Volume 1, Chapter 20: Gu Xinian, I am giving you a chance; perhaps I might consider sparing your life.

Xiao Ran was stunned.

She was both shocked and overjoyed! Her judgment had been correct after all! Everything really was under Gu Xinian's control. That handsome and refined young man was simply unimaginably powerful. Perhaps only someone like him could navigate such a cruel trial of the gods. Although she had hoped for this result with all her heart, she still felt shaken when it actually came to pass. How could she not be? She had seen with her own eyes just how powerful the Nanjiang Immortal was. Had she not inferred this outcome from those subtle clues, she could never have imagined that anyone among all the trial-takers in the Qinghe University campus zone could possibly kill the Nanjiang Immortal. Even if all the trial-takers in their entire zone combined their strength, would they even be able to do it?

Li Xuan felt the same way. Had he not interacted with Gu Xinian, and had it not been for Xiao Ran’s words, he truly could not have imagined that such a powerful trial-taker existed in this world.

As for the members of the main group who were unaware of Xiao Ran's deductions, they were even more shocked.

"Holy crap! Not only did Boss Gu not die, but he also killed that powerful hidden boss, the Nanjiang Immortal! How terrifying!"

They had originally thought Gu Xinian had been killed by those bastards from the Destiny Clearance Group. To their surprise, not only had those bastards failed to kill Boss Gu, but Boss Gu had actually slain the Nanjiang Immortal. The boss is worthy of being called a boss! The boss is incredible! They cheered and jumped for joy, happier than if it were the New Year. They acted as if it were they, not Gu Xinian, who had killed the Nanjiang Immortal.

Of course, the most pleasantly surprised of all was Pang Haoyu. Ever since Gu Xinian had fallen into the river, he had felt as if he had lost his soul, turning into a walking corpse. If not for the thought and drive to find his own parents, he might have already ended his life to follow Gu Xinian. Although Xiao Ran, Li Xuan, and others had comforted him, telling him that Gu Xinian might still be alive, he hadn't believed them, thinking it was just a white lie.

Until now!

The young man... no, Boss Gu was simply a miracle in human form. Normally withdrawn and introverted, he even wanted to let loose and shout at the top of his lungs: "Boss Gu is amazing!"

On the other side, the members of the Destiny Clearance Group were equally stunned. Even though they had learned from Lin Qingxue that Gu Xinian would kill the Nanjiang Immortal, they still couldn't help but feel a turbulent surge in their hearts when the moment actually arrived. They had faced the Nanjiang Immortal’s attacks themselves and experienced its strength firsthand. Before seeing it with their own eyes, even knowing that fate would not err—only deviate—they had harbored doubts about the reality of the situation. Even at this very moment, they still felt as if they were in a dream.

This was true even for Han Tong, the red-haired youth, and the man with the bull-like nose. Although Han Tong looked down on Gu Xinian, he had witnessed Gu Xinian slaughter eerie guards like cutting grass during the novice trial and had just seen him fight an elite monster; deep down, he was extremely wary of him. If he hadn't felt that Gu Xinian must be incredibly weak and severely wounded after killing the elite monster and the Nanjiang Immortal, he would have already agreed to run away with Lin Qingxue with both hands.

Of course, Lin Qingxue’s feelings were similar to theirs, perhaps even more complex. She was the person in this world who knew Gu Xinian best. In her impression, apart from being resilient and hardworking, this boyfriend of hers had no remarkable qualities; his most prominent trait was the rustic, impoverished background she now loathed. But now, she had felt more than once that Gu Xinian had become a stranger. It was as if a poor boy had suddenly transformed into a peerless master, both inside and out. Often, she even doubted whether Gu Xinian was still the Gu Xinian she knew. If Gu Xinian had been like this earlier, perhaps she would have treated him better.

Alas...

However, no matter what thoughts his changes stirred in her, and no matter how complicated her feelings for him were, one thing could not be changed: she, along with Han Tong and the others, was going to kill Gu Xinian. She, Lin Qingxue, would never let anyone who dared to humiliate and offend her get off easily!

With the death of the Nanjiang Immortal, the dragon-like water column that had just leaped up shattered and dispersed before it could even launch an attack. The aurora-like halo faded, and the river water crashed down. By this time, those who had been killed by the water arrows and turned into monsters had also been slain by the survivors of the Destiny Clearance Group. In other words, for everyone in the group—Han Tong, Lin Qingxue, the red-haired youth, the man with the bull-like nose—both major crises had been resolved.

After the initial shock, unprecedented joy filled their hearts. The figure of Gu Xinian, climbing out of the Nanjiang Immortal’s chest, looked incredibly disheveled. Just as Han Tong had predicted, he appeared extremely weak, though it was unclear whether he was injured. This proved that Han Tong’s prediction was entirely accurate! From the second trial until now, Gu Xinian had indeed paid a price for killing the elite monster and the hidden boss. How could the now-weakened Gu Xinian be a match for them? They could already envision themselves killing him and carving up his belongings.

The next moment, they strode forward impatiently toward the banks of the Shannan River. Lin Qingxue, Han Tong, the red-haired youth, and the man with the bull-like nose were especially eager to reach the riverbank. Soon, they arrived, and looking down from above, they addressed Gu Xinian in a mocking, condescending tone.

...

After recovering from their immense shock, Li Xuan, Xiao Ran, and the others also realized that Gu Xinian was in a bad state. But thinking about it, it was only natural. Gu Xinian was human, after all. He had soloed an elite monster and then a hidden boss; that was already defying heaven. If he didn't pay any price, he might as well be a god like Weiyang, and what would be the point of participating in the trial?

However, seeing his poor condition, they immediately thought of those bastards from the Destiny Clearance Group. They had gone to such unscrupulous lengths to set traps to kill him; they would surely want to take advantage of his weakened state to finish him off. They had to help Gu Xinian and deal with those bastards.

Almost simultaneously, Li Xuan and Xiao Ran looked at the members of their main group. "We are going to help Gu Xinian. You can come with us, or you can choose to stay."

The members replied, "Brother Xuan, Sister Ran, we want to help Boss Gu!"

Pang Haoyu, who was already preparing to act, looked at them and said, "I want to help Boss Gu!"

Yes, after the shock, surprise, and excitement, he too had noticed Gu Xinian's weakness. Considering the kindness these people had shown him previously, he had intended to tell them before acting. As it turned out, they all shared the same goal. They exchanged smiles and hurried toward the banks of the Shannan River.

...

As everyone could see, Gu Xinian was indeed not in a good state. He had paid a heavy price to kill the Nanjiang Immortal. Of course, had it not been for the subtle, random intervention of Weiyang before he left, while killing the boss wouldn't have been easy, it wouldn't have been this taxing. Fortunately, he had made full preparations, using the Mask of Mystery to gain the ability to fire the "Immortal-Slaying Shot." Furthermore, upon settling the rewards for killing the elite monster, he had received a chance to draw a talent skill.

He had drawn the talent skill: Clown!

[Clown (A): Passive: Greatly increases physical coordination, balance, body control, and combat technique. Agility +10, Strength +5. Can use intuition to form mental images and predict the target's next move.]

Yes, it was a passive talent skill. But the +5 to Strength and the massive boost to coordination, balance, and combat technique had multiplied his combat power several times over, significantly increasing his success rate in killing the Nanjiang Immortal! Combined with his experience from his past life and his comprehensive knowledge of the boss's mechanisms and attributes, he had exhausted his mental power. While using the Swamp of Corruption to contend with the immense immortal energy within the Nanjiang Immortal, he continuously weakened and polluted its internal organs, eventually killing it with the "deceived" God-Slaying Gun.

Of course, using that "deceived" gun to kill the boss was no easy feat. Consequently, he had paid an unprecedented price in terms of stamina, nearly reaching the point of total collapse. Had he not exerted so much power, there would have been no way to kill the boss, especially since Weiyang had tampered with its internal organs.

However, the best part was that after killing the Nanjiang Immortal, he had received an unexpected reward! A piece of SS-grade equipment!

[Spirit Thread (Level 12, SS): Can target a subject to directly influence their spirit body, astral body, mental body, and etheric body. Using the "etheric body" as a bridge, the user can control the target like a puppet, causing their thoughts to slow, their body to stiffen, and their movements to become sluggish. Over time, as control deepens, the target can be permanently turned into a secret puppet. Ineffective on targets five levels higher than the equipment. Secret puppets are completely obedient and loyal to the holder of the Spirit Thread, willing to do anything, including fighting. Can be upgraded to the next level using 130 pieces of evil, dark, or divine materials. Equipment quality can be upgraded using Apostle-level divine essence.]

In other words, whoever Gu Xinian set his eyes on, he wouldn't even need to conquer them; he could use this equipment to turn them into a loyal dog or servant. One could imagine just how powerful this item was. While all other trial-takers in the Qinghe University campus zone were still struggling to survive with only one talent skill and, at best, B-grade equipment, Gu Xinian had it all: S-grade equipment, demigod-grade equipment, and more! If they could see what he possessed, they would surely doubt whether they were even participating in the same trial.

Just as he was preparing to rest for a moment before heading ashore, he suddenly saw Lin Qingxue, Han Tong, the red-haired youth, and the man with the bull-like nose leading a group of people. They were rushing toward him tirelessly, their faces full of excitement and urgency. They stopped at the riverbank and shouted at him in an incredibly arrogant tone:

"Gu Xinian, we'll give you one chance: hand over everything you’ve obtained in this trial, and we might consider sparing your life!"