Chapter 109: Trial Gate for Geniuses
Xue Ji did not ask where Ethan had gone after leaving the ship.
She also did not ask why Ruo Yan was now by his side, nor did she question the changes in Laira’s body. This attitude alone made Ethan feel much more comfortable.
Xue Ji took a small rectangular device out of her storage space and placed it on the table. The screen above lit up, revealing a number.
1,000.
"I want to make a deal with you." Xue Ji placed her finger on the screen, her gaze never leaving Ethan. "I will provide one thousand C-rank Energy Crystals. You will have full authority to use them over the next month."
Ethan did not answer immediately.
Ruo Yan, sitting beside him, had already frowned slightly.
One thousand C-rank crystals.
Although she had once followed an Awakened before and had seen quite a few cultivation resources, this number was still large enough to draw her attention. For an Awakened who had just stepped into Silver Rank like Ethan, if one only counted the energy inside, this was an amount of resources that could last for a very long time.
Laira cared less about the number than the tray of snacks on the table. She picked up a piece of pastry, took a bite, and immediately reached for a second piece.
Ethan looked at Xue Ji. "Conditions?"
The corner of her mouth curved slightly.
"I like talking to smart people. There is no need to waste time pretending to be polite."
Xue Ji touched the device again. A regional map appeared on the tabletop, with many glowing points representing Safe Zones and independent cities.
"In one month, the Annual Trial Gate will open."
Ethan looked at the map. "I have never heard of it."
"That is normal. Previously, you had not become an Awakened yet, so this kind of information was not widely circulated among ordinary students." Xue Ji expanded the map, revealing a glowing point in the central region. "This gate opens once a year. Qualified Safe Zones and cities each have one official representative slot. You can consider it a competition among the younger generation of each region."
Ruo Yan asked, "Level limit?"
"Below Gold Rank."
Xue Ji answered very quickly.
"As long as someone has stepped into Gold Rank before the gate opens, they lose the qualification to participate. Because of that, most of the people inside are high-level Silver Rank, especially Silver Rank stage eight to stage ten."
Ethan lightly tapped his finger on the table.
"That does not sound too special."
"That is because I have not finished explaining."
Xue Ji lifted her teacup, her eyes slightly curved. "Some families and Safe Zones even deliberately force their geniuses to stay at Silver Rank stage ten for several months just to wait for this gate to open. You should understand why."
"Combat power does not completely depend on rank."
"Correct." Xue Ji nodded. "There are Silver Rank stage ten Awakened who have accumulated too deeply. They have good equipment and powerful skills, and some are even capable of fighting newly advanced Gold Rank Awakened. Those people are the real opponents."
Ethan did not look worried.
On the contrary, there was a trace of interest in his eyes.
Xue Ji saw it, but still continued explaining. "I will give you the detailed rules later. For now, what you need to know is that I have only one goal."
She raised three fingers.
"Champion."
Ethan looked at those three fingers.
"The reward?"
"Three Blind Boxes."
Xue Ji lowered the first finger.
"A Weapon Blind Box. Lowest rank is A."
The second finger.
"A Random Blind Box. Lowest rank is also A. It can open equipment, skills, abilities, items, and even Partners. Everything depends on luck."
The final finger remained raised.
Xue Ji did not speak immediately.
When Ethan saw her reaction, he understood that the last one was the truly important item.
"A Resource Blind Box?"
"Correct."
Xue Ji lightly touched the map. An image of a silver Blind Box appeared beside the glowing point of the gate.
"The first two Blind Boxes are enough to drive an ordinary Awakened mad, but for major cities, those things are not worth too great a sacrifice. The Resource Blind Box is the real reason the various Factions send in the strongest geniuses they can every year."
She enlarged the image.
"What is inside is not a single item. It is more like a complete reserve storage: Energy Crystals, medicines, forging materials, spiritual plants, mutated seeds, materials used to build energy structures, and many other things."
Xue Ji leaned back.
"If used properly, a champion-level Resource Blind Box can supply most of Silver Moon City’s basic needs for more than ten years."
Ethan recalled the scene he had seen when the airship descended.
Rows of crowded houses.
Old steel plates patched together into walls.
A population so dense that the infrastructure could not keep up.
He immediately understood why Xue Ji was willing to offer one thousand C-rank Energy Crystals.
That was not a small amount of resources.
But compared to a reserve storage that could last ten years, it was still worth gambling on.
Ethan looked at her. "You want me to represent Silver Moon City."
"Correct."
"What about the other two Blind Boxes?"
"They are yours."
Xue Ji put down her cup and interlaced her fingers in front of her. "I will provide one thousand C-rank Energy Crystals today. Over the next month, I will not interfere with how you use them. You can absorb them all, share them with your Partners, change your cultivation method, anything is fine."
She looked straight at Ethan.
"One month later, you will represent Silver Moon City and enter the Trial Gate. If you win the championship, the Resource Blind Box goes to me. The Weapon Blind Box and Random Blind Box belong to you."
Ethan asked, "What if I lose?"
Xue Ji shrugged.
"I lose one thousand crystals."
"No need to pay them back?"
"No."
"Even if I do not obtain a high ranking?"
"Still no."
Ethan narrowed his eyes slightly. "You are more generous than I expected."
Xue Ji immediately laughed. "You misunderstood. I am investing, not doing charity. Investments can profit, and naturally, they can also lose capital. If you fail, it only proves that my judgment was poor this time."
She tilted her head slightly.
"But I do not think I will misjudge."
The room was silent for a moment.
Laira was still eating snacks, but her gaze had already shifted to Xue Ji. Ruo Yan sat close beside Ethan, one hand resting on her thigh. Her expression was calm, but she was clearly calculating the value of this deal.
Ethan asked, "Why me?"
Xue Ji looked at him as if the question was not difficult to answer.
"Because I have seen you fight."
The smile on her face faded.
"I saw how you cooperated with Laira. I saw you find things that others could not notice. You once entered a dangerous space where most of my people would only dare to move as a team, yet in the end, you still survived and walked out."
Her gaze shifted to the Primordial Armor on his left arm.
"Then when I met you again, you had stepped into Silver Rank."
Xue Ji looked at Laira again.
"And so had she."
Laira stopped eating.
Ruo Yan also lifted her eyes slightly.
Finally, Xue Ji looked at her, her gaze pausing for a moment before returning to Ethan. "And now there is one more person capable of standing beside the two of you. I do not know what happened during this period, and I do not intend to ask."
Ruo Yan looked at her for another second before relaxing.
Xue Ji noticed it.
"Relax. Your secrets are not what I need."
She looked at Ethan again.
"I only need someone who has the ability to win."
"In Silver Moon City right now, no one is more suitable than you."
"So this is a deal. I give you resources, and you help me obtain the Resource Blind Box. You also receive two Blind Boxes of rank A or above and one month of free cultivation resources."
The corner of Xue Ji’s mouth curved slightly.
"Both sides benefit."
Ethan did not need too much time.
"I accept."
This time, it was Xue Ji’s turn to pause slightly.
"You are not going to think about it more?"
"There is nothing to think about."
Ethan looked at the number one thousand on the device.
One month of free resources.
A gate that only allowed those below Gold Rank to enter.
Two Blind Boxes of rank A or above if he placed first.
More importantly, he needed to become stronger.
That had already been Ethan’s goal even before Xue Ji offered this deal.
He saw no reason to refuse.
Xue Ji rested her chin on her hand. "You are that confident?"
Ethan did not answer immediately.
He looked at his right hand.
He had now stepped into Silver Rank. The Primordial Armor still had many abilities that had not been developed, and there was half of the Thunder Wings in his left arm. Just the resonance between him and Laira alone allowed the two of them to do things far beyond their current level.
As for Ruo Yan...
Ethan glanced to the side.
She had Soul Thread.
She had Owin’s inheritance.
She had the Necromancer and the path of a Puppet Master that she had once lost all hope of continuing.
Most importantly, there was still Laira.
Ethan turned to the right.
Laira was sitting on the couch, one hand supporting her chin while the other held the last piece of pastry. Although she had chosen the largest seat in the room, her nearly two-meter-twenty body still forced her legs to stretch quite far forward.
Silver Rank.
Half of the Thunder Wings.
The first layer of the Sunfire Divine Seal had opened.
Thunderfire.
Her true Red Dragon bloodline far exceeded the limits of humanity’s current understanding.
Even now, Ethan still did not know where the limit of Laira’s strength was.
In the past, every time she had fought seriously, her condition had never been perfect. She was either sealed, injured, or they had already consumed most of their energy beforehand.
Now it was different.
Her wings had been reconstructed by the Thunder Wings.
Her level had stepped into Silver Rank.
The Sunfire had opened another layer.
If Laira were allowed to fight at full strength in her best state...
Ethan really wanted to know how strong she was.
Laira noticed that he had been looking at her for too long.
She swallowed the pastry and lowered her eyes.
"What are you looking at?"
Ethan leaned back in his chair. "I am thinking about how strong you are now."
Laira blinked.
Then the corner of her mouth curved up.
"I do not know either."
Xue Ji raised her brow slightly. "Even you do not know?"
Laira nodded very naturally. "There has not been anyone suitable enough to test it."
Xue Ji: "..."
Ethan saw her expression and chuckled softly. "She is being a little blunt, but she is right."
Ruo Yan calmly added, "It would be best to find a place wide enough."
Xue Ji looked at the three people in front of her, momentarily unable to tell whether they were joking or truly serious.
In the end, she only shook her head.
"I will prepare a training field."
"Thank you."
Xue Ji looked at Ethan. "So you really believe you can win the championship?"
"I do not like accepting tasks that have absolutely no chance of being completed."
Ethan did not speak loudly.
Nor did he try to create any imposing aura.
He was only stating what he thought.
If all opponents were limited below Gold Rank, he truly had confidence.
Forget ordinary Silver Rank geniuses.
Even if a true Gold Rank stood in front of him now, Ethan no longer felt powerless like he once had.
Whether he could win or not could only be known after fighting.
But at the very least, he already had the qualification to fight.
Xue Ji looked at him for a few seconds, then smiled.
"I like this confidence."
Ethan suddenly remembered something else.
He looked at Xue Ji.
"What about you?"
"Hmm?"
"Your current level."
Xue Ji paused for a beat.
Then her eyes carried a little interest. "Are you finally curious?"
"I have seen you fight before, but I still do not know your exact level."
Xue Ji had no intention of hiding it.
She picked up her teacup, her finger lightly circling the rim.
"Peak Elite."
Ethan stopped.
Ruo Yan also immediately turned to look at her.
Laira, who had been about to take more snacks, froze with her hand in midair.
Xue Ji looked at the reactions of the three and calmly added, "If everything goes smoothly, I am only one small step away from King Rank."
The room was silent for a few seconds.
Ethan had known that Xue Ji was strong.
She could lead a force operating outside the Safe Zones, build a city of her own in the wilderness, and still have enough ability to keep a team obeying her orders. If her strength were only at Gold or Diamond Rank, it would be very difficult to do those things.
But peak Elite was still higher than he had predicted.
Ethan slowly leaned back.
Iron Rank.
Bronze Rank.
Silver Rank.
Gold Rank.
Platinum Rank.
Diamond Rank.
Elite Rank.
King Rank.
Emperor Rank.
He had only just stepped into Silver Rank.
The distance between the two of them was still very far.
Xue Ji looked at his expression, the corner of her mouth curving slightly. "What? Discouraged?"
"No."
"Then what are you thinking?"
Ethan looked at her.
"How long it will take to catch up to you."
Xue Ji fell silent.
One second later, she burst into laughter.
Her laughter filled the room.
"Ethan, you have only just stepped into Silver Rank, and you are already thinking about catching up to peak Elite?"
"Is there a problem?"
"No." Xue Ji shook her head, her smile still not gone. "I just find it interesting."
Laira immediately spoke from the side. "He will surpass you."
Xue Ji turned to her.
Laira was looking at her very seriously.
"It will not take long."
Ruo Yan also calmly said, "I think so too."
Xue Ji looked at Laira.
Then at Ruo Yan.
Finally, she looked back at Ethan, who was sitting between them.
She suddenly had the feeling that she was the only outsider in this conversation.
"You really have that much faith in him."
Laira immediately replied, "Of course."
Ruo Yan did not speak, but the corner of her mouth curved slightly.
Ethan also laughed.
Xue Ji shook her head and pushed the device on the table toward him.
"All right."
"One thousand C-rank Energy Crystals will be delivered to your residence today. I will also prepare a private training area, so that Laira does not destroy what few intact buildings we still have."
Laira frowned slightly. "I have control."
"I have heard that sentence many times from people who often break things."
"I really do."
Ethan reached out and held her wrist before Laira could continue arguing. "All right."
Laira turned to look at him.
In the end, she still obediently sat back down.
Xue Ji looked at that movement, her gaze turning a little strange, but this time, she did not tease them.
She stood up.
"One month."
Ethan also picked up the device and stood.
Xue Ji looked at him, her voice becoming more serious.
"I have placed one thousand crystals on you. I hope you do not make me regret it."
Ethan put the device away.
"You will not regret it."
There was no grand promise.
Only one calm sentence.
But Xue Ji looked at him for a few seconds, then smiled.
"Then I will wait."
Ethan turned to Laira and Ruo Yan.
One month.
One thousand C-rank Energy Crystals.
A gate where the strongest geniuses below Gold Rank would gather.
And at the end of that path were three Blind Boxes.
Ethan slowly clenched his right hand.
’One month.’
For others, perhaps it was too short.
But for him... that much was enough.