Obtained Special Skill Book: Ghost Stone Purgatory!

"The smoked meat will take a while before it's ready to eat."

"Let's open a treasure chest first."

Xu Fan muttered to himself, pulling out the chest he'd obtained after slaying the Nugel Worm King.

With a crisp "click," Xu Fan flipped the chest open with one hand.

A dazzling white light burst forth from inside.

It startled the Female Snow Wolf.

"Awoo!"

The Female Snow Wolf leaped backward, lowering its body and snarling at the chest.

It had no way to comprehend this sudden scene.

"Haha, you're supposed to be a D-Rank Beast, but you've got such a tiny nerve," Xu Fan remarked casually, poking fun at it.

The next second.

The Mysterious Voice sounded in his ear.

[Congratulations to Yan Kingdom contestant Xu Fan for obtaining a special skill book from the C-grade Treasure Chest: Ghost Stone Hell!]

[Skill Description: Activated through a grabbing motion. Upon hitting an enemy, your body hardens into rock, enveloping and imprisoning the target!]

[Note: Can only imprison one enemy at a time!]

Hearing this, Xu Fan blinked.

He couldn't help but wonder if he'd misheard something.

Even a reward like Wrist Strength Enhancement had been surprising enough.

He never expected a skill book to show up this time!

And from the skill's description—hardening your own body into rock.

That was already altering your physical structure, wasn't it?

In the truest sense...

Supernatural power.

Still, Xu Fan was merely taken aback.

He didn't feel thrilled.

Because this skill meant nothing to him.

It was practically useless.

And yet...

Xu Fan's Live Stream Room had completely erupted.

Since Xu Fan had previously drawn Wrist Strength Enhancement from a chest, viewers from both Yan Kingdom and abroad were desperate to know what rewards a C-grade Treasure Chest would yield.

The moment they saw Xu Fan resolve to open it.

Every online audience member held their breath, eyes glued to the chest.

Many of them were furiously posting on their social feeds.

[Live Stream Room xxxxx, our contestant Xu Fan is about to open a C-grade Treasure Chest—come witness the miracle now!]

In an instant, countless people dropped what they were doing, pulled out their phones, and stared at their screens.

Soon, the C-grade Treasure Chest was opened by Xu Fan.

The announcement text appeared in every contestant's Live Stream Room.

When they read those words.

Their pupils slowly dilated.

Their mouths unconsciously formed an "O" shape.

Even though they had mentally prepared themselves well in advance, they still hadn't expected this.

What did contestant Xu Fan pull?

A skill book!

Ghost Stone Hell!

And from the skill's description.

This was no longer something explainable by science.

This was, in the truest sense, supernatural power.

Every Yan Kingdom viewer was, at this moment, utterly ecstatic.

After all, their fortunes were bound to Xu Fan's.

The stronger Xu Fan's strength as a contestant, the more secure they felt!

Most importantly...

If Wrist Strength Enhancement only gave Xu Fan a lead over others...

Then...

This skill book now...

Had Xu Fan leaving everyone far, far behind!

Without exaggeration, this Forbidden Land reward had completely overturned their understanding.

After all, on Blue Star, there were no superpowers.

"Oh my god, I never imagined there were things like this in the Forbidden Land—it's unbelievable."

"After learning this skill, does that mean Xu Fan is basically a Superman?"

"Superman? I think Xu Fan is already a Superman; this skill is like adding wings to a tiger."

"Haha, the contestants from other countries can see the notification too, right? Bet they're green with envy."

"Don't even mention the contestants—I'm jealous myself, okay?"

"If only the rewards Xu Fan opened could manifest in reality too..."

For a moment, the Yan Kingdom was in an uproar.

The host of the live stream room, Xiao Ying, along with the guests, were left speechless from shock.

Especially Director Zhang.

He had always been a staunch materialist.

In his view, rewards from treasure chests were at most things like body enhancements or supplies.

But he never expected...

A reward like this!

It completely shattered his worldview!

"Holy shit..."

Even the beautiful host Xiao Ying, who always maintained her image, couldn't hold back her excitement and blurted out a curse.

Fortunately, Xiao Ying quickly recovered, covering it with a dry cough.

And she forced that surge of emotion down deep inside.

"I really didn't expect Xu Fan to open such an astonishing reward."

"And from the skill description, Xu Fan can make his body as hard as rock—it's both offensive and defensive."

Good grief.

Xiao Ying couldn't help but exclaim inwardly.

"Not only that."

Director Zhang took a deep breath and began to lay out his views.

Though he was now in his seventies or eighties, his mindset was young, and he accepted new things faster than some younger people.

Even if his long-held worldview had been overturned.

But thinking carefully, for all of humanity...

This wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

"Xu Fan's reward this time is just the beginning."

"From what we've seen so far, D-Rank Chests enhance the body, and C-Rank Chests give skill books."

"Then, what about higher tiers? B-Rank Chests, A-Rank Chests... what kind of rewards would those bring?"

"Most crucially, since the Forbidden Land rewards have already touched on supernatural forces..."

"Then..."

"Do the creatures in the Forbidden Land also possess some special abilities?"

"Maybe the chests can't manifest in the real world, but the Creature Remains from the Forbidden Land have appeared within the Yan Kingdom's borders!"

At these words, the entire audience was stunned!

The Wolf Ancestor's remains were suddenly shrouded in mystery!

"Thinking about it this way, Xu Fan, little brother, has really done a great service." Host Xiao Ying said with an excited tone.

She herself loved the Yan Kingdom.

This beautiful, fertile land.

Facing the increasingly severe resource shortage.

She had felt pessimistic too.

But looking at it now...

The appearance of the mysterious Forbidden Land

was nothing short of a massive upheaval.

"Yes." Chen Warrior King picked up the thread. "The arrival of the mysterious Forbidden Land surpasses any transformation in human history."

"I even have a premonition that a truly new era has quietly arrived!"

"All the contestants who enter the Forbidden Land..."

"Every move they make will determine the fate of tens of billions of humans on Blue Star!"

This kind of mysterious power, something that only appeared in novels, was now truly descending upon the real world.

What kind of scene would that be?

Hard to imagine.

Still...

Some people couldn't help but raise questions in their minds.

Why did this mysterious Forbidden Land suddenly appear?

And the official response seemed far more subdued than expected.

Especially the livestream footage broadcast to all of humanity on Blue Star.

How exactly...

was it being operated?