Chapter 197: Cat Playing with Mouse, Gifting You Victory

Meng Yuan Chu Altar.

Through analysis and investigation, Qi Sheng has already grasped the concept of the Lord of Bliss's new plan.

Before this, while also creating players, the Lord of Bliss faced a series of unsolvable problems.

First was the players' experience.

Without continuous positive feedback, copying him to create a player army would see most players flee before even getting started.

The Lord of Bliss's solution was to force a death game, shifting players from a state of enjoyment to a survival instinct under extreme pressure.

After the mode changed, there would be no issue of being unable to recruit players willing to face death.

After all, completing the mission offers a sliver of a chance to live, but failing to complete it means only death.

Choosing the hope of survival, or choosing death, the vast majority of lives will choose the former.

Secondly, there was a certain probability of loss during teleportation and death.

This caused some players to die in the teleportation and retrieval phases before even entering the Monster World.

The method to handle this problem was to refine the space tunnels and shrink their structure.

Doing so meant that not many players could be recruited each time.

Compared to these problems, what the Lord of Bliss cared about most was the deficit in resource expenditure.

Regarding this problem, the Lord of Bliss originally intended to temporarily shelve it, first testing the performance of the Bliss players in the Monster World before making a decision.

Thus, the third round of recruitment testing began.

In this round of recruitment testing, the Lord of Bliss was furious.

He gave the players recruited in this round 20 resurrection chances and raised their initial level to Shield-Bow tier (Hunting Level: 35).

The result was that the Bliss players still died in droves.

They were so weak it was unbearable to watch, being beaten in various ways by player races with lower life strength than their own.

They were like a beast bound by restraints, possessing all that strength but finding no point to exert it; every strike appeared incredibly laborious, and their movements were extremely unsmooth.

The test results for the Bliss players appearing in this round were purely a waste.

It wasted a huge amount of Bliss Power expenditure.

This test also made the Lord of Bliss realize a problem.

Strength improvement must be gradual; raising them like pulling seedlings to help them grow, and the Bliss players cannot wield the power he bestows.

After the third round of testing ended, the Lord of Bliss restructured the Bliss player system.

After convening multiple god meetings and conducting internal discussions, a brand new player system emerged.

The Lord of Bliss called it: Death Trial.

This was also one point for which Qi Sheng applauded.

The Lord of Bliss could finally be said to have utilized his greatest advantage.

Although the recruitment method was still randomly selecting mortals from the Bliss World.

The recruited Bliss players were not sent directly to the Monster World, but instead underwent the Death Trial within an Illusion woven by the Lord of Bliss.

The Death Trial is divided into six rounds; only Bliss players who complete the ultimate trial will be transported to the Monster World.

Reaching this point, in the crafting of the player army, the Lord of Bliss had completely abandoned the "endless" tactic and returned to the path of elite cultivation.

The recorded Bliss meeting minutes showed that among the thirty-two paths of Bliss Main Gods, there were voices asking the Lord of Bliss: since choosing the path of elite cultivation, why not spend the cultivation resource consumption on the clan members?

Although the clan members are currently few in number, that is because they once followed the path of elite cultivation.

If there is a demand for quantity, the reproduction method could simply be changed to implement family planning, increasing the number of new-generation clan members.

The answer given by the Lord of Bliss was that he chose the cruel competition of survival of the fittest, selecting the strong through the method of Gu competition.

How could he bring himself to do it to his own clan members.

The Bliss Clan is a whole, not just him, the Lord of Bliss.

He wanted to lead the clan members together to the peak of the Monster World, not to stand alone at the peak of the Monster World by exploiting the clan members.

He would not give up on the cultivation of the clan members, but still needed a more perfect army system to assist.

After the meeting ended, the Death Trial plan was finalized.

Subsequently, the fourth round of Death Trial recruitment officially opened.

In the first round of trials after this recruitment opened, the Lord of Bliss gave the players no combat power support whatsoever.

Through combat performance, teamwork, and mission completion, three dimensions were used to judge the comprehensive performance of the Bliss players, and then the initialization strengthening resources that should have been given at once were distributed to the Bliss players in the form of points, allowing them to customize their strengthening.

In subsequent rounds of the Death Trial, the goal was also to temper the willpower and combat awareness of the Bliss warriors, and so on.

The cruel Death Trial in the eyes of the Bliss players was merely a training course for novice warriors in the eyes of the Lord of Bliss.

As for those who were eliminated, the Lord of Bliss would erase them without hesitation.

During this period, Xie Yu, who followed the Lord of Bliss, asked a question:

"Among the eliminated ones, there are no shortage of warriors with potential; why give them not even one chance?"

The Lord of Bliss's answer left Qi Sheng somewhat stunned.

This image was recorded by the Guide.

The Lord of Bliss's answer was:

"Luck seems ethereal, but it is part of strength; I can affirm that there is such a thing as fortune in the Monster World. The 'potential' you speak of is certainly important, but if potential lacks the blessing of luck, it is like a seed falling into a crack in the stone; no matter how tenacious, it will be difficult to break through the soil."

After saying these words, the Lord of Bliss paused, his tone carrying a hint of cold rationality:

"In the Monster World, an environment where powerful clans like Lin Li stand, there are too many forces with boundless potential that perish before they even get started. In my eyes, luck and strength complement each other; bad luck means failing to seize fate's favor at a critical moment, failing to make the most correct choice in that rapidly changing instant, and this itself is a deficiency in strength."

"The true strong in my eyes must not only have extraordinary talent and effort, but also the ability to seize opportunities amidst the torrent of fate; if one cannot even achieve this, then the so-called 'potential' is nothing more than an unfulfilled illusion."

While saying these words, purple mist flowed in the Lord of Bliss's eyes, as if recalling those potential forces that fell prematurely in his memories, and he continued:

"Whether fate truly exists, I cannot prove it by any means, but it will only favor those who can both wield strength and go along with luck."

Speaking of this, the Lord of Extreme Bliss smiled and looked at Xie Yu:

"So, do not complain about bad luck. On this cruel world battlefield, true strong ones never rely on luck, or rather, they always succeed by luck."

"Factions capable of becoming powerful clans are destined to have avoided countless dangers of annihilation during their growth."

This video image made Qi Sheng think of the Ji Yun and Hong Yun, these two Painful Painful Minghun, in the Painful Painful Minghun Library.

Just as the Lord of Extreme Bliss had guessed, luck truly exists.

Therefore, his method of screening strong ones seemed very reasonable in the view of the Guide.

At the end of the image, the Lord of Extreme Bliss told a small story.

He stated that when checking the history of his home world, he saw a very familiar racial faction.

This faction was a descendant of the "Ji Xing Clan," once a servant faction of the Extreme Bliss Clan, and now the dominant ethnic group of his home world.

Back then, another faction also displayed development potential similar to the Ji Xing Clan under the rule of the Extreme Bliss Clan, but he viewed it as a threat and ultimately destroyed the entire clan.

The Ji Xing Clan and that racial faction were very similar, yet today the former has developed to the height of ruling the home world.

What is the difference between these two factions?

The essential difference is luck.

One rose during his process of developing the Extreme Bliss World, and he viewed it as a threat.

Whereas the Ji Xing Clan rose after he chose to leave; this timing was "fortune."

The struggle and effort of a clan have completely different fate orientations under different eras.

Effort is certainly important, but without the support of corresponding timing "fortune," the potential displayed will only become a factor in the clan's destruction.

With a single thought of mine, making the choice to leave the Extreme Bliss World, constituted a new fortune for the lower clans.

When I went to the Monster World, I happened to encounter the terrifying Black Tide fighting the Four Gods, which also constituted my own fortune.

If I had descended upon the Monster World while it was still under the control of the Four Gods, we would have been doomed; how could we possibly have established a foothold in the Monster World?

The peak battle of the Monster World opened a new world pattern where ten thousand races stood in great numbers.

What seems ethereal and intangible, fortune, is actually driven by events of higher dimensions.

Even with great potential, without the bonus of fortune, one is destined to fail to achieve the peak.

So, the fact that those with potential in your mouths die in the Death Space proves they do not have enough "potential" to support them reaching a higher position.

With this, the meeting ended, and the video image dissipated.

The system architecture of the Extreme Bliss Player Legion was further perfected during this meeting.

All drawbacks were thoroughly solved, turning towards an elite cultivation route.

Through the cruel Gu competition, warriors capable of standing alone were selected.

More importantly, the warriors created by this cultivation mode all have the team as their combat core.

And they all forged iron-blooded friendships between life and death.

Teamwork ability is far beyond what ordinary player squads can compare to.

This can also be considered that, under the inability to satisfy the "infinite" characteristic, the Lord of Extreme Bliss found a new path and walked out a new legion system architecture.

Regarding resource consumption, the Death Trial is a scene woven by the power of Extreme Bliss, which can be decomposed and returned at any time.

Regarding ability adaptation, the Death Trial is a novice training ground; it can train warriors' minds and even willpower through cruel missions.

Even if brought with resources into the Monster World, they can have combat power matching the resources expended by the Lord of Extreme Bliss.

Regarding quantity, although it leans towards elite cultivation, there is a vast reserve of creatures in the Extreme Bliss World as selection targets, allowing for the batch creation of a huge number of elite warriors.

There are many other optimizations in other aspects.

For this player legion architecture, the Lord of Extreme Bliss combined his most skilled Illusion weaving ability.

The concept of the Death Space was nothing short of brilliant in Qi Sheng's eyes.

But he still felt that this series of architectures carried certain risks.

Thinking of this, he looked at the floating Guide water sphere beside him:

"Guide, what do you think of this legion architecture?"

【Very good, but there are also uncontrollable risk problems. The Lord of Extreme Bliss's control over Extreme Bliss Players is through imprinting Jing Shen Lao Yin, allowing him to decide the life and death of Extreme Bliss Players at any time, but this is limited to the Death Space. Sending Extreme Bliss Players to the Monster World, there are countless ways to break the Jing Shen Lao Yin.】

【Suppose there is such an Extreme Bliss Player who breaks the spiritual shackles through a method similar to purifying rules; then he will be completely free.】

【There is even a tiny probability possibility that this Extreme Bliss Player accidentally obtains a Law in the Monster World, possessing enough growth potential to rival the Lord of Extreme Bliss, just like the protagonist in a novel counter-attacking the behind-the-scenes boss who controls him, completing a heaven-defying turnaround.】

【Of course, what I propose are possibilities; the specific situation depends on the Lord of Extreme Bliss's continued perfection of the player legion. Perhaps he can find a way to thoroughly solve the hidden danger problems.】

Qi Sheng heard this and could not help but nod.

The Guide's thoughts were similar to his.

The Death Space is a scene operating under the will of the Lord of Extreme Bliss; everything is under control.

But as soon as Extreme Bliss Players enter the Monster World, various uncertainties can appear at any time.

There are too many ways for Extreme Bliss Players to break free from control.

For example, being taken by an Ancient God to an arena for a duel.

Even if the Lord of Extreme Bliss has the ability, he will not start a war with the Ancient God Clan for the sake of one player.

Or perhaps an Extreme Bliss Player encounters an opportunity that greatly increases growth potential, like the World Rules in the Guide's words; it could be accidentally finding the power of World Rules left behind by a descending faction during a certain mission.

After merging, the Extreme Bliss Player forms their own system, completely breaking free from the Lord of Extreme Bliss's control.

But besides the potential hidden danger of loss of control, he gave a good review to the concept of the Extreme Bliss Player Legion.

It is indeed constantly perfecting and solving drawbacks.

More importantly, the Death Space created by the Lord of Extreme Bliss can also be utilized by him, allowing him to gain considerable support resource benefits from it.

Compared to wealth, the Lord of Extreme Bliss operates an entertainment city in the Monster World, producing over a hundred times the daily resource output of his.

In terms of inventory resources, it is even incomparable.

He had decided to fleece this wool.

……

Death Space, Ultimate Trial.

After the light pillar dissipated, Lin Xia and his teammates' figures appeared.

Before them lay a battlefield as silent as death.

The sky was covered in heavy weight by thick lead-gray clouds; there was no sun, nor moon, only a dark red light seeping through the cracks in the clouds, like congealed blood.

The air was filled with the scent of rotting earth, as if this land had long been soaked through with death and decay.

Beneath their feet lay scorched black earth, with wisps of black smoke occasionally rising from the cracked fissures.

In the distance, broken city walls stood crookedly on the horizon like the skeleton of a giant beast, their surfaces covered in magic runes.

A cold wind brushed their faces, carrying a low wail, as if countless spirits were whispering in their ears.

The wind swept over the ground, kicking up a cloud of ash that swirled in the air, lingering for a long time without dispersing.

Lin Xia looked at the battlefield scattered with various broken magic equipment, his gaze sweeping over armor covered in cracks, finally focusing on the magic Gao Ta towering high at the end of his line of sight.

Information about this mission immediately surfaced in his mind.

【Main Quest: Cursed Killing Field】:

Background Introduction: A cursed ancient battlefield, once the site of a war between gods and demons.

Main Quest Requirement: Destroy the enemy's magic crystal.

Quest Time: 12 days (if no winner is decided by the time limit, both parties will be teleported to the center of the battlefield for a final battle.)

Side Quests (completing side quests can advance the main quest progress):

Magic Ruins (Side): Ancient magic devices and runes are scattered across the battlefield; collecting them can be used to repair the magic turrets in the area of your own magic crystal, which can continuously deal damage to the enemy crystal.

Spirit Curse (Side): Undead that cannot die wander the battlefield; killing them allows you to collect "Spirit Whispers," which can be used to increase the strength of your own magic crystal. Each upgrade brings a 5% temporary attribute buff to the entire team.

Enemy Team Name: Iron Cavalry

……

This mission is not that complicated.

Now there are two choices before Lin Xia.

Charge straight for the enemy crystal, or steadily advance the main quest by completing side quests.

Before making a decision, he intended to first test the combat power of the "Iron Cavalry" team.

According to information collected by his teammates, the members of the Iron Cavalry team entered the Death Space later than him, yet skyrocketed to the top of the Death Team Rankings with astonishing achievements.

Their strength cannot be underestimated.

The intelligence description stated that the Iron Cavalry team had 27 Extreme Joy players.

They only knew that the opposing team had a very powerful ranged assassin (sniper); intelligence on other aspects was very scarce.

Except for the first round of the Death Trial, this team added no new members in subsequent trials; they directly purchased and signed a team contract at the stone tablet, and no members were lost in the following four Death Trials.

But before actual contact, intelligence could explain nothing.

He decided to first test the true strength of the Iron Cavalry team before considering how to advance the main quest.

If he judged the Iron Cavalry team's strength to be inferior to his own, he would charge straight ahead to destroy the magic crystal they were guarding and complete the Ultimate Trial mission.

"Everyone, check your equipment!"

Hearing Lin Xia's orders, the team members immediately busied themselves.

"Boss, food supplies are fine."

"Boss, weapon repair stone supplies are fine."

……

After hearing his teammates' reports, Lin Xia nodded coldly, then led the team forward toward the enemy stronghold.

Any undead encountered along the way were dealt with on the spot, and "Whisper Energy" was stored in the spatial bag.

"Boss, the enemy is coming too."

Speaking, a teammate stepped forward two paces and placed his hand on Lin Xia's shoulder, sharing his field of view.

Immediately, Lin Xia saw a row of figures in the far distance.

They were uniformly dressed in long black trench coats, the hems fluttering in the wind with each step, and every face wore a mask with different characters.

Most striking was the badge on their chests, resembling a spreading-winged night owl, its eyes inlaid with blood-red gems that flashed with red light.

Below the badge was carved a line of small text, the characters blurred and indistinct, yet it made Lin Xia inexplicably feel a sense of oppression.

Just then, Lin Xia suddenly turned his head.

Snap!

After the crisp sound, a fire-red arrow appeared before his toes, its fletching trembling in the air.

Lin Xia's eyes turned cold.

This strike could have easily been aimed at his forehead, yet it was deliberately off-target; this was clearly the Iron Cavalry team deliberately provoking him.

"Retreat!"

Realizing the Iron Cavalry team intended to start the battle immediately, Lin Xia, for caution's sake, chose to fall back first to the defensive zone protected by magic turrets.

This arrow made Lin Xia feel the pressure brought by the Iron Cavalry team.

The enemy had a very powerful ranged assassin, fully capable of quickly picking off members of his own team.

Back in the defensive zone, Lin Xia issued orders.

He decided on a division of labor.

Considering the enemy had powerful personnel capable of quick kills, he temporarily decided that melee team members would go out to hunt and complete the repeatable side quests.

All other support-type Extreme Joy players would remain in the defensive zone to prevent being picked off while out.

Before dealing with this dangerous point by forcefully sniping the opponent, he had to act with caution.

But Lin Xia's thoughts quickly changed during the subsequent clash.

The first direct confrontation came on the second day.

Lin Xia was leading twelve squad members collecting magic turret resources on the ruins battlefield when a teammate suddenly called out a warning:

"Boss, five members of the Iron Cavalry Squad are approaching."

Hearing that the other side had only sent five members, Lin Xia was first stunned, unable to understand why they would choose such a reckless method of attack.

Could they really be that confident in their own strength?

With doubts in mind, he decided to try making contact with the oncoming Iron Cavalry Squad members.

Before long, five figures appeared in his line of sight.

The leading figure wore a colorful mask, his body accelerating as he ran, his right arm—clad in a boxing glove—slowly rising.

Lin Xia decisively activated his Berserker talent.

His heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and his body began to change drastically.

The clothes that had originally fit him were instantly torn to shreds by the surging impact of the tremendous power erupting within his body.

The muscles beneath his skin writhed like living things, swelling at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The muscle bundles on his arms bulged high, like pieces of hard rock, and his veins—like winding little snakes—were clearly visible on the surface of his skin.

The sense of power brought by the swelling made Lin Xia let out a low growl.

His chest heaved violently, his pectoral muscles expanding outward like two enormous shields, squeezing the surrounding air out with an explosive sound.

Even his neck grew thick during the berserk transformation, the muscles on it like steel cables tightly wound together.

"Burst!"

Facing the figure charging straight at him, Lin Xia chose to meet it head-on with his strongest physical strength.

He threw a heavy punch, tearing through the air with a blood-colored airflow, and it collided with the leading figure's fist.

Boom!

The collision of this punch stirred up a violent gust of air.

To Lin Xia's bewilderment, the strength he had been so proud of had not gained much of an advantage.

He and the leading figure of the Iron Cavalry Squad retreated at the same time, their legs plowing two trails extending backward into the ground.

"Not bad!" A voice came from beneath the mask.

"Since you're here, then don't leave." Lin Xia said coldly, his body like a tank rolling forward, charging straight at the leading figure.

But the moment his legs took three steps forward, he sensed the sound of breaking wind coming from his side, and his head snapped down sharply.

Instantly the sound of breaking wind swept over the top of his head, severing several strands of hair.

A jet-black figure had somehow crept close, and that strike had nearly pierced his temple.

Lin Xia twisted his body, grabbed the side figure's ankle in one swift motion, and slammed it violently into the ground.

But the sound of breaking wind came again from his right side.

Lin Xia did not dodge; he locked the Iron Cavalry Squad's close-combat assassin's ankle with his fingers and slammed it into the ground.

He had confidence in his teammates.

Just as he had guessed, the attack coming from the right did not land on him—it was intercepted by his own teammates.

Boom!

Lin Xia slammed the assassin's figure into the ground, and his thick right leg immediately stomped down hard after it.

A crater formed in the ground, and the struck assassin let out a muffled grunt.

"Die!"

His ability activated, a blood-colored furious dragon coiled around Lin Xia's right arm, and he smashed it into the assassin's head with a thunderous crash—immediately the Iron Cavalry Squad assassin's head exploded apart.

He whipped his head around to look, only to find that the two teammates who had blocked the attack for him had both been pierced through the chest.

This made Lin Xia's eyes redden, and the viciousness in his heart surged abruptly.

"Kill!"

Facing Lin Xia in his berserk state, the four remaining Iron Cavalry Squad members suddenly retreated at this moment.

But Lin Xia had only chased two steps before he abruptly stopped.

"Boss, don't fall into an ambush—this raid is too strange, I'm afraid it's a trap."

Hearing his teammate's warning, Lin Xia forcefully restrained his fury and decisively stopped.

Five death trials had taught him what taking one wrong step meant in a competitive environment.

He had to be cautious, ever more cautious, and absolutely could not let rage sway his thinking.

His gaze looked into the distance; after the four Iron Cavalry Squad members had run far away, they suddenly turned around and applauded him:

"Very strong, not bad."

Lin Xia did not reply, fixing the four figures with an icy stare.

His body now exited the berserk state and gradually returned to normal, and a teammate stepped forward and handed him a fresh set of clothes.

In this initial clash, the Iron Cavalry Squad had lost one assassin, but his own squad had lost two powerful close-combat fighters.

Lin Xia's gaze turned to a young figure in the team:

"Night Tiger, what do you say?"

"The roles of those five Iron Cavalry Squad members are respectively: one main melee fighter, two assassins, and two secondary combatants. In terms of ability usage, the warrior who matched the captain head-on should possess a melee-type talent similar to the captain's berserk ability, and the abilities he used should be: Qi and Blood Boiling, Frenzied Bull Charge, Skull-Crushing Strike…"

After hearing his teammate's analysis, the abilities of those five Iron Cavalry Squad members became concrete.

The final conclusion was that all five Iron Cavalry Squad members were slightly weaker than the captain, but all stronger than the other members of their squad.

If every Iron Cavalry Squad member had this level of strength, a direct confrontation would undoubtedly end in their certain defeat.

The Night Tiger in charge of analysis, after completing the ability portrait, said with a smile:

"Of course, Captain, every time you face a desperate situation you can bring out extraordinary strength, so you should be able to take on three of them."

Lin Xia did not answer, watching the departing members of the Iron Cavalry team.

Time passed.

In the subsequent confrontations, the pressure on Lin Xia grew with each passing day.

The Iron Cavalry team gave him the feeling of playing a game, enjoying the confrontation with a cat-and-mouse kind of playful cruelty.

Destroying their confidence through torment and teasing.

Several times they could have killed his teammates who went out to explore the battlefield, yet chose to deliberately let them go.

The same went for the few direct clashes with him—each time they would urgently withdraw when he entered his berserk state, giving him the frustration of having strength he couldn't unleash.

As he gradually came to understand the Iron Cavalry team, the Iron Cavalry team was also constantly learning about their team composition.

The Iron Cavalry team's hidden ranged assassin was like a sword hanging over the team's head, making him dare not easily send out his own support-type players.

Even without striking, it brought extreme pressure.

The more he understood, the more Lin Xia felt the terror of the Iron Cavalry team.

They were like ghosts everywhere on the battlefield, always able to launch attacks unexpectedly.

And the most terrifying thing about the Iron Cavalry team, besides combat ability, was that team members could sacrifice themselves at any time for the advancement of the plan.

For example, in the previous round of combat.

They had finally cornered a member of the Iron Cavalry team, only to receive news at that moment that their rear magic crystal was under attack.

When they killed this Iron Cavalry team member and rushed back, they found their side had already lost 6 support-type players.

Another time, he carefully planned an ambush operation.

He even dispatched part of his forces to feint battlefield activity, while actually circling around a corner of the battlefield piled with wreckage to launch a surprise attack.

He had clearly received teammate intel that Iron Cavalry team members had been deployed.

But when they launched the attack according to plan, they found the Iron Cavalry members who had gone out had all returned, waiting for their assault.

The ambush was easily defused, and this battle cost them another 8 members.

The Iron Cavalry team had only lost two members.

The numerical advantage was constantly narrowing in the contest, their side's advantage was disappearing.

Facing the predicament, Lin Xia chose to take advantage of the remaining numerical superiority, shifting from direct confrontation to tactical operations.

Collect as many resources on the battlefield as possible, enhancing his side's personnel attributes.

But as time went on, Lin Xia found that even in resource collection, his side, despite having the numerical advantage, was falling behind.

Facing the desperate situation, Lin Xia knew he had to make a choice.

There were still five days before the main quest time ended; if the current trend continued, the Iron Cavalry squad's battlefield advantage would only continue to expand.

When the final battle was forcibly initiated, the probability of their failure was very high.

Rather than sit and wait for the opponent to gradually grow stronger, it was better to go all out and risk it.

Bet everything, and have a peak showdown ahead of time.

After sharing this idea with the team members, their thoughts were the same as his.

Facing the Iron Cavalry team's cat-playing-with-mouse tactical operations, their situation when the final battle began would only be worse.

Better to start the final battle early, with the target aimed directly at the Iron Cavalry team's magic crystal.

That night, Lin Xia led the team like a pack of dark night leopards, sprinting swiftly toward the Iron Cavalry team's defense zone.

Under the "Howling Wind Formation" activated by a teammate, the squad members' movement speed kept increasing.

But all the team members' expressions looked Ge Wai Ning Zhong, their hearts pounding like war drums roaring.

They all understood what this battle meant.

Even if they could win, it would inevitably be a pyrrhic victory; the vast majority of their members would sacrifice themselves in this battle.

"If I can survive, I will definitely revive you all."

Lin Xia spoke up at this moment.

He knew what the team members were thinking.

Before the final battle, he had to give the team members the courage to keep fighting.

So "revival" was a very good reason.

In the Death Space there were special items that cost points to revive teammates.

Although among them some teammates he had originally wanted to eliminate, and some teammates he wanted to keep.

But no matter what, he had to give all team members positive feedback, boosting their confidence.

50 minutes later.

Lin Xia led the team members into the Iron Cavalry team's defense zone.

Just as he had imagined, the Iron Cavalry team members were already waiting there.

The leading figure wore a black mask.

With a wave of Lin Xia's hand, the formation spread out.

The turrets in the Iron Cavalry team's defense zone automatically charged, aiming at them.

"Tch, looks like you couldn't wait to die." Standing beside the leading figure, the figure wearing a smiling-face mask jeered.

Lin Xia said nothing, instantly activating the Berserker talent.

Accompanied by surging muscles, his body rapidly grew taller, launching a charge at the Iron Cavalry team with himself as the spearhead.

The great battle was about to erupt.

This was the first time Lin Xia clashed with the Iron Cavalry team's captain.

After only a few exchanges, Lin Xia realized he was completely outmatched in combat technique.

But in terms of raw strength, he had the upper hand.

Ha!

With a fierce roar, Lin Xia lifted the Iron Cavalry captain overhead in the stance of an overlord hoisting a cauldron.

The squad members' strength-buff aura enveloped him at that moment; as his power surged, Lin Xia pressed down with both arms, and his right knee, primed and ready, shot forward like a cannon shell, driving straight into the Iron Cavalry captain's waist and abdomen.

But the Iron Cavalry captain's arms locked tightly around his neck at that instant, his body leaning back to borrow the force, breaking Lin Xia's balance and nullifying his killing blow.

Bang!

A flaming arrow struck his forehead, and Lin Xia stumbled back several steps in a row.

The Iron Cavalry captain seized the opening, drove a fist into his neck, and wrenched free of the restraint the moment Lin Xia's grip slackened.

The two squads' members also clashed at this moment.

But judging by combat power, it was a completely one-sided slaughter.

Apart from him being able to fight the Iron Cavalry players one-on-one, his squad members were simply no match for the Iron Cavalry's members in terms of strength.

Their numbers kept dwindling in the meantime.

And Lin Xia also fell into a situation of being attacked by three people at this moment.

Facing the desperate situation, the ferocity in Lin Xia's heart was activated once again, like a cornered beast, constantly squeezing out his body's hidden potential.

And the three Iron Cavalry members, during their encirclement attack, were also temporarily unable to do anything to Lin Xia, whose defense and stamina were astonishing.

……

One hour later.

Lin Xia, his stamina nearly exhausted, was still holding on; both sides had already suffered more than half casualties.

Lin Xia's figure charged straight toward the magic crystal deep within the defense zone.

He didn't dare look back.

He knew his teammates were being slaughtered by the Iron Cavalry.

This was the final step of the tactic.

The squad members chose to sacrifice themselves, holding back the Iron Cavalry players' assault to buy him time to destroy the magic crystal.

Finally, the magic crystal appeared within his line of sight.

It was a man-tall rhomboid crystal, suspended at the end of the defense zone, its entire body radiating brilliant, dazzling light.

Lin Xia tilted his head back and downed a bottle of potion, forcing himself to hold on as his Berserker mode was about to automatically deactivate, and launched an assault on the magic crystal.

One punch, two punches… energy shards splashed off the magic crystal; Lin Xia was drenched in blood, looking like a maddened demon.

Just then, he suddenly felt the sound of breaking wind rushing toward the back of his head.

He jerked his head violently to the side.

Bang!

That punch slammed into the magic crystal, splashing up multicolored shards.

He turned his head to look — the Iron Cavalry captain was standing right behind him, his face hidden behind a mask, expression unreadable.

Lin Xia twisted his hips to borrow force, drove a fist into the Iron Cavalry captain's chest and sent him flying, then turned around and continued to brutally pummel the magic crystal.

Smack!

Lin Xia's lower stance was swept up, his body tilting.

His reflexes were quick; he propped himself up with one hand, pressed off to borrow force, and after his body flipped through the air, he landed steadily.

The Iron Cavalry captain closed in, both fists facing each other, and both sides stepped back at the same time.

Knowing that if he didn't deal with the Iron Cavalry captain, his plan to destroy the crystal couldn't continue, Lin Xia let out a furious roar and, like a fierce beast, lowered his head and charged.

One punch, two punches, three punches… the ultimate clash of flesh; neither side dodged.

But Lin Xia's fists grew weaker and weaker as the fight went on.

The Berserker state began its countdown; Lin Xia's body visibly shrank, and the fading of his strength made his attacks no longer threatening.

A wave of weakness hit; the next fist he threw was easily caught by the Iron Cavalry captain, who then executed a shoulder throw, hurling him high into the air and slamming him hard onto the ground.

But the attack wasn't over yet — the Iron Cavalry captain, still gripping his right hand, didn't let go and violently yanked him by borrowing the force.

Lin Xia's body immediately spun around, and what came head-on was the Iron Cavalry captain's rising knee strike.

Smack!

Lin Xia's front teeth were shattered; he felt dizzy and his vision blurred, and also smelled the scent of death.

"You lose."

The Iron Cavalry captain released his grip on his hand, and teased in a relaxed tone, but as he spoke he couldn't help but cough violently — clearly also seriously injured.

"I haven't lost!"

Lin Xia, his body trembling, tried to stand up.

To get this far, he had put in countless efforts.

Every time a death trial ended, he had to spend points to go to the training space for high-intensity training, all just to keep on living.

He would not allow himself to fall here.

Even if only one breath remained, he would keep fighting.

Just then, the remaining teammates of the Iron Cavalry also arrived one after another, taking their stand beside the Iron Cavalry captain.

All of his squad members had been wiped out, but the Iron Cavalry still had 7 people left; the outcome of this battle was already clear.

"Heh heh… worthy of being the number-one-ranked Iron Cavalry." Lin Xia struggled to prop himself up, but his eyes still burned with the fighting spirit to continue the battle.

"Kill!"

With a furious roar, Lin Xia launched an assault on the Iron Cavalry captain.

Smack!

But the Iron Cavalry captain raised a foot at that moment, kicking Lin Xia squarely in the abdomen and sending him flying backward several meters.

Yet Lin Xia staggered back to his feet, feeling an endless ball of fury burning in his chest.

The Iron Cavalry chose not to kill him, but kept toying with him the way a cat toys with a mouse—clearly meant as an insult.

Just as Lin Xia drew a deep breath, ready to fight again, he heard one of the teammates beside the Iron Cavalry captain suddenly speak up:

"Captain, enough playing around."

"Mm." The Iron Cavalry captain, called the captain, nodded, then removed his mask, revealing a head of silver-white hair. He looked at Lin Xia, whose fighting spirit still burned, with an appreciative gaze:

"You are a warrior worthy of respect—you never submitted even unto death, your eyes holding nothing but the resolve to die without regret. This round counts as your win."

"What do you mean?" Lin Xia said coldly.

The Iron Cavalry captain turned aside at that moment, clearing a path toward the magic crystal:

"What I mean is, this round, you win."

That answer left Lin Xia stunned.

"Then… what about you all?"

"So many teammates have died—of course we're going home. We don't have time to keep playing with you."

A figure beside the Iron Cavalry captain removed his mask, revealing an aged face, and looked at him with an appreciative gaze as he nodded and spoke.

"Cut the nonsense, hurry up and do it."

Lin Xia didn't understand, but he still wanted to live.

Struggling to his feet, he came before the crystal and slammed his fist down again and again.

Blood flew, thoughts churned.

Just when only the outermost shell of the crystal remained, Lin Xia suddenly stopped, turned his head to look at the Iron Cavalry captain who was yawning:

"If I throw this punch, you'll all die for failing the mission."

"Enough, do it. We're used to dying—one more time won't make a difference." A teammate beside the Iron Cavalry captain urged impatiently.

Though he still didn't understand what those words meant, Lin Xia didn't hesitate—he turned and slammed his fist hard into the crystal.

Crack!

The crystal shattered, and he heard a voice from behind:

"My name is Li Tie. Perhaps we'll have the chance to meet again. Congratulations on clearing it, Resonator."

……

The Zhudian of Bliss.

Staring at the missing resource data, the Lord of Bliss fell into thought.

The Death Space had never malfunctioned.

Yet just now, something unexpected had occurred.

The resources that should have been broken down and reclaimed after the Bliss players failed their trial mission had vanished.

More importantly, the ones that vanished were the squad currently ranked first.

After they died, the enhancement resources spent on them vanished along with them.

Even the consciousnesses of the Iron Cavalry members were gone—they had not been recalled by the consciousness crystal.

This had been a Bliss warrior squad he had high hopes for, one he had placed great expectations on.

He had thought they would become Resonators after this round of trials ended, but instead they failed in a bizarre way, and then vanished just as bizarrely.

The sudden turn of events left the Lord of Bliss dumbfounded.

At the same time, in the minds of the veteran squad members who had returned to the Imperial Tomb Village space, a notification rang out that a hidden mission had been completed.

Each member received over a hundred thousand Shou Shou Jili in gains.

But their figures did not appear at the resurrection point—they were sent straight into the little black room.

(End of chapter)