The strong prey on the weak; this is the law of the world.

"Hello, Mr. Ding Chang!"

"It's good to see you again, Lin Ye." Ding Chang coughed twice, then beckoned Lin Ye to come closer.

The fact that an elderly man addressed Lin Ye as "sir" speaks volumes about his respect for Lin Ye!

"Did I scare you a little? I'm very different from the person in the Instance, aren't I?" Ding Chang struggled to sit up in bed, a somewhat haggard smile on his face.

To be honest, Lin Ye was indeed a little frightened at first glance.

But upon closer reflection, it doesn't seem strange at all.

This is related to the mechanics of the Firmament Instance.

In the Instance, a person's body will be adjusted to a perfect state by the Firmament, making it easier for Challengers to better tackle the Instance.

Therefore, even a disabled person will gain a complete body upon entering the Instance.

These mechanisms can affect a person's psychology, and many people's personalities change both inside and outside the Instance.

My impression of Ding Chang is that he had a very fiery temper during the Battle of the Imperial Sea, but in reality he seems to be very mild-mannered.

Lin Ye didn't really want to pry into these private matters. In such a cruel world, who doesn't have their own unspeakable secrets?

"Old Ding, I regret what happened to Miss Zhao..." Lin Ye said directly.

"You mean... Jianyu? That child... it's truly a pity." Ding Chang sighed, his eyes slightly moist.

"Sigh... there's really nothing to regret. Young Designers are eliminated every day in the Great Xia Settlement, so everyone's used to it."

"Young people are dying one after another, but for an old man like me, the Firmament never closes."

Ding Chang deliberately spoke lightly, but he couldn't hide the sadness in his heart.

The two fell silent again.

"If you have time, I can tell you the story of Reign of Jianyu."

Lin Ye nodded and sat down on a chair in the room, and Ding Chang began his story.

Zhao Jianyu's father was a professor at the Great Xia Army Academy, and his mother was a Research Institute at the First Research Institute, and was also a student of Ding Chang.

She also has a twin sister Zhao Jianxin.

When Zhao Jianyu was three years old, his father and mother were both targeted and killed by the South Korea conglomerate in Instance. From then on, Zhao Jianyu and Zhao Jianxin became orphans.

Although the Azure Star is under the control of the Firmament and does not allow anything to harm children, it is still very difficult for two three-year-old children to survive in this world.

Later, Ding Chang took in the two children and treated them as his own granddaughters, teaching them about Instance from a young age.

There are several rules on Azure Star. First, children under the age of 18 are not allowed to enter any Instance, nor are they allowed to design Instances.

Only after a formal coming-of-age ceremony and approval from the Firmament Curtain will the challenge and dungeon design Instance officially begin.

In addition, pregnant women also enjoy the Exemption Authority until the child is three years old.

Of course, this wasn't out of mercy or pity from the Firmament; it was simply because the Firmament wanted to control the normal growth of Azure Star people. Without these regulations, if the Instance were allowed to wipe out large numbers of people, the people of Azure Star would soon be extinct.

Therefore, many women's best life plan is to marry a high-ranking male Challengers after the age of eighteen, and then continue to have children...

But Zhao Jianyu did not do that. At the age of eighteen, she resolutely joined the research institute and became a Dungeon Designer!

In her words, she wanted to avenge her parents!

Thanks to Ding Chang's consistent guidance, Zhao Jianyu performed exceptionally well. His first Instance, Street Battle, garnered a positive response, and his second Instance, Kowloon Walled City, was even rated as Hard-level Instance by Firmament.

She reached LV2 in less than a year, which is a very fast pace for a young Dungeon Designer in Great Xia.

"Old Ding, there's something I don't quite understand," Lin Ye couldn't help but interrupt Ding Chang.

"As a Level 2 Challengers, they shouldn't be easy to eliminate."

Ding Chang nodded, then let out a long sigh.

"That child, he's just too impulsive..."

"What makes a mere LV2 young Designer think he can challenge the South Korea conglomerate, what makes him think he can challenge Kim Geun-seok?"

Upon hearing the name Kim Geun-seok, Lin Ye's pupils contracted slightly.

"Old Ding, could you tell me about the process by which Miss Zhao was eliminated?"

"Okay..." Ding Chang picked up a pack of cigarettes from the bedside table, lit it, and took a puff.

"Mr. Lin, to talk about this, we have to mention the Jin Family Chaebol in South Korea."

"Seventeen years ago, the people who killed Zhao Jianyu's parents were from the Jin Family Chaebol, and now the actual head of the Jin Family Chaebol is Kim Geun-seok. Therefore, Jianyu has always regarded Kim Geun-seok as his target for challenge."

"Three days ago, Kim Geun-seok posted that statement challenging you online and even smeared you as having South Korea blood."

"You didn't respond to this immediately. Jianyu has a bad temper, and feeling indignant, he went to challenge Kim Geun-seok's Instance."

In fact, Ding Chang didn't say something explicitly: after Lin Ye's Raging Waves, many young Designers in Great Xia were full of confidence, or rather, inspired by Lin Ye's meteoric rise. Everyone had that unrealistic dream of becoming a hero.

Zhao Jianyu was no exception.

"And naturally, the result was failure."

"Perhaps the news leaked from the previous conference at the Great Xia Instance Research Center. It seems that the people of South Korea know that Zhao Jianyu has been in contact with you. The next day, a South Korea Designer pulled Jianyu into a difficult Instance."

"On the third day, Kim Geun-seok even pulled Jianyu into his own Instance again. It seems that Kim Geun-seok was inspired by your Raging Waves. He also added an amplification penalty mechanism to his own Instance, and this time Instance Jianyu was deducted more than 1,000 points..."

Having said that, Ding Chang didn't continue speaking, but simply exhaled a long smoke ring.

With three consecutive point deductions, it's understandable that the application would be wiped out.

"Cough cough cough."

"Lin Ye, Jianyu's matter is not a big deal. Her death was caused by her own mistake, and there is really nothing to be aggrieved about."

In this world, if you're less skilled than others, you'll naturally be eliminated.

Ding Chang coughed twice more, seemingly trying to deliberately change the subject.

"The reason I called you here today is actually to remind you... Your status is different now. You can be said to be the number one person in the Great Xia besides Elder Long Yuan. Some people may fear you, but inevitably some people will have designs on you."

"Because of the inspiration you've given to this world, many advanced Challengers have now learned to incorporate so-called Reward and Punishment Mechanisms into their own Instances, and have also begun to imitate your design of some high-tech weapons. You still need to be more vigilant."