Chapter 124
Lu Chuan stayed in his own territory for a full month.
During that month, life for everyone in the Golden Tower was tough.
No one knew how Lu Chuan did his research, but he seemed aware of every one of their little tricks, making it impossible for them to cut corners.
Young Master Lu might look youthful, but he was so hard to deal with!
When Lu Chuan finally said he was about to leave to inspect the next Gold Tower, everyone let out a sigh of relief.
“I understand the saying ‘too clear a stream has no fish.’ But if you overstep your bounds, don’t blame me for being rude.” Lu Chuan gave the Gold Tower management a harsh warning.
Who said NPCs had to be kinder than humans?
At least when it came to trickery, they looked no different from humans.
These past days, Lu Chuan had patched up quite a few loopholes for the management.
If it weren’t for the fact that he couldn’t constantly come into the instance to check in because of reality, he would’ve cut all of their salaries.
Unfortunately… his power was still too small. Finding competent managers was far harder than finding a few good fighters.
Sigh.
Making money was easy. Managing it well was the hard part.
Back when he only had a few bucks in his pocket, this was never a problem.
Now, it was what you’d call a sweet kind of trouble.
When Lu Chuan exited the instance, just as he stepped out of the door, Shen Li blocked him.
“Back inside.” Shen Li grabbed him and pulled him back into the room.
“Brother Shen, what are you doing? I’ve been stuck in an instance for a month, I just want to go out and eat something.” Lu Chuan looked at him speechlessly, realizing he was being stopped on purpose.
“Whatever you want to eat, let Sasha buy it for you.” Shen Li shut the door mysteriously. “Lately, Starry Ming has been looking for you everywhere. You’d better honestly clear your Divine Challenge instance first and secure your spot on the Master Ranking before anything else. Leave the other matters to me.”
“Starry Ming? Who’s that, Sasha’s brother?” Lu Chuan blinked.
“That’s [Greedy Wolf Star].” Shen Li was exasperated. “At least remember people’s names.”
“…I literally had someone in the instance say almost the same thing to me. I think you two would get along great.” Lu Chuan found the line oddly familiar. “You’re always calling him Greedy Wolf Star—how am I supposed to know his real name? Isn’t it normal for him to come after me? I’m on the Master Ranking now. Even if he’s dumb, he should know I’m the real one fighting for the Guildmaster position. You’re just a cover.”
Well, what could he do? His progress was too fast—this perfect shield of Shen Li hadn’t lasted even a few months.
“Forget the nonsense. You’ve rested a month. Hurry up and enter the instance.” Shen Li wasn’t in the mood to argue. “The sooner the better, before Starry Ming sticks his nose in. If he ends up in the same instance and screws you over, your place on the Master Ranking might not hold.”
“Brother Shen, who do you think I am? You think someone else can knock me down?” Lu Chuan said lazily.
“…Starry Ming is a Master Ranking player too, and he’s the kind with an especially ruthless style. He’s the type that, if he knows you’re about to clear an instance, he’d rather kill a key NPC and take the system penalty himself than let you succeed.” Shen Li paused before adding, “Your profit-and-benefit logic works on most people. Not on him. He’s an extreme egoist. Call him arrogant or call him stupid, but he really won’t be swayed by gain.”
Lu Chuan silently lowered his hand.
“Ah… people like that are tough to deal with,” he muttered, scratching his head. “The ones I hate most are these capable lunatics who don’t listen to reason. But Brother Shen, are you sure he won’t follow me into the instance?”
“I can’t be sure. That’s why the best I can do is send you in first. At least buy some time, so he can’t interfere right away.” Shen Li thought a moment. “For this Divine Challenge instance, it’s safest if you go alone.”
“Don’t rush—let me finish. Sometimes the system adjusts instance difficulty to match the player’s strength. The Divine Challenge is ultimately meant to test you. Cynthia and I are already on the Master Ranking. If we enter, the system will restrict us and raise the difficulty. If Starry Ming interferes on top of that, your trial will become near impossible. That’s the last thing I want to see.
“The most important part is, Starry Ming has never run an instance with you. If you use a disguise item and act cautiously inside, it’ll be hard for him to pick you out of the crowd. With no teammates going in, he also can’t track you through us, and the system will give you the lowest difficulty.”
These words were something Shen Li had mulled over for a long time.
As Lu Chuan’s mentor and teammate, he wanted more than anyone to go through the trial with him—just like Lu Chuan had once done for him.
But Starry Ming knew Shen Li and Sasha too well. Even in disguise, they’d be recognized quickly. Once their positions were exposed, Starry Ming would find Lu Chuan easily. Even if they didn’t contact him, Starry Ming could still threaten Lu Chuan by targeting their safety.
Against an enemy, you always had to imagine the worst.
This wasn’t a fight over some petty exchangeable item—this was the leadership of the entire Star Guild. Starry Ming wouldn’t hold back.
In the end, Shen Li had no choice but to decide this way.
If Lu Chuan went in alone, there’d be no restrictions.
And given his current ability, soloing an instance was probably the most fitting for him anyway.
“Brother Shen, with how you put it, I can’t really refuse.” Lu Chuan considered the reasoning carefully, and he was tempted.
Running instances with teammates was fun, but it lacked thrill.
As long as teammates were there, no matter how hard the dungeon was, it never felt too hard. That kind of dependence crept in even when he tried to resist it.
“This is all because you made too big a splash earlier—I couldn’t block it even if I tried.” Shen Li glared at him. “If you’d waited another year before hitting the Master Ranking, building up your power more, our situation would be completely different now.”
“Can’t blame me. How was I supposed to know Xi Jiangyuan’s side would turn out like that?” Lu Chuan sighed.
“Doesn’t matter. Things are as they are—you can only move forward. If you fail this trial and lose your Master Ranking spot, you’ll never be a Guildmaster.” Shen Li looked at him seriously. “I rarely ask things of you. But this time—success only. No failure allowed.”
For once, Lu Chuan put on a serious face.
“Relax, Brother Shen.”
When Lu Chuan decided to enter the Divine Challenge alone, he left a short message for Messiah, Lilus, and the others. Their replies came quickly.
Messiah: Be careful. Your guild’s Greedy Wolf Star isn’t easy to deal with.
Lilus: (????) tch~~ I’ll be on the Master Ranking soon too, just wait.
Cynthia: Whatever I say is what my sister means (yes, I stole her phone to send this).
Sasha and Edith, though, were worried. They reminded Lu Chuan to take it easy—the God of Exchange’s trials might not be too hard, but if Starry Ming got involved, things could change fast.
Lu Chuan soothed them with a few promises to avoid risks, then submitted his application to enter the trial.
“Edith, do you think Brother Lu can really resist taking risks?” Sasha asked, unconvinced.
“…Maybe he can resist risking his own life. Other people’s lives? Not so sure.” Edith had already seen through Lu Chuan’s nature.
At the same time—
Inside the game instance.
Loan Shark Chen Ji saw his game panel shift and knew Lu Chuan was entering a Divine Challenge.
“So soon?” Chen Ji was surprised. “Our Divine Challenge really is easier than most, but still—that’s fast. No info gathering first?”
But remembering Lu Chuan’s bold, rash style, it made sense.
Fine, he’d apply to enter too.
As a veteran loan officer of the Extreme Evil Loan Company, Chen Ji often acted as a key NPC in Divine Challenges. He’d been through more than he could count.
In fact, of all the God of Exchange’s trial instances, Chen Ji had experienced at least ninety percent.
Let’s see which one Lu Chuan drew this time.
He opened the instance details—And his smile froze.
This one?
What luck did Lu Chuan have? The God of Exchange had at least ten thousand linked trials, and he had to pick number ten-thousand-and-one.
“Damn it, I don’t want to go into this one!”
Chen Ji swore, but it was too late.
He’d already submitted the application. It couldn’t be withdrawn.
A flash of white light, and Chen Ji entered the trial.
—
The gold ingot began to tremble.
Cang Jiu watched the movement of the ingot and could sense what state Lu Chuan was in.
A Divine Challenge, huh?
If it involved Lu Chuan, he definitely wanted to observe closely.
—Star Guild.
“Lu Chuan entered the instance.” Starry Ming glanced at his item and spoke casually. “I’m applying to go in too.”
With the Travel Together item, no matter what instance Lu Chuan entered, he could specify the same one.
“Oh, the God of Exchange’s trial? So the Extreme Evil Loan Company already set their sights on him?”
As an old Master-Rank player, Starry Ming knew of the Extreme Evil Loan Company. Their clients were always Master Ranking players or those with potential to reach it. Their VIP card was priceless, impossible to buy.
System Prompt: [Player [Greedy Wolf Star] has used the item [Together Along the Way] and requested to enter the same instance as player [Arrival of the God of Wealth].]
[Request accepted. Generating instance information.]
[Player Greedy Wolf Star will now enter the Divine Challenge instance “Exchange.” Please prepare.]
[Countdown begins.]
—
Instance Name: “Exchange”
Players: 10 (others still being summoned)
Type: Divine Challenge Instance – please be aware.
Instance Info: At the end of the world stands a city of the gods. Rumor says it holds the secret of eternal life; whoever gains that secret will become immortal. Here, good and evil are clear-cut, and everyone may live safely within the city.
Clear Conditions: Destroy the City of Immortality and permanently seal its gate.
Erase the gods’ protection completely.
Special: Find the god hidden in the city and awaken it.
Fulfilling any one condition clears the instance. Each additional objective raises your evaluation.
Hint: Everything comes at a price.
Main Quest 1: Enter the City of Immortality. If you fail, you may either remain in the instance for five years or leave (leaving counts as failure).
———
Lu Chuan opened his eyes and found himself standing at the entrance of a city.
The gate was a crowded harbor, jammed with massive ships offloading people until there was no room to spare.
Yet no one guarded the gate—only two huge, blue lion-like beasts sat there.
Crowds pressed at the threshold, but none could pass through.
“When will this Immortal City finally open?”
“They say once you enter, you’ll live forever, youth intact.”
“I sold everything I owned to come here.”
“Hah, I’m a duke! I abandoned my title, wife, and lovers just to get in.”
“Who here isn’t desperate?”
Listening, Lu Chuan quickly grasped the situation, these people were all waiting for the chance to enter the City of Immortality—officials, magnates, heroes, and reckless souls chasing a rumor.
The city opened only once every five years, admitting just ten entrants each time. Miss your chance, wait another five.
“I’ve waited twenty years,” one man cursed. “Every time, those damn lions demand something different: five years ago, our beloved ones; ten years ago, our own hearts; fifteen years ago, a single tear…”
“Even if you’re willing, they only take ten.”
“Getting in is hellishly hard.”
Lu Chuan’s interest was piqued. So those guardian lions were alive—and chose who could pass?
Thanks to his superior physique, he squeezed to the front.
The lions, clearly accustomed to this scene, spoke in human tongues, “This time, those who would enter must offer their bodies.”
“I—I’ll do it!” A richly dressed man rushed forward.
“Take whatever you want—just let me in!”
“Good.”
The left lion opened its maw and bit off the man’s head.
Blood sprayed; the body toppled.
The right lion snatched the corpse and flung it inside the gate. The beasts chewed, spat out bones and hair, jaws slick with gore.
“I still need nine more,” one lion said lazily. “Who’s next?”
Screams rose.
“Murder! They’re killing us!”
“So much for an Immortal City—it’s a demon’s lair!”
Lu Chuan noted the hypocrisy: greedy nobles and tycoons risked all for eternal life—yet balked when the price was real.
And still… the lions had tossed the body inside.
