The party stood before a crossroads.
A long time had passed—so long that they had entirely lost track of time. It may have been days, weeks, or even months; none of them could remember quite clearly. They had encountered one trial after another, each requiring multiple people to pass. By the time Rotell's injured leg had recovered enough for her to walk again, the endless hillside had already returned to its monotonous state.
They had grown used to this rhythm: advance, face a test, and continue the climb.
Now, they stood before a crossroads…
One path became five, and each road stretched toward a different Trial Pillar, all seemingly identical. It was like a mirage or an illusion, silently demanding that they split up and go their separate ways.
Hum!
Several glowing words, written in human runes, appeared in the air, twisting and turning before forming a sentence: One path, One reward, one opportunity. To each their own—please pick…
Rotell frowned deeply.
This was the first time the trial had seemingly spoken to them. Could this be a kind of reward? Or no, was this just another trap? If they split up, how were they supposed to continue together? If they didn't, how could they choose which was the correct path? They had already determined that what they were seeing wasn't necessarily the same for each of them.
But before she had a chance to clarify anything—
Ripple!
Suddenly, the scenery before her eyes warped.
She appeared high up in the clouds. The world twisted and churned around her, as if she were looking through a fisheye lens from above. She could see everything, but at the same time, she could see nothing. When she looked down at the world, it was either too small to see clearly, or when she tried to focus, the surroundings became too large for her vision to encompass. In this state, despite feeling omniscient, she lacked a true way to perceive all things. It left her with a strange sense of emptiness, like someone who has obtained everything but lacks the room to hold it. This feeling began to permeate her soul, washing her with waves of despair.
She shook her head in an attempt to focus.
For a brief moment, she saw the Hellion Empire stretching out beneath her feet. She saw herself standing at its peak, powerful enough to protect everything she cared about. Then, the world shifted again. She appeared on a hill, a forest of stone steles standing before her. There, directly ahead, was an inheritance waiting for her, something capable of allowing her to prove herself once and for all, proving that she was worthy of being the First Princess!
The silver stele stood strong and straight, like a silver sword just waiting to be drawn.
Rotell trembled. She knew what this was! This was the inheritance she had secretly come to take, a secret left behind by her uncle! She only needed to walk forward and reach out her hand. With this, no matter how lonely she would be in the future, she could reach the peak!
Rotell's foot shifted, and she took a half-step forward. It was right there!
Crack!
But just then, hidden behind the silver steel, a green speck, like a star in the night sky, projected from the horizon, flickered and blinked. It was unclear, ethereal, and deeply hidden, but its light was undoubtedly there, concealed behind waves of the unknown.
Its light was so great that it shone through all things, reaching her gaze.
It was not a kind of warmth; instead, it was like a hole—a hole leading directly to the finish line. It affected all things, but at the same time, all things wished to avoid it.
—The unwanted guide…
—The path to the future…
—The end…
Rotell's eyes shifted upward, momentarily distracted. She had seen this strange star before. It seemed to always be there, at least in recent years. It was so distinct in the night sky, yet when she mentioned it to others, no one else seemed to see it. How could it appear here, inside this secret realm?
In that instant, she felt something shatter, a kind of membrane or a veil, and the illusion twisted away.
She snapped back to reality, reappearing at the crossroads.
Beside her, the others were also staring down their respective paths, all seemingly ready to walk away. Nobody spoke, as if they were trapped in a daze.
Her heart jumped. She didn't even realize that the green star was no longer in the sky, nor did she realize how unnatural it was for a star to appear during the day. She just rushed over. Rotell knew that if they separated, perhaps each of them could obtain something unimaginable, and if they remained together, they might receive nothing. But separation was absolutely contradictory to loyalty! How could they trade away their original intent here? They had already decided that they would advance and retreat together, so how could they walk different paths at a time like this?!
Her hand shot out, awakening each of them one by one. The moment their eyes regained clarity, they realized what had happened, and a look of shock appeared on their faces.
It was at that exact moment when—
Hum!
The five roads trembled before completely collapsing, and soon a single path appeared.
Rotell looked ahead, then exhaled a breath of cold air.
That was incredibly close!
Her mind turned back, trying to remember what exactly had awoken her, but she just couldn't recall. Although it was strange, she didn't dwell on it.
"Let's continue," she said, her voice more serious.
They all agreed, and together, the five of them moved forward…
-
Time passed.
One more test became two, then two became ten, and eventually, even Rotell lost track of how long they had been walking. The interval was unpredictable, but from time to time, something random would happen, a sudden event that became a kind of test, seeking to divide them or turn them against each other. The unchanging sky remained overhead, while the endless grassy slope continued beneath their feet. Then, for the first time since the crossroads, the terrain actually showed a change. At the top of another long slope, the five figures stepped onto a massive flat platform formed from dark, pale stone.
Looking up, Rotell froze for the firs time!
She was genuinely shocked because that distant pillar, the untouchable goal, had actually appeared ahead of them. The Trial Pillar was noticeably closer. It wasn't exactly right next to them, but the gap between them had finally begun to close.
At the same time, she felt a wave of relief wash over her, because she could now confirm that they were at least making progress.
"Looks like we actually made progress…" Mellia muttered.
They nodded.
Rotell stared for several seconds before her legs finally gave out.
Thud!
"Ah-ha! I'm so tired!"
She sat directly on the cold stone. "I don't care what happens. We're resting!" she said with a groan.
As the weakest among them, it was only natural that she would be the first to tap out. When factoring her injuries on top of her lacking cultivation, it was even more understandable.
In fact, there were no complaints…
So soon, they spread out across the stone platform. Cirsen remained standing for a while before eventually sitting down, then started to check on her equipment, while Qucell quietly moved closer to Rotell. Mellia rested near Cirsen, and Old Man Roe remained a short distance away, meditating.
Eventually, Rotell looked back at the endless hill below, then lowered her head in thought. While mumbling to herself, she held out her hand, positioning it between her lowered head and her thighs, then clenched and unclenched her fingers. "I think I understand something," she muttered. "The Trial isn't complicated. No, at least, not like this..."
Rotell unfurled a finger. "When Qucell fell, we couldn't abandon her. I suspect that if she had fallen all the way, she would have been expelled, but not killed."
She raised a second finger. "Next, thinking back to when I couldn't walk. Qucell carried me, but she only had to carry me because I injured my foot. After that, excluding the crossroads, I haven't actually seen Qucell be targeted by any of the trials."
She extended a third finger. "And when we were at the crossroads, we had to reject our individual opportunities and continue together. But did you notice? We each had a different distance when I woke everyone up, and Qucell was the slowest to advance. Perhaps the trial was targeting her the least?"
"But… what does this mean?"
She mumbled something else, then raised her head.
"I think I know!"
They all looked at her, confused, and waited for her to continue.
But Old Man Roe didn't need to wait, he slowly nodded. "Do you mean that we each need to pass an individual test? You and Qucell have somehow passed, but me, Mellia, and Cirsen have not yet passed? We shouldn't have made it to the halfway mark then, right?"
Rotell shook her head. "I think you have already passed. That should only leave Cirsen and Mellia."
"What?"
Rotell sighed. "Let's put aside how or why you have already been considered to have passed. For now, let's look at the problem." Her eyes turned. "Those two have slightly difficult personalities, which makes it hard for the trial to acknowledge their respective forms of loyalty. Although Cirsen is reliable, her sense of loyalty seems to be relatively dispensable. This should be related to your origins, correct?"
Cirsen paused, then nodded without blushing.
As a kind of freelance mercenary, although she was a pure girl at heart, Rotell was more likely to win her friendship rather than her true loyalty. Perhaps it would be different if Rotell had a cultivation comparable to her own, but the gap was just too large for her to genuinely feel loyal.
As for Mellia, this girl really did have the personality of a beast, so she was more likely to bite anyone who came close rather than become a loyal companion.
For these two to feel loyal, it would take a lot…
Since that was the case, the next question was naturally how to deal with them.
If they were both ejected from the trial, would that mean that Rotell and the others would fail? She had only thought about this just now, but after realizing it, she felt as if she understood why so many people weren't capable of progressing past the halfway point.
Like those before her, she was also stuck.
She voiced out her concerns, and the others all understood.
They didn't know what would happen if only one person entered; perhaps they would fail automatically. It was impossible to know.
Rotell wanted to make a suggestion, but just then, Cirsen stood up. Without saying another word, she walked over, then stood behind Mellia.
Grab!
Her hand closed around Mellia's throat, and she casually lifted her into the air.
Whether it was Rotell, Qucell, Old Man Roe, or even Mellia herself, all of them were shocked. Their shock was only momentary, because an instant later, it transformed into horror, then confusion, then panic, then chaos.
Their minds turned and turned, but none of them could understand what was happening.
Cirsen's voice rang out, "Since this is a trial of loyalty, then why don't we add our own element into the fray? See, look—since we're completely stuck, then how about Mellia and I become part of the trial?" Her flickering red eyes turned to Rotell. "Princess, look. If you don't attack me, Mellia will die. If you want to save her, then I will have to die. Now, how can we be considered trial-takers? Since we've become the test, show us your loyalty!"
Mellia's face was already turning purple.
"Princess, tell me, what will you do?"
Rotell's eyes trembled. She watched as the small girl, Mellia, began to change color. Her body convulsed from the lack of oxygen, and her limbs flailed wildly. Both hands repeatedly scratched against Cirsen's wrists, but the crimson armor wasn't even scratched, causing Mellia to feel a deep sense of despair.
This situation, it was just too quick, not allowing Rotell to think!