The River of Lament cut through the Small World like a scar.
The water was pitch black and boiled with resentful spirits. The gravity above the river was 100x normal, making flight impossible for anyone below the Nascent Soul realm.
There was only one way to cross: A single, ancient stone bridge covered in moss.
To the south of the river lay the "Safe Zone."
To the north lay the "Treasure Zone"—the jungle filled with Spirit Herbs, Beast Kings, and ancient ruins.
Currently, the Alliance of Three Sects (Violet Mist Pavilion, Beast Mountain, and the remnants of the Vajra Temple) had gathered at the southern bank.
They were ready to cross. They were ready to hunt.
But there was a problem.
There was a table in the middle of the bridge.
Sitting at the table was a young man in white robes, sipping tea. Behind him stood a giant (Ye Kai), a girl playing with drones (Su Ling), and a blind boy (Wei Wu).
A wooden sign was hammered into the ground next to the bridge.
It read: [DIVINE DRAGON TOLL BOOTH. Price: 10,000 Spirit Stones Per Person.]
Outside the Small World (The Spectator Area)
In the main hall of the Heavenly Sword Sect, the atmosphere was festive.
Hundreds of guests from smaller sects sat in the stands. In the VIP box, the leaders of the Five Sects sat on thrones.
"The preparation time is over," Sect Leader Jian (Heavenly Sword) announced, his face still swollen from the slap he received earlier. "Activate the Sky Mirrors! Let us witness the glory of our disciples!"
"Yes!" The Beast Mountain Elder cheered. "My disciples must be hunting Beast Kings by now!"
"My Violet Mist disciples are likely finding rare herbs," the Violet Mist Elder smiled.
HUMMM.
A massive array in the sky flickered to life. It projected a giant holographic screen, visible to everyone in the hall. The screen focused on the River of Lament, the starting point of the hunt.
The image solidified.
The crowd leaned forward.
Then, they froze.
They saw the bridge.
They saw the blockade.
They saw Jiang Chen collecting money.
"Next," Jiang Chen's voice echoed through the broadcast. "No, we don't accept credit. Cash or artifacts only. Move along."
The VIP box fell into a dead silence.
Grand Elder Feng (Mystic Cloud Sect) covered his face with his hands. "He... he set up a toll booth? In a sacred trial?"
"SHAMELESS!" The Violet Mist Elder slammed his table. "That is extortion! He is blocking the only path! He is robbing the other sects before the trial even starts!"
Sect Leader Liu Cang (Mystic Cloud) coughed. "Technically... there is no rule against capitalism in the Small World."
Back at the Bridge
The disciples of the Violet Mist Pavilion were furious.
Their leader, a woman named Liu Yan (Golden Core Level 9), stepped forward. She wore a veil, but her eyes were venomous.
"Jiang Chen!" Liu Yan shouted. "Get out of the way! We are the Violet Mist Pavilion! We have an alliance! If you don't move, we will poison you until your skin melts!"
Jiang Chen checked his ledger.
"Violet Mist Pavilion? Ah, yes. For you, the price is double. 20,000 stones."
"YOU!" Liu Yan screeched. "Attack! Poison Fog Formation!"
Fifty female disciples waved their sleeves. A cloud of purple, sweet-smelling gas rolled toward the bridge. It was Rotting Bone Gas, capable of melting steel.
"Su Ling," Jiang Chen said, looking bored. "Fan."
Su Ling tapped her glasses.
"Deploying Aero-Turbines."
Her twelve floating drones rearranged themselves into a circle. They began to spin.
WHIRRRRR.
The drones spun so fast they created a localized hurricane.
The wind blew outward from the bridge.
The purple poison gas didn't even touch Jiang Chen. It was blown straight back into the faces of the Violet Mist disciples.
"Cough! Cough!"
"My eyes! It burns!"
"Retreat! The wind is too strong!"
The Violet Mist disciples collapsed, choking on their own poison.
Jiang Chen shook his head. "Using poison against the wind. Didn't you learn basic physics?"
He looked at the next group. Beast Mountain.
Their leader was riding a Saber-Toothed Tiger.
"I... I will pay!" The Beast Mountain leader shouted, throwing a bag of stones. He had seen Ye Kai throw 18 monks into orbit. He didn't want to fly.
"Wise choice," Jiang Chen caught the bag. "Pass."
The Beast Mountain disciples ran across the bridge, heads down, humiliated.
Jiang Chen looked at the camera drone (which he knew was broadcasting to the outside world).
He smiled and waved.
"Hello, Elders. Don't worry, I am keeping your disciples safe. This is a protection fee."
The Crossing
One by one, the disciples paid.
Those who had money paid.
Those who didn't have money had to hand over their weapons or armor.
By the time the sun set, Jiang Chen had collected 2 Million Spirit Stones and a pile of Spirit Swords.
"Business is good," Jiang Chen packed up the table.
"The bridge is clear. The Violet Mist girls have woken up and paid. Everyone is across."
He stood up and looked at the jungle on the other side.
The Treasure Zone.
The air was different there. It was colder. The roar of beasts echoed from the depths.
"Now," Jiang Chen's eyes sharpened. "The toll booth is closed. The Hunt begins."
"Disciples," Jiang Chen ordered. "Formation Delta. We are not hunting beasts. We are hunting the Old Monster's Legacy."
They stepped off the bridge and vanished into the treeline.
The First Blood
While Jiang Chen was counting money, deep in the jungle, the "Game" had truly begun.
A group of Vajra Temple monks (the survivors who hadn't been thrown by Ye Kai) were walking through a dense thicket of bamboo.
They were angry. They had lost their weapons to Jiang Chen's toll.
"We will find a Beast King," the lead monk grunted. "We will get a Core, and we will win this..."
He stopped.
A shadow fell over him.
It wasn't a tree shadow. It was a shadow that moved against the light.
"Who is there?" The monk turned.
A figure stood on a bamboo branch.
He wore black robes and a mask with a crying blood drop.
It was Ying (The Demon Assassin).
"The broadcast has started," Ying whispered. "The eyes of the world are watching the bridge. No one is watching the dark."
"You... you are not from the Five Sects!" The monk shouted. "Who are you?"
Ying didn't answer. He dropped from the branch.
He didn't land on the ground. He landed in the monk's shadow.
[Shadow Art: Silhouette Sever.]
The monk felt a cold pain in his chest.
He looked down.
A black blade had emerged from his own shadow, piercing his heart from the back.
"Urgh..."
The monk coughed blood. He tried to scream, but the shadow covered his mouth.
"Shhh," Ying whispered, emerging from the ground like oil. "You are just the first."
Ying twisted the blade. The monk went limp.
Ying didn't leave the body. He pulled out a small red crystal and placed it on the corpse.
Sizzle.
The corpse dissolved into blood water, which was absorbed by the jungle floor.
[Ritual Progress: 1/100.]
Ying looked at the Sky Mirror projection in the sky, which was currently showing Jiang Chen waving at the camera.
"Enjoy your fame, Jiang Chen," Ying sneered. "While you play merchant... we are playing butcher."
He vanished into the darkness.
Outside
The crowd was cheering for Jiang Chen's comedy routine.
"Haha! Look at the Violet Mist Elder's face! He's turning purple!"
"That Jiang Chen is greedy, but he's funny!"
No one noticed that the headcount of the Vajra Temple on the status board had dropped by one.
Or if they did, they assumed it was a beast attack.
Only Grand Elder Feng sat in the corner, a cruel smile on his face.
"Let them laugh," Feng thought. "The toll has been paid. Now comes the slaughter."