First Trial: Conviction

Xiao Wu turned to Lingxi and asked, "Sister Lingxi, how do we start the assessment?"

Lingxi looked at Wang Xingyu and Xiao Wu: "Do you two need to rest? You can start tomorrow."

The two looked at each other and shook their heads simultaneously.

Lingxi didn't ask any more questions, raised her right hand, and snapped her fingers.

Wang Xingyu and Xiao Wu subconsciously stared at her fingers, waiting for the next instruction.

Nothing happened.

"Is this the start?" Wang Xingyu was about to ask what the assessment would be when suddenly a large patch of grass sprouted out of thin air beneath his feet. It grew so fast that there was no time to react, and the grass surged up from all directions, swallowing the two of them whole.

Lingxi's voice then came from outside. "The First Trial is faith. As for how it will be tested, you'll find out soon enough. I hope you both achieve good results."

Wang Xingyu felt like he had fallen into water.

It was pitch black all around, and my body was sinking steadily. I didn't feel suffocated or hit the bottom; I just kept falling.

After an unknown amount of time, my feet steadied, and the scene finally appeared before my eyes—like a giant screen suspended in mid-air. On the screen was a dirt road, and an out-of-control carriage was running wildly on the road, the horses' hooves pounding wildly, and the driver had long since been thrown off.

Five ordinary people were chatting with their backs to the carriage in the middle of the road, completely unaware of what was happening.

At the fork in the road stood a person, looking around blankly. It was Xiao Wu.

Wang Xingyu subconsciously mobilized his Soul Power, but as expected, there was no reaction.

In illusion-type trials, you cannot use Soul Power; you can only make choices.

This scene looks so familiar; is it the classic train dilemma?

A slight twitch appeared at the corner of his mouth; he truly hadn't expected the Goddess of Life's test to be so straightforward.

However, one can sense that the test requires following one's heart and applying it to reality, otherwise failure is inevitable.

A voice rang in my ears, its tone indistinguishable between male and female, calm and rigid, as if reciting rules. "Examiner, you may change the direction of the carriage. The carriage is about to crash into these five people. If you change direction, it will only hit the person at the fork in the road. Do you wish to change direction?"

"No change." Wang Xingyu answered decisively.

"Okay." The carriage on the screen crashed straight into the crowd, sending blood and flesh flying everywhere.

The footage was unobstructed, and even the muffled thud of the impact was clearly audible, yet it had no effect on Wang Xingyu.

The screen flashed, and the scene reset.

The same carriage, the same road, but the five people in the middle of the road have become five children, and Xiao Wu is still at the fork in the road.

Xiao Wu was still scratching her head, turning around and looking at her surroundings.

"Have you changed your mind this time?"

"No."

The screen changed again. There were five children again, but the figure at the fork in the road had changed—it wasn't Xiao Wu, but a strange man.

Suddenly, he heard a noise beside him, and Xiao Wu appeared out of thin air next to him, blinking her eyes in a daze.

"Xingyu, has the assessment started? Why didn't I get anything just now?"

"It's already started." Wang Xingyu briefly explained the rules, pointing to the screen in front of him, "It's about controlling that carriage and choosing whether to hit five people or one person."

Xiao Wu looked in the direction he was pointing, and frowned the moment she saw the scene clearly. "This is the assessment? I was on the other side before? How am I supposed to choose now?"

"Of course, we won't change anything; we'll crash into five."

Xiao Wu asked curiously, "Why?"

Wang Xingyu smiled and said, "A pentakill is cooler."

Xiao Wu was a little confused. What was that?

Wang Xingyu waved his hand with a smile, "Just kidding. The fundamental reason is that life cannot be measured by quantity. If sacrificing one person can save five, then the rules are completely broken. For example, if five intelligent people get sick, and one mentally challenged person is healthy, I can transfer the mentally challenged person's life force to the five intelligent people and cure them. Do you think that transfer is appropriate?"

Xiao Wu thought for a moment, then shook her head.

"Yes, this is the same as that carriage. If we choose to sacrifice one person this time, it's equivalent to accepting a premise—that it's acceptable to sacrifice the minority for the majority. Next time, it might not be fools, but normal people. And the time after that, it might be sacrificing one family for two families. Once the rules are broken, they can't be closed up again."

Xiao Wu's expression was as if the knowledge had entered her brain through her ears and she was trying her best to digest it.

Looking at the scene before him, Wang Xingyu said, "This is so simple. It's easier to ask if I like my dad or my mom more. This is putting me in a difficult position."

While absorbing the information, Xiao Wu said, "I love Mommy."

The voice seemed to have heard their conversation, and then fell silent before the screen disappeared.

The darkness beneath our feet quickly faded, replaced by a dense forest.

The lush tree canopy spread out beneath their feet, and the two were suspended in mid-air, their Soul Power flowing through their meridians once again.

Wang Xingyu glanced down at the forest beneath his feet. He and Xiao Wu were floating in the air without using their Soul Power.

The scene has changed; looks like there's a second level?

As expected, the test was far from simple.

There was a lot of noise coming from the forest below, as if a crowd had gathered.

"Evil Soul Master! Even if you use poison, we will still capture you!"

"Hahaha--You guys can live first! Even if I die, I'll take you all down with me!"

"You're dreaming! With Wang Xingyu and Lady Xiao Wu here, you're not getting away today!"

Wang Xingyu and Xiao Wu looked down following the sound.

The two groups were facing off in a clearing in the woods; one side had only one person, while the other side had more than a dozen.

The group with more people was in very poor condition; almost everyone was unsteady on their feet, and their exposed skin was covered with purple pustules. In some severe cases, the pustules had spread to their necks.

But they still held their weapons, stubbornly blocking the retreat of the lone man on the other side.

Suddenly, the group of people all raised their heads and looked at the two people in the air, their eyes filled with the sight of saviors.

Xiao Wu glanced at the scene below. "Xingyu, is our test this time to help these people detoxify and then capture that Evil Soul Master?"

"That's possible. Let's go down and check."

The two landed between the two groups of people.

The Evil Soul Master's appearance was quite stereotypical—sunken eyes, a thin build, several bleeding wounds on his body, and he looked no better than the group that had been poisoned, but a smug smile played on his lips.

Upon seeing the two land, one of the dozen or so people opposite them immediately shouted urgently.

"Lord Wang Xingyu! Xiao Wu! Quickly capture this Evil Soul Master and help us cure the poison! We can't hold on much longer!"

The Evil Soul Master's gaze swept over the two men, showing no sign of panic. Instead, he laughed even harder, "Hahaha, it's useless! I'm the only one with the antidote for this poison. Unless you release me, I won't give you the antidote!"