The competition instance was less like a world and more like a treasure-hunting space crafted from the private reserves of various games.
Though termed a competition, it was more of a welfare benefit for the players of each game.
As long as there were no intense conflicts, major grudges, or irreconcilable differences before entering the game, the outcomes generally wouldn’t be too disastrous.
As the name suggests, the competition was designed to assess the quality of the current batch of players from each game, comparing them on a unified platform—a showcase of strength between games.
If one had to draw a parallel, it would be akin to the Military World Games in reality.
For administrators, their participation wasn’t primarily for the rewards. First, it was to flaunt the depth of talent within the three major games—
After all, some administrators of the three major games were powerful enough to dominate low and mid-tier games single-handedly.
Second, it allowed lower-tier players to witness the prowess of top-tier players. Third, administrators also engaged in skirmishes among themselves, as such activities, while usually involving diplomatic issues between games, were perfectly justified in the competition.
However, the timing of entry into the competition was also strategic.
Generally, based on strength, lower-tier players entered earlier, giving them time to hunt for treasures or set traps—a form of welfare.
Moreover, there was an unspoken agreement not to target players of a lower tier for advantage.
For example, advanced players wouldn’t attack intermediate players, and quasi-administrators wouldn’t target ordinary advanced players, while administrators, barring exceptions, would only engage with other administrators.
Despite this agreement, since those entering the game were the cream of the crop, some ambitious individuals naturally sought to challenge those above their level, making battles between different tiers not uncommon.
Although Lu Qingjia entered the game with two others, both of whom were administrators, their entry time was slightly later than his.
Upon entering the competition instance, Lu Qingjia ascended to a high point and used his increasingly powerful Thousand-Mile Eye ability to survey the size of the arena.
Unexpectedly, he couldn’t see the end at a glance. After all, at full strength, the effective radius of his Thousand-Mile Eye was over a thousand kilometers—truly living up to its name.
However, this glance wasn’t without its rewards, as many players who weren’t adept at concealment were exposed within his sight.
But those who could enter the competition were no pushovers.
The moment Lu Qingjia spotted them, they also sensed his gaze, and some even retaliated with their abilities, though not too severely.
Lu Qingjia effortlessly deflected these, treating it as a light skirmish.
Descending from the high point, Lu Qingjia took out a bracelet and put it on his wrist. Upon closer inspection, one would notice a strand of hair wrapped around a button belonging to his Old Uncle.
This was the result of Lu Qingjia using his ability to restore the fake corpse of his Old Uncle, fabricated by the Trickster, to its original form.
As expected, the corpse wasn’t entirely fake—it was genetically identical to his Old Uncle, created using a single strand of his hair.
Now, Lu Qingjia could use this strand of hair to locate his Old Uncle.
He didn’t believe the Trickster would enter the game without bringing his Old Uncle’s body, but there was no reaction yet, likely because the Trickster, like Zhong Liyu and the others, hadn’t entered the game.
Taking advantage of this time, Lu Qingjia didn’t linger idly. Once the competition rules were announced, he left the area.
The competition rules were simple: it was a points-based system. Each player entering the arena was given an item representing their score, and the goal was to snatch as many of these items as possible. The player with the most items at the end would be the winner.
Rewards were distributed based on rankings. Generally, lower-tier players who entered earlier would seize the initiative, grabbing a few items and hiding until the end.
After all, once higher-tier players entered, they would become pure prey.
Alternatively, many lower-tier players would simply discard their items or hand them over to those interested in competing for rankings, focusing entirely on treasure hunting within the space. This was also a smart approach.
Lu Qingjia was part of the second batch to enter, making him an advanced player.
Having made such a high-profile entrance earlier, it wasn’t long before he was intercepted by advanced players from other games.
The player who confronted him was brimming with confidence, clearly interested in competing for the rankings.
Upon seeing Lu Qingjia, he smiled and said, “Sorry, buddy.”
With that, he pulled a whip from his body and lashed out at Lu Qingjia.
It was rare for Lu Qingjia to see male players using whips, but this player had clearly mastered it to perfection.
The whip moved as if it were an extension of his arm. Lu Qingjia instinctively dodged, but the whip didn’t leave any gaps due to inertia. Instead, it curved mid-air and coiled around him like a living snake.
Moreover, a blue glow emanated from the whip, clearly indicating it was a high-tech weapon. If struck, Lu Qingjia wasn’t sure if his defenses would hold.
His hair instantly elongated, wrapping around the whip and pulling it forward. With Lu Qingjia’s strength and the increased toughness of his hair due to his level, it was nearly indestructible in most situations.
Under the force, the player, caught off guard, indeed lost his balance.
However, a blue light began to spread from the point where the hair and whip connected. Lu Qingjia produced a scalpel and swiftly cut the elongated hair, preventing the mysterious blue light from reaching him.
As his level increased, ordinary scalpels no longer met Lu Qingjia’s needs. Fortunately, he had acquired many valuable items during his time in Infinite City, and Zhong Liyu also had an abundance of rare materials.
Using rare alloys and techniques from the cultivation world, he had forged several scalpels capable of easily cutting through his hair.
But the situation wasn’t over yet. After cutting his hair, the player was still off-balance.
With a speed akin to teleportation, Lu Qingjia appeared in front of him and delivered a knee strike to the player’s stomach, sending his body soaring into the air.
The scalpel flashed several times, its movements too fast for the naked eye to follow, and the player’s whip was severed into pieces.
The blue glow on the whip flickered a few times before fading completely.
Lu Qingjia then grabbed the player’s hair, pulling his head back, and placed the scalpel against his neck.
As an advanced player, the opponent’s body was undoubtedly robust. In the real world, an ordinary scalpel wouldn’t have been able to pierce his skin barrier.
Thus, the player could clearly feel the deadly threat posed by the small blade at his neck.
Lu Qingjia squinted and smiled, “Sorry, buddy.”
“Wait, wait, wait!!!” the player hurriedly exclaimed. “I was just showing off. Please forgive me for being overconfident and overestimating myself after being so successful in my own game.”
He then added pitifully, “I’ve now deeply understood the gap between me and other players. Among the advanced players of many games, I’m nothing. Please let me go.”
Lu Qingjia put away the scalpel and pushed the player to the ground, smiling, “You’re not weak; no need to belittle yourself.”
This was true. The player’s whip skills were exceptional. If not for Lu Qingjia’s long-trained reflexes, super speed, and the countless sparring sessions with Zhong Liyu, he wouldn’t have handled it so effortlessly.
Most players, coming from ordinary backgrounds, didn’t place much emphasis on combat skills. However, those who became advanced players naturally had good coordination, and this player was among the best.
Moreover, he still had many skills he hadn’t used. In Lu Qingjia’s assessment, he was quite impressive among advanced players.
The player quickly forced a smile, “Not at all, not at all.”
He then took out the scoring item and placed it on the ground, offering it as a tribute.
This time, the scoring item was a type of jade melon seed that could attract and merge with others. The player had already collected several of them, and now he was giving them all up—a testament to his ability to let go.
Lu Qingjia used his hair to pick up the seeds, examined them for a moment, and then tossed them back to the player, “Take them back. I’m not interested.”
He wasn’t here for treasures or rankings. Distractions could lead to his downfall, and Lu Qingjia didn’t believe the Trickster was an opponent he could handle while casually participating in the rankings.
The player was stunned by this unexpected turn of events, his face showing a mix of shock and gratitude for his good fortune.
Then, a female voice came from behind, “If he’s not interested, can I have them?”
The player shuddered and turned around to see a man and woman who had appeared out of nowhere.
The two seemed to be a couple, both striking in appearance. The woman was a sultry, seductive type with a strong, aggressive aura. Her deep, mesmerizing eyes weren’t the kind most men would find endearing or protective, but few could resist her charm.
The man beside her, in contrast, was much more low-key, his presence cold and shadow-like, clearly playing a secondary role to the woman.
The woman leisurely walked over, casually playing with something in her hand.
The advanced player focused and felt a chill run down his spine.
It was a handful of scoring seeds, indicating how many players she had already robbed.
But this didn’t make sense. The woman was clearly an advanced player, and advanced players had only been in the game for less than twenty minutes at this point.
In twenty minutes, in such a vast arena, many players probably hadn’t even encountered another person, yet she had already amassed such a haul.
Either she, like him, had landed in a densely populated area and seized the initiative, but that didn’t add up—no area could be that densely packed. The total number of participants was only a few hundred, spread across an area equivalent to a superpower’s territory.
Or she had directly robbed the intermediate players who had entered earlier and performed well, but that also didn’t make sense. The intermediate players who could participate in the competition weren’t fools.
To ensure fairness, the scoring seeds of intermediate players weren’t compatible with those of advanced players and above. Stealing them would be pointless, otherwise any advanced player could simply take the hard-earned seeds of intermediate players, which would be blatant cheating.
Seeing the player’s dumbfounded expression, the woman smiled, “I thought I’d be facing off against this handsome guy, but he seems uninterested in the rankings.”
“That’s great because my goal is the exact opposite—I want to take first place in the rankings.” She then looked at Lu Qingjia and said, “You’re strong and cunning. If possible, I’d rather not face such a formidable opponent right from the start.”
Lu Qingjia locked eyes with her for a moment before suddenly asking, “Which game are you from?”
“The Game of Revenge,” the woman replied.
The advanced player who had been robbed of his seeds exclaimed, “The Game of Revenge? Didn’t that game stop participating in the competition centuries ago? I heard it was resource-starved, unable to produce decent players, and the abilities of its players at all levels were below the standard.”
The woman laughed, “It’s nothing. The game’s higher-ups were corrupt, exploiting the players. After the big boss was replaced, a comprehensive overhaul followed, resources were allocated, and talents emerged.”
She then looked at Lu Qingjia and said with certainty, “You’re a player from the Horror Game, right?”
The Mermaid hadn’t been in charge of the Game of Revenge for long, and due to the previous administration’s corruption, there were countless hidden reserves and rewards that should have belonged to the players. Before taking over, there had been no notice of the transfer; it was a surprise takeover.
Thus, most games and players were unaware of this. Lu Qingjia only knew because Zhong Liyu was an administrator and told him almost everything.
From the looks of it, the Mermaid was indeed powerful and ambitious. In a short time, the Game of Revenge had returned to the main stage.
If time was a factor, this woman likely hadn’t been under the Mermaid’s leadership for long, yet her strength surpassed that of ordinary advanced players, indicating her exceptional talent. She had carved out a path under the previous corrupt system and soared after the Mermaid took over—a remarkable individual.
Perhaps due to the shared history of the two games, their goals didn’t conflict, and the atmosphere was amicable.
Soon, Lu Qingjia struck up a conversation with her.
As for the unlucky player who had failed in his sneak attack and been robbed of his seeds, he was quickly forgotten.
The woman’s name was Bai Qi, and she was very intelligent, so Lu Qingjia didn’t hold back on many of his questions.
He directly asked, “How was your former boss reported?”
After all, a game had absolute control over its jurisdiction, and players, even if they realized something was wrong, had no way to seek help.
Bai Qi immediately guessed his intent, “You’re planning to confront someone head-on in the competition?”
“An advanced player isn’t enough to make someone as strong as you give up on the rankings. A quasi-administrator has the strength but can’t leverage the rules. An administrator?”
Lu Qingjia smiled, “There’s some unfinished business. I’m not in the mood for the competition. If there’s a chance in the future, I’d be happy to compete with you.”
This statement would sound arrogant and presumptuous to anyone, as ordinary players only had one chance to enter the competition. After all, with so many benefits, it wasn’t feasible to allow players to participate in every session.
However, once one became an administrator, the number of entries was unlimited. If one wanted to engage with administrators from other games, this was the only venue.
But Bai Qi wasn’t fazed and even nodded, “Then we’ll play next time.”
She then added to Lu Qingjia, “However, our game wasn’t reported by the players. Our new boss came knocking herself. I asked her how she got the information, and she said it was due to suspicious behavior that raised red flags. Other games and administrators weren’t interested, but she was, so she gathered evidence, obtained the appointment, and ousted the former boss.”
Knowing what Lu Qingjia was really asking, Bai Qi continued, “Indeed, I had already figured out most of it by then, but the rules were quite special at the time. Our players were trapped in a place similar to Infinite City, but worse—while players in Infinite City could interact, we were completely cut off from each other.”
“But through instances where players from other small games sneaked in, I realized there was more than just our game. So, I wondered if there was a hierarchy among games, and if so, whether our game’s higher-ups were also corrupt and if player reports would be taken seriously.”
Bai Qi shrugged, “But luckily, before it came to that, the new boss overthrew the old boss, saving me the trouble.”
She then asked Lu Qingjia, “Does this help you?”
Lu Qingjia nodded and smiled, “Yes, it confirms something for me. Thank you.”
Along the way, they encountered players who tried to ambush them, but Bai Qi and her companion swiftly subdued them and took their seeds. After their chat, she said, “There aren’t many players here. I’m heading southeast to hunt. See you on the final day.”
After Bai Qi and her companion left, Lu Qingjia selected a spot and directly took out a house from his expanding storage space.
He had confiscated it from a high-level zone, finding its decor and functions to his liking, so he kept it to avoid roughing it during future missions.
Other players hadn’t seen anything so bizarre, and since Lu Qingjia wasn’t hunting for treasure or competing for seeds, they left him alone.
During the day, Lu Qingjia busied himself in the villa and its courtyard, resting with a cup of tea and a book when tired.
By the third day, Zhong Liyu and Ouyang Bai finally appeared in the game, with only half a day left until the competition ended.
Administrators were given only this brief window.
At the same time, the button on Lu Qingjia’s bracelet with the strand of hair showed a reaction.
They knew the Trickster had also entered.
“Where are they? Can you sense them?” Lu Qingjia asked.
He didn’t hold much hope, as the Trickster, being an administrator who had remained hidden for so long, wouldn’t be easily detected.
But Zhong Liyu’s response surprised him.
“They’re here.”
Lu Qingjia looked up sharply and saw several people standing on the roof of his villa.
In the next moment, their figures appeared on the ground, just ten meters away from Lu Qingjia.
The leader was the Trickster, matching the image extracted from the advanced player’s memory.
The Trickster, as projected, had a melancholic and elegant demeanor, with white hair, pale skin that seemed almost translucent, and even white eyelashes and eyebrows.
His rare purple pupils hinted at an exotic origin, though it was unclear where such features came from.
The Trickster glanced up, ignoring Zhong Liyu and Ouyang Bai, the two administrators, and looked directly at Lu Qingjia, slowly revealing a smile.
“Is this house arranged for my reception? It looks nice,” the Trickster said, his voice as clear as a mountain spring.
He took a few steps forward, running his hand over the villa’s fence as if admiring the carvings.
“Fate is a curious thing. I’ve seen its branches, and perhaps it seems unbelievable to you, but besides this scenario where we’re at odds, there’s also a perfect ending where the three of us live happily in a place like this.”
Hearing this, Zhong Liyu felt a wave of nausea. If his enemy had spoken to him like this, he would have likely struck immediately.
But Lu Qingjia, instead of getting angry, smiled and even nodded, “I believe it.”
“After all, my Old Uncle is so naive. If we played our parts well, it’s not impossible.”
“Hahaha!” The Trickster laughed and turned to a figure in a black cloak with a hidden face, “I like this kid. If only he were more obedient.”
The figure didn’t respond, but Lu Qingjia’s pupils contracted.
As he scrutinized the figure, an advanced player beside them asked, “Where’s our man?”
This undoubtedly referred to the advanced player Lu Qingjia had captured earlier.
Lu Qingjia smiled, “What do you think happens to someone who falls into enemy hands?”
“You’re asking for death!” The player’s expression instantly turned fierce, filled with hatred, and he seemed ready to attack but was stopped by the Trickster’s raised hand.
“He’s fine. This isn’t someone who would let unrelated people interfere with important matters.”
The Trickster then looked at Zhong Liyu and Ouyang Bai, smiling, “So, it’s Mr. Zhong and the Lucky King.”
“Mr. Zhong’s stance is well-known, but what about the Lucky King?”
Ouyang Bai appeared nonchalant, “I don’t care, as long as no quasi-administrator or higher messes with my friends, I won’t intervene.”
But as everyone knew, the Lucky King’s formidable luck was intimidating.
While it might have minimal impact on administrators, the others on the Trickster’s side had to tread carefully.
The Trickster smiled, seemingly unfazed by the presence of two powerful administrators.
Instead, Lu Qingjia asked him, “What identity did you use to enter today? Administrator Trickster?”
The Trickster replied, “What if I did?”
As soon as he finished answering, he saw Lu Qingjia reveal a smile, slightly tinged with an eerie edge.
Lu Qingjia glanced at the Trickster’s entourage, which consisted of five people. Aside from the Trickster himself, the other four were at least Advanced Players.
Even the figure clad in black, whose face was indistinguishable, was, according to the subtle hint from Zhong Liyu, at least at the quasi-administrator level.
Yet Lu Qingjia said, “If you are participating under the name of the Trickster, then the one left in Infinite City can no longer exercise the powers of the Trickster, right?”
As soon as these words were spoken, the Players behind the Trickster gasped in shock.
