Age of Evolution

Chapter 267 - 267: 267: The Number 1 Person Below Star Realm

The system prompt sounded: “The semi-finals are over, congratulations to Hua Xia Ice City Blue Sky Martial Arts Hall War God Lin Zhen for advancing to the finals, which will start in an hour.”

By then, the other match had already ended. The United States War God Duke defeated the European Union War God Ai Er to advance to the finals.

Lin Zhen’s final opponent would be Duke, while Hoflov would face Ai Er. When the systems announced Lin Zhen’s victory, Hua Xia celebrated nationwide.

Advancing to the finals meant at least finishing as the runner-up and ranking second at a minimum in the World War God Alliance.

Furthermore, nobody thought that the championship would fall short. If Lin Zhen could even defeat Hoflov, who was on the verge of advancing to the Star Realm, then what could Duke possibly do?

Duke couldn’t even compete with Hoflov, who was almost at Star Realm level. How could he fight against Lin Zhen?

Fireworks filled the streets and alleys of Hua Xia’s six major Base Cities, and it was as lively as the New Year. Every household prepared food and drinks, even making dumplings, to celebrate this great victory.

The audience of the War God’s Knockout match seethed like a boiling ocean.

Lin Zhen looked around and slowly took off his virtual helmet.

When he opened his eyes, Su Mingyue and An Ning were still trying their best to heal him. Sweat had already formed on their beautiful faces.

“Ah Ning, Yue’er…”

Lin Zhen’s voice was slightly hoarse. Su Mingyue and An Ning stopped after a momentary pause.

“Lin Zhen, did you win?” An Ning asked.

“I won. I resonated with the elemental power of light molecules and finally defeated 1–loflov.”

An Ning and Su Mingyue couldn’t contain their excitement. In an instant, both of them made the same move – they wanted to throw themselves into Lin Zhen’s arms. But seeing the people around them, they both stopped.

Lin Zhen stood up and embraced both of his beloved girls: “I want to thank you… Without your efforts, there would be no victory in this match…”

Two blushing faces pressed against Lin Zhen’s chest, exchanged glances, and Su Mingyue shyly buried her face in his chest, not daring to look at An Ning.

An Ning also felt very embarrassed, but she was still slightly stronger than Su

Mingyue. She pinched Lin Zhen’s waist and then buried her face in his chest.

“He fought so hard and defeated a powerful adversary. Let him have this moment. Next time, I definitely won’t allow it.” Both girls thought the same thing.

The three of them embraced each other, and the atmosphere in the room was warm and quiet. Lin Zhen closed his eyes slightly, enjoying this rare moment.

Although he couldn’t help himself at the beginning, he later realized that this opportunity was precious. He had to make the two girls learn to accept each other. He decided to be thick-skinned this time, laying the foundation for the future.

After a few minutes, Su Mingyue finally couldn’t stand the stuffy atmosphere and looked up in Lin Zhen’s arms: “Can we stop hugging now?

An Ning also pushed Lin Zhen away and sat down on the side.

Lin Zhen smiled and sat down as well, stretching his body, feeling the activity of the light molecules inside him, and enjoying the pleasure of his body gradually recovering.

“Lin Zhen, do you have any confidence in the upcoming battle?” An Ning asked.

“There won’t be any problems.” This time, Lin Zhen’s answer was decisive.

Duke’s ultimate skill was a Resistance Field, similar in nature to Hoflov’s Gravity Field. However, neither of them could cause any trouble for Lin Zhen now. Besides, Lin Zhen could also use his Spiritual Power against Duke.

“You can’t be too careless. The closer we get to the end, the more careful we need to be.”

An Ning continued to advise, and Lin Zhen nodded slightly in agreement. He would not let the championship slip away.

At this moment, however, suddenly the cheers of their parents came from downstairs.

Soon, Lin Liye and Li Qin ran upstairs, opened the door, and Li Qin said first: “Son, that American Duke conceded. Hua Xia is the champion! You’ve won the championship for our country!”

“Really?” Lin Zhen’s eyes lit up. Although he knew Duke definitely wasn’t his match, he didn’t expect his opponent to concede.

“Of course, it’s true. You should watch the live broadcast.”

Lin Zhen quickly opened the computer, and Duke’s speech was being broadcasted live.

The War God from the United States looked troubled and said, “First of all, I want to apologize to the American people. I hope you understand that Duke is not someone who fears battle, but I don’t want to fight a hopeless battle. My resistance field is weaker than Huo Luofu’s gravity field, and there is no chance for me to win in this fight. You don’t want to see me being flattened by Lin Zhen and then kicked off the stage, do you?”

“I believe everyone in the world must admit this: When Lin Zhen broke Huo

Luofu’s gravity field with a single shot, he was no longer an ordinary War God. In my opinion, Lin Zhen’s strength stands alone among War Gods, and no other War God can compare to him, not even those at the verge of the Star Realm. He is truly the number one person below the Star Realm.”

After declaring Lin Zhen the number one person below the Star Realm, Duke willingly forfeited the match, satisfied with settling for second place.

Lin Zhen felt indifferent since, although his rebirth had changed many things, some events still followed their predetermined path: Duke, who had been runner-up in his previous life, ended up in the same position with no change.

The American audience understood and supported Duke’s decision, as they did not encourage senseless battles.

Following Lin Zhen’s championship win, news arrived that Huo Luofu had given up competing for third or fourth place. He had left his home, and no one knew where he went.

As a result, Ai Er from the European Union automatically took third place, while Sand Russia ranked fourth.

Lin Zhen’s heart tensed up secretly. Huo Luofu was no longer himself but a puppet controlled by an extraterrestrial civilization. His recent disappearance could mean that he had gone to join his master.

Lin Zhen didn’t think that Huo Luofu would seek revenge for his defeat at the War God’s Knockout. If Huo Luofu wanted to take revenge, he must be confident in his success. Otherwise, failure in reality would be much more severe than losing in the arena, as there would be no second chances.

Lin Zhen didn’t believe that his current strength could match those in the Star Realm, as Old John’s battle had too many unpredictable factors, and Huo Luofu was an exception.

Huo Luofu’s breakthrough into the Star Realm cost him his eyesight and broken legs, causing his combat strength to be severely diminished. Furthermore, Huo Luofu’s speed disadvantage was evident. Without his gravity field, he was completely unable to keep up with Lin Zhen.

Other Star Realm beings differed, with diverse spiritual powers, speeds, strengths, and unique battle skills that were challenging for Lin Zhen, who had experienced rebirth, to handle.

However, if Lin Zhen were to be called the number one person below the Star Realm, he believed it lived up to his reputation. At least on Earth, he didn’t think that any War God-level or even borderline Star Realm being could pose a threat to him.

The War God’s Knockout competition concluded, and the rankings of all nations were announced.

First place: Hua Xia, second place: the United States, third place: European Union, fourth place: Sand Russia, fifth place: African Union, sixth place: India, and seventh place: Brazil.

With the dust settled, Hua Xia celebrated nationwide. Even in Capital Base City, the top echelons of the nation announced that they would come to pay tribute to Lin Zhen and present an award. Additionally, they promised that Lin Zhen could make a request in front of the entire nation, which would be granted as long as it didn’t harm the national interest or threaten national security.

As for this request, Lin Zhen had already planned it out and would submit it when the tributes arrived. This was part of his plan since his rebirth.

At Lin Zhen’s home, everyone was in high spirits. Li Qin even said, “I’m happy today. I want to reward my son. Old man, you cook, and I’ll make dumplings for our son.”

Lin Liye happily agreed and went to prepare. Li Qin looked at An Ning and Su Mingyue, thinking how beautiful and likable they were. Although she didn’t know which one would become her daughter-in-law, it didn’t affect her affection for them at this moment.

“Xiao Ning, Yue’er, you two don’t leave today. Let’s all eat at Auntie’s house, okay?”

Su Mingyue had traveled a long way and didn’t want to leave immediately, while An Ning, despite living in Ice City, found the atmosphere irresistible and agreed right away, “Then I’ll help Auntie make dumplings.”

“Good, let’s all cook together. Auntie wasn’t a martial artist before and is used to doing these things, but you are a martial artist and a well-bred lady, yet you still know how to make dumplings. That’s not easy.”

An Ning felt a little embarrassed since, in reality, her dumpling-making skills were average.

Su Mingyue raised her head slightly and said shyly, “I can help too. When I have time, I practice cooking secretly.”

“Ah, that’s great! It’s truly Lin Zhen’s fortune to have met you both. Let’s all go to the kitchen together, the three of us!”

Li Qin was delighted, wondering whether she should go out to buy some ingredients with the girls to make their neighbors envious.

Although there were not many neighbors around, she could always walk further away. Going out to buy things wasn’t her real goal; the main purpose was just to show off.

Watching his mother leave with his two girlfriends, Lin Zhen felt extremely happy.

However, he was more acutely aware of how hard it was to attain this happiness. Since it had arrived, he was determined to protect it.

The national tributes couldn’t possibly arrive today, so Lin Zhen logged onto the internet from his computer.

He didn’t forget that by participating in the War God’s Knockout and eventually winning, he was eligible for various rewards.

He wondered if there was a lottery as well, as Yue’er had uncanny luck with them. Perhaps he should have asked for her help earlier.

After logging into his account, he received a flood of messages.

Many people wanted to add Lin Zhen as a friend, but he ignored them, focusing instead on the prizes.

After sorting through the award information, Lin Zhen saw his first message: “Congratulations on winning the 500 billion Lin Zhen championship bet. You have won a prize of 1 trillion Huaxia Coins.. Please accept!”