Inside Origin Internet Cafe, the clatter of keyboards and mice rose and fell without pause.
Ever since they had cleared the Trial of Equilibrium and unlocked higher drop rates and level caps, these players from Douluo Continent had completely become laborers on the Astral Express assembly line.
On the screens, dark-gold Calyxes bloomed one after another, pouring credits, experience books, and Trace materials into the players' inventories like a flowing stream.
"Ha! Awesome! These drops are way better than before Equilibrium!"
Wang Qiu'er's eyes shone as she controlled Seele, whom she had only barely obtained after hitting Big Pity, darting wildly through the Calyx stage.
The purple afterimages of her scythe nearly formed a continuous line across the screen, while rows of monsters fell like wheat before a sickle.
"One more run! My Seele's Traces are almost maxed out!"
Excited, Wang Qiu'er clicked the [Challenge Again] button.
However—
"Ding!"
A cold, merciless prompt window popped up in the middle of the screen.
[Insufficient Trailblaze Power. Unable to challenge! Current Trailblaze Power: 0/180]
"...Huh?" The wild delight on Wang Qiu'er's face instantly froze.
She forcefully clicked the mouse several more times. Accompanied by beeping rejection sounds, that damned red box still stood firmly in the middle of the screen.
"Boss Lu! What's going on here?!"
Wang Qiu'er slapped the table irritably and pointed at the icon in the upper-right corner of the screen.
"I was just getting into it, and it won't let me enter! It says my Trailblaze Power is insufficient! As a core member of the Astral Express, my will to blaze trails is harder than iron, yet it says my Trailblaze Power is insufficient?!"
Hearing Wang Qiu'er's miserable cry, Di Tian, seated on the other side, turned around with a dark expression as well.
"It's the