The figures on the silver thrones traded words with one another, cheerfully deciding how to "deal with" Shi Feng.
"Do players even have any rights?" Shi Feng muttered under his breath, standing not far from the golden gates.
But he had no choice.
Every NPC before him was a peak powerhouse of the Divine Realm. In their eyes, he was nothing more than an ant. The fact that they were willing to spare him a few glances was already generous, let alone having a conversation with him.
At that moment, a young man in white robes on one of the silver thrones appeared before Shi Feng in a blink — a simple teleportation.
Though he merely stood there with no hint of hostility, the pressure he exuded was even greater than what Shi Feng had felt when meeting White River City's administrator, Wiseman.
This white-robed young man was Ukalus, the Star Moon Hall Master of the War God Temple — the very person Shi Feng had come to find.
"Young man, we all know why you are here. Although the seal on the Abyss of Endless has been broken, this was inevitable. No seal lasts forever — all things are powerless before the passage of time. Suppressing the Abyss of Endless for several centuries was already remarkable."
"Soon, we will join forces to suppress the Abyss of Endless and prevent the situation from spiraling out of control."
"However, before we set out, we must choose someone to gather the sealing artifacts. This person must be a Chosen of Heaven, and you happen to fit the bill. That is why we have decided to send you. But first, we need to assess your potential. If you prove lacking, we will have no choice but to seek another candidate."
The term "Chosen of Heaven" was what the NPCs called players. According to the NPCs' worldview, Chosen of Heaven were essentially immortal beings — even if they died, they could revive. That made them the ideal candidates for collecting sealing artifacts.
"Your trial is the Twelve Trials, set by the War God Temple since ancient times. You need only pass six rounds to qualify. And of course, we will not send you away empty-handed. Pass the first round, and you will be rewarded with 100 War God Temple Merit Points. Each subsequent round doubles the reward. You can exchange these Merit Points for treasures at the War God Temple's Treasury."
"Our Treasury holds more treasures than anywhere else in the entire Divine Realm. Ordinary Mythril Rank items cost 200 Merit Points, Gold-grade items 500, Dark Gold-grade items 1,500, Epic-grade items 4,000, Legendary-grade fragments 15,000, and Legendary-grade items 60,000."
"If your strength is great enough, you can even redeem Holy-grade artifacts — but those will cost you 200,000 Merit Points."
Ukalus delivered this explanation with a smile throughout. Shi Feng's heart was racing with excitement.
He had to admit — a Legendary main story quest was something else entirely.
The highest quality item he had ever encountered was Legendary-grade. Holy-grade artifacts were something he had only heard about and never laid eyes on. The mere opportunity to see one was already a tremendous gain.
Shi Feng knew his own limits. Legendary-grade items were already a pipe dream for him, let alone Holy-grade. He didn't dare indulge in such fantasies — just catching a glimpse would be enough to satisfy him.
Just as Shi Feng's mind wandered, imagining what a Holy-grade artifact might look like, Ukalus began chanting a spell. His fingers traced complex, profound divine runes in the air.
The moment the incantation was complete, a massive golden gate materialized before them. Its surface shimmered with golden radiance, and twelve illustrations were carved into its face — each one depicting a brutal battle. When the gate swung open with a thunderous boom, an ancient and violent aura poured out from within, as though some primordial beast lurked inside.
"Young man. The Twelve Trials lie within. Enter." Ukalus pointed toward the golden gate as he spoke.
Shi Feng nodded. He stepped forward one pace at a time, walking deep through the gates until he vanished from the Eternal Throne.