It was a well-known fact among all Ability Users that energy on Blue Star was incredibly scarce.
He, Zhou Yuanqi, had been chosen by Yuansou at birth, receiving the most systematic training and the highest quality resources. Yet, after decades of stumbling forward, he had only barely managed to reach the threshold of the Level 4 Early Stage.
Yet she...
...had managed to traverse in mere months a path that took others decades to complete!
A storm of complex emotions swirled in Zhou Yuanqi's eyes.
Shock, apprehension, resentment, jealousy, and an intense, burning desire.
“You...” he began, his voice raspy.
“You hid it so well. You actually managed to fool even me!”
Su Wan looked at him calmly and said in a detached tone,
“You're weaker than me. Wouldn't hiding it from you be incredibly easy?”
Zhou Yuanqi choked, the breath catching in his throat.
It felt stuck, neither going up nor down, nearly suffocating him with sheer frustration.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
He had lived for over fifty years and was confident that he had weathered more storms than this little slip of a girl had eaten hot meals.
He could not let himself be overwhelmed by her presence!
“You should know who I am.”
Zhou Yuanqi's voice regained its stability, carrying the composure typical of someone long accustomed to a position of authority.
“I am the head of Yuansou's dispatched team for the Guixu Project. In Jiangcheng, I call the shots on everything!”
He paused, his gaze sharpening.
“Your identity and your appearance, I already have them fully in my grasp.”
“If anything happens to me tonight, Yuansou will know of your existence by tomorrow.”
“When that time comes, what awaits you will be an endless pursuit.”
“Can you, a single person, withstand the full-scale hunt of Yuansou?”
Su Wan still didn't say a word, merely watching him with leisurely amusement.
Zhou Yuanqi's brow furrowed slightly.
He continued speaking, lowering his voice even further with an almost coaxing tone.
“Miss Su, I know you hate Yuansou.”
“What happened to the Su family was indeed the organization's doing, but you should understand that it wasn't just Yuansou's decision. It was because your Su family simply couldn't protect that land.”
“In this world, an ordinary man is innocent, but his treasure makes him guilty.”
“Since your father refused to hand over that land, today's outcome was inevitable.”
Upon hearing this, Su Wan's gaze turned cold.
Zhou Yuanqi's Adam's apple bobbed, but he did not stop.
He knew he could not show any weakness before this woman.
“Your strength is indeed formidable now, but no matter how strong you are, you are still just one person.”
“Yuansou's foundation is far beyond your imagination!”
“Every single one of the Twelve Abyss Seats is stronger than you. And above the Abyss Seats, there are even higher existences!”
He paused, his eyes locked onto Su Wan's face.
“Su Wan, the fact that you've reached this point is proof enough that you're a smart person. You should know what you ought to do and what you shouldn't.”
“Hand that thing over, and I can act as if nothing ever happened.”
“I won't reveal your identity to the organization, nor will I mention tonight's events.”
“And even...” He softened his tone slightly.
“If you are willing, I can introduce you to the organization.”
“With your strength, you would definitely hold a place of significance within Yuansou...”
At this point, Zhou Yuanqi felt a sharp, stabbing pain erupt from deep within his brain, causing a massive flash of white light to explode before his eyes!
An overwhelming wave of dizziness made him stumble.
Fortunately, this extreme agony lasted only a brief moment, vanishing as quickly as it had arrived.
With his hand still pressed against his forehead, Zhou Yuanqi stared at Su Wan, terror in his eyes.
He knew this was Su Wan's method of attack.
During their brief clash earlier, she hadn't launched a single physical strike.
“Killing you would be effortless for me. What right do you have to speak to me like that?” Su Wan said flatly.
Zhou Yuanqi's face flushed a deep crimson, looking as though he had swallowed a fly.
Su Wan looked at him, the corners of her mouth curling slightly.
“Furthermore, Mr. Zhou, do you actually believe the words you just spoke?”
Zhou Yuanqi's expression froze.
“Introduce me to the organization?” Su Wan's voice was soft, yet every word cut like an ice-cold blade.
“If you truly held that much sway, you wouldn't have personally run all the way to Jiangcheng to seek out opportunities.”
Zhou Yuanqi's face paled.
“You—”
“You've been stuck at the Level 4 Early Stage for a long time, haven't you?” Su Wan interrupted, her gaze fixing on his face.
“The energy on Blue Star is incredibly scarce. Once you reach Level 4, taking even a single step forward is as difficult as ascending to the heavens.”
“I can tell you desperately want to grow stronger... but the energy of Blue Star is insufficient to support your breakthrough...”
“Thus, you are starved of high-level, pure energy, and Yuansou will not provide you with such a resource.”
“That's why you came to Jiangcheng yourself.”
“That's why you became so incredibly agitated when you saw that crystal.”
“And that's why you nearly laid hands on those villagers after the crystal went missing.”
Her voice was measured and steady, as if she were reading a clinical investigation report.
“Mr. Zhou, I suspect your life within Yuansou isn't particularly comfortable either, is it?”
Zhou Yuanqi pressed his lips into a thin line, the muscles in his jaw tensing tightly.
He wanted to refute her, but his mouth opened and closed without a single word coming out.
Because every single word Su Wan spoke was the absolute truth.
Zhou Yuanqi suppressed his turbulent emotions, finally realizing that he had been wrong from the very beginning.
This woman was not someone he could intimidate with threats, nor was she someone he could control.
Whether in terms of her strength or her insight, she far exceeded his imagination!
After weighing the pros and cons, Zhou Yuanqi spoke once more, but his tone had completely shifted.
It was a humble, submissive posture that he rarely showed to anyone.
“You're right.”
His voice was tight, as if squeezed out from between his teeth.
“My position within Yuansou... is indeed rather awkward.”
He lowered his eyes, staring at the rubble beneath his feet as a self-deprecating smile touched his lips.
“To be honest with you, I am indeed one of the Twelve Abyss Seats, but I have the lowest strength and rank dead last.”
“In terms of seniority, I cannot compare to the veterans; in terms of strength, I cannot compete with those ranked ahead of me.”
“When it comes to resource distribution, the higher the rank, the more resources they receive. I always get the absolute least.”
He looked up at Su Wan, an emotion surfacing in his eyes that he would normally never allow anyone to see.
“I've been stuck at the Level 4 Early Stage for ten whole years!”
“I watched those ranked ahead of me make breakthroughs, one after another...”
“But me... I'm still here, running in place.”
His voice cracked slightly at this point.
“I refuse to accept this!”
These words burst from his mouth, carrying a long-suppressed desire that threatened to consume him.
“You probably don't know this yet, do you?”
“You appeared in the Prophet's prophecy. You are the variable of Jiangcheng, the key that can influence the success or failure of the Guixu Project!”
“So, the moment the news of the 'Jiangcheng variable' reached my ears, I knew that this was my opportunity.”
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