Chapter 305: The Process is Wrong, the Answer is Right.

Chapter 305: The Process is Wrong, the Answer is Right.

"Phew!"

Fat Dragon heaved a sigh of relief, "I knew Qiu Chen would have a solution. How should we test it?"

"Wait a moment," Chen Qiu said, without raising his head. He continued to stare at the patterns on the ground. These patterns were completely random, with no discernible structure or information, not even a hint of aesthetics. They were like chaotic lines, and Chen Qiu couldn't make sense of them.

A few people remained in their original spots, their eyes fixed on Chen Qiu. They had placed their hopes on him, even though time was running out. They watched Chen Qiu, wondering if he could find a way to pass this stage.

These people also stared at the patterns on the ground, hoping to glean some information from them, but most of the time, their eyes were on Chen Qiu.

"Boom!!!"

At that moment, a loud thunderclap reverberated, and a massive bolt of heavenly thunder, several zhang thick, descended from the sky, claiming another unfortunate victim. The thunderclap echoed in the hearts of those still alive.

A young girl, overwhelmed by fear, couldn't bear the pressure of walking on a knife's edge. She chose to jump back to the square, no longer attempting to climb, preferring to wait for time to run out and be annihilated in the void rather than endure this psychological torment.

Death pressure was a peculiar thing.

When faced with intense death pressure, many would choose to confront death head-on to shorten their suffering. People fear death and would use all means to delay it when it looms, but many also succumb to the pressure and embrace death willingly.

The girl was clearly in such a state.

However, it seemed she wouldn't have to wait for annihilation in the void. As she fell back to the square, another bolt of heavenly thunder struck, enveloping her without a trace.

Retreat was not an option in this stage.

This was the sixth stage of the secret realm they had entered, the most challenging and deadly. Only now did the difficulty match the realm's level, but it tested not strength but luck, leaving many feeling disgruntled.

They were all cultivators.

They had come this far relying on their abilities, only to be thwarted by bad luck at the end. It was a frustrating thought.

". ."

Chen Qiu's face was pensive as he stared at the patterns on the floor. He was almost certain that these patterns held no information and were purely decorative or, perhaps, served to mislead.

The mortality rate for this stage was such that out of a million people, only about three thousand would survive.

In other words, relying solely on luck would not guarantee success unless one had heaven-defying fortune.

There had to be another way to pass.

Chen Qiu had a hunch about the situation. If the character "Mock" truly represented the Mock Heaven Sect, this secret realm might be a selection realm left behind by the sect, similar to the one in the Great Xia Country.

The "Mock Heaven Sect" realm in the Great Xia Country was a selection-type realm. If this was indeed a selection realm, there might be a way to cheat—by holding the Sect Leader Token of the Mock Heaven Sect.

This could provide a shortcut, but it was just a guess with little evidence.

Chen Qiu shared his idea with Fat Dragon, who nodded in understanding. However, he soon hesitated.

"Qiu Chen, if this realm is indeed a selection realm for the Mock Heaven Sect, designed to filter out individuals meeting specific criteria, then this stage is likely filtering for people with exceptional luck."

"What criteria were the previous stages filtering for?"

"Lust, Greed, and Strength."

Chen Qiu spoke with a serious expression, "Let's review this carefully. This realm has experienced some anomalies due to the awakening of the Artifact Spirit's consciousness. But if that hadn't happened, and we consider the information we have now..."

"Firstly, one must possess a lustful nature."

"If you're not extremely lustful, you're guaranteed to pass the first stage. But once you do, you're almost certain to fail the fifth stage and die in this realm."

"Normally, this realm only permits cultivators at the Body Integration Stage to enter. The realm's host has already reached the early Tribulation Stage, making them the pinnacle of power here. If you pass the first stage, you'll inevitably face the host in the fifth stage, a battle you cannot win."

"Secondly, greed."

"Even if someone isn't greedy, they might see the doubled rewards and remain unmoved. If they pass through the first, second, third, and fourth stages without incident, they won't make it this far, let alone reach the sixth stage."

"Lastly, strength."

"You need to be strong enough to defeat others at your cultivation level and have the potential to break through during battle. Here, it's filtering for luck."

"I don't know what the later stages entail, but if it ends here, this realm, if it's indeed a selection realm for the Mock Heaven Sect, is filtering for individuals who are lustful, greedy, strong, and lucky."

Fat Dragon repeated the words "greedy, lustful, strong, and lucky" under his breath, then muttered, "These don't sound like positive traits. Those who possess these characteristics don't seem like good people. Why select them?"

"It's just a guess," Chen Qiu said, shaking his head slightly. He paused, looking at the nearly burned-out incense on the square's surface, and said softly, "So, we need to conduct an experiment. I'll hold the Sect Leader Token of the Mock Heaven Sect and lead you all through."

"If our guess is correct, or if this Secret Realm still recognizes the Mock Heaven Sect's Sect Leader Token, then we'll be safe."

"Otherwise..."

Fat Dragon shrugged helplessly. "Otherwise, we can only pray to die here and hope to reach the underworld."

"That's right."

Chen Qiu smiled lightly and looked at Fat Dragon. "What do you say? Do you want to come with me? Although it's just a guess, I have a strong premonition that nothing will go wrong. I can feel it trembling."

Fat Dragon sighed deeply and then couldn't help but smile bitterly. "Brother Qiu, what are you saying? Of course, I'll go with you. Even if we die, there's a good chance we'll meet in the underworld. I've been following you my whole life."

"Then let's give it a try?"

"Let's try."

After a few breaths...

Chen Qiu, accompanied by Fat Dragon and the remaining three Bai Clan Elites, stepped onto the first tier of the stairs under the watchful eyes of everyone. Seeing this, a hint of gloom appeared in everyone's eyes, indicating that this stage could only be passed by risking their lives.

Initially, everyone had secretly hoped that Chen Qiu would find some trick to pass this stage, and then they could follow him and also pass through.

Now, it seemed that hope was lost.

Just as the incense stick was about to burn out, those who were still standing on the square ground, waiting for a miracle, could no longer afford to be sad. They hurriedly took a deep breath and aimed at a stone brick they believed to be safe, and flew up.

At this moment—

The die above Chen Qiu's head also slowly stopped spinning, landing on four points. The mist under their feet instantly turned into nearly a thousand Spirit Stones, originally there were only hundreds, but since five people stepped on the same stone brick, triggering the five-fold rule.

Both rewards and disasters were multiplied by five.

Others glanced at it quickly and then didn't pay much attention. At this moment, everyone was too preoccupied with their own situation to care about others.

Stepping on the same stone brick was a very dangerous move.

Even without a one-point roll, with a two-point roll under the five-fold disaster, it was enough to kill everyone.

"Are we still losing?"

The Realm Host, who had been watching the battle from the square, looked at this scene, and a hint of sadness flashed in his pupils. He stared at Chen Qiu's back, his lips slightly moving, but in the end, he said nothing. His face turned slightly pale, and his condition didn't seem good.

The Elder

In the end, the Elder still stepped onto the stairs, which meant he had already lost.

To rely solely on luck to reach the top was almost like a fantasy, an impossible feat. At least, in all these years, he had never seen any challenger reach the top relying solely on their luck.

When the Elder was studying the patterns on the ground earlier, he was actually very nervous, hoping that the Elder would discover the truth of this stage. But now it seemed... the Elder had failed.

He slowly closed his eyes, unable to bear watching what was about to happen. The will to die, which had already dissipated, was now raging in his heart again.

The Elder's death meant that the 'Artifact Spirit Clan' plan was completely extinguished. He had failed to keep his Little Mei, couldn't help the Artifact Spirit Elder, and could only watch the Elder die before his eyes without being able to give a warning, and couldn't even bear the responsibility of the Artifact Spirit Clan.

He couldn't do anything.

He seemed like a useless waste, and the strong will to die made his emotions almost collapse.

Just then—

He suddenly heard loud roars from the crowd, and he subconsciously opened his eyes, looking at the second-level stairs, but he couldn't find the Elder's position. His gaze climbed higher and higher, even up to the tenth level, but he still couldn't find the Elder.

At that moment, sadness welled up in his heart again. It seemed that the Elder had been struck by heavenly thunder and died during the time he had closed his eyes. These exclamations were likely due to their disbelief at this scene.

But soon...

He felt something was amiss. Why were these people's gazes all directed higher up? He instinctively followed their gazes and saw that Chen Qiu and the others had somehow reached the seventeenth level.

They were just one step away from passing through.

As long as they safely reached the eighteenth level, they would smoothly reach the top.

This... this speed was so fast. He had only closed his eyes for a few dozen breaths, and the Elder had already run from the first level to the seventeenth? Most importantly, there wasn't even a scratch on his body. Did he not roll below three points the entire time?

However...

It seemed like there was one person missing. They had started with five people, but now there were only four.

This luck was indeed very good.

But... it was completely useless.

A glimmer of despair flashed in the Realm Host's eyes as he looked at Chen Qiu and the others. In the past, there had been people with incredible luck who reached the eighteenth level, but without exception, they all died instantly.

From the first level to the seventeenth level, the dice had rolled from one to six points, but the dice on the eighteenth level only had one option—one point.

The method of passing through had been wrong from the start.

No matter the process, the outcome was predetermined.

This stage couldn't be passed by climbing.

At this moment—

Chen Qiu was standing on the seventeenth level with Fat Dragon and two Bai Clan Elites, preparing to move towards the next stage. The closer they got to the Mountain Gate, the more clearly Chen Qiu could feel the Sect Leader Token of the Mock Heaven Sect vibrating in his Storage Ring.

"Fat Dragon."

"Hmm?"

Fat Dragon, who was already nervous, responded instinctively.

"I think you might have miscalculated."

Chen Qiu turned around and looked down at the square ground below, as well as the others still hesitating on the stairs. He casually said, "I'm not very proficient in mathematics, but I feel that the death rate for each level is one in six, and the survival rate is five in six.

"Calculating this way..."

"Shouldn't the survival rate be higher than the death rate?"

"That's just eighteen consecutive times with a five in six chance. Look, there are several people who have already reached the tenth layer. It seems like they can pass through."

"Hmm..."

Fat Dragon was a little uncertain after hearing this, and he mumbled, "There might be some mistake. But I said from the start that I only know a little. After all, in my past life, I was just a small company owner. People like me often have a little knowledge about everything, but it's limited to that."

"Let's go."

Chen Qiu shook his head and didn't say more. There was no point in discussing this now. All he wanted was to quickly reach the depths of the secret realm and find out what had caused his Mock Heaven Sect Leader Token to tremble, as well as the content of the ninth stage.

As for the Bai Family female cultivator, she was no longer by their side.

This woman was also a genius in calculations, just like Fat Dragon.

After they had rolled the "die" sixteen times in a row without triggering a disaster effect, on the seventeenth attempt, the woman refused to continue with them to the next square. According to her logic, the probability of the same thing happening seventeen times in a row was much greater than a five in six chance.

So, after heading towards the seventeenth layer, the woman chose to act alone and went to a different square.

Good.

No one stopped her.

What followed was that they successfully reached the seventeenth layer, while the Bai Family female cultivator was reduced to ashes amidst a heavenly thunder.

And at that very moment—

As spiritual energy surged, Chen Qiu's spiritual power lifted them into the air, landing on the eighteenth step. The die above their heads began to spin rapidly and slowly came to a stop.

Just as the die was about to settle—

Fat Dragon's expression suddenly turned extremely grim. Everyone could clearly see that the die had only one number on all its sides—a single dot, meaning that no matter which side it landed on, it would be a one.

And a one meant death.

Chen Qiu didn't say a word. He took out the Mock Heaven Sect Leader Token from his chest and held it in his hand, patiently waiting. Having chosen this method, he had to bear the consequences it brought. At the same time, he activated all his defensive measures, ready to test the power of this heavenly thunder.

The other Bai Family male cultivator, though filled with despair, managed to stay calm. But when he saw that Chen Qiu had activated all his defensive measures, he completely lost hope. A glimmer of death flashed in his eyes, and he didn't resist. He took a few steps back, allowing his body to fall backward.

"Boom!!"

Before he even reached the ground, he was blasted to death by heavenly thunder in mid-air.

Chen Qiu didn't even have time to stop him. This scene had already ended. The Bai Family sword cultivator standing beside them stared at the scattered ashes in the air with disbelief, and he couldn't help but shout in a broken voice, "Are you crazy?!"

But at this moment, the Bai Family male cultivator couldn't hear his words.

Finally.

At this time, the die above Chen Qiu's head slowly stopped spinning, and it landed on "six."

The die had five sides with numbers, but somehow, all the numbers had disappeared and moved to one side, forming a six. Six was the best number. Chen Qiu looked at the three "One-Day Rainbow Entry Scroll Talismans" that appeared on the step and sighed lightly with a hint of regret.

It should have been five times more.

These two Bai Family cultivators, one with a poor brain and the other with weak willpower, had chosen to die when victory was right before their eyes. This was something Chen Qiu hadn't expected. He had brought out three Bai Family cultivators, and now two of them were dead.

Chen Qiu turned to the only remaining Bai Family sword cultivator, "What's your name?"

The Bai Family sword cultivator was stunned for a moment before replying with a trembling voice, "Senior, my name is 'Ping Ling.' My full name is Bai Ping Ling."

"Hmm."

Chen Qiu sighed lightly and patted Bai Ping Ling's shoulder, "Stay close and be careful. After we return, remember to explain clearly to your family head. Don't make it seem like all three of you died in this secret realm, as if I had killed you."

"Do you understand?"

"Yes, Senior."

If all three of them died in this secret realm, it would be difficult for Chen Qiu to explain when he returned.

After leaving the eighteenth step, they saw a larger square and an extremely grand mountain gate, nearly a thousand zhang tall. From this height, they could now overlook the patterns on the ground of the sixth stage square.

Looking down from above, they still couldn't find anything, just random and chaotic patterns.

And at that moment—

"Boom!!"

Suddenly, a loud noise resembling the turning of gears reverberated from the depths of the palace. Soon after, the void that had been enveloping the entire palace slowly moved forward, just as the realm host had said, covering the entire sixth stage steps and square.

In an instant!

Even before they could hear a single scream, they saw that the people had turned into ashes and vanished from the world.

They were all dead.

In the entire secret realm, only the three of them remained; everyone else was gone without a trace.

"Senior."

The realm host, who had appeared behind Chen Qiu and the others at some point, looked at them with a complex expression, "How did you pass this stage?"

To be honest.

When the "six" appeared on the eighteenth step, even he was shocked. As the spirit of this secret realm, he didn't even know that there was a "six" on the eighteenth step.

How could a die with all sides showing a single dot suddenly become a six? And how did the numbers from the other five sides all move to one side?

He searched his memory for a long time but couldn't find any related rules. He didn't remember such a rule at all.

"Hmm."

Chen Qiu nodded casually, then turned to the realm host and said softly, "During the climbing process just now, I noticed that your state wasn't very good. It seemed like you were certain I would die. So, is the way to pass this stage not by climbing?"

"The sixth stage has been cleared."

"Can you reveal the correct method to pass this stage?"

The Realm Host sighed and shook his head. "Senior, it's not that I didn't want to disclose it at first, but I really can't tell you. The correct way to pass this stage is to take the 'elevator'."

"Elevator?"

Fat Dragon was stunned by this word, almost thinking he had misheard, and repeated it in disbelief.

"Yes, take the elevator."

The Realm Host nodded emphatically and then explained seriously, "The elevator is a special term in this Secret Realm. It's likely the first time you've heard it, and it's exactly as it sounds. It's a 'staircase' powered by 'lightning', which is an elevator."

"On the surface of the sixth stage plaza, on the wall of the first step, there's a wooden door. Open that door and go inside."

"Inside, there's something like a pigeon cage. Stand in it, take out a Spirit Stone, and you'll smoothly arrive at the entrance of the seventh stage, which is this plaza."

"It's very simple."

"But if you try to climb, it's actually impossible to pass. Even if you're incredibly lucky and reach the eighteenth step, you'll still face certain death. The die on the eighteenth step can only show a single point, and I have no idea what's going on with your 'six points'."

"A wooden door?"

Chen Qiu's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Where's the wooden door? I've observed carefully, but I didn't see any door."

"The door isn't in plain sight. Aren't there many patterns on the plaza's surface?"

"Yes, I've studied them. There's no pattern; they're just random lines."

"Exactly!" The Realm Host sounded a bit anxious. "Senior, when we came down the corridor, didn't I stomp my foot in one place?"

"The patterns on the sixth stage plaza's surface are indeed composed of many disorderly lines. The spot where I stomped is the starting point of one of those lines. If you observe carefully, you'll find that this line exists in every stage, from the first to the last."

"You just need to follow this line among the countless disorderly lines to find its endpoint, and the wooden door will appear on the wall."

"That's the correct way to pass this stage."

". . ."

Chen Qiu remained expressionless, silent for a moment before turning to look down at the plaza below. Following this thought, the originally chaotic and disorderly patterns suddenly seemed much clearer.

So that was it.

Beside him, Fat Dragon sighed, "Brother Qiu, if things go as expected, we might have finally made it this time."

It felt so familiar, almost too familiar.

Needless to say, elevators were obviously something brought by a time traveler.

And as for the "line maze"...

This was a game that every child in his previous life had played, whether in magazines, textbooks, or even designed by classmates. Every child would design and play this game, and it was almost effortless.

Who could have imagined that in a Secret Realm of such high caliber, one of the stages would be a game played by children in his previous life?

". . ."

For a moment, Chen Qiu was at a loss for words. He hadn't noticed it, mainly because he hadn't made the connection. He never expected that this stage would be so simple. If one were to follow the correct method, even an ordinary person could pass, let alone a cultivator at the Body Integration Stage.

Oh, right.

He suddenly realized.

This palace didn't seem to be specifically built for this Secret Realm; instead, the Secret Realm was created based on this existing palace. This meant that the palace had existed before, and while the eighteen steps, each several zhang tall, looked impressive, not everyone could fly. There needed to be a passage for those who couldn't fly, and the elevator was an excellent solution.

Good.

"Hmm."

Chen Qiu nodded, his expression calm. "It's an interesting design. Let's go to the seventh stage. We've received the reward for the sixth stage. I'll extract that strand of 'Race Fortune' and give it to you later."

"Okay."

At this moment, the Realm Host also took a deep breath, his eyes filled with relief, though he didn't know what had happened.

This was the kind of situation where the process was all wrong, but the answer was right.

In a private tutoring room, this would undoubtedly earn a zero.

But in a Secret Realm, it would earn a perfect score.

Sometimes, the process isn't that important. It's like kicking a ball; as long as it goes into the goal, who cares how it got there? The result determines everything, and the process is often just a tool to assign blame when things go wrong.

Chen Qiu looked at the plaza in front of the Mountain Gate. This time, there were no patterns on the plaza. He had a rough idea of what was going on. The palace was designed by a time traveler, so it retained many elements from his previous life.

He just needed to adjust his thinking a little to understand these design concepts.

And then he could make the right choices.

Like the elevator.

Damn, why would a normal sect or power build an elevator? It's only when they're bored and want to experiment with using Spirit Stones as an energy source that they replicate mechanical products from his previous life.

In terms of efficiency, it's extremely low and purely for entertainment.

Meanwhile, the Realm Host had already started introducing the next stage, "This seventh stage is much simpler."

"Through this door is the seventh stage."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end