Day 3 – The Final Trial Begins
The crimson fog was thickest at dawn.
All five members of Li Wei's faction sat in silence, tension crackling between them like static.
Yue sharpened her blade.
Lana tinkered with her gauntlet.
Scarlet whispered softly to her coffin.
Shen Ruo poured tea with steady hands.
Meiyu… sat beside Li, unusually quiet.
"Today's the end of the survival round," Li said. "We need to reach the forest's heart. That's where the beacon activates."
"Will they attack us?" Lana asked.
"They'd be smart to," Yue replied.
Li nodded. "They're desperate. We're the strongest faction left."
They packed their camp and moved.
System NoticeHost Faction: Most Powerful on Map
Risk Level: Extreme
Bonus Challenge Unlocked: Survive Multiple Ambushes, Protect AlliesReward: Title – "Unfallen Guardian"
The Betrayer
Midway through the forest, as they crossed an old bridge strung over molten roots, Meiyu paused.
"Wait," she whispered. "Something's wrong."
Scarlet frowned. "I smell… poison mist."
"Back!" Yue shouted.
Too late.
Boom!
The bridge exploded, sending them scattering. A massive net of runes activated — cutting off their exit.
From the treeline, six cloaked cultivators emerged — all from a rival sect.
At their center stood someone familiar.
Li's eyes narrowed.
"You…"
It was Han Xue, a cultivator Li had once spared in the first trial.
"I told them you were too dangerous," Han said coldly. "But they wouldn't listen. So I made a deal."
He pointed at Meiyu.
"She was the price. Her body. Her bloodline. Her betrayal."
Li turned, stunned.
Meiyu looked away.
"…It's true," she whispered. "I was supposed to lure you here."
Yue drew her blade instantly. "I knew it—!"
"Wait!" Meiyu shouted. "I… I changed! I didn't want to go through with it!"
Han laughed. "Too late. Now you'll all die."
Saving Her
Suddenly, one of the cloaked assassins moved too early.
A dagger flew straight at Meiyu's heart.
She froze in terror.
Li didn't.
He dashed across the crumbling bridge remnant and shoved her down — the dagger embedding deep into his shoulder.
Blood sprayed.
He grunted, collapsing beside her.
"You… saved me?" Meiyu gasped.
"I said I protect the people who believe in me," he said, teeth clenched.
System: "Health -30%. Critical strike. Defensive buff triggered. Activating emergency skill."
Skill Activated: Burning Pulse – Barrier of Loyalty
Summons a flame shield for all nearby allies
Duration: 60 seconds
Scarlet stepped forward, fury in her eyes. "He bleeds, you die."
Her coffin burst open, unleashing a serpent of bone that coiled toward the enemies.
Yue and Lana flanked.
Shen Ruo covered Meiyu's wound.
The battle exploded.
Battle for Survival
Yue danced like a storm, her sword slicing through illusions.
Lana activated her gauntlet's full reactor, punching through a man's chestplate with a sonic boom.
Scarlet's bone serpent devoured two attackers before crumbling.
Shen Ruo channeled her Spirit Threads to bind a spell caster mid-chant.
And Li… bleeding, panting… rose to his feet and charged Han Xue.
"You don't get to hurt my people."
Han activated a flame spear — powered by forbidden cultivation.
"You don't get to live, freak."
Their blades clashed, magic flared—
Then Meiyu screamed, "Stop!"
A blast of silver light exploded from her chest.
Both men were knocked back.
Everyone froze.
Meiyu's True Form
Her skin shimmered.
Her silver eyes burned with starlight.
Wings of moonlight unfurled behind her.
"I was meant to be a spy," she whispered. "But I'm more than that. I'm not theirs anymore."
Han stumbled. "You… you lied to us!"
Meiyu raised her hand.
"Goodbye."
A beam of celestial energy blasted from her palm — incinerating him in a heartbeat.
Silence.
Meiyu collapsed into Li's arms, trembling.
"I'm sorry… I wanted to tell you…"
He held her close.
"I believe you," he whispered.
System Update:Meiyu's True Race Unlocked: Stellar-Blood DescendantAffection: 18 → 64Status: Conflicted AllyUnique Trait: Loyalty Forged by Sacrifice
The Confession
That night, after their wounds were treated and the beacon activated, the team rested beneath a massive glowing tree.
Li sat quietly, lost in thought.
Shen Ruo approached and sat beside him.
"You did it again," she said.
"Did what?"
"Threw yourself in front of a blade. Saved a girl. Let your own blood spill for someone else."
He smiled. "Habit?"
She turned and looked him in the eye.
"You're either the dumbest man I know… or the best."
Then she took his hand.
"Li Wei… I don't care how many are in your heart. I just want to know if there's a space for me to stay."
He blinked.
Then pulled her into his arms.
"There's always a space for you."
She kissed him under the moonlight.
And for once… nothing interrupted them.
Shen Ruo Affection: 100 → MAXEDTitle Achieved: Heart's First FlameNew Buff: +15% regeneration when fighting near Ruo
Bond Perk: Unbreakable Thread – Li and Ruo cannot be separated by teleport, illusions, or imprisonment
Final Rankings Announced
At dawn, they were teleported out of the forest.
The Overseer announced the finalists.
🌟 Top 6 Advancing to the Final Trial:
Li Wei – Fang of the Unbroken Flame
Yue Xiaolan
Lana Qi
Scarlet Fang
Shen Ruo
Meiyu
Shock rippled through the crowd.
"Five girls… all from his faction?"
"Is he forming a harem sect?!"
"Was this entire trial just a dating simulator?!"
Li stood calmly, arms folded.
System: "Congratulations, Host. You are officially the most dangerous romantic cultivator on the continent."
He rolled his eyes.
"I'm just getting started."