Rules of the Maze

As Oberon announced the start of the trial, the entire palace began to twist and change.

Xia Lin felt the moss carpet beneath his feet turn soft and unreal, as if he were stepping on clouds. The surroundings gradually blurred within the mist, leaving only a hazy blue-white glow.

When the fog cleared slightly, they found themselves standing somewhere entirely different.

Before them stood the entrance to a maze.

The maze walls were made of living trees. Their trunks had grown in twisted shapes, branches entwining with one another to form natural barriers five meters tall. Faint silver runes shimmered across the bark, resembling some ancient script, yet also seeming like mere decoration.

The ground was covered in soft grass. Every blade gave off a dim blue phosphorescence, brightening and darkening in rhythm with its breathing. Xia Lin noticed that the glowing grass naturally gathered into strange patterns in certain places—some like waves, some like arrows, and some forming regular geometric shapes.

Looking up, the sky was a deep dark blue, dotted with countless flickering specks of light, like glowing spores or pollen floating in the air.

The entire maze was shrouded in thin mist, limiting visibility to roughly twenty meters.

The mist itself gave off a faint glow, like liquid moonlight, adding a dreamlike yet eerie atmosphere to the space.

Most eye-catching of all was the enormous fog gate at the entrance. It was a door made entirely of mist, its surface constantly churning and flowing. Through the fog, vague passageways could be seen within.

Oberon's voice came from every direction, as if the entire space itself were speaking. "The first trial is simple. Find your way out of this maze."

There was obvious amusement in her voice. "That's all."

Xia Lin immediately asked, "Any hints?"

"Hints?" Oberon laughed.