Otherworldly Affairs Office-Chapter 732: Competition Finalized (Requesting Subscription)

"Pei Yan, you're aware of the situation here. The hall has no issues with it, but when it comes down to individuals, it ultimately depends on their personal willingness. If they're unwilling to go, there's not much we can do!" Gu Shenghui hesitated for a long time before speaking the truth.

Pei Yan lowered his head in silence, clearly communicating with Lin Junzhao within. After a while, he raised his head and said, "As long as the hall doesn't obstruct, it's fine. Whether someone accepts the order, she will respect the individual's will."

"Phew." Upon hearing this, Gu Shenghui and Elder Lin finally relaxed. Though they knew this was the result of Pei Yan's mediation, they continued to praise Lin Junzhao in flattery, "Our world's Child of Origin truly embodies greatness. Her generous treatment towards others surpasses the oppressive ways of other realms' origins. To be able to work with Lin Junzhao is truly the greatest fortune of my life..."

"Alright, alright, stop before it becomes insincere." Pei Yan hurriedly pulled on his sleeve and whispered as Gu Shenghui seemed to go on endlessly with praise.

"Oh, oh! Alright, please continue."

"These three points aren't conditions but questions. She asks if we truly have confidence in winning. If not, then everything is in vain; there's no reason to endure mere humiliation and waste her efforts." Pei Yan said, with a bitter face, stating the third condition.

Upon hearing this, those around exchanged glances before once again focusing on him. Pei Yan scratched his head, feeling troubled, "Don't look at me like that. Before I came, I was full of ambition, thinking securing first place would be no problem. But upon seeing the other Child of Origins, my confidence waned significantly. Now, with Bai Ze coming eagerly and presenting such conditions, he undoubtedly has a firm grip and is determined to win. Surrounded by powerful foes, I can only say I'll do my best to secure first place. Even if not the first, getting into the top three shouldn't be an issue. But that's just the individual contest; how about the team competition?"

"Pei Yan is correct, team competition is indeed our weak link. Compared to other realms with more depth, our overall strength is much weaker. Thus, in our initial strategy, we never planned to secure rankings in this contest; it's enough for Pei Yan to shine in the individual contest. But it seems now, if we want to obtain more fragments, we must aim for a good rank in the team competition." Gu Shenghui nodded helplessly.

"Ah, if I may say, isn't this competition open to cultivators who have been practicing for less than five hundred years? We all meet the requirements. With rewards so tempting, why do we intentionally puff ourselves up? Let's choose the strongest lineup from the start, instead of only sending younger ones as planned, right?"

Dong Shigang's words voiced everyone's thoughts, and Gu Shenghui agreed, "You're right, we can definitely discuss this list thoroughly, Lin..."

Before Gu Shenghui could finish, Pei Yan suddenly spoke up, "Lin Junzhao stated that since you are determined to participate, leave the matter of team selection to her. She will choose the strongest lineup to compete."

Hearing this, Gu Shenghui's eyes lit up, knowing that Lin Junzhao's decision indicated her interest and some level of assurance. He happily agreed, "With her guidance, it couldn't be better. This will greatly increase our chances of winning."

Pei Yan did not respond to such praise, rather he fell into silence. After a long pause, he spoke up, "She said if the matter is finalized, tonight she will begin splitting the Origin Seed. This process will take approximately two days, and also..." Pei Yan glanced at Elder Lin and continued, "Additionally, she mentioned she would provide two certificates for you to pass to Minister Cen. Once Minister Cen sees these, he'll understand the situation, and the matter of the Divine Artifact will be resolved."

"Good, good, if finalized, I'll immediately hurry back to the real world to handle it." Reflecting on the rumors in the hall from before, Elder Lin spoke excitedly.

"Since the hall finds this matter profitable, let's go meet Bai Ze alone, see if we can extract some intel or benefits from him," Pei Yan said with a mischievous smile, looking toward Bai Ze being surrounded in the hall.

"Uh, your terms are very tempting. After our discussion, we found them not impossible to accept. But I'm curious why you approached us for this matter. Shouldn't you be discussing this with the event's host, Immortal Palace, or at least other realms? Wouldn't their years-long relationship with Immortal Palace make more sense?" Back at the dining table, Pei Yan sat back, crossing his legs, and got straight to the point.

The tea in his cup was already gone, Bai Ze swirled it around, watching the remaining tea spin in his hands and responded casually, "Under the current circumstances, don't you think approaching Immortal Palace via you guys is the most suitable?"

Upon this, Pei Yan reconsidered. True, given Immortal Palace's consecutive setbacks, Bai Ze appearing directly before them, no matter how tempting his offerings, would likely end up shredded to pieces as a public warning. Even with internal alliances, no one at this critical juncture would plead his case. Similarly, other realms also had concerns. The Inspection Hall, being a new force prioritizing interests, aligns well with Pei Yan's greedy demeanor since arriving.

"Then what's in it for us to risk being seen as traitors by the opposition to help you solidify this matter?" Understanding the ramifications, Pei Yan leaned forward like a weekend merchant.

"Benefits?" Bai Ze looked at Pei Yan confused, "Didn't I just mention them? You'll receive rich rewards if you win."

Hearing this, Pei Yan hurriedly waved his hands, "No, no, no, you misunderstand. I'm asking what benefits we can get from you. What you mentioned are winnings obtained by our strength post-competition, not rewards from you, got it?"

"Ha! Haha! Hahaha! My goodness!" Realizing Pei Yan's implication, Bai Ze was hit by a sense of absurdity, crying and laughing simultaneously as he faced Pei Yan in astonishment, "In this critical face-off involving life and death stakes across major realms, you're here asking for, asking for, asking for kickbacks?"

"Of course! What did you expect? People go where money is, without some incentive, you expect me to take up this exhausting endeavor to secure the match? Why would I? Just because you're wearing a robe? What if you could do a comedic monologue?"

Red-faced by Pei Yan's retort, Bai Ze pointed at him, unsure what to say, before resigning with a bitter laugh, "Mu Fanchen saw through you entirely, anticipating this demand long ago. Seems I lost; I thought after advancing, you'd uphold your stature, but apparently, changing nature is harder than changing the realm."

"Status? How much is it worth? I'm not at the point of tossing away substance for face yet!" Pei Yan scoffed.