Chapter 44: I Am Number One

Time flew by, and in just a few short days, Wen Li opened yet another door to this world.

The young guide summarized numerous experiences after the match and also discovered a secret about herself.

Her spiritual entity could purify pollution cores.

It was common knowledge that the evolution of guides was a protracted process, spanning centuries of development before humanity finally acquired the means to resist these pollutants.

While high-level guides could purify pollution cores, Wen Li—a mere Class-A defective guide—had effortlessly purified an SS-class pollution core?

Unheard of!

Fear gripped Wen Li's heart.

She recalled once more the nightmare of being devoured piece by piece by sentinels.

What is precious is inevitably the most dangerous.

The club tournament had officially concluded.

Wen Li had also fulfilled the two tasks assigned to her by Angus.

First, to successfully and safely complete the tournament. Not only did Wen Li achieve this, but her final ranking was bound to be exceptional!

Second, before returning to the White Tower, she was to find her first team.

Wen Li was only accompanied by the Alpha squad; could Angus possibly have meant for her to poach members right here at the club?

Are you kidding me?!

Besides, the Alpha squad suited Wen Li very well. Although the captain was a bit cold, he treated her very kindly, and the squad members respected her immensely.

Not to mention the lingering guilt Wen Li felt toward Qi Min.

Just as everything seemed to be going smoothly, an incident disrupted the award ceremony.

Yue Li's spiritual realm suffered an uproar.

Wen Li sat in a corner with her squad, while nearby guides fled as if avoiding a plague.

A complete vacuum formed directly around Wen Li.

"Guide Wen!" A lively, energetic young girl's voice rang out.

Turning around, she saw Pei Xinghe pulling the sentinel beside her over in high spirits.

"I brought you your favorite strawberry cake!"

The young girl retrieved an exquisitely packaged cake from behind her like a treasure being offered.

Wen Li's eyes lit up as she accepted it with a radiant smile.

"Thank you! How did you know I like strawberry cake?" In truth, she didn't even know when everyone had collectively agreed that she favored strawberry-flavored things.

"Your sentinel is always buying strawberry-flavored items, so I guessed you must really like them." Pei Xinghe flashed her dimples, looking utterly endearing.

In reality, the Alpha squad had simply noticed Wen Li staring intently at a strawberry ice cream last time and tacitly assumed the young guide loved strawberries!

Unbothered by the astonished gazes of the people around them, she sat down right beside Wen Li.

The two of them awaited the awards ceremony.

An Kui wore the suit representing the club organizers, a benevolent smile on his face as he announced the final winners of the three tournaments.

First was the SS-class group tournament.

Wen Li was unfamiliar with the names of the lower-ranking contestants, but the audience below was engaged in endless discussion.

They chattered about where the new talents hailed from, or how the guides they supported had failed to perform at their best.

Among the top three, however, Wen Li heard a familiar name.

Bai Yan, an offense-type guide, had secured second place in the tournament.

With a gaze filled with reverence and yearning, Wen Li watched as the charismatic woman in a fiery red long dress walked up to the stage with an expression of utter annoyance.

Her alluring face practically bore the words: I! Refuse! To! Accept!

Smiling heartily, An Kui escorted the disgruntled guide off the stage and continued the announcements.

"Next, let us welcome our first-place winner."

"Ethan!"

As if a firecracker had been lit, ear-splitting screams erupted from the audience, growing louder and more passionate by the second.

"Ethan! Ethan! Ethan!"

The usually poised young ladies of the club instantly transformed into starstruck fanatical fans.

Pei Xinghe beside her was also shouting at the top of her lungs.

Wen Li watched him with a consistent, gentle smile.

The solitary figure standing aloof on the stage seemed to cut through the space around him, as though the cheers from the crowd had nothing to do with him whatsoever.

Just like their first encounter, he was radiating a divine, solitary detachment.

As the figure on the stage vanished, the cheering from the audience gradually died down.

Finally, it was time for the S-class tournament awards.

Filled with anticipation, Wen Li felt torn—on one hand, she worried her ranking would be too low and bring shame to the White Tower; on the other, she nervously prepared for the upcoming award ceremony on stage.

She was confident she would make the top ten!

However, as the rankings were announced up to the fifth place, her excited heart began to chill.

Pei Xinghe's ranking was ninth. Seeing Wen Li's expression grow increasingly dejected, she shoved the certificate from her arms into Wen Li's hands.

"Xiao Li is already amazing. If you hadn't saved me, I probably wouldn't have even placed. It's just a useless booklet, take it and play with it."

Wen Li's heart was deeply touched, but the feeling of dashed expectations could not be brushed aside instantly.

Returning the certificate to the little Pei Xinghe, she remarked, "You know this useless booklet is worth 100,000 federation credits."

Unbothered by such a trivial sum, Pei Xinghe was about to continue comforting the young girl when a voice dripping with mockery sneered:

"Look who it is. Isn't this the disabled guide who bragged about defeating me?"

"What place did you get? Don't tell me you didn't even make the top ten."

Avelis clicked her high heels as she strode arrogantly past Wen Li.

She was on her way to the stage to collect her third-place certificate, and seeing that Wen Li had failed to place at all, she deliberately ran over to gloat.

Pei Xinghe sprang to her feet in anger, but Wen Li held her back and shook her head.

"Don't be angry, it's not worth it. I'll work harder in the next match." Wen Li smiled gently, soothing the ruffled feathers of her young companion.

"She's just riding on her close ties with Wen Basha, looking down her nose at people," Pei Xinghe complained, but suddenly realizing that the person sitting right beside her was that very guide's older sister, the young guide widened her eyes in horror and darted a stealthy, guilty glance at Wen Li.

The young girl remained as smiling as ever, acting as though she hadn't heard a word.

Pei Xinghe hastily changed the subject. "Are you coming to the Guide Home tomorrow to see me? I'll give you a guinea pig plushie!"

Wen Li smiled and nodded.

The previously noisy venue suddenly plunged into absolute silence.

Wen Li was deep in conversation with Pei Xinghe, so completely engrossed that she missed An Kui calling her name twice.

"Ahem... Next, we invite Miss Wen Li, first place in the S-class group, to the stage to receive her award." He deliberately emphasized the name Wen Li, terrified that the young guide in the audience wouldn't hear him.

Startled by the call, Wen Li stood up in confusion, while Pei Xinghe frantically shoved her toward the stage like a madwoman.

Realizing that she was indeed the first-place winner, her temporarily frozen brain finally rebooted.

I am... first place?

The young girl stood blankly holding her certificate, only managing a wide, beaming smile when facing the camera.

Only the applause from Pei Xinghe's squad and the Alpha squad echoed from the audience; with no other guides taking the lead, the remaining sentinels dared not act.

Sitting in the front row, Avelis's face twisted with rage. Flinging her booklet aside, she turned on her heel and stormed off in her high heels.

"Clap, clap, clap..." The slender, dark-haired man applauded softly, his gaze never leaving the beaming young girl on stage.

Encouraged by Ethan's lead, the other guides began to applaud as well.

Bai Yan and her companions started it off, and soon, a continuous wave of applause resounded through the venue.

Setting aside her identity, this was the applause the young girl truly deserved.

She was undeniably powerful.

An Kui announced, "We now invite the first-place winner of the SS-class group to the stage for a group photo."

Ethan stood right beside the young girl. In her excitement, Wen Li failed to notice how closely their bodies were pressed together.

Ethan enveloped her in a possessive posture, his right arm loosely curving around the small of her back.

After the miniature flying drone captured the photo, everyone dispersed.

Wen Li kept searching for that one figure she had been longing for; the dark-haired youth with dyed highlights stood quietly with his head bowed at the edge of the stage.

Then, the unexpected struck.