After Lin Shenyue and Chris delved deeper into the cave, they encountered no more puppets. The two of them journeyed until they arrived before a stone gate.
Blocked by the formidable gate, Lin Shenyue surveyed her surroundings, a frown creasing her brow. “There’s no path forward from here,” she mused. “Could this be some kind of mechanism?”
Chris pondered, her brows furrowed in thought. It suddenly occurred to her that since this was something her father had left for her, the key to opening the stone gate must surely reside within her. The most probable, indeed the only, possibility was her own bloodline. Yet, she hesitated as she scrutinized the stone gate. Could it truly be as simple as smearing her blood upon it?
Having limited experience with online games, Lin Shenyue was unsure how to proceed in such a situation. She could only watch as Chris deliberated, hoping she might discover a method to unlock the stone gate.
Chris stared at the stone gate for a long moment, then searched the area thoroughly. Finally, she resolved to try her hypothesis. She pricked her finger and smeared her blood onto the gate. With a resounding rumble, the stone gate slowly opened, leaving Chris somewhat speechless. It truly was that simple; a mere drop of blood was all it took.
As Chris led Lin Shenyue inside, they found themselves in a vast, empty stone chamber. There was little within the room, save for a massive greatsword positioned precisely in its center.
Upon seeing the greatsword, a wave of melancholy washed over Chris. She stepped forward, intending to draw the formidable blade. At that very moment, a formation suddenly activated, pulling both of them into an illusion array.
This was Lin Shenyue’s first encounter with such a situation, and her expression tightened involuntarily. The scene before her defied her understanding; she had never witnessed an illusion array before. Chris, however, had received guidance from her father and possessed some knowledge of illusion arrays. Noticing Lin Shenyue’s wary gaze, she offered a faint smile. “Yue’er, there’s no need to worry. This array is likely the final test my father left for me.”
Lin Shenyue exhaled slowly, a wave of relief washing over her. If that were the case, she wouldn’t need to be so tense. After all, if the array was merely testing Chris, it probably wouldn’t attack her, meaning she would at least be safe.
Suddenly, a figure materialized within the illusion array. Chris’s body trembled upon seeing it, and a glimmer of tears appeared in her eyes. The person standing before her was her father. However, the figure displayed by the illusion array only performed actions set by the array’s creator, devoid of any genuine intelligence.
The figure looked at Chris and said, “Chris, if you are seeing this, it is likely that I am no longer among the living. Had I been with you, this illusion array would not have been triggered. In the life ahead, I hope you will take good care of yourself and no longer grieve for me.”
The figure paused, then continued, “Now, you will undergo the final trial. This challenge is primarily a test of your skill. Your arrival here signifies that your strength has met the requirements. Next, you simply need to defeat my doppelganger to claim what I have left for you.”
After speaking, the figure vanished, and a doppelganger appeared before Chris. The doppelganger possessed none of the original’s memories, only its combat awareness, though certainly not to the same exaggerated extent. Even so, it would not be simple for Chris to defeat the doppelganger through skill alone. This particular trial meant Lin Shenyue could not directly intervene to help; it was a pure contest of technique, where the first to strike their opponent would be declared the victor.
Feeling somewhat bored, Lin Shenyue began browsing the forums. At this time, preliminary rankings for various professions had already been compiled. Of course, many future god-tier players had yet to emerge, but it was rare for someone to skip early game activities and still achieve god-tier status purely through mid-to-late game progression. Furthermore, these rankings were based solely on analysis, and might not perfectly reflect players’ true abilities. Thus, the current rankings largely foreshadowed future ones, with only potential shifts in position. As some players from major guilds had yet to join the game, this leaderboard was still subject to change.
The rankings were surprisingly comprehensive, even unearthing some hidden experts from major guilds, which spoke volumes about the intelligence network’s prowess. Lin Shenyue quickly skimmed through the various leaderboards:
Guild Rankings:
NO.1 Iron Blood Clan
NO.2 Water Moon in the Mirror
NO.3 Heaven Guild (Due to insufficient members, provisionally ranked third)
NO.4 Undying Dynasty
NO.5 Illusion Pavilion
NO.6 Hell Guild
NO.7 Red-Faced Drunkenness
NO.8 Monarch Overlooking the World Guild
NO.9 Rising Winds and Clouds
NO.10 God of War
Warrior Rankings:
NO.1 Iron Blood Berserker, Level: 11. Class: Berserker. Affiliated Guild: Iron Blood Clan.
NO.2 Heaven’s Left Hand, Level: 11. Class: Berserker. Affiliated Guild: Heaven Guild.
NO.3 Fearless Blood Battle, Level: 11. Class: Shield Warrior. Affiliated Guild: God of War.
NO.4 Thunderclap, Level: 11. Class: Berserker. Affiliated Guild: Undying Dynasty.
NO.5 Peerless Karma Fire, Level: 12. Class: Shield Warrior. Affiliated Guild: None.
NO.6 Falling Rain, Level: 11. Class: Knight. Affiliated Guild: Water Moon in the Mirror.
NO.7 Slanting Cloud, Level: 11. Class: Shield Warrior. Affiliated Guild: Hell Guild.
NO.8 Heavenly Demeanor, Level: 11. Class: Knight. Affiliated Guild: Monarch Overlooking the World Guild.
NO.9 Night’s Enigmatic Cloud, Level: 11. Class: Shield Warrior. Affiliated Guild: Illusion Pavilion.
NO.10 Ice Condensing Snow, Level: 11. Class: Shield Warrior. Affiliated Guild: Red-Faced Drunkenness.
Priest Rankings:
NO.1 Heavenly Myth, Level: 11. Class: Holy Priest. Affiliated Guild: Heaven Guild.
NO.2 Yue’er, Level: 12. Class: Holy Priest. Affiliated Guild: None.
NO.3 Peach, Level: 11. Class: Holy Priest. Affiliated Guild: Red-Faced Drunkenness.
NO.4 Gensokyo, Level: 11. Class: Holy Priest. Affiliated Guild: Illusion Pavilion.
NO.5 Monarch Overlooking the World, Level: 11. Class: Holy Priest. Affiliated Guild: Monarch Overlooking the World Guild.
NO.6 Charm, Level: 11. Class: Holy Priest. Affiliated Guild: Water Moon in the Mirror.
NO.7 Underworld Soul of Hell, Level: 11. Class: Holy Priest. Affiliated Guild: Hell Guild.
NO.8 Gardenia Bloom, Level: 11. Class: Holy Priest. Affiliated Guild: Thunderous World.
NO.9 Flowing Radiance, Level: 11. Class: Holy Priest. Affiliated Guild: Rising Winds and Clouds.
NO.10 Imperial Radiance, Level: 11. Class: Holy Priest. Affiliated Guild: God of War.
If You Notice any translation issues or inconsistency in names, genders, or POV etc? Let us know here in the comments or on our Discord server, and we’ll fix it in current and future chapters. Thanks for helping us to improve! 🙂