Approaching noon.
Lu Heng arrived at Nahida's school to pick her up for lunch back at the Pure Goodness Palace.
Ignoring Nahida's actual age, he couldn't help but feel like a parent waiting at the gates to bring his daughter home.
When he saw her rush out of the classroom, beaming with excitement, he suddenly remembered his own school days. That feeling of joy when the bell rang for dismissal—pure happiness.
"What time does your afternoon class start?" Lu Heng asked.
Nahida's smile instantly froze.
Liyue Harbor, at the card shop.
Lumine and Paimon each carried a bottle of soda.
"From any branch shop, you can teleport directly to the Arena of Trials. Afterward, the Rank Tower is where the real evaluation begins!" Lumine explained as she pressed a button labeled Arena of Trials.
The door opened again, and the sound of crashing waves rushed in.
Stepping out, they found themselves facing an endless stretch of ocean. The blazing noon sun hung overhead, sea breeze brushing against their cheeks.
When Lumine turned around, the camera captured the vast Arena of Trials.
"Guys, take a look—this is the Arena of Trials. Damn, the size of this place!"
"Whoa!" Paimon gasped. "It looks more like a gigantic fortress than an arena!"
They walked forward, passing through a tunnel until the space widened dramatically.
"Yikes." Paimon turned in a slow circle. "This audience section… it could probably seat a million people! This place could totally host concerts!"
Lumine nodded seriously, then stopped in front of a map posted on the wall.
"Here's the Gravity Training Grounds, here's where we are now… and here's the Rank Tower!"
She quickly motioned for Paimon. "Come on, hurry!"
Even with the most direct route, it took nearly ten minutes of running before they arrived.
"This is it, everyone—the Rank Tower!"
A massive ninety-nine-story tower loomed before them, rising from the ocean itself. Wide platforms surrounded its base. Though it was a tower, its sheer presence was as imposing as a mountain, a sight that made one's heart tighten.
At the entrance, an inscription read: Please present your Card Device.
Lumine flashed her device.
[Login Successful]
[Welcome to the Rank Tower. Please select a mode:]
[Solo Challenge] [Multiplayer Challenge]
Note: Multiplayer challenges do not count toward ranking.
"What do you think?" Lumine asked.
"I'm in no rush," Paimon replied, sipping her drink. "Why don't you try the first floor and see what it's like?"
The livestream chat agreed.
"Alright then, I'll go first!" Lumine selected solo mode.
Her body dissolved into glowing particles, reappearing a moment later on a vast, featureless plain that stretched endlessly in every direction.
Thirty meters ahead, a giant floating key slowly rotated.
"Oh, I know this! It's the same as those domain challenges with artifacts!"
She jogged forward. "Okay, everyone, the Rank Tower's first floor begins now!"
Five hilichurls materialized before her.
"This looks pretty simple." Lumine smiled calmly. For an ordinary person, fighting one or two hilichurls would be doable with courage and weapons, though five together posed real danger. For a trained soldier, though, this was nothing.
"Ready? Here I go."
The hilichurls charged. A wave of fire erupted from Lumine's hand, engulfing them in a blazing tide. Their screams were cut short as they burned to ash.
The key reappeared.
[Congratulations, you have cleared the First Floor]
[Time: 5 seconds]
[Evaluation: Excellent]
[Proceed to the next floor?]
"There's an evaluation system too?" Lumine's hand froze midair.
That changed everything—she had to shave the time down.
Her expression hardened. With a flick of her wrist, a dark peachwood sword appeared, its blade wreathed in sea-flame.
The chat erupted:
"Hahaha, Lumine got serious!"
"She saw the word 'evaluation' and her whole vibe changed!"
"Five seconds for a Floor One clear? That's embarrassing! Gotta aim for a god-tier time!"
She touched the key again.
The moment the hilichurls appeared—BOOM! Sea-flame detonated, swallowing them before they could move.
The key reformed.
[Congratulations, you have cleared the First Floor]
[Time: 0.01 seconds]
[Evaluation: Like a God]
[Proceed to the next floor?]
"Can it go lower?" Lumine tested, but 0.01 seconds was the limit. She laughed. "Alright, moving on!"
Floor after floor, the enemies grew stronger and more varied.
Five minutes later, she stretched her shoulders and checked her progress.
Forty-five floors cleared.
"Keep going!"
With her fifth-rank strength, sweeping through the fourth-rank levels was no big deal. Soon she reached Floor Fifty, where the key turned gold, marking the start of true fifth-rank battles.
Her face turned serious. She had noticed an important detail: any power-up or charged attack reset when the key was opened. No pre-charging allowed. It ensured real combat training.
She breathed deep and activated the key.
A hulking figure appeared—an Uncrowned. Lumine unleashed a sweeping strike, but the creature blurred and vanished, reappearing at her back.
"You… see my crown?" Its oppressive aura bore down like a tidal wave.
Cold sweat prickled her scalp. She rolled instinctively, narrowly dodging a lethal punch. Invincibility frames saved her from injury.
Spinning, she slashed down. Sparks flew as her blade clashed against its crossed arms. Sea-flame roared up its body, paralyzing it. A moment later, the Uncrowned was reduced to cinders.
[Congratulations, you have cleared Floor Fifty-One]
[Time: 5 seconds]
[Evaluation: Excellent]
[Proceed to the next floor?]
Hands on her hips, Lumine was about to boast when chat turned on her:
"Five seconds? With your power? That's weak!"
"Are you really that bad?"
"Excuse me? Five seconds is already fast!" She glared at the screen, then immediately restarted to try again.
Dozens of attempts later, drenched in sweat, she finally hit:
[Time: 3.63 seconds]
"That's my limit." She sat heavily on the ground, exhausted.
But her tone turned serious: "Guys, this Rank Tower is amazing. These opponents don't fight mechanically. They react to your movements, your openings. It's just like fighting a real person. If I trained here two hours every day, my combat skills would skyrocket. I'd be untouchable!"
The chat teased:
"Maybe, but can you handle Floor Fifty-Two now?"
"You doubt me? Watch!"
The next Uncrowned was stronger, faster, deadlier. Thirty-seven grueling seconds later, it fell.
[Evaluation: Passable]
"Passable?!" Lumine's face darkened. Even with her powerful weapon and sea-flame, she was barely scraping by.
She refused to accept it. Again and again she retried, shaving seconds. Thirty-four… then twenty-one. Each improvement lit a fire in her chest.
At last, she pushed into Floor Fifty-Three.
Three minutes and thirty-five seconds later, she staggered upright, panting.
[Evaluation: Still short of passing]
"This system is brutal," she muttered.
But she pushed again. Floor Fifty-Four.
This time, the Uncrowned struck like lightning. A knee slammed into her stomach, folding her body like paper.
"Ugh!" Lumine spat blood—only to be whipped across the head by a vicious kick. She collapsed instantly.
[Unfortunately, you failed Floor Fifty-Four]
[Time: 7 seconds]
[Evaluation: Weak, just train more!]
Holding her aching head, Lumine fell silent.
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T/N:
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