Duan Xing

As night fell, all sounds faded, and the sky beneath the waning crescent moon seemed covered by a deep, dark red silk.

Just then, a black hole suddenly appeared in the sky.

An object trailing blue flames emerged from the black hole, tore across the heavens, and hurtled straight toward the Crimson Plains in the Emperor's Tomb Mountain Range.

Boom!

With a deafening explosion, the blue fireball slammed into the vast expanse of the Crimson Plains, gouging out a crater more than fifty meters across. Rocks flew everywhere, and nearby twisted plants were scorched to ash by the heat.

As the steam dissipated, a huge, square metal box could be seen at the bottom of the crater. Its surface had been slightly warped by the violent impact.

Just then, the metal box shuddered, and a heavy metal door opened upward from below.

A humanoid boy about one meter sixty-five tall stepped out. He had pale blue hair and wore heavy Runes Armor. His pure white eyes held no trace of emotion. He seemed lifeless, like a puppet.

Just then, a mechanical voice sounded from the shuttle behind Duan Xing:

"Combat trial initiated. The area within a 35-kilometer radius of my position is your trial zone. You must not leave the trial zone during the trial, or you will be deemed to have failed!"

Leaping out of the crater, the blue-haired puppet swept his gaze over the scorched earth nearby. Then he raised his right hand and pressed it against the raised metal knob on his left chest, turning it as if winding a clock.

A series of crisp clicks rang out as the intricate patterns etched into his armor lit up from his left chest and spread across his body.

The puppet boy turned to look at the waning crescent moon hanging high in the sky, a grave expression appearing on his face. With a flick of his hand, a black gem appeared in his right palm. He clenched his fist and crushed it.

The black crystal shattered, and its scattered powder turned to rising black smoke when it touched the air.

At once, the evil creatures of the Crimson Plains, like beasts scenting blood, rushed toward the puppet boy.

Shing!

The puppet boy lowered his stance. Two blue blades of light sprang from his wrists, and a hint of killing intent appeared in his pure white eyes.

His gaze swept over the surroundings.

Evil Hounds with fangs and hyena-like bodies; Dark Ghosts, which looked like rolling black balls as they advanced on twisted limbs; evil spirits wreathed in rotting black mist... Blood Corpses, too. More and more evil creatures surged in from every direction.

The puppet boy became a streak of blue light and charged forward. He darted through the evil creatures, his blades slicing through them like scissors cutting through darkness. Everything in his path was split in two, turning to black smoke and leaving only black crystals behind.

He moved faster and faster as the battle continued, like a dancer gliding through the horde. The cold gleam of his blue blades followed his movements like the swirling hem of a skirt.

Players exploring the Crimson Plains were curious about the strange behavior of the evil creatures and began asking about it in the area channel:

"What's going on? Anyone know why all the evil creatures are running in the same direction?"

"I thought I was done for, but then the evil creatures ran off on their own. Got lucky and survived. I'm thrilled."

"I'm heading over to take a look. Brothers, come watch the live feed in my stream! If you can, send me some Sacrificial Power as a tip!"

Faced with the creatures' unusual behavior, curious players followed them to investigate.

Quite a few players seized the opportunity to start streaming live for those who couldn't reach the Crimson Plains quickly, hoping to make a profit.

When the players approached the area where the puppet boy was, the scene before them left them stunned.

The blue figure moved through the evil creatures with the ease of a dancer. The twin blue blades in his hands swept through them without resistance, reaping the nearby creatures with breathtaking grace.

But the players cared more about the black crystals scattered across the ground.

These Energy Crystals only dropped when evil creatures above level 10 were killed. Players could exchange them for Sacrificial Power at the altar on the function panel.

To the players, the black crystals littering the ground were no different from cash.

The price of one point of Sacrificial Power had soared to 150 credits, and it was still hard to buy in bulk. Players could only buy small amounts from Lone Players.

At this stage, whether they were Bricklayers or ordinary players, everyone wanted to improve their strength before thinking about making a profit. Sacrificial Power was in extremely short supply.

Seeing the black crystals covering the ground, the nearby players didn't hesitate.

They hurriedly picked them up one after another and tossed them into their personal inventory.

Players watching the scene through the livestreams went wild, flooding the various live chatrooms with messages:

"Bro, please, post the coordinates in the area channel! I'm on my way to the Crimson Plains!"

"Ahhh, I'm still on respawn cooldown! Watching you guys pick up money hurts more than dying. Don't you dare pick any more, hear me? Stop picking them up!"

"This stream is giving me a heart attack. I just wanted to see what was going on, and you show me this? I wish I had wings so I could fly over and pick them up with you."

The area voice channel also erupted over the crystal-grabbing frenzy.

Players from all over the Emperor's Tomb Mountain Range began gathering in the Crimson Plains.

The players who arrived first were already completely frantic. They followed the blue figure as he moved, picking up the black crystals left on the ground.

The puppet boy, still fighting, noticed the growing crowd of players behind him.

When he saw them picking up the black crystals on the ground, a concentrated killing intent appeared in his pure white eyes.

He stopped and turned the winding mechanism on his left chest.

The Runes Armor, which had dimmed, blazed with light once more as the mechanism tightened.

His body became a streak of blue light. He changed direction and shot toward the players. His figure flashed past one of them, who didn't even get a good look at the puppet boy before a death notification rang in his mind.

Now the puppet boy's targets were the players.

Many players turned to black smoke as soon as he swept past them. Yan Ming's spatial power pulled them back to Emperor's Tomb Village, where their flesh and blood were remade underground.

"Damn, why's he killing us now? Should we run?"

"Holy crap, my Good Brother got cut in half in the blink of an eye and turned into black smoke. This guy's way too strong."

"Run for what? Dying only costs 10 points of Sacrificial Power. One Evil Crystal on the ground yields at least 5 points. Pick up two and you've broken even. Hurry and grab them while you can—bring a sack!"

Faced with the puppet boy's attacks, the players didn't retreat. Instead, they grew even more frantic.

They all wanted to grab a few more Evil Crystals before they died.

The players also managed to identify the puppet boy amid the slaughter.

[Duan Xing (Heavenly Rune Clan)]

Hunting Level: 53

Target Introduction: A direct-line descendant of the Heavenly Rune Clan, hailed as the strongest of the clan's new generation. Currently undergoing a combat trial before joining the Tidal Rebellion Legion.

The players who learned the puppet boy's identity immediately shared the information in the area chat.

Both the players on the scene and those in other areas were shocked by the boy's hunting level.

A hunting level of 53 was stronger than anything they had encountered in the Emperor's Tomb Mountain Range.

Duan Xing, still in the midst of his slaughter, also noticed something was wrong.

When he killed the beings stealing the Evil Crystals, the crystals they had taken vanished along with them as they turned to black smoke.

The Evil Crystals were proof of his successful trial. Seeing their numbers dwindle, Duan Xing grew anxious.

In a flash, he grabbed a player by the throat as the player reached for an Evil Crystal and lifted him up. Staring into the player's eyes with his icy white gaze, he asked:

"Where are the Evil Crystals you picked up?"

Duan Xing's words were automatically translated into a language the players could understand by the analysis system.

The player whose throat was being squeezed showed no trace of the fear one would expect in the face of death. His gaze was still fixed on the glowing black crystals on the ground. Then he lifted his chin and, his face red from struggling to breathe, said:

"Let me pick up one more, and I'll tell you!"

Duan Xing:...