Multiverse: In Little Garden, Becoming a God Through Once Proven, Forever Proven

"All right."

Qin Qi jumped onto the griffin's back. The next second, the griffin flew off at incredible speed, vanishing from the spot in an instant.

"The game has begun."

White Night Yaksha watched with an intrigued look in her eyes, curious about what Qin Qi would do next.

Was he really going to stake his life on a trial? That was hardly a wise choice.

"Mr. Shopkeeper!"

Black Rabbit watched the departing griffin with great concern. The trial had begun at that very moment.

The griffin accelerated, and accelerated, and accelerated. The wind in the sky became like blades, seemingly ready to tear everything apart!

High in the sky, the temperature was very low because it was daytime, and it kept dropping as they climbed higher.

By now, it had even fallen below freezing. It was cold enough to freeze a person to death!

And that wasn't all. The griffin faced tremendous pressure when flying at high speed, and his body could withstand it.

But a human body might not be able to. This was pressure several times, even more than ten times, the normal amount!

"Human, the trial began when I took off. If you can't withstand it, the game will be over before it's even begun."

The griffin turned his head slightly to look at Qin Qi behind him. He saw that the human's face was still perfectly calm.

Before the sharp, knife-like icy wind could reach Qin Qi, the power of Spin sent it blowing elsewhere.

The subzero temperature was also countered by the sun-like warmth radiating from the Hamon enveloping him.

As for the immense pressure, Qin Qi endured it with technique and his own tough physique.

"Keep flying. It's fine to go faster, and higher is no problem either."

Qin Qi looked at the griffin as he turned around and spoke with a smile.

"Human, your strength is impressive. I hope you have the courage to match it."

The griffin continued flying: one thousand meters, two thousand, five thousand, ten thousand, fifty thousand. This was the griffin's maximum altitude!

"The game has begun!"

Qin Qi looked down. As soon as he finished speaking, he and the griffin, who had lost his ability to fly, began to free-fall.

Chapter 35: Glory or Life, Which Matters More to You?

"Has this guy Qin Qi cultivated some kind of divine realm martial art?"

"He doesn't rely on Gifts, on divinity bestowed by gods, or on any kind of fantasy or mystery. He relies purely on his own strength."

"This guy clearly had an easier way to grow stronger. I can't understand why he chose the hardest path."

White Night Yaksha looked slightly surprised as she watched Qin Qi successfully reach a great height and begin to fall.

She also found it somewhat puzzling. Given Qin Qi's financial resources, buying a decent Gift shouldn't have been difficult, so why had he chosen the path of divine realm martial arts?

"Falling from that height, with those two's physiques, they're as good as dead."

"This game is getting more and more interesting."

White Night Yaksha watched the griffin and Qin Qi falling from the sky. Though she didn't understand, she focused her attention on the game.

"Mr. Shopkeeper... he'll be all right, won't he?"

Black Rabbit watched Qin Qi fall, worried once again. Rabbits were always like this, always quick to worry about others.

Yet when it was their own turn to sacrifice themselves, they weren't so nervous.

"It's so cold!"

Qin Qi had fallen about five thousand meters by now, and the temperature at his current altitude was several dozen degrees below zero.

Ice had already begun forming on the surface of his body, and even his breath was beginning to turn icy.

He glanced at the griffin, who was also in free fall, but the griffin was faring a little better. Those feathers weren't just for show.

They were providing excellent insulation now. That was the advantage of a phantom beast: even without using their powers, they had enormous natural advantages.

They fell another five thousand meters, leaving forty thousand meters between them and the ground.

"Whew!"

Qin Qi was already beginning to feel short of breath. The pressure from the rapid descent was preventing his lungs from expanding normally.

He began breathing with extremely slight movements. His training in the Ripple Breathing Method allowed him to maintain normal breathing even now.

Even that tiny amount of oxygen was enough to keep him going. Hamon flowed constantly through his body, and under this pressure, his cells vibrated at a faster frequency.

Twenty thousand meters above the ground, they encountered turbulent storm currents. Winds assailed them from every direction, as though they meant to tear them apart.

The griffin fought desperately against the winds to steady himself, while also glancing over at Qin Qi.

That single glance astonished him. Qin Qi was no longer head-down, but head-up.

Amid the turbulence, he was like a butterfly dancing gracefully. When he noticed the griffin's gaze, he was even in the mood to smile.

Spin was being used to its utmost at this moment. The turbulent currents only looked chaotic; if you relaxed and followed them, things became much easier.

"Controlling the power of the wind! How... how did he do that?"

The griffin was astounded. Normally, he too had the power to control the wind, but that was a Gift ability, and he couldn't use it in this game.

Yet the human before him seemed to be riding the wind and soaring freely. He clearly had no wings, yet he had done something even the griffin, a darling of the sky, could not!

The griffin was utterly shocked.

The two continued to fall. By the time they reached ten thousand meters, both had expended a great deal of stamina, and they made no more unnecessary movements.

Instead, they let gravity carry them down.

Nine thousand meters, eight thousand... five thousand, four thousand, the final thousand!

Watching from below, Black Rabbit couldn't help holding her breath, and White Night Yaksha's gaze grew serious.

"The preliminaries are over. The real trial begins now."

White Night Yaksha's golden eyes shone. She really was looking forward to the final result. Who would win?

"Shopkeeper, you have to survive!"

Black Rabbit prayed silently. It didn't matter if he lost, but he absolutely mustn't die. Once he was dead, everything would be gone.

Nine hundred meters, eight hundred, seven hundred... the final hundred meters. At the speed the two were falling,

those hundred meters would vanish in an instant. To survive, they had to surrender now and use their powers to stop their fall.

But neither of them made a move.

"Human, I've seen your courage, but I cannot lose. This is a game in which my glory is at stake. Even if I die, I will not lose my glory."

The griffin knew Qin Qi couldn't understand him now, but he said it anyway. He was prepared to defend his glory with his death.

It was foolish, but this was the griffins' glory, and for it they could give up everything.

Qin Qi's expression remained calm. Though he hadn't understood the griffin's final words, he could read his expression.

It was the look of one who would rather die than be afraid, a determination to face death as calmly as going home.

Only the final twenty meters remained.

"Ah, forget it. It would be a shame for you to die like this. I surrender."

Qin Qi shook his head and conceded. He used Magnetic Field Rotation to temporarily counteract gravity, then floated in the air.

"Roar!"

At that instant, the griffin's power returned. He immediately leaped up, stepping on the air. By then, he was less than five meters from the ground!

A single second later, and the griffin would have been smashed into meat paste!

"The game is over. The winner is the griffin. Kid, you lost this game. You didn't pass the trial."

White Night Yaksha walked over and announced the result, then patted Qin Qi's leg with a smile. She couldn't help it; at her current height, that was as far as she could reach.

Any higher and she would have had to jump.

"All right, a loss is a loss. I'll find another chance next time."

Qin Qi looked unconcerned. He wasn't the kind of warrior who regarded glory as his life. He was just a merchant.

"Wait... human, why did you surrender at the end?"

The griffin called out to Qin Qi and asked Black Rabbit to translate for him.

"Hmm... because I didn't want to play anymore, I suppose. You can say I got scared."

Qin Qi spoke with a smile.

"Lies. I watched your expression the whole time. There wasn't a trace of fear in your eyes, right up to the end."

"You saw how determined I was, so you surrendered to keep me from falling to my death, didn't you? You deliberately let me win!"

The griffin spread his wings, his gaze fierce. He felt his glory had been insulted. A victory handed to him by someone else

was more shameful than defeat. He would rather die than accept it!

"Our values are different. As I see it, winning or losing this time wasn't worth your life."

"To me, life is more valuable than glory. After all, you have to be alive to have glory. Sacrificing a life for an empty title,"

"especially the life of a companion from the same community, isn't worth it, in my opinion."

Qin Qi stepped forward without fear and spoke with a smile.

"My life is more important?"

The griffin froze as he listened to Qin Qi. He had always regarded glory as his life, yet now someone was telling him that his life was more valuable than glory.

He stood there in a daze, unsure how to respond. A moment later, just as Qin Qi was preparing to leave, he came to his senses.

"Human, I acknowledge you. I acknowledge that you've passed the trial."

The griffin's fierce expression faded, and his outspread wings folded. He called loudly to White Night Yaksha:

"You could say I won the game just now, but only glory was at stake in that game, not the outcome of the trial."

"Now I acknowledge him. He's passed the trial. Lady White Night Yaksha, you should give him an Outer Gate rights certificate."

"Hmm, in that case I can give him one. But I'm curious. Why did you suddenly acknowledge him? You were still very angry just now, weren't you?"

White Night Yaksha asked curiously.

Chapter 36: True Honor Lies in Giving Up Empty Fame, True Courage in Facing Defeat!

"Those who are truly brave dare to face their own defeats. Those who are truly glorious dare to give up their own glory."

"Victory and defeat are not what fundamentally determine glory. You yourself are."

"During the flight, I saw his strength. During the fall, I saw his wisdom and skill."

"In his final surrender, I saw his courage, shining with a true brilliance!"

"That is why I acknowledge him."

The griffin bowed his head and bent slightly toward Qin Qi, showing that Qin Qi had earned his respect and acknowledgment.

"I don't understand how you griffins think. But never mind. Since you've said so, I suppose he's passed the trial."