Clear moonlight illuminated a vast scene hidden deep within the mountains.
Bluestone and level grass formed a circular altar with steps on all four sides, carved stone pillars, and hanging iron chains. Below, a ring-shaped pool shimmered as motes of colored light drifted through the air.
Amid the dreamlike mystery beneath the moonlight,
stood a towering stone stele over a hundred meters tall!
"The real Midnight Trial?"
Shaken by the sight before him, Fang Ran spoke in startled surprise when he heard Qian Mian say this.
The real one. Which meant everything he had gone through before had been fake.
"Senior Qian Mian, so you knew about it earlier?"
Remembering all the trials from the daytime, he could not help but smile bitterly. But then Fang Ran suddenly realized who was standing beside him.
His expression turned incredulous, and his stammering voice rose:
"Uh, wait, that woman from earlier... couldn't have been you, Senior!?"
"Hahaha."
Seeing his vividly amusing expression, Qian Mian laughed while holding his fan, then looked at him with an undiminished smile.
"Don't worry. That person from earlier was not me. She found you before I did."
Then why didn't you step in and stop her, Senior?
"Unfortunately, I could not stop her."
He answered the question written all over Fang Ran's face. Though Fang Ran was astonished that even a Night Watcher could not stop her, Qian Mian offered no further explanation.
"Have you ever heard such a rumor?"
Changing the subject, Qian Mian led him toward the enormous stone stele directly ahead.
"The Night Watchers of Midnight have the ability to avoid entering scenes?"
"I think I've heard that somewhere."
The immense stele before him was as tall as a building of more than thirty stories. Its surface was blank, without a single inscription.
As