Chapter 86 The Legion of Trial Takers

Slowly opening his eyes, Wei Cheng immediately noticed that his former goddess next door, Song Feifei, had returned.

She sat quietly in the living room, her breathing so faint it was nearly imperceptible. Judging by her aura, she had already broken through the Seven Cycles of Spiritual Swallow, even faster than Xu Shan.

But that made sense. In Song Feifei’s server region, their team had achieved a perfect clearance on the fifth trial, which granted them a tremendous advantage entering the sixth—they were unaffected by the Shadow Curse. In such circumstances, it was inevitable they would reap great rewards.

Wei Cheng placed his hand on the Immovable Golden Bell, and after three seconds, the bell faded away, perfectly recovered by him.

As he pushed open the door and stepped out, Song Feifei looked up and smiled.

“Three days apart and you must be looked at with new eyes. So, Wei Cheng, have you advanced to the Eighth Cycle, Mountain-Mover?”

“You’re not doing badly yourself,” Wei Cheng nodded, then sat across from her. “Any explosive news to share?”

“Explosive news? What counts as explosive—does the government’s plan to form a Legion of Trial Takers count?” Song Feifei smiled, her gaze sweeping down at Wei Cheng for a moment, a hint of surprise in her eyes. It had only been fifteen days, yet this chubby man’s aura had changed again.

After studying him for a few more seconds, she continued, “In our server, our real-trial clearance number was 05. After investigation, we learned this order corresponds to the Southeast Province. Because of our perfect clearance of the fifth trial, the government and military decided to establish twenty-eight Trial Taker Legions in the province. Our city, P City, will have five legions.”

“They are the P5 Legion, centered on our server, and also P12, P16, P24, and P28.”

“Additionally, based on intelligence we gathered in the trial, the seventh trial is likely to be the Battle of Cangwu City, with a cap of fifty thousand participants.”

“So there’s a good chance we’ll meet in Cangwu City in the next trial.”

“But that’s not the point. The real news is, our leader obtained the badge of a Cangwu City Patrol Captain, with authority over five hundred people. We’re now preparing to recruit elite trial takers. You’re only at the Eighth Cycle, Mountain-Mover, but that’s just what’s needed, and with my recommendation, joining P5 will be no problem.”

“Do you want to join us?”

Song Feifei laughed, her smile carrying a hint of sweetness.

Wei Cheng regarded her calmly, neither agreeing nor refusing right away. Joining P5 wasn’t a bad thing—not just because of its government and military backing, but primarily for its advantages.

“I have a few companions. Could they join as well?”

“Sorry, no,” Song Feifei shook her head, her tone meaningful. “Only you.”

“Then never mind,” Wei Cheng replied indifferently. “Can you tell me about your experience in the sixth trial? It feels like our main quests are completely different now.”

“Why should I? That kind of information is confidential these days,” Song Feifei shifted her posture, leaning back with a half-smile.

“Because—we used to live together?” Wei Cheng joked. He was in a good mood, after all. Running into his former goddess under these new circumstances, it was hard not to be a bit cheeky.

As the saying goes, it’s a shame to return home with glory and keep it hidden—how true that is.

“You should really join P5. I earned some merit in the sixth trial, so I have a referral slot,” Song Feifei changed the subject, her gaze sincere.

“That probably won’t work. My little team just started to gel. Or you could join my team and I’ll give you first-wife treatment?” Wei Cheng shook his head, half in jest, half in earnest.

“Fatty Wei, are you looking to die? Who wants your first-wife treatment?” Song Feifei scolded, tossing a cushion at him. Once, this would have been the scene of Wei Cheng’s dreams, but now, it had lost its luster.

Seeing Wei Cheng only smile in silence, a hint of melancholy flashed in Song Feifei’s eyes. Damn, times had changed—even the simps had evolved. How were beautiful witches like her supposed to survive now?

“All right, let’s drop this. At least we’re still friends, aren’t we? I’ll give you this information for free,” Song Feifei straightened up, her expression turning serious.

“As for P5 Legion, since the sixth trial began, we all started from Floating Cloud City. In the mirror world, I even glimpsed you—looking a bit clueless—but as you know, we had backup, so we weren’t affected by the Shadow Curse.”

“But that didn’t mean our mission was any easier than yours.”

“Your task was simply to escape the poison zone. Ours was to follow the reinforcements and attempt to seal away the ancient demon Chi Yao beneath the city.”

“There were only ten reinforcements, all cultivators—but amateurs, the sort who only knew enough to get people killed.”

Song Feifei’s face darkened in frustration as she continued, “We knew this was the work of the Trial Immortals, deliberately creating drama, but those ten cultivators were a disaster for us.”

“We entered the underground of Floating Cloud City through a special formation, into a vast, endless sealing array—a world unto itself.”

“The demons inside were powerful and one more bizarre than the next. Even though we didn’t have to fear the Shadow Curse, we were constantly corroded and tainted by these monsters, forced into corruption; anyone lacking willpower died on the spot.”

“That wasn’t even the worst of it. In the first two days, we gained a lot—the rewards were truly abundant. But on the third day, those ten cultivators did something idiotic and caused the world to collapse. Six died instantly, three were gravely wounded, and the last one was left to heal others. He drew a circle, told us to wait a day and hold out, and promised he’d take us back to Cangwu City through the teleportation array.”

“I’m sure you can imagine what happened next. Our P5 Legion had done well in the fifth trial; everyone obtained their second-tier cultivation method, casualties were low, our leader was capable, and the whole legion—three thousand five hundred eighty-two trial takers strong—was a formidable force.”

“In that single day, though, waves of demons assaulted us. We suffered heavy losses. By the time that damned cultivator fixed the teleport and got us out, only just over five hundred of us were left. Honestly, Fatty Wei, you almost never saw me again.”

Song Feifei sighed for a while, then rose to leave.

“Good luck, Fatty Wei. I just hope you won’t regret your decision today. You don’t understand—the gap between us and you, though we’re all trial takers, after two consecutive stages, it’s already a different world.”

“I’ve said all I can. Stay alive.”

(End of this chapter)