I am the Clone of a Death Row Inmate

Chapter 221: Chapter 192: The Reward for First Place

”People from the Ministry of Education, Lin Hua Country?” Su Ze asked, looking puzzled. ”Why are they looking for me?”

Mr. Zhou’s expression was complicated. ”In any case, it’s a good thing. You’ll find out when you get there.”

Of course, Mr. Zhou knew they were here to poach talent. It wasn’t good for the Dongli Kingdom, but it was certainly a great opportunity for Su Ze.

The War of Evolution ended five hundred years ago, yet the pinnacle of power in the six nations remained the Saint-level Overlord. Was it that none of the six nations had ever produced a Saint-level Supreme who had evolved five times?

That wasn’t the case.

It was simply because anyone capable of becoming a Supreme was recruited by Lin Hua Country.

Lin Hua Country was separated from the six nations, with strict restrictions on the movement of people between them. The citizens of the six nations were not allowed to immigrate to Lin Hua Country... These were all rules established by Lin Hua’s Legend long ago.

This was done to protect the six nations.

Lin Hua Country’s territory had been carved out, bit by bit, from the hands of aberrant beasts. Therefore, when the nation was first founded, it was vast and sparsely populated.

Subsequently, large numbers of people from the six nations began migrating to Lin Hua Country. As the nation became more developed, this trend only intensified.

Lin Hua’s Legend put a timely stop to this wave of immigration, closing off all immigration channels to Lin Hua Country.

Otherwise, if this trend had been allowed to continue, anyone with even the slightest means would have fled to Lin Hua Country, leaving the six nations truly empty and finished.

Lin Hua’s Legend unified the six nations not to hollow them out or destroy them, but in the hope that, under the governance of Lin Hua Country, they would reduce internal conflict, develop, grow stronger, and present a united front against outside threats.

Humanity had only temporarily gained a foothold on Blue Star. There was still a long way to go before they could once again become the planet’s masters, and if they ever fell behind, they would likely face a devastating counterattack from the aberrant beasts.

Lin Hua’s Legend was incredibly farsighted. Everything he did was not for the sake of unifying humanity and ascending to the pinnacle of power for himself.

It was for the hope that humanity could rise once more!

That was why, in the centuries since his death, even though the leadership of Lin Hua Country had changed hands several times, his ideology was always upheld. They did not excessively interfere in the internal affairs of the six nations, nor did they open immigration.

However, they did create the Six Nations’ Top Academies Exchange Tournament specifically to discover the most exceptional geniuses from the six nations.

For these top-tier geniuses, Lin Hua Country would provide certain resource rewards to help them develop. As for those prodigies with the potential to become Saint-level Supremes, Lin Hua Country would extend an olive branch and recruit them into the nation.

This was not only to strengthen the Sovereign Country but also to maintain the balance of power among the six nations.

Imagine what would happen if one of the six nations, whose relationships were already strained, were to produce a Saint-level Supreme.

...

Su Ze followed Zhou Wenshan to an office building on the Island University campus.

”Go on in. I’ll wait for you out here,” Zhou Wenshan said to Su Ze, gesturing toward one of the offices.

Su Ze gave a slight nod and walked in.

The office was neat, simple, and spacious. Three people sat behind a large conference table—two men and a woman, all appearing to be in their thirties or forties.

The scene reminded Su Ze of job interviews from his past life.

”Hello,” Su Ze said, taking the initiative to greet them.

He still had no idea why these three had sought him out.

”Please, have a seat.” The three of them smiled warmly and gestured to the chair across from them.

Su Ze sat down without any hesitation.

The woman in the center was the first to speak: ”We’re from the Ministry of Education in Lin Hua Country. My name is Chen Xuejiao, this is Mr. Liu Guanghua, and this is Mr. Li Deming...”

After introducing herself and her colleagues, Chen Xuejiao continued, ”We’ve asked you here today, Su Ze, because there are two main things we’d like to discuss with you.”

”Please, go ahead.”

Seeing that Su Ze’s tone and demeanor were perfectly composed—neither obsequious nor arrogant—Chen Xuejiao’s expression grew more appreciative. She said:

”The first matter concerns your prize for winning first place in the individual tournament. Traditionally, the reward can be a Tier 4 high-grade extract or a Tier 4 rare artifact. I was wondering, which do you prefer, Su Ze?”

”If I choose the extract, what’s the highest grade available? Can I choose a Tier 4 S-grade extract?” Su Ze asked.

Chen Xuejiao exchanged a look with the two men beside her, then shook her head and chuckled. ”Su Ze, you probably don’t understand the true value of a Tier 4 S-grade extract. It’s something every Butterfly Stage evolver dreams of. Even the top geniuses in Lin Hua Country have a hard time obtaining one.”

Su Ze, of course, knew how precious a Tier 4 S-grade extract was. The market price was quoted at over a hundred billion, but it was an item with a price tag but no sellers.

Even with his tens of millions of Evolutionary Technology Points, Su Ze had nowhere to buy one.

Evolutionary Technology simply didn’t sell them!

Su Ze had even specifically asked Xu Sheng about it. There was no way a Tier 4 S-grade extract would ever be in stock, not unless someone paid an exorbitant price to hire one of Evolutionary Technology’s Saint-level experts to hunt for one.

But that price was terrifying, far beyond what Su Ze could afford.

Tier 4 S-grade aberrant beasts were already rare to begin with, and they were incredibly powerful. An average Saint-level Overlord wouldn’t be confident in hunting one; it would require one of the strongest among the Overlords to even make an attempt.

One could only imagine the difficulty of hiring a veteran Saint-level Overlord and having them risk their life to venture into the wild to find and kill a Tier 4 S-grade aberrant beast.

The man next to Chen Xuejiao, Li Deming, explained, ”Saint-level aberrant beasts are no less intelligent than humans. They established clear hierarchical relationships long ago. In the wild, Saint-level aberrant beasts have clearly demarcated territories.

”In other words, a Tier 4 aberrant beast is certain to have a Tier 5 aberrant beast providing it with protection. A Tier 4 S-grade aberrant beast holds a special status among its kind, equivalent to a top genius among humans. It’s guaranteed to receive extra protection from higher-tiered beasts. Therefore, hunting a Tier 4 S-grade aberrant beast is extremely risky. You might end up provoking a Tier 5 beast.”

This was the first time Su Ze had heard such a thing.

’So Tier 4 S-grade aberrant beasts are like human geniuses? They all have backers?’

It was just like with him—if anyone tried to harm him, the Saint-level experts of the Dongli Kingdom would definitely protect him.

’No wonder Tier 4 A-grade extracts can still be found on the market, while S-grade ones are completely unavailable.’

Chen Xuejiao said, ”Humans and aberrant beasts have maintained a truce for five hundred years, but this peace is merely superficial. Until humanity’s power is great enough to crush the beasts, our experts will remain cautious and won’t dare to provoke an all-out war.”

Su Ze nodded. He understood now. ’In the end, humanity’s overall strength is still inferior to that of the aberrant beasts. That’s why we have to be so careful when hunting high-tier ones, and we don’t dare kill those that are highly regarded and have powerful protectors.’

’However, human evolution itself requires a constant supply of resources from aberrant beasts and Spiritual Plants. The conflict between the two sides is irreconcilable.’

’It’s only a matter of time before that peace is shattered.’

”So, what’s the highest quality extract available as the first-place prize for the individual tournament? And if I were to choose a rare artifact, what are my options?” Su Ze asked, his voice tinged with disappointment.

He had won first place in the tournament specifically for a Tier 4 S-grade extract. He couldn’t help but feel disappointed now that it was out of reach.

Chen Xuejiao smiled but didn’t answer his question directly. Instead, she said, ”Don’t be so quick to feel disappointed. While the first-place prize isn’t a Tier 4 S-grade extract directly, it does give you an *opportunity* to obtain one. Whether or not you succeed, however, will depend on your own abilities.”

”Sis, do tell!”

Su Ze was instantly energized.

”Sis?” Chen Xuejiao covered her mouth, stifling a laugh. ’I didn’t expect you to be this kind of guy.’ She didn’t keep him in suspense, though. ”Besides the extract and the rare artifact, the first-place prize also includes a chance to enter the Royal Hunting Ground. Have you ever heard of it?”