Chapter 46

Chapter 046: Trash in a Golden Chest?

On the other side.

While the entire network was buzzing over the dramatic shift in the faction rankings, countless eyes were naturally also fixed on the simultaneously refreshed Personal Contribution Ranking.

[First Place: Yan Cang, Faction Contribution: 2,138,720,198]

[Second Place: Yu Jing, Faction Contribution: 1,439,203]

[Third Place: Yang Dongyao, Faction Contribution: 755,642]

...

Inside a wooden cabin at the edge of a forest somewhere.

A sharp-faced middle-aged man was staring at his own name on the ranking list, his brow slightly furrowed.

He muttered to himself, "The gap with second place... is getting bigger and bigger."

As the man said, he was none other than Yang Dongyao, currently holding the third position on the Personal Contribution Ranking.

On the Fate Net Forum, he had gained some fame for a few key guide posts he published early on.

Some people, out of respect, called him "Uncle Dong," but most addressed him familiarly as "Brother Dong."

Yang Dongyao's rise originated from his keen insight at the very beginning of the trial.

The moment he arrived, he had captured the underlying implication from between the lines of the rules: "Helping fellow faction trial participants can earn contribution points."

Thus, relying on his decent memory, he meticulously compiled and posted the Twelve Basic Rules of the trial ground onto the forum, word for word.

Immediately after, he shared the key technique of "focusing your gaze to obtain item information."

It was these two highly valuable early posts that brought him the first massive wave of contribution points.

With a single push, the name Yang Dongyao was propelled to the forefront of the Contribution Ranking, eventually stabilizing in third place.

The over seven hundred thousand faction contribution points were earned this way.

Looking back now, he had undoubtedly ridden the wave of the times, lifted high by his temporary foresight and initiative.

If he could accumulate this initial advantage, continuously expanding his influence and acquiring resources like a rolling snowball...

Who's to say he couldn't have "risen with the wind one day, soaring ninety thousand miles straight up"?

Unfortunately, reality was rather cruel.

Faction contribution was currently just a nice-looking number.

It was completely useless within the trial ground, unable to be directly exchanged for immediate combat power or survival resources.

What could he use to "roll the snowball"?

Relying solely on the knowledge in his head and posting on the forum, the subsequent growth of his faction contribution had clearly stagnated.

Now, not only was the gap between him and second place widening, but the footsteps of the fourth-place contender behind him were drawing closer and closer.

At any moment, he could be overtaken.

"Ah... if only I could open a Golden Chest too."

Yang Dongyao looked at the ranking list and couldn't help but let out a low sigh.

He had naturally read the wildly popular forum post about the Golden Chest many times over.

What made his mood even more complicated was that the person who opened that chest was none other than Yu Jing, the second-place holder right above him.

This couldn't help but spark a near-luxurious association in his mind: Could it be that the higher one's personal contribution points...

The greater the weight and luck for obtaining high-quality chests when opening supply crates?

Logic told him this was completely baseless, pure superstition.

But even though he was in his forties or fifties, priding himself on having weathered storms and long since moved past such things...

But... that was a Golden Chest!

It was synonymous with defying fate and reaching the heavens in a single step!

Especially after Yu Jing personally demonstrated a powerful ability like the "Digital Heart."

The value of the Golden Chest had been infinitely inflated by the masses on the Forum.

Anyone who didn't harbor fantasies about it was probably a saint.

Yang Dongyao asked himself—he was far from reaching that level.

"Thinking too much is useless. Just open the chest."

He shook his head, temporarily suppressing his stray thoughts.

His gaze shifted to the corner of the wooden cabin, where a simple Supply Box had just refreshed.

In his heart lingered a faint, lingering expectation—one he himself was unwilling to admit.

He reached out and touched the box.

Buzz—!

A dazzling burst of golden light erupted without warning, instantly flooding the entire cabin.

The glow was so familiar, yet so dreamlike—it was exactly what he had seen countless times in the forum images...

The radiance of a golden legend!

A Golden Chest! It really was a Golden Chest!

An extremely complex mix of emotions flickered across Yang Dongyao's face: shock, ecstasy, disbelief...

In the end, all emotions converged into a blazing surge of joy that rushed to his head.

"Haha! It appeared... it really appeared!"

He let out an excited low growl.

Then, without a moment's hesitation, he lifted the ornate lid with slightly trembling hands.

Inside the chest lay an item.

A... mirror?

The surface was smooth, about the size of a washbasin, its frame inlaid with ancient, intricate dark-gold patterns, exuding an air of mystery and nobility.

One look and it was clear this was no ordinary item—worthy of a Golden Chest!

Yang Dongyao's heart pounded wildly, overwhelming joy nearly drowning him.

He forced down his excitement and reached in to take out the mirror.

As it touched his hand, a piece of information naturally surfaced in his mind—a brief description of the mirror.

The moment he read that information...

The brilliant smile on Yang Dongyao's face abruptly froze.

The curve of his lips slowly flattened, and the blazing light in his eyes quickly extinguished.

What replaced it was a look of absurdity, speechlessness, and a faint, resigned expression that said, "I knew it couldn't be that easy."

He stared at the mirror in his hand.

After a long pause, he squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth, dripping with disgust and disillusionment:

"This... what a piece of junk."