Chapter 109: The Opposition Between Kabuto and Gatack, the Ordinary Man Abandoned by the Times

Ye Xuan watched this scene, finding it almost unbelievable.

If Amane had used Kagami Mizugetsu to deceive Gatack’s Insect Yi into mistaking Amane for Kagaami, that would be one thing—but Amane had altered himself, even making Gatack’s Insect Yi believe it had been summoned by Kagaami.

Gatack’s Insect Yi had even seen Amane’s face, yet still could not confirm it, ultimately acknowledging Amane’s right to summon it.

Deceiving oneself? What kind of illusion is this?

Does Amane possess such an ability?

Even Gatack’s Insect Yi could not deny it—shouldn’t this be expected of Amane?

No, even for Amane, achieving this is strange!

“Henshin!”

Amane shouted in Kagaami’s distinctive vocal tone, radiating the emotion known as “passion,” then inserted the Insect Yi into his belt.

【Henshin!】

With a mechanical sound effect, blue armor instantly covered his entire body—but the moment the helmet sealed shut, the eyes beneath the faceplate returned to Amane’s original gaze.

This dissonance caused Gatack’s armor to tremble slightly.

In Ye Xuan’s hand, Kabuto’s Insect Yi subtly shrank deeper into his palm; if it ever sensed someone like Tian Dao, he could no longer trust it—what if it got deceived like Gatack’s Insect Yi did?

“Henshin!”

After Amane transformed, Ye Xuan inserted Kabuto’s Insect Yi into the emerging belt; red armor flowed over his body like liquid.

“CastOff!”

“ClockUp!”

Two electronic tones sounded nearly simultaneously; red and blue figures shattered the sound barrier, standing motionless in the super-speed realm, their armors shimmering with different-colored light.

“Let’s begin the second round, Ye Xuan.”

Luocheng.

“Ye Xuan, Zhong Lao, Gu Che, Lu Jing, Shen Mo, Lin Ruoxi, Jiang Qingyao, and that Shen Xuan who obtained the Unlicensed Knight template and Gatack’s Insect Yi ’s recognition!”

“Why?!”

“Why do they get the Celestial Treasures and not me?!”

“Isn’t it just persistence and effort? If I could get a Celestial Treasure, I could do that too!”

Inside a dimly lit apartment.

A man in his thirties clenched his fists tightly, knuckles whitening from the force, eyes burning with resentment and fury.

Chen Yuan, an ordinary employee, living a day-after-day life of exploitation.

“Before the Qi Revival, the world was already this unequal; after the Qi Revival, it’s still this unequal!”

“What meaning does this world even have?!”

He once believed the Qi Revival would change everything—and it truly changed much.

But he was not among those changed!

Those with innate talent could join the Tian Shu Bureau, enjoying generous benefits; even if they didn’t join, they could use their abilities to thrive, taking idle posts in companies with high salaries and respect.

Those with the luck to possess Celestial Treasures ascended instantly—governments prioritized them, granting resources, status, and power within reach!

And what about him?

He had nothing.

No ability, no Celestial Treasure, and even his body had grown weak from aging and years of flexible work hours.

Nine to six?

Hah—every day he arrived half an hour early for morning meetings, and as soon as the official quitting time hit, he was summoned for summary meetings, leaving only near eight p.m.

Officially nine to six, actually eight to eight.

His salary was meager, promotion impossible, life stagnant, offering no hope whatsoever.

He had thought the new era would give him a chance to turn things around.

Yet in the end, he remained just another ordinary man abandoned by the times.

If those around him hadn’t changed due to the Qi Revival and Qi Tides, he might have only felt disappointment—but Pianpian , too many people around him had changed their fates by awakening abilities.

If the Qi Revival had awakened abilities in only a tiny fraction, the Qi Tides had awakened them in nearly one-third of the world’s population.

One-third was too high a proportion—even if most around him hadn’t awakened, this fraction made it easier for him to focus only on those who had, creating the illusion that he alone remained unawakened.

Watching those with awakened abilities discuss their bodily changes and boast about offers from other companies, Chen Yuan had more than once imagined killing them all.

“If this world won’t give me a chance,”

Chen Yuan slowly stood up, a flicker of resolve in his eyes.

“Then I’ll create one myself.”

He stared fixedly at his computer screen, fingers hammering the keyboard, eyes gleaming with madness; after a flurry of actions, he opened a forum and found the anonymous buyer who had been paying high prices for Celestial Treasure intel since the Qi Revival, and sent without hesitation:

“I know of a Celestial Treasure not yet disclosed—the owner hasn’t reached an agreement with the Tian Shu Bureau. If you want it, you can try negotiating with him.”

The buyer replied quickly, bluntly:

“How much?”

“Three million!”

Chen Yuan said without hesitation.

Three million was enough—if it were more, problems might arise; besides, he was only revealing the location of the Celestial Treasure.

“What Celestial Treasure?”

Chen Yuan’s lips curled into a cold smile; his fingers struck the keyboard hard:

“Slender blade, razor-thin edge, its swing emits a sound like icy strings, piercing the soul; the second of the Seven Swords—Bing Po!”

After a brief silence, the buyer sent his final message:

“First, tell us the location. If confirmed as a Celestial Treasure, three million is no problem.”

“Whether or not you complete the deal with him is irrelevant.”

Chen Yuan stared at the screen, slowly exhaled, eyes gleaming with excitement.

He knew he was gambling.

Gambling whether the buyer believed him, whether the buyer was honest, even whether he’d survive.

But it didn’t matter.

This was the only way left to turn his fate around.

Besides, the light emitted when Bing Po emerged wasn’t seen only by him—he simply arrived first at the martial arts school and recognized the glow as Bing Po’s.

The Tian Shu Bureau hadn’t reached consensus with the owner over Bing Po was their problem—if someone offered a price they couldn’t refuse, they’d have no grounds to object.

But it probably wasn’t about the price.

The martial arts school’s head wanted his daughter to become Bing Po’s wielder, but his daughter hadn’t been recognized by Bing Po.

As long as his dream of his daughter becoming a Celestial Treasure wielder remained unshattered, no price would make him willing to sell Bing Po.

How the buyer eventually obtained Bing Po—what did that have to do with him?

He was selling only an intelligence.

Normally, many buyers in Daya purchased Celestial Treasures and their intel; Chen Yuan could’ve sold to them without fearing consequences—but—the pay was too low.

Aside from the treasure’s intrinsic value, intel fetched little—never more than ten thousand.

Ten thousand—what change could that make to his fate?

None whatsoever.

Selling the same intel to all buyers was impossible—they had contracts forbidding multiple sales.

Unless he accepted a lower price.

So he had no choice.

But if the Tian Shu Bureau ever came knocking, he’d never admit he knowingly broke the rules.

He’d only say he found a wealthy merchant on a forum willing to pay high prices for Celestial Treasure intel, and never considered the buyer’s identity.

After doing this, he wore a self-mocking, bitter smile—after all, even as a villain, this honest man of thirty years could only manage this much.

I once considered giving Chen Yuan a Celestial Treasure that would grant power at a cost, even leading to corruption, to create a villain—but when I put myself in his shoes, I realized that even if such a treasure appeared before him, his first choice would be to sell it, not use it himself.

Ordinary people don’t turn evil just because they gain power with a cost. (There’s a twist later.)

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(End of Chapter)