Chapter 43
Chapter 43
The mining area was filled with jagged rocks and rugged terrain. The wandering monsters here provided extraordinarily rich EXP.
Yet this forbidden zone, where no other adventurer dared set foot, had already been farmed over and over by the same man.
Zhou Ming stared at the newly unlocked Trial of the Seven Sins, astonishment covering his face. “It’s actually about gold coins…”
He had assumed every stage of the Trial of the Seven Sins would require him to defeat some enemy. Its scope was clearly far broader than he had imagined.
[Sin of Envy]
Trial Requirement: Acquire 1,000,000 gold coins through your own ability.
Time Limit: 5 days
Reward: ???
Failure Penalty: Level -20 and All Attributes -500
…
The requirement sounded casual, but the actual difficulty was terrifying.
Zhou Ming opened his inventory and glanced at his total wealth.
18 gold coins!
In other words, he still needed another 999,982 gold coins to reach one million.
Then he opened the Top-Up system, where the exchange rate was clearly displayed.
Silver Coins: 1 to 10.62!
Destiny’s currency was clearly much harder to obtain than anyone had imagined. At this early stage of the game, ordinary monsters weren’t even qualified to drop gold coins.
Only as player levels gradually rose would the price be driven down.
Even Zhou Ming’s current eighteen gold coins had come from repeatedly defeating high-level monsters and killing a Level 60 Silver Boss.
“One million gold coins…”
Zhou Ming made a rough calculation, then froze. “You want me to earn a billion yuan?!”
In truth, he couldn’t tell whether “through your own ability” allowed him to spend real money.
If it didn’t and he had to rely entirely on his abilities inside the game, he would need to kill a god-tier Boss head-on to obtain that many gold coins.
“Is it very difficult?” Qianying asked.
“Yes!”
Zhou Ming explained every detail of the trial, hoping another perspective might help.
“That…”
Qianying was speechless. “At your current strength, you cannot kill a monster carrying enough treasure.”
“Which means I need a different approach.” Zhou Ming sank into thought.
Personally obtaining one million gold coins in five days was extraordinarily difficult.
He knew that successfully clearing the Sin of Envy would not only bring enormous rewards, but also allow him to comprehend an exclusive Flame Demon Lord skill.
The problem was that the normal route was nearly impossible.
“Don’t be too anxious. We still have five days to devise a solution,” Qianying comforted him. “And even…”
She paused.
“Even what?” Zhou Ming asked.
“Even if the worst happens, you still have one way out that would force the Trial of the Seven Sins to recognize your success.” Qianying did not explain further.
Zhou Ming shook his head. “I don’t want it to end that way.”
How could he fail to understand her meaning?
It was only one million gold coins.
A divine pet would certainly sell for more than enough.
But selling Xuanniao would cost him far too much. Even the value of the Trial of the Seven Sins might not compare.
“It’ll work itself out somehow!”
Zhou Ming yawned as sleepiness surged over him. “It’s getting late. I’m going to bed. We can continue this conversation in our dreams.”
Unable to find a solution for the moment, he chose to log out and rest.
One thing was certain: the Sin of Envy wouldn’t have given him such a trial if there were absolutely no way to complete it.
The key was discovering which direction to explore.
…
Eight o’clock the next morning.
Whoosh!
Zhou Ming rapidly devoured twelve pan-fried buns and a cup of soy milk, then logged back in.
The moment he appeared, he saw a familiar man standing nearby. The man wore black, had rugged features, and carried a broad greatsword on his back, giving him a domineering presence.
[Abyssal Sword Demon · Cangxuan] (God-Tier Boss)
Again!
Can he even track where I log out?
Zhou Ming’s relaxed mood vanished, replaced by complete caution and focus.
“Senior is an exalted Demon God, yet you honor this junior with visit after visit. I’m truly flattered!”
“As I recall, the Eastern Region has an old saying: a wise man submits to circumstances!”
Cangxuan went straight to the point. “Zhouyou Shijie, while I personally think very highly of your potential, a man must understand his own limits.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“A final ultimatum!” Cangxuan stared directly at the young man, his gaze sharp and his voice cold. “If you refuse to surrender the God-Demon Orb, you will die a miserable death when darkness descends.”
“Oh?”
Zhou Ming frowned. “You’re that confident you can kill me?”
He was genuinely surprised.
The Demon Gods were about to return, yet their first priority was apparently to come after him in earnest.
“The two factions are bitter enemies, divided by hatred and conflict that can never be erased,” Cangxuan said meaningfully. “But you alone are the common target of both sides… Do you understand your situation now?”
…
“…”
Zhou Ming considered the matter for a long while, then said, “Senior believes this junior has nowhere left to turn. I must admit, you’ve piqued my interest!”
“What?”
Cangxuan was completely baffled. “Speak plainly!”
This was ridiculous.
He was clearly applying pressure to stop the God-Demon Orb from falling into the Light Faction’s hands, yet the little bastard had the nerve to tell him he was interested.
“When darkness descends, how about we make another wager?” Zhou Ming asked with a warm smile. “I bet I won’t die.”
“Ding!”
[Issue the quest The Wager to Zhouyou Shijie?]
Cangxuan: “…”
Qianying: “…”
“The only reason I lost last time was because I left you a path to survival!” Cangxuan’s expression changed as he launched into a stream of curses. “If I ever gamble with you again, I’m a fucking idiot!”
Winning one wager could be attributed to luck.
Winning two or three couldn’t.
Cangxuan wasn’t stupid. Of course he could see that Zhouyou Shijie was full of wicked schemes and anything but easy prey.
“What if I told you that winning the wager would earn you the God-Demon Orb?” Zhou Ming asked meaningfully.
“!!”
Cangxuan immediately perked up. “What’s the bet?”
“If I survive, you give me one million gold coins,” Zhou Ming said, revealing his objective without changing expression. “If I die, the God-Demon Orb is yours!”
Qianying, who had been listening vigilantly from the side, immediately understood.
So Zhouyou Shijie intended to obtain his million gold coins from the Dark Faction.
“One million gold coins?”
Cangxuan laughed and cursed. “You little bastard, why don’t you just rob someone?”
“Do we have a wager?”
“I don’t have that much gold.”
“What about the other Demon Gods?”
“I’m the Second Demon God, and even I don’t have that kind of money. The others probably can’t produce it either.”
“What if everyone pools their funds?”
“…”
“Change the terms!” Cangxuan snapped. “The fertile lands and resources are all controlled by the Light Faction right now. We don’t have that kind of money!”
Ten Demon Gods pooling their coins to make a wager with one adventurer would become the joke of the age.
“Then how about Senior wagers a piece of god-tier equipment?” Zhou Ming suggested instead.
“I can tell you’re very confident.” Cangxuan studied him deeply. “But there’s only one thing I can offer!”
“What is it?”
“A fairly decent cloak!”
With that, Cangxuan took a pitch-black cloak from his inventory. Under the sunlight, it radiated an air of mystery and elegance.
Zhou Ming cast Inspect.
[Nightfall Cloak] (Gold Grade)
Defense: 50
HP: 1,000
Trait: Defense +10% and HP +30%
Trait: Practiced Ease, Required Level -10
Effect: Quickstep, Movement Speed +20%
Required Level: 60
Description: A cloak once worn by Abyssal Sword Demon · Cangxuan. It possesses respectable attributes.
…
“I know the Divine Ember Queen is helping you. In your hands, Gold-grade equipment will inevitably be enhanced,” Cangxuan said indifferently. “Of course, I have no intention of wagering this against the God-Demon Orb.”
“Then what do you want?” Zhou Ming asked suspiciously.
“The Light Faction has a Sword Saint.” Cangxuan’s gaze burned. “I wish to challenge him. Your task is to find his location for me.”
“Ding!”
[Accept the hidden side quest Find the Sword Saint? Difficulty: A]
“Qianying, is this a trap?” Zhou Ming didn’t accept immediately.
“Probably not,” Qianying explained. “Before joining the Dark Faction, Cangxuan himself held the title of the Light Faction’s previous Sword Saint.”
A grudge between two generations of Sword Saints?
Zhou Ming roughly understood that some unknown history lay behind the request. He nodded.
“I’ll take the quest!”
…
Inside a castle in the Abyss, surrounded by demons…
Cangxuan’s true body slowly opened its eyes.
In fact, the Abyss remained under the seal the gods had placed upon it long ago. Cangxuan couldn’t possibly roam freely across the Destiny Continent yet.
“Well?”
The moment he woke, the other Demon Gods questioned him. “Will Zhouyou Shijie surrender the God-Demon Orb?”
Cangxuan shook his head.
“He doesn’t know his own limits!”
“If we weren’t worried the God-Demon Orb would fall into the Light Faction’s hands and make all our efforts worthless, why would we repeatedly bother persuading him to surrender?”
The Demon Gods erupted in fury.
One asked, “Did you tell him that when darkness descends, he is certain to die a miserable death?”
“I did!” Cangxuan nodded.
“And he still showed no reaction?”
“I wouldn’t say he had no reaction…”
Cangxuan recalled their exchange. A fascinating expression crossed his face as he sighed.
“He said I’d piqued his interest.”
The Demon Gods: “???”
…