The Twin Peaks Valley was empty. The "Safe Zone Hotel" had been packed up, the neon sign stored away, and the profits secured in Jiang Chen's ring.
"Time to check out," Jiang Chen checked his pocket watch. "The Demon Sect is already at the door."
Behind him, the "Debtors Alliance" followed. Liu Yan (Violet Mist) and Jian Wushuang (Heavenly Sword) limped along, looking less like elites and more like beggars. They were broke, injured, and their weapons were cracked.
"Where are we going?" Jian Wushuang asked.
"To the Sky Sovereign's Tomb," Jiang Chen pointed to the massive Floating Island hovering above the mud crater of the lake. "But we aren't climbing. We are entering."
The Gate of Judgment
They used the last of their flight talismans to ascend to the base of the island. There were no stairs. Instead, embedded in the side of the floating rock, stood a colossal set of bronze doors, easily 200 meters high. The doors were covered in glowing blue runes that pulsed with a heartbeat-like rhythm.
The Demon Sect was already there. Xie Molin (Demon Commander) stood before the doors, his face dark. His subordinates—Beast Lord Chi, Kuang Gu, and Ying—were trying to push the doors open, but they wouldn't budge.
"It's sealed," Ying hissed.
Suddenly, the runes on the door rearranged themselves. A booming, ancient voice echoed in the minds of everyone present.
"Here lies the Sky Sovereign. Only the worthy may inherit the Heart of the World." "Four Tests await inside. Pass them, and receive the Legacy." "Fail, and be cast out."
RUMBLE.
The bronze doors groaned and slowly drifted open. Inside, there was only darkness—a swirling, abyssal void that swallowed all light.
"Four Tests?" Xie Molin narrowed his eyes. "A survival game? Interesting."
He looked back at Jiang Chen's group arriving. "You made it," Xie Molin sneered. "I hope you brought more than just money, Jiang Chen. The Sovereign's tests cannot be bribed."
"We'll see," Jiang Chen smiled pleasantly. "After you."
Xie Molin scoffed. "Demons! Forward!" The Demon Sect stepped into the darkness and vanished.
"We have to go!" Jian Wushuang gritted his teeth. "If we don't enter, we lose everything!" The Alliance disciples rushed in.
"Master?" Ye Kai looked at the void. "Let's go," Jiang Chen stepped forward. "I love escape rooms."
Test 1: The Corridor of Crushing Gravity
The moment they stepped through the gate, the world shifted. They weren't in a palace. They were in a massive, enclosed stone corridor. It was ten miles long. At the far end, a golden light shone—the exit to the Second Test.
But the air here was thick. Viscous. [Trial 1: The Weight of Ambition.] [Rule: The heavier your greed, the heavier your body.]
BOOM.
Gravity slammed down. It wasn't normal gravity. It was Soul Gravity.
"URGH!" A disciple from the Beast Mountain Sect screamed. He fell to his knees. The pressure increased instantly. "I... I can't stand!" He tried to crawl. But the corridor had a defense mechanism for failures.
WHOOSH.
A mysterious grey wind swept up the fallen disciple. "NO! WAIT!" He was lifted off the ground and thrown backward. He flew back toward the entrance at high speed. YEET. He was ejected from the tomb, screaming as he fell ten miles down into the mud crater below.
[Disqualified.]
"Do not fall!" Jian Wushuang shouted, sweat pouring down his face. He was bent double, using his sword as a cane. "If you fall, you are kicked out!"
The Demon Sect was ahead. Kuang Gu (The Tank) was laughing. "Gravity? I train in bone-crushing pressure!" He marched forward. Xie Molin walked with his hands behind his back, his Void Treading cultivation repelling the pressure easily.
The Struggle of the Divine Dragon
Jiang Chen's group entered. THUD. Ye Kai stumbled. The ground cracked under his feet. "Heavy," Ye Kai grunted. "About... 60x Gravity."
Su Ling frowned. Her drones were struggling to fly. "It's not just gravity. It's a magnetic field suppressing our Dantian."
Wei Wu stood still. He was blind, so he felt the pressure differently. "The air is angry."
Jiang Chen stood there. He felt the weight on his shoulders. It was heavy. Like wearing a suit of lead. "A test of greed?" Jiang Chen muttered. "Well, I am very greedy. No wonder it's heavy."
He watched Jian Wushuang and the Alliance crawling on the floor like worms. He watched the Demon Commander walking confidently in the distance.
"System," Jiang Chen asked mentally. "I don't like walking."
[System Solution: The Sovereign's Sedan Chair.] Item Description: A levitating chair used by the Sky Sovereign to tour his garden. Cost: 5 Million Spirit Stones.
"Buy it."
POOF.
A cloud of golden smoke exploded. When it cleared, a magnificent, jewel-encrusted sedan chair appeared. It floated three feet off the ground, emitting a soft anti-gravity hum. It had silk cushions and a cup holder.
"Disciples," Jiang Chen sat in the chair. He leaned back and crossed his legs. "Push me."
Ye Kai blinked. "Push you?"
"Yes," Jiang Chen pointed to the handle bars. "Consider it training. Ye Kai, you take the front. Su Ling, Wei Wu, take the sides."
"But Master," Su Ling argued. "The gravity is already crushing us. If we carry you, it will be double!"
"Exactly," Jiang Chen smiled. "If you can carry me through this, your physical bodies will level up. It's for your own good. Now, mush!"
The Overtake
Halfway down the corridor. Xie Molin was leading the pack. He was feeling smug. "The Righteous Sects are weak," he sneered. "They are probably crawling in the dirt."
Suddenly, he heard a sound behind him. Thump. Thump. Thump. It was rhythmic. Fast.
"What is that?" Beast Lord Chi turned around. His jaw dropped.
Cruising down the corridor at a jogging pace was... a golden sedan chair. Ye Kai was roaring, his muscles bulging like steel cables as he sprinted against the crushing gravity. Wei Wu and Su Ling were channeling their Qi to stabilize the chair. And sitting on the chair, looking completely relaxed, was Jiang Chen.
He was peeling an orange.
"On your left," Jiang Chen called out as they approached the Demon Commander.
"YOU!" Xie Molin stopped. "You... you are being carried?!"
"Work smarter, not harder," Jiang Chen popped a slice of orange into his mouth. "Ye Kai, speed up. The Demon Commander is blocking the view."
"ROAR!" Ye Kai exploded with power. The [Titan Body] adapted to the stress. ZOOM. The Divine Dragon group shot past the Demon Sect.
The wind from their passing blew Xie Molin's hair into his face.
"Impossible..." Xie Molin trembled with rage. "This is a Test of Will! How is he cheating with a chair?!"
Behind them, Jian Wushuang and the crawling Alliance disciples watched the chair disappear into the distance. "He..." Jian Wushuang wept tears of envy. "He turned the trial into a taxi ride..."
The Exit
At the end of the corridor, the golden light grew brighter. Ye Kai slammed the sedan chair down across the finish line. The gravity vanished instantly.
[Test 1: Complete.]
Ye Kai collapsed, panting. "Master... I feel... stronger." His bones popped. The extreme stress had tempered his body further.
"Good job," Jiang Chen stepped out of the chair. "Take 5 minutes break."
He looked back at the entrance of the Second Test. It was a massive circular room filled with mirrors. [Test 2: The Hall of Reflection.]
"Get ready," Jiang Chen warned. "The physical test is over. The mental torture begins."
Just then, Xie Molin stormed across the finish line, looking ready to murder someone. He glared at Jiang Chen. "You mock the Sovereign," Xie Molin hissed. "In the next test, money won't save you."
Jiang Chen smiled. "You'd be surprised what money can do, Commander."