National destiny: Global tower climbing skills have decreased by 10,000 times.

Chu Liang stopped and slowly turned around.

Young Master You still stood by the door, his prayer beads twirling between his fingers, a smug smile on his lips. The security guard's hand remained across the doorway, like a wall.

"I have already lost the game." Chu Liang said, each word distinct and his tone neither humble nor arrogant.

"According to the rules of the third round of selection, failing to get past the first level means failing and being eliminated directly. Why are you still holding this against me?"

"Are you saying you're protecting me and creating unfairness for the other contestants?"

Young Master You laughed again, a smug laugh, as if he had expected him to say that.

"No, no, no, you're not eliminated." He took a step forward, twirling the prayer beads in his hand again.

"The rules also state that even if a challenge is not successful, a contestant may still be promoted if their performance is outstanding."

"With your skills, I should have more than enough ability to advance, right? Don't believe me? Ask the audience; who would object to your advancement?"

There was a moment of silence in the audience, then as if ignited by something, all sorts of voices erupted simultaneously:

"I have no objection!"

"Wow! So understanding? Great opportunity, say yes!"

"It seems that Zixia is quite open-minded and not so strict and harsh."

"With your abilities, you deserve this qualification, so just agree."

"We'd love to have that opportunity, but we haven't had it yet!"

Voices rose and fell, some cheering, some encouraging. In their eyes, this was what Chu Liang deserved; he had proven his worth with an almost impossible maneuver.

But in the live stream room, the scene was quite different.

The comments were scrolling faster than before, but the content was completely different:

"Brother Sword Demon! Don't agree to it, it's definitely a trap!"

"Don't be fooled by these small favors. Once you go, you'll be living under their roof, and they won't treat you well!"

"That young master You is clearly not a good person; he's deliberately targeting you!"

"If I were to go, I might as well come back and continue being a streamer. Although I don't have many fans, I'm free and don't have to put up with this."

Chu Liang didn't look at his phone and couldn't hear the sounds. He lowered his head and pondered for a long time.

You Shao wasn't in a hurry. He stood by the door, slowly turning his prayer beads, as if waiting for an answer that was destined to come.

Chu Liang raised his head and looked into You Shao's eyes.

"Thank you for your kind offer, but—"

He paused slightly:

I choose to refuse.

The commotion in the waiting room abruptly stopped; some people opened their mouths but made no sound.

Yu Shao's smile remained unchanged, but a hint of cunning appeared at the corners of his mouth.

"Alright." Young Master You sighed deliberately, as if he were lamenting the lack of appreciation from a young man.

"Since you're not giving me any face, then I'll have no choice but to 'expose' you."

He raised his hand and waved, and two security guards stepped forward from behind, standing on either side of Chu Liang.

"I received a report that you cheated during the competition and communicated with others via microphone."

Young Master You's voice became even sharper: "So, I need to search you now."

Chu Liang felt a chill in his heart. Had things been leaked? Before he could react, his arms were already pinned behind his back and locked tightly, rendering him unable to move.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Chu Liang feigned agitation and tried to break free and resist a few times.

"Whether it's nonsense or not, a quick search will tell you." You Shao winked at the security guard.

Another security guard stepped forward, holding a metal detector, and scanned Chu Liang from head to toe.

In fact, Chu Liang was not flustered at all. He had already put away his headset and phone and hidden them in his bag, leaving no trace.

As long as no evidence is found on him, no matter how much he identifies someone, it will only be his side of the story, and no one will know the truth.

However, just as the detector scanned near his ear, a sharp whistle suddenly sounded.

"What's this?" The security guard's voice was icy as he reached out and touched the man's ear, pulling out a small, hard object.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a metal headset!

Chu Liang's pupils dilated violently, and he froze on the spot—he clearly remembered that his headset had been put away.

What is this headset?

He looked again and saw that the black, pea-sized earpiece in the security guard's hand was clearly not his, yet it had been inexplicably "pulled" out of his ear.

—It's "slander"!

The word immediately popped into his mind.

"This is the evidence." Young Master You took the headset, held it above his head, and made sure everyone could see it.

"He cheated, according to a report. We have all your favorite game/novel genres, welcome to visit p>"

"We deliberately didn't expose him because we wanted to see how he would react afterwards."

The previously quiet audience in the waiting room instantly erupted in chaos:

"What? So it was cheating?"

"I thought he really played it himself. I was saying that his play just now was nothing like that of a professional player."

"I was so supportive, but it turns out it was cheating. What a waste of my excitement."

"Huh? That can't be right, I don't really believe it."

Chu Liang's face turned pale. He stared intently at the headset in You Shao's hand, certain that it wasn't his.

"This isn't mine! You fabricated evidence, you're slandering me!" Chu Liang shouted.

"With witnesses and physical evidence, what else is there to argue about?" Young Master You handed the headset to his assistant and clapped his hands.

"Of course, I'm not an unreasonable person. I'll give you two choices."

He held up one finger.

"First, prove that you did not cheat, and I will let you leave. Otherwise, I will put you on the e-sports player blacklist in the name of Zixia E-sports Club."

"From this day forward, no esports organization in China will hire you, and you will no longer be allowed to participate in any esports-related activities. Your esports career is over."

He held up another finger.

"Secondly, I can also give you a way out."

"Although you're blacklisted and other organizations won't accept you, Zixia can still give you a chance given your special circumstances—"

"As long as you are willing to work as a sparring partner at our club for a full year without pay, we will no longer hold your past mistakes against you, and your blacklist will be removed."

Someone in the audience gasped. A coaching assistant—it sounds like a job, but in the esports world, a coaching assistant is the lowest level.

Serving tea and water, tidying up equipment, and training with the main players—these were all menial tasks, which was a blatant humiliation for a streamer who was already somewhat famous.

The chat room was flooded with comments:

"Don't agree! Please don't agree!"

"I'd rather not participate in any esports than put up with this beast's behavior!"

"Don't believe him. At worst, you'll just be a small-time streamer. What's wrong with that?"

Chu Liang lowered his head, clenched his fists, and gritted his teeth. He remained silent for a long time, and the people in the waiting room began to whisper among themselves.

When he looked up again, his eyes were calm, as if he had made up his mind:

How can I prove that I didn't cheat?

You Shao laughed, as if he had expected him to say that:

"It's very simple. Just play the challenge again in single-player mode, using the same A8 key, on the first level."

"If you can successfully complete the game again, it will prove that you did it on your own and didn't need anyone's help."

He had never tried the A8 difficulty level before, clearing the first level in single-player mode, and didn't know if he was confident.

This time, no one held him back, and Ye Fei didn't help him; he had to face this unknown challenge alone.

Although it is more difficult to play solo than to play with two people, it is not much more difficult. Besides, this was originally the content of the third round of trials, only it was played solo. Why not treat it as another test?

If he can't even succeed in the challenge on his own, then it can only mean that he wasn't qualified to advance here in the first place, so what's the point of negotiating?

He didn't hesitate for long.

"I agree." Chu Liang's voice was decisive and firm. After saying that, he turned and walked towards the arena.

Watching his retreating figure, You Shao's lips curled slightly. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and quickly typed a line on the screen:

"He's boarded Unit 6. Ready."

The person on the other end of the message replied quickly:

"Yes, the seed has been prepared and will be implanted into his backend shortly."

You Shao put his phone back in his pocket, and the prayer beads started spinning again, a wave of pride washing over him.

That seed was a "super poisonous seed" that the Zixia Club had been researching for two years without success, despite the combined efforts of all their experts.

Monsters are everywhere, events are dangerous, and card rewards seem cursed—you can never get the cards you want. It's hellish difficulty from the very first level.

Let alone Chu Liang, an amateur player, even Zixia, a current professional player, has no chance of clearing this seed.

So from the very beginning, Chu Liang's fate was predetermined—he had nowhere to escape!

Chu Liang walked onto the stage, sat in front of the computer, and took a deep breath.

Single-player mode, difficulty A8, Crown Prince.

"start."

The screen flashed, and the challenge began.

At this moment, Ye Fei was rushing back from the toilet.