CHAPTER 451: CHAPTER 448: [LET’S GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER AGAIN.]

Chapter 448: Let’s Get Reacquainted.

The broken chopstick was plunged into Chen Nuo’s chest, near his heart. Blood seeped through his clothes and flowed out copiously. Chen Nuo even tightened his grip on the chopstick, shifting it slightly.

The movement brought intense pain, causing Chen Nuo’s brows to finally furrow.

However, a faint smile still hung on his lips as he stared at the Fourth Seed, Yun He.

Outside the ramen shop, the crowd standing on the street was stunned!

With a scream, Li Yingwan, Niveer, and Xicheng Xun were the first to react!

The three young women were about to rush into the shop when Chen Nuo turned his head and roared at them!

"Don’t come over!!"

The three were startled and slowed their pace.

Chen Nuo said coldly, "None of you come over!!" Then he stared at the three of them again and added, "Trust me!"

The three young women, loyal to Yama, stood firm, able only to watch Chen Nuo with clenched teeth.

Chen Nuo took a deep breath, then turned his head back to the Fourth Seed, Yun He.

"Sigh..."

Yun He sighed but smiled, saying, "Do you really think I believe you would commit suicide, Mr. Chen Nuo? When I was exploring your dreams, I already understood your character and personality. You don’t seem like the type to kill yourself."

Chen Nuo’s frown deepened from pain, yet his fingers gripping the chopstick were remarkably steady. "Maybe I will, maybe I won’t. But... do you dare to bet, Mr. Seed? Even if there’s only a one-in-ten chance, do you dare to bet? You might think suicide is an extremely foolish act. But... to you Seeds, aren’t we humans just beings who occasionally do stupid things?"

The Fourth Seed’s smile vanished, and he looked at Chen Nuo with a furrowed brow.

Chen Nuo took a deep breath. "You’d better make your decision quickly. I can’t bleed for long."

"State your conditions," the Fourth Seed finally nodded.

"First, let everyone leave."

Yun He thought for a moment. "Alright."

Chen Nuo immediately turned back and shouted at Xicheng Xun, "Lan Mei! Take everyone into the room!"

Xicheng Xun bit her lip hard, then resolutely turned, parted the crowd, and grabbed the rope hanging from Room 504. "Everyone, follow me up!"

Watching from the street outside as everyone climbed the rope one by one... Boss Guo and his wife even leaped up without needing the rope.

In less than two minutes, everyone had entered the floating Room 504, crowding near the doorway.

"Brother Nuo! Be careful!" Brother Lei shouted from above, his large head swaying.

Chen Nuo didn’t look back, simply raising his left hand to wave.

"It seems you won’t need my help to send these people away?" Yun He smiled.

"Yes, I naturally have a way to send them away," Chen Nuo nodded. "If it weren’t for you, I would have left long ago."

As he spoke, Chen Nuo suddenly waved his hand!

A Spiritual Force Tentacle stretched out, and the door to Room 504 in mid-air was slammed shut!

The Fourth Seed’s perception had already enveloped the nearby area. He nodded. "Indeed, it’s a layered space... so the way you send people out is..."

"Because I am the only anchor in this world. So, I discovered early on that this world’s spatial support structure is extremely fragile. I just wasn’t sure what consequences would follow if this structure were destroyed and caused a collapse... so... it’s worth a try. If the layered space is shattered, the worst outcome would be that the people inside would fall back into this world."

Yun He thought for a moment and then smiled straightforwardly. "No need to try. I can tell you for sure, this method is feasible."

As he spoke, the Fourth Seed extended a hand. "However, before you send them away, you must give me enough bargaining chips. Now, list all your conditions, and the bargaining chips you offer. If you can’t satisfy me... I won’t let you send them away smoothly. As for your so-called suicide... I can catch you. Worst case, we can just stay here together. I have all the time in the world."

"Alright. Here are my demands:

"First, let them leave. You are not to interfere.

"Second, from now on, you are not to harm anyone close to me or use them as a means to threaten me.

"Third..." Chen Nuo took a deep breath and enunciated each word, "Release Lu Xixi from her Chosen One relationship!"

Yun He refused without hesitation. "Denied."

Chen Nuo was speechless.

"The first two, I can agree to," Yun He said lightly. "The third is impossible. There is no room for negotiation. Lu Xixi is the strongest Chosen One I could find among humans. Losing this strongest Chosen One would cause my abilities to diminish significantly, and my life strength to be weakened. Simply put, from the moment I chose her until today, the increase in ability she brought me, and the boost in life strength, would all be stripped away instantly if I were to release the Chosen One relationship. I can’t afford to weaken myself to that extent when facing powerful opponents like Kamisou Ichiro and the Seed."

"You could choose another powerful human as a Chosen One," said Chen Nuo immediately. "I could even assist you! Like... the Wizard, how about that? He’s also one of the top humans. If your strength declines after releasing Lu Xixi, to the point where you can’t capture the Wizard, I can help you! Find the Wizard, subdue him! Then you can make the Wizard your Chosen One!"

Yun He still shook his head. "No!"

"I will definitely fulfill my promise! I can even make a promise with you using my spiritual consciousness... something like a mental lock. For instance, if I were to catch your men pursuing Lu Xixi in Europe, they could automatically commit suicide... I am willing to undergo such a mental restraint."

"You don’t understand the relationship between a Seed and a Chosen One," said Yun He with a smile.

"Hm?"

"Use your head," the Fourth Seed pondered for a moment and smiled. "Why did I choose Lu Xixi as my Chosen One in the first place?

"Initially, Lu Xixi’s talent was indeed among the very pinnacle of human existence.

"But her strength back then was nowhere near her achievements today.

"Why would I choose her, a human with extraordinary talent but weak power?

"In other words... weren’t there other strong humans in the world back then? Weren’t there any Controllers?

"Why didn’t I choose another Controller, instead of Lu Xixi, who was still very weak at the time?

"Was it just because her talent was good?

"Having good talent is correct. But does unrealized talent truly hold absolute value?"

Chen Nuo furrowed his brows and remained silent. He indeed did not yet know enough about the secret benefits between Chosen Ones and Seeds.

"The benefit that a Chosen One brings to a Seed has several aspects," the Fourth Seed continued. "First is the increase in combat ability, which I won’t discuss now.

"Another is the increase in the extent of life after life sharing.

"But what brings the benefit is the amplified part of the Chosen One themself."

A thought struck Chen Nuo.

"Simply put, let’s assume human ability scores can be out of 100 points.

"But the vast majority of humans can’t reach 100 points, with most human average life strength being around 60 points. Potential is probably around seventy or eighty points. Over a lifetime, due to various reasons, one’s talent may not be fully realized, not even reaching the full extent of one’s potential.

"And Lu Xixi, as well as you, Mr. Chen Nuo, and the Wizard you mentioned. You all are among the best of humanity.

"Your life strength talent may be infinitely close to the perfect score of 100 points. Maybe it’s 99 points, 98 points, 95 points.

"But your initial strength is no different from that of ordinary people, all around 60 points.

"Let’s say your potential strength is 99 points.

"Then I would choose you when you are at 60 points.

"After that, I would cultivate you, letting you fully realize your talent, bringing you infinitely close to 99 points. Even if you don’t perfectly fulfill your potential and reach 98 points, that’s still very good.

"At least I would enjoy an increase of 38 points in life strength.

"Do you understand? The shared life increase between the Seed and the Chosen One comes from the amplified part of the Chosen One, not the existing part.

"Never mind letting go of Lu Xixi and choosing another Wizard who might be slightly weaker.

"Even if you give me a human Controller who is a little bit more powerful than Lu Xixi right now, I would refuse.

"Because... Lu Xixi is already nearly reaching the human perfect score.

"If I find a strong person of the same level, their potential and growth may already be minimal, bringing me only a minimal increase.

"Do you get it?"

The principle was easy to understand. It was like trying to advance further when one had already reached the top of a hundred-foot pole—the room for improvement was minimal.

But Chen Nuo almost blurted out: Then what about my previous life? In my past life, when I encountered that Seed, I was already among the top elite powerhouses of humanity! According to this principle... the life strength increase that Seed would have gained from me should have been very small!

Of course, Chen Nuo held back these questions and did not voice them.

"So, if I were to replace my Chosen One," Yun He said, "unless... unless you find me a human who is currently weak, but has potential not lower than Lu Xixi, or even stronger than her. And you must ensure that for the next few decades, no other Seeds will succeed in prevailing! Only under those conditions might I consider a switch with you."

Chen Nuo shook his head. "You... are worried that without your Chosen One, you would lose strength... and be killed by other Seeds? Hmm, that’s true... For you Seeds, Chosen Ones must be continually replaced. Human lifespans are short, while yours are long. When an old Chosen One dies and a Seed faces selecting a new one, that Seed’s strength becomes unprecedentedly weak."

"So there are not many Seeds left now," Yun He stated.

"When the old Chosen Ones pass away and die, that is when the Seed is at its weakest.

"The so-called wars between Seeds also included this part a long time ago.

"However, my concerns are not these.

"From the Ancient Era to today, these meaningless killings have increasingly been recognized as having little value.

"Aside from reducing competitors, it does not help everyone find the path ahead.

"Moreover, the reduction in the number of Seeds would greatly slow down the speed of exploration.

"So, at a certain period, all Seeds finally reached an agreement to protect the number of Seeds.

"We mustn’t waste them on meaningless acts of mutual slaughter.

"The first mode is: Chosen One Protection Mode.

"That is, under non-lethal mode—meaning before Seeds have issued an official lethal challenge to each other—Seeds may not arbitrarily attack another Seed’s Chosen One.

"Once they do, it’s considered a declaration of war!

"And the second, which is also the most important, is: Protection Period Mode.

"That is, when a Seed loses its Chosen One due to natural reasons or other objective circumstances and faces a period of weakness while selecting a new Chosen One, that Seed will enter a protection period.

"During this time, other Seeds may not initiate a lethal challenge against that Seed.

"Otherwise, a Seed attacking one under a protection period will be hunted down by all Seeds.

"That is to say, a Seed that has lost its Chosen One due to objective reasons will enter a protected mode, a rule followed by all Seeds.

"Of course, it must be added that there is also a third mode: Unlimited Lethal Mode.

"Unlimited Lethal Mode is a declaration of war!

"It means that one Seed challenges another Seed possessing a Chosen One to an unrestricted battle.

"This type of battle must be initiated while the targeted Seed still has a Chosen One.

"Under Unlimited Lethal Mode, it is permitted for the attacker to strike the opponent’s Chosen One first.

"Also, under lethal mode, a Seed whose Chosen One has been killed is no longer under protection.

"These three modes restrict all actions of a Seed."

Chen Nuo nodded. These rules did seem reasonable. The protection period wasn’t indefinite. Otherwise, if two Seeds battled, and the stronger one killed the other’s Chosen One, a subsequent ceasefire would render the conflict meaningless.

At this thought, Chen Nuo’s eyes suddenly lit up!

"That cat?"

Yun He glanced at Chen Nuo, then nodded. "Yes, that cat... after losing its previous Chosen One, declared it would no longer seek a new Chosen One. It claimed to have withdrawn from the competition. And the real reason it could avoid threats is that its Chosen One died naturally. Until a new Chosen One is found, it is considered to be in a protection period."

Chen Nuo frowned. "So..."

Yun He answered crisply, "I reject your proposal!

"Because, once I change my Chosen One now, even if you immediately find me a better one, my strength will regress significantly.

"Moreover, I must conceal myself, because the protection period only protects Seeds without a Chosen One.

"Once I find a Chosen One, I’m no longer under protection. And to gain an enhancement from a new Chosen One, I have to wait for the Chosen One to grow up—a process that could take a long ten years or even decades.

"During that period, I could very likely be killed by other Seeds.

"Also... during this time, my strength wouldn’t be enough to contend with other Seeds. If the final contest opportunity arose, I’d be powerless."

Chen Nuo’s expression remained unchanged, but disappointment flickered within him. As expected, it’s impossible to ask the Fourth Seed to give up Lu Xixi... A Chosen One, currently weak but with talent comparable to Lu Xixi—where could one find such a candidate easily? Even if found, it would mean forcing the Fourth Seed to withdraw from the competition for many years, risking death at the hands of other Seeds. No one in their right mind would agree.

"So, you can think of other demands," the Fourth Seed said.

"But before you come up with demands, you’d best tell me what you can offer first.

"After all, I’m not running a charity."

The Fourth Seed shrugged, then glanced at Chen Nuo’s chest. "Also, you should tend to that wound. Otherwise, you might lose too much blood and go into shock."

Chen Nuo took a deep breath and slowly pulled out the broken chopstick. Then, using his abilities as a Controller, he stimulated his body’s cells to divide and mend, quickly healing the wound from the inside out.

But his complexion was much paler. He had lost a lot of blood, and even though he could control his body to produce new hemoglobin, it would take time.

The Fourth Seed made no move, just quietly watched Chen Nuo. "Now tell me, what can I gain?"

After a pause, the Fourth Seed smiled. "You know very well there’s only one thing I want from you!

"Tell me, how did you come to this world.

"I’ve looked over it carefully; your current life should not exist in this world."

Chen Nuo’s heart skipped a beat. He thought for a moment...

"Actually, telling you is meaningless for you—I’m a Chosen One, so I know what you need."

"You’re trying to use my method to find the path to the fourth dimension, but my experience is of no value for what you desire," Chen Nuo said, his tone as sincere as he could muster.

"I don’t believe it. My strength far surpasses yours... things you can’t understand at your level may not be beyond my comprehension.

"Things you can’t do, I might be able to do."

As expected, the Fourth Seed was skeptical. This wasn’t surprising. It was like seeing the key to a long-dreamed-of treasure right before your eyes. If, at such a moment, someone told you the key only looked genuine but was actually fake, would you give up? Impossible! You’d choose to stick it in the lock and try it, regardless of whether it was real or not!

Chen Nuo didn’t expect to sway the other with words alone, so he continued speaking.

And before he did, Chen Nuo lit a cigarette for himself.

Taking a drag, Chen Nuo narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Alright, if you insist on knowing, I can tell you."

Alright, listen closely while I weave this tale...

Several people were crammed by the window of Room 504, peering outside. From their vantage point, they could see the figures of Chen Nuo and the Fourth Seed.

"Look, what exactly is Brother Nuo talking to that guy about?"

"I think Brother Nuo must be negotiating terms with that guy," Brother Lei was the first to voice his thoughts.

Xicheng Xun frowned. "Could they be discussing a truce?"

Zhang Linsheng shook his head. "I feel something is odd, and..."

"Enough!" Zhu Dazhi suddenly interrupted.

The others turned to look at Zhu Dazhi, who was standing at the back.

Zhu Dazhi pursed his lips. "You all don’t get it... Whenever Chen Nuo gets that particular smile on his face—it means he’s about to pull a fast one on someone."

"...You’re actually not wrong," Chen Nuo began.

"My current life stage, it was restarted after the year 2000."

Restarted. Chen Nuo had very deliberately used that word.

The Fourth Seed’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Exhaling a puff of smoke, Chen Nuo smiled calmly, silently encouraging himself.

Don’t panic. I can definitely fool him!

"Continue!" A glint of excitement appeared in the Fourth Seed’s eyes.

"But actually, my real life stage is decades apart from the current one."

"...Hmm?" Yun He began to frown.

"As a youngster, I started to realize I had a talent unlike others. My spiritual power awakened, and I quickly grew into an outstanding Ability User. And my ability kept increasing.

"But I then made a depressing discovery.

"The stronger my ability got, the more it felt like I was hitting a ceiling, unable to progress further.

"At the same time, I started to feel my life being rejected by this world... I began to experience illnesses, the kind that medicine has no cure for—terminal diseases.

"A peculiar tumor started to form in my brain, one that spread endlessly, growing constantly.

"Even with a Controller’s command over the body, I couldn’t eliminate these tumors.

"Clear out one batch, and another would swiftly grow back.

"Moreover, after innumerable attempts to clear them, they grew back faster and spread wider.

"My life began to wither..."

As Chen Nuo spoke, the Fourth Seed listened with growing intensity.

He nodded, his tone tinged with excitement. "That’s right... This is the state when ordinary life forms like yours reach a critical breakthrough point in their life intensity.

"The advancement of life is naturally limited.

"Just as the early oceans nurtured life, and marine life evolved into terrestrial life, it took countless years to develop body forms and organs suitable for survival on land...

"And you, it’s because... your talent is too good!

"You might even, your talent might even exceed the human limit... breaking the 100-point barrier.

"But, due to the limitations of the body...

"If you had endless eons, you could slowly evolve, enhancing your physical form through that evolution, increasing your capacity for greater life intensity.

"But human physical bodies, from their inherent foundation, only have a lifespan limit of just over a hundred years.

"So, when your life intensity increases too much in a short period, your body must undergo mutations. These mutations are a natural evolution to adapt to the heightened life intensity.

"However, this evolution, which should occur over a long span of years, was instead condensed into a mere few years because your life intensity enhanced too rapidly...

"The manifestation is like some terrifying disease mutation.

"So... you really broke through the critical point?!"

Chen Nuo nodded. "Yes!"

He then quickly and easily described several characteristics—all of which he had personally experienced at the end of his previous life: the bizarre symptoms of the tumors in his brain and central nervous system. Because he had experienced them firsthand, his description was incredibly detailed!

The Fourth Seed nodded again...

Chen Nuo sensed that the other party believed him. After all, everything he had said so far was true—he’d just omitted some key pieces of information.

"Then, how did you achieve that breakthrough in life intensity? And... how did you survive that deadly evolutionary mutation?" the Fourth Seed asked, voicing his most pressing questions.

"The answer to the first question is... I don’t know." Chen Nuo spread his hands. "Heaven creates all things. How would I know why I’m so special? It was predestined.

"People come in all shapes and sizes. Go ask Yao Ming why he’s so tall.

"Do you think Yao Ming himself knows?"

"...Yao Ming?"

Chen Nuo’s heart tightened. Had he slipped up? Yao Ming had become famous in his previous life around... He quickly relaxed. This timeline was the second half of 2002. Yao Ming had already been in the draft, become the top pick, joined the NBA, and was already famous.

"He’s a very famous basketball player from Huaxia who just joined the NBA this year," Chen Nuo said calmly.

The Fourth Seed nodded, not pursuing this detail, but frowned in thought. "Then... tell me about the process of your boundless increase in life intensity."

"I don’t know," Chen Nuo said with a wry smile. "I even felt like that tumor in my head was like countless offspring I myself had spawned!

"Yes, that’s its characteristic.

"It grows endlessly. I do nothing, absolutely nothing, and it just grows infinitely on its own.

"Even when injured, even severely, I could feel my strength growing day by day. Even if I did no training, no development of my abilities whatsoever, my power not only didn’t regress, it stubbornly continued to increase...

"In short, it was a gift from the heavens!"

The Fourth Seed frowned, then shook his head. "Then... tell me how you dealt with those mutated tumors later."

"I told you... I tried everything, using all my abilities to fight them.

"I’m a Controller, so I manipulated my body’s functions, controlling them at the cellular level. I cleared the tumors countless times, but in the end... I failed.

"Ultimately, I died."

When Chen Nuo said, "I died," the Fourth Seed, far from finding it ridiculous, showed eyes that suddenly lit up! His expression clearly said, ’I knew it! It had to be so!’

"You died! And then what?" the Fourth Seed asked quickly.

"Er, apologies, my description wasn’t entirely accurate. I should say, I was on the verge of death, but not quite dead yet.

"Just before I died, I found a way to prolong my life."

"What way?" The Fourth Seed’s breathing even quickened. "Did you find the key to the evolution of life forms?!"

"Er... if you call it a key, you’re not entirely wrong. I found a tool I could use."

As he said this, Chen Nuo stretched out his hand. Slowly, two Jade Rice Grains materialized from within his consciousness. They were the size of rice grains, with the texture of jade.

The Fourth Seed’s face immediately showed a trace of... disappointment!

But still, with a hint of surprise in his voice, he said, "These are... Seed remnants!"

"Yes, it seems so." Chen Nuo nodded. "This thing allows me to perform Body Seizing. I obtained it during an accidental adventure in my previous life stage.

"Then, when I was extremely weakened... I had no choice but to use it."

The Fourth Seed’s expression suddenly became very animated.

He gestured, and the two Jade Rice Grains from Chen Nuo’s palm flew into his hand.

After carefully rubbing them with his thumb.

The Fourth Seed frowned. "Indeed... there are traces of energy having been used, and it seems to have occurred within the last few years.

"And..."

As he said this, he looked up at Chen Nuo.

Chen Nuo had already proactively extended a Spiritual Force Tentacle, letting it float before the Fourth Seed.

The Fourth Seed seized it without hesitation. The Spiritual Force Tentacle immediately shattered in his palm, completely dispersing into the air.

"You... have indeed used this thing! Your spiritual consciousness contains residual traces of the energy released by these Seed remnants."

The Fourth Seed continued, "Seed remnant crystals indeed possess the function of transferring life.

"But that is for higher life forms at the Seed level.

"If you humans wish to use such a thing to perform Body Seizing... there are significant limitations. For instance, it can only be used among direct blood relatives. The closer the blood relationship, the higher the success rate. So..."

Chen Nuo sighed and slowly flicked away the cigarette butt in his hand.

He smiled and extended his hand.

"Then, let’s get reacquainted, Mr. Seed.

"My name is Chen Jianshe.

"I am, in fact, my own father."

The Fourth Seed’s eyes twitched violently.