20 minutes earlier when the trial of trust had yet to begin. Wei Jun, and Wei Yu were very curious about what trial was set in the vaults of the palace. The location was usually a big hint to what trial they were facing. As Wei Yu had a small idea while Wei Jun didn't.
"Please follow me dear guests I will bring you to your vault." a guide said in a stern voice.
"Of course, we will follow you" Wei Yu said with a smile on her face.
The clan she was a part of had given her more detailed information about the palace then they shared to Wei Jun. She knew that the trial of trust was the mostly likely and because of it she was excited to see what their vault would hold.
Each vault had a different set of items and value to it, it was unknown what determined the value or the items, but they had some reports that the guides always told the truth and followed through with their words. In some instances you could get a lot of information from a vague hint they might drop or the specifics on they use on their words.
For Wei Yu her thought process was really simple, if the vault held rewards tempting enough that she thought it would be better than what she would get from passing the trial then she would sell her partner out without any hesitation. The worst part about it though was that Wei Jun already knew.
'I'm dead' he thought to himself.
He had entered a political marriage for benefits knowing full well he wouldn't be loved. That being said he was cautiously optimistic about the trial hoping that love would build up over time. The truth however was that was never going to happen. He knew full well what kind of a person Wei Yu was. She was full of herself, arrogant, and a spoiled little bitch. She would sell him out in seconds given the chance. The only reason he was here, was he thought he might have been able to squeeze some loot out the palace. Little did he know he was dead as soon as they reached the vault.
The guide opened up the vault, it was a small vault it wasn't filled with anything other than a fan in a display case.
"This is the azure peacock fan. A heavenly ranked utility treasure, it has the ability to change one appearance, including age regression, as well as the ability seduce others, create illusions, fierce winds for combat, and its most famed ability: Bewitchment. You will also receive a technique created just for this treasure as well if you choose to have it".
"Well, as tempting as this might be I think it's obvious what we should choose, right hun?" Wei Yu asked.
"Of course, I bet we could get much better things if we continue the trial" he replied.
'Fake bitch, I'm doomed'.
Wei Yu had a vain obsession with appearance and he wouldn't doubt for a second she would use the item to bewitch the next hot boy she found. She lived life like she was untouchable, and even if Wei Jun knew he would die, he would at least drag her down with him.
When the 15 minutes were up the guide brought them into a side room to find their answers.
They both said the treasure over the partner.
"You have both failed the trial and now you forfeit your lives" the guide said.
"WHAT! BABY HOW COULD YO-" her head was cut clean off by a stone solider before another took Wei Jun's head off to. He died at least finding solace in knowing that the girl he hated, died before he did.
In another room after the other partners betrayed one another. Whether it was for expensive pills, amazing armor, or even funny enough a better partner. They were culled one by one as the vault walls were stained red with blood.
"This is the heaven rejuvenation pill, able to heal all injuries and increases your lifespan double of what it currently is. If you don't want it you could sell it at an auction for an unbelievable price" A guide introduced a pill to ji Long and Ji Er.
"Wow, what a pill, I've heard stories about pills like these" Ji Long said.
Ji Er was by his side standing still like a statue saying nothing. After the 15 minutes were up they both chose partners and passed the trial. On the way back to the elevator they could smell blood and hear some screams as couples sold each other out like it was an auction for the highest bidder.
'Greed has to be the easiest sin to die to' Ji Long thought to himself as he passed by the vaults.
When they made it back to the elevator he wasn't surprised at all to see that only 4 couples remained after this trial. Perhaps if it was a different trial the amount of remaining contestants would be much higher. It seemed like the trial of trust was one of the most deadly trials there was.
He noticed one man actually had a shocked face when he saw how many couples were left.
'How cute' Ji Long thought to himself before laughing and saying "it would seem some people still underestimate the greed of cultivators".
He was surprised to see someone so innocent be left alive but then maybe it was the innocence that kept him alive. Anyway Ji Long was excited to see what the remaining trials would be.