The sky was just beginning to lighten, the morning mist still lingering as the test takers, in small groups, shouldered their tools and headed toward the city wall.
This level of diligence directly overwhelmed the original NPCs.
After all, the test takers possessed divine power; even if their way of thinking was often peculiar, both their energy and ability far surpassed that of ordinary humans.
Not to mention the blessing of heavenly techniques—once they got serious, the efficiency of repairing the city wall visibly skyrocketed.
The test takers who had completed the special missions quickly formed deep friendships.
“Lin Zhao!”
Early in the morning, A Nan forcefully dragged his brother-in-arms Lin Zhao out of bed. The two prepared their tools and, familiar with the route, made their way to the section of damaged wall they had been responsible for the previous day.
A Nan, being strong, was responsible for clearing the collapsed rubble and mixing mortar.
Lin Zhao, on the other hand, used his divine power to work miracles, directly moving giant stone blocks.
The two worked in perfect sync, and in no time, they had repaired a large stretch of the wall.
The test takers who hadn’t done the mission were the exact opposite.
A test taker with half a hard cornbread wedge in his mouth, squatting in a corner to catch the sun, elbowed the companion beside him.
“Hey, Lao Wang, look at those guys. This is really strange…”
“They’re all starting to repair the wall? And sincerely at that?”
Lao Wang didn’t understand, but he was greatly shocked.
“Yeah, yesterday those guys were squatting here with us, complaining that fixing this damn wall was useless.”
“But after finishing the mission, today they’re like completely different people.”
The two exchanged glances, then looked at the dry, inedible rations in their hands, and finally wavered.
“Lao Wang, how about we give it a try too?”
The situation was practically one-sided; more and more test takers were repairing the wall.
Those who were slacking off instead stood out like cranes among chickens, feeling out of place.
“Fucking hell, it’s completely upside down.”
Lao Wang viciously bit off the last bite of cornbread, grinding his teeth: “Go! We must go!”
“There must be some benefit we don’t know about.”
“And I can’t stand this crappy food another day. Didn’t they say that completing that mission would help find a way to clear the dungeon?”
“Clear it fast! Get out of this damn place!”
“Tell me…” A Nan, while clearing a large area, couldn’t help but ask, “Who exactly is behind this mission?”
Lin Zhao wiped his sweat. He had some guesses and whispered, “I was probably the first to take that mission.”
“At that time, the team leader who took me was surnamed Su, named Su Changying.”
Hearing this, A Nan paused his actions, eyes wide: “Su…”
“Could it be… that Su Fu?!”
“The Su Fu who activated the Torch Trial?!”
The two exchanged glances, seeing the understanding in each other’s eyes.
The more they thought about it, the more possible it seemed.
She was the one who directly activated the Torch Invitation. Perhaps she was especially in tune with the dungeon, and thus came up with such a ‘heart-stabbing’ method to crack it.
Completely reasonable.
They both sighed. They didn’t actually hate her that much; after all, these past few days had been enough to figure some things out.
The method might be harsh, but perhaps this was the true way to clear the dungeon.
“But this is too ruthless!” A Nan couldn’t help but click his tongue. “The price… is that it stabbed all of us to death once.”
“If I had been any more fragile back then, I would have been stabbed silly!”
“Yeah,” Lin Zhao smiled bitterly. “It’s really ruthless.”
“But what can I say? It’s indeed effective.”
“So, the core of this dungeon must be that Great Wall.”
“But the difference is, we must understand its true meaning and truly embrace it from the depths of our hearts.”
“Once our brains came online, many things we couldn’t figure out before, or were too disdainful to think about, suddenly became clear.”
“How to clear it?”
“United in purpose, united in heart, turning this stone-built Great Wall into one forged by everyone’s spiritual will.”
‘It really is a Torch Dungeon!’ both thought simultaneously.
“I’m in awe! Who could have thought of this way to clear it?”
“So, this proves even more that it was Su Fu’s doing,” A Nan asserted. “It could only be her.”
“So that means… this is very likely a dungeon of Chinese Civilization?” Lin Zhao suddenly realized.
“Everyone knows Su Fu is from the Chinese Pantheon. Her deep understanding indicates that this dungeon is definitely related to China.”
A Nan nodded silently, his gaze sweeping over the endless Great Wall.
“Actually, over the past few days, I’ve asked many veteran NPCs in the camp.”
“They say this Great Wall was overseen and built by the Qin Dynasty general Meng Tian.”
“That general was also a ruthless man. It’s said he used troops like a god, striking the Xiongnu in the north, recovering lost territory, and preventing the barbarians from daring to come south and graze their horses.”
“His achievements are in no way inferior to the young divine general Huo Qubing we saw.”
“So impressive?” Lin Zhao was shocked. “Not only can he lead troops in battle, but he can also build such a magnificent military project.”
“Yes,” A Nan continued. “But the one who actually ordered the entire nation’s strength to be poured into building this wall stretching ten thousand li was the First Emperor, Ying Zheng, known as the ruler through the ages.”
“Ying Zheng? What boldness…” Lin Zhao murmured. “If there were a dungeon about him, I’d really like to see it for myself.”
“Called the First Emperor through the ages, what a sight he must have been!”
“Right?” A Nan said with deep feeling. “I also want to see what Chinese Civilization was like in his era.”
For the first time, the two developed a strong curiosity about that distant and glorious Chinese Civilization.
They wanted to see for themselves, to experience firsthand what a completely different civilization it was.
At the same time, Su Fu had just seen off the last batch of test takers who had taken the mission.
With this, the plan was basically complete.
She couldn’t help but sigh, “As expected of students selected by Genesis Academy, their mentality and tolerance are really quite good.”
Even she hadn’t expected the effect of this plan to be so good.
“Who would have thought?” Chesia, who had witnessed everything these past few days, said.
These prodigies went from initial arrogance and disobedience, to being disheartened after completing the mission, then to sudden realization, and finally actively throwing themselves into the wall-repairing cause.
“I think, facing such scenes of separation between life and death firsthand, it’s hard for anyone not to be moved.”
“Moreover, they are all smart people.”
Su Fu smiled slightly. “True.”
“Although everyone has their own methods, those chosen to participate in the Torch Trial definitely aren’t stupid.”
“So after going through this, as long as they weren’t made of stone, they could basically vaguely guess what this dungeon is testing.”
“Combined with the previous test takers’ states and performances, the idea for clearing the dungeon was obvious.”
“Thus, Su Fu’s ‘send everyone a death letter’ plan was implemented incredibly smoothly.”
“Of course, in that process, maybe the test takers also mixed in a little bit of… malicious fun.”
“They wanted others to personally experience that feeling of ‘ice-cold heart, soaring spirit’.”
“In any case, it really went quite smoothly.”
“Fortunately, although these guys have their own flaws, when it comes to the critical moment, they aren’t bad teammates.”
Just then, Shen Yan’s voice suddenly rang out.
Retreat!
[Announcement: Great Wall Vigil area repair progress has reached 90%.]
[All test takers, fearless in hardship, united in purpose, your will to protect our homeland is commendable and moving.]
[Next phase mission unlocked: The Final Battle.]
[Mission description: Take flesh as the wall, will as the flame; in the midst of desperation, forge the never-falling Great Wall of Ten Thousand Li, guard the Torch!]
[Hint: When the wall repair progress reaches 100%, the Anomaly will launch its final assault. This battle determines life or death; there is no retreat.]
Su Fu’s expression turned serious. She whispered, “It’s here.”
“The moment to test the final results has come.”
“Then… can we succeed?” Chesia became nervous instead. “If we fail and can’t stop it, will we have to restart the cycle?”
Su Fu was silent for a moment, then shook her head.
“It probably won’t succeed.”
“Unlimited revival is not a reward; it’s a reminder.”
“It means that from the very beginning, Divine Movement never expected us to clear it in one go.”
“Huh?!” Chesia was stunned. “Then what do we do?”
“We worked so hard to finish the Great Wall, and as soon as it’s done, those Anomalies destroy it again…”
“Watching all our efforts go to waste, and then having to start all over again…”
“The Test Takers’ mentality would collapse!”
Su Fu sighed. “What else? Did you think the Torch Dungeon would be easy?”
“It’s not just the Great Wall Vigil; I’m afraid the Foggy Orphan City and The Coming Winter dungeons won’t be resolved in a single simple cycle either.”
She paused, then changed the subject. “But there is a way to clear it.”
“But for sure, they have to experience destruction once to really remember.”
Chesia gasped. “You’re too ruthless!”
“This isn’t just memorable; they’ll probably remember it for a lifetime.”
“Big devil! Heartless!”
“Devil?” Su Fu raised an eyebrow, looking at Chesia with a half-smile.
“And you, the Serpent of Temptation, dare to call me that?”
She said sternly, “If it weren’t for me, these Test Takers would have gone through countless cycles, witnessing the fall of their country and the death of their families time and again.”
“Who knows how many times they’d despair before they could even reach the safety behind the Great Wall?”
“By then, they might have died countless times before suddenly realizing that each death corresponds to the breaking of a family.”
“Or even that in a certain cycle, the veteran who fought shoulder to shoulder with them like a brother might actually be their previous character’s brother or father.”
“That’s what real despair is.”
“And the true history is even crueler than what can be experienced in this dungeon.”
Chesia listened with a heavy heart. “…You make even me look at the Great Wall with a filter.”
Just then, Shen Yan’s second update arrived:
[Notice: The Torch Trial Online Channel is now fully open!]
[Test Takers from different trial zones can now communicate without barriers.]
[Please work together to complete the final dungeon strategy!]
[Current progress updates for each trial zone are as follows:]
[1. Foggy Orphan City – Exploration Progress: 50%]
[2. The Coming Winter – Exploration Progress: 60%]
[3. Great Wall Vigil – Repair Progress: 90%]
[Tip: When all trial zone strategies are completed, a corresponding “Torch Path” trial review video will be generated based on the comprehensive performance of Test Takers in each zone.]
[For all participants to commemorate and review together.]
Su Fu saw the last tip and couldn’t help but pause.
“Wait… commemorate and review together?”
“Holy cow, it’s a public execution?”
“Just like the scenes she saw when she first entered the dungeon?”
“Shen Yan will show the entire strategy process for everyone to see?”
‘Playing that big of a game…’ Su Fu thought. ‘When the videos of the three dungeons are compared side by side, it’ll really be a public execution.’
‘Hmm…’
‘This way, everyone can truly know what happened in the other dungeons.’
‘From this perspective, the entire Torch Trial is finally complete.’
‘Wait, if the scene where she sent Test Takers to deliver their own death notices gets broadcast…’
Su Fu: “I won’t get beaten to death, will I?”
Just as she was thinking this, she saw that the fully open online channel was already flooded with messages.
[Starving to chewing walls (Foggy Orphan City): This dungeon is crap! Foggy Orphan City is total crap!]
[What the heck! I’m suffocating from this London smog! Every day it’s either chasing thieves or being chased by gangs, and I can’t even get a full meal!]
[Let me show you what it’s like here! Video: [Click to view]]
Su Fu curiously opened it and saw the entire screen shrouded in smog, with chimneys of all sizes spewing black smoke.
The roads were covered in sewage and littered with garbage.
Children in rags, with gaunt and sallow faces, were everywhere.
In the distance, the faint outlines of huge factories could be seen, and the city was in Victorian style.
But then the scene shifted to the capitalists’ luxurious carriages and well-dressed gentlemen and ladies.
Su Fu deduced it must be the Industrial Revolution era in 19th-century London.
The sharp divide between rich and poor, the ruthless exploitation of the lower class by emerging capital, and the resulting social conflicts.
At that time, issues like pollution and child labor were most acute.
This dungeon really is Foggy Orphan City.