Chapter 298: "Five Times the Reward, It's Hard Not to Be Tempted."

Chapter 298: "Five Times the Reward, It's Hard Not to Be Tempted."

". . ."

In the corridor, Chen Qiu looked at Fat Dragon, who stood by his side expressionlessly, "You failed at this?"

"Hmm?" Fat Dragon lowered his head, his face filled with guilt, and rubbed his nose, "What can I say... There was an unexpected incident. If it was just a beauty, you know me, with my personality, how could I possibly refuse?"

"But the problem is, that illusion was actually Ma Yinxue!"

"This was really hard to refuse."

"How should I put it... She was once my Bai Yueguang. If not for what happened later, perhaps she would have stayed by my side for a long time."

Chen Qiu sighed lightly, not saying much more, feeling a bit helpless. But he could understand; after all, this wasn't the first time something like this had happened. He still remembered that in the past, in the Mock Heaven Sect's secret realm, Fat Dragon had acted the same way, unable to control himself when faced with an illusion of Ma Yinxue.

From a certain perspective, this could be considered pure love.

"No harm done, it's just a purple entry. Let's continue."

At this moment, everyone had already come out of this door, and as they exited, a semi-transparent panel, shrouded in clouds, appeared above each person's head.

Clearly marked on it were the words:

"First Gate: Passed."

Almost everyone in the room had the same words floating above their heads, indicating that they had all passed the first gate. Only Fat Dragon's panel read:

"First Gate: Not Passed."

For a moment, everyone instinctively looked at Fat Dragon. Some had complex expressions, some looked down on him, and most frowned in thought, pondering why Fat Dragon had made such a choice.

The beauty temptation in this gate was so simple that it was not an exaggeration to say that even a young man full of vigor could easily pass through it.

Failing to pass this gate at this difficulty level had nothing to do with the gate's challenge but was a deliberate choice made by this man.

If it were someone else, it wouldn't matter.

But this man was, after all, someone close to Chen Qiu and seemed to be his confidant, so he must be extraordinary. Making this choice must mean there was something they didn't know, especially since Chen Qiu had left the private tutoring room first, indicating that he knew more than them.

Many people's lips moved, as if they wanted to ask something but held back. Even if they did ask, Chen Qiu wouldn't answer, so it would be pointless.

Thinking from another perspective.

If they knew some hidden information about this secret realm and someone asked them about it, they definitely wouldn't tell.

Just then—

The middle-aged man in a green robe, who had been waiting by the side, clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention: "Since everyone has gone through the first gate, let's continue."

"Next is the second gate."

Without waiting, the middle-aged man continued walking deeper into the corridor, not caring if anyone followed.

"Wait!"

At this moment, a young man finally couldn't hold back and asked, "Host, this secret realm is a large-scale cross-continental realm, why is the first gate so simple?"

This was the question on everyone's mind.

They just hadn't voiced it, as the rewards of this secret realm seemed disproportionate to the effort required. Now, this young man had spoken up.

The middle-aged man in the green robe stopped and turned to face the young man. After a pause, he suddenly laughed, "Don't worry, there will be more challenging gates."

After saying this, he didn't explain further or punish the young man for asking. Instead, he continued walking ahead.

Chen Qiu patted Fat Dragon's shoulder and, along with Fat Dragon and several others, including Baijia Jianxiu Tianjiao, followed the middle-aged man deeper into the corridor.

The young man who had asked the question was now pale, breathing heavily. Only after asking did he realize that the last person who had asked a question had been struck by heavenly thunder.

How dare he ask a question!

Fortunately, perhaps because he hadn't interrupted the host or maybe because the host was in a good mood, he wasn't struck by heavenly thunder.

After a thousand breaths, the group continued at a slow, rhythmic pace, and no one used their movement techniques to overtake the host. In this situation, it was better to be cautious; after living for so many years, there was no one wanted to rush to their next life.

Finally, they reached the second gate of the secret realm.

On the corridor wall was an embedded wooden door.

"Second Gate"

"Content: Enter this room alone and hold your breath for a hundred breaths."

"Reward: A random red entry jade slip."

"Note: Those who didn't pass the previous gate will receive double the reward for passing this gate. Those who don't pass this gate will receive triple the reward for the next gate."

When they saw the gate's content, everyone was shocked. These people were the top talents of their respective continents, accompanied by the best Dao Guardians, and they had seen a lot in their lives. They wouldn't get excited over small gains, as that would show a lack of experience.

But this time was different!

A red entry jade slip was no small matter, and many people might never obtain one in their entire lives. Moreover, the task was simple—just hold their breath for a hundred breaths.

Unbelievable!

Even an ordinary person could hold their breath for a hundred breaths, let alone these peerless talents?

It was like a free gift, but when everyone saw the last line, they looked at Fat Dragon with complex expressions. Those who didn't pass the previous gate would receive double the reward for passing this gate? Did Fat Dragon know about this beforehand? Otherwise, why would he fail at such a simple first gate? It seemed like he was preparing for this gate, trading a random purple entry jade slip for a random red entry jade slip—a bargain even a child would make.

They must have known! Even a fool could pass the first gate, and as Chen Qiu's confidant, how could I possibly fail the first gate? It's obvious that they have some inside information.

Looking at the relationship between the master and the servant, it seems quite strained. Why would the servant fail the first gate, while the master, Chen Qiu, managed to pass it? This is clearly suspicious.

"Huh?"

Fat Dragon looked at the gate's panel with a blank expression and muttered, "Is this even possible?"

He swore that the reason he failed the first gate was simply because he thought trading a purple entry slip for a night with Bai Yueguang was a good deal. He didn't think too much about it, but now it seemed like he had actually profited from the exchange.

This mystic realm was indeed strange.

But soon, he realized something and hesitated, "Chen Qiu, should we pass this gate? If we don't, the next gate will have triple the reward."

Judging by the pattern, the rewards in this mystic realm seemed to increase with each gate. If they skipped this gate, the next one would have triple the reward. The reward for the third gate with a triple bonus would definitely be more generous than passing the first, second, and third gates.

"Something's not right."

Chen Qiu frowned slightly and shook his head. "Do you remember the rules the host mentioned at the beginning? Only by passing four gates can one qualify to leave this mystic realm."

"Now it seems that the first two gates are extremely easy."

"If the content of the first four gates is so simple, the host wouldn't have mentioned it. Because anyone, regardless of their cultivation level, can complete the first four gates and gain the qualification to leave the mystic realm."

"I understand."

Fat Dragon pondered for a moment and said, "Chen Qiu, do you mean that the earlier gates will use this method to entice participants to give up some gates, thereby increasing the multiplier, but when they reach the later gates, the difficulty will suddenly spike, making it impossible to pass, trapping them in the mystic realm forever?"

"Yes."

"But..." Fat Dragon hesitated for a long time before reluctantly saying, "But isn't this too obvious? Even a fool could see through the intentions of this mystic realm."

"It's an open secret."

Chen Qiu spoke softly, "But those who stand here are all Heaven's Pride, with immense confidence in themselves. This confidence often becomes their downfall. We don't know what will happen later, so let's get the safety ticket first."

"Fat Dragon, you've already wasted one chance."

"I'll pass all the gates, I don' need any multiplier, it's meaningless."

Although the group was gathered together, when they conversed, they activated soundproof arrays to ensure their conversations remained private. Only Chen Qiu, Fat Dragon, and a few others could hear their discussion, including the Bai Family's Sword Cultivation Heaven's Pride.

"Especially you three."

Chen Qiu turned to look at the three Bai Family's Heaven's Pride, who had been assigned to him, and said calmly, "Don't have any other thoughts. Focus on passing the gates. Since I brought you here, I'll bring you back. Let's get the ticket to survive first, no need to think about anything else."

"Even I gave up the multiplier."

"Do you think you're more confident than me?"

The three Bai Family's Heaven's Pride exchanged glances and whispered, "Senior, please rest assured, we won't act on our own."

"Mhm."

At this moment—

The others also seemed to have figured it out. They turned to look at the host, who stood expressionless and silent. The situation was clear.

The entrance to the second gate was right there.

Pass the gate and receive a random red entry slip talisman.

Give up this chance, and the next gate will have triple the reward.

The reward for the next gate would definitely be better than the red entry slip talisman, especially with the triple bonus. It might be the greatest opportunity of their lives, befitting a cross-continental large mystic realm. The rewards were far superior to those of a typical Heavenly Dao Mystic Realm.

But this was clearly an open secret.

It was meant to entice them to give up a gate. After all, only by passing four gates could they leave the mystic realm.

"What's there to be afraid of?"

Just then, a Heaven's Pride in red clothing, ignoring the Dao Guardian's advice, spoke without activating a soundproof array. His face turned cold as he said, "Do you think that as the first Peerless Talent of Beiping Continent, I can't even reach the fifth gate in this mystic realm?"

"Even if I give up this gate, what's the harm? There are still seven more gates after this."

"As long as I pass the third, fourth, and fifth gates, I'll get the ticket to leave, right? I'm a Peerless Talent, I shouldn't have trouble reaching the fifth gate."

"If you're afraid of everything, why even enter the mystic realm? Might as well stay home and sleep."

After saying this, he took large strides towards the wooden door. Within three breaths, he stepped out of the wooden door, having clearly chosen to give up passing the gate. At the same time, the panel above this Heaven's Pride's head displayed a new message.

"Second gate, not passed."

The boy's words were quite arrogant, but they did reflect the thoughts of many. Even if they gave up this gate, could they not reach the fifth gate?

Not to mention passing all the gates, but reaching the fifth gate shouldn't be difficult, right?

At that moment, many chose to give up this gate, deciding to take a gamble. This group was not small, roughly half of the participants.

The world's biggest gamblers were not in casinos but in mystic realms, especially those that restricted high-level cultivators. Those who reached the Body Integration Stage were, without exception, gamblers, and lucky ones at that.

These people trusted their luck the most.

They feared nothing, especially their own luck.

This was already a cautious decision. Otherwise, at least nine out of ten people would have taken the gamble. Most people chose to be cautious since it was a cross-continental mystic realm.

Chen Qiu and his group did not interact with others, and they all chose to proceed to the next level.

The nature of this level was such that as long as one wanted to pass, it would be effortless.

Soon—

After several hundred breaths—

Chen Qiu and the others emerged from the second level, each with an additional red entry scroll talisman in hand.

"A red entry scroll..."

Chen Qiu sighed with a mix of emotion and nostalgia, placing the red entry scroll into his storage ring without examining its effects. The talisman was still in a sealed state, and according to the host's explanation, its effects would only be revealed upon exiting the mystic realm.

What made him sigh was—

It was a red entry scroll.

He knew firsthand how difficult it was to obtain one, and now, he could acquire one by simply holding his breath for a hundred breaths. The disparity left him feeling sentimental.

Perhaps this was the difference in continent tiers.

In his mind, the red entry scroll, which he considered to be of an extremely high tier, might be easily attainable in the higher-tier Immortal Realm.

The Bai family's sword cultivation prodigy, standing beside him, was also visibly excited, playing with the red entry scroll in his hand. His voice trembled with excitement as he said, "It's really a red entry scroll talisman! The rewards in this mystic realm are truly generous."

"I haven't had a red entry scroll until now. Once I leave, the family head will surely be delighted to see my red entry scroll."

"Hehe."

Fat Dragon dryly mocked, "As the Heaven's Pride of the Heaven-reaching Continent, you don't even have a red entry scroll? It seems you're not highly regarded in the Bai family."

Given the Bai family head's wealth, acquiring a red entry scroll would be a simple matter.

If they were truly willing to nurture this prodigy, they would undoubtedly purchase some high-tiered prodigies to serve as their trump cards. The fact that they haven't suggests that this prodigy might not be deemed worthy of such investment in the eyes of the Bai family head.

Of course, this was merely his speculation; there might be other reasons.

The Bai family's sword cultivation prodigy ignored Fat Dragon's mockery, his eyes filled with longing as he said, "With this red entry scroll, I'll have the courage to express my feelings to the woman I love when I return."

"I've always loved her, but I always felt that I wasn't good enough, that I..."

At that moment—

Fat Dragon abruptly covered the Bai family prodigy's mouth with his hand, his expression unreadable. "Enough, don't say more. Based on my experience, those who speak like that usually don't make it to the next scene."

"Come with me and spit on the ground three times."

"Just do as I say, no need for empty words."

Chen Qiu paid no attention to their drama, while the other two Bai family prodigies, though visibly excited, were more reserved and didn't express their emotions openly.

At this point, most people were in high spirits.

Everyone eagerly anticipated the reward for the next level.

Since the reward for this level was a red entry scroll, the reward for the next level would surely be even better; perhaps it would even be a golden entry scroll!

Those who had given up on the current level's reward were especially looking forward to the next one.

After everyone had exited through the wooden door of the second level, the host, who had been standing by, clapped and said, "Next, we're heading to the third level. Please stay close."

Even if one wanted to give up on this level—

They would still have to enter and fail before they could move on. There was no way to skip this level directly unless one didn't want the reward for passing or failing it. If that were the case, it would indeed be possible.

On the way to the third level, the crowd's excitement was even more palpable than before. Along the way, everyone chatted eagerly, their voices filled with anticipation for the third level, but also with a hint of nervousness.

Finally.

After a thousand breaths—

The crowd spotted another wooden door on the corridor wall, marking the entrance to the third level.

"Third Level"

"Content: Kill the bride in the first level's room."

"Reward: One random golden entry scroll talisman."

"Note: Those who did not pass the previous level will receive three times the reward for passing this level. Those who do not pass this level will receive five times the reward in the next level."

"Wow!"

Upon seeing the level's panel, almost everyone started shouting in excitement, especially those who had given up on the previous level. They were so thrilled that they couldn't close their mouths.

They would receive three times the reward for this level.

In other words—

As long as they passed this level, they would obtain three random golden entry scroll talismans.

It was absolutely worth it.

The entry ticket to this mystic realm cost 10 million spirit stones, and with these three golden entry scrolls, they would break even. This was no longer a question of worth, as entry scrolls of this tier couldn't be bought with spirit stones.

No matter how many spirit stones one had, they couldn't purchase a multicolored entry scroll, at least not in the third-tier continent. Perhaps even in the higher-tier Immortal Realm, a multicolored entry scroll would appear on the auction market.

"They really hit the jackpot."

An old man, witnessing this scene, couldn't help but feel envious of those excitedly shouting people. Three golden entry scrolls—what a fortune! Those people had truly struck gold.

If he had known, he would have given up on the previous level too.

At that moment—

A young man with red-rimmed eyes shouted emotionally, "Give up, keep giving up! I want the five times reward for the next level!!!"

"Five times the reward..."

Everyone couldn't help but gasp, realizing that by giving up this level, they could receive five times the reward in the next one. The five times reward in the next level would surely be better than the three times reward in this one.

However—

A kind-hearted person in the crowd couldn't resist offering a reminder: "Young man, don't forget that we can only leave this mystic realm after passing four levels. Why not pass the guaranteed level first?"

"You old man can pass it yourself."

"At this moment, the young man was clearly intoxicated and paid no heed to the others. His eyes were bloodshot, and his voice hoarse as he said, "Since we've already started gambling, let's not leave the table easily. Based on my life experience, those who lose everything at the gambling table are never those who gamble to the end, but those who leave halfway!"

"Fear can lead to poor decisions."

"And what I need to do is overcome this fear and make the right decision."

"Of course, I know that this secret realm is designed to make me give up by passing these simple trials, making me powerless against the increased difficulty later on. But so what? I have enough confidence that even if the later trials are harder, I can still get through them!"

"I'm staking my life on this gamble, exchanging it for a lifetime of glory."

"Even if I don't get the fivefold reward for the next trial, I want the higher rewards of the one after that!"

"All in!"

It was hard to deny the young man's infectious words. Those who had made it this far were mostly heavy gamblers, and they had always relied on their rationality to suppress their urges. But now, under the influence of this young man, even they were swayed.

Even those who had passed the previous trial were now hesitating, considering giving up one trial for the fivefold reward of the next.

Even if they gave up one trial, they would still be eligible to leave the secret realm after passing the fifth trial.

That was the general idea.

With so many people giving up one trial, it was unlikely that everyone would die in the fifth trial, right?

At that moment—

Some who had given up the previous trial continued to do so in this trial, while others chose to pass, obtaining three golden random entry scrolls.

There were also those who didn't give up the previous trial but chose to do so now.

Everyone made the choice they deemed most suitable.

Chen Qiu, however, decided to pass the trial.

"Sizzle."

Chen Qiu easily stabbed the bride sitting on the bed, then stood up and left the trial. This bride was the same one he had met in the first trial, and from his conversation with Fat Dragon, he guessed that the bride was a manifestation of the person he loved the most in his memories.

The bride's voice sounded familiar to him.

But when he tried to recall who it was, he couldn't remember.

So he guessed that the secret realm was trying to find a woman he loved deeply in his mind, but when it couldn't, it just created a random person and made him feel that the voice was familiar.

Even so.

He didn't bother to lift the cover to see who it was, as he wasn't interested in anyone and didn't want his emotions to be affected.

The crowd was in high spirits, but he, as the strongest among them, chose an extremely conservative approach, mainly because this secret realm made him feel uncertain and gave off a strange vibe.

In previous Heavenly Dao secret realms, one could easily figure out what conditions needed to be met to roam freely without restraint. But this realm didn't give off that impression.

In this situation—

It was better to first secure a safety ticket before considering the rewards.

In life, one encounters various opportunities, but life itself is a one-time affair.

Many times, you may think that if you don't seize an opportunity, you'll miss out on something huge. But after careful consideration, you realize that this so-called huge opportunity is something you've encountered numerous times in your life, but you've never paid attention to it.

It's meaningless.

You can miss opportunities, but you can't lose your life.

Gambling your life for an opportunity is only suitable when you have nothing to lose, not for him in his current situation.

Moreover,

A random golden entry scroll is not bad either. Chen Qiu tossed the scroll in his hand and stored it in his storage ring, also looking forward to the fourth trial. He hadn't forgotten his initial goal when he entered this secret realm.

"Limited-time Multicolored Entry Scroll."

But for now, it seemed like there was no sign of it.

After several hundred breaths—

Chen Qiu looked at the words "Third Trial, Passed" floating above Fat Dragon's head and breathed a sigh of relief. "Good thing I passed. I thought you'd hesitate to kill the bride when you saw it was Ma Yinxue."

"If you give up this trial, the uncertainty of the later trials will increase significantly, leaving little room for error."

"No."

Fat Dragon shook his head seriously. "You know me, Chen Qiu. I was the one who stabbed her. I wanted to stab her, but I also don't mind killing her."

"Those are two different things."

Just then—

Chen Qiu suddenly noticed that the only female among the three Bai Jia Tianjiao had the words "Third Trial, Unpassed" floating above her head. He furrowed his brows slightly, "You didn't pass?"

This girl hadn't spoken much throughout, unlike the talkative sword cultivation Tianjiao, so he hadn't paid much attention to her. He didn't expect her to choose to give up at this point, showing that she had her own opinions.

"Hmm."

The girl lowered her head and said softly, "I want to go further. Ordinary opportunities can't bring me substantial changes. I want the fivefold reward of the next trial, senior."

She was telling the truth.

But she had more truth to tell.

Fat Dragon was the senior's trusted aide, and he had also given up one trial. This meant that regardless of the content or difficulty of the fifth trial, the senior would have to help Fat Dragon pass it.

Given this, even if she gave up this trial, the senior would still have to help her in the fifth trial.

After all,

Helping one is the same as helping two. Moreover, the family head had specifically instructed the senior to take good care of them, and that fivefold reward was indeed hard to resist. She was truly tempted.

"Makes sense."

Chen Qiu nodded, then paused before saying softly, "That's good."

"The fivefold reward is indeed hard to resist."

PS: Typos will be corrected later. Please support with monthly votes at the beginning of the month. Also, it's National Day! I hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday! Love you all!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end