"What is this... a cultivation instruction manual?" Han Feng questioned as he stared at the screen before him.
Suddenly, a transcendent voice echoed through everyone's ears—a world announcement.
「Dimension 180T has been selected by the Immortal Gods for testing. Pitiful mortals of Earth, prove that you can ascend through the Tower of Cultivation and become Immortal.」
「Quest: Kill two living organisms to prove your worth.」
「Time left: 40 minutes.」
「Failure: Death.」
The bus was suddenly filled with worry.
"Kill two living organisms? Are they telling us to kill each other?"
"What kind of joke is this?"
"What are we going to do?"
Suddenly, Su Yan opened the news on her notepad. A reporter began to report the ongoing events.
"Citizens of the Republic of China, we've seen the obelisk that has emerged from the ground above. We do not know what is happening, but I assure you that the government is working tirelessly to resolve this issue."
"You should note that this is a worldwide crisis, unlike anything human civilization has seen before. Some may even call this a fictional world."
Just then, before the reporter could finish, his head exploded like a watermelon, blood scattering across the screens.
"Did he just explode?" Su Yan gasped, her expression drenched with fear and trepidation. 'What will happen to us once our time is over? Will we also die like the reporter?'
Han Yi Feng tapped Su Yan on the shoulder. "Miss Su," he said, his face betraying no emotion. "We have to get off this bus; otherwise, we could end up like the reporter you just saw."
[Activating Manual Trait: Cold Mind]
Though he didn't understand what Cold Mind was, this gift, given to him by the author, suppressed some of Han Yi Feng's fear and made him more calculative. However, it didn't mean his fear was entirely gone.
The world outside the bus had turned chaotic. Beasts from nowhere began slaughtering humans. They resembled wolves from horror movies but were fundamentally different. Their fangs were as sharp as steel, but it wasn't impossible for a normal human to kill them.
Seeing this, Han Yi Feng hesitated about going outside. 'Is going outside the right choice?' he pondered as he stared out the window.
Suddenly, a shout erupted from inside the bus.
"Please don't kill me!" an old lady cried, injured and lying on the bus floor. Her wrinkled hands trembled as she raised them in vain.
"What do you mean, 'don't kill me'? Can't you see the world has changed? If I don't kill you, how will I leave?" a man said with a menacing smile, holding what appeared to be a small dagger.
"After I kill you, I should kill another one of you. That should complete the mission, right?"
Without any further ado, the man lunged and stabbed the old woman, killing her instantly.
Everyone was in shock. Su Yan specifically vomited inside the bus; this was her first time witnessing another human killed right before her eyes.
"Hey, if you want to kill someone, there are wolves outside," someone shouted. "Why not go out there? Once this is over, you'll be under arrest."
The bus fell silent as two men prepared to fight. A psychopath—there was no better word to describe this kind of person. Yet, these individuals were precisely what the cultivation tower needed. In a world where people were no longer afraid of killing—where anyone could die at any moment—Han Yi Feng's thoughts turned brutal. If he attempted to help or confront the man, he risked death, especially since he had no martial arts training. But remaining inside posed its own danger, as they might die from the vicious beasts outside.
The bus was protected by the tower as long as humans remained inside, so for now, there was no need to fear the outside world.
'At this point, shouldn't the main character be done with his quest? Why am I not seeing him?' Han Yi Feng glanced around, but he couldn't find the person he had been looking for in the chaos.
'No, there has to be a way out. I can't die like this. The tower doesn't give anything out for free—not even weapons for the test. And the test said to kill two living organisms.
Then, a realization struck him
'That's it!!'
'A living organism—bugs can also be considered living organisms, but will I be able to find two bugs inside a bus?'
Suddenly, another man yelled, "I can't get out! The bus is locked from the outside!"
The man in the black business suit with a straight bow tie shouted in disbelief, causing everyone to realize that they would have to become killers, one way or another.
Han Yi Feng rushed to the ground and began searching for insects. Fortunately, he found two baby cockroaches and killed them immediately.
[ Ding! ]
[ You have completed the quest: Prove Your Worth. ]
[ You are the first to complete this task in your section. ]
[ You have gained 200x spirit stones ]
[ Your Reward: 400x Spirit Stones. ]
[ Your class will be assigned once you pass the second trial. ]
"It worked," Han Yi Feng said with a gentle smile.
He then stood up and shouted, "Hey everyone, attention! Can I have your attention, please?"
"The world message didn't say that living organisms were the only things we could kill, right?" He opened his hands in a gesture of sincerity. "Look, I found a cockroach here, which means there's probably a colony nearby. Please find a cockroach and kill it instead."
"Please remember, killing more will not reward you with more, so if you find four, allow your neighbor to have some too. Also, the fewer people that die in here, the lower the risk our next trial will be compared to the current one."
Suddenly, everyone began to scream and search under bus seats for insects. The bus became increasingly chaotic. Han Yi Feng watched from beside the door as if he was waiting for someone.
Deep down, he didn't share the information out of empathy. No, that kind of character does not exist in the Tower of Cultivation. He was not a hero.
If more than ninety percent of the people were to die in a section, then the second test would become even more difficult—unless the main character from the novel showed up to fight off all the predators outside the bus.
Su Yan suddenly killed two cockroaches, although she was clearly terrified.
The man who had killed the old woman roared in rage, "Why do I have to look for a cockroach when I could just kill another person inside the bus?"
'This guy might be trouble. What if he tries to kill me when we're fighting outside?' Han Yi Feng thought as he looked at him. No. His heartbeat raced with fear. 'I will not allow this man to kill even a cockroach.'
Suddenly, Han Yi Feng summoned his courage and kicked the man in the back as hard as he could. The middle-aged man tumbled down the aisle of the bus, banging his leg on one of the seats. Han Yi Feng then picked up a dagger to test its sharpness with his finger. 'Hmm, this is sharp enough. I have to do everything I can to survive this trial at least.'
"Hey, what are you doing?" the man yelled as he stood up from the floor, his face painted with anger. He wore a long-sleeved shirt striped in blue and white, and his jeans were partially torn. A gangster.
"Are you crazy?" he said, moving closer to Han Yi Feng.
Yet Han Yi Feng didn't feel any trace of fear. In fact, he believed he could handle him. "Are you sure you want to fight me right now? Just look at the time left on the blue screen hovering above you."
[00:01:00]
Only one minute was left. The man began to frantically search for insects, fear creeping into his expression.
"Damn that bastard—I swear, I will kill him!"
Suddenly, Han Yi Feng looked around; everyone else seemed to have found at least two insects to kill. The only exception was the man scrambling on the floor like a beggar.
However, he spotted a kid sitting peacefully with a jar filled with insects amid the chaos. Desperation seized him, and he rushed to grab the jar from the child. "Hey kid, hand over the jar!"
Seeing this, Han Yi Feng rushed to protect the child. "You take one more step, and I will slit your throat. You better find your own insects."
The man yelled back, "Can't you see? Time is running out! If I don't kill an insect, I will surely die. Please help me!"
His face was filled with fear, and his heartbeat quickened.
'What do I do?' He knelt and begged. 'Please, I beg of you.'
He looked truly pitiful, but no one came forward to vouch for him due to his past actions against the old lady.
[00:00:03]
[00:00:02]
[00:00:01]
[00:00:00]
"Rest in peace."
The man's head exploded suddenly, just like that of the reporter before him. Han Yi Feng stared at his trembling hand. 'I have killed a person, nonetheless.'
Suddenly, a blue screen appeared.
[Activating Cultivation Instruction Manual]
[You have found a side character.]
[Name: Zhou Yun]
Age: 13 / 89
Class: None
Race: Human
Cultivation Realm: Mortal
Spirit Roots: Water spirit roots (S) (sealed)
Traits: None
Techniques: None
Divine Abilities: None
Sponsors: None
Spirit Stones: 200
Emotional State: Alone / Scared
Potential: (AA+) A kid with beast-taming potential, left alone to suffer in a cruel world. Would you let such a kid continue to suffer?
There are two possible routes: He might become a villain if left unchecked. ]