Chapter 7: The Fiery Sky Net

Hanxi Province, before dawn.

Inside a quiet office, a middle-aged man dressed in a Zhongshan suit lounged in his chair, his legs propped up on the desk. He scrolled through his phone, yawning.

“‘The Overlord Does Not Cross the River’? What an interesting name. Tsk tsk, I wonder which province got so lucky—an SS-level talent is a huge surprise. If they handle it well, someone’s bound to get promoted.”

The man murmured to himself. His name was Hu Li, director of the Hanxi Province Deep Domain Intelligence Bureau. He’d been asleep when the central bureau called to inform him that among this batch of new trial candidates, an SS-level talent had emerged. He was to stay up and await further notice.

It wasn’t just him; across the provinces, every director was on edge. If the identity of this prodigy was confirmed to be within their jurisdiction, the local bureau chief was required to personally receive them—top secret.

With sixty provinces in Xia now, Hu Li knew the odds of the talent being in his hands were slim, so he didn’t dare hope.

It had been three years since the compulsory trials began. The most remarkable result Hanxi Province had produced was a single S-level candidate. Hu Li had barely finished hosting that person before, ignoring advice, they’d charged into the Deep Domain for so-called freedom and died that very day.

That day had been Hu Li’s nightmare—his superiors berated him for two hours, other directors mocked him in the group chat, and he was even dragged online, cursed by millions. Since then, Hu Li stopped wishing for S-level talents under his command.

He wasn’t sure if it was a blessing or a curse; if anything went wrong, even his calm as a director at the Mind Rotation Realm would shatter.

Just as Hu Li began to consider breakfast, his phone lit up with a call. He answered.

“Hello? Can I go home now?”

“Oh, in our province?”

“What? In Hanxi Province!”

“Alright, I’ll head over immediately! I guarantee the task will be completed!”

“Don’t worry, I… I absolutely won’t let him die!”

Hu Li ended the call, sprang to his feet, and, elated, leapt straight out the window. In an instant, he soared into the sky, feet planted firmly on a flying sword, vaulting over the rooftops and speeding toward the city’s edge, vanishing into the neon-streaked darkness.

…

At the school gate, after bidding farewell to his parents, Yang Dai climbed into a black sedan.

His mother fretted, “Will our son be alright?”

His father waved it off. “What could happen? He’s hit it big—an SS-level talent! That’s my boy. Maybe I should try the Deep Domain myself. Who knows, maybe I’ll awaken an SSS-level talent. The next pillar of the nation could be me!”

His mother rolled her eyes. “Sure, but first go home and do the dishes, ‘Pillar of the Nation.’ Xiao Chao and Xiao Yan are still waiting at home. They must be anxious for news about Xiao Dai.”

Meanwhile—

Inside the car, Yang Dai reclined contentedly. This car was really something—like sitting on a sofa.

He asked, “Where are we going?”

The woman in the suit beside him replied, “To the Intelligence Bureau. Your SS-level talent is of great importance to the nation. We must ensure your safety. ‘The Overlord Does Not Cross the River’ is already trending online, so to avoid unnecessary trouble, we’ll take you to the Bureau first. Don’t worry, we’ll look after you well. If there’s anything you want, just say the word.”

Her tone brimmed with flattery. Not just her—the driver and the man in the front passenger seat kept stealing glances at Yang Dai through the rearview mirror.

An SS-level talent was simply too vital.

All those who survived with SS-level talents in Xia had become Pillars of the Nation—legendary figures revered for their power, each capable of defending the nation, considered living myths.

“Can I have a phone or a tablet? I’d like to go online,” Yang Dai requested.

The suited woman immediately handed him her phone.

This parallel world had many similarities to his previous one, as well as many differences. He spotted an app icon reminiscent of Weibo, but the name underneath read “SkyNet.”

The interface was simple and clear. Yang Dai quickly found the trending topics list—and five of the top searches were about him.

TOP 1—SS-level, The Overlord Does Not Cross the River!

He tapped to read more. The post was brief, almost identical to the title, but the comments had already soared past ten thousand, and the sun hadn’t even risen yet.

[Night Cultivator: Damn! Impressive!]

[Little Junior Sister of Clear Moon Sect: Aaaaah, SS-level! I’m so excited I could cry!]

[I Am a Cat Demon: Yesterday was the day for all third-year high schoolers to enter the Deep Domain, right? Don’t tell me The Overlord Does Not Cross the River is only in his third year. What a future ahead!]

[Internet Sword Immortal: He must be protected. Don’t let him die young. It’s been two years—finally, a new SS-level talent in Xia!]

[80s Grandpa Wants to Learn Boxing: My God, Xia is amazing!]

[Saintess of the Cultivation World: Xia is awesome!]

…

Reading on, Yang Dai felt as if he’d brought glory to Xia.

He searched for more information. In the past, Xia had produced four SS-level talents. Three had become Pillars of the Nation, each guarding a region, each capable of single-handedly resisting a million-strong beast tide.

But those three had all entered the Deep Domain before it was opened to the public. In the last three years, only one SS-level candidate had emerged—she was once praised to the skies, but her career was tragically short-lived. She volunteered for the front lines too soon, was attacked by a deep-sea behemoth, and vanished beneath the waves—her fate still unknown, her body never found.

Since then, public opinion had shifted. The consensus now was that SS-level talents should be carefully nurtured, not sent to battle too early. That candidate had joined missions right after breaking into the Mind Rotation Realm and had saved many lives, but had she grown at a steady pace, she could have become the next Pillar of the Nation, saving millions—perhaps tens or hundreds of millions.

Reading this, Yang Dai finally understood why the Intelligence Bureau took him away.

Among similar posts, he saw many stories of geniuses dying young. Presently, more than twenty S-level talents had appeared in Xia, but a third had already perished—most in the Deep Domain. The only S-level talent ever produced by Hanxi Province was also the shortest-lived in history after awakening.

Yang Dai began to frantically absorb all the information he could about the Deep Domain. The woman in the suit occasionally explained things that couldn’t be found on SkyNet—classified details.

Three hours later, dawn broke.

Yang Dai arrived in the central city of Hanxi Province. When he stepped out of the car, he found himself at a vast base where squads of soldiers were already drilling. The compound was enormous, ringed by hills in the distance. Modern military hardware was everywhere—tanks, armored vehicles, even fighter jets parked at a small airstrip.

Hu Li descended from the sky and landed in front of Yang Dai, startling him so much he flinched.

Was that a sword under his feet?

Gripping Yang Dai’s hand, Hu Li introduced himself with great enthusiasm.

In front of the bureau chief, Yang Dai neither put on airs nor acted timid. Under Hu Li’s guidance, he was led to a spacious, luxuriously furnished suite, complete with all amenities—a living room alone over a hundred square meters.

“You’ll stay here for now,” Hu Li said with a warm smile, his excitement barely contained. “Once you reach the fifth layer of Qi Gathering, you’ll be allowed outside. This is for your safety—your talent is too powerful, bound to attract the attention of other nations, certain organizations, even monsters. Here, the Intelligence Bureau will protect you. Later, we’ll recommend you to the best universities, grant you the highest level of learning access, so that you can study advanced techniques, spells, and secret arts from the Deep Domain without joining any sect. Of course, if there are any needs your family has, just say so.”

Yang Dai grinned. “I’d like my parents to live comfortably, without want, and to have a good standard of living.”

“No problem,” Hu Li replied. “The Bureau will send your family a villa, arrange for your parents to work at the local wartime reserve factory—a relaxed job with great benefits. If monsters ever attack the city, the reserve factory is the safest place, so it’s the best ironclad job for ordinary people.”

As for the internet storm two years ago, Hu Li had long since put it out of his mind.