Screening

"Do you really have the Golden Beards? Don't drag yourselves down for our sake," Uncle Jack said anxiously. "It's best if you don't get involved with us anymore, or else that Prince will take his anger out on you too."

Guen said proudly, "Even if he doesn't come for me, I'll go for him. Scheming against us like this is truly despicable."

"Right, Uncle, just watch—Guen now is really formidable," Chen added, full of confidence.

Formidable?

Uncle Jack was still worried. No matter how formidable, could he compare to a Prince?

Guen just grinned and said nothing more.

Among the crowd waiting to exchange for Golden Beards, four people suddenly strode straight toward the Inner Valley, immediately drawing everyone's attention.

But with the empire's soldiers maintaining order, they could only watch as Guen and his group walked in.

A general with a Blood Cross medal on his chest glanced at them and said coldly, "Please present a sufficient number of Golden Beards. We will check whether they come from the Golden-Bearded Mastiffs at the designated trial location."

Guen asked curiously, "Has someone brought in Golden Beards from outside?"

The general remained expressionless. "There are always those who think wishfully. No tricks work here."

Guen nodded thoughtfully, then pulled out sixty Golden Beards from his battle suit in one go.

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

Someone beside the general immediately brought out various instruments and began testing each Golden Beard one by one. After a full five or six minutes, the general's expression softened slightly. "You may enter the Inner Valley. As for your two companions, if they need treatment, take the right passage after entering the Inner Valley. As for mounts, they will be taken over by personnel. If you refuse, please leave the Inner Valley, and we will consider you as having forfeited."

Guen shot the general a grateful look before supporting Uncle Jack, who was speechless with his mouth wide open, and walked into the Inner Valley.

Only after being led into the passage did Uncle Jack snap out of it and couldn't help asking, "Guen, how did you do it? So many Golden Beards—even Setti and I would have a hard time gathering that many. This..."

Guen couldn't explain. Along the way, he had been forced to use the Protective Suit multiple times. If not for this suit, which could withstand Super Tier experts, he would never have made it this far or collected so many Golden Beards. But there was no need to tell Uncle Jack that.

Guen just teased, "Uncle, didn't I tell you I'm really formidable?"

"Formidable, truly formidable," Uncle Jack praised without restraint. When he reached the passage entrance, he bowed solemnly with difficulty. "Thank you so much, Guen. If it weren't for you..."

Uncle Jack's eyes grew moist. He quickly turned his head to wipe away his tears and laughed. "The first time I saw you, kid, I knew you weren't ordinary. I never thought I'd be relying on you so soon. Enough talk—I'm going in now."

Uncle Jack seemed much lighter. He looked down at Setti, unconscious on a stretcher, a trace of worry in his eyes. "We finally completed the trial. You have to wake up in time!"

Watching Uncle Jack and Setti being taken away, Guen and Chen couldn't wait any longer. They handed their mounts to a nearby soldier and entered the true Inner Valley.

Row after row of White-Topped Tents were set up on a flat area within the valley. From inside the tents came bursts of fragrance and the lively sounds of people cheering.

"Haha, another brother passed the trial," a young man with black hair and a bow on his back said as he walked over while Guen and Chen looked around. "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 answered truthfully.

Keen nodded, a hint of envy in his eyes. "I hear you can see two moons only in Double Moon Town. Tsk, that must be a beautiful sight."

Guen just smiled.

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

Without waiting for a reply, Keen took both their hands and led them toward a tent.

"Every warrior who appears here has passed the trial. Counting you two, there are sixty-eight people so far," Keen explained.

"Sixty-eight? So we're number sixty-seven and sixty-eight?" Guen asked anxiously. He had come to the trial wanting a higher rank to prove himself.

Keen shook his head. "If the first to reach Stardew Valley was a lucky Tier 6 Warrior, do you think everyone would accept that? I only know that after the trial ends, everyone who passed will have another competition. Don't rush. Until the trial is over, these tents have food, drink, entertainment, and training. You can enter any White-Topped Tent freely. But be careful—don't go into the Gold-Topped Tents. Those belong to the Three Official Organizations. Without permission, entry is forbidden."

Guen thought for a moment and understood.

That made sense. Deciding rankings purely by the order of arrival at Stardew Valley would be too hasty. Although those who arrived earlier were generally stronger than those who came later, exactly how much stronger—and who among the first batch was the strongest or weakest—was still debatable.

"No fighting, no entering someone else's rest tent. Leaving the Inner Valley before the competition starts counts as forfeiting. That's about it. The rules here are pretty loose, so just relax," Keen said kindly.

"Thank you, Keen," Guen said politely.

Keen waved it off. "Even if I didn't do this, someone else would. Everyone here passed the trial. It's decided—no matter where you go from here, you'll at least become an important member of some organization. And after obtaining the Transcendence Method, roughly one in thirty can break through to Super Tier. So people deliberately make connections. Later, some Civilian Organizations might come to recruit you. Don't be dazzled and agree right away."

"Civilian Organizations? Do the official organizations allow them to recruit here?" Guen and Chen found it strange.

Keen laughed. "Why wouldn't they?"

Seeing their confusion, Keen explained, "Everyone who makes it here is proud and ambitious, wanting to join the best Factions and get the best Transcendence Method. So what if the Demon Hunter organizations and other civilian groups recruit? Anyone recruited at this stage lacks resolve and loyalty. Losing them isn't a loss. Remember, though one in thirty who pass the trial can break through to Super Tier, at least three out of every five Super Tier experts belong to the three major powers. Don't be foolish. The offers from civilian groups might be tempting, but hold out!"

"I understand. Thank you so much, Keen," Guen said solemnly.

Chen also expressed his gratitude.

Keen waved his hand, his smile growing wider. "Come, try this. It's meat from a Tier 3 Ferocious Beast, the Treasure-Qi Rat. This beast isn't high-ranked, but it's hard to catch, and the taste is unmatched."

Keen casually picked up some grilled meat from a nearby rack and shared it with Guen and Chen.

As Keen had said, many people came to chat with Guen and Chen over the next few days. Some civilian groups offered decent terms, but Guen and Chen politely declined.

A few days later, Jack and Setti finally recovered and entered the Inner Valley, thanking Guen and Chen once more.

And time passed little by little.

The month-long trial finally ended. By then, only three hundred and sixty-eight people remained in the Inner Valley of Stardew Valley—far fewer than Guen had initially estimated.

But he understood why.

The Golden Beards of the Golden-Bearded Mastiffs didn't always fall into the hands of those who needed them. Sometimes you'd get two, someone else one, and by the final stretch, it was still hard to gather enough.

Not to mention that some Golden Beards might be damaged or lost in battle, because after leaving the Golden-Bearded Mastiff gathering point, there were also many dangers. If one failed to survive, they would be lost forever.

"Everyone, assemble!"

A loud shout summoned everyone from their tents, and they looked nervously at the White-Hat General in the center.

The White-Hat General carried a powerful aura that was restrained yet ready to burst forth, far surpassing a Tier 9 Ferocious Beast, making it clear to all that he was a Super Tier expert.

Why had everyone come here?

It was for the Transcendence Method, to break through to Super Tier.

And when a living, breathing Super Tier expert stood before them, all eyes burned with fervor.

The White-Hat General was long accustomed to such gazes. His voice boomed: "A total of 9,278 people participated in this trial, and in the end, only you 168 successfully stand here. To be honest, I am disappointed!

"Those who could complete the trial couldn't even reach one-tenth? Leiquan City, among all seven cities, is the youngest, yet it ranks last every year. This is a disgrace to all people of Leiquan City. You've also heard that the probability of completing the trial is around twenty percent, but every time, the people of Leiquan City can't even reach half of that number. I am truly disappointed.

"Ridiculously, even so, some of you still dare to think about competing for first place? With what? With your tongues? The capital's completion rate every year is over thirty-five percent. The average is dragged down entirely by you, and yet you still strut around smugly. Hmph."

The White-Hat General's words made many warriors' faces flush red.

The Aoyu Empire was divided into seven provinces based on the seven cities. Everyone here was the most outstanding from Leiquan City's province, yet now they were being humiliated by the general like this. Naturally, each of them was filled with indignation.

Even though they knew this might be the truth—after all, the White-Hat General had said the capital's completion rate was over thirty-five percent, which was highly convincing evidence.

"Knowing you are weak is fine. It's not pride I fear, but that you don't even understand your own abilities. So next, not everyone is qualified to go to the capital to compete for rankings. Among you, only thirty-five people have the right to go to the capital to compete for rankings. The rest, disband here and join whichever Faction you wish." As soon as the White-Hat General finished speaking, everyone's gazes toward each other instantly filled with fighting spirit.

Thirty-five spots—only one in ten people!

The White-Hat General continued: "First, the method for determining rankings this time is not an arena battle."

Everyone was stunned. Not an arena battle? Then how would they be selected?

Could it be by drawing lots?

"See this tree? Put on this wristband. Your strength will be suppressed to the level of a newly advanced Tier 6 Warrior. Then, use all your power to strike this tree. If the force you unleash is twice that of a newly advanced Tier 6 Warrior, then two branches of this tree will move. Three times, three branches. Based on past experience, the top fifty all need at least three times the power or more."

Everyone looked at the enormous tree behind the White-Hat General and the black wristbands placed beside it, and a clamor erupted.

"Silence! Either obey, or leave. This system, which has been in place for hundreds of years, has selected a large number of Super Tier seeds. It has proven its correctness through facts and time. Don't use your pitiful insight to measure an empire's capability. Either obey, as I said, or leave!"

The White-Hat General's face was etched with ruthlessness.