My bizarre resurgence: My price is the ability to trade everything.

Nine o'clock in the morning, in the conference room on the third floor of the General Administration.

This is my first time entering this conference room.

The room wasn't large, but it was furnished formally. A rectangular conference table occupied the center of the room, with several laptops and a pile of documents on it. A large electronic screen hung on the wall, displaying a map of Jiangcheng with seven red dots flashing on it.

Chen Xuan sat at one end of the table, his expression solemn. Zhao Tiezhu and Su Mingyue sat beside him, both with stern faces and silent.

At the other end of the table sat two people I had never seen before.

One was a middle-aged woman, wearing a black uniform, with gray hair, but her eyes were sharp as knives. She wore a gold badge on her chest with the words "General Administration" engraved on it.

The other was an elderly man, dressed in a gray Zhongshan suit. He was slightly hunched, but his imposing presence remained undiminished. His eyes were half-closed, as if he were dozing off, but I always felt that those eyes might open at any moment.

"These are Vice Minister Qian and Elder Li," Chen Xuan introduced. "This meeting was convened at their special request."

Vice Minister Qian?

Elder Li?

These two people are quite influential.

"Lin Xiaofan," Vice Minister Qian spoke, his voice icy, "you are the successor to the seventh Balancer?"

"Yes." I nodded.

"Chen Xuan has already reported what happened last night to me." Vice Minister Qian looked at the map on the electronic screen. "The Seventh Apostle's personal appearance means that the Guixu plan is more urgent than we thought."

"Elder Li, what do you think?"

Elder Li opened his eyes slightly, glanced at me, and then closed them again.

"He has some of his father's charm," he said, adding only that.

I don't know if this is a compliment or a criticism.

"Let's get back to the main topic." Vice Minister Qian tapped the table. "Six days from now, Guixu will activate the seventh node of the Seven-Pointed Star Ritual. Once the ritual is complete, the passage to the Origin will open."

"What will happen then?"

"No one knows the exact answer," Vice Minister Qian shook his head. "But according to ancient records, once the passage opens, the power of the primordial source will flood into this world. It will either be controlled by the Void, or... trigger a disaster at the level of the rules."

"Neither outcome is something we can afford."

"Therefore, we must destroy the seventh node within six days," she said. "This is a death order; there is no turning back."

I looked at the red dot on the map.

Seven red dots were scattered throughout Jiangcheng. Six of them were green, indicating that the Night Ravens had already set them up. The remaining one, located in the city center, was red and still flashing.

"The location of the seventh node has been locked." Su Mingyue stood up and walked to the electronic screen. "It's located underground in the old museum in the city center. It was originally an air-raid shelter from the Republic of China era, later converted into an underground shopping street. Night Raven bought the property rights to a section of it three months ago."

"You started preparing three months ago?" Zhao Tiezhu frowned.

"The plan for Guixu started much earlier than we thought," Su Mingyue nodded. "While they were setting up the formations at the first six nodes, they were also secretly preparing the seventh node. Once the six nodes are activated simultaneously, the seventh node will automatically become the core of the ritual."

"At that time, the entire city of Jiangcheng will become a sacrifice."

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy.

"Tell me the specific plan," Chen Xuan began.

Su Mingyue nodded and switched the view on the screen.

A complex architectural floor plan appeared on the screen.

"The old museum has three basement levels," she said, pointing to the diagram on the screen. "The first level is a regular commercial area with a lot of foot traffic. The second level is a storage area, usually deserted. The third level is the core area of ​​the air-raid shelter, the most heavily guarded place by the Night Ravens."

"Is the seventh node on the third level?"

"Yes." Su Mingyue nodded. "Based on my analysis, the seventh node requires a special key to activate. This key is very likely the Seventh Apostle himself."

"So, the plan of Guixu is to have the Seventh Apostle personally go to the Seventh Node to activate the ritual?" Zhao Tiezhu asked.

"Very likely." Su Mingyue nodded, "But that also means that if we can stop the Seventh Apostle before the ritual is activated, we can ruin the entire plan."

"Then how do we stop it?"

"Frontline combat," Chen Xuan began. "I'll lead a team to hold off Guixu's reinforcements outside the museum. Zhao Tiezhu will lead a team to break through the defenses and enter the third underground level. Lin Xiaofan—"

He looked at me.

"Your task is to enter the core area and destroy the formation."

"Me?" I was stunned. "Why me?"

"Because you are the Balancer," Chen Xuan said. "The Seven-Pointed Star Formation has a suppressive effect on ordinary people, but not on you. Your cost balance can even interfere with the formation's operation."

"And," he paused, "you are the only one who might have access to the Source."

"Have you come into contact with the source?"

"Do you remember what the Seventh Apostle said last night?"

Of course I remember.

The ability to resolve the balance of costs requires the power of the source.

If I could access the source, I could not only disrupt the ritual, but also...

"You want us to stop the ritual while also obtaining the power of the source?" I asked tentatively.

"It's not just about acquisition." Chen Xuan shook his head. "Your father once took this step. He came into contact with the Source and gained its recognition. Although he ultimately failed, it at least proved that this path is feasible."

"You inherited his bloodline and his talent. With enough effort, you too may be able to replicate his success."

I was silent.

To replicate one's father's achievements?

This pressure is too much.

"But I've only practiced martial arts for a few days," I said. "The Returning Origin Technique is simply impossible—"

"So you only have six days," Chen Xuan interrupted me. "In these six days, you must practice the Tai Chi Returning to Origin Technique from the first form to the second. You don't need to master it; just be able to initially mobilize the energy in your dantian."

"Mastered a single move in six days?" Zhao Tiezhu's eyes widened. "That's way too fast!"

"Under normal circumstances, that's impossible." Chen Xuan looked at me, "But he has a foundation in martial arts. Plus... his talent might be even greater than we imagine."

"talent?"

"I've seen the training data from last night," Chen Xuan said. "His dantian activation speed is twenty times that of a normal person. Only his father achieved that speed back then."

I was stunned.

Twenty times?

"Of course, this speed can't be maintained indefinitely," Chen Xuan continued. "The further you progress, the more difficult it becomes. But at least in the first few moves, he shouldn't have too many problems."

"Is that settled then?" Vice Minister Qian asked.

"It's settled." Chen Xuan nodded. "Operation Balance will officially begin in six days."

After the meeting, everyone dispersed.

I stayed in the conference room, staring blankly at the map on the wall.

Six red dots, one red dot.

Night Raven, Ruins of Return, Seventh Apostle...

There is also the origin.

My father tried to contact the source of knowledge back then, but ultimately failed.

And I...

What are you thinking about?

Su Mingyue's voice came from behind.

I turned around and saw her standing in the doorway, holding a cup of coffee in her hand.

"I'm thinking about this operation," I said.

"nervous?"

"A little." I admit it honestly.

Su Mingyue came over and handed me the coffee.

"Have some to perk you up," she said. "You must not have slept well last night."

I took the coffee and took a sip. The bitter taste spread in my mouth, clearing my mind a bit.

"Sister Mingyue," I suddenly said.

"Um?"

"Do you really believe I can do it?"

Su Mingyue looked at me and smiled.

"You know," she said, "that when your father first joined headquarters, he asked me the same question."

"Did you ask my father?"

"It wasn't me who asked, it was him," Su Mingyue said. "He was only eighteen then, not much older than you are now. He asked me, 'Sister Su, can I really become a Balancer like Master?'"

"What was your answer?"

"I said, 'I don't know. But I do know one thing: you are more powerful than you think.'"

Su Mingyue looked at me: "Later, he spent twenty years proving that I hadn't misjudged him."

"He became the greatest balancer in history. He discovered the secret of the cost-and-cost balance, found a way to mitigate the cost, and even touched upon the source."

"These achievements are unparalleled."

She patted me on the shoulder: "You don't need to surpass him. You just need to be yourself."

"Believe in yourself, Lin Xiaofan."

"You have the blood of the Lin family flowing in your veins, you inherited the power of the Balancers, and you have all of us supporting you."

"No matter what happens, you are not fighting alone."

Looking at her, a warm feeling welled up inside me.

"Thank you," I said, "Sister Mingyue."

"Don't mention it," Su Mingyue smiled. "We're family."

In the afternoon, in the training room.

I stood in front of the stone platform and, following Chen Xuan's instructions, assumed the starting stance for the second movement of Tai Chi Returning to Origin.

"The second form is called 'Tai Chi Generation'," Chen Xuan said in a deep voice, standing to the side. "The core of this form is to mobilize the energy in the dantian and let it flow along the meridians."

"The first movement is foundation building, the second is meridian opening. Only by mastering both can you proceed to higher levels of learning."

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

The image of my father appeared in my mind.

Last night's conversation is still fresh in my mind.

The ultimate form of Tai Chi Guiyuan Gong is Guiyuan Jue.

That is the key to mitigating the costs.

However, it takes at least ten years to master the Returning to Origin Technique.

But I only have six days.

What can be accomplished in six days?

"Don't overthink it," Chen Xuan's voice came from beside me. "Focus on your breathing, focus on the feeling in your dantian."

"Feel it."

I did as he said.

Breathing gradually became long and even, and consciousness slowly sank into the depths of the body.

A warm sensation came from my lower abdomen.

That's the dantian.

My father said that my dantian has been activated.

Now, I need to get it flowing.

I tried to activate that warm feeling and let it flow through my body.

At first, it seemed to freeze, remaining completely still.

I increased the pressure, but it still didn't move.

Increase it further...

Suddenly, the energy jerked.

Then, like a flood bursting its banks, it rushed out along some unseen channel.

"ah!"

I cried out in pain and staggered back two steps.

"Are you alright?" Chen Xuan helped me up.

"I'm a little... out of breath." I clutched my stomach, feeling like my insides were churning.

"It's always like this the first time," Chen Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. "Your dantian energy is too abundant, and you used too much force when mobilizing it, causing an impact on your meridians."

"Take your time, don't rush."

I nodded, and it took me a while to recover.

This feeling... is much harder to come by than I imagined.

But I will not give up.

Six days.

The final battle will take place in six days.