Chapter 98: The Full Moon Queen's Heart is in Turmoil

The World Tree Gate — this is the name of the Third Round Assessment, and also the collective term for all Secret Realms connecting to the Previous Era.

Legend has it that the World Tree is a winding, spiraling great banyan tree, and on every branch grows a fruit called a "World Bubble."

And all major events that occurred in the Previous Era, and even the Era Before That, which influenced the course of history, are sealed within those "World Bubbles."

Tianming Continent has many such gates; open one, and you can cross into those histories and witness everything that happened in that history.

If you complete the tasks given by the World Tree, you can receive a Blessing from it — that is the power of this world's origin, a precious treasure that neither the True Gods nor the Abyss can grant.

But in the tens of thousands of years of history on Tianming Continent, those who have received a Blessing from the World Tree can be counted on one's fingers.

Most people in those World Bubbles are already exerting all their strength just to survive.

Also, there has long been a saying circulating on Tianming Continent —

There is a kind of person who is born a creator of history.

Everything they do in the World Bubbles has long been fixed as history itself, and the current world is merely the butterfly effect produced when that kind of person flaps their wings.

But this saying has not received widespread recognition from scholars on Tianming Continent; perhaps it is merely an urban legend of catching shadows in the wind.

At this moment, the candidates who performed outstandingly in the first two rounds of exams are gathered before that vortex gate, quietly waiting for the exam of the final round of assessment.

Although there is still some time before the gate opens, how many of these young students can hold their breath?

Many people are even waiting outside this gate since around eight in the morning.

At this time, the crowd is gathering more and more, and the candidates are sizing each other up.

These candidates from different countries, different regions, and even different races finally have a chance to greet each other — the Third Round Assessment is different from the first two rounds; there is no clear competitive relationship between candidate and candidate, on the contrary, they might have to help each other in the Secret Realm.

Since they need to help each other, flattering words are naturally indispensable.

"Hah, isn't this Her Ladyship Nalan Qing, the Saintess of the Order Church! Your arrival has filled this place with the radiance of Order."

Order Saintess Nalan Yu is a pure young girl with red long hair and an Eastern appearance; it is said her bloodline comes from the destroyed Yulan Kingdom, and she is called the most outstanding Saintess of the Order Church in a hundred years.

"Lady Anli, you flatter me; I am still far from it."

Anli is the son of the Shadow Church Archbishop, the youngest Shadow Steward; a head of black long hair and eternal elegance and composure are his labels.

The Son of God and geniuses gather together, and even their speech suddenly becomes refined.

It is hard to make people doubt that this is a conversation between two minors.

"Nalan Qing, may I ask what ambitions you have for this World Tree Journey?"

"Ambition is too strong a word; I only hope to obtain a trace of the World Tree's Blessing. What about you, Lady Anli?" Nalan Yu smiled gently.

"As for me, I naturally hope to become that person in the legend who creates history." Anli raised his head at a forty-five-degree angle, placed his hands flat, as if feeling something: "I think this is precisely the meaning of our generation being born in this world. Hah, speaking of which, today's wind is indeed somewhat boisterous."

"Is it also mixed with a sour stench that cannot be described in words?"

Suddenly, a coarse voice sounded.

Anli sniffed his nose, and indeed smelled the odor of high heels fished out of a stinking sewer; he suppressed the urge to vomit and looked toward the source of the sound.

Only to see Mu, wearing underwear on his head, swaggering over.

And Li Chenghe and Karenina were following behind him, one with a warm smile of sunlight on his face, the other with a sweet smile like preserved plum sauce on her face.

To be honest, at first glance, they look quite human.

And with the arrival of these three, the whispers throughout the venue stopped abruptly.

Everyone looked at these three fellows with grim faces.

This is also unavoidable.

These three are first-rate Primordial Dong Xi.

First Seat, War God's Son Mu, with a solemn aura and a face like a Holy Knight; if you didn't know what he had done, you might really be fooled by him — this is the newborn thing that publicly declared everyone below the stage to be trash during the assessment.

He doesn't need to speak; just standing there can attract the killing intent of the entire venue. It can be said that he is a human-shaped hatred thermal weapon.

Second Seat, Karenina, a rustic girl from who knows where, with a lovable smile, big eyes that make people want to fall in love at first sight, and pink hair; but beneath that angelic appearance hides the heart of a snake and scorpion —

This is the terrifying existence that, during the assessment, used entrapment to send candidates back to their hometowns one by one; even the legendary "Three-Faced Monster Ball" eliminated fewer people than her, and most terrifyingly, she didn't even leave those candidates any travel fare home.

Pink Nightmare — that is her nickname among the candidates.

Third Seat, Li Chenghe, the record holder with 151 points, with a face and figure like an ancient sculpture, and the warmest, sunniest smile.

Compared to the previous two, this one is much more human-like, although he has also done outrageous things like attacking the Chief Examiner and accepting bribes from candidates, but after all, he didn't directly eliminate other candidates.

Also, it is said that Li Chenghe has always been unwilling to give up his two friends, and for the sake of a promise even directly refused the Full Moon Queen's request to take him as a disciple; he is a man of loyalty and righteousness.

After the candidates calmed down, their evaluation of him was quite high. The number of people in the Pro-Cheng Faction has already far surpassed the Anti-Cheng Faction.

"I say..." Anli covered his mouth and nose, forcibly suppressing the urge to vomit, and looked at Mu: "Why are you wearing underwear on your head?"

"Hah, a fool like you naturally can't understand my operation." Mu glanced at him coldly and snorted.

"You..." Anli narrowed his eyes, took a deep breath, and decided not to argue with this pervert.

But unexpectedly, Mu snorted coldly and followed him up: "Kid, don't you love the feeling of being the center of attention? But look now, are they looking at me, or at you?"

"What?" Anli's face froze; he slowly turned his head, and indeed found that the gazes originally gathered on him had already drifted to Mu.

And Mu also revealed a victor's smile, standing with hands behind his back: "Kid, the gap between you and me is like a chasm between heaven and earth; you are still far behind."

I don't want this kind of attention ceremony... Anli's mouth corner twitched, he took a small step back, and swallowed his saliva.

I just like to show off a little, not like being a pervert...

Anli resolved to definitely keep his distance from Mu.

But unexpectedly, Mu stuck to him again; while sticking close, he also took out another pair of underwear from the pocket in front of his chest, and at an angle no one saw, stuffed it into Anli's hand.

"You and I have fate, so I'll give you my spare item; use it well." After saying that, Mu howled to the sky and left gracefully.

Leaving only Anli alone, at a loss in the wind.

He looked at the underwear in his hand in confusion, but in the next second, he felt gazes full of disgust.

Order Saintess Nalan Yu was sipping her lips, looking at him like a pervert, and also looking at the underwear in his hand.

"Lady Anli, please tell me, why are you carrying this thing with you?"

"No, no, this, this thing, he, he isn't mine!" Anli panicked.

"I of course know this isn't yours, after all this is a lady's lace style... seemingly even worn..." Nalan Yu retreated half a step, brow tightly furrowed: "Lady Anli, are you a pervert? You wouldn't also plan to, put this thing over your head, would you?"

"I, I'm not! You, you believe me, believe me!"

Anli wanted to cry but had no tears, still wanting to explain, but footsteps sounded at this time.

The Full Moon Queen walked over surrounded by several examiners.

Her expression was stern, cold as frost, without saying a single word, the surrounding candidates automatically made way.

Anli looked at the arriving Full Moon Queen, heart trembling, had no choice, could only put that lady's underwear into his pocket.

But obviously, Anli was just being self-indulgent.

Because the Full Moon Queen's gaze did not stay on him for even a second, she quickly passed through the crowd, walked to the side of the vortex gate.

Palm lightly placed on that door, the next second, the vortex-shaped patterns began to rotate.

The World Tree Gate, opened.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you are the elite among elites, geniuses among geniuses, so I won't say high-sounding words." The Full Moon Queen's gaze swept over 39 students: "The historical fragments that Secret Realm Exploration will reach are completely random, I also don't know which era you will reach."

"For most of you, this journey is nothing more than a dream, when you wake up, you might not even remember what happened in the dream at all. Nor understand why a certain relic, a certain item suddenly appears in your hands."

"But if any of you clearly remembers everything that happened in the dream, please write down those inside stories after returning, this is very important for the Tianming Continent."

"Only by understanding the Abyss do we have a possibility of defeating Them."

"Then, ladies and gentlemen, please enter, wishing you great martial fortune."

"Also wishing you, can come back alive."

Big Boss quietly listened to the Full Moon Queen's speech.

The World Tree's door panels were actually a core setting of "Tianming's First Rise", put plainly, an Abyss instance.

According to the game's setting, explorers returning from the World Tree's door panels would lose all memories within the door.

But obviously, this law did not apply to players.

In the original PC version, these instances were completely fixed, although they could produce relics and skills, they had nothing to do with the main quest, and playability was not high.

Big Boss had already cleared who knows how many times, could be said to run the map with eyes closed.

But on the Brain-Computer Version's user manual, it clearly mentioned that AI new technology would be used to remake the instances, on the basis of the original process, increase the instance's freedom, and add multiple fate lines, and various new items, new relics, letting the world inside the door associate with the main quest.

Therefore, "The World Tree's Door Panels" was also the part Big Boss was most interested in during this game trial.

He couldn't wait to know what the plot of the world behind the door had become, and what relics and abilities it could provide for him.

What kind of Evil Path School could those new harvests form?

Following behind the other candidates, Big Boss stepped into the door panels.

With the last candidate entering the door, the vortex stopped, their destination finally appeared on the door.

【1345 BC, Abyss Domain——City of Deception】

【Difficulty Rating: Four Stages, SSS Rank】

And all the examiners' pupils suddenly shrank to a point.

"How is it possible, how could it be such a high-level Abyss?"

"Aren't the World Tree's Door Panels supposed to arrange secret realms according to the entrants' average Dragon's Strength?"

"Why would a group of candidates with a maximum of only Third Stage trigger a Fourth Stage secret realm, and SSS Rank……"

"Trouble, big trouble. SS Rank, this is no longer a question of whether they can obtain inside stories and items, this is a question of whether they can survive……"

And in a place no one noticed, the Full Moon Queen also gazed at that line of text, clutching her fist tightly.

On her face that was always cold as frost and never smiled, for the first time appeared a brief panic.

But strangely, in the puddle formed by raindrops at her feet, her reflection was mockingly laughing.

Just like that charming person in the water, and the Full Moon Queen, were not the same person.

"Actually... it's that place..." she murmured to herself: "Year 1345, that... is my... birthplace..."

At the same time, her gaze suddenly looked toward Big Boss.

How could it be such a coincidence?

Why did he enter this timeline...

The Full Moon Queen suddenly thought of another unbelievable possibility—

A very few people can fix the historical timeline inside the World Tree Gate.

Could it be...

Big Boss entered this door, and met himself from ten thousand years ago?

Is this possible? Chapter Complete