"Wealth, fame, power..."

"Everything is within the Desert Sea!"

"Go and seek it!"

"The great era of treasure hunting has begun!"

The scorching sun hung high as the Desert Sea churned, with countless modified sandboats hovering above, ready to set off!

The annual sandboat gold rush race has begun.

On an incredibly plain, yet the smallest sandboat in the entire venue, Lin Yi and four others sat.

After entering the Desert Sea behind him, Lin Yi picked up the light yellow sand in his hands.

Rubbing this sand in his hand, it indeed felt like sand.

But mixed with other gravel, it strangely acted like seawater, providing buoyancy for the sandboat.

The universe is vast, with astonishing planets being no surprise.

"You... stop shaking."

"This is just a simulation..."

Lin Yi looked at Ke Mengyuan and the other three on the sandboat, shaking constantly with social anxiety, feeling a bit helpless.

"The... the people here... too... too many."

Ke Mengyuan stammered directly.

Lin Yi glanced over the sandboat racing venue, sprawling nearly 500 kilometers north to south, filled with countless sandboats and a bustling crowd.

A medley of alien languages occasionally echoed, alongside the loudspeaker incessantly replaying quotes from Sand Pirate King Roger.

Making the entire scene lively beyond measure.

This could truly be described as a social anxiety hell.

"Treasure hunters from afar!"

"Hello to all of you!"

"No matter which planet or universe you come from—"

"Welcome to Kasanis's annual Desert Sea Gold Rush!"

"The race will officially begin in 5 minutes! All teams, please prepare!"

"Before the race starts, I will announce some race rules. Please compete civilly according to the rules. Any teams violating the rules will be disqualified and punished according to the severity of their infraction!"

"First, the race will start with the referee's gunfire. Any false starts or premature ignition of sandboats will be considered violations!"

"Second, during the first-speed race, team fights are strictly prohibited, as well as damage to other teams' sandboats."

"Third, as with previous races, there are hidden shortcut routes on our racing track. Teams that find them will reach the finish line via a shorter path. Remember, only the first 100 teams to reach the finish line can enter the relic area!"

Ke Mengyuan looked at Lin Yi, giving him a thumbs up.

It was a predetermined signal before they entered the simulation.

Meaning everything is going according to plan.

Lin Yi was somewhat worried that Ke Mengyuan's plan might be considered cheating or interference by the organizers.

But after hearing the three rules, Lin Yi realized that his freezing of the Desert Sea,

was entirely a transformation of the racing ground.

There was no attack on other sandboat teams.

Nor any damage to others' sandboats.

One could say it was exploiting a loophole in the rules.

"Ahoy! Ahoy!"

"Captain! Look, there seems to be a bunch of brainless fools next to us!"

"Hey! You came treasure hunting without properly preparing your sandboat?"

"Hahaha, Captain, when we set sail, be careful not to run over them, or we'll be penalized!"

Lin Yi heard several catcalls.

He then saw, beside his small boat, on the huge sandboat's gunwale, a group of people in sailor suits laughing uproariously.

Their leader, a big bearded man, also laughed: "Below there, I suggest you quit the race now!"

"My White Whale says it wants to swallow you whole, hahaha!"

This big bearded man was none other than the captain of the White Whale. His ship had been just shy of the top hundred in previous years. This year, he was determined to qualify for the relic area!

Lin Yi didn't mind the mockery from the White Whale's captain and crew.

How many could be good people among sand pirates?

"Cap... Captain!"

"Shall we also name... our sandboat?"

"Otherwise, even if we win, we won't know the name of our ship..."

Ke Mengyuan suddenly looked at Lin Yi and said.

Lin Yi pondered for a moment.

Ke Mengyuan's comment was quite valid.

Even though this was a free sandboat provided by the event organizers, it needed a name.

"Let's call it... the Forward Meili."

Lin Yi was terrible at naming things.

After thinking for a long while, he could only come up with the name of the first ship from an anime he watched in a past life.

The scene of the ship burning in the sea made Lin Yi cry uncontrollably.

In that world, Meili couldn't accompany the main characters to the end.

Here, I'll take it to the finish line.

Consider this a little way to mend a personal regret.

Ke Mengyuan didn't understand why Lin Yi would choose such an odd name, but he was the captain after all.

And so, the name was decided.

As they discussed, the five-minute countdown ended.

With the referee's gunfire, countless sandboats immediately sounded their horns, and the engines roared to life!

They began accelerating forward.

Countless people cheered and screamed, making the scene extraordinarily lively.

Suddenly, thousands in the venue shivered in unison.

The atmosphere, which had just reached the boiling point, seemed to plummet to freezing.

"Captain! Why is it suddenly... so cold!"

"Kasanis, this desert planet is known for a constant 40 degrees during the day, and the sun hasn't set yet!"

On the White Whale, countless sailors found goosebumps on their arms.

As they spoke, white mist puffed from their mouths, showcasing the low temperature of their surroundings.

"Look at what that person is holding!"

"The cold is emanating from there."

Everyone followed the pointing finger.

They saw, among the group they had been mocking, a young man sitting at the bow, holding a dark crystal.

It was a black ice crystal, absorbing no light at all.

As it appeared, the temperature of the entire venue suddenly began to plummet.

Ke Mengyuan and the other three shivered violently.

It was utterly terrifying!

Just one look at the black ice in Lin Yi's hand seemed to freeze their thoughts!

Lin Yi was equally astonished as the black ice he summoned caused several sandboats around him to be covered in frost.

Stunned by the incredible effect of this eighth-level ice mutation.

With a flip of his right hand, Lin Yi buried the tiny black ice deep into the rolling sand sea.

Crack... crack...

It was the sound of countless ice crystals forming.

In just an instant, Lin Yi noticed the yellow sand sea below his sandboat turning a deep black.

This blackness swiftly began to spread!

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