"Take this back with us." Xu Lang pointed at the Cloaked Man's corpse and said to the Soul-Herding Wolf.

The Soul-Herding Wolf let out an 'awoo' and swallowed the Cloaked Man's body.

Suddenly, Xu Lang looked towards Ginkgo Avenue.

Not long after, a lightly-equipped female player walked out of the Blood Mist, her face full of alertness.

"It's Lang Ge!" This was a player from the ninth floor. Seeing Xu Lang, her face lit up with joy, then she exclaimed in surprise, "Lang Ge, when did you get here?"

"Just arrived," Xu Lang replied.

The female player suddenly understood and smiled, "Lang Ge is truly Lang Ge, actually entering the Blood Mist from an unknown area."

Currently, there were only two pioneering strongholds for players: Ginkgo Avenue and the Art Building. She had been lingering around Ginkgo Avenue for a long time. If Xu Lang had come from Ginkgo Avenue, she would have definitely seen him earlier.

"No, I came from the direction of the Art Building," Xu Lang said casually as he walked forward.

A trace of confusion flashed in the female player's eyes, but she didn't feel it appropriate to ask further.

Just then, several more teammates arrived behind her. The leading short-haired female player, upon seeing Xu Lang, quickly said, "Lang Ge, Xiao Qian is our scout. She came over after hearing some movement. We hope we didn't disturb you?"

"No," Xu Lang shook his head. "Have you cleared out the monsters in the front section already?"

"Basically cleared out. Everyone has already started gathering resources. We're the vanguard," the short-haired female player replied.

"Alright," Xu Lang sheathed his sword, called out to the Soul-Herding Wolf, and headed home at full speed.

The women watched Xu Lang leave.

The short-haired female player asked, "Xiao Qian, why was Lang Ge over here?"

Xiao Qian shook her head. "Not sure. He said he came from the direction of the Art Building."

"Ridiculous. Over such a long distance, even an army would be swallowed up," the short-haired female player said in astonishment, letting out a disbelieving laugh.

"Don't know," Xiao Qian continued shaking her head. She sniffed the air, pointed in the direction Xu Lang had come from, and said, "The smell of blood is really strong over there. Lang Ge must have been killing monsters. Let's go see if we can scavenge anything."

The women's eyes lit up. They followed Xiao Qian and soon saw a crimson Great Wall piled high with the corpses of various Blood Mist creatures!

It resembled a spine rising from the bloody earth, one end drooping onto Ginkgo Avenue, the other winding deep into the Blood Mist.

"Gulp~" The short-haired female player swallowed hard. "There must be at least a thousand monsters here, right?"

Xiao Qian walked forward with stiff steps. The others followed her, driven by an inexplicable mood.

They wanted to see just how many monsters Xu Lang had killed and where this trail of carnage ended!

The further they walked, the more afraid they became. An atmosphere of horror, shock, and panic permeated the air, seeping into their very bones.

Not everyone could accept such a terrifying scene.

Even if they were players.

"Don't go any further! Go back quickly and call Sister Hui and the others to come loot the bodies!" The short-haired female player suddenly snapped back to reality and grabbed Xiao Qian.

The women hurried back to notify the other players.

No one stayed behind.

This was a treasure mountain, but also an extremely terrifying slaughterhouse!

When they found Wu Huihui and recounted their encounter, Wu Huihui was surprisingly decisive, ordering everyone to leave immediately while also notifying other players who were out pioneering.

Over a dozen minutes later, a player narrowly escaped death from the Blood Mist, having encountered a large monster that attacked on sight.

Several centipedes, each over a hundred units in size, were devouring the corpse Great Wall and, in the process, wiped out a group of players who had come to loot the bodies.

The Blood Mist World, much like the natural world, had a hidden rule.

The more beautiful something appeared, the more dangerous it was. Bizarre sights often heralded super disasters!

...

After returning to the Safe Zone, Xu Lang didn't head back to his dorm immediately. Instead, he went to the second tallest structure in the Safe Zone, atop the National Pillar.

The scenery of the Safe Zone was long since different from the Clear Sky University era.

This National Pillar was now dozens of meters taller than before, sturdier and thicker, resembling a clock tower.

Xu Lang sat cross-legged at the top of the National Pillar, the Purgatory March resting horizontally across his knees. He replayed the experiences of this pioneering expedition in his mind, with insights continuously surfacing in his heart.

Transcendence to Sainthood, Madness exerting its force!

At some unknown time, Xu Lang opened his eyes. A divine light flashed within them, and the Purgatory March lightly trembled and hummed in resonance, their hearts and minds connected.

[Blade Technique has gained insights. War God has been raised to Level 5. Please proceed to the Gymnasium to unlock the "Divine Trial."]

Xu Lang felt a headache coming on. He hadn't even fully figured out the Mad King Trial yet, and now here came a Divine Trial.

However, the information displayed next by the dorm building eased his mind slightly.

The Divine Trial was a complete and utter benefit.

Whenever a universal-level Mythical skill reached a milestone level like five, ten, or fifteen, the Dorm Survival Game would help the player obtain an exclusive skill to stabilize that level.

[Nightmare Eye · Divine Trial: After a player's Mythical-ranked universal skill reaches level fifty, they will be sent by the Dorm Survival Game to the "Forsaken Land of the Gods" to participate in the Law Contention War.]

"Damn it, I knew there was a catch!"

Xu Lang cursed inwardly.

But for now, with the benefit delivered right to his doorstep, he chose to accept it.

Level fifty skill? That sounded impossibly far away.

Better to grab the immediate benefit first.

With a flap of his Ember Saint Robe, Xu Lang shot towards another tall building. After a few leaps, he arrived at the Gymnasium.

[Initiate "Divine Trial"? Yes/No]

Standing in the center of the Gymnasium, Xu Lang initiated the Divine Trial.

In the next instant, a massive barrier suddenly expanded. All players still inside the Gymnasium were pushed out by an invisible force!

The scenery before Xu Lang's eyes transformed. He found himself appearing amidst a starry sky.

Stars glittered one after another. He seemed to see master after master standing at the pinnacle of their civilizations—some holding blades, some holding spears, some with bare fists.

This place seemed like a paradise for techniques, yet also like the ultimate destination for those who had reached the peak. All brilliant and glorious knowledge condensed here!

Xu Lang had expected to encounter battles and enemies, but instead, he felt a sensation of being... fed!

All sorts of wildly imaginative, unorthodox knowledge and concepts about weapon combat rampaged chaotically through his mind!

These ideas were insane and extreme, making even him, a War God, feel utterly bewildered!

The peak of a single civilization was so insignificant compared to the vastness of the myriad worlds.

Although the War God skill allowed him to wield ten thousand weapons as easily as his own limbs, his true expertise still lay in blade technique.

At this moment, an expression of ecstatic joy crept into his eyes. He began to swing his blade.

With each swing, his body grew weaker, but it didn't matter. To hear the Way in the morning and die at dusk was acceptable!

He was like the most devout seeker of the Way, swinging his blade until death. The closer his body came to its final moments, the more terrifying and perilous the slashes he unleashed became.

And at the instant of his death, the starry sky before his eyes also shattered!