“What the?” Rao Wu rubbed his eyes in disbelief when the blinding light transported him to a strange room. Unlike the previous white, sterile room, he found himself in something akin to a botanical garden with trees, beautiful plants, and a flowing creek.

Rao Wu would have assumed he got transported to another test location, but he spotted the familiar platform at the garden’s center. Furthermore, the rock walls' locations that enclosed the room bore a striking resemblance to the previously white wall.

Rao Wu turned to look at the administrator, who sat on a tree root that passed over the platform. “What’s going on? This isn’t the Test Chamber, is it?”

The administrator rubbed his ears and lazily yawned. “It is, in fact, the very same. The room is set to match the Candidate’s technological advancement automatically. The room you met was set to the previous student. We renovated after accessing your memories.”

“Accessing my memories?” Rao Wu was shocked. “How did you do that?”

The administrator tapped his head. “The soul techniques you received. We read your soul when you opened it to us.”

Rao Wu frowned. “You’ve been saying ‘we’ for a while now. Who’s we? Also, what’s your name, anyway?”

The administrator’s lips curled in a wide grin. “You are not yet qualified to know my partner. But you can call me Fen. It’s been a long time since someone survived this long in Infernal Difficulty—you’ve earned that much.”

“Oh?” Rao Wu’s eyes brightened as he realized that Fen must have been there for a really long time. “Then can you tell me what this test is for?”

Fen’s lips parted to reveal a wolfish grin. “Do you have the Chaos Points? That information is worth three million Chaos Points.”

“Ugh.” Rao Wu recoiled in disgust as he glared at Fen. “You’re just as stingy.”

Fen smiled. “Stingy? No, child. This teaches you that nothing comes free. Someone somewhere paid the price for you to get anything you ever receive. Life will be a lot easier when you understand this principle.”

“Yeah, alright.” Rao Wu did not want to argue with the administrator. Who knew if Fen was the vindictive type and sent Rao Wu to hell on his next test? Instead, Rao Wu swiftly changed tactics and asked, “What about my rewards? Do I still get those?”

“Certainly.” Fen waved his hand, and a statue rose from the ground.

Rao Wu recognized the statue. It was a miniature version of the one painted on the main door—a terrifying black-furred wolf with several chains tied to its neck, feet, and body. To Rao Wu’s surprise, the statue opened its mouth, and a familiar voice came out. “Welcome back, Candidate. Congratulations on completing the third test.”

“You!?” Rao Wu’s eyes widened in shock. There was no way he could forget the system’s voice after hearing it so many times. However, there was something different about it.

“Would the Candidate like to hear the test results? Also, is the Candidate adverse to being addressed by his name?”

‘It feels alive.’ Rao Wu noticed that the system’s voice and tone were livelier than its previous iteration. He wondered if this had something to do with Fen. “Yes. Tell me the results. Also, feel free to call me by my name.”

The golem stiffly nodded. “Here are your test results.” After it spoke, a stone slab rose from the ground, with characters etched on it.

Test Objective: Steal the Shaman’s Orb and Deliver it to Fort Drakon

Objective Completion Rate: Full [40,000 Chaos Points Awarded]

Bonus Rewards:

Beastkin slain: 5 Second-Phase Beastkin (1000 CP each) – [5000 CP]

Hybrids slain: 10 Soul Apprentices (500 CP each), 10 Soul Students (1000 CP each) – [10,500 CP]

Humans slain: 33 Soul Apprentices (500 CP each), 21 Soul Students (1000 CP each), 1 Soul Soldier (10,000 CP each) – [47,500 CP]

Soul Monsters Slain: Numerous Species and ranks. Chaos Points Awarded – [14,285 CP] (Candidate can opt for a full breakdown)

Administrator’s Favor Granted: 20,000 CP

Total Chaos Points Awarded: 137,825 CP

Infernal Difficulty Multiplier (x4): 551,300 CP

Candidate’s Total Points: 555,428 CP

500,000 Chaos Points! Rao Wu stared at the astronomical number. Did he really earn that much? Woah. Maybe those highly-priced items weren’t as unreasonable as he initially thought.

What stood out most to Rao Wu, though, was the reward for killing sentient creatures. A regular soul Apprentice cost 500 Chaos Points. That was 100 times greater than the 1st Phase, Servant-ranked Bugbears. The system crazily incentivized killing humans instead of soul monsters.

Thankfully, Denuchi took Rao Wu hunting while they waited for the tunnels. During that period, Rao Wu’s soul monsters killed hundreds of 1st Phase and 2nd Phase soul monsters to sharpen their battle senses. However, all that carnage did not break half of the sentient creatures’ total score.

Rao Wu shook his head. It did not matter. He would not become a monster that killed innocent people for additional Chaos Points.

Rao Wu, instead, turned to look at the administrator. “Fen, it says I got your favor? How?”

Fen grinned. “I like those with the ability to throw a realm into chaos. You did it in the first test, and now in the third.” The lycan tapped on his shoulder as he explained, “Do you know what happened because of your actions?”

“No.”

“Of course, you don’t.” Fen chuckled and then said, “Denuchi, the hybrid you rescued, goes on to save thousands of hybrids. Together, they stake a claim to a portion of the land and begin fighting back against the humans. Denuchi uses his experience with the beastkin to forge an uneasy alliance that forces the realm into a stalemate. Afterward, he promoted peace and suggested sending children from each side to mingle in a neutral city. Several generations after Denuchi had long turned to dust, peace reigned amongst all three races. He is revered as a visionary, and his statues can be found in every city.”

Fen smiled as he looked into Rao Wu’s eyes. “Everything started with the alliance. But, that would not have happened without a certain beastkin’s involvement. Do you remember Rubik? His retrieval of the Shaman’s Orb helped him become the next chief of Lazuli Caverns. When Denuchi needed a voice to convince the beastkin, Rubik played a large part in gaining the trust of other beastkin settlements.”

“It’s a wonder how one little action can change the events of history for many years to come.” Fen’s eyes twinkled. “Many have challenged this same level before you. But none have accomplished what you have. Well done. I do not care if you shake the world positively or negatively. I only care for those who seek to sow chaos rather than maintain the current order. However, chaos almost always accompanies a significant loss of life. It’ll be interesting to see how you deal with this problem in the future.”

Rao Wu swallowed hard. He now understood why he gained the administrators’ favor in the first test. Rao Wu altered the Bugbears and Sprites’ fates by wiping the former from existence. Perhaps he would not have gained the admin’s favor if he sided with the Bugbears. After all, the trajectory dictated that the Sprites would become extinct in a few more years. That wasn’t sowing chaos but hastening the inevitable.

Rao Wu kept the information at the back of his mind and then asked, “But we just left Denuchi. When did all that happen?”

Fen playfully wagged his fingers. “Ah. Ah. Ah. Not yet, little fox. You are still too young to learn such matters.” He then lay on the tree root and closed his eyes. “That’s enough for now. I need to sleep, and you need to get started on the next test. One last thing: Ask it for Battle Soul Techniques. You gained the privilege after surviving against one.”

Rao Wu had many more questions, but Fen’s demeanor screamed, ‘Don’t talk to me!’. So, he reluctantly turned to the golem. “What are Battle Soul Techniques?”

“Information is free due to the Administrator’s Favor.” After confirming the payment, the golem continued, “Battle Soul Techniques are an offshoot of Soul Techniques used in conjunction with various weapons. Battle Soul Techniques, or as they are more commonly known, Battle Techniques, are divided into seven ranks, namely: Brass, Bronze, Iron, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Orihalcum. Battle Techniques consume soul energy to unleash devastating attacks, but unlike traditional soul techniques, they are not limited to any race.”

With the introduction finished, the golem continued with the prices, “All battle techniques offered follow a standard price per rank. The pricing is as follows: Brass (10,000 CP), Bronze (40,000 CP), Iron (160,000 CP), Silver (660,000 CP), Gold (2,640,000 CP), Platinum (10,560,000 CP), and Orichalcum (42,240,000 CP).”

Rao Wu’s brain spun as he digested the information. It was so much that he felt dizzy and was on the verge of passing out. Still, he managed to pull himself together and began planning out how to spend his points. “Can I get Comprehensive Information on the next test?”

“2000 CP Deducted.” The golem paused and then said, “The next test is an obstacle-course test. However, 2nd and 3rd Phase general-ranked soul monsters will block your path.”

“Can I use my spatial ring?” Rao Wu eagerly asked.

“Yes. Spatial rings and all items within are allowed within obstacle-course tests.”

Rao Wu pumped his fists with joy. “Yes!” The child then looked at the Special Items list. After seeing the Talking Tree fruit and Undying Heart effects, Rao Wu prioritized purchasing anything on the list that was suitable for his soul monsters.

Currently, Rao Wu could afford Yggdrasil’s Seed, Egg of Unknown Origins, and the Broken Emperor’s Armor. He already had information on the Broken Emperor’s Armor, so he chose to gain information on the former two. “How much for the information on Yggdrasil’s Seed and Egg of Unknown Origins?”

“15,000 and 5,000 Chaos Points, respectively.”

“So cheap?” Rao Wu always thought the information price rose in proportion to the items price. But that did not seem to be the case.

“Information is priced at the level of rarity, not the item’s cost. Information on Yggdrasil is only a little bit rare outside this test facility.”

Rao Wu’s eyes twinkled as his lips rose in a foxy smile. “I’m guessing you don’t have any meaningful information on the Egg.” Now that Rao Wu thought about it, it was strange that the system took the pains to add ‘Unkown Origins’ to the egg’s title.

“The information available is worth the price.” The system did not take Rao Wu’s bait.

“Tch. I hoped you’d fall for that.” Rao Wu scratched his head. “Give me information on Yggdrasil’s Seed. I can hold off on the egg for now.”

“15,000 Chaos Points Deducted.” The system paused to load the needed information and then explained, “Yggdrasil’s seed is the seed of an Emperor-Ranked Plant-Type soul monster, Yggdrasil. The seed in possession was damaged in a fight and is thus incapable of birthing a new Yggdrasil. However, plant-type soul monsters can ingest it to gain extreme powers. The seed can transform a plant-type soul monster’s constitution, granting them new skills, and providing the opportunity for mutations. Do note, however, that Yggdrasil was a healing tree, so most skills and mutations will lead the plant-type soul monster in this direction.”

Rao Wu beamed with joy. This seed was perfect for Lu Lin! He quickly asked, to be sure, “Is there any chance of failure? Can it harm my soul pet?”

“Some plant-type soul monsters may find it difficult to fully assimilate the abundant energy. In that event, the wasted energy will disperse into the nearby surroundings. There are no adverse effects on soul monsters.”

“Give me Yggdrasil’s seed!” Rao Wu did not hesitate. As always, his priority remained growing his soul pets’ strengths as quickly and efficiently as possible.

“500,000 CP deducted.” The golem deducted Rao Wu’s Chaos Points after confirming his order. Following the confirmation, a platform rose from the ground with a tiny, unremarkable seed.

Rao Wu’s brows furrowed as he examined the strange item. He could not sense anything remarkable about the seed, but Lu Lin’s uncharacteristic agitation let Rao Wu know it was important to her.

“Lu Lin, come out.” Rao Wu summoned Lu Lin and then watched with intrigue as she practically jumped up and down while staring at the seed with naked desire. “Alright, alright. Calm down. It’s yours.”

Lu Lin happily grabbed the seed from Rao Wu and then swallowed it in one swift motion. The Dryad’s eyes glowed green for a brief second, but they shut as she collapsed.

“Lu Lin!” Rao Wu frantically grabbed the unconscious Dryad and shook her in an attempt to wake her up. “Are you alright? Lu Lin!” The frightened child angrily glared at the golem. “What happened!? You said there are no risks!”

“The Dryad is healthy,” reported the golem. “She entered hibernation to ensure she assimilated all the energy. The Dryad should awaken in a few weeks to a few months. When she does, you will have an immensely powerful soul pet on your hands.”

“A few months!?” Rao Wu could not believe his ears. If he had known, he would have held off until they completed the tests. He couldn’t wait for Lu Lin to awaken, so he had to continue the tests with only Ju Tu and Xian Da.

At least Lu Lin wasn’t in any danger. Rao Wu took solace in that fact as he recalled her to her soul space.

“Ugh.” Rao Wu scratched his head in frustration and then asked, “How many points do I have left?

“38,428 Chaos Points.”

Rao Wu sighed. Since Yggdrasil was no longer in the picture, he spent 8000 CP on soul cores for himself, Xian Da, and Ju Tu. He then checked the Brass-Ranked Battle Soul Techniques. The Brass-Ranked Battle techniques were so uninspiring, filled with Foundation manuals that taught several weapons basics.

Bronze and above had exciting names like Apocalyptic Will, Heaven-Tearing Strike, and more, but Rao Wu settled for two unassuming techniques: [Foundational Spear Techniques] and [Foundational Dagger Techniques].

Uncle Twilight had pounded the importance of the basics into Rao Wu’s head, so he did not dare go for the crazier techniques before learning the basics.

The golem transmitted both techniques to Rao Wu’s soul after deducting the points. However, Rao Wu needed to practice hard to master both techniques.

Purchasing the techniques left Rao Wu with 18,428 Chaos Points. He decided to save his remaining Chaos Points for the next round as he had his eyes on two techniques [Foundational Pole Techniques] and [Foundational Claw Techniques].

Having finished his preparations, Rao Wu looked at the golem and then said, “I’m ready for the next test.”

A platform rose with Rao Wu’s ring as the golem spoke, “You may collect your ring now.”

Gruuu~

Nearby, a section of the wall slid away to reveal a corridor that seemed to go on forever. “Good luck on your test, Rao Wu.”

“Thanks,” replied Rao Wu as he took the ring and slid it onto his finger. “Woah. I missed this.” The youth gently rubbed the ring and then summoned Ju Tu and Xian Da.

Rao Wu looked at the two eager soul pets. “Remember the last obstacle test. We have to be careful. These traps will be even harder.” His lips then curled into a wide grin as he added, “That said, we should aim for smashing the record, no matter what.”

“Rraff! Definitely!”

“Guo! Watch me!”

Rao Wu chuckled and then walked toward the fourth test’s entrance with his soul pets in tow.