Chapter 418 - 204: Five Times the Speed of Sound, Peak Competition Qualifier
Chapter 418: Chapter 204: Five Times the Speed of Sound, Peak Competition Qualifier
"The Intelligent Mechanism Race is extremely numerous and powerful inside the Painful Labyrinth. They have diverse attack, stealth, and defense modes. The strength of each individual is on par with the bosses we encountered back in the Nirvana Tower."
"The Core Chips they leave behind after death, and the memory metal that makes up their bodies, are all top-tier materials worth a fortune in the outside world!"
"We’ll discuss the specific intel once we’re inside. The biggest problem right now is..."
Dongfang Zhen lowered his voice, continuing at a volume only the two of them could hear. "The rifts that have appeared across the globe are divided into two types: long-term and intermittent. The Painful Labyrinth is the latter."
"These kinds of intermittent rifts always show certain signs before they open."
"Sometimes it’s energy fluctuations, sometimes it’s spatial distortions."
"And just half a day ago, an incredibly brilliant blue light suddenly bloomed in the sky above this rift. The energy fluctuation from it could be felt from hundreds of kilometers away!"
"Rifts like this—the kind that only open intermittently and from which no otherworldly races escape—have become resources that major organizations scramble to control."
"That’s because they’re guaranteed to contain large quantities of Spiritual Objects, along with all sorts of other strange and curious things."
"Besides that, there’s also an unwritten rule."
"This might sound a little out there, but it’s been proven time and again: the more spectacular the signs before a rift opens, the better the treasures inside. It’s as if some unseen will is telling us, ’There’s good stuff in here, hurry up and come get it!’"
"Of course, whether it turns out to be a massive opportunity or a deadly trap all comes down to one’s own strength and luck."
"And that’s why..." Dongfang Zhen gestured toward the densely packed tents outside.
"Take a look. This godforsaken place is already swarming with people. All the notable families in the region, plus all those lone-wolf bounty Hunters, have come sniffing around for a score."
"To make matters worse, no one knows when this rift will close again, and that’s the biggest risk when exploring these places."
"I’ve even heard a theory that many Celestial Abyss Rifts seem to have a consciousness of their own. The moment the number of people entering at once hits a certain threshold, it will close ahead of schedule and trap everyone inside!"
"My family has exclusive rights to this rift, but because of public pressure, my dad can only charge an entrance fee this time. He can’t completely bar them from entering."
After listening to all this, Lin Ye understood why Dongfang Zhen had told him to hurry.
’No one knows when this rift will open.’
’If it does, a huge influx of people could cause it to shut again.’
’All their preparations would be for nothing.’
Just then.
The personal terminals on his and Dongfang Zhen’s wrists emitted a crisp alert at almost the exact same time.
Lin Ye glanced down.
The Firewood Martial Hall system had automatically recommended a mission to him.
[Mission Rank: B]
[Mission Objective: Enter Rift CN-51479 and obtain the Ark Fire Seed Source.]
"You got one too?" Dongfang Zhen waved his wrist, which also displayed a mission notification from the Kunlun Martial Hall.
They compared them and found that the mission objectives and details were exactly the same!
[Mission Reward: 100 uses of the All-Seeing Instrument.]
[Special Note: The individual with the highest contribution to this mission will be granted an exclusive 50 uses.]
A sharp glint flashed in Lin Ye’s eyes.
Over the past seven days, he had completely absorbed the fifty units of Asking Dust the military had awarded him.
That was why his control over his own Spirituality had improved by leaps and bounds.
Right now, his system panel clearly displayed his Spirituality’s progress.
[First Martial Arts Spirituality: Celestial Attraction of Myriad Phenomena (Initial Appearance: 56.7%)]
’If I can complete this mission, secure the top contribution spot, and get those 50 exclusive uses of the All-Seeing Instrument...’
’...I’m extremely confident I can push my Spiritual Realm directly from Initial Appearance to the second stage: Resonance!’
As Lin Ye was mulling this over, a question suddenly surfaced in his mind.
He looked at Dongfang Zhen. "Didn’t you just say that the core area of this rift has never been explored before?"
"Then how could the higher-ups at Firewood and Kunlun know in advance that something like the Ark Fire Seed Source was inside, and even issue such a specific mission for it?"
Dongfang Zhen was taken aback for a moment, then replied.
"Oh, that. Tiansuan figured it out."
"Tiansuan?" Lin Ye asked, confused.
"That’s right. The supercomputer of our Great Xia."
Dongfang Zhen explained, "After the dawn of the Martial Arts Era, all sorts of strange and wonderful Martial Arts Spiritualities emerged among humanity. One category is specifically related to insight, prediction, and calculation."
"According to the elders in my family, these Spiritualities represent a supreme law on par with the [Source] sequence."
"It is called the [Ultimate Truth]."
"So, for us, knowing in advance what kind of treasures will appear in a rift is nothing new."
Lin Ye was inwardly shaken.
’[Ultimate Truth]...’
’A supreme law on the same level as [Source].’
’If someone could take that law to its absolute limit, would that mean they could analyze all of creation, even see through the cause and effect of the past and future?’
Just then, the tent flap was pushed open.
A familiar figure walked in.
Zhang Daoxuan looked travel-worn and weary, and he was clearly surprised when he saw Lin Ye.