Di Xiao was more than excited. In all his years of life, few things could make him lose his composure.
But the Palace Pearl was absolutely one of them.
His body trembled slightly, a bit of nervous anticipation coursing through him as he waited for the mechanical prompt.
"Ding ding ding."
Cheerful music rang out.
In the center of the maze, a few beautiful fireworks bloomed.
"Congratulations to Trialist Di Xiao for completing the final trial," a happy voice announced.
He had done it!
He had finally done it!
A brilliant light exploded in Di Xiao's eyes.
Thousands of years of waiting had been worth it, completely worth it.
"Ding ding ding ding."
More melodious music followed.
"Now, the rewards will be distributed."
Di Xiao grew slightly tense. A golden treasure chest floated before him. This chest was larger than any he had seen before and looked completely different from the previous ones. He opened it with a trembling hand. This should be the final reward: the Palace Pearl!
However.
When he saw the contents clearly, his expression froze.
The Palace Pearl?
Where was it?
The huge Palace Pearl he had been expecting?
Instead of the Palace Pearl, the chest contained an oversized crystal.
Only that.
The previous crystals had been white, but this one was golden.
This was the reward?!!!
Yun Jin, curious, leaned over to take a look, and she too was left speechless.
This was just a little too cruelly whimsical!
"Congratulations to the trialist for obtaining the golden crystal! This crystal is crafted from Jin Yang Stone and is extremely precious," the cheerful voice continued.
Di Xiao's face immediately darkened.
Just this?
Just this?
The Palace Pearl! The one he wanted!
"Trialist Di Xiao's time is up. You will now be transported out of the maze."
Di Xiao vanished in an instant.
Yun Jin gave his retreating back a sympathetic glance. She had expected that collecting ninety-nine crystals would at least yield some decent reward.
Cough, cough.
Jin Yang Stone, as a seventh-tier material, was indeed valuable. But… did the King of Spirit Beasts lack seventh-tier materials? Di Xiao was probably about to lose his mind completely.
Unlike Na Jia, he was not directly sent back to a designated location. He was only transported out of the maze, appearing next to the automaton.
The automaton, noticing his darkened expression, said with some sympathy, "Take it easy. Many before you have been in the same situation."
Collecting crystals was not extremely difficult. Only one of the three participants could succeed. That person simply had to traverse the maze and find every treasure chest to eventually gather ninety-nine crystals.
Every time, the person who collected all the crystals was ecstatic.
But very quickly, the joy was followed by pain.
After painstakingly completing the trial, the reward was just an oversized crystal?
They had come here chasing crystals—they really loved them that much!
"This isn't the real condition to clear the trial?" Di Xiao growled angrily. "That voice was misleading."
"No, no, no," the automaton hurried to clarify. "You were not careful enough."
Di Xiao glared at it.
"The voice said that collecting ninety-nine crystals completes the trial," the automaton repeated.
"And then?" Di Xiao asked, his voice sharp. Suddenly, his expression changed.
The automaton sighed, "Completing the trial does not mean clearing the trial. Just look at this maze game. Did you complete it or not?"
Di Xiao: "..."
At this moment, he felt an extreme sense of helplessness, almost a world-destroying impulse rising in him.
"Take it easy. You are not the first," the automaton said, pointing to the screen. "The way you entered is different from the others. You can wait here with me until Yun Jin's time ends."
"If you are still angry," the automaton opened a second monitor, "there is a compilation of other players' post-game rage. You may watch it. By the way, your own performance has also been added to the compilation."
Di Xiao was dumbfounded.
The television was already playing the highlights.
He watched people on screen, their expressions shifting from joy to rage.
He had to admit, watching this was strangely cathartic…
But what if he appeared there himself?
"If Yun Jin does not clear the trial this time, I will continue waiting for the next challengers. When they arrive, I will also show them the highlights," the automaton continued.
Di Xiao's expression suddenly changed. He quickly turned to the screen showing Yun Jin.
She must clear the trial!
Otherwise, his humiliation would be recorded here for all eternity.
No! He would never allow it!
"Woman, you better pull through!"
Di Xiao watched unblinkingly.
In the maze, Yun Jin continued leisurely sipping her tea. The crystal game was over, and she was curious what tricks the Palace Pearl would throw at her next.
Midway through her tea, the world suddenly spun.
When it finally settled, the maze had vanished. Before Yun Jin, a massive snow mountain appeared.
At the summit, a golden palace glittered under the sunlight.
From the foot to the top, the path was lined with obstacles.
There were prowling beasts.
There were hidden traps.
There were mountains of blades and seas of fire.
Although it was a snow mountain, a strange forest even appeared midway up.
"The final treasure is hidden at the top of the mountain. Trialists, please overcome all challenges to obtain the ultimate reward," the stirring music played, the cheerful voice returning.
Yun Jin: "..."
Again? Really??
She wore a look of complete nonchalance, motionless, continuing to sip her tea.
Outside the maze,
Di Xiao was more anxious than Yun Jin. He could not help but ask, "Why is Yun Jin still not acting? She has sixty days, but she cannot waste time like this!"
The automaton showed an awkward expression.
Di Xiao fell silent for a moment, then asked, "??? So, this is not the real trial?"
The automaton cleared its throat. "The highest record shows someone completing five games consecutively."
"And then?"
The automaton calmly continued, "They received five golden crystals."
Di Xiao's lips twitched.
What was going on?
Did one need to collect a certain number of golden crystals to trigger the anomaly?
"What exactly is this final trial?" Di Xiao could not help but ask.
The automaton shook its head, answering honestly, "I do not know. All of this is controlled by the Palace Pearl itself."
Although it was a Cosmic-level automaton, the Celestial Divine Palace was the master's most treasured creation. For a top-tier cultivator in the God Realm, what level of treasure would their pride reach?
At least, the automaton could not match it.
The prior trials were merely selection.
Whether a trialist could earn the Palace Pearl's recognition was for the Palace Pearl to decide.
The automaton had observed the final trial for hundreds of thousands of years and still could not understand what the Palace Pearl truly desired.
"This is utterly absurd!" Di Xiao exclaimed.
If even Yun Jin could not clear it, how long would it take for anyone to succeed?
And his ridiculous performance would continue to be looped in the compilation!
He had never felt anticipation like this.
He was eager to see Yun Jin create another miracle.
Even if it meant she would show off again.
Di Xiao accepted that.