Chen Tian and Chen Ling walked through Yuan City, heading towards the City Lord's Mansion. Their sole purpose was to obtain the item at the heart of the mansion. Chen Ling needed a weapon for combat, and Chen Tian currently had none suitable for her. Even if he were to craft one himself, it would require numerous materials he didn't possess. The item at the City Lord's Mansion was a weapon Chen Ling had created thousands of years ago and was the most fitting for her.
Upon arriving at the City Lord's Mansion, they saw players emerging dejectedly, one after another. The appearance of Chen Tian and Chen Ling immediately drew their attention.
"How is this quest supposed to be completed by players?"
"Is the official game truly sure this quest is passable? I can't even clear the first stage of the trial."
"But the rewards are amazing. I really don't want to give up, especially that weapon!"
"Exactly! A weapon suitable for all races, I want it too. Professional weapons are rare. This quest is too difficult, I have to give up. We can't even pass the first stage. What bad luck."
"Look, there are two more Elf players over there. Maybe they're after the quest reward too."
"What's the point? The quest is so difficult, no one has ever passed the first stage. The trials haven't even begun. This quest is too hard, I'm giving up. I'd rather use this time to level up."
...
The crowd didn't hold much hope for Chen Tian and Chen Ling. In their eyes, no one would be able to complete this quest. The first stage alone had caused countless players to fail, and that was just the beginning! There were still two more stages, and only those who passed all three would enter the trials and qualify for the challenge. Chen Tian and Chen Ling looked at the City Lord's Mansion. Chen Tian suspected that the quest reward was Chen Ling's arsenal of weapons, but the official release of the quest meant only those who completed the mission and trials would obtain the item.
It was normal for the Divine Realm to transform into a game world, and thus be subject to game rules. Chen Tian was slightly surprised that after three years of the game's launch, that item hadn't been claimed by a player. Just how difficult was this quest? However, for Chen Ling and Chen Tian, the difficulty of the quest was irrelevant. With Chen Ling present, as soon as she entered the trial grounds, the weapon would automatically recognize her as its master, especially since Chen Ling was its creator thousands of years ago.
"Let's go in and take a look."
Chen Tian seemed quite interested, wondering what kind of quest it would be. He wanted to see how difficult it was, his gamer's heart fully ignited. What would a quest and its stages, which stumped countless players, look like in the hands of a gaming genius like Chen Tian?
Chen Tian led Chen Ling into the City Lord's Mansion. The mansion was magnificent and spacious. Inside, it was empty. At the main seat of the mansion sat a young NPC, the City Lord, the administrator and enforcer of Yuan City. Chen Tian's interface popped up: "Qingyuanzi: Welcome, you two. Are you also here for that treasure?"
Chen Tian: 'Yes, respected City Lord. May I know how to obtain that treasure?'
Qingyuanzi: "After passing three stages, I can help you initiate the trials. Do you accept the first stage now?"
Chen Tian's interface displayed options to accept or reject. Chen Tian clicked on accept without hesitation. Who would refuse this? The City Lord spoke calmly: "In the south, the sun rises; in the north, it sets. Between the flowing waters, in the Star-Moon Cave, find one item, and you shall pass!"
Upon seeing the quest information, Chen Tian's expression changed slightly. Was this first stage already this difficult? In the game, the sunrise and sunset followed real-world settings, meaning the sun rose in the east and set in the west. The first piece of information clearly stated the sun rising in the south and setting in the north. The first two sentences were easy to understand, but Chen Tian hadn't figured out the third and fourth yet. However, according to the game's settings, the sun rose in the east. What did "in the south, the sun rises" mean?
The sun rising in the south. The Chrono-Epoch hadn't changed this setting. This first stage alone had stumped countless players. Chen Tian looked at his status panel, images flashing in his mind. He calculated tens of thousands of times, but none of them could account for the sun rising in the south. Sunrise in the east, sunset in the west; this was an unchangeable law.
"Wait, if 'in the south, the sun rises' doesn't refer to the sun rising in the south, but rather a location in the south from which the sun's full appearance can be observed?"
Chen Tian's mind raced. After nearly forty minutes of deep thought, he spoke calmly, "City Lord, I hope you can tell me which locations 'in the south, the sun rises' refers to."
"I'm sorry, I am not authorized to disclose that. You must figure it out yourself."
The City Lord strictly adhered to his role, offering no hints or assistance with the challenges. Chen Tian and Chen Ling walked side-by-side towards the exit of the City Lord's Mansion. Chen Tian looked at the eastern sky where the sun was. If his guess was correct, his idea was right. All that remained were the third and fourth sentences: "between the flowing waters, in the Star-Moon Cave." The phrase "between the stars and moon" could generally be understood as the location between stars and the moon. Where would a cave exist? But in the Chrono-Epoch, there were too many such areas on the map. Chen Tian couldn't pinpoint a location for a while.
Chen Tian looked up at the sky, turned around, and suddenly something struck him. He opened his map interface and swiped fiercely. A smile broke out on his face as he exclaimed, "Found it! So that's what 'in the south, the sun rises' means."
"Brother, have you found the key?" Chen Ling looked at Chen Tian curiously. Chen Ling couldn't understand human intentions, turning her weapon into a quest reward. Chen Ling was a bit angry, but then thought that it was to help humans, and it was good for her weapon to contribute.
Chen Tian nodded, "I was initially thinking about it. The sun rising from the east is an unchangeable rule. But 'in the south, the sun rises,' this 'south' refers to the southern direction, and 'sun' doesn't necessarily mean the sun itself. Therefore, our location is here: Bloodfang Mountain."
"Let's go!" Chen Tian waved his arm, and a teleportation portal appeared. Chen Ling and Chen Tian stepped into it. Bloodfang Mountain was a blood-red high mountain, named so because its peaks resembled teeth. It was a scenic spot, but the blood-red mountains and atmosphere made it difficult for players to accept. It had become one of the less popular maps. There were no monsters to level up here. Its only use was its beautiful scenery, especially during sunset.
As the sun set and turned into a dusky glow, the entire Bloodfang Mountain erupted in a blood-red bloom. Chen Tian and Chen Ling watched the sunset before them. "Sun" referred to the evening sun, the sunset. From here, one could see the full view of the sunset, even feel it, much better than from other places.
"Next, we need to find 'between the flowing waters, in the Star-Moon Cave.' If the first two sentences were misleading, then 'Star-Moon Cave' might not refer to stars and the moon, but a special region. 'Between the flowing waters' might not refer to ordinary rivers."
Chen Tian pondered deeply, the map before his eyes. Soon, he found his target. It turned out to be here. However, this location was in the south, the same direction as Bloodfang Mountain. No wonder the first sentence was 'in the south, the sun rises.' It meant that the object referred to was in the south. This made sense. By using misleading language, it induced players to believe that such a situation was impossible, thus causing the quest to remain incomplete.
This quest hint was quite difficult, as Chen Tian pursued the fundamental essence of things. He interpreted this sentence based on the fundamental research of the world, which allowed him to decipher it. Normal players wouldn't scrutinize the information carefully, leading to misinterpretations.
Chen Tian carefully considered, avoiding such pitfalls. Chen Tian and Chen Ling disappeared from Bloodfang Mountain once more, heading to the Nine Heavens Waterfall. It was said that a boss resided within the waterfall, but this was just a rumor; no one had ever seen it.
The Nine Heavens Waterfall cascaded down, but the water flowing from the upper reaches didn't enter any rivers. Instead, it mysteriously disappeared. Chen Tian and Chen Ling emerged from the ground nearby. A spatial rift appeared. Chen Tian looked at the Nine Heavens Waterfall. Chen Ling exclaimed in slight surprise, "Brother, this is the Sky Curtain, isn't it? It's been changed into this. It's still quite beautiful."
"You're right. Combined with the scene of the ceaseless water not falling into the river, it does resemble the Sky Curtain."
"'Between the flowing waters' refers not to ordinary water, but to the waterfall. In the south, this is the only waterfall region, so it must be here."
"Ling'er, stand aside. I will open the cave within."
"Okay!" Chen Ling stood behind Chen Tian. To communicate with the Sky Curtain, only one person in the world could do so: Chen Tian. Chen Tian's status was on par with the Heavenly Dao. Behind the Sky Curtain was another realm, a place no one had ever been able to enter, except Chen Tian.
Chen Tian closed his eyes. The entire Nine Heavens Waterfall instantly surged with a tempestuous current. A beam of light emanated from the waterfall, adorned with starlight. The full moon illuminated the heavens!
"Star-Moon Cave" referred to the cave containing starlight and moonlight, which was the representative image of the Sky Curtain. The Nine Heavens Waterfall slowly parted to the sides. Chen Tian leaped into the waterfall and, after a few seconds, emerged, landing on the ground.
In his hand was a circular token entwined with moonlight and starlight, possessing a unique aura.
Chen Tian looked back at the waterfall and said, "Thank you. Don't worry, I will definitely save the world and restore you to your original state."
As Chen Tian spoke, the entire waterfall seemed to shake, as if in agreement. Chen Tian turned and slowly left.
Time travel was simple for Chen Tian. His strength had reached the pinnacle of the game world and the Divine Realm. This was only two percent of his power. Chen Tian couldn't imagine what his full strength would be like.
However, his current priority was for Chen Ling to obtain her weapon so she could join the faction fighting against the Evil Spirit race.
Chen Tian and Chen Ling reappeared inside the City Lord's Mansion. The City Lord looked at the two who had suddenly appeared, his expression calm. "Have you two found the item?"
"We have, City Lord. I wonder if this item is what you are looking for." Chen Tian then presented the token. The City Lord looked at the token and smiled. "Thank you very much. You have passed the first stage. The items from the first three stages are keys to unlocking the trials. You have now obtained the first key. You may now proceed to the second stage."
Accept or Reject?
A quest interface popped up before Chen Tian. Chen Tian chose to accept. Who would refuse? The quest panel appeared.
Chen Tian took a brief look. The second stage was simpler than the first, but still not easy. According to the quest, the item for the second stage's key was taken by a boss a few days ago. No information was available about the boss, except that it had headed east. The City Lord, having been heavily injured, couldn't pursue. The quest's objective was to retrieve the key from that boss.
"City Lord, may I ask what the boss you fought looked like? Can you describe it to me?"
"Certainly, adventurer. It was a Nine-Headed Demon Dragon. Each head possessed different abilities. To kill it, you must defeat all nine heads simultaneously. Its heart was within its heads. However, dragons are a noble race in this world. Even with my full strength, I couldn't inflict any damage. Dragons love treasures and have a hobby of collecting them. It coveted that key because it was once a treasure."
"That's all I know. The rest is up to you, adventurer."