Chapter 131: Trial of Teamwork

"Clang!"

A muffled sound echoed by the riverside.

Mu Yi's successive sword strikes fell onto the indestructible diamond barrier, the sharp blade light splashing across it, scattering countless sparks.

In the next instant, the blade light split the barrier and fell toward Zhang Ze's head.

Zhang Ze's eyes were filled with disbelief; this was the diamond barrier that could withstand heavenly thunder, the one that had just repelled a Five‑Thunder True Method attack by hardening against his barrier and sending it back to its origin.

But now, this absolute defensive barrier was shattered by a single strike from the opponent—how could that be possible?

Immediately after, Zhang Ze felt a pain in his chest and mind, then lost consciousness.

A narrow sword scar stretched from his neck to his abdomen, blood spilling as Zhang Ze's corpse turned into white light and vanished.

"Oh? Sun Wu, this kid's got potential. Though he's from a rogue background, he shows quite a bit of Military Strategist iron‑blood!"

Deng Lingzi, the Mo School's Deng Lingzi of the Deng Ling lineage, was impressed by Mu Yi's performance and couldn't help asking Sun Wu.

In orthodox history, after the death of Mozi, the Mohist School split into three main branches: the Xiangli Mo, the Xiangfu Mo, and the Deng Ling Mo.

The Deng Ling Mo, over the long course of history, evolved into a thriving band of wanderers across the world, not the typical self‑styled ruffian knights of the traditional sense.

Rather, they are true chivalrous heroes—great ones who serve the nation and the people.

"You seem to keep watching him. Why? Planning to take him as a disciple yourself?" Deng Lingzi was intrigued by Sun Wu's interest in Mu Yi, noting that even Yang Tiancheng and his group hadn't received Sun Wu's special attention.

"I'm only tasked by a senior to observe the fundamentals he lacks; if we can fill those gaps, perhaps his performance could advance further,"

Sun Wu replied calmly to Deng Lingzi, noting that the Mohist School and Military Strategists are relatively close, as they overlap in many areas and often intersect.

Moreover, when confronting the Confucian school, everyone tends to stand on the same side.

"I say… you aren't planning to pick him as the executor, are you?" Deng Lingzi paused, then transmitted his voice to Sun Wu.

"He does look promising, but right now it's just too…"

"Too weak!" Sun Wu cut off Deng Lingzi.

"Precisely because he's weak, the chance is greater!"

Sun Wu fixed his gaze on Mu Yi, who was about to eliminate Zhang Ze while Mu Yi rested, his eyes full of depth.

"Because the weak are ignorant, and ignorance brings luck; he doesn't know what he'll face, but he has luck!"

Deng Lingzi was stunned, turning his gaze to Mu Yi, hoping to see the luck Sun Wu spoke of in him.

The luck they referred to wasn't a vague, uncontrollable chance, but a more concrete courage rooted in the human heart as people stand upon the earth.

Luck is the mortal's resolve to face everything, win or lose, and strike the final blow that decides one's fate.

"We've heard from Guan Sheng Dijun that he once slayed a great demon!"

The term "great demon" is Jiuzhou's name for a legendary devil.

"I see… did you see the light of a Legend in him?" Deng Lingzi mused.

"Then let me see if he has the potential for my investment!"

…

It seemed luck favored him; Mu Yi's subsequent trial run went smoothly—he encountered no players from other schools, and even found several treasure chests.

He successfully unlocked his will attribute to its peak form, though it cost him a great deal of time.

When Mu Yi cleared the 30th gate and set out toward the next world, a new challenge emerged.

Three white lights refreshed before him, and three figures appeared almost simultaneously.

Mu Yi squinted, quickly assessing the three.

The Hundred Schools each have distinctive appearances, and the three before Mu Yi wore a Taoist robe, a monk's robe, and a Confucian robe, making their affiliations obvious at a glance.

"This is really bad!"

Just as Mu Yi contemplated striking first, a new message arrived on his wrist.

The prompt indicated that the four of them were not opponents this time, but teammates, and they must face the trial together.

In other words, this was not a solo battle but a team battle; defeating teammates would not earn them points.

"Looks like we're not opponents this time!" the youth in the Taoist robe said with a smile.

"Allow me to introduce myself: Poor Daoist Mingyue, from Kunlun Mountain!"

"I am the monk Liuli, from Medicine Master Temple; I've met the three laymen!" the monk‑clad youth said, hands clasped.

"Confucian, Dong Hui, style name Ziyuan!"

Each introduction was distinctive; the Confucian one was the briefest, since all Confucians share a common master, the supreme sage Confucius.

Even Taoists have different sects, but under Confucius's leadership, the Confucians have become a single rope.

Although each school's doctrines differ, they all acknowledge Confucius as their shared master—a point other schools cannot match.

As for the Buddhist school, while they also venerate the present Buddha, there are also Past Buddha, Future Buddha, Medicine Master Liuli Buddha, Guanyin, Samantabhadra, Manjushri, and the four great bodhisattvas of Kṣitigarbha…

"Military Strategist, Mu Yi!"

But Mu Yi reflected on the Military Strategist's situation and found his own condition even worse, causing him to feel sorrow.

While the few exchanged brief words, the surroundings swiftly changed, transporting them from the previous space to a barren wasteland.

【Trial Objective: Assist your tribe's development, defeat the enemy tribe】

【After the trial ends, both tribes will be placed in the same world to determine the ultimate victor】

【This trial's time has been adjusted; no need to worry about time flow issues】

"Has this test shifted from martial combat to literary contest?" Mu Yi scratched his head, noting this differs from Jiuzhou professions and the Zongwang side.

On the Zongwang side, warriors and mages mostly focus on their individual path toward the Transcendent, whereas most Jiuzhou professions are far more complex.

Not only must they attend to themselves, but also drive reality forward.

Just as the previous solo battle tested the Military Strategist's martial prowess, now the test examines the Military Strategist's contribution to societal development.

"Let's first go and take a look inside the tribe!"

Mu Yi broke the silence; the other three did not object, and this form of Trial was also a considerable test for them.

Anyway, the flow of time had been adjusted, so they shouldn't need to be overly urgent.

The tribe was not far away; they could see a crude settlement.

The surrounding environment was harsh: beneath their feet lay a vast, barren, cracked yellow earth, with no vegetation around, only infertile soil and some rough stone piles.

The air was extremely dry, and the scorching sun made the place feel like an oven.

Mu Yi could feel the warm heat radiating from the yellow earth beneath his feet, while the glaring sun continuously baked his body.

Even when wind blew, it was a hot gust mixed with fine yellow sand.

Undoubtedly, this was a wasteland.

"Considering development, the first step is to change the current environment, right?" Mu Yi surveyed the surroundings, thinking that trying to develop here was nothing short of a dream.

"Esteemed sages, please save us!"

Due to some unknown background arrangement, the tribe did not resist the newcomers; instead, they regarded them as saviors, knelt before them en masse, and recounted the tribe's plight in detail to the four.

Dong Hui recorded each problem, then reproduced several copies by some method and handed them to the group.

"The trouble is greater than we imagined!"

The tribe's condition was terrible, truly a disaster within a disaster.

Famine, disease, chaos, ignorance, lack of labor… Survival itself was a major issue, let alone development.

"At this stage, the first problems to solve are habitation, illness, and famine!"

Dong Hui subtly took the lead; after all, having reached the Realm of Governing a Nation, development was his forte.

"The illness matters can be left to me; the Medicine Master Temple enshrines the Medicine Buddha Liuli, and healing is my duty!" Monk Liuli volunteered for part of the work.

"Then it's yours!" Dong Hui nodded, scribbling on the paper, then looked up at Mu Yi and Mingyue.

"The celestial signs here aren't chaotic; I just divined that the east holds vitality, but also a disaster of war!" Mingyue said simply, glancing at Mu Yi.

"Leave it to me!" Mu Yi didn't refuse; matters of war and combat are precisely the duty of a Military Strategist.

Having specialists handle specialist tasks is Mu Yi's long‑held view, and clearly Dong Hui is a professional in governance; following his plan greatly boosts the small team's efficiency.

Everyone performed their duties and acted swiftly; Mu Yi followed the direction indicated by Mingyue and found the so‑called vitality.

A verdant oasis canyon; although the plants before the canyon looked wilted, it was far more alive than the tribe's barren land.

As he stepped into the canyon, Mu Yi sensed faint dangerous fluctuations in the air.

"Hmm…"

At that moment, Mu Yi heard a howl coming from within the canyon.

And the sound seemed to be drawing ever closer…

"That's a huge wild boar; it must have become a demon by now," Mu Yi said, surprised, looking at the massive giant wild boar before him.

"Is this the disaster of war that Mingyue mentioned?"

Although Mu Yi wasn't keen on divination, Mingyue's prediction clearly saved them the scouting step.

"That's a hassle—should we go back for help or just charge?" Mu Yi hesitated, then chose to charge forward.

The biggest variable of this Trial was that they were not given a specific time limit, like a Dammocles sword hanging overhead, urging them to seize the moment.

"Swift victory!"

Facing a leader clearly at Transcendent level with a challenge rating of about 12, at least a five‑person Transcendent team averaging level 12 is required for a seventy‑percent chance of victory; Mu Yi had little room to spare.

—Six Paths Reincarnation·Asura Path

Asura Warriors rose from the Sea of Blood and charged at the giant Wild Boar Spirit.

With little reason, their eyes filled with chaos and savage beastliness, the Wild Boar Spirit unhesitatingly launched a charge against the Asura Warriors.

Its massive body barreled forward; after approaching an Asura Warrior, it flung him high into the air with its broad tusks.

The level‑8 Asura Warrior could not withstand the force; the violent recoil of the fall turned him into a pool of blood that rejoined the Sea of Blood.

The massive Wild Boar Spirit did not cease its slaughter, apparently influenced by the Asura Path, and it immersed itself in killing.

—Scorched

Illusory flames burned the Wild Boar Spirit's body, making it more irritable; the gradual erosion turned its chaotic beast‑filled eyes even more blood‑red.

The Asura Warriors' relentless assault finally broke through the thick, armor‑like long hair covering the Wild Boar Spirit, leaving obvious wounds on its body.

"Roar!!"

Feeling the pain, the Wild Boar Spirit let out an angry howl; with the howl, its body suddenly swelled outward, becoming even larger.

Before it could flare, Mu Yi, wielding his Formation Blade, cleaved straight across its forehead!

At 23‑point Transcendent perception, a will attack, together with the blade's slash, instantly pierced the Wild Boar Spirit's sea of consciousness; the already weak‑willed spirit was instantly blinded.

The surrounding Asura Warriors were far from idle, thrusting their broken weapons into the Wild Boar Spirit's body.

With Mu Yi's final blow, the massive Wild Boar Spirit's body crashed down.

Its foul, rancid blood spilled from its body, gradually merging into the illusory Sea of Blood.

Mu Yi was surprised to discover that, perhaps due to the Wild Boar Spirit's death, the armor and weapons of the Asura Warriors reborn from the Sea of Blood seemed partially restored.

Although Mu Yi did not grasp the core of this change, it was clear he had found a way to strengthen the Asura Warriors.

Previously he had only dealt with small creatures; this was his first time pulling a giant creature into the Reincarnation Barrier to slay it.

Although Asura Warriors can upgrade via souls, he still had nowhere to obtain that many souls.

But… were the creatures in this Trial truly real?

Or is this another form of existence that can promote the Asura Warriors' growth?

These questions remained unresolved for now; Mu Yi glanced at the Wild Boar Spirit's corpse, thinking it would feed the tribe for several meals.

He didn't expect one strike to solve two problems; that was a pleasant outcome.

Mu Yi tossed the Wild Boar Spirit's corpse into the barrier, extracted its heart, and planned to refine it into medicinal food later, perhaps of some use.

As for the other parts, he wouldn't handle them at all; he could only bring them back and hope that the tribe's people could deal with them.

After all, no matter how you look at them, a Confucian scholar, a monk, and a Daoist priest don't seem like the type to handle corpses.