After Zhou Linlang departed, Yao watched her retreating back for a moment, her own gaze lowering thoughtfully. She leaned her weight against the cool, rough-hewn stone of the wall, a slight exhale escaping her lips. The adrenaline of the confrontation was fading, leaving behind a crystalline clarity and the dull ache of overstrained nerves.
"Young Master Xie." The Economic Division guard, materializing only when summoned, appeared with practiced silence. His voice was a low murmur. "The Arcane Palace sentinels have noted the disturbance. They are approaching." Having delivered his message, he dissolved back into the shadows, a phantom returning to his watch.
Yao, meanwhile, focused on the tiny recording device discreetly mounted on her person. With swift, efficient mental commands via her interface, she edited the captured footage, carefully excising the brief, tell-tale flare of her Arcane Lock. Just as she finalized the clip, a shift in the air, a subtle pressure, announced a new presence. She looked up.
Hovering beyond the platform was an Arcane Palace sentinel. A familiar one.
Sentry Thirteen, from the Jingyang Arcane Palace.
"It's you," Yao remarked, a faint note of genuine surprise coloring her tone. "Promoted, sir?"
"Of a sort." Thirteen's voice was flat, his gaze assessing. "You. Assassination attempt. Again."
"..." Yao met his impassive stare, then lowered her eyes in a deferential nod. Without a word, she transmitted the edited video, providing the necessary context for her defensive actions.
Thirteen glanced at the feed, then at the prestigious academy insignia glowing faintly on Yao's attire. "This zone falls under our observational purview. Do you require a formal investigation?" His offer was procedural. While the Arcane Palace maintained a broad watch, their legal mandate to intervene was discretionary. They could act if they wished, and no official body could refuse, but they were under no obligation to involve themselves in every squabble.
"It's unnecessary. I'll report it to the academy or local authorities later," Yao declined smoothly. Thirteen knew of 'Oxus'—the name was perpetually trending, a topic of heated discussion even among the high nobility. He was aware of the tangled web of troubles the young man seemed to attract. Doubtless, Oxus preferred to avoid the Palace's deeper entanglement. Nodding once, Thirteen said nothing more.
When Yao mentioned her destination was the Arcane Palace itself, Thirteen simply accompanied her, an unspoken escort. He adhered to protocol, asking no questions. At the grand entrance, he watched her disappear into the luminous interior. Other sentinels drifted over, curiosity in their auras.
"Nothing of consequence," Thirteen said. "Just a lad from my old Jingyang stomping grounds. Shows promise."
"Thatone from Jingyang? I've heard the rumors! Old Jingyang must have blessed incense burning day and night. My nephew's at East Glory—says this Oxus is a force of nature, has the entire S-Class on edge. Impressive!"
Thirteen allowed a small smile, biting back a comment about the lad's equally impressive talent for attracting chaos. But a senior sentinel, his demeanor haughty, cut in. "Provincials lack foresight. Tell your hometown boy to watch his step. The Temple has distinguished guests from the upper echelons visiting today. The last thing he should do is cause an offense!"
This sentinel had connections to the Que family, his arrogance well-known. Thirteen wasn't surprised by the condescension, but the warning itself held merit. Unfortunately, Arcane Palace rules strictly forbade guards from privately contacting Arcane Masters within the palace grounds. Ah well,Thirteen thought with internal resignation. Oxus is cunning as a fox. If he truly runs into some dignitary, he'll know how to sidestep trouble… unless the trouble deliberately seeks him out.He shrugged mentally. That was Zhou Miao's headache to manage. Putting it out of mind, Thirteen resumed his watchful stance.
Within the Arcane Palace's vast, echoing halls, Yao moved with purpose, her footsteps silent on the polished, energy-conducting floors. She headed directly for the Dungeon Portal Sector.
The sector hummed with subdued power. Ranks of portals shimmered, categorized into three distinct types. First were the Sanctum-Crafted Dungeons: built by the Temple itself within the Arcane Palace, these were high-safety training grounds designed for testing and tempering, offering modest points ranking rewards. Second were the Sanctum-Managed Wild Dungeons: their entrances were anchored here, leading to actual unstable spaces in the wilds. These served for practical trials and standard conquests, with moderate rewards. The third type was State-Managed Wild Dungeons. Similar to the second, but controlled by various official military or security branches. The Temple's dungeons were often used to screen potential devotees; the state's were simpler—recruitment tools to bolster ranks by eliminating monstrous threats. These dungeons tended to be the most perilous, offering the highest积分 indices.
Yao had already plotted her course, bypassing any need for deliberation. She selected the third category. The interface responded instantly, displaying a filtered list with geographical data and briefings. Distance was irrelevant, thanks to the state-maintained teleportation arrays. Her criteria were specific: a dungeon that would allow her to grind experience, farm积分 for materials, and—critically—provide a plausible reason for her prolonged absence by being notoriously difficult to escape, yet not so lethal as to guarantee her demise.
Her eyes scanned the options, weighing variables with calculated precision. As she hovered over a potential choice, a new entry suddenly flickered onto the list below.
'Deer Origin Mountain Range – Dragon-Armored Stinger Swarm Dungeon.'
Yao blinked. This dungeon… I know it.
Among the countless virtual dungeons she had mastered in her past life, this one stood out. Within Beluke Province, for Arcane Masters between Levels 30-50, it was notorious as one of the three most brutal, dubbed a 'Graveyard Dungeon.' The primary reason? Sheer, overwhelming numbers of Dragon-Armored Stingers. Most teams were overwhelmed before even reaching the sixth layer, let alone the seventh-layer boss. Her memory of it was vivid because a ridiculously wealthy young magnate had once hired her as a consultant. He assembled a small army—a hundred of Beluke's top Level 50 players—and lavished resources on them. Even then, with Yao's meticulous guidance, it had taken three grueling days of relentless combat to achieve clearance.
What left the deepest impression was the boss of the seventh layer: the Dragon-Armored Stinger Queen. Its intelligence rivaled a cunning adult's. It would coordinate swarms remotely, set ambushes, and its elite lieutenants possessed a horrifying ability: upon killing a player, there was a chance they could 'consume and replicate' them, infiltrating the party in disguise to unleash poison and sabotage… Its sheer, multifaceted threat was etched into her memory.
"So its emergence point in this timeline is now…" she mused, a flicker of nostalgia mixed with grim assessment. "The mass assault that cleared it happened about three months later." Her finger, however, tapped the selection decisively. With the complete strategy etched in her mind, she was confident she could conquer it far sooner than three months. More importantly, it perfectly served her secondary need: a convincing 'trap' to explain her disappearance. The ultimate reward for this dungeon was legendary: 'Thousand Birds Returning to the River,' one of Beluke Province's three rarest, top-tier Orange-grade Composite Field Principle Stones, said to appear only once a century.
The name sparked a synaptic connection in her mind. Birdcage… Infinite Flow…An idea, brilliant and daring, collided with her existing plans. Perhaps the old Dean's initial theoretical framework for the 'Infinite Flow' hadn't accounted for a Principle Stone as exalted as this—it was considered virtually unattainable. But Yao felt a fierce certainty. Ican attain it. If she succeeded, her still-evolving Infinite Flow technique could ascend to an entirely new level. Furthermore, the dungeon's spatial stability and the Stinger Queen's potent life force made it an ideal 'pressure cooker' for her risky ocular gene fragment assimilation plan.
Her decision was final. As she approached the designated portal, a ripple of commotion drew her attention. Down a distant, opulently adorned corridor, a procession moved. High-ranking Arcane Palace officials from Beluke were escorting several figures adorned in distinct orange robes. Among them was a woman of striking, cold beauty. Her expression held a haughty aloofness, her gaze sharp and dismissive. It swept over Yao's direction, registering only another anonymous figure entering a dungeon portal before looking away.
One of the Beluke officials, perhaps seeking conversation or wishing to showcase local talent, smiled obsequiously. "Your Excellency the Attendant, are you interested in that one? That's Oxus, one of our province's rare geniuses. Recently, he has—"
"Who?" The woman cut him off, her tone disinterested.
"Oxus, he—"
"Bao Li," she interrupted again, her voice like chilled glass. "Spend more time looking beyond your borders. The term 'genius' is not to be applied lightly."
Bao Li flushed, the rebuff stinging. He dipped his head in apology. The other officials exchanged uneasy glances. This Attendant from the upper Temple was as formidable and ill-tempered as reputed. As one of the 148 Imperial Attendants—super-geniuses selected from across the empire, the future cadre of Temple Executives—her arrogance was a given. Compared to her, Beluke's local stars likely didseem mundane. It wasn't pure contempt, but a frigid perspective from a far higher altitude.
Once the inspection party moved on to their secured lodgings, two officials, Bao Li included, retreated to an office, the door sealing behind them with a sigh of relief. "Of all the people they could send, why her?" one grumbled, pouring a drink. "Everyone knows she's the haughtiest, coldest, and most self-serving of the Attendants, groveling only before the Divine Scions and Daughters. Did you see her? Scornful of our 'backwater,' yet keenly inquiring about which dungeons have yielded treasures… disgusting."
"Hush! Lower your voice," Bao Li warned, though he shared the sentiment. "You know the Temple's structure. Beyond the formal Executive ranks, the Attendants are the future. Aside from the nine Divine Scion Attendants, they hold the brightest prospects. Arrogance comes with the territory."
Bao Li sighed. "I just hope our Beluke talents prove themselves. Maybe one day, one of them will earn an Attendant's rank."
"I hope for more," the other muttered. "I hope for one who not only becomes an Attendant but becomes so brilliant that all four Imperial Ministries and the Violet-Blood families scramble to recruit them. I heard the Dean of East Glory suddenly took on a personal disciple recently. Death-affinity. The Principle aptitude is terrifying. And an orphanage background—imagine the progress with real resources. Might even touch the threshold…"
"We can hope."
Neither mentioned Oxus again. Oxus's current fame stemmed from tactical brilliance. But at the highest tiers, you needed the foundational, monstrous talent and raw power first. Strategy was the lever, but you needed a place to stand. The cleverest ant cannot shake an ancient tree.
Within the Dungeon: Deer Origin Mountain Range.
Teleported in under a different guise, Yao found herself amidst a bleak, withered landscape. The very life force of the mountains seemed sucked dry, leaving behind skeletal trees and grey, crumbling earth. A steady stream of Arcane Masters was converging on the entrance nexus.
"Whoa, player cap is 1000? Packed house!"
"Look at the tier—Peak Blue. Recommended level: 45. Non-45s advised against. That's a high bar. You think they'd open it to fewer and just send us to slaughter?"
"Move it! Only 200 slots left!"
Yao knew she was catching the first wave. But a detail snagged her analyst's mind. Dragon-Armored Stingers were Spirit-Devourers. They consumed energy and vitality, hence the desolation. But if this dungeon had just manifested, why would the state department be in such a hurry to publicly issue it, soliciting independent forces? Dungeons were state resources. They never outsourced what they could handle themselves.
If they had, it meant one of two things: they genuinely couldn't handle it, or they were critically short-handed.
Since when was the state short-handed?
A cold realization dawned. The Economic Division's maneuvers… Beluke Province was preparing for a major storm. Official forces were likely being concentrated, drawn away for some looming operation, leaving no spare capacity to deal with troublesome dungeons. Hence the public release.
Just how big is this storm?she wondered. A final showdown with TK? A resurgence of the Heretics? The deeper she was pulled in, the more she sensed the scale. The promised rewards had better be commensurate with the vortex she was entering.
Ding!She confirmed entry, becoming one of the thousand. The moment she materialized, a crawling sensation assaulted her. Looking down, she saw dozens of fist-sized, chitinous insects already clambering over the protective aura of her Orange-grade gear, their razor-sharp mandibles scraping and testing the energy field. These were the juveniles. In a few days, they would grow to the size of large dogs, their levels spiking. And the numbers… Yao lifted her gaze. The mountainsides weren't grey with rock; they were a shifting, clicking, living carpet of chitin.
Perfect.This dungeon was convincingly, gloriously overwhelming. It would sell her 'trapped' story flawlessly.
"A month should suffice. Clear this, then return for the second quarterly assessment…" she calculated, even as she joined the chaotic surge of Arcane Masters wading into the seething swarm, blades flashing, spells erupting.
The portal continued to admit players until, finally:
"Ding. Dungeon participant limit reached. Celestial Veil engaged. May fortune favor you."
Twenty Days Later.
Yao emerged from the third eastern tunnel of the fifth layer, a solitary figure coated in dried ichor and reeking of decay. Her level now read 35. The swarm was endless. Her unique stamina and self-sustaining abilities—using looted potions, then crafting her own from harvested materials when supplies ran low—allowed her to operate like a perpetual engine of destruction. While others needed to rest, regroup, and heal, she pushed on, a one-woman grinding machine.
Twenty days of non-stop combat had honed her 'Infinite Flow' technique from theory into brutal, reflexive practice. Her combat instincts, her understanding of Arcane Principles, every facet of her being was being tempered in this forge of perpetual violence. Practical combat was the ultimate crucible.
She had long lost count of her kills. Ten thousand? Likely more.
"Finally, the sixth layer," she breathed, the dank, metallic air of the tunnel a familiar taste. "Easier back then, with the magnate's private army. Cleared to this point in a day." A pang of nostalgia touched her—mostly for the astronomical fee and the perpetual royalty stream from the strategy guide. The virtual era of Arcane Thronehad been phenomenally lucrative.
Stepping into the vast cavern of the sixth layer, she halted. She wasn't alone.
A team of seven or eight was already there. And they were instantly recognizable.
Wuxu of South Dawn Academy was hard to miss, as was the tiny, piratically-dressed mouse perched on his shoulder. In his group were Carolodiel from East Glory and Yun Zhuzhu from West Jin Academy.
Well, this is unexpected,Yao thought. But it made sense. Students of their caliber wouldn't idle at the academy; they'd be pushing their limits in high-risk dungeons like this, timing their return for the next assessment.
They were equally surprised to see a solo player reach this depth. Almost simultaneously, other tunnel mouths disgorged five more teams, and another solo player—a nondescript youth with a face so cold it seemed carved from glacial ice, radiating an aura of profound disinterest.
These were the elite of the initial thousand. Most were in sizeable groups. A renowned Beluke dungeon-crawler known as 'Elixir' was present—a Level 50 master Toxicologist whose potent brews and tactical mind allowed him to command a small army of nearly a hundred followers. His arrival shifted the dynamics. His gaze swept over Yao, Wuxu's small team, and the other loners, a frown etching his features.
Elixir spoke first, his voice carrying authority. "The sixth layer. It will not be forgiving. Cooperation increases survivability."
"A sound notion," another team leader, 'Riverrun,' smiled, though his eyes were sharp. "But who leads?"
Elixir's gaze hardened. "What do you think?"
Carolodiel, never one for diplomacy, snorted. "We're here for conquest, not a safety committee. Go your own way. Merit decides the spoils."
Wuxu chuckled, swallowing a rejuvenation pill. "Unless you all agree to follow mylead. Then I might… consider it."
The academy students, their identities plain, radiated the confidence of their institutions. Yao, however, was preoccupied. A faint, sub-audible vibration was traveling through the stone beneath her feet. Not sound. A spatial tremor.
No.
Her head snapped up. "The Stingers are molting—unfolding wings! Scatter, NOW!!"
Her shout was laced with genuine alarm. She didn't wait, diving into the nearest narrow passage and propelling herself forward with explosive speed. The others reacted a heartbeat later, just as the air in the main cavern ripped. From fissures in the walls and ceiling, a new horror emerged. Gone were the crawling, jumping insects. These were 45 – Level Winged Dragon-Armored Stingers, each radiating Blue-tier menace. Five, six hundred of them poured forth in the first wave, moving not like insects but like living, chitinous artillery shells. The cavern became a deafening storm of shrieking metal and concussive impacts.
Yao fled, her mind racing even faster than her feet. This is wrong! The winged variant isn't supposed to appear until the seventh layer! What changed? What caused this mutation?Her entire strategy, built on past knowledge, was suddenly obsolete. She was blind.
Forcing calm into her veins, she navigated the maze-like tunnels not just to escape, but with a new goal. She needed to find the primary breeding pit in this layer. The answer to the mutation might be there. She also noted, with a clinician's cold observation, that the other icy solo player had vanished even before her warning. Had he simply eschewed company, or had he sensed the anomaly even sooner? Not someone to underestimate.
Fifteen minutes later – The Breeding Pit.
Her memory, honed by countless virtual campaigns, served her true. She burst into a colossal, reeking cavern. And stared.
In her past life, the pit here was a twenty-meter-wide depression of bones and ooze. Now, it was a gaping, three-hundred-meter-wide abyss. The mountain of skeletal remains was still there, but beneath it, glinting ominously, was a river of liquid metal. It flowed into the pit via subterranean channels, its potent metallic essence supercharging the decaying biomass, accelerating the Stingers' growth and evolution.
Yao extended a tendril of light, drawing a minuscule sample of the molten stream. Analyzing it, her expression turned grave. Extremely high metallic concentration, but the composition was impure, a crude alloy.
"Industrial-scale steel smelting?" she whispered. "The volume required… and the signature… it's common steel." A dreadful suspicion ignited. Steel? Ruins? Recent events…
She pulled up a stored imperial geological map on her communicator. Simultaneously, she sent probing filaments of light into the underground channels, tracing the liquid metal's source. Mapping the flow against the topography…
The trajectory led to a location roughly fifty kilometers away.
"The Steel Forest ruins… The subterranean veins connect to the Miasma River. The water table would mask the energy signature… This area is remote. Without on-site investigation, no one would detect someone using metallurgic Arcana to melt down the scrap from the Steel Forest and pump it here, to this ancient battlefield…" Her thoughts raced, piecing together a horrifying logic. "The target isn't just boosting this dungeon. This isthe battlefield from the Heretics' war a decade ago. Dragon-Armored Stingers are Spirit-Devourers. The energy they consume can be channeled, offered… Someone is trying to resurrect a Heretics' leader who fell here."
The butterfly effect was now a tidal wave. Qin Minfeng's death had altered TK's intelligence, changing their plans, which affected Zhou Linlang's infiltration, the Economic Division's countermoves, and now, the stirrings of the Heretics. This dungeon was no longer the controlled challenge from her memory. It was a mutated, supercharged trap, its Stinger population multiplied tenfold, its Queen undoubtedly more terrifying, and a shadowy Heretics necromancer likely waiting in the seventh layer with a slumbering, soon-to-be-awakened monstrosity.
All her prior assumptions were ash. She had to start from scratch. And her current strength was insufficient.
As she stood there, recalculating every variable, a solution began to form. She focused, her body shimmering as she activated a high-level mimicry skill. Her form shrank, twisted, her aura dampened to near nothingness. In moments, a small, unremarkable Dragon-Armored Stinger skittered to the edge of the metal river and slipped into the viscous flow, letting the current pull it into the subterranean channel. She would follow the metal to its source.
Just as she submerged, a presence entered the cavern behind her. Someone else had found the pit, arriving mere moments after her discovery.
Yao's insectoid senses registered the intrusion. What?Her route here relied on years-old memorized data. For someone else to navigate the sixth-layer labyrinth and find this critical location so quickly… Was there another genius of unparalleled skill here? Or… did this person also possess prior knowledge of the dungeon's layout?
The latter possibility struck her like a lightning bolt, sending a jolt of adrenaline so sharp it felt like her heart might crack her ribs. Could it be? Was it possible…?