Absolute Choice
chapter-507-30041322

Shanghai City, Nine Revolutions Transcendental Tower, Main Auditorium

In less than an hour, the auditorium that had been empty got flooded with people. The news of Shi Xiaobai entering the eighth level happened to break just as the meeting deciding Wen Hezheng and Kevin's future ended. Before they could leave, they rushed over here upon confirming the news. Even Jiang Tianyou, who was in charge of the organization's selection, was present. Therefore, the auditorium was bustling with people with quite a great commotion.

The auditorium quickly reached its maximum capacity. Reporters from the various major publishing agencies swarmed here like bees, but with the auditorium so full that even some members of the upper echelons were left without a seat, how could it allow entry to these reporters?

Under orders from a few members of the upper echelons, the security outside the auditorium began chasing people out. Reporters from various news agencies were chased out amid grumbling. There was no other way to go about it. People sitting in the auditorium were powerful celebrities of various organizations. They were not people that minor reporters like them could offend. Furthermore, they were used to such treatment after years in the trade. They could only stay outside the auditorium as they tried to catch wind of anything that happened in the auditorium by pressing their ears to the walls.

Reasonably speaking, all the reporters would have been chased away but there was an exception.

The person was Donglin News Agency's suited reporter. He was also the first person to have discovered that Shi Xiaobai had reached the eighth level.

The reason why the suited reporter was able to stay in the auditorium was not that he had gained first-hand news. In fact, such important news in the world of reporting was meaningless to the upper echelons of the organizations. It was not a reason to permit his stay.

The reason why he could stay in the auditorium was that he was clever enough and he had prepared ahead of time!

Why did the suited reporter wear a formal suit?

That's right, it was to prepare for this moment!

The suited reporter had already hidden his camera when the upper echelons of the various organizations came. Furthermore, he had sat in all seriousness and did not look sideways. With his formal attire, none of the security or members of the upper echelons had identified him as a reporter!

"I'm truly too clever!"

The suited reporter gave himself a thumbs up. Looking at the 'swaggering' reporters from big newspaper agencies being chased out of the auditorium while he, an unknown reporter from a tiny publishing house, stayed behind in broad daylight, was an awesome feeling.

However, the suited reporter knew that he could not just simply sit there. Now, with all the reporters being forced out of the auditorium, it was already impossible for him to obtain first-hand news of Shi Xiaobai's future circumstances. He had to do something while inside the auditorium or it would become meaningless.

The suited reporter carefully surveyed his surroundings and noticed that many of the upper echelons of the various organizations were conversing in whispers. No one noticed that he was an unfamiliar face.

The suited reporter secretly stretched his hand into his pocket and took out his cell phone. Pretending like he was checking something, he quickly stole a glance to his left and right. When he realized that no one was paying his action any attention, he quickly tapped on the phone's screen!

In less than three seconds, he had opened the voice recording app!

With a 'whoosh', the reporter placed the cell phone back into his pocket. Throughout the entire process, his heart was pounding like a drum. It felt like it was about to leap into his throat.

The crop from the field is as large as your guts can yield!

For the suited reporter to record the ongoings in front of so many organizations' upper echelons, it was no doubt an audacious act!

"Phew!"

The suited reporter heaved a sigh of relief as he turned his head to speak to a slightly plump man beside him, "Hi there. I'm Bravel Chen from Donglin organization."

The plump man glanced at the reporter and said with a furrowed brow, "Donglin organization? Sorry, I might be out of touch, but I have never heard of a Donglin organization. You also look a little unfamiliar to me."

The reporter was feeling flustered but he maintained a composed facade. He laughed out and said, "How can you be out of touch? The Donglin organization is just a third-rate organization. It's only right that Big Bro has never heard of it. I have to count my lucky stars for I managed to come here quickly because I happened to be in the vicinity. If not, how could I be able to be in the same auditorium as all of you? It's also natural for Big Bro to find me unfamiliar. How can a person like me have the qualifications to mix with the likes of Big Bro? Isn't it rare for me to have a chance to strike up a conversation with Big Bro?"

By using a 'cheap' trick of placing the other on a pedestal while belittling himself, the suited reporter delighted the slightly plump man. In turn, the man gave a satisfied smile and found the person enlightened. Although he was a trivial figure from a tiny organization, he knew his boundaries and knew flattery. He had a 'future'.

"Little Bro, don't belittle yourself. Although you are an unimportant person from a third-rate organization, who knows if you can soar into the skies one day."

The man nonchalantly said some pleasantries as he suddenly thought of something. He lowered his voice and said, "Do you know Wen Hezheng and Kevin? They are two trash rookies from a second-rate organization but because of Shi Xiaobai, they managed to soar into the sky, transforming from sparrows into phoenixes! They even managed to get the spots for the two-faction collective training. It's absolutely...heh heh."

The man's eyes were filled with anger and indignation. He had just participated in the meeting with the other upper echelons of the organizations and he was still unrelenting about its outcome.

The suited reporter abhorred his words and felt disgusted.

So what if they were unimportant people? Were unimportant people supposed to be mocked by you?

The reporter felt disgruntled but he could only respond with a forced smile. He secretly pondered over the man's words. The outcome of the meeting had yet to be publicly announced. From the sound of it, Wen Hezheng and Kevin's side had won? This was an astounding piece of news!

Having reaped a harvest the moment he probed, the suited reporter was emboldened. He fell silent for a moment before mustering his courage to say, "Big Bro, it's rather boring waiting here. Shall we have a chat to kill the time? Now, every citizen in China is talking about how long Shi Xiaobai can last in the eighth level and if it's possible for him breaking the Conquest King's five-hour record. What does Big Bro think about that?"

The man glanced at the reporter and hesitated for a moment before whispering, "My surname is Sen. Everyone calls me Fatty Sen. If you don't mind, just call me Brother Sen. Stop calling me Big Bro. It sounds frightening."

The reporter feigned an expression of pleasant surprise and said, "Brother Sen!"

Fatty Sen gave a satisfied smile and beckoned the reporter to inch closer with his hand. Then, he lowered his voice and whispered into the reporter's ears. "How long Shi Xiaobai will last in the eighth level is not something that can be easily discussed. It's now the concern of the entire country. If one makes a verdict of it without thought, who knows if an unscrupulous reporter would secretly record it. Everyone here is famous. When the time comes, the material can be reported on the news and if the prediction is wrong, it will be a smack in one's face. That would be bad...so the discussion of this matter has to be done carefully."

The reporter smiled inwardly.

The unscrupulous reporter that is secretly recording is just beside you, you stupid pig!

The reporter felt complacent and faked a serious expression. He gave a solemn nod and said sternly, "Brother Sen can express his views. My mouth is tight. We are just having a discussion. There won't be a third person who will know of this!"

Fatty Sen gave a satisfied smile as a tinge of hesitation flashed in his eyes. Finally, his emotions of wanting to get it out of his chest defeated the fort of being careful. Fatty Sen whispered into the reporter's ear, "If I must say something, Shi Xiaobai will definitely not last three hours in the eighth level. He will definitely hold the lowest record in history!"

Fatty Sen had 'suffered' at the meeting and nearly peed his pants because of One-Pun's gaze. He hated Gaia to the core, and by association, hated Shi Xiaobai too!

Although Fatty Sen knew that it was a baseless conclusion and that it was possible for him to be figuratively smacked in the face, it was a private discussion with Bravel Chen. There wouldn't be a third person knowing of it, so what if he besmirched Shi Xiaobai?

Fatty Sen vented the unhappiness in his heart and planned to fabricate some reasons to sully Shi Xiaobai.

However, Fatty Sen never expected that 'Bravel Chen' would suddenly stand up with a roar after hearing his words and said with a loud voice, "What!? Brother Sen, you actually believe that Shi Xiaobai will not last three hours on the eighth level!?"

The reporter had hoarsened his throat for a shout that stood out in the auditorium that was filled with whispers. All the members of the upper echelons turned their heads over in surprise, making the spot where the suited reporter and Fatty Sen the center of attention.

Fatty Sen nearly fainted.

What happened to his mouth being tight?

Didn't he say it was something only the two of them would know?

Do you fucking wish that everyone in the auditorium would know of it?

Fatty Sen hurriedly grabbed the reporter and shushed him with a hand gesture. He even signaled with his eyes for him to quieten down.

However, the reporter seemingly did not notice his gestures. As though he had lost his mind, he shouted once again, "Brother Sen, although a little brother like me calls you Brother Sen out of respect, such words of belittlement is something I cannot agree with! Everyone knows that Shi Xiaobai has conquered eight Level Lords. This is something that is unprecedented and would never happen again. Even Ji Feng, Xu Taibai or the Conquest King could not do it! From my point of view, Shi Xiaobai can at least break the Conquest King's record by staying more than five hours! But, Brother Sen, you actually said that Shi Xiaobai won't even last three hours!? Three hours! Brother Sen, how can you have such a bias!?"

The reporter looked agitated and his words were harsh but very logical. Furthermore, his voice overwhelmed the whispers in the auditorium. Immediately, he attracted everyone's gazes.

Fatty Sen was too deep for tears as he wished he could smack the suited reporter to death. His face flushed red as he noticed that everyone was looking at him. He was momentarily at a loss for an explanation.

At that moment, a voice suddenly resounded.

"Little Brother, there is something wrong with your words! It's true that Shi Xiaobai has conquered eight Level Lords in an unprecedented manner but how can you say that Ji Feng, Xu Taibai, and the Conquest King couldn't do it? Everyone knows that conquering a Level Lord does nothing when it comes to the clearing of a level. Furthermore, by leading the pack constantly, it is hard for them to encounter a Level Lord. It is only because the trio did not attempt to conquer the Level Lord. It does not mean that they are unable to do so! Indeed, it might be a bit rash to say that Shi Xiaobai can't last three hours but to say that Shi Xiaobai will definitely last five hours to create a new record, that's way too assertive! Under a rational analysis, is Shi Xiaobai really stronger than the Conquest King when he was at the Psionic Mortal Realm?"

The person who had spoken was a suited man.

Fatty Sen's eyes lit up as he felt pleasantly surprised. The suited man that suddenly appeared was the main driver of the enticement and the threatening of Yama Minamiya at the meeting!

The suited man was probably still holding a grudge after the meeting so he could not help but vent his unhappiness here!

The suited reporter, Bravel Chen's eyes lit up. He was even more pleasantly surprised than Fatty Sen. He had been waiting for this!

He reached his hand into his pocket to touch his phone. His phone still had its voice recording function switched on!

The suited reporter took a deep breath and despite the glares of everyone and the suited man, he said loudly, "From my point of view, Shi Xiaobai at the Psionic Mortal Realm is stronger than the Conquest King! What evidence do you have to say that Shi Xiaobai might not be stronger than the Conquest King?"

Come on, express your views!

All of this is priceless material for the news!

Today's Bravel Chen was very brave! IChooseDogLeading (我选择狗带) when read in Chinese sounds like I Choose Go Die. It was a meme that resulted from a former member of famous Korean boygroup, EXO, TAO (Huang Zitao). At a concert, there was a part in a rap that where he said "", but due to a mispronunciation, it sounded like he will not easily choose to be led by dogs. This phrase now means 'I'd rather die/I choose death'.