It had to be said: everyone's fate was different.
Wu Sheng had come to take part in the Blood Trial to improve his strength and unlock the Time-Space Shop. But some people seemed to be here on vacation, just enjoying themselves.
He gazed at the red-clad girl before him, who had been so generous, and sighed inwardly.
He had risked his life to ambush and kill a whole bunch of Thunder Star Mountain's trial takers. Every crystal he'd earned had been hard-won. Yet she'd casually tossed out 30 million Cosmic Crystals—half again as much as he'd expected.
Good heavens, were there really rich women this generous these days?
"Wu Sheng, right? You did well. That 10 million Cosmic Crystals is an extra thank-you from me. If you hadn't pulled that stunt, we'd probably still be tangled up with that bastard Yu Yan." He Na clapped her little hands and said with a bright smile:
"Then it's settled. You'll join our Blood River Squad and help Blood Sun City eliminate trial takers from hostile forces. Each trial taker has an assigned price. I'll pay you the corresponding amount for every one you kill."
"If you can help Blood Sun City win the 'Prize' in the end, I'll give you an additional fortune in Cosmic Crystals. You'll also receive the title of 'Elder' from Blood Sun City's Imperial Clan. Your status will be far above even that of Nirvana-level powerhouses."
At the sight of that tempting offer, Wu Sheng felt a little speechless.
Blood Sun City had been painstakingly established by Blood Sun and served as the official institution of the entire Blood Sun Tribe. It consisted of two major groups: the Imperial Clan and the outsiders.
The Imperial Clan represented Blood Sun's own people, while the outsiders were the core force formed from Realm Lords, Domain Lords, and other powerhouses recruited from elsewhere.
Among them, the outsiders' Domain Lords were appointed as "Elders," while Realm Lords became "Lifetime Elders."
Below them, Nirvana-level powerhouses could become "Stewards," while Sky Grade powerhouses served as captains, vice-captains, and the like.
But Wu Sheng couldn't help sneering at the "Elder" position the red-clad girl had promised him.
Help her win the "Prize"?
That sounded nice, but there were six or seven Special Elites in the Trial Ground right now, along with hundreds of Elite Trial Takers. Some had even advanced to Star Grade.
What did she take him for? And what did she take those Special Elites for?
At best, he was only a little stronger than the so-called Elite Trial Takers—and that was only when nothing countered him at Planet Grade.
Yet she expected him to rampage through the Trial Ground and help her claim the Prize?
How wishful!
"Hmm, you don't seem very interested," He Na said with a smile. "Aren't you short on money? I may not have much else, but I brought plenty of Cosmic Crystals this time."
"Maybe, but this money won't be easy to earn." Wu Sheng shook his head, feeling a little disheartened.
He had too big a shortfall. Even if he killed every trial taker, he still wouldn't earn a trillion Cosmic Crystals at this rate.
That damned Time-Space Shop was such a rip-off!
"Not necessarily. Some Special Elites are worth a lot," He Na said, smiling as she tried to tempt him.
"An ordinary Elite Trial Taker is worth only a million Cosmic Crystals, but one who's advanced to Sky Grade is worth 10 million."
"It's the same for Special Elites. An ordinary one is worth 100 million Cosmic Crystals, but one who's advanced to Sky Grade is worth a billion."
"How about it? The wealth you've earned so far would rank you among the richest Stewards in the outsider faction, but it's still far too little for the Elders. If you help me kill those few Special Elites, I'll give you a fortune—enough to put you near the top among the Domain Lords."
No matter how enticingly the red-clad girl put it, Wu Sheng just smiled and brushed her off. But faced with such a huge monetary temptation, he sometimes couldn't help letting his imagination run wild.
If I killed this red-clad girl, I wonder if I could scrape together a trillion Cosmic Crystals?
The thought suddenly popped into his head, but he shook it away at once. Not for any other reason—if he really killed this direct descendant of the Imperial Clan, everyone in the Trial Ground would probably have to die with her!
The Blood Trial was, to put it nicely, the best path for people at the bottom to leap up the social ladder.
But to the major powers of the Blood Sun Tribe, it was nothing more than a game for their own children. Those who made it out safely were almost always the elites they had carefully raised.
There really weren't many low-ranking Elite Trial Takers like Wu Sheng, who happened to be on their own.
So Wu Sheng was perfectly clear about what mattered more.
"Whew, I almost did something stupid. If I could, marrying a rich woman like her would be the right move! Fighting and killing every day was certainly necessary for survival, but marrying a wife could save me decades of hard work. That would be a pretty good deal."
Thinking this, Wu Sheng studied the red-clad girl closely once more. By the standards of the humans in his previous life, He Na was indeed a peerless beauty.
Although Prison Clan members came in all shapes and sizes, quite a few were humanoid. The Woodborn Clan and Flood Abyss Clan, for instance, were both humanoid races.
It was said that Blood Sun had originally been a Blood Mist Clan member about ten meters tall. His descendants then intermarried with members of other clans, eventually forming the Imperial Clan of the Blood Sun Tribe. The Imperial Clan had many branches, and He Na's people belonged to one of them.
According to what Wu Sheng knew, He Na's maternal clan was the Fishman Clan, a race that looked much more human. The only difference was the distinctive, colorful fish scales between their brows, and the entire clan leaned toward the water element.
Perhaps He Na had inherited the talents of both her parents' clans. She excelled in water-related abilities, and her appearance had a Western look to it: blue hair, a delicate and alluring face, and a colorful fish scale between her brows. She was like a goddess living in the depths of the ocean...
"Bah, bah, bah! I'm a Special Lifeform now. What am I even thinking?"
Wu Sheng shook his head again. The idea of latching on to someone powerful was far too unrealistic. He'd better stick to fighting monsters and grinding experience.
"Hmm, you're still not satisfied? How about this: tell me about the basic secret arts you've learned. I'll see if there's any follow-up material here. Consider it an advance payment."
Seeing Wu Sheng sigh and shake his head repeatedly, He Na gritted her teeth and brought out another benefit she'd prepared.
"What?" Wu Sheng was stunned.
A quarter of an hour later, Wu Sheng stared at the several secret arts on his simple Optical Computer, stunned once again.
Ninefold Heavenly Splendor had only included the first four stages before. Now...it was complete.
The first half of Soul Thorn could only condense fifty soul thorns. That was nowhere near enough for him, since he could use perfect mental force, so he'd rarely used it.
Now it not only included the second half, but also the Ultimate Convergence of Soul Thorn.
Mind Confusion was the Soul Art Wu Sheng used most often. He'd only known a few simple illusions that had to be forced into effect. Without his advantages in willpower and perfect mental force, those few simple illusions wouldn't have counted as much of a trump card.
Now, though, he had several new Combined Illusions. If he could perform them, Wu Sheng felt that even Star Grade Elite Trial Takers—including Spirit Readers—would have a chance of falling for them.
Even Domain Lords would have to put in a lot of effort to gather all three of these secret arts elsewhere. Yet Wu Sheng had acquired them by chance.
Tsk, tsk. She really was a Princess of Royal Descent!
Although he'd have to pay a price for this gift, it was still an incredible bargain for Wu Sheng.