“Really?”
Su Yun’s eyes lit up instantly. His small, pinkish-blue ears stood straight up, and even the tip of his tail couldn’t help but quiver slightly, his fur nearly brushing against Ning Die beside him.
He had spent the last few days scavenging the trial grounds. Despite the exposure to the elements and working himself to exhaustion, he had only managed to get three blue soul beads. He had half a bag of green and white ones, but he hadn’t seen a single purple one.
White, Green, Blue, Purple, Red, Black, and Prismatic—this was the soul bead quality ranking that the academy had only announced three days ago. The deeper the color, the purer the power contained within, and the more heaven-defying the attached attributes were.
It was said that the quality of a soul bead was directly linked to the target’s talent and soul strength. The higher the talent of the opponent, the greater the probability of condensing a high-grade soul bead.
However, the red-named mages he had encountered were either ordinary trash with mediocre talent or small fry who had increased their strength through crooked methods. He couldn’t squeeze anything good out of them at all.
Getting a purple soul bead would be considered a barely acceptable harvest.
At the thought that the Trial Tower might hide purple or even red soul beads, Su Yun’s eyes shone like two lit little suns. His breathing quickened slightly, and his small hand unconsciously tightened around the crimson soul bead in his pocket.
The group chatted and laughed as they followed the gilded signs into the low-level mage passage.
The moment they stepped inside, a cacophony of voices washed over them, nearly numbing Su Yun’s ears.
The passage was already crowded with children their age, wearing all sorts of magic robes and huddling in groups of two or three to discuss clear strategies.
Some clutched magic scrolls they were too afraid to use, some were adjusting weapons they had fashioned from branches, and others were showing off their spoils to one another. Every face was filled with eager excitement, like a pack of young wolf cubs about to pounce on their prey.
Su Yun, however, fell behind. His footsteps gradually slowed, his brow furrowed slightly, and his large, pinkish-blue tail drooped listlessly behind him.
It felt as if two little people were fighting in his mind, making his head ache.
One little person pleaded in a low voice, ‘Stay safe, Su Yun! Whatever you do, don’t reveal your strength! Did you forget Mo Qingqing’s methods? If she finds out how well you can fight and locks you in that dark, sunless room, what then? You won’t even get to scavenge, let alone get an artifact!’
But the other little person was tempting him, ‘Go for it! That’s a custom artifact! A personal artifact forged by the Dominator himself! It might be like that crimson soul bead—only you can use it! So what if you’re locked up for a few days? Once you have the artifact and your strength skyrockets, it’s a guaranteed win!’
Su Yun bit his lip, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the crimson soul bead in his pocket. The cool sensation helped him calm down a bit.
Yes, a personal artifact, unique and usable only by himself.
Even if Mo Qingqing got angry, at most she would lock him up for a few days and nights. She couldn’t actually kill him, could she?
After all, he was still useful to her.
Moreover, as long as he obtained the artifact, he would have more confidence in the future, whether it was dealing with red-named mages or escaping Mo Qingqing’s control.
Su Yun took a deep breath, his gaze gradually becoming firm. His previously drooping tail perked up, and a trace of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes.
Let’s do it!
He’d give it everything he had!
The worst that could happen was being locked up for a few days, but he had to get that artifact!
Su Yun clenched his fists and hurried to catch up with the three ahead of him.
“Su Yun, what alias are you going to use?”
Ning Die was leaning over the white jade board at the entrance of the passage, holding a glowing magic pen. Hearing him approach, she tilted her chin toward him, her tone full of excitement.
As she spoke, she had already scribbled the four characters for “Super Little Princess.” The handwriting was flamboyant and bold, and she shook her head proudly after finishing.
The white jade board was the identity entry device for the Trial Tower. Everyone had to leave an alias, and the floor reached and clear time would be displayed on the ranking board outside the tower in real-time.
“Primordial Supreme Celestial Emperor of the Purple Star,” Su Yun said almost instinctively.
He had just made this name up. In truth, he had no idea what it meant; he just thought it sounded domineering and intimidating, enough to hold down the fort. It also satisfied his chuunibyou soul.
“Pfft—”
Chu Yu’er had just dipped her magic pen in ink and couldn’t help but giggle upon hearing the name. Her eyes curved like beautiful crescent moons.
“What a strange name. Su Yun always says such odd things.” She shook her head with a smile and carefully wrote “Little Peach Blossom” on the white jade board. It was elegant and gentle, matching her temperament perfectly.
Su Miaomiao also leaned in. She stood on her tiptoes and tilted her head in thought for a long time before seriously writing down the alias “White Cotton.” It felt soft and fluffy, perfectly complementing her snow-white dress.
“Good!” Ning Die slapped the white jade board and shouted heroically, “Whoever ranks last today has to treat everyone to the most expensive Flaming Pig Meat Sauce Noodles at the Demon Wheat Noodle House! The kind with double meat sauce!”
Before her voice had even faded, she was like a gust of wind, rushing into the Trial Tower’s teleportation array, leaving only a crisp laugh behind.
“Ah? Hey… wait for me! I’m not ready yet!” Su Miaomiao blanked for a moment before calling out in a hurry. She scrambled to follow, her short legs moving as fast as they could.
Chu Yu’er wasn’t in such a rush. She turned around to look at Su Yun, her tone as gentle as a spring breeze over a lake.
“How many levels do you plan to push, Su Yun?”
She tilted her head and asked softly.
“I heard from my mother that this Trial Tower is almost impossible to clear. They say there are more than 100 layers, and the difficulty at the end is terrifyingly absurd. But if someone actually manages to break through 100 levels, they’ll be taken in as a personal disciple by the Dominator.”
“I don’t know… maybe seven or eight levels,” Su Yun said vaguely, rubbing his nose. He didn’t dare say he wanted to push to level 100 for the artifact; that would be too flashy, and it would be embarrassing if he failed.
“How about this?” Chu Yu’er blinked her large, watery eyes and suddenly leaned closer, lowering her voice as if sharing a secret.
“Let’s have a private bet. If Su Yun goes further than me… then come to my house to play tomorrow. My mother’s magic plant cake is delicious, and I’ll let you play with my collection of magic cards. Conversely, if you don’t go as far as I do, then I’ll go to your house to play. How about it?”
“Ah? That…” Su Yun froze, instinctively wanting to refuse.
His house? Where did he have a house? That was Mo Qingqing’s territory!
Expecting Mo Qingqing to treat guests well? Stop joking. It would be a miracle if she didn’t torment him.
But Chu Yu’er didn’t give him a chance to refuse. She smiled and patted Su Yun on the shoulder, her eyes curving into crescents. “It’s a deal! No backing out!”
With that, she hopped toward the teleportation array like a lighthearted deer, leaving behind a trail of silver-bell-like laughter.
“Hey…” Su Yun sighed helplessly. Looking at the empty passage entrance, his lips couldn’t help but twitch.
In that case, he had no choice but to win!
He clenched his fists, a spark of fighting spirit flashing in his eyes. He looked up at the towering Trial Tower, its magical patterns glowing in the sunlight as if silently calling out to him.
Fine! Let’s see if he could actually get his hands on that custom artifact!