Chapter Three: Thirty-Seven Players, One Sparring Session

Su Wanqing removed one earphone. “It's a trap. They'll have a full professional team dissecting every rule.” “If I refuse, they'll say I stole the strategy and was afraid to face its owner.” Lin Jin looked at his trembling right hand. “If I accept, everyone gets to see who the owner really is.” He withdrew only 0.01 of his accumulated points and placed it into Neural Response. He locked away the rest. Then he pressed Accept. [CHALLENGE CONFIRMED: ASHES UNEXTINGUISHED VS. XIAO RULES ALL.] [GLOBAL BROADCAST BEGINS IN 71:59:59.] Players still crowded the square when black corrupted text flashed across the sky, visible only to Lin Jin. Zero's voice entered his ear directly. “Don't go. That arena wasn't built to take your Crown.”