# Chapter 7: Alliances and Revelations
Sarah's makeshift camp was a marvel of adapted ingenuity. Located in what had once been a shopping mall but was now a bizarre fusion of commercial architecture and crystalline cavern systems, it provided defensible positions and multiple escape routes. The group had spent their seventy-three hours of survival time learning hard lessons about resource management and threat assessment.
"We've identified three main categories of danger," Sarah explained as she led Xìng Huáng through their established perimeter. "Corrupted creatures like the one you killed, infected humans who've absorbed too much essence, and what we call 'spatial hazards'—areas where the merger wasn't stable and reality keeps shifting."
Mark gestured toward a section of the mall where a clothing store flickered between its original appearance and what looked like the interior of a volcano. "Touch the wrong spot in there and you'll either freeze solid or burst into flames, depending on which reality is dominant at that moment."
David, the quieter member of their trio, was examining Xìng Huáng with obvious curiosity. "You don't show any signs of infection yet," he said, "but that kill you made... the essence absorption was massive. We could see the energy flow from fifty meters away."
"How much is too much?" Xìng Huáng asked, settling into the circle they'd formed around a small fire that somehow burned both real wood and crystalline fragments.
"Hard to say," Sarah admitted. "We've seen people change after as few as three major kills, others who seemed fine after five or six. The common factor seems to be rapid power gain combined with emotional instability."
She pulled out a crude journal, its pages filled with careful observations. "The infected don't just get stronger—they get aggressive, territorial, and eventually they stop recognizing other humans as anything more than resources to be consumed."
Xìng Huáng thought about the surge of power he'd felt after defeating the Fenris, the way his combat skills had instantly improved. Was that the first step down a dangerous path, or was his Divine Greed trait somehow protecting him from the worst effects?
"Tell me about the countdown," he said, changing the subject. "What happens when the integration period ends?"
Mark's expression grew grim. "Based on what the synchronized entities have told various survivor groups, the current state is essentially quarantine. The merger dumped six billion humans into a reality that wasn't designed for us, and the original inhabitants have been... contained... while we either adapt or die."
"Tomorrow morning," David added, "the quarantine lifts. The real residents of the Blood Demon Martial Realm return to reclaim their territory. And from what we've gathered, they're not particularly interested in sharing."
Sarah opened her journal to a page covered with sketches and notes. "We've managed to piece together some information about the realm's power structure. It operates on cultivation levels—think of them as tiers of existence rather than simple levels. Mortal Realm, where we currently exist. Spirit Realm, Earth Realm, Sky Realm, and so on."
"The entities we've encountered suggest that even the weakest native inhabitants start at late Mortal Realm cultivation," Mark continued. "Equivalent to what we might consider level 50-100 in the old system. Most are significantly higher."
Xìng Huáng felt a chill. If the weakest natives were fifty times more powerful than his current level, humanity's survival chances looked even worse than the projected 0.3%.
"So why haven't you tried to gain more power?" he asked. "If absorption is the only way to advance..."
"Because we've seen what happens to people who try to rush it," David said quietly. "There was a group of twenty survivors holed up in what used to be a school. They went hunting aggressively, sharing essence between members to boost their advancement speed."
"And?" Xìng Huáng prompted.
"And they killed each other within forty-eight hours. Started seeing the weaker members as dead weight, then as threats, then as food." Sarah's voice was flat, emotionless. "We found the aftermath. Twelve bodies drained of essence, eight survivors who'd become something that barely remembered being human."
The implications were staggering. Rapid advancement led to infection, but slow advancement meant being helplessly weak when the natives returned. It was a trap with no apparent solution.
Unless...
"What if the key isn't the amount of essence, but how it's obtained?" Xìng Huáng said slowly, his Gaming Prodigy talent working through the problem. "You said infection correlates with rapid power gain and emotional instability. But what if certain methods of gaining power are inherently safer than others?"
"What do you mean?" Sarah asked.
Xìng Huáng considered his words carefully. "In the old game, there were always multiple paths to advancement. Players who bought their way to high levels often lacked the fundamental understanding that made them truly effective. But players who earned their progress through skill development..."
"You think there's a difference between earned power and stolen power," Mark said, catching on quickly.
"It's worth considering. My Divine Greed trait specifically mentions resources gained through skill rather than purchase. Maybe the merger preserved that distinction."
David leaned forward. "That would explain why you seem stable despite that massive essence absorption. You defeated that Fenris through strategy and technique, not brute force or overwhelming numbers."
Before anyone could respond, an alert appeared in everyone's vision simultaneously:
INTEGRATION PERIOD UPDATE: 19:47:32 REMAINING
NATIVE REALM SCOUTS DETECTED IN OUTER TERRITORIES
SURVIVAL PROTOCOL RECOMMENDATION: SEEK SHELTER OR DEMONSTRATE NON-HOSTILE CAPABILITY
"Scouts," Sarah breathed. "They're already sending advance forces to assess the situation."
A new notification followed immediately:
OPTIONAL TRIAL AVAILABLE: PATH OF WORTHY OPPOSITION
OBJECTIVE: Prove cultivation potential through sanctioned combat
REWARD: Provisional recognition as non-hostile entity
RISK: Death upon failure
TIME LIMIT: Integration period conclusion
"That's new," Mark said, staring at the notification. "It's offering us a chance to prove we're worth keeping alive."
"Or a chance to eliminate the most dangerous survivors before the main force arrives," David countered grimly.
Xìng Huáng was already analyzing the implications. A trial system suggested structured rules, which meant strategies could be developed and patterns could be exploited. More importantly, it implied that the natives weren't simply planning genocide—they were looking for survivors who could potentially integrate into their society.
"I'm going to take the trial," he announced.
"Are you insane?" Sarah demanded. "You're level 1! You barely survived one Corrupted Fenris!"
"Think about it strategically," he replied. "If I refuse the trial and hide until the integration ends, I'll be a level 1 human in a world full of level 50+ natives. That's not sustainable. But if I can prove my worth now, while they're still evaluating threats..."
"The Divine Greed trait," Mark said suddenly. "You think it's not just about faster advancement—it's about proving you belong in a cultivation-based reality."
"Exactly. And if I'm right about skill-based advancement being safer than essence-stealing, then this trial might be the key to surviving long-term."
Sarah was quiet for a long moment, then sighed. "You're probably right. But you don't have to do it alone. The trial notification appeared for all of us—we could form a team."
"No," Xìng Huáng said firmly. "If I'm wrong about my infection resistance, I don't want to risk getting you killed. And if I'm right, then I need to establish individual credibility with the natives."
He stood and checked his equipment. The improvised blade felt solid in his hand, and his newly acquired Basic Blade Work skill hummed with potential. Level 1 or not, he had advantages that other survivors lacked.
"Where will you take the trial?" David asked.
Another notification appeared as if in response to his question:
TRIAL LOCATION DESIGNATED: CRIMSON VALLEY CONVERGENCE POINT
TRANSPORT PROVIDED
WARNING: TRIAL PARTICIPATION IS IRREVERSIBLE
A shimmering portal materialized at the edge of their camp—elegant, stable, and completely unlike the chaotic dimensional rifts they'd grown accustomed to. This was crafted by beings who understood reality manipulation on a fundamental level.
"Be careful," Sarah said. "And if you survive this... remember us when you're negotiating with cultivation masters who could erase our existence with a thought."
Xìng Huáng nodded, then walked toward the portal. As he reached its threshold, one final notification appeared:
DIVINE GREED TRAIT RESONANCE DETECTED
TRIAL DIFFICULTY AUTOMATICALLY ADJUSTED
STANDARD TRIAL: DEFEAT ONE SPIRIT REALM PRACTITIONER
ADJUSTED TRIAL: SURVIVE ENCOUNTER WITH EARTH REALM OVERSEER
He paused, processing the implications. The system had detected his unique trait and decided he needed a more challenging test. That could be either very good news—indicating recognition of his potential—or very bad news, if the difficulty spike was beyond his current capabilities.
Either way, there was only one path forward.
Xìng Huáng stepped through the portal, leaving behind the relative safety of the survivor camp for whatever awaited him in the realm of true cultivation masters.
The real test of his theories was about to begin.