52: Chapter 52 Ayao and Zhutian

Walking out of the private room, Yang Bai's hands trembled as he took two deep drags of the cigarette.

The spicy, lung-piercing smoke felt like celestial nectar to him at this moment.

Yang Bai finally understood why that team leader had warned him that this cigarette was expensive, and why A Yao had offered to add people for him after accepting the cigarette.

Because what he was smoking now wasn't just a cigarette, nor was it money; it was something called "power"—a monstrous power capable of making Elder Chen of Linchuan City kneel on one knee before him.

Just as Gu Sichao had said, when you are out and about, a cigarette is a person's face.

The cigarette in Yang Bai's hand represented that team leader and the face behind him; Chen Qingsong had no choice but to kneel to receive it.

With an excited heart and trembling hands, Yang Bai sighed inwardly: 'That was a pretty satisfying act of showing off.'

Led by the bodyguard Chen Shan, Yang Bai arrived at the exit of the club, where he encountered someone he never expected to see.

"Student Yang Bai, have you just finished talking with the Chen family?" Ren Fengjiu asked, forcing a terrifying smile onto his blade-like face.

"Hello, Director Ren. I just finished talking. Is there something you need?"

Yang Bai frowned. Honestly, he had no idea what Ren Fengjiu's purpose was in coming here.

"You left in such a hurry that you forgot something."

As he spoke, Ren Fengjiu pulled a cylindrical glass jar from his pocket, inside which was sealed a light purple crystal.

"divine source crystal Essence," a concentrated form of the divine source crystal. A single small piece was worth two or three jars of divine source crystals, and it was easier to absorb.

"This is the loot from the contestant you killed in the Stone Gate Maze. Since you didn't come to claim it, I brought it to you," Ren Fengjiu said with a smile.

Yang Bai shook his head and responded: "Director Ren, my apologies, but let's just convert it to cash. I don't really dare to use things handed to me by others, let alone someone who just tried to trip me up."

Hearing Yang Bai's words, Ren Fengjiu wasn't annoyed. "Good habit."

A blue light flashed in Ren Fengjiu's eyes, and Yang Bai received a notification that 30,000 star coins had been credited to his account.

"Thank you very much," Yang Bai said in appreciation.

Ren Fengjiu put away the divine source crystal Essence, nodded his chin toward the club, and asked: "Who is up there?"

"Chen Zhiwen, and Elder Chen."

Ren Fengjiu noticed the cigarette at Yang Bai's fingertips and laughed: "Chen Qingsong is there too? That's perfect. Looking at you, Elder Chen must be about to die of anger, right?"

"I wouldn't know about that," Yang Bai said, spreading his hands with an innocent look on his face.

Ren Fengjiu chuckled gleefully and said: "Haha, alright. It just so happens I have business with them."

"Yang Bai, you'll be competing in three days, right?"

"That's for sure."

"Good, very good. I have high hopes for you." Ren Fengjiu nodded, his gaze filled with admiration as he looked at Yang Bai.

Before Yang Bai could react, Ren Fengjiu strode into the private club.

Yang Bai felt a bit strange about it, but didn't say anything. Arriving outside the private club, he saw a crowd of bodyguards dressed in black lying on the ground.

Looking at the scene before him, Yang Bai suddenly felt a chill run up his spine.

Chen Shan didn't pay any attention to the fallen bodyguards; instead, he drove the car over, opened the door, and smiled obsequiously: "Mr. Yang Bai, please get in the car."

---

On the rooftop of a high-rise building in Linchuan City.

Two men dressed in casual clothes leaned against the railing, looking out at the bustling Linchuan City, each holding a bottle of ice-cold beer and taking sips.

"A Yao, why do you think the team leader is helping Yang Bai? Doesn't he dislike that young kid?" Zhu Tian asked.

Zhu Tian was the one who had fought against Yang Bai in front of the team leader. He used a long spear but had been knocked back twice by Yang Bai, earning himself a one-year stint of Star Sea hellish training.

A Yao took a couple of sips of beer and said seriously: "It's not that the team leader wants to help him; it's that Section Chief Yuan gave us a heads-up beforehand to look after him when appropriate."

"Oh, Section Chief Yuan."

Zhu Tian nodded, then his expression turned strange. "Then I understand even less. Why would such a big shot pay attention to a little kid like that?"

"This matter is a bit complicated to explain. It goes back to the National University Selection Conference a year ago."

A Yao tapped his finger in the air, sending a document to Zhu Tian, and said: "At that conference, Section Chief Yuan went with the team leader, and that's when they saw Yang Bai."

Zhu Tian was a bit surprised. He flipped through Yang Bai's information with one hand, and as he read to the end, his eyes widened, as if he had seen something incredible.

"Snap!" Not paying attention, Zhu Tian crushed the beer bottle, splashing cold beer all over A Yao.

"What are you doing?" A Yao brushed off his clothes unhappily, the beer instantly evaporating completely.

"No, this Yang Bai is way too damn ruthless. Making such a promise right in front of so many people."

"This, this, this..." Zhu Tian said "this" three times in a row, completely at a loss for how to evaluate Yang Bai's actions.

"Just as you saw, Yang Bai made an unbelievable offer to everyone in exchange for the qualification to join Jinghai University, plus special privileges."

"At the conference, three important figures raised their hands in approval."

"They were Deputy Xu of National Defense, Administrator Zhou of the Exploration Bureau, and Section Chief Yuan of our National Security."

"The first two—one wanted loyal soldiers, the other wanted fearless Star Sea explorers—were very satisfied with Yang Bai's conditions. Then there was Section Chief Yuan, but I heard she didn't choose him because of the conditions; Section Chief Yuan just really likes young kids like that."

A Yao waved his hand, recounting the situation at the conference.

"Acting on emotion, that really fits Section Chief Yuan's good-natured personality," Zhu Tian laughed.

But then he thought of something else, and his expression turned strange. "Then, since it was Section Chief Yuan's instruction, why did the team leader pull that stunt? If Yang Bai's strength wasn't enough, he would have been ruined."

"Oh, you know the team leader's personality. He is someone who only cares about strength. He is particularly annoyed by people like Yang Bai who can climb the ranks just by using their tongues. He even opposed Section Chief Yuan at the time."

"But Section Chief Yuan is still the section chief, so the team leader's opposition was ineffective. Now in Linchuan City, when the team leader encountered this matter with Yang Bai, he would follow Section Chief Yuan's arrangements, but before that, he could still choose to be a little willful with his power."

A Yao sighed helplessly.

"A little willfulness with power can destroy the future of a promising young man," Zhu Tian lamented.

"What? Yang Bai messed you up so badly, and you're still speaking up for him?" A Yao asked curiously. In his view, Zhu Tian should have been very resentful toward Yang Bai.

"What kind of person do you take me for? I judge people, not events. This guy Yang Bai has good martial arts skills and has a brain; I like him very much."

"I hope he gets stronger quickly. When that time comes, I won't have to suppress my strength and can have a proper fight with him."

A flash of excitement crossed Zhu Tian's face, and his aura continued to climb. The pressure of a Level 7 deity seemed about to tear the surrounding space apart.

"Just don't get knocked back again," A Yao laughed.

The power struggles within National Security were stifling, and he had long since given up, but only a martial arts fanatic with a simple mind like Zhu Tian could get along with him.