Chapter 17: To Roam Unbridled

In the primordial world, there were ten suns, making daylight nearly eternal and time difficult to measure. Yet, all things exist in cycles of birth and destruction, an immutable law of the universe. Thus, a unique plant came into being.

The Bamboo of Time!

This plant neither ascends to the heavens nor sinks into the earth; it is born from the void. It grows with six nodes, unchanging and indestructible. Each contraction and extension precisely marks twelve hours; thirty cycles equate to a lunar day.

Therefore, it became the universal standard for tracking the passage of time. However, its rarity made it a prized treasure, though it possessed no other utility—an oddity, coveted yet ultimately overlooked by most.

Now, projected upon the all-encompassing curtain of chaos, a shadow of the Bamboo of Time appeared, its stretch and shrink marking a day and night. The academy’s selection trial set the time for the first stage: ten contractions, ten days.

On the road, thirst was quenched with abundant water; hunger during exhaustion was eased by plentiful food. After six days of relentless travel, they finally neared the labyrinth.

Kill!

A shout rang out. An iron rod swept through the air, striking another person dead. The assailant seized the victim’s token, cast a fierce glare at their group, and dashed away.

Blood stained the earth, shocking to behold, its scent carried away by the wind. The child hid in fear, burying into an embrace, not daring to show her face. The younger sister stood firm, silent and unflinching.

“So this is the path of selection,” the Wolf sighed, recalling his own near-death experiences.

“Let’s go. Entering the labyrinth sooner means we can search for tokens more quickly. The four of us need four tokens, so we must work hard,” Dugu Farewell said, his expression grave and calm.

Even before entering the labyrinth, they had witnessed a killing; it was certain that conflict would only intensify as time went on.

“Leave your tokens and you’ll be allowed to walk away alive!” Suddenly, amidst swirling wind and sand, three figures emerged. Each wielded a blade or sword, demanding tokens with uncompromising ferocity, poised to kill at the slightest provocation.

“So soon, it’s my turn,” Dugu Farewell set down the two sisters, and instructed the pale-faced Wolf, “Guard them well. Leave everything else to me.”

The Wolf nodded hesitantly, shielding the sisters, and cautioned, “Dugu, be careful. If it’s impossible, just give them the tokens and wait for the next selection… uh…”

Having said his piece, Dugu Farewell wasted no time. Power surged; swift as lightning, he burst through the sand and mist, closing in on the three attackers. His right fist came down with savage force, crushing one’s skull instantly. Spinning with the momentum, his leg lashed out like a whip, snapping the second man’s waist in two. The third finally realized the danger and brandished his knife to retaliate, but Dugu was already upon him—a massive palm, wide as a fan, struck his chest.

Nether Spirit Art!

A fierce and bizarre force of absorption and devouring erupted within a mysterious vortex, greedy as a glutton, consuming wildly. In a blink, the man’s essence was drained completely.

When the wind passed, only a scattering of dust remained.

At that moment, the Wolf, having only just uttered the word “selection,” found his remaining words stuck in his throat, his eyes bulging, face flushed with shock. After a long pause, he stammered, “So…so forceful…so domineering…so ruthless…so…”

“Don’t waste your breath. Find their tokens,” Dugu Farewell shot him a glare, hoisted the younger sister onto his back, cradled the child, and strode toward the labyrinth.

Watching that imposing figure amidst the whirlwind, the Wolf swallowed hard, hurriedly gathered the three tokens, and shouted excitedly as he caught up, “With such a powerful Dugu, we actually have hope this time! Looks like luck’s finally turned our way, haha…”

...

From afar, the labyrinth stretched endlessly; up close, it was even more majestic. Tall walls built from unknown blue stone gleamed smooth, untouched by time, and clearly incredibly hard.

There were four entrances to the labyrinth, one at each point of the compass.

After enduring five or six further “conflicts,” Dugu Farewell’s group finally reached one entrance. The gateway, magnified dozens of times, led into winding, shadowy passageways whose destination was unknown. If lost, or if the allotted time was missed, even with tokens in hand, it would mean failure and lost qualification.

Walking within the passage, Dugu Farewell suddenly asked, “Since we enter the labyrinth from all directions, where is the third stage? How do we reach it?”

“I heard it’s at the center of the labyrinth, on a grand arena. Everyone who obtains tokens or enough proof gathers there, then the strongest ten are selected,” the Wolf replied, having never experienced the third stage himself, simply relaying rumors for reference.

“And the tokens, how are they found? Is it just random luck…wait, what’s this?” Dugu Farewell’s peripheral vision caught something above their heads—a red number ‘16’ flickering, always hovering and impossible to shake off.

“It shows our team has sixteen tokens. Everyone else will see their own display—it only disappears once the trial ends or someone loses qualification early,” the Wolf explained, panting. “You just look at the display to know how many tokens someone has. If you get a proof token, a black number appears. All the truth and falsehood is plain to see.”

“Isn’t this basically encouraging everyone to fight and slaughter each other?” Dugu Farewell frowned, then mused, “But, it does make things easier. If I lack tokens, I just rob those with more—saves effort.”

“Uh…that’s true,” the Wolf replied helplessly, thinking, Dugu is hardly a gentle soul. With him, my mindset must change; instead of always guarding, I should seize the initiative. “But those with many tokens are surely strong, so caution is needed.”

“It matters not,” Dugu Farewell replied. After many battles, he was well aware of his own strength and quite confident.

Ordinary warriors possessed about fivefold battle power. He, however, had tenfold, enough to rival generals. Moreover, when fighting, most could only reach fivefold power at best, usually less. After his battle with the Tiger King, Dugu Farewell had grasped the true essence of a warrior; his performance was flawless, always striking with tenfold power. If defeated, he could only blame himself for weakness and incompetence.

Boom!

From a nearby corridor, a sudden explosion rang out—then a streak of black light shot skyward!

“It’s a proof token!”

“Someone found a proof token, go, find them…”

“The first proof token has appeared,” the Wolf licked his lips, his eyes ablaze. “Should we take a look?”

“Of course. With it so close, if I don’t seize it, wouldn’t it be a waste?” Dugu Farewell shared the same thought. He set the sisters down and sprang into action.

Boom!

Battle energy surged, converging into the form of a fierce, patterned tiger, crashing hard against the blue stone wall.

Rumble~

His arm spun, fist drilling like an auger, quickly punching a hole in the wall, cracks radiating outward.

“Open!” His arm paused, then shook violently, power exploding, and the stone wall collapsed, revealing an opening.

“Follow me.”

“The first proof token is mine!”