Screening

"Do you really have Golden Whiskers? Don't let us drag you down," Uncle Jack said anxiously. "It'd be best if you didn't get involved with us anymore. Otherwise, that prince might take his anger out on you, too."

Guen said proudly, "If he doesn't come after me, I'll go after him. What he did to us was utterly despicable."

"Right, Uncle Jack. Just you wait and see. Guen's really strong now," Chen said with confidence.

Strong?

Uncle Jack was still worried. No matter how strong Guen was, could he really measure up to a prince?

Guen just grinned and said nothing more.

Among the crowd waiting to exchange or buy Golden Whiskers, four people suddenly headed straight for the Inner Valley, immediately drawing everyone's attention.

But with the Empire's soldiers maintaining order, all they could do was watch as Guen and the others went inside.

A general wearing a Blood Cross medal on his chest merely glanced at them and said coldly, "Show us enough Golden Whiskers. We'll check that they came from Golden-Bearded Mastiffs at the designated trial site."

Guen asked curiously, "Do people really bring in Golden Whiskers from outside?"

The general remained expressionless. "Some people are always coming up with far-fetched ideas. None of their tricks work here."

Guen nodded thoughtfully and took sixty Golden Whiskers out of his Battle Suit in one go.

Fifteen per person, sixty in total—enough for all four of them.

Someone beside the general immediately brought out various instruments and began checking the Golden Whiskers one by one. It took a full five or six minutes before the general's expression softened slightly. "You may enter the Inner Valley. As for your two companions, if they need treatment, take them through the passage on the right once you're inside. Your mounts will be taken into custody. If you refuse, you'll have to leave the Inner Valley, and we'll consider you to have forfeited."

Guen gave the general a grateful look, then helped Uncle Jack—who stood there with his mouth agape, unable to speak—into the Inner Valley.

Uncle Jack didn't come to his senses until they were about to send him down the passage. He couldn't help asking, "Guen, how did you do it? Even Setti and I would have a hard time collecting this many Golden Whiskers. This..."

Guen couldn't explain. He had been forced to use the Protective Suit several times along the way. Without that suit, which could withstand Super Tier experts, he would never have made it here, let alone gathered so many Golden Whiskers. But there was no need to tell Uncle Jack all that.

Guen simply teased him. "Uncle, didn't I tell you I was strong?"

"Strong? You're incredible!" Uncle Jack praised him endlessly. When they reached the passage entrance, he managed a solemn, difficult bow. "Thank you. Truly, Guen. If it weren't for you..."

Uncle Jack's eyes grew damp. He hurriedly turned away to wipe his tears, then smiled. "The first time I saw you, kid, I knew you were no ordinary person. I never thought I'd be relying on you so soon. Anyway, I'll go in now."

Uncle Jack felt much more at ease. He looked down at Setti, who lay unconscious on a stretcher beside him, his eyes filled with worry. "You worked so hard to finish the trial. You have to wake up soon!"

After watching Uncle Jack and Setti being carried away, Guen and Chen could hardly wait. They handed their mounts to a nearby soldier and entered the true Inner Valley.

One white-topped tent after another had been set up on a flat patch of ground in the valley. The tents gave off tantalizing aromas, along with the lively sounds of people cheering and joking around.

"Haha, more brothers have passed the trial!" As Guen and Chen looked around, a young man with black hair and a bow on his back came over. "I'm Keen, from Maple Town. Where are you two from?"

"I'm Guen, and he's Chen. We're from Double Moon Town," Guen replied honestly.

Keen nodded, a trace of envy in his eyes. "I heard Double Moon Town is the only place where you can see two moons. Tsk, that must be a beautiful sight."

Guen just smiled.

Keen continued, "You must have a lot of questions. No worries, I'll explain everything."

Without waiting for an answer, Keen took them both by the hand and led them toward the tents.

"All the warriors here have passed the trial. Including you two, there are sixty-eight of us so far," Keen explained.

"Sixty-eight? Does that mean we're sixty-seventh and sixty-eighth?" Guen grew anxious. He had entered the trial hoping to place as high as possible and prove himself.

Keen shook his head. "If the first person to reach Stardew Valley happened to be a lucky sixth-tier warrior, do you think everyone would accept that? All I know is that once the trial ends, everyone who passed will have another competition. Don't worry. Until the trial ends, these tents have food, drinks, entertainment, and places to train. You can go in and out of any white-topped tent as you please. Just remember, you can't enter the gold-topped tents. Those belong to the Three Official Organizations, and you're not allowed inside without permission."

Guen thought it over and understood.

That made sense. If rankings were decided solely by the order in which people reached Stardew Valley, it would be far too hasty. Those who arrived early were generally stronger than those who came later, but there could still be arguments about just how much stronger they were, and who among the first arrivals was stronger or weaker.

"Don't fight, and don't enter anyone else's sleeping tent. If you leave the Inner Valley before the competition starts, you'll be considered to have forfeited. That's about it for the rules. They're pretty relaxed here, so take it easy," Keen said kindly.

"Thanks, Keen," Guen said politely.

Keen waved it off. "Even if I hadn't done this, someone else would have. We've all passed the trial, which means that wherever we go from now on, we can become important members of an organization. And once we get the Transcendence Method, roughly one in every thirty of us will break through to Super Tier. So everyone makes a point of building connections. Some people from independent organizations may come to recruit you later. Don't get carried away and accept right away."

"Independent organizations? The official organizations let them recruit people?" Guen and Chen asked, puzzled.

Keen smiled. "Why wouldn't they?"

Seeing that Guen and Chen still didn't understand, Keen explained, "Anyone who makes it here is bound to be proud and ambitious. They're all eager to join the best faction and get the best Transcendence Method. So what's the harm in letting independent groups like the Demon Hunters recruit people? Anyone who gets recruited at this stage lacks resolve and loyalty. There's no great loss if they're taken away. Remember, although about one in every thirty people who pass the trial can reach Super Tier, at least three out of every five Super Tier experts belong to the three major factions. Don't be foolish. Independent groups may offer very tempting deals, but you have to resist!"

"I understand. I really have to thank you, Keen," Guen said earnestly.

Chen also expressed his gratitude.

Keen waved them off, his smile growing broader. "Come on, try this. It's meat from a Tier 3 Ferocious Beast, a Treasure-Qi Rat. It's not a high-tier beast, but it's hard to catch, and the meat is delicious."

Keen casually picked up some roasted meat from the nearby grill and shared it with Guen and Chen.

Just as Keen had predicted, plenty of people came over to chat with Guen and Chen. Some were from independent organizations and offered generous terms, but Guen and Chen politely turned them all down.

Several days later, Jack and Setti finally recovered and came to the Inner Valley. They thanked Guen and Chen once more.

Time passed, little by little.

The month-long trial finally ended. At that point, there were only three hundred and sixty-eight people in the Inner Valley of Stardew Valley, far fewer than Guen had expected.

But he understood why.

The Golden Whiskers from Golden-Bearded Mastiffs didn't all end up in the hands of the people who needed them. Sometimes one person had two, another had one, and by the end it was still hard to gather enough.

On top of that, some Golden Whiskers might be damaged or lost in battle. There were many dangers after leaving the places where Golden-Bearded Mastiffs gathered, and anyone who failed to survive them would lose their Golden Whiskers for good.

"Everyone, assemble!"

A loud shout brought everyone out of their tents. They nervously looked toward the White-Hat General standing in the middle.

The White-Hat General radiated immense power, held in check but ready to burst forth. He was far stronger than a Tier 9 Ferocious Beast, making it clear that he was a Super Tier expert!

Why had everyone come here?

They had come for the Transcendence Method and a chance to break through to Super Tier.

And now, with a living Super Tier expert standing before them, their eyes burned with excitement.

The White-Hat General was used to such looks. His voice rang out. "A total of 9,278 people took part in this trial. Only you 168 have managed to stand here in the end. To be honest, I'm very disappointed!

"Not even one in ten of you managed to complete the trial? Leiquan City may be the youngest of the seven cities, but it places last every year. That's a disgrace to everyone from Leiquan City. You've all heard that the odds of completing the trial are about one in five. Yet every time, the people of Leiquan City don't even manage half that. I'm truly disappointed.

"What's laughable is that some of you still want to compete for first place? What are you counting on, your tongues? The trial completion rate in Capital City is over thirty-five percent every year. That's the average, and you've dragged it down. Yet you're still pleased with yourselves. Hmph."

The White-Hat General's words made the warriors' faces flush with anger.

The Aoyu Empire was divided into seven provinces, one for each of its seven cities. They were the most outstanding people in Leiquan City's province, yet now the general was humiliating them like this. Naturally, they were furious.

They knew it might be true. After all, the White-Hat General had said that Capital City's completion rate was over thirty-five percent—a convincing figure.

"It's good that you know you're weak. Pride isn't what I fear; it's that you don't even understand your own abilities. So next, not everyone will qualify to go to Capital City and compete for a ranking. Only thirty-five of you will be allowed to go. The rest will be dismissed here. You're free to join whichever faction you like," the White-Hat General said.

As soon as his words fell, everyone exchanged glances, their eyes suddenly brimming with fighting spirit.

Thirty-five places—only one in ten would make it!

The White-Hat General continued, "First of all, we won't decide the rankings with an arena battle this time."

Everyone was stunned. If there wouldn't be an arena battle, how would they be selected?

Would they draw lots?

"See that tree? Put on one of these wristbands, and your strength will be suppressed to that of a newly advanced sixth-tier warrior. Then put all your strength into striking the tree. If your force is twice that of a newly advanced sixth-tier warrior, two branches will move. If it's three times as strong, three branches will move. Judging by past results, the top fifty will need to reach at least three times the strength."

Everyone looked at the enormous tree behind the White-Hat General and the black wristbands laid out beside it. A commotion broke out.

"Silence! Either obey or leave. This system has been in place for centuries and has selected countless seeds for Super Tier. Facts and time have proven it works. Don't use your pathetic experience to judge an empire's capabilities. Either obey and do as I said, or leave!"

The White-Hat General's face was filled with coldness.