The elevator stopped once they reached the vault. A big hallway stretched in front of them as side by side their were hallways that led into different vaults.
"One guide will be assigned to each couple" the guide said as she multiplied her body out of nowhere. Like they walked out of thin air, new guides identical to her lined up side by side to her.
"Each couple will go down into one vault. Riches and resources will await them, you will either choose... your partner or the resources. If one person chooses the resources and the other the partner. The one who choose the resources will receive the recourses while the other will be killed by the guards. If both partners choose resources then both will be killed by the guards. If both partners choose their partner, then they will move onto the next trial. You won't be able to make your decision until after 15 minutes spent in the vault your guide shows you. Now, lets begin" she said as she clapped her hands once.
The guides who were lined up side by side to her went in front of their chosen couples. One such guide showed up in front of Gu Zhi and Gu Xiao.
"Please follow me dear guests, I will guide you to the vault we have chosen for you." she said in a polite tone.
They nodded their heads as the guide moved and they followed. She took them away from the rest of the group winding down corridors and hallways until they were in front of a HUGE vault. The vault chamber rumbled and moved on its own until the vault door opened up to reveal a pile of wealth so huge it would make a wealthy man cry and turn a greedy man rabid. Mountains of spirit stones, with shelfs full of books, treasures and tools laying in piles of pill bottles with faintly seen monster eggs here and there.
"I can see why now so many high level cultivators are interested in this palace." he said.
This wasn't just enough wealth for a clan. It wasn't enough wealth for a small sect either. This was enough wealth were you could single handedly start your own medium sized sect and have enough funds to support it for decades on end.
'I bet a nascent soul cultivator would kill an entire sect for this wealth'.
What was crazy is that this was their first trial in the palace. What kind of rewards would they see if they continued to clear trial after trial. Would it be more, or less than what they see right now.
'I bet it would be more'.
This was enough wealth to make a nascent soul cultivator go blind with greed but it wasn't to the point were every major faction in the area would turn their heads and dedicate numerous efforts to try everything in their power to give their juniors a better chance.
'No... I bet it would be much more'.
That being the case however, Gu Zhi was no appraiser, he had no idea the value of some of those treasures, eggs, and he didn't even know what kind of pills where kept in those pill bottles. The true value of the vault could be much more than even he thought, it was impossible to really know because he didn't have much knowledge in appraisal.
Looking around the room he found what the "guards" were. They were giant stone statues guarding the only exit and entrance to the vault. They held spears and looked like soldiers.
'I doubt anyone will survive them'.
"15 minutes are up, I will take one of you to a private area and confirm your answer, after that I will do the same to the other partner".
The guide then took Gu Xiao to an adjacent room inside the vault and closed the doors to listen to her answer. In truth Gu Zhi wasn't at all worried he would be stabbed in the back. It wouldn't make any sense to begin with. Why would the rich Gu clan spend so many resources if all they wanted was a fat little lamb to the slaughter. That was also admitting one important fact: the Gu clan was a divination clan. They would never recruit a traitor into the mix if they were able to divine the person they were recruiting, which they most certainly did with Gu Zhi. In addition, if Gu Zhi could surmise that there were better rewards to be had in later trials then Gu Xiao could come to the same conclusion.
Not to mention both of them wouldn't be alive or where they were today if they didn't trust each other. That was what relationships were built off of, and it seemed the palace was testing that today.
'I wonder how many couples will pass this trial'.
Gu Xiao exited the room and the guide came up to him.
"It's your turn now sir" she said.
He walked into the room as she closed the door and asked "What is your answer".
"Partner" he said with zero hesitation.
"Is that your final answer" she asked.
"Yes" he replied.
"Very well" she said as she brought him back to the vault.
"Both parties have chosen partner and thus you have passed this trial. If you wish to leave now let me know and you will be sent out back into your world. If not follow me to the guest rooms you will stay the night and the next trial will start in the morning" she said as she led them back to the elevator.
Once back there they got to look at the remaining couples. The result was very surprising. Less than half of their group remained. Only 4 couples were still left standing, the rest were gone. They could only guess what happened to them.
'HOLY CRAP, how many couples chose resources over their partners'
The result was baffling to Gu Zhi but to the couples still standing they didn't look surprised in the least that they only remained.
Ji Long laughed, "it would seem some people still underestimate the greed of cultivators" he said while looking at the obviously surprised Gu Zhi. "Sometimes pills are more important to people than their own lives" he said with a smile on his face.