After nearly half an hour, A Fei was finally brought back.
Including A Fei, there were only four people left in the room.
"The person who tripped you up made it to the end." A Fei answered directly with this sentence.
"Do you know his identity?" Li Xiu asked again.
"Not an administrator, but probably related to Old Gu. I saw Old Gu beaming as he took him away," A Fei said after thinking about it.
"Does Old Gu want to kill me? Probably not." Li Xiu shook his head, dismissing the idea.
Old Gu now held the power over life and death at the Abyss Base. If Old Gu wanted to kill him, there was no need to make it so complicated. There were much simpler and more direct ways.
Without more information, Li Xiu couldn't make an effective judgment; he could only keep the question in mind for now.
"Why did you help me today?" Li Xiu brought up old matters, speaking softly with A Fei.
"Since the administrator targeted you, it indicates you're not aligned with Old Gu. If you and I join forces, maybe we'll have a better chance of survival," A Fei said.
"Do you suspect Old Gu?"
"Don't you? The passage being destroyed by Demon Spirits might just be an excuse. The administrator entering the trial could mean he wants to eliminate all the Trial Takers forced to come here," A Fei said coldly.
"What's the reason?" Li Xiu looked at A Fei's scarred face that appeared somewhat fierce. The ugly scars couldn't hide her intelligence and strengths.
"I'm not quite sure, but there's a possibility," A Fei seemed hesitant, not directly voicing her suspicions.
Li Xiu quietly watched A Fei without speaking, waiting for her to make her decision.
"Maybe Old Gu has already discovered the secret of the Sea Heaven Trial Ground," A Fei stared at Li Xiu for a long time before finally revealing a secret.
The Blue Stone Gate was discovered three years ago, and A Fei was among the first batch of Trial Takers to arrive here.
In these nearly three years, A Fei has participated in over a hundred trials. If her survival now depended on her own strength, then three years ago, as an ordinary weak girl, how could she possibly have survived such brutal trials time and time again?
Li Xiu had previously questioned this issue. After three years and over a hundred enhancements, A Fei's physical condition shouldn't be in its current state. It should be at least stronger than ordinary administrators.
The answer A Fei provided surprised Li Xiu a bit.
"The Trial Project within the Trial Grounds changes randomly, with S-grade being the highest and E-grade the lowest. The Sea Heaven Trial Ground usually only has E-grade and D-grade trials, at most a C-grade. Occasionally, B-grade and A-grade trials appear, but in very special times, an S-grade trial emerges. If one can reach the end of that S-grade trial, there's a chance to obtain a special S-grade skill reward... Abstention..." A Fei's voice lowered further: "Once a trial begins, normally the Trial Taker must complete it. Abandoning it means accepting the penalty for failing the trial. But those who possess the Abstention Skill can choose to abstain after the trial has started. Though they won't receive any rewards, they can leave the Trial Ground alive without facing any punishment."
"When I first entered the Trial Ground, I was fortunate enough to make it to the end and got the Abstention Skill. Now, you know why I can survive until now. Every time I encounter a trial I can't complete, I use the Abstention Skill, allowing me to survive up to now," A Fei sighed.
Li Xiu immediately understood A Fei's implication. Abstention, this skill could essentially be described as a Divine Skill.
Inside the Trial Gate, there are countless dangers, and even top Trial Takers can't guarantee they'll make it through each test alive.
Owning the Abstention Skill is equivalent to having an Immunity Token; such a skill would tempt any powerful person as it's a capability that could influence global dynamics.
If Old Gu and the forces behind him really learned that the Sea Heaven Trial Ground could yield such a skill, they would undoubtedly block all information at the first opportunity, never allowing any outsider to obtain this news.
Therefore, they couldn't let anyone leave Abyss Base. Everyone would be silenced, forced to continually enter the Trial Gate, merely to squeeze out their last remaining value.
"Based on my three years of experience, that S-grade trial appears roughly once every six months. If my calculations are correct, according to Old Gu, during our sixth entry into the Sea Heaven Trial Ground, we'll just happen to encounter that S-grade trial," A Fei continued.
"How did you previously hide this from Old Gu and the others?" Li Xiu asked.
"I didn't hide, couldn't hide. The more Abstentions I used, the more likely others participating in the trial together would notice. Old Gu and his team have long known I could abstain and survive the trials. They kept me around just to figure out in which trial I gained this ability," A Fei declared resolutely: "Now it seems they have figured it out. If they succeed in completing the sixth trial and attain the Abstention Skill, I have no further use, only a dead end. So I must seek a way to survive. My power alone is limited, but there are few I can choose from, and even fewer who can help me—choosing you was out of necessity."
"Can you tell me exactly what kind of trouble you caused outside, or perhaps what debt you owe that hasn't been settled in three years?" Li Xiu asked an unrelated question.
"That has nothing to do with our cooperation," A Fei replied coldly.
"Alright, then tell me how exactly we should cooperate? You're not a naive woman; naturally, you should understand that with just our strength, we're no match for Old Gu and his team. Even with ten or twenty of us, we couldn't win, not to mention that Old Gu has two Magic Armor Masters on his side."
"So we have only one chance, to take care of Old Gu and his team during the trial. Old Gu and some of his trusted aides will definitely participate personally in that trial; that's when we'll have our chance. Such a secret, even on Old Gu's side, not many people will know. I suspect perhaps only Old Gu himself knows. Once he's dead, no one in the base will know they're all to be silenced. If we escape the Abyss Base before the forces behind Old Gu arrive, we have a chance to survive. This is also our only chance to live," A Fei emphasized repeatedly that it was their only opportunity.
"What if there's someone else on Old Gu's side who knows this secret?" Li Xiu asked.
"How will we know if we don't try?" A Fei's gaze was firm; she wasn't someone who would easily waver.
"Alright, then tell me, what kind of trial is it exactly?" Li Xiu was also somewhat curious about that S-grade trial.