Chapter 827: Trial Official

"Beep."

Just then, the Shi Lian Yu Pei chimed softly, indicating a notification.

"All trial participants, please complete the 'name engraving' as soon as possible. Once the engraving is successful, points will begin to accumulate, and your name will appear on the points leaderboard."

Points wouldn't start accumulating until the name was engraved? This meant everyone had to register their real names...

Xu Xiaoshou pondered this, wondering if there might be instances where someone actually obtained a Yun Zhu but failed to engrave their name in time, resulting in lost points.

He flipped over the jade pendant, intending to engrave the name "Xu De Ye."

But quickly, Xu Xiaoshou halted his action.

"What’s wrong?"

By then, Xin Gugu had already finished engraving his name.

With the Shi Lian Yu Pei covered by the Tian Ji Shu, engraving was merely a flash of spiritual sense.

Seeing Xu Xiaoshou suddenly freeze, Xin Gugu turned his head and asked hesitantly, "Seriously? Is there a trap even in engraving a name? I’ve already done it..."

"There shouldn’t be any trap." Xu Xiaoshou didn’t think so; as long as he didn’t foolishly engrave something like "Holy Slave Xu Xiaoshou," the name was likely just for distinguishing trial participants.

What suddenly occurred to him was that if he accumulated enough points, this name he was about to engrave would be visible to everyone on the leaderboard.

This was a great opportunity for publicity!

After thinking it over, Xu Xiaoshou flashed his spiritual sense and engraved several large characters in the name field: "Xiao Wanfeng, hurry to the eastern region and find this young master!"

There were no restrictions.

The Tian Ji Shu developer probably never imagined someone would use it in this manner.

With a "beep," the jade pendant prompted "engraving successful."

Flipping it over again, the basic information had been updated.

"Name: Xiao Wanfeng, hurry to the eastern region and find this young master!"

"Points: 0."

Xu Xiaoshou found this quite amusing.

This was indeed interesting.

Once he earned points, Xiao Wanfeng could spot him on the leaderboard and then head toward the eastern region of the Yun Lun Shanmai with a clear target.

"I hope this guy doesn’t meet his end on the way," Xu Xiaoshou thought.

All three had finished engraving their information, and the Shi Lian Yu Pei chimed another reminder.

"Beep."

"All trial participants, please make your way toward the core region of Jiu Long Mai. You have only ten days; after that, anyone still in the outer or inner periphery of the Yun Lun Shanmai will be eliminated."

The core region, Jiu Long Mai...

While Xu Xiaoshou was still figuring out where Jiu Long Mai was, the Shi Lian Yu Pei had already refreshed a new module after name engraving: a map.

With a probe of spiritual sense, a virtual map visible only to the jade pendant's holder unfolded before his eyes.

The map was divided into three nested ring-shaped areas.

The innermost and middle regions were still grayed out.

Only the outermost ring was unlocked, which was likely the outer and inner periphery of the Yun Lun Shanmai where all trial participants were randomly distributed.

On the map, Xu Xiaoshou saw that he was indeed in the east, located in the easternmost and outermost area of the Yun Lun Shanmai.

Jiu Long Mai was situated in the middle ring.

They had to enter Jiu Long Mai within ten days, or they would be eliminated.

"Got it."

Xu Xiaoshou nodded.

This setup felt familiar, like herding players toward the center with a time limit, just without a shrinking safe zone.

All he had to do was travel, travel, and travel some more.

Liu Changqing glanced at the map and then looked toward Xu Xiaoshou.

"Including the surrounding areas, the Yun Lun Shanmai spans over a hundred thousand li in length and width, but the trial region only covers the areas belonging to the Ling Jie, not the mundane territories. So, the entire trial area is roughly over forty thousand li."

"Jiu Long Mai is in the middle region, and from our current outermost position, crossing the inner periphery to reach the core area, we'll need to cover over thirty thousand li in ten days."

Ten days, thirty thousand li.

Xu Xiaoshou nodded, not overly concerned.

It sounded far, but for a Ling Ling Shi, it wasn’t much—as long as one was a trial participant, they should be able to manage it.

But balancing travel with earning points would be tricky.

Xin Gugu looked over with Liu Changqing; both of them were limited to using only their Xiantian level abilities for now, or the "Yun Jing" world would detect it, and they couldn't act recklessly.

Otherwise, for someone at the Wang Zuo or Zhan Dao level, thirty thousand li at full speed would take less than half a shichen.

"So, what’s the plan? Just travel, or go for points first?" Xin Gugu asked.

"Let’s grab some points first, but not by robbing people—we'll look for Yun Shou." Xu Xiaoshou made up his mind right away.

"What about camping out at the Jiu Long Mai outskirts to ambush people?" Xin Gugu was puzzled; in his view, that was the best way to earn points.

Xu Xiaoshou smiled. "This young master wants to get on the leaderboard and do some publicity first."

"Publicity?" Xin Gugu raised an eyebrow, looking confused.

"Yep."

Xu Xiaoshou didn’t explain further; once he had points, everyone would understand.

He opened the points leaderboard.

"1. Chong Yuan, Points: 10100."

"2. Mu Xiao Gong, Points: 200."

"3. Duo Er, Points: 100."

"4. Zhou Tian Shen, Points: 100."

"67. Gu Qing San, Points: 100."

The leaderboard was already updated.

In the time they’d been talking, the number of people on the list had jumped to sixty-seven.

For over thirty thousand trial participants, that was still very few, and Xu Xiaoshou spotted quite a few familiar names.

He grew curious.

Those on the leaderboard now probably weren't just lucky—some had started searching for "Yun Zhu."

But were Yun Zhu that hard to find?

Apart from his junior sister, who had gotten two and shot up to second place, everyone else was at 100 points, meaning they’d each found just one Yun Zhu.

And Chong Yuan in first place—had he killed a Yun Shou right at the start? Yet no one had surpassed him?

These trial participants in the Yun Lun Shanmai were all top talents from the five domains—how could they stand being outdone like that?

"This guy is really lucky!"

Xin Gugu stared at the leaderboard and muttered.

Killing a Yun Shou at the outset, based on how points were updating, this Chong Yuan would likely stay at the top for a while.

It was great publicity—hard not to remember him.

Staring at the leaderboard, Xin Gugu started feeling tempted.

People are like that; even if you’re just here to mess around, seeing a leaderboard makes you want to fight for first place.

"Don't even think about it!"

Xu Xiaoshou could tell from Xin Gugu’s eyes what he was scheming, so he flicked him on the forehead and said, "From now on, you two try not to make a move. Leave everything to this young master. I’m the trial participant; you’re the guardians, here to protect me."

His real intention was that with these two ghost beasts by his side, and not knowing how "Yun Jing" worked, it was best if they didn’t act to avoid exposure.

But Xin Gugu rolled his eyes at that. "Do you even need protection?"

Xu Xiaoshou chuckled and ignored him, releasing his "perception" to start searching for Yun Shou and Yun Zhu.

"Let’s head that way."

He pointed toward the core region.

Advancing from here, within the range of his "perception," any Yun Shou they encountered wouldn’t escape.

At the same time, in the outer regions of the Yun Lun Shanmai, countless trial participants were rushing from all directions toward Jiu Long Mai.

All the participants in this trial were geniuses from various domains, and none of them were fools.

Besides grabbing a Yun Zhu if they landed on one, no one was thinking about starting to search immediately. Instead, they all had the same idea:

Get to the outskirts of Jiu Long Mai early and set up an ambush. Once the time limit hit and people from behind arrived, they could intercept them on the spot, turning from peasants into landlords in one fell swoop.

In the east.

On the corpse of a massive beast over three zhang tall, a spirited young man stood atop its head, holding his Shi Lian Yu Pei and furrowing his brow.

"This isn’t a Yun Shou," Qiu Sheng murmured to himself; he hadn’t seen his name appear on the leaderboard.

Beside the pool of blood stood a respectful-looking young man in hemp clothes, though his eyes held a hint of world-weariness.

He stared at the beast’s corpse and shook his head with a smile. "Young master, this is a Terror-Tooth Sword Tiger; it’s a Ling Shou, not a Yun Shou."

Qiu Sheng turned back. "Wu Lao, what does a Yun Shou look like?"

"I’m not sure."

The man called Wu Lao shook his head. "This is my first time experiencing 'Yun Jing.' In the past, similar Tian Ji worlds only appeared in trials for major cities like Jing Du or Si Ling Cheng. This time, Dong Tian Wang Cheng is using it probably because the Sky City attracted too many talents, so they pulled out this precious Tian Ji world."

Hearing this, Qiu Sheng frowned and scolded, "Since you know we’re in 'Yun Jing,' you need to watch your self-references."

Wu Lao was startled, then laughed. "Force of habit, young master, forgive me. I’ll be careful from now on."

"Let’s go!" Qiu Sheng jumped down from the beast’s head, not dwelling on it. "I came from the Zhong domain this time for the Sky City. We have to be careful with everything and not slip up on details. It’s just that I didn’t expect..."

He stared at the Shi Lian Yu Pei, a strange glint in his eyes.

"How did that guy Chong Yuan find a Yun Shou so quickly and take it down? Did he use help from his clan elders?"

"He definitely didn’t." Wu Lao shook his head. "Beings like us are lucky to get in. If we act in the Yun Jing world, one misstep and we’ll be detected and exposed."

"Hmm, just stick close to me and don’t make a move," Qiu Sheng said confidently.

Wu Lao smiled at the Terror-Tooth Sword Tiger’s corpse, his tone admiring. "Though you’re at Xiantian level, young master, you took down a Zong Shi Ling Shou in under ten rounds. In this Yun Jing world, I doubt many of your peers could match you—fewer than the fingers on one hand."

"Of course!" Qiu Sheng’s eyes flashed with pride.

As a descendant of the Tai Xu family from the Zhong domain, even with talents from various domains in this Dong Tian Wang Cheng trial, he didn’t believe many could rival his strength.

"Let’s go, keep moving forward."

Qiu Sheng waved his hand and strode ahead.

As for the valuable Zong Shi Ling Shou corpse behind them, full of rare materials, Qiu Sheng didn’t even glance back.

Wu Lao nodded and hurried to follow.

Just then, a gust of wind came from nearby.

With a soft whoosh—barely audible, so faint that even Qiu Sheng didn’t notice—Wu Lao’s pupils shrank sharply, and he turned warily.

"Who’s there!" Wu Lao shouted.

Qiu Sheng reacted and quickly turned his head.

On a nearby rock, a middle-aged man in black landed, a mocking smile in his eyes.

Wu Lao’s heart skipped a beat.

A middle-aged man?

Trial participants had to be young; how could one appear in the Yun Lun Shanmai?

"Who are you?" Qiu Sheng’s eyes narrowed, tension rising.

From this black-clothed man, he sensed a powerful aura not inferior to Wu Lao’s before his cultivation was sealed. Just a glance made Qiu Sheng’s back grow cold.

The black-clothed man smiled and stepped forward, instantly appearing before them, saying coolly, "A trial official."

"A trial official?" Qiu Sheng stepped back involuntarily. "I’ve heard of trial participants, but not trial officials. Who are you, really? Don’t play tricks!"

The black-clothed man sized up Qiu Sheng and nodded. "You’re fine, so you don’t need to encounter a trial official. But the 'Wu Lao' behind you might not belong here."

With that, an oppressive aura surged.

The grass and trees swayed wildly, and stones rolled.

Qiu Sheng’s scalp tingled instantly.

The Wu Lao behind him realized why this man was here, but his face remained calm. "I’m surnamed Wu and named Lao—what’s the problem?"

The black-clothed man shook his head with a laugh. "Surnamed Wu and named Lao? That’s a first. And your self-reference? I’ve never heard a young person call themselves 'old man.' If you’re okay, then maybe your young master has the issue?"

Wu Lao’s eyes narrowed, a sense of dread rising.

Just one slip of the tongue, and he’d been caught?

Was the Yun Jing world under constant surveillance?

But even if it was, how could someone show up so quickly after just a few words?

Yes, Wu Lao was Qiu Sheng’s Wang Zuo guardian.

This time, under the pretext of the Wang Cheng trial, he had suppressed his cultivation and used a secret technique to alter his appearance, entering the Yun Lun Shanmai as a young man to pave the way for the Zhong domain’s Tai Xu Qiu family in seeking a Sky City opportunity.

He never imagined that as soon as he stepped into the Yun Lun Shanmai, his identity would be exposed.

"A trial official?"

Wu Lao stepped forward, shielding Qiu Sheng, and responded calmly, "I’ve never heard of such a thing. And as long as the Wang Cheng trial rules don’t mention it, I can consider you an enemy who made up an identity to steal our points, right?"

"You’re clever." The black-clothed man’s eyes held sarcasm as he said coldly, "Trial officials aren’t aimed at trial participants, so they don’t need to know the rules. Your young master can continue the trial; don’t worry, I won’t hurt him. Have him step back."

"Wu Lao..." Qiu Sheng’s heart tightened, not daring to leave.

"Young master, step back a bit," Wu Lao said through a voice transmission, gritting his teeth.

Qiu Sheng had no choice but to retreat.

Then Wu Lao fixed his gaze on the black-clothed man. "He’s back—now what?"

"Now?"

The black-clothed man slowly raised his hand, like a reaper passing judgment, and said coldly, "Now, for sealing your cultivation, impersonating a trial participant with ulterior motives, and breaking the rules—you can die!"