Otherworldly Contest

Wenren Sheng watched for a while and saw the situation take a sharp turn. Old Man He quickly asked a waiter at a nearby table for pen and paper, scribbled out a note, and tossed it to Wang Chenggui.

It seemed to be some sort of application for a match, while Xu Qingshu and the others could only watch, with no room to speak.

Wang Chenggui took the note and began making calls. Before long, someone who looked like a secretary came in and took it away.

"Wenren, I remember that over a century ago, the development of modern weaponry posed a tremendous threat to Alien Power, and supporters from both sides repeatedly initiated challenges like this. But by now, the two have delineated their respective spheres. Modern weaponry has become the main force in warfare, while Alien Power has returned to the Mysterious Realm and retreated into a supporting role," Wu Shanshan whispered to Wenren Sheng.

Wenren Sheng nodded. The book he had read just last night had mentioned something similar. That Otherworldly User's diary had recorded several such contests.

"But contests between Otherworldly Users and weapons have long been explicitly forbidden. Something about today's incident is rather strange." A trace of confusion flashed through Wu Shanshan's bright eyes.

Wenren Sheng shook his head. "Don't say too much. Let's keep watching."

The current situation had appeared far too abruptly, like a staged performance.

At that moment, Xu Qingshu finally seemed to remember that there was someone who could stop this. He hurried over to Wenren Sheng.

"Mr. Wenren, please persuade the two senior gentlemen not to get angry with Wang Chenggui. We will certainly reward you handsomely," he said quietly, his tone extremely sincere.

Wenren Sheng glanced up at him, and his gaze shifted.

"Xu Qingshu, Mystery Points: 1/3."

"Mystery Composition: Joy Power, ???"

He thought for a moment and was just about to speak.

Old Man Li suddenly said, "Young man, we know you have the ability to stop this match, but give us two old men this last bit of dignity. We're about to leave, and we can't go with a belly full of anger! You came to this gathering because you wanted to know the latest outline for the judges' exam, right? Little Xu and the others don't have it, but we do."

Without waiting for Wenren Sheng's reply, he reached into his clothes, pulled out a book, and threw it over.

Wenren Sheng caught it and looked down.

"Classification and Required Knowledge for Otherworldly Qualification Exam Judges—125th Revised Edition." When he opened it, he found many handwritten corrections in the blank spaces.

"We may be old, but we still have some connections. All the corrections inside are the latest materials. You won't find them on the market," Old Man Li said with some pride.

Everyone immediately looked toward Wenren Sheng. A flicker of disappointment crossed Xu Qingshu's face.

In their eyes, whether for principle or profit, Wenren Sheng would no longer interfere in this matter.

On one side was Wang Chenggui, who hated Otherworldly Users and whose stance was clearly opposed to theirs. On the other were senior figures of the Otherworldly Realm who thought highly of him and had generously given him valuable study materials in advance.

The choice was obvious.

Yet after a glance, Wenren Sheng closed the book and returned it. Shaking his head, he said, "I cannot accept a reward without merit. This junior may be untalented, but since I still bear the title of consultant to this city's Patrol Division, I cannot stand by and watch a civilian be affected by Alien Power for no reason."

Sorry, but I was just that upright a person.

Thinking this, he walked over to Wang Chenggui amid everyone's puzzled stares and tapped him with one finger.

Wang Chenggui instinctively tried to dodge, but in Wenren Sheng's eyes, he was barely faster than a turtle.

A flash of purple light passed, and a cloud of pitch-black mist emerged from Wang Chenggui's body before vanishing in an instant.

"As expected, the young are to be feared. At such a young age, you already possess such formidable Purification Ability." Old Man He was not angered by Wenren Sheng's refusal and instead nodded in praise.

Clarity returned to Wang Chenggui's eyes. He shook his head, and a look of panic flashed across his face.

"Well, kid? You should be awake now. Do you still want to have a match with this old man?" Old Man He asked coldly.

Wang Chenggui gave Wenren Sheng a complicated look. After hesitating for a while, he gritted his teeth and said, "Of course I do. You were right—I've always been furious about why you get to stand above everyone else. We work hard, accumulate wealth with our lives on the line, and brave market turmoil just to build up a little family property, only for you to plunder it for nothing?"

"Haha, reason can't save someone bent on dying. You make it sound like we're still in the old days. Who wants to plunder you? Clearly, you willingly make offerings to us for peace in your homes, good fortune, and long lives, yet in the end you blame our Otherworldly Users?" Old Man He sneered.

"Hmph, what Otherworldly Users? They were never fair to begin with. They should be driven from society so that true fairness and order can be brought about." Wang Chenggui's face was filled with indignation.

"I can't be bothered to waste words on an idiot like you. Since you want a match, have you decided what we'll wager?" Old Man He asked impatiently.

Wang Chenggui immediately took a document from his clothes and placed it on a nearby table. "I prepared it long ago. This is the transfer contract for my family's assets. If I lose, I'll sign them over to you. But if you lose, hand over your Otherworldly Users!"

Wenren Sheng's gaze sharpened. This incident truly was not simple. He looked at Wang Chenggui again, and the information on him had changed once more.

"Wang Chenggui, Mystery Points: 1/5."

"Mystery Composition: Former bearer of Hate Power, ???"

There were indeed secrets on the other man that had yet to be uncovered. However, the Seed of Mystery showed no reaction, so the complete elements of an incident had apparently not yet formed.

"So that's how it is. Someone else has set their sights on this old man's Otherworldly User? That makes sense. This old man has nurtured and cultivated it for over two hundred years—it's a priceless treasure. Naturally, someone doesn't want it returning where it belongs and wants to intercept it midway," Old Man He sneered. "How shameless. Just now you said Otherworldly Users were unfair things, but now you want one yourself. Only today has this old man understood what hypocrisy means."

"Brother He, it looks like this fellow came prepared. Be careful," Old Man Li reminded him.

"Don't worry. This old man still has a couple of bones left in him. I want to see whether we really should be eliminated." Old Man He was stubborn.

Just then, there was some commotion outside.

Wenren Sheng looked toward the entrance and saw Inspector Liu stride in from outside the building, followed by a team of fully armed Black Shirts.

As soon as the Black Shirts entered, they began taking control of the scene, gathering all irrelevant parties together.

Inspector Liu also saw Wenren Sheng present and gave him a slight nod before addressing both sides. "You want to hold a match? That violates the regulations. Besides, the matter was settled long ago: Alien Power is to be used in the Mysterious Realm and for various forms of support, no longer as the main force in warfare."

"Enough, Little Liu. We know there are regulations, but we're applying for special handling. We've written down all the reasons for you. You don't need to concern yourself with this," Old Man He insisted.

"All right." Inspector Liu seemed somewhat helpless, as though he knew he could not argue with these old diehards. He then turned to Wang Chenggui. "Are you sure you want this match?"

Wang Chenggui shook his head. "I'm sure. But it won't be me—it'll be my bodyguard."

As he spoke, he made another call. This time, a tall, powerfully built young man in his twenties entered from outside. He had an ordinary face and a blank expression.

"This is the bodyguard I hired for three million. He has fought in many lawless places and dealt with numerous illegal Otherworldly Users. Afu, tell them what you think of those Otherworldly Users," Wang Chenggui deliberately asked.

"They have great potential for rear support. In direct combat, they're too wasteful." Afu's words were unexpectedly fair.

Everyone nodded slightly. After all, he was someone who had truly been on the battlefield.

Inspector Liu let out a breath and stopped them. "All right, stop talking nonsense. A match isn't just a random fight. There are strict rules, and no one can die. This isn't a barbaric age. There are several methods here. Choose one."

He took out his phone, swiped across the screen, and showed everyone the options.

Wenren Sheng looked over and saw a PPT file detailing the rules for contests between Otherworldly Users and contemporary weapons.

The first method was an offensive and defensive drill. It was the simplest: once one side broke through the other's defense, the winner was decided.

The second method used a third party as the target, with both sides competing in destructive power.

There were several more methods afterward, but they were too cumbersome to use in a temporary venue.

"Let's choose the first one. Simple and quick. This old man wants to see whether these old bones can still block bullets with his flesh like they did when he was young," Old Man He said first.

Wenren Sheng felt a chill run through his body. He immediately recalled some anti-materiel rifles he had seen on forums in his previous life—real guns with real ammunition. Then he looked at Old Man He, who was under 1.7 meters tall, weighed less than 150 pounds, and had a body that struggled even to stand straight, and silently gave him a thumbs-up.

"I have no objections," Afu said calmly.

Inspector Liu continued, "All right. You choose the weapon. It must be approved by both sides, and then we'll have it brought over."

"America's latest NWT-20mm Anti-Material Rifle."