Chapter 452: The Competition Ends

"Relationship?" Zhao Shuangdian's face was expressionless. "What do you mean?"

Yi Leina kept smiling: "Don't you understand? I mean, why did you go to his room?"

She knew this person was Zhao Shuangdian, and had heard from Li Huowang about another world, but somehow this representative of the Wisdom Dao, Changsheng Tian, felt a bit dim-witted.

In the end, that guy Su Lin was clearly faking all along—claiming he only liked two-dimensional characters, yet clearly didn't? No, no, no—cannot jump to conclusions before sufficient evidence.

"Because I was staying at his place during that time," Zhao Shuangdian answered honestly. "But I thought you were nonexistent—just a portrait."

Don't bring that up—I just want to know what your relationship is!

"So why were you staying at his house?" Yi Leina asked eagerly: "You know… that thing. That thing."

As they spoke, the Eight Trigrams Mirror synchronized their voices and images, broadcasting live to the audience outside and to the racetracks where contestants were competing.

The two immortal ladies on screen, even in a realm of cultivators with extremely high looks, left a deep impression.

One had vivid blue eyes, lively and adorable; her gray-white hair paired with a white modern long-sleeved shirt that exposed her shoulders didn't lower her appeal—instead, it gave a sense of realism, while the outer wizard's robe added fantasy without feeling out of place.

The other immortal, with white hair, wore ancient attire resembling a priest's robes, her face cold as ice, like frost that had never melted in ten thousand years. A detached indifference radiated from her, treating all things equally—but if one stared long enough, one could sense a harmonious, natural beauty.

"Player, player indeed…"

"No! I've been shipping the fallen duo, and now they're broken up!"

"I already sensed something off during filming—I'm telling you, on set…"

"You keep talking about gender equality, yet still harbor feudal thoughts of chasing three, embracing four, holding one on each arm! I misjudged you, Mr. Guangming."

"Just now you were so violent… domestic abuse!"

"Role model of our generation."

"Senior, as expected of a senior!"

"From the immortal lady's tone, Mr. Guangming's room still has a portrait of Miss Monü? Huh… that's intense?"

"What are you talking about?"

Voices of speculation rose and fell; fragments of high-frequency keywords even reached the commentary booth.

"Not my problem." The Guangming Judge kept shaking his right foot, one hand propping his chin, calmly digging in his ear. "Stay calm. Don't throw forbidden spells. At most, save the Creation Genesis for later."

【Dear viewers, as we all know, the most stable structural framework in this world is the triangle: when three are together, there is always a teacher among them; spring, summer, autumn, winter—after three seasons comes the season of White Album.】 Jiangshan held the microphone, passionately declaiming:

【The Dao is impartial, the Great Way is without favoritism—anyone may encounter such a probabilistic event. At this very moment, a love-hate drama, possibly an ancient secret, is unfolding slowly.】

【I, Jiangshan, as the legitimate heir of the Gossip Gate of the Cultivator Daily, will risk my very life to finish this live commentary! If I break this vow, may my form and spirit be obliterated, doomed through countless kalpas!!!】

【What exactly are you trying to comment on?】 The Guangming Judge stared at the suddenly fired-up cultivator, stood up, and slammed the table: 【Isn't this a hand-held tractor competition?!】

【Whether it's a hand-held tractor competition or a love competition, what I comment on—】 Jiangshan's gaze was firm, his fist clenched: 【Is the competition called life!】

Bai Zunzhe nodded with a smile: 【Excellent, Jiangshan Dao friend. You are a cultivator worthy of respect.】

The Guangming Judge shook his head, crossed his legs, and sat down: 【Do whatever you want. When will this damn competition end?】

Why did this suddenly get dragged onto me? Those two people, in a way, were talented—didn't they notice how misleading their conversation sounded?

For the audience below who were stirring up chaos—if there's a next simulated universe, lower all equipment drop rates, and bring in the Daxiu Studio to design their limp, awkward love plots.

This is ridiculous—why am I getting rumors tied to two people with lesbian tendencies?

"That host!" Yi Leina opened a spatial portal toward the commentary booth, pointing at Jiangshan's face: "Since earlier, what have you been spreading lies about?!"

Before everyone's eyes, the live feed suddenly switched to this side.

What about the competition?

Is the competition not important anymore?!

For a moment, Yi Leina no longer wished to dwell on this topic—she planned to speak with Zhao Shuangdian after the competition ended.

"When did this happen?" Peng Lai Shan Huiye poked her head out and asked Li Huowang: "Why didn't you supervise Su Lin for Yi Leina?"

Xing Dian nodded: "Hmph. Men."

Clearly, compared to the competition, the two women in the car wanted to spark conflict.

Li Huowang glanced at Zhao Shuangdian, then looked at Yi Leina and said sincerely: "I'm sorry, Sister Yi Leina. At that time, Brother Su had amnesia."

"Shut up!!!"

Crack! The hand-held joystick was pulled to maximum gear. The tractor driven by Yi Leina and the others crashed straight through the obstacles ahead, bumping and colliding, sending several onlooker cultivators flying.

Zhao Shuangdian raised her sniper rifle and fired two more shots before stopping. She asked curiously: "Is she Brother Su's wife?"

"No, I was joking," Li Huowang couldn't resist, joining the mood with a joke: "Isn't that a bit too much…?"

"Zhao Shuangdian," Qing Wang adjusted his glasses, his expression slightly uneasy: "Your taste won't… never mind. I hope you're not insane."

Zhao Shuangdian glanced at her colleague and paid it no mind.

For now, aside from continuing her research, nothing else mattered much.

【Amnesia?】 Jiangshan's Adam's apple moved slightly, his eyes filled with shock. Suppressing his journalist's impulse, he stepped beside the Guangming Judge and asked carefully:

【Mr. Judge, may I ask if Brother Su Lin is available? The Cultivator Daily would like to invite him for an exclusive interview.】

If this were merely a simple emotional gossip side story, it would carry only labels like 'Big Shot,' 'Senior,' 'Love Triangle,' 'Taboo'—offering the fleeting thrill of instant noodles, topped with beef for extra satisfaction.

But if it involves amnesia—a classic plotline—the concept changes entirely!

It means the Cultivator Daily has material for a long-running serial spanning three thousand issues.

He loved her, and she loved him—but due to a sudden turn of events, he was endangered and lost his memory. In a strange land, another woman entered his life. He seeks his past, yet the only trace left of her is a portrait…

Not just Jiangshan—some audience members below had already imagined dozens of episodes of a drama in their minds, their neural signals triggering, turning their eyes toward the commentary booth with fanaticism and greed.

【Don't ask me—I'm the Guangming Judge, not Su Lin the contestant.】

Su Lin had no intention of sharing his strange adventures—they were personal privacy.

【I remind you again, Mr. Jiangshan: you are a commentator, and the competition is still ongoing.】

Hearing this answer, Jiangshan felt disappointed. Both he and the audience felt as if a cat were scratching inside their hearts.

Out of professional ethics, he forced himself to return to the normal flow of the competition.

Good, we can see that one of the parties involved, the Dimensional Witch, has already reached the top ten; the first-ever Hand Tractor Race, sponsored by the Fallen God, is about to reach its conclusion. Jiangshan, observing the changing scene, began his timely commentary.

Su Lin suddenly felt exhausted and decided to stab Kei En twice with his sword later, then bury the commentator beside some mythological creature. 【You lot, stop linking movie characters to real people.】

Jiangshan had no idea what Su Lin was thinking; now that the crowd's emotions were fully stirred, he slipped into his role.

Today's number of death-seeking acts was slightly excessive, but no matter—it didn't matter. On the way here, an anonymous Immortal Master known to Huang Shan Zhenjun had foretold for him: today's fortune was abundant, the Year Star shone brightly, great fortune was assured!

The front line of the arena consisted of five Robbed Immortals, eleven Profound Saints, and representatives from the chat group: Meng Qi, Zhong Li, Yi Leina, and others.

The rest were chasing behind; the passage constantly saw stars falling one after another from outer space, and divine energy tides from clashing spells surged from behind.

Though it carried a hint of green onion flavor, the problem wasn't severe; every contestant who had made it this far without being eliminated possessed unique skills.

The moment this contestant returned to the ocean course, aquatic elites began exerting influence with water-controlling arts—no pretense, no show—they directly summoned tidal waves and extreme ice to hinder others.

"It's all the black referee's and host's fault!"

Yi Leina felt today was her social death—though not because someone had paired her up romantically; after all, it wasn't real, so she didn't care. Her heart wasn't that narrow.

But what if someone paired her up and then created fan content live?

Back on Earth, having exited the special acceleration state, they sailed across the sea surface and looked up to see two Q-version heads pressed together—hers and Su Lin's—with a caption beside them: "Pure Love Forever."

Younger cultivators were standing outside the arena, riding various magical artifacts, loudly cheering for Yi Leina.

"So disgusting—I don't know why, but it just feels disgusting."

Yi Leina attempted to attack the referee and commentator across dimensions while casting the Energized Spell on Xing.

"Can I rest for a bit?" Xing trembled, holding up the Builder's Relic: "I've been charging nonstop—I can't go on anymore."

She's developed resistance to Energized.

"Hold on—we're almost at the finish line!" Yi Leina said. "I'm about to cast a spell to enter the Parallel World—prepare for the sprint."

At this point, we must at least finish in the top ten to recoup the cost of the spell materials. To compensate for the girl's reputation damage and psychological trauma, we need at least top three.

Gulu gulu—

"Hungry," Xing rubbed her belly. "I really don't want to keep going. Can you just activate auto-battle mode and skip ahead?"

She tapped the air, attempting to use the triangle icon in the upper-right corner to enable double-speed playback.

"Huiye, give her some scraps."

"I have no objection—should I add cumin and chili?"

"Thank you, I'm not hungry anymore."

Finally, she hurled at the two commentators besides White Zunzhe: a hot wire, a water column, a fire column, a lightning column, a rain of bullets, ice pellets—then the entire group charged forward in their Flame Gun Tractor into the Parallel World course.

Meng Qi, seeing this, casually slashed through the obstacles ahead; around the Hand Tractor, the primordial chaos began to manifest.

His long blade plunged into the sea; purple lightning leapt upward; Lei Ting lurked beneath the undulating waves, dragging a long trail behind. "Amitabha, fellow cultivators, you started it—don't blame me for finishing it."

He smiled faintly, then struck the sea with his Kuangdao Bawang Bawang Sword like a mallet. The next instant, countless lightning bolts arched upward into a semicircle and erupted violently.

Following the prominent causal threads, Meng Qi channeled his spiritual power; Lei Ting reversed its flow, pouring through illusory layers, pure yang, pure strength, pure righteousness—directly electrocuting the aquatic cultivator hidden behind into a charred black husk.

The previously hostile sea environment vanished instantly—it had all been the cultivator's true illusion; he had silently replaced reality with his own illusion.

Meng Qi gazed ahead: two Robbed Immortals were clashing, deliberately generating shockwaves that formed a luminous curtain dividing the battlefield.

Another slash—this one wrapped in the swirling dust of mortal life, the light of bygone days, countless hidden secrets from history's dust striking straight into the soul; the sky-sea-spanning curtain shattered on impact.

The surrounding cultivators never expected Meng Qi—who had always avoided combat—to possess such lethal power; astonishment showed plainly on their faces.

Seeing this, Meng Qi smiled faintly, about to recite a poem and raise his blade—

"Immortal—"

Boom—!!!

"Get out of the way!!!"

The powerful impact knocked him senseless; dazed, Meng Qi regained control of the Hand Tractor spinning midair.

Who the hell lacks martial ethics?

【Contestant #13, Xiao Yan! Contestant #13, Xiao Yan, has appeared on the field! He has triggered three special bonuses: Grand Theft Auto, Thunderous Speed, and Hyper-Spatial Racing!】

Xiao Yan?!

【Grand Theft Auto: a Heaven-Stealing Technique provided by the Grand Elder of the Kongkong Thief Clan; upon colliding with another's vehicle, there's a chance to steal its tractor parts; during theft, the user's own tractor remains undamaged. Thunderous Speed: grants permanent 100x speed with silky smoothness. Hyper-Spatial Racing: a time-space technique; the user enters chaotic spacetime at random intervals, compressing one minute of internal distance and speed into three seconds of external release.】

【These bonuses of Contestant Xiao Yan form a chain reaction! How did he manage to acquire all three simultaneously?!】

"Song Shuhang!"

While being chased by those three newborn things, it was Song Shuhang who told him to smash into a certain barrier in the space corridor—only then did he obtain the hidden item. But this speed—

Xiao Yan gripped the steering wheel tightly; as he entered chaotic spacetime, his Hand Tractor accelerated further. Already at 100x speed, the moment he exited, the compressed mileage was released—another 100x multiplier.

This speed was too intense even for a Star Dou Zong.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!!!"

Bumping, crashing, stumbling—Xiao Yan had forgotten how many contestants he had blown past since starting from behind; he no longer remembered how long he'd been driving.

"Song Shuhang, I can't stop!!!"

"Sorry, Senior Xiao Yan—don't stop!"

Behind them, a Hand Tractor shot past like a meteor, overtaking countless contestants—it was Song Shuhang's #444 Hand Tractor, its front glowing faintly, subtly linked to Xiao Yan's rear.

The Magnetic Rune: capable of attracting the vehicle ahead to achieve acceleration.

This was a relic given to him by Huang Shan Zhenjun before he collapsed on the way—so the Jiuzhou No. 1 Group could have a representative place in the rankings, Huang Shan Zhenjun had left this relic to block the monster behind.

【What is that thing?! Is there a boss in this arena?!】 Jiangshan's voice trembled with fear.

Purple-Gold Divine Dragon: "Aowu~! Nobody gets to win!"

Duan De: "Come down here, you!"

Hei Huang: "Woof! Another pet!"

Purple qi filled the sky, crimson clouds shimmered, tearing through the heavens; the terrifying True Phoenix Art spread its wings in flight. The Purple-Gold Divine Dragon stood atop Ge Gu's dragon back, gripping Duan De and Hei Huang, surveying all with disdain, roaring across heaven and earth.

Ge Gu: "That hairy bastard over there—was it you who used magic to hit Dragon Elder?! Die!!!"

"I am Qing Xiao. Who is this dragon companion?" cried an Xuan Sheng, frantically dodging.

"I'm that tractor from before!!!" Ge Gu whipped his tail like a storm, smashing the opponent's tractor into ruins.

The two True Dragons began spewing divine light, forming a storm that destroyed everything from the rear, sweeping in cultivators who were eliminated—not only that, but they were also snatched up by Black Emperor and Duan De.

Soon, more cultivators appeared atop the dragon claws.

Qing Xiao: "Brother Zi Yun, long time no see!"

Qing Xiao unleashed brilliant sword light toward a bearded cultivator still gloating; the man hurried to block it, but dozens of Sovereign Divine Weapons descended from the sky, accompanied by array patterns attacking.

Zi Yun: "Brother Jin Yue, it's been a thousand years—come here, I'll show you something wonderful."

Jin Yue glanced back at the ultimate form made of losers, visible waves of resentment and hatred entwined together; sweat poured down as he frantically yanked the joystick, even forgetting the rules and trying to use Earth-Submergence Technique.

Crack!

The joystick broke.

"I forfeit!!! Aaaah!!!"

A cry rang out; Song Shuhang watched Xiao Yan nearing the finish line and silently wished he'd go faster—if that stitched-together dark creature swallowed him, it'd be over.

"Shuhang… Shuhang young friend…"

A rich male voice softly called Song Shuhang's name.

Song Shuhang widened his eyes and turned back—Huangshan Zhenjun was waving amiably at him from atop Ge Gu's dragon claw: "Come over and sit a while."

This isn't scientific! This can't be explained!!!

"Senior Song~~~" Yu Rouzi waved: "Come play with us!"

Ling Die Zunzhe narrowed her eyes and began gathering a spell in her right hand.

Why are you all here?!

Commentary stand position.

【Is this kind of fair judgment a violation?】 Jiangshan looked at Su Lin: 【Referee?】

Su Lin pulled off his eye patch, puzzled: 【Is the race over?】

【】 Jiangshan turned his pleading gaze toward Bai Zunzhe.

Bai Zunzhe had been smiling throughout, occasionally laughing, looking genuinely delighted.

【Ah, sorry】 Bai Zunzhe calmed his smile and said: 【It seems the competitors have noticed the final rule of this race.】

Jiangshan slowly fell into Bai Zunzhe's smile, his gaze growing dazed.

【The final rule: if no competitors finish, or if fewer than required reach the finish line, the remaining prizes will be evenly distributed.】 Bai Zunzhe smiled: 【It was set before Brother Su Lin's sponsorship, but it works perfectly now.】

【Why?】 Jiangshan asked instinctively.

【Races demand fairness. If all competitors had honestly raced their hand-pushed tractors, it would have been fair for those with shallow cultivation.】 Bai Zunzhe explained patiently:

【Though this race permits tools and modifications to hand-pushed tractors, if Immortal Tribulation and Xuan Sheng elders secretly cheat, the others stand no chance, don't they?】

【That wouldn't be fair.】

【But with this rule, powerful cultivators who fail will inevitably try to drag others down—and their primary targets will be those who eliminated them.】

【I see.】 Jiangshan nodded, his gaze sinking even deeper.

When the strong fight, the weak gain room to breathe and turn the tide—even if not everyone is eliminated, that stitched-together hellish entity's primary targets won't be ordinary cultivators.

Bai Zunzhe had thought kindly of every competitor—he truly was too good.

【Wait】 Su Lin's lip twitched: 【What about my sponsored prizes?】

Bai Zunzhe smiled again, making the heavens and earth dim: 【Didn't you say earlier you could exchange them for equivalent resources?】

【】

【You're Bai Zunzhe, not Nine Nether Bai, right?】

Feels kinda dark.

Two Immortal Tribulation cultivators struck at once, casting slow spells and spatial barriers to reduce Xiao Yan's speed.

"Hehehe," Xiao Yan, drenched in sweat, held a fire lotus in hand, flames blazing on his tractor; he grinned at the two beside him: "You don't want me to self-destruct here, right? This speed is perfect."

The two Immortal Tribulation cultivators exchanged glances, neither increasing the slowdown nor interfering further—they chose to maintain the status quo.

The three remained side by side, none yielding, pulling far ahead of the other competitors.

Top three is enough. No need to introduce new variables.

Suddenly, a giant squid monster, dozens of meters long, appeared on the sea ahead; it waved its tentacles and spoke in Chinese dialect: 【I've been imprisoned for five hundred years—and you dare trespass my domain? Simply…】

Swoosh—swoosh—swoosh—

Hundreds of tentacles lashed out; as a fifth-rank great demon, each tentacle could destroy a building, then—

Were crushed under three hand-pushed tractors.

Especially the middle one—after being scorched by strange fire, it was cooked.

"What's this? Smells good." Xiao Yan pulled off a tentacle, bit into it: "Would've been better with some beer."

Song Shuhang, watching the giant squid appear, suddenly remembered: "Isn't this the great demon who drops gear for me?"

Because this hand-pushed tractor race was so terrifying, he'd nearly forgotten he was originally meant to encounter this demon linked to the Sea Urchin Warrior.

When several tractors, trailing swordlight and teleportation glow, rolled over it again, the struggling demon floated on the sea like a ragged cloth, green blood oozing from its body.

This time, it didn't even hold out until Song Shuhang arrived.

Before Song Shuhang could mourn the squid monster long, a yellow crystal floated from its body—and new experts arrived on the battlefield.

Beneath the squid, the seabed suddenly opened a massive vortex; a spatial gate unfolded, revealing far in the distance a colossal Jin Zita and twelve ancient, terrifying eyeball pillars.

Normally, when such a spatial gate opens, chaotic space forms around it, capable of shredding any cultivator below Immortal Tribulation.

Led by the three Immortal Tribulation cultivators, dozens of hand-pushed tractors couldn't brake in time—all plunged inside.

It also included the one driven by Xiao, who was just one step away from using the Wind Wheel Two Stand.

"."

Unfortunately, there are quite a few Tribulation Immortals here today.

"Who are you people?!"

"If you oppose the Sea Urchin Warriors, your entire family—parents, children, relatives, and friends—will die in the most horrific ways possible!"

"Kneel down now and cut off your heads, and we might spare your families!"

A synchronized chant rose from the Sea Urchin Warriors, and those who had raised their weapons began their assault.

"."

Master Bai, was this also part of your plan?

Faint sounds of "boring, pointless, useless…" echoed beside his ear, mingling with the sound of tearing flesh.

Song Shuhang's eyelids twitched violently; blue blood gushed from the Sea Urchin Warrior like a river, and the Sea King barely showed his face before immediately fleeing with a teleportation technique.

With its support gone, the spatial teleportation gate shut, leaving a large empty space ahead of Song Shuhang.

"The heavens hold unpredictable winds and clouds," Song Shuhang casually scooped up the yellow crystal with the silver arm armor and placed it in his space pouch, sighing: "No one knows what the future holds."

The thread of fate shifted; a black line shot out from nothingness, ready to coil around Song Shuhang—when he smirked with unshakable confidence.

The steering wheel spun rapidly, dodging the hand seal that reached from behind.

"Too slow, Elder Purple Gold Divine Dragon," Song Shuhang gazed at the stitched creature's empty grasp, his eyes blazing with unprecedented seven-colored iridescence: "My goal now isn't merely to survive!"

With these eyes, I shall pierce the future—I control my fate, not heaven!

Song Shuhang plunged his blade straight into the sea surface, triggering the hidden acceleration array. Though it borders on cheating, compared to these guys, what he did barely counts.

One more acceleration array, ahead lies the automatic cruise Thunder Missile item, and I'll pick up a short-range teleportation talisman—this racecourse has no secrets whatsoever!!!

【Fourth place! Young Song Shuhang has instantly closed the gap and reached fourth place!! He's unbelievably lucky—he triggered over a dozen accelerations and items!】 Jiangshan asked from the commentary stand: 【Is this probability a bit abnormal?】

【Give him a urine test later.】 Su Lin lifted the tea the Light Judge had brewed for him, opened the microphone, and said: 【The two at the front—don't think pretending to fight fools me. One warning: dismantle your arrays. You cannot block others' progress this way.】

Song Shuhang's heart leapt with joy—he had been struggling over how to pass the invisible array linking Yin and Yang to Grand Void—and now, Elder Su Lin was defending the fairness of the competition.

The Light Judge—truly the most righteous judge!

Seeing the hidden array beneath the battle's residual waves vanish, Song Shuhang seized the moment; the magnetic talisman shattered.

Song Shuhang instantly appeared beside Xiao Yan, nodded to the bewildered Xiao Yan, then plunged his blade into the sea.

【Again?! This time it's a rotating thrust acceleration array with a one-time flying sword! Dear viewers! The champion is about to emerge—the moment of miracle has arrived! Who says youths lack ambition? They climb to mountain peaks and reach the nine heavens.】

"Huh? Rotating..."

Song Shuhang, vehicle and all, began spiraling upward, transforming into a tornado racing toward the finish line.

【Victory Charge Long Juanfeng.】 Su Lin gazed into the distance, hand raised: "A nostalgic technique."

Time's about up—32

Just as Song Shuhang neared the finish line, space rippled ahead—a three-person hand-pulled tractor suddenly appeared exactly where he was about to land.

"The Light Judge is absolutely fair."

In those three pairs of beautiful eyes reflected Song Shuhang's terrified, desperate face; after multiple accelerations, the impact's force was obvious.

Thunderous booms rolled like distant thunder; the sky seemed to drizzle with fine rain.

【Congratulations to Tianfu Artifact Sect's Nine Yin Daoist, special guest Xiao Yan, and Fahua Temple's Nine Yang Monk—they've won the top three places in this competition!! Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—never underestimate a young man!】

Xiao Yan: "Shut up... don't recite that..."

【The subsequent rankings are: Sansheng Sect's Yang Xiao, free cultivator Guai Du, special guest Li Huowang,...】

A dimensional tear opened; three soaking-wet beauties, drenched in seawater, flooded onto the commentary stand. Su Lin whistled, sipped tea, and remained calm.

Pata.

Two sea fish were tossed before Su Lin and Jiangshan—then instantly wrapped in flame, roasted through in an instant.

"How do you eat without seasoning?" Su Lin asked, pulling a grilled fish from a historical rift and placing it on the table: "Well done. Congratulations to the three of you for making the top ten."

A sunny smile, sincere gaze, sacred face, false food.

Su Lin pulled out a pair of chopsticks and handed them to Xing, who could barely walk—clearly overworked.

Yi Leina stared at Su Lin for a moment, then slumped and walked away: "So close... to a chance to earn a fortune in coins—and now I'm soaked in seawater and salt."

"Heartless man," Huiye of Penglai Mountain glanced at the Eight Trigrams Mirror and said to Su Lin: "Aren't you going after her? This is a chance to increase your conquest progress."

"Put down the games a bit. 'Conquest progress'? Just conquering you is already enough."

"I'm a hidden character. At least finish the first playthrough before resetting."

"Why are you acting like this, old woman? I choose Genshin."

Song Shuhang floated on the sea surface; the tractor was already taking on water and sinking slowly.

In the textual description, he too had collapsed just before the finish line.

Truly ironic—can fate truly not be escaped? The same fate again.

When the desire to win fills the mind, regret has already appeared—but it was so close.

His strength was utterly spent; he couldn't even paddle. How could he move forward?

It's over—at least I struggled.

"All things under heaven hold a thread of hope."

A familiar voice came.

Song Shuhang opened his eyes, gazing at the finish line: "Elder Meng Qi?"

He pointed to Song Shuhang's side, then picked up the King's Absolute Blade and left.

Firelight reflected on the sea; fireworks continued exploding behind him. Song Shuhang strained to look back, watching the still-raging monster and the competitors pushing forward for rank.

Unlike me, they had no eye technique to aid them, no elder's help—even fifth-rank cultivators struggled forward, none abandoning their new Dao path.

What right do I have to give up?

Song Shuhang saw a sheet of A4 paper drifting across the sea, its runes glowing.

Blood qi surged upward; he strained to reach it, and only when the aftershock of the explosion behind him sent ripples through the water did he touch the A4 paper, activating its runes.

The repulsive force struck Song Shuhang's hand-pulled tractor, shoving it past the finish line, but before he could even smile in relief, a spatial gate opened from the A4 paper.

【Deceptive Transfer Trap! Contestant Song Shuhang has been taken by a Deceptive Transfer Trap! But no worry—since the propulsion came from a device, the result is valid!】

On Mars, two divine figures punched each other directly, the sky collapsing as winds whipped up dust and sand, with strange phenomena appearing constantly.

?

Song Shuhang looked around and realized he and his hand-pulled tractor had crashed onto a Mars rover.

"What's going on?"

"You're asking what's going on?"

Lu Mingfei pointed at the sky from the hilltop. "These two guys blocked the path—I can't go anywhere, so I'm stuck here watching the live broadcast."

"." Song Shuhang exhaled in relief; someone should come to pick them up soon.

Clatter.

He glanced at the Mars rover beneath him—it seemed barely holding together, but that wasn't his concern; it had been like this when he arrived, with a large hole in it.

"Pretty impressive." Li Huowang pulled out his phone, pointing to the Curiosity rover he'd encountered on Mars earlier: "Still nuclear-powered?"

I went to bed late last night and fell asleep writing at three. Today I woke up and finished writing everything in one chapter.

(End of Chapter)