Shen Ye put away his motorcycle.
—Xiao Mengyu didn’t spare a second glance at the ring on his hand, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.
The two determined their direction and quickly moved toward the stream, holding the candlelit flame.
A few minutes later.
By the stream.
The two stood motionless, swords in hand.
—There were no remnants of a statue here.
Previously, due to the rain, the stream had swelled into a rushing river.
Standing at the riverbank, they could see nothing but rapids and rocks.
The wind howled louder between heaven and earth.
Something was truly coming.
“No, there aren’t any clues at all. We need to find shelter immediately.” Shen Ye stared at the stream and spoke quickly.
Xiao Mengyu locked eyes with him, her gaze burning.
“Stop lying. Just do whatever it is you want to do. In a situation like this, you need to trust your instincts instead of treating me like a burden.”
Shen Ye let out a sigh.
She had noticed immediately. The moment he felt something and couldn’t take his eyes off the stream, she picked up on it.
Then there was no time to hesitate!
He spread his arms and plunged into the water with a splash, instantly swept away by the current.
Xiao Mengyu leaped from rock to rock, keeping up with him.
One above the water, one below, they followed the stream as it carried them further away.
The surroundings grew darker.
Black currents of air swept through, crossing the stream and sending countless fallen leaves swirling through the forest, like a startled flock of birds.
Xiao Mengyu’s expression grew anxious.
Several minutes had already passed.
Even with decent skills, he was still just a fifteen-year-old human. He couldn’t stay underwater for long.
Not to mention the stream was full of rocks—she had already seen him crash into them multiple times.
If he didn’t come up soon, he’d be in real danger!
Xiao Mengyu grabbed her deck of cards and checked—two lines of small text had appeared:
“Last 30 seconds.”
“The Wailing Tide is about to arrive.”
No choice!
Xiao Mengyu continued dashing across the water’s surface.
Beneath the water.
Shen Ye still let the current carry him forward, surfacing only occasionally for air.
Suddenly, his greatsword let out a sharp, piercing cry.
The next moment—
Thick black mist surged from all directions, rolling in like a tide.
“Shen Ye…”
Xiao Mengyu’s heart clenched, but she didn’t dare interrupt his search. She could only follow cautiously.
Suddenly—
The greatsword shot forward and unleashed a powerful slash.
Something in the black mist was struck, releasing a shrill, agonized scream.
As it pulled back, the mist parted slightly, revealing its form to Xiao Mengyu—
A centipede the size of a train, its steel-like carapace a dark, blood-red hue, constantly spewing clouds of toxic vapor.
“This thing…”
Xiao Mengyu scanned her surroundings.
Endless black mist had enveloped the stream, filled with ceaseless rustling sounds.
No.
It wasn’t just the centipede.
There had to be even more terrifying creatures lurking in the mist!
At that moment, Shen Ye finally stopped.
The stream had converged into a deep pool, and he was diving straight into it.
—Looks like he found the place!
Xiao Mengyu’s spirits lifted, and she called out, “Greatsword, let’s buy him some time.”
The greatsword hummed in response.
One girl and one sword stood back-to-back, holding their breath and waiting.
Suddenly—
The massive centipede lunged from the black mist once more.
A sword aura several meters long erupted from the blade, slashing it away.
Xiao Mengyu, however, remained still, guarding the deep pool.
Gurgle, gurgle…
A deep, rumbling noise echoed as a colossal hand emerged from the water’s surface.
The hand, along with its massive arm, dwarfed even the centipede. It was covered in countless eyes, each one staring straight at Xiao Mengyu.
Xiao Mengyu had never seen anything so horrifying.
The eyes carried an overwhelming mental pressure, locking her in place.
—She couldn’t move!
Silently, the giant hand reached down toward the water.
Xiao Mengyu’s entire body was frozen, but her eyes suddenly sharpened.
No.
Shen Ye was still down there.
She couldn’t let it reach him—
She absolutely wouldn’t!
Like a jolt of electricity, Xiao Mengyu snapped back to her senses, her body erupting with a wave of tangible psychic energy. She drew her Luoshui Sword from her waist, channeled her sword technique to the limit, and let out a furious roar—
“Kill!”
A frigid sword aura mixed into a dazzling blade light, slicing through the water and slamming into the giant hand.
With unnatural speed, the hand retracted into the black mist.
A second later—
The greatsword rushed back, slashing wildly into the mist, venting its rage.
Only after it returned did Xiao Mengyu come back to herself.
She gasped for breath, her entire body trembling, nearly collapsing from exhaustion.
But she couldn’t.
Now wasn’t the time to give up.
I have to hold this place. At least until he returns!
Gritting her silver teeth, Xiao Mengyu tightened her grip on Luoshui and drew Canxue with her other hand, assuming a defensive stance.
The black mist continued to swirl.
Suddenly—
Splash!
Water sprayed everywhere.
Shen Ye burst from the depths.
He landed on the boulder where Xiao Mengyu stood, clutching something tightly in his arms.
Xiao Mengyu’s face lit up.
“You found it?”
“Yes! We need to go, now! Let’s find shelter first!” Shen Ye urged.
In his arms was a piece of wood, slick with moss.
It was wood?!
Xiao Mengyu was shocked but knew this wasn’t the time for questions.
The two of them leaped onto the shore, dashing through the forest under the greatsword’s protection, racing toward the mountain.
“How much farther?”
“Almost there!”
“Damn, look ahead—the cliff face is completely solid. It’s a dead end!”
“No problem.”
Xiao Mengyu drew her Luoshui Sword and slashed forward with all her might.
Crack! Rocks shattered and scattered.
She didn’t stop. Her sword turned into a blur, striking the solid rock over and over.
Rumble—
Tiny fragments of stone crumbled to the ground.
When they looked again, a crack large enough for two people to pass through had opened in the cliff.
“Done!” Xiao Mengyu said.
Shen Ye let out a sigh and muttered, “Using a sword looks so satisfying… I’m starting to want to learn swordsmanship.”
“Haven’t you already picked up some sword techniques from the Greatsword?”
“Oh, right.”
Talking as they moved, the two slipped through the crack.
Outside, the Greatsword floated in the air. Once they were safely inside, it moved forward and blocked the gap.
Dark mist swirled outside.
Gradually, the mist turned to deep crimson, like flowing blood.
Countless wails echoed from within the blood mist, growing sharper and more ear-piercing.
A terrifying presence seeped out from the mist, so oppressive it made one feel suffocated with fear.
At that moment—
All the examinees suddenly realized—
—What they had faced before was just an appetizer. The true Wailing Tide was only now beginning!
Xiao Mengyu stared unblinking at the blood mist outside for a long while. Then, as if remembering something, she turned around.
She saw Shen Ye squatting there, muttering incantations at a piece of wood.
“Wait… is your resonance aligned with plants?” Xiao Mengyu asked curiously.
“I have no idea,” Shen Ye said with a wry smile.
He had drifted through the water for so long, searching for the source of that strange connection—
And it had led him to this piece of wood.
It had been buried at the bottom of the pool, unmoving, refusing to float. Who knew how many years it had been there?
A place this hidden…
Had anyone discovered it before?
But the moment he found it, words had appeared above it:
“??? Wood.”
“Moonlit Divine Tree Carving.”
It’s from the Moonlit Lineage!
Shen Ye cleared his throat and pressed his palms together, bowing slightly toward the wood.
“Oh sacred wood, if you are truly a divine carving, would you grant us protection and help us survive the Wailing Tide?”
Silence.
The wood remained motionless.
“Is it really a divine statue?” Xiao Mengyu asked uncertainly.
“It is.”
Shen Ye was sure.
—Wait, something’s off.
He had 9 points of resonance. With the Moonlit Divine Reflection, that added another 20, making it a total of 29 resonance points.
That was the highest attribute value he had ever seen.
“Come on, big guy, help us out, would you?” Shen Ye coaxed.
Crack, crack, crack.
A faint sound echoed. Shen Ye looked down—
The wood had sprouted roots, sinking deep into the ground, while fresh green leaves unfurled along its body.
—It was coming to life!
Lines of text appeared on its trunk:
“Offer me water, sunlight, and fertilizer, and I shall grow strong enough to protect you.”
That’s not too difficult!
Xiao Mengyu noticed the change as well. “You figure out how to feed it. I’ll keep an eye on the situation outside.”
“Got it!” Shen Ye responded.
First—water.
That was easy!
Last time in the Nightmare World, he had stocked up on supplies, including bottled water.
Shen Ye reached into his storage ring, pulled out a bottle, and poured it over the roots.
But the water just rolled off the roots without soaking in.
The word “Water” in the floating text remained unchanged.
“Not enough?”
He poured another bottle.
Suddenly, new text appeared above the wood:
“The water I require must be rich in nutrients, containing the following ingredients:”
“Water, high-fructose corn syrup, white sugar, food additives (carbon dioxide, phosphoric acid, caffeine), artificial flavouring.”
—This wood had been buried under a stream for countless years, yet now that it was free, it was craving carbonated soda!
You should’ve said so earlier! I’ve got a few bottles on me.
Shen Ye unscrewed a soda bottle and poured it over the roots.
The liquid was instantly absorbed.
The word “Water” was crossed out.
Now, only “Sunlight” and “Fertilizer” remained.
Sunlight—
But where would they get sunlight here?
“Shine the Candle Flame on it!” Shen Ye called out.
“Got it.” Xiao Mengyu held the candle up to the wood.
The wood trembled slightly.
A note appeared next to “Sunlight”:
“Insufficient sunlight.”
