Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Blade Trials, First Trial.

This was a Lake Island, sparsely vegetated with only a few trees, less than a mile in circumference, easily visible at a glance.

A black-clad Sword Bearer leaned lightly against the island’s lone crooked willow tree, eyes closed in repose.

After Qin Han entered, he stood fifty meters away, a Long Blade planted in the ground before him.

Above, a Countdown of 100 seconds ticked away relentlessly.

If the Countdown ended without defeating the guardian, the trial would be failed.

A normal person in this situation would immediately pull out the Long Blade and charge at the Sword Bearer.

But Qin Han did not.

Instead of advancing, he retreated, twisting his body and leaping into the lake behind him.

Outside the Sword Dojo, The Blade Hall Disciple who had received Qin Han happened to be patrolling outside.

The Mirror was momentarily unattended, with only that disciple in front.

His peripheral glance at the Mirror was instantly drawn to Qin Han’s unusual actions.

Inside the Mirror, At that very moment, Qin Han had just plunged into the water.

"What is he doing? Why jump into the water for no reason?"

The Blade Hall Disciple was stunned.

Time passed bit by bit, The Countdown even reached the final ten seconds.

And Qin Han still hadn’t resurfaced.

"It’s over. With only ten seconds left, even if he runs up now, there’s no way he can clear the trial."

"What kind of nonsense is this? Why not just challenge it properly?"

"He probably knew he couldn’t pass and decided to do the opposite,"

The Blade Hall Disciple sneered, "Hmph, flashy moves are useless."

"Not watching anymore. He should be coming out soon."

As he spoke, he turned to leave, But suddenly—

A splash of water sounded.

The Blade Hall Disciple witnessed a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life.

Qin Han emerged from the water like an arrow loosed from its bow, charging straight at the Sword Bearer!

As he passed the Long Blade on the ground, his steps didn’t falter. With a casual pull of his right hand, the blade tore free from the earth.

Now wielding the Long Blade, his speed increased even further.

Closer, And closer, He was nearing the Sword Bearer!

The Countdown above was now at its final moments.

Could he succeed?

The Blade Hall Disciple couldn’t help but sweat nervously for him!

Two seconds passed in the blink of an eye!

On the island, Qin Han brushed past the Sword Bearer.

The next moment, A Teleportation Gate suddenly appeared, And Qin Han stepped through it almost precisely as the final second chimed.

As the camera shifted, The Blade Hall Disciple outside caught a glimpse of the thin line of blood on the Sword Bearer’s throat.

The sight

Made his scalp tingle!

Goosebumps erupted all over his body!

Terrifying!

Absolutely terrifying!

Though this man’s skills weren’t extraordinary, His confidence in clearing the trial at the very last second was one in a million.

Too confident!

Even the Sword Dojo’s master, that formidable man, couldn’t have pulled off such a feat!

Immediately, The Blade Hall Disciple’s heart burned with excitement.

Someone this skilled might be able to go even further, right?

Let’s see how many trials he can conquer.

In the Mirror, The scene shifted again, This time to a dirt path in the wilderness, Where two Sword Bearers now stood ahead.

Above, the Countdown continued its relentless descent.

And this time, Qin Han once again didn’t attack immediately.

Instead, he dashed into the nearby thicket.

He somehow found a shovel and started digging at a certain spot. Before long, a chest appeared. He opened it, and this time, the Blade Hall Disciple saw it clearly—inside was a pair of black iron boots. The disciple couldn't help but wonder: How did this player know there was a chest here?

However, the Blade Trials' rules clearly stated that aside from reward items, nothing obtained inside could be taken out. So why was this guy going to such lengths to find things? Frowning, the Blade Hall Disciple watched as the player in the Mirror once again stepped into the third trial just before the countdown ended.

The third trial was a Dueling Arena! Three Sword Bearers stood inside! The countdown was longer this time—150 seconds in total. Inside the arena, Qin Han didn’t act contrary to expectations. Instead, he stepped forward and swiftly killed all three. A glowing portal lit up.

But he didn’t enter it. Instead, he walked forward ten meters, swung his Long Blade, and shattered a Plaster Statue. The next moment, a black iron chestplate and a pair of pants of the same color dropped out. A look of joy flashed across his face.

"Complete! Now I can proceed!"

This time, he had plenty of time. Calmly, he walked to the other end of the arena, where an Iron Door stood. Finding a gap in the door, he suddenly slammed his body against it—and then, to the Blade Hall Disciple’s shock, he phased right through!

Outside the Blade Hall, before the Mirror, the disciple couldn’t help but cover their mouth, trembling uncontrollably. "He… he’s trying to…!"

……

This was a strange space. The world seemed to have turned into a Mosaic. Qin Han kept walking forward, scenes flashing beneath his feet while darkness loomed above. At the junction between the darkness and the scenery, enormous Sawtooth shapes stretched and shrank, as if the world itself was breaking apart.

That’s right! Qin Han had entered what resembled a wall-clipping bug in the Game of Eternal Life—a glitch left by the heavens as a means for weaker civilizations to grow stronger. In his past life, many players from low-tier civilizations had used this method to leap across social strata. He had done the same back then.

And now, he intended to do it again. After all, the later stages of the thirty-six trials grew increasingly difficult. Even if he was confident he could clear them, it would just be a waste of time.

As time passed, Qin Han suddenly stopped and looked down. In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, dozens of red-haired monsters wielding swords crowded the streets of a ruined city, their bloodthirsty eyes scanning for prey they could sense—yet no matter how hard they searched, they couldn’t find their target.

Qin Han smirked and took a few more steps forward. A safe room came into view—one that, by the rules, should only open after defeating those red-haired monsters. But by exploiting the bug, he didn’t need to fight at all. He simply jumped inside.

The room was empty, save for a single token engraved with the character for "blade" resting on a wooden table.

"Top-tier Blade Profession Token!"

Outside the Mirror, the Blade Hall Disciple’s eyes widened, their entire body trembling uncontrollably, breath hitching in disbelief. "Th-that’s…!"

Inside the room—

Holding the token in his hand, Qin Han's face lit up with intense joy. According to the strategies from his past life, two Top-tier Profession Tokens could be taken to the Beginner's Village Altar to synthesize a Saint-level Profession Token. Saint-level Profession Tokens were exceedingly rare in the game, with only thirty-six slots available. In his previous life, almost every holder of a Saint-level Profession had grown into a top-tier existence.

However, he wasn’t in a hurry to leave just yet—because there was still a priceless treasure to be claimed here. After storing the token away, Qin Han calmly equipped the full set of armor he had obtained from the first three trials. In the next moment, his entire body was encased in a suit of armor gleaming like black iron, even his eyes protected by a glass-like visor.

Once fully geared, Qin Han pushed aside the wooden table, revealing an iron latch on the ground. Pulling it open, a downward passage immediately appeared, with stone steps leading into the depths. Waves of scorching heat surged up from the tunnel, and a cyan flame, like a coiling dragon, shot out, instantly reducing everything in the room to ashes. Yet, Qin Han remained completely unharmed.

"Amazing treasure!"

This was a top-tier Fireproof Suit, capable of withstanding extreme heat and flames. He had learned the locations of its components from the Myriad Realms guide in his past life. Going through great effort to collect the full set from the first three trials, his goal was to prepare for the Hidden Stage beyond the thirty-sixth trial.

Steeling his resolve, Qin Han descended step by step into the passage. Inside, raging flames filled the entire space, their multicolored blaze obscuring vision. Even with the Fireproof Suit, the terrifying heat made his body unbearably hot. Gritting his teeth, he charged forward at full speed.

Flames erupted from all directions—beneath his feet, above his head, to his left and right—continuously striking his armor. The originally black iron hue gradually turned red under the intense heat.

"Hesitation means defeat! Even this Fireproof Suit won’t last long here."

Pushing his speed to the limit, just as the scorching temperature became unbearable, his vision suddenly cleared—he had made it through!