Yun Jin looked at the thin chip and was momentarily speechless.
No.
This Hall Pearl…
Could it be designed by some kind of game designer?
The patterns, one set after another, felt intentionally tricky.
A box floated before her.
"This box is used to hold chips. Note, it cannot be placed in storage, it must be carried on your person."
Yun Jin casually took the box, placed the chip inside, and continued forward. She did not deliberately search for hidden chambers, but if she came across one along the way, she would occasionally collect the chips there as well.
A few days later, Yun Jin's eyes flickered. After wandering alone for so long, this was the first time she encountered another person.
Up ahead, Di Xiao was coldly pressing Na Jia against the wall.
Na Jia was covered in blood, her face pale as paper, utterly incapable of resistance.
Di Xiao directly pulled a small box from her arms.
Opening it revealed twenty chips neatly inside. Di Xiao finally displayed a look of satisfaction. Na Jia glared at Di Xiao with venom, but her voice remained humble: "Senior Di, you've taken everything. Now will you let me go?"
Di Xiao's expression was unreadable. "Get lost."
Na Jia scrambled to her feet, and when she raised her gaze, she saw Yun Jin observing from a short distance. Her eyes shifted, and she said, "Senior Di, Yun Jin is here too. She must have more chips."
Di Xiao did not glance back and kicked Na Jia hard in the chest.
Na Jia froze, slammed against the maze ceiling, and then slowly fell back down.
"Not keen to leave?" Di Xiao's eyes were icy.
A flash of humiliation crossed Na Jia's face. She dared not linger and hurriedly left the scene, head bowed.
"Senior Di is so mighty," Yun Jin said cheerfully as she approached.
Di Xiao remained expressionless. "I tested it. In this maze, one can attack another, but not lethally."
Yun Jin nodded. "Doesn't matter. Na Jia won't survive long."
She had already located Na Jia using the system. Killing her would be effortless.
"You are confident," Di Xiao raised an eyebrow.
Curious, Yun Jin asked, "How many chips have you collected?"
"Almost all of them," Di Xiao replied, eyes on Yun Jin. "You seem calm. Confident you'll be the first to collect all ninety-nine chips?"
"Not really." Yun Jin opened her box for Di Xiao to see.
Di Xiao was momentarily taken aback but glanced inside. He immediately noticed that Yun Jin had only twelve chips.
Di Xiao frowned. If Yun Jin were truly searching at full effort, she would not have so few.
"You're not worried about me finishing first?" Di Xiao asked.
"If you manage to finish, that's fine. After all, we are allies. Any power gained strengthens our side." Yun Jin's demeanor was nonchalant.
Di Xiao's suspicion deepened. This was unlike Yun Jin.
She chuckled and lowered her voice: "I also feel there's a trick here. Collecting all ninety-nine chips may not actually complete the trial."
"The prompt said so. Can it be false?" Di Xiao's brows furrowed.
"Who knows?" Yun Jin replied casually.
Di Xiao snorted. "Time is short. I won't waste words. I'll continue searching for chips."
He turned and quickly disappeared into the maze.
Two more days passed.
Yun Jin leisurely explored, sipping tea.
A prompt sounded:
"Trialist Na Jia's nine-day time limit has expired. Final trial failed. Transmitting out of the trial space."
In a corner of the maze, anger flashed across Na Jia's face. Her time had run out!
Her progress in collecting chips was decent, but Di Xiao seemed to follow her every step, snatching any chips she found. Forget ninety-nine, she couldn't even collect five. Originally, she had intended to stir conflict between Di Xiao and Yun Jin.
Instead, Di Xiao targeted only her. He didn't even glance at Yun Jin, who was stronger!
This was blatant isolation.
This was outright bullying!
One day, she would avenge this.
Na Jia, full of resentment, was transmitted back to the Demon Realm.
She took a deep breath. Having been eliminated early, she had no idea who would claim the final treasure. Regardless of who obtained it, this was bad news for the demons.
She needed to report this immediately. She had no clue about the status of the Demon Sovereign's secluded cultivation. For such a critical matter, it had to be handled personally. Na Jia hurriedly disappeared.
Meanwhile, Di Xiao frantically opened every chamber in the maze.
Only one day remained.
Yet he was still fifteen chips short.
Initially, the chips were relatively easy to find.
Combining his and Na Jia's contributions, he quickly gathered over eighty. But as time passed, finding the remaining chips became increasingly difficult. Despite searching nearly every chamber, he was still fifteen chips short.
In a small central area of the maze, Yun Jin placed a sofa and poured herself some tea, leisurely sipping. She watched Di Xiao dart here and there, dizzying in his movements.
"Senior Di, I have fourteen chips here. You can have them," Yun Jin called out proactively.
Di Xiao paused, eyes wary. "All of them?"
Yun Jin nodded. "All of them."
She tossed her box toward him. Di Xiao caught it, hesitant. With these fourteen, he was only missing the final chip.
"Are you surrendering?" Di Xiao asked gravely.
Yun Jin shook her head honestly. "I still feel this is not the true method to pass."
These chips were likely a distraction.
From the start, Yun Jin had openly shared this thought with Di Xiao. He, however, had not taken it seriously.
"Whether or not it is the true method, collecting chips is the only information available." Di Xiao looked at Yun Jin. "Are you sure you're giving them to me?"
Yun Jin nodded. "Of course."
Di Xiao no longer refused. "If I successfully claim the Hall Pearl, all requests are yours to make."
"Then you should find the last one quickly," Yun Jin said.
Di Xiao hurried off.
Yun Jin raised an eyebrow. She guessed that the total number of chips in the maze must be ninety-nine. This game was designed for only one person to complete.
Time was pressing; Di Xiao dared not hesitate.
Finally, as the last deadline approached, he found the final chip.
A flash of exhilaration appeared in Di Xiao's eyes.
Ninety-nine! Complete!
He eagerly gathered all the chips together.
The next moment,
In a flash, he was transported to the maze's central area, where Yun Jin sat sipping tea.
Yun Jin displayed a curious, amused expression.
Di Xiao had collected all ninety-nine chips.
She was also curious to see what would happen next.