Chapter 101
Chapter 101
Meanwhile, in the Sakura Region…
The assembled ministers stared at their subordinate in disbelief as they listened to his report.
Even guns had not been enough to defeat Zhouyou Shijie?
The revelation struck at the very foundation of their worldview.
“Useless! Every last one of you is useless!” Fujita Daimu flew into a rage. “Five men with guns couldn’t take down Zhouyou Shijie. How am I supposed to explain this to Lord Sato?”
“…”
No one dared make a sound.
Clatter!
Just then, a man pushed open the door. He was thin, with a cold, sinister face. A long scar ran from behind his ear to his mouth, making him a terrifying sight.
“!!”
Fujita Daimu recoiled when he saw him. “Y-you’re still alive?”
The report they had received said Yamagami Yusai had committed suicide. Even his body was supposedly in the Eastern Region government’s custody.
“I had a protective item from Lord Sato. I’m not that easy to kill!” After showing himself to the prime minister, Yamagami Yusai turned and left. Savage killing intent twisted his features. “Don’t worry. The mission isn’t over. Zhouyou Shijie… sooner or later, he’ll die by my hand.”
…
Elsewhere…
Zhou Ming opened his quest panel and found himself utterly stunned by what he saw.
[Life on the Line] (Difficulty: Exclusive SSS Rank)
The very first line made him click his tongue inwardly.
The hardest quest he had completed thus far had only been Exclusive S Rank, and even that had required him to overcome one impossible obstacle after another before he finally succeeded.
Yet the wager between him and Ning Wushen had skipped straight past SS Rank and pushed the difficulty all the way to its limit!
“Exclusive SSS Rank…”
Zhou Ming frowned. “No wonder Ning Wushen was so certain I’d die!”
His heart heavy, he carefully read through the details.
[Life on the Line] (Exclusive SSS Rank)
Description: There has never been such a thing as defying heaven in this world. Every moving tale of one who believed they had rebelled against fate was nothing more than fate’s own ingenious design. Nothing more.
Quest Requirement: Survive for thirty days.
Quest Reward: [Forbidden · Flames of Eternal Calamity]
Quest Penalty: None
…
The quest itself could not have been simpler to understand. Only its difficulty rating revealed just how impossible survival would be.
Zhou Ming stared at it for a long time. Then, as though he had reached an important decision, he closed the quest panel and opened his skill list instead.
Sin of Sloth: Locked (Automatically activates in 29 days.)
Why had the earlier trials given him only a few days of breathing room, while the Sin of Sloth alone gave him an entire month?
Perhaps that respite was itself part of the trial!
Ding!
[System: Would you like to manually activate [Trial of the Seven Sins – Sin of Sloth]?]
“Yes!”
Zhou Ming confirmed his choice.
Ding!
[System: Your [Sin of Sloth] has been activated!]
He hurriedly checked the objective of this trial.
[Sin of Sloth]
Trial Requirements: Do not actively gain any EXP for thirty days, and create an SSS-Rank skill of your own. (Note: System rewards do not count.)
Trial Duration: Thirty days
Trial Reward: ???
Failure Penalty: Death
…
Zhou Ming: “…”
Not actively gaining any EXP for thirty days was easy enough to understand. The trial wanted him to embody the essence of sloth so completely that grinding was not even an option.
Creating an SSS-Rank skill of his own, however, raised the difficulty to an entirely different level.
On the surface, everything seemed perfectly reasonable.
But challenging the Sin of Sloth at this particular moment was truly goddamn disgusting.
“Maybe the Trial of the Seven Sins has some deeper reason for doing this?” Zhou Ming mused.
Judging by his previous experiences, every trial had been closely tied to the God-Demon Orb holder’s circumstances. This one should be no exception.
Beep, beep!
As he wrestled with the question, Tingfeng Xiyu sent him a message. “Brother Zhou, my mentor wants to meet you. Could I trouble you to come to the Qingxuan Bamboo Grove when you have a moment?”
Tingfeng Xiyu’s mentor?
Zhou Ming temporarily set aside his many worries and replied, “Sure. Send me the coordinates.”
Tingfeng Xiyu quickly sent them over.
After explaining the situation to the Sword Saint, the group of four immediately set out.
Ding!
[System: You have entered the map [Qingxuan Bamboo Grove]!]
With three god-tier experts escorting him, Zhou Ming reached his destination in just over ten minutes. Towering bamboo stretched high overhead, lush and emerald green.
Sunlight filtered through the dense leaves, casting mottled patches of light and shadow across the ground.
Instead of flying over the grove, Zhou Ming entered on foot. Deep within the bamboo forest, he found a handsome young man and an old man dressed in green, his white hair contrasting with his youthful face.
[Windcatcher · Tingfeng Xiyu] (Windshadow Rogue)
[Vanishing Swift Shadow · Yun Wuyou] (Ordinary NPC)
…
Seeing that his guest had arrived, Yun Wuyou immediately stepped forward to greet him. “Zhouyou Shijie, your reputation precedes you. It is a pleasure to finally meet you!”
“Senior Yun, was there something you wanted from me?” Zhou Ming studied the old man with a searching gaze.
Here stood an ordinary NPC whose title was Vanishing Swift Shadow!
If the opportunity arose, Zhou Ming would naturally want to pull him to his side and strengthen his faction.
“Could we speak privately inside?” Yun Wuyou asked.
“Of course.”
Zhou Ming nodded.
“After you.” Yun Wuyou stepped aside.
Zhou Ming turned back. “Brother Ye, please wait outside. I’ll go in and speak with Senior Yun alone.”
With that, he entered the house by himself, bringing only Qianying, hidden within the God-Demon Orb, and the little golden ornament fastened at his waist. Even an invitation from a god-tier expert was not enough to frighten him.
The bamboo cottage was sparsely furnished, containing only a table and two chairs.
Looking every inch the austere hermit, Yun Wuyou picked up the kettle and poured Zhou Ming some tea. “My apologies. I’ve grown accustomed to a simple life, so I don’t have much with which to entertain a guest.”
“Time was short, so you didn’t have a chance to make more furniture. I understand,” Zhou Ming said pointedly.
“Hm?”
Yun Wuyou’s expression shifted. Feigning confusion, he asked, “I’m afraid I don’t understand what you’re implying.”
Zhou Ming sat down on a bamboo chair and said casually, “You’re a god-tier expert, aren’t you?”
“…I am,” Yun Wuyou admitted without hesitation.
“Judging by the legacy you passed on to Tingfeng Xiyu, your class is called Windshadow Rogue,” Zhou Ming continued.
Yun Wuyou: “…”
“In other words, you are a god-tier rogue who lives as a recluse in the Qingxuan Bamboo Grove, surviving on plain food and weak tea.” Zhou Ming clicked his tongue in wonder.
A terrifyingly powerful rogue, living in poverty!
What a painfully fake character setting!
“Ahem!”
Yun Wuyou’s old face reddened. After two awkward coughs, he explained, “To tell you the truth, I retired from the trade many years ago.”
“Ah, so that’s how it is!”
Zhou Ming nodded in sudden understanding and graciously chose not to expose him. Returning to the point, he asked, “Senior Yun, why did you ask me here? Please tell me.”
At the mention of serious business, Yun Wuyou’s expression gradually turned solemn. “Young friend, you are a straightforward man, so I won’t beat around the bush. I want you to expel my disciple from the Hope Faction!”
…