, Chu Jue wondered whether he would be a sixth or seventh-tier cultivator.
The man came in aggressively, and no matter how complicated his inner emotions were, he still put on a show of politeness: "You're too kind."
Chu Jue: "Please go ahead."
The last man's power was obviously stronger than the previous contestants. He learned the killing moves that Chu Jue had used in the battle, and he attacked her by replicating her appearance right from the start.
His steps were swift and agile, each step swift as the wind. He made a move to attack Chu Jue's mouth, but his hand landed on her left shoulder.
Chu Jue had anticipated this, but did not dodge.
She caught her opponent's attack with her bare hands, and the clash of spiritual energy was amplified instantly—the crowd could almost see the spiritual energy erupting from both of them becoming material. The pressure of a high-level being emanated outwards, but it went out of control and spread not only to the stage, but also to the audience.
Chaos erupted at the scene. The organizers' security personnel hurriedly used their spiritual power to maintain order, but they were no match for the impact of the gale. They were forced to retreat by the spiritual power that far exceeded their own level, and the heavy power of the high-level spiritualists made it hard for them to breathe.
Chu Jue did not stop. She even took advantage of the chaos to harvest some merit points like opening a blind box.
Since we're already here...
It's perfectly normal for accidents caused by high-level spiritualists to affect low-level ones. The chaotic situation threw the scene into disarray, with everyone on and off the stage busy with their own tasks.
The two opposing sides continued their attacks, with no one caring about the lives of the lower-ranking men.
The sounds of fighting, screams, self-rescue, and cheers from Yun Qiandu adding to the chaos were mixed together.
Although it was only a few seconds, time seemed to be stretched out infinitely.
Despite the repeated battles, Chu Jue showed no signs of fatigue, making it difficult to fathom the upper limit of her spiritual energy pool. The male spiritualist, however, found it difficult to engage in the pure spiritual energy duel; his hands, which were exchanging blows, became stiff, and within moments, all color faded.
Why was his spiritual energy being depleted so quickly? This far exceeded his expectations.
The intense spiritual power emanating from the other party was tearing his own spiritual power apart, and the overwhelming sense of intimidation was gradually shattering him. The high-ranking man realized that something was slipping out of his control.
He broke out in a cold sweat, his muscles began to ache, and he trembled slightly, unable to hide it. Years of experience reminded him to stop; those who had lived to this point were, to some extent, afraid of losing their lives.
But he was somewhat unwilling to give up.
He thought to himself, "Just a little more effort." But he only managed to hold on until he was almost completely exhausted.
"...I also abstain."
The male spirit gritted his teeth and shouted for a halt.
The fierceness that had previously made him feel threatened had vanished with ease, and the male spiritualist's tense spirit was finally able to relax.
He took a deep breath, and in that instant, he caught a hint of regret in the other person's emotions.
"One party was detected calling a halt."
The male spirit's heartbeat had not calmed down. He suppressed his pounding pulse and asked Chu Jue, "What rank are you?"
As a seventh-tier spiritualist on the list, he was actually no match for a woman who was exhausted from beginning to end.
Chu Jue replied sincerely, "Level Zero."
The male spirit believed she was deliberately mocking him.
He twitched the corners of his lips, revealing a fake smile: "Haha, young man, the future is bright."
He had already confirmed with the management office that he was the highest-ranking contestant at this year's exchange meeting, but he never expected that his chance to make a name for himself would be snatched away by a stranger.
Compared to his own exhaustion, he could deduce from Chu Jue's various reactions that she still had some strength left.
...This was a true duel between the strongest. He was slightly off, but perhaps it was fate.
The male spirit suppressed his resentment, turned and left without saying another word.
"The winner of this match: Group 11, Chu Jue."
Rankings are updated instantly, and everyone can see the most dazzling display on the screen:
[First Place: Chu Jue]
Unaffected by the previous chaos, the group of 111 members were in high spirits.
Ying Suixin and Yun Qiandu led the cheers, and Ying Yi's emotions were unusually outward, with the applause continuing without tiring. Zhu Xi, who was a little further away, also cheered.
"I knew the number one spot would go to the boss!"
"Chu Jue is amazing!"
Chu Jue's victory not only represents her strength, but also means that she has gained the right to use the spiritual vein for 24 hours.
The male representative from the management office appeared at the right time, showing no trace of the disheveled state he had previously appeared due to the disruption to order.
Although no one in the audience except Group 111 and Zhu Xi cared about Chu Jue's victory, he still congratulated Chu Jue on winning first place with a smile.
"You can contact the management office at any time within six months to obtain the right to use the property, and we will have someone to assist you."
"Your group 111 will also be eligible to attend this year's Central District Council meeting. Regarding this..." The male representative did not elaborate, but indicated that she should keep in touch after the exchange meeting.
"Hmm." Although Chu Jue didn't know what this was, he knew that anything associated with privilege was a good thing.
The male representative was surprised by her cold response and couldn't help but glance at her again.
Seeing that there was nothing else to do, Chu Jue turned and left.
Male representative: ...
He gave the executors a look, and those selected silently followed.
An hour later, the executor returned to report: "She went to eat."
Male representative: ...
Even stranger, this shouldn't be his imagination.
How could someone not react at all after being granted the right to attend the meeting, but instead have the mood to go eat first?
-
"I'm quite hungry," Chu Jue said frankly.
Faced with the enthusiastic celebration of Group 111, Chu Jue made sure to eat and drink with them.
Zhu Xi also attended the celebration banquet and asked them with some anticipation about their next plans.
"Plans? I don't have any plans." Yun Qiandu replied while gnawing on a chicken foot, "I'll rest for another day tonight and go back to Yanling District tomorrow."
"So soon?" Zhu Xi murmured. "Then we'll have to go back and see each other again."
"Hmm? We can still go back together."
Zhu Xi sighed, "Although I really want to go together, I have to go home first." She still had things to take care of.
Ying Yi: "Do you live in the central area?"
"Yes." Zhu Xi nodded. "This is my first time back since joining the Co-Prosperity Sphere."
Ying Yi had some guesses about her identity. Those born into families in the central district were all born with a silver spoon in their mouths.
Zhu Xi was used to this and didn't think she was anything special. She even cheerfully invited her new friends, "Why don't you come over to my place for the night..."
This was the first time she had invited friends to her home, not the usual family gatherings, but friends she had made herself who were unrelated to her family.
"No need to trouble yourself," Ying Yi said calmly. "I'm leaving tomorrow, so I won't bother you today."
"Ah," Zhu Xi said with some regret, "Alright, alright. If there's a chance next time, I'll definitely invite you all to come again."
If she had gotten along better with everyone back then, they probably wouldn't have refused, right?
Chu Jue didn't say much, but he picked up a chicken leg and gave it to Zhu Xi. "Look how thin this little girl is," he thought, "does her family rarely feed her?"
...It seems that's true.
Zhu Xi was so excited to receive a chicken leg that she didn't even eat it on the spot. Instead, she carefully packed it up and took it with her before leaving.
In Chu Jue's eyes, Zhu Xi's background was even more contradictory.
She has said that her family is rich and powerful, but she has never said that she has no food to eat.
"She just really likes you." This isn't the first time she's seen someone reluctant to eat a chicken leg.
Ying Yi understood what she was thinking from her expression: "The elders in Zhu Xi's family must be people from the management office."
"I see." Chu Jueming understood. "Then what is the management office?"
She had heard this term many times before, and she knew that the Spiritual Energy Exchange Meeting was organized by the management office and other organizations. However, no one on the forum had provided a more detailed explanation of this matter, so Chu Jue had never been particularly curious.
Ying Yi: ...
"The management office is the official organization of the central area and the overseer of all organizations. They are only responsible for managing the major, well-known organizations."
"The reason why few people mention this online is because they have too much power. To avoid 'discussion,' most people just use 'central area' to refer to it."
"The management of the management office has the right to hold the spiritual vein. Their group composition is quite different from that of ordinary groups, and the class division is more obvious."
"The highest-ranking administrators are called 'decision setters,' and they are able to vote in the central council to make the final decisions. These are also the people most deeply involved with the church; they are the church's interest symbiotic group."
"Secondly, there is still the power level. Both of these types of managers have their own executors. The executors are those selected spiritual practitioners whose spiritual rank is higher than that of the strongest on the list."
"They are actually their henchmen."
Yun Qiandu raised his hand and asked, "So, who's the male representative today?"
Chu Jue thought for a moment: "It should be at the level of power."
Ying Yi asked curiously, "You know anything about him?"
Chu Jue: "No, I just saw his henchmen."
He followed them the whole time, but didn't do anything. While Chu Jue was thinking about how to provoke him to reap those three hundred merit points, he returned the way he came.
Ying Yi: ...
It seems that even the "strongest" outside the list cannot hide in Chu Jue's eyes.
Ying Yi suddenly realized that it didn't matter whether Chu Jue knew these things or not.
She didn't need to know how these management offices were divided into classes; in her eyes, these fame-seekers were nothing more than attention-seeking charlatans.
Yun Qiandu was still curious, so Ying Yi continued to explain briefly: "Below them is the middle level, not as good as the top level but not as bad as the bottom level. Below that is the lowest level of the management office—they don't have any impressive-sounding names, they are commonly known as members."
"But even ordinary members of the management office consider themselves superior. They are responsible for handing over with the group leaders of various organizations, so in their minds, they are at a higher level than the group leaders of the major organizations."
"This is so complicated." Ying Suixin had a lollipop stick in her mouth. She had already eaten the candy, leaving only the stick to be bitten.
As an ordinary resident, she acquired even more useless knowledge.
"When do you plan to go to the spiritual vein?" Ying Yi turned to ask Chu Jue.
Chu Jue gave her the most elusive answer: "Anything is fine."
"So that opportunity to participate in parliament was very useful, wasn't it?"
"Hmm." Ying Yi's hand unconsciously clenched into a fist.
She and Ling Yu had also gone through this stage back then, and they participated in the council with several members of the highest spirit rank.
But it had no effect whatsoever.
Their voices are not actually heard, and their suggestions are only met with a mild response of "we will consider them gradually."
What is not allowed is never allowed.
The so-called parliament is nothing more than a public performance by the management, and the content of the parliament will only develop according to their pre-determined script.
They keep talking about democracy and fairness, but in reality, the decision-making power is always in the hands of the decision-makers.
They didn't even bother to hide their names, openly declaring how unique their right to dispose of things was.
Once Lingyu and Yingyi realized this, they knew that this path was a dead end.
Behind every member of the management office is the support of an entire family, and power is intertwined and complicated internally.
Although they were not weak, they were not strong enough to stand up against everyone involved in the council.
...But Chu Jue can.
Ying Yi had absolute faith in Chu Jue. She remembered what Ling Yu had once said, "There will definitely be someone who can do it," and now, after so many years, she had finally waited for Chu Jue.
"The council will begin in less than a month." Ying Yi was not only telling the members of Group 111, but also telling himself.
She needed to seize this opportunity; she longed to accomplish what she had never done before.
This was the first time Chu Jue had ever seen her with such a cold and resolute look in her eyes.
Their eyes met, and they tacitly remained silent.
Yun Qiandu raised his hand and fanned himself, producing a strange sound: "It's suddenly so hot! Who started this fire? Why aren't the fire prevention measures working?"
"Please lower the temperature, I can't even stand it while I'm eating."
Two people: ...
Yun Qiandu continued sarcastically, "Two of the four of us are secretly exchanging glances without me. Who are they? It's hard to guess."
Ying scratched his bald head casually: "Huh? That shouldn't be me, but he's acting like no one else is around."
Chu Jue: "It would be even stranger if we all looked at each other."
Upon hearing this, the four people looked at each other.
...Seriously, no one could hold back their laughter.
"Alright, alright, go back and rest after you finish eating." Ying Yi couldn't help but chuckle, then retorted to Yun Qiandu separately, "Save your energy for chatting with Xiaomi in the car tomorrow."
Yun Qiandu: ...
This little fan doesn't even need one-tenth of her skill!
-----------------------
Author's Note: I suddenly realized I received so many nutrient solutions! Thank you, sisters! [kiss] Also, thank you for the comments and the "throws" (likes/throws of virtual gifts)! [kiss]
The character cards weren't drawn by myself; they were commissioned, and each one cost 50 cents.
I had also commissioned a drawing of 111, but the artist couldn't draw it, saying it was too difficult.
(The dog in the bottom left corner of the Happy Farm cover is by the same artist. The cockroach in the top right corner is the one I drew. It's a cockroach.)
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