Chapter 374 | Sequence: Sacrifice

When Yin Yang arrived at the library the next day, the atmosphere was noticeably different.

There were more people. To be precise, there were more elderly people!

As he entered, their gazes fell upon him in unison.

A white-haired old man stepped forward, his voice booming.

“So you’re the kid who said our Great Wei is no match for Great Qi?”

Yin Yang smiled at the question. “Are you here to debate, sir, or to pick a fight?”

“Hmm? To debate, naturally.”

“Since it’s a debate, shouldn’t we find a better place? This is the library entrance; there’s a lot of foot traffic. We shouldn't disturb others.”

“Then where do you suggest?”

“The cafe.”

“Lead the way!”

The old man spoke with a thunderous voice and acted with great vigor, marching straight toward the cafe.

Yin Yang maintained a steady pace, moving at his own rhythm without being influenced in the slightest.

This caused several elders in the crowd to nod secretly. They thought to themselves that it was no wonder he could out-debate Qin Zhou; judging by his composure alone, this young man had a solid character.

Once the group arrived at the cafe, the old man waved a hand.

“A round of coffee for everyone, on me.”

The barista clearly recognized these elders and hurriedly began preparing the drinks. The old man then looked at Yin Yang.

“You claim Great Qi will certainly win because of their economy and military?”

The old man stared at Yin Yang with fierce eyes, looking very much like he would resort to force if the answer didn't satisfy him.

Yin Yang shook his head. “Let me correct you. There is no such thing as a 'certain victory' in war. I simply believe that Great Qi has a higher probability of winning.”

“Hmph! What a joke!”

The old man sneered. “In the past century, there have been countless frictions between Great Wei and Great Qi, large and small. When have they ever won a single battle?”

“Economy? The people of Great Qi can barely say they are well-fed. How can they compare to our Great Wei?”

“Military? It is true they have many in the Artisan pathway within their borders, but so what?”

“Do you really think a few transcendent items can stop Great Wei’s powerful ships and sharp cannons? Ridiculous!”

Hearing the old man's words, many behind him nodded in agreement. This was the prevailing view of most people in Great Wei at the moment.

In their eyes, Great Qi was a backwater place—barbaric and unrefined.

They thought the people there knew nothing but farming and blacksmithing, unable to compare to a great commercial and cultural power like Great Wei.

More importantly, historically, Great Qi had once been beaten so badly by them that they couldn't even lift their heads!

If their previous monarch hadn't died suddenly, it was uncertain if Great Qi would even exist today.

Under such circumstances, how could they possibly respect Great Qi?

This was why so many people had stood up in annoyance when Yin Yang said Great Qi would win the war.

“Then, sir, do you think the high-ranking officials of Great Qi are fools? Knowing they would lose this war, they still chose to start it?”

The cafe employee brought the coffee over. The old man took a cup and said, “Who knows? What if they really are fools? After all, it's Great Qi. If you're talking about heavy drinking and brawling, they're definitely top-tier.”

The surrounding crowd laughed. This was their stereotypical impression of Great Qi.

Yin Yang also took a cup of coffee. He gave a polite smile before speaking.

“I have been following the big data of Great Wei for the past fifteen years, starting with grain imports and exports.”

“Great Wei itself is a major grain producer, but nine years ago, their grain exports plummeted, and they began purchasing and stockpiling various materials.”

“At the time, experts and scholars in Great Wei analyzed this, believing it might be a precursor to war.”

“Because at that time, Great Qi had no natural disasters; in fact, it was a harvest year.”

“After more than nine years of war preparations, sir, do you think Great Qi’s economy is sufficient to sustain them through this conflict?”

“As for the Artisan pathway, it’s not just a matter of having a few more transcendent items.”

“Take bulletproof vests, for example. The ballistic performance of the vests from our production lines isn't as good as those produced by Great Qi, nor is our production speed as fast as theirs.”

“Once the war begins and both sides suffer equipment losses, if both sides lose ten fighter jets, we would need a week to replace them, while the enemy would only need five days!”

“In such a scenario, isn't it obvious which way the scales are tipping?”

“Nonsense! Bulletproof vests can stop bullets, but can they stop missiles? What does it matter if they can build planes a bit faster? Our Great Wei's high-level power...”

The two sides began their debate, but within half an hour, the booming-voiced old man’s face turned bright red, and he stormed off with a flick of his sleeves.

Immediately, a second person stepped forward. This man looked refined and scholarly but was quite skilled in sophistry. He tried several times to lead Yin Yang into a trap, but Yin Yang saw through him every time.

This made the newcomers realize how formidable Yin Yang was. He didn't use any underhanded tricks at all—he even allowed his opponents to use them.

He used only the most upright and honorable methods to leave everyone thoroughly defeated and convinced!

After he was debated down, the third person took the stage.

This man was a Demigod of the Scholar pathway. After retiring, he became a teacher at Central City University. His knowledge reserve was terrifying. This was the first time Yin Yang had debated someone of this caliber.

One could say that even going all-out wouldn't guarantee a win, and the slightest distraction would certainly lead to defeat!

Their debate lasted the longest and covered the widest range of knowledge, eventually even touching upon ethnicity, training, faith, and more.

In the end, Yin Yang won by a narrow margin, and their debate had lasted a full three hours!

Yin Yang’s mouth was dry, and his opponent was in the same state.

When the winner was finally decided, the man looked at Yin Yang with a face full of admiration.

Yin Yang took a tactical sip of water, expecting more 'hard battles' today, but after waiting a few minutes, no one else came forward.

The first three had almost said everything that could be said. Since they still hadn't out-debated Yin Yang under those circumstances, what could anyone else achieve by going up?

“If you gentlemen don't plan on continuing the debate, I’m going to get some lunch. It's already noon.”

Yin Yang stood up. Seeing that no one else was speaking, he walked out of the library.

Behind him, the crowd watched him silently, their eyes filled with frustration and helplessness.

Qin Zhou took a deep breath and whispered, “Investigate him.”

The air rippled slightly. Miss Tang glanced at him but said nothing.

...

At a noodle shop.

Yin Yang was head-down, eating his noodles, when a middle-aged man in a suit approached him.

He was a bit stout and wore a well-fitted suit. He said, “Sir, I watched your debate in the library just now. It was absolutely brilliant!”

“Allow me to introduce myself. I am a professional talent agent. Have you heard of Zhou Wu? I’m the one who discovered and managed him. I think you are very, very talented...”