What do you mean?” “Anyway, come quickly, just come through that pile of quicksand, I’ve made a path inside, hurry.” Sensing the urgency in Qin Chuan’s voice, Su Yao stepped onto the dark sand. Su Yao soon understood the agony of being trapped in quicksand—the helpless feeling of watching her health bar slowly decrease, unable to escape despite pressing every key on the keyboard. However, since Qin Chuan had spoken, she trusted that everything would be fine, even if what lay ahead was a mountain of knives or a sea of fire. After her health was reduced by 20% by the quicksand, she reached the bottom of the sand layer, where there was another world. “Damn, the secret was buried underground all along, would a normal person think of this?” Beneath the desert was a dim yellow light, within which a winding path led to an unknown destination. Her health continued to drop, and she dared not delay, quickly crawling and rolling along the path. Thankfully, this path wasn’t as treacherous, and she encountered no traps until her health was at 50%, when she finally reached the end.
Beside the glowing teleportation point stood San Tuchuan, dressed in trash gear but looking cooler than any pay-to-win player, quietly meditating with his eyes closed.
In this game, players could recover health and mana through meditation, although the process was extremely slow—used only by those too poor to afford potions. Meditation couldn’t be interrupted, and regaining health through PK was a pipe dream. For someone like Ji Canghai with his tank role, a full day of meditation wouldn’t refill his health bar, the recovery rate being slower than a snail’s pace. Mana, however, recovered faster, about a quarter of an hour to fill a bar.
Su Yao watched San Tuchuan, whose health was at 10%, choosing to meditate despite knowing it was futile, and felt the urge to cry. “Let’s go,” said San Tuchuan, the team leader, as he stood up and activated the teleportation point, whisking them away. The screen spun dizzily, with countless epics and battles flashing by like murals in a tunnel, set to a majestic background score. Red Medicine Hall and San Tuchuan landed on a narrow bridge suspended in the air. The bridge was so narrow it could only accommodate one person at a time. “Are we going to jump again for the abyss party?”
Su Yao covered her remaining 50% health, not daring to take any risks.
“By the way, why did you wait for me?” Su Yao suddenly realized something and quickly typed out her question. “You lost so much health just waiting for me. Why didn’t you go ahead?” San Tuchuan paused before replying, “I tried several times; the teleportation point only appears when someone is there. If I had left, you would have been stuck.” Su Yao was at a loss for words, tears welling up. “Alright, let’s go,” Qin Chuan, noticing the trembling shoulders of the girl two machines away, quickly changed the subject and led the way again.
Floating in the void were numerous bridges connected by teleportation points and moving platforms. These platforms varied in speed; some broke upon stepping on them, while others were covered with spikes. This was another dangerous maze. Qin Chuan refused to sit down and recover his health, considering it a waste of time. Su Yao, unable to persuade him, threatened not to give him any meat, forcing him to let her lead this time. Thus, our female rogue, Red Medicine Hall, navigated the maze like a nimble cat, leaping and climbing. Fortunately, there were no monsters or traps here; even if a platform broke, her reaction speed was enough to jump back.
Compared to where they started, this bridge maze, despite its complexity, was a paradise.
By the time night fell outside, Red Medicine Hall and San Tuchuan had delved deep into the void bridge maze. Surrounding them were bridges of all sizes, red lacquer arcs, and a breathtaking view. It was a sight so magnificent that words failed to capture its essence, especially under Wang Shenmu’s design. Being the young-hearted Red Medicine Hall, she couldn’t resist taking a photo with San Tuchuan, capturing the moment when both were at half health and barely surviving. When she pressed the screenshot key, Su Yao felt an overwhelming sense of happiness, deciding to save this screenshot once the competition was over. Whether she won the divine artifact or not no longer mattered; being in this magnificent world with her beloved was enough. Little did she know, this would be their only and last photo together.
After taking the photo, they continued on, and Su Yao spotted another player on a distant bridge. She examined the player named “One Morning Smile,” likely from another map. Too far to check stats, but judging by the figure, it was a female— a summoner, perhaps? Upon closer inspection, Su Yao was flabbergasted.
This summoner had a green flute, summoning little monsters to test the traps and platforms, advancing much faster than they did, effortlessly and without pressure. Su Yao was marveling at the intelligence of that player, truly deserving the title of an advanced player; none of them were easy to deal with. Summoning the lowest level of minions barely consumed any mana, essentially allowing for a cost-free path-clearing. At the same time, she was gnashing her teeth in frustration, thinking, “Damn, I should go and level up a summoner myself someday! I want to enjoy the thrill of having free labor clear the way too, aaaaaahhh—” Of course, she wouldn’t use that green-colored flute. In the game, weapons could be freely crafted. However, in the eyes of others, including Wang Shenmu and Su Yao, it looked utterly foolish. Watching the female summoner’s figure recede into the distance, Su Yao thought the coolest weapons were still the thief’s long chain and the witch’s scythe. Just as she was about to indulge in her own fantasy, she noticed a buff had been cast on her by Yi Chao Huan Yan before she disappeared. “Blessing of the Wind.”
A white light enveloped Yi Chao Huan Yan from head to toe, and after applying the buff, her running speed noticeably increased. If the opponent wasn’t cheating, was she a Ranger with a summoner’s weapon?! In this game, while any class could wield any weapon, the default weapon for one’s own class was still the best to use. Who would show off in such a crucial moment of the finals? Most importantly, even if a Ranger had a flute, they couldn’t use summoner skills to call out minions.
50, The Path of Regret
Time rewinds back to Tianzang City. After navigating through layers of ruins, Wang Shenmu and Yi Chao Huan Yan finally reached the outskirts of Tianzang City, where a vast river stretched before them. There was no bridge over the river, and its water was blood-red, with bubbles bursting on the surface, releasing a thick, purple-red mist that could kill instantly. Wang Shenmu explained that this river was called the “River of Sorrow,” marking the end of Tianzang Ruins. Beyond this, they would reach the Sky Bridge.
The Sky Bridge was the transfer hub connecting all worlds in this dimension; players from any place, after overcoming their initial world, would arrive at this central transfer station to seek the correct entrance to the Abyss of Law’s End. Of course, these structures were completely foreign to other players, who only received minimal clues, like the invitation Su Yao received, mentioning the “Abyss of Law’s End” without providing any more details. Everything had to be explored on their own.