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

The next day at noon, I went to Jiangcheng University Library again.

I'm not here for class, I'm here to find something.

"Are you sure there were unusual energy fluctuations here last night?" Chen Xuan's voice came through the earpiece.

"I'm sure," I said. "When the Seventh Apostle disappeared, there seemed to be something glowing behind the altar."

"Be careful," Chen Xuan cautioned. "There might still be people nearby in Guixu."

I didn't answer, but walked straight to the place where I had fought yesterday.

The altar was still there, but there were no longer any abnormal energy fluctuations. The runes were dull and lifeless, like ordinary stone carvings.

I went around to the back of the altar.

The wall looked ordinary, but when I reached out and touched it, I felt a slight vibration.

"Here..." I frowned.

I closed my eyes and tried to "see" the wall using the perception ability of the cost balance.

In an instant, I saw it.

Behind the wall was a huge space. In the center of the space stood a stone tablet.

The stone tablet emitted a soft light, as if it were asleep.

"Uncle Chen, I found it," I said. "There's something behind the wall."

"What is that?"

"A stone tablet."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the headset.

"The Monument of Balance." Chen Xuan's voice turned solemn. "Legend has it that this stone tablet is over a thousand years old."

"These are relics left behind by balancers throughout history."

How did you know?

"My copper coin kept vibrating during the battle last night," I said. "It seemed to be guiding me to this place."

Chen Xuan didn't speak, but I heard him take a deep breath.

"Open it," he said. "See what's inside."

I started looking for the mechanism on the wall.

The moment the palm touches the wall, the balance of costs is automatically activated.

A golden light surged from my palm and merged into the wall.

Boom!

The walls began to shake, then slowly cracked open, revealing a passage.

The passageway was filled with an ancient atmosphere, as if it had traveled from a thousand years ago.

I took a deep breath and stepped inside.

The passage is not long, only a dozen meters.

At the end was a huge circular space.

In the center of the space stands a stone tablet about three meters high.

The stone tablet was entirely bluish-black, its surface covered with densely packed characters. The characters looked like some kind of ancient Chinese script, but I didn't recognize a single one.

Strangely, the moment I saw these words, I felt a strange sense of familiarity.

It feels like...I've seen it somewhere before.

"This is..." I murmured.

The stone tablet seemed to sense my presence, and the words on its surface began to glow.

Soft light emanated from the stone tablet, illuminating the entire space.

Then, I heard a voice.

It didn't come from my ears, but appeared directly in my mind.

"Seventh generation successor...you've finally arrived..."

My consciousness went blank for a moment.

When I came to my senses, I found myself no longer in that circular space.

Before me lay nothing but emptiness.

Countless points of light flickered in the void.

Each point of light is like a tiny star.

"This is... the space of consciousness," I murmured.

"That's right." The voice sounded again, "Welcome to the interior of the Monument of Balance."

"Who are you?" I asked warily.

"I am the guardian spirit of this stone tablet," the voice replied, "and also the vessel of memories left behind by generations of balancers."

"I have been waiting here for twelve hundred years."

"Waiting for the arrival of the seventh successor."

As soon as the words were spoken, the points of light in the void began to gather, forming a blurry human figure.

The figure slowly solidified, transforming into the appearance of a middle-aged man.

His clothes were very simple and ancient, as if he had traveled from ancient times.

But his eyes were deep and weathered, full of the marks of time.

"You are..." I stared wide-eyed.

"The sixth-generation Balancer," he smiled slightly, "and your predecessor."

"The sixth generation... the Balancer?" I was stunned.

"That's right." He nodded. "I was the previous Balancer, and also your father's mentor."

"My...master?" I was even more confused. "But my father isn't a Balancer."

"He is the successor of the Balancers," said the sixth Balancer. "Although he hasn't officially awakened, the power of the Balancers flows in his blood."

"What you inherited was not just my position, but also your father's will."

He approached me, reached out, and gently pressed his hand on my forehead.

Instantly, a massive flow of information flooded into my mind.

memory.

Countless images flashed before my eyes.

I saw a young man practicing the cost-benefit balance, trying different methods again and again.

I saw a middle-aged man fighting against something strange, sacrificing his own lifespan to protect innocent people.

I saw a father carrying his young child, running in the dark, with countless pursuers behind him.

I saw it...

"Stop!" I shouted.

The screen disappeared.

I was panting heavily, my forehead covered in cold sweat.

"Too many," I said. "There are just too many memories."

"You're not ready to receive all the memories," the Sixth Balancer said. "I can only give you a small portion."

"Regarding the part about 'cost-breaking'."

"The cost of breaking through?" I looked up abruptly.

"That's right." The sixth-generation Balancer nodded. "All the Balancers throughout history have been researching this topic."

"How can we maintain global balance without sacrificing our own lives?"

"Your father was the one who went the furthest."

"Did he find his way?"

"Yes," said the sixth Balancer, "but he was killed before he could finish."

"Return to the Void?"

"It's not just the Void." His eyes sharpened. "There's also... well, it's too early to tell you now."

"But I can give you a hint."

He raised his hand and pointed in a certain direction in the void.

I followed his finger and saw a line of text that was faintly visible.

"The third layer of the cost-benefit balance—resolution."

"Transfer is the first level, dispersion is the second level, and resolution is the third level."

"Transfer is the process of shifting the cost from one person to another person or thing."

"Distribution is the process of spreading the cost evenly among multiple objectives."

"And to resolve..."

He paused.

"It is the root cause of completely eliminating the cost."

"It's not about transferring or dispersing; it's about solving the problem at its source."

"Solve it at the source?" I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"What is the essence of the cost?" the sixth-generation balancer asked rhetorically.

I thought about it.

"The price... is it what we pay to maintain balance?"

"That's right." He nodded. "Every time an ability is used, it disrupts the balance. And the price is the cost of correcting that imbalance."

"But this method of repair is too crude."

"If we could find a way to directly address the root cause of the imbalance, instead of 'filling' it at a cost..."

"The cost can then be completely eliminated."

I was silent.

This theory sounds simple, but putting it into practice is incredibly difficult.

"Can this kind of 'resolution' really be achieved?" I asked.

"Theoretically, it's possible," said the sixth-generation Balancer, "but neither your father nor I were able to do it."

"Because we are too focused on 'repair' and neglect 'prevention'."

"prevention?"

"If imbalances can be prevented before they occur, then no cost is needed."

"But this requires extremely precise predictive and control abilities."

"Your father believed that this could only be achieved when the balancer fully grasped the entire function of the cost-benefit scale."

"Therefore, he devoted his entire life to studying the third layer of the cost-benefit balance."

He looked at me with a complicated expression.

"Now, this task is assigned to you."

"Me?" I pointed to myself. "Can I do it?"

"You have more potential than your father," said the sixth-generation balancer. "Your cost balance awakened earlier than his, and your learning ability is stronger."

"Most importantly, you don't have his 'obsession'."

"Obsession?"

"He's too obsessed with 'protecting,' too obsessed with 'sacrifice.'" The sixth Balancer sighed. "This obsession prevents him from seeing the true nature of the balance of power."

"Perhaps you can break free from this constraint."

He raised his hand, and another beam of light flooded into my mind.

This time, it's not a memory, but a skill.

"This is the experience summarized by balancers throughout history," he said. "I call it the 'cost record.'"

"A record of costs?"

"With this ability, you can record every instance of using the cost balance."

"This includes the cost incurred, the effects produced, and the trajectory of that cost across space and time."

"By analyzing these records, you can more accurately control the cost balance."

"This lays the foundation for future research on 'resolution'."

I felt a surge of power within me.

Then, my perspective changed.

A semi-transparent panel appeared in front of me.

My basic information is displayed on the panel:

Successor: Lin Xiaofan (Seventh Generation Balancer)

Remaining lifespan: 26 years and 3 months

Cost conversion efficiency: 35%

New ability: Cost record

"This is... the record of the price?" I murmured.

"That's right." The sixth-generation Balancer nodded. "This ability automatically records every time you use the Cost Balance."

"You can check your records at any time and analyze your consumption patterns."

"When you accumulate enough data, you might find the key to 'solving' the problem."

I took a deep breath and nodded solemnly.

"I see."

"Very good." The sixth-generation Balancer smiled with satisfaction. "It's almost time for you to go back."

"Wait!" I called out hastily, "I have another question to ask!"

Your parents—

"Were their deaths related to that file?"

The sixth-generation Balancer remained silent for a moment.

"That file contains a secret your parents discovered," he said, "a secret powerful enough to shake up the entire structure of this bizarre world."

"But that secret is too dangerous."

"To protect you, they chose to take the secret to their graves."

I can't say any more.

"But if you want to know the truth..."

"Go find that file."

"The answer is inside."

His figure began to fade.

"Remember, heir."

Your destiny is written by yourself.

"Don't be bound by the experiences of those who came before you."

"Go and explore your own path."

Consciousness returns to the body.

I suddenly opened my eyes and found myself still standing in front of the stone tablet.

The light on the stone tablet had dimmed, and the inscriptions had returned to their original state.

But I could sense that something was different.

I raised my hand, and the scales of justice automatically appeared.

Then, I saw the newly added "Cost Record" button on the panel.

After clicking, you can see a series of detailed data.

include:

Lifespan consumed today: 3 months

Capability: Multi-objective cost allocation

Consumption efficiency: 35%

Status: Increased gray hair, slight decline in physical condition.

"I see..." I murmured.

This ability is much more useful than I imagined.

It can not only record consumption, but also analyze consumption efficiency, helping me find more optimized usage methods.

"Lin Xiaofan." Chen Xuan's voice came through the earpiece, "How are you doing in there?"

"I'm fine," I said. "I've discovered something... important."

"What?"

"We'll talk about it when we get back."

I took one last look at the stone tablet, then turned and left the secret chamber.

It was already afternoon when I left the library.

The sun shines on my body, feeling warm and cozy.

But I felt very heavy-hearted.

The words of the sixth-generation balancer kept echoing in his ears.

The third layer of the cost-benefit balance is resolution.

The cause of death of the parents.

S-107 file.

And that "secret that could shake up the bizarre world order".

What is hidden behind all of this?

"The cost record," I whispered.

Perhaps I can find the answer in these data.