Finally, it was time for the final trial.
Di Xiao and Yun Jin followed without hesitation.
Na Jia stayed far behind them. This time, she had glimpsed far too much and felt uneasy. Whether it was Di Xiao or Yun Jin, either of them might want to kill her if given the chance.
Even though they couldn't act physically in this trial space, being watched so closely by two top-tier experts was enough to make anyone's heart race.
They walked through a corridor filled with mechanical echoes.
At the end, the automaton opened the last door. It walked in first.
Yun Jin followed curiously.
Suddenly, her pupils constricted sharply.
She quickly glanced at Di Xiao.
In an instant, she saw the longing in his eyes.
At the center of the room was a heavily mechanical pedestal, covered by a glass dome. Inside the dome lay an inconspicuous stone. Having listened to the automaton's explanation, Yun Jin naturally guessed that this stone was the Hall Pearl of the Celestial Divine Palace.
Di Xiao had spent thousands of years in the Celestial Divine Palace and must have sensed something, for his expression was already composed.
"Senior Di, this should be the Hall Pearl," Yun Jin transmitted.
Di Xiao nodded. "No doubt about it."
He tried to remain calm, yet his voice trembled slightly.
Yun Jin said softly, "According to our agreement…"
Di Xiao snorted coldly. "Relax. Fair competition. I am not someone who can't handle losing."
Before coming here, he had been full of confidence, wondering what kind of audacity Yun Jin had to compete with him.
Now, that confidence had been shattered completely.
In terms of progress on the Yin-Yang Law, he was indeed far behind Yun Jin.
But, since there was this final stage, it proved that the ultimate ownership of the treasure did not rely solely on one's understanding of the Law.
Otherwise, the final candidate could have been decided at the Origin Place, with no need for successive trials.
"What… what is this?" Na Jia could not help asking.
Her unease was obvious.
Looking at Yun Jin and Di Xiao's expressions, it seemed they already knew this stone.
Only she had no clue.
"This is the final reward," the automaton said without further explanation. "The final trial's evaluator is the reward itself. A treasure with consciousness might choose one of you as its owner, or it might choose none. Everything depends on fate."
Na Jia's expression shifted slightly. Although she did not know what this stone did, it was the final reward! This was definitely something that surpassed Saint-rank techniques! Her gaze flared with intensity.
"The final trial requires the treasure's recognition. Good luck."
The automaton stepped forward and opened the glass dome.
The stone immediately emitted a pale white glow.
The next moment, Yun Jin, Di Xiao, and Na Jia all vanished from sight.
The automaton unhurriedly turned on a monitor.
Its red mechanical eyes were bright and round. Having passed through countless small worlds over hundreds of thousands of years, it had seen many geniuses.
There were indeed many trial participants whose Law comprehension matched Di Xiao or Na Jia.
But none had reached Yun Jin's level. It could not interfere with the Hall Pearl's choice and did not know whether this time the pearl would recognize an owner. Still, it could not help but feel a bit excited. Would this end the long wait?
At this moment, Yun Jin and the others had already entered the Hall Pearl's space.
Upon entering, Yun Jin raised an eyebrow. It was a massive labyrinth. They were standing at its entrance. The treasure might be hidden in some corner of the maze, or perhaps it hadn't appeared at all.
"The three trial participants may each use their means to find the treasure or attract it to appear," the mechanical voice rang out. "Additionally, based on trial points, Na Jia may remain in this space for nine days, Di Xiao for sixteen days, and Yun Jin for sixty days.
If no one is recognized by the treasure within sixty days, the final trial will end."
Their gazes shifted.
So the trial points applied here.
Yun Jin's advantage was therefore considerable.
Na Jia hurriedly set off. She had only nine days to locate the treasure. She entered the maze first.
Di Xiao followed.
At the entrance, only Yun Jin remained. She did not rush in. Curiously, she circled the outer wall of the maze. It appeared endless, almost without boundary. Was this illusion created by the Hall Pearl?
The Celestial Divine Palace in the Spirit Beast Forest had illusionary capabilities. This seemed like an enhanced version.
After surveying it roughly, Yun Jin entered the maze. She had sixty days. But a longer duration did not guarantee the treasure's recognition. She had to analyze the true conditions for recognition from the limited information available.
Once inside, Di Xiao and Na Jia vanished from sight.
The maze's paths twisted in every direction. She picked a route at random and walked a few steps.
Suddenly, a giant beast appeared and leapt at her. It was only a minor tribulation-stage monster. With a casual wave, Yun Jin felled it immediately.
Crouching to examine it, her eyes gleamed.
"Interesting."
Di Xiao had spent thousands of years mastering some simple Celestial Divine Palace techniques, including basic illusions.
But none of his illusions could create truly living beings.
The Hall Pearl's illusions were astonishingly realistic, enough to impress Yun Jin. The first thing she thought of was the Trial Tower. The stages in the Trial Tower were illusionary yet appeared lifelike. In terms of realism, the Hall Pearl had almost reached that level.
"Still… a bit lacking," Yun Jin shook her head, stepping past the giant beast and moving forward.
She noticed something.
When she said it was still lacking, the maze walls trembled imperceptibly.
Yun Jin's expression became thoughtful. She continued forward. Occasionally, monsters leapt from nowhere, and mechanical constructs suddenly attacked.
The ground could turn to quicksand, and even blades could rain from the sky.
Yun Jin walked with a dry sense of humor.
This was turning into an RPG game.
The deeper she went, the more difficult it became, but it was still within her abilities. After the initial area, the maze started revealing secret chambers. Pushing one open, she found a massive statue inside. Behind it was a treasure chest.
Yun Jin rolled her eyes.
A treasure chest too!
This was really like playing a game!
Fine, she wanted to see what was inside. As she entered, the statue shifted slightly, transforming into a massive ferocious beast, opening its jaws at her.
The beast was at the Mahayana stage.
Yun Jin dealt with it effortlessly, then casually opened the treasure chest.
Inside lay a white crystal chip and a note.
"Collect ninety-nine white crystal chips to complete the final trial."