It was midnight. The moon hung faintly in a sky dotted with sparse stars.
Once again, we return to the Chi-Yun Rainforest. At night, it grew cooler, a thin mist lingering above rivers formed from the day's rain. Under the moonlight, they shimmered beautifully—yet the distant screeches of unseen beasts made the air unsettling.
At the edge of the rainforest, beside a narrow river, two girls huddled under the moonlight. They were dirty and exhausted, but still striking in their youth—one tall and alert, the other petite and cute, washing the scrape under her arm with a pained frown.
"Du Min… it's been three days."The smaller girl whispered, confused and anxious."When will rescue find us? Our camp barely has any food left…"
The tall girl—Du Min—didn't answer. Three days ago they were simply freshman students of the Ethereal Dao Academy. Three days later… they were stranded here, surrounded by danger.
Chi-Yun Rainforest looked beautiful from afar, but the ground was damp and rotten, scattered with animal bones. Foot-long centipedes and colorful venomous snakes slithered everywhere. Spiritual beasts—mutated by the Spirit Energy Era—lurking in the dark were many times stronger than their physical size suggested.
And not far from the two struggling girls—
A short, chubby boy was standing under a tree…
…peeing.
It was Wang Baole.
He hadn't noticed the girls. He also hadn't noticed the tiny wildflower beneath his feet, trembling violently under the "waterfall" raining upon it…
"Damn it!" Wang Baole grumbled, teeth clenched."I, Wang Baole, pride myself on reading people like a book… and I still fell for the Ethereal Dao Academy's scheme!"
He was furious. The past three days had been nothing but terror.
All the students had fallen asleep in the Spirit Chamber. Then a violent explosion declared the airship's destruction. They had been thrown out mid-flight; only their spirit-suits saved them from instant death.
They scattered across the rainforest. Food ran short. Wild beasts prowled. Students panicked. In that chaos, every aspect of human nature was magnified—fear, greed, cruelty, kindness.
At first, Baole genuinely believed this was real.
He even forced himself to stay near his lifelong enemy, Du Min, for safety.
But three days later, something strange happened.
His weight… dropped.
From his spirit-ring's health scan, he had lost six or seven pounds.
In three days.
This was impossible.
He once starved himself for a whole month doing extreme workouts and gained three pounds instead.
But here, in three days, he lost weight?
Impossible—unless…
Unless this world wasn't real.
He had once read in the autobiographies of high officials that the Dao Academy sometimes conducted mysterious "freshman trials." It was a subtle hint, nearly unnoticeable… unless someone studied those books obsessively like him.
If this entire scenario was a fabricated trial—
Then the creators likely based the simulation on normal human metabolism.
And Wang Baole… was not normal.
He was 50% sure the world was fake.
Then came the final confirmation—
The black half-mask given by Physician Lu.
He touched his chest, feeling a strange chill.He clearly remembered putting it in his robes when entering the Spirit Chamber… but when he found it hours ago, his fingers simply passed through it. It was intangible—like an object the illusion failed to fully recreate.
Even its edges were starting to blur and distort, faint characters appearing and disappearing.
That transformed his 50% certainty into 100%.
If this "disaster" was only a test… then the test was most likely about:
Courage. Character. Trust in the Academy.
Wang Baole nodded firmly while finishing his business.
That was when he noticed the river.
And the petite girl bathing her scrape.
"The hell?! A humanoid beast?!"His eyes widened dramatically.
Before he could stare longer, Du Min sensed something. She looked up—and locked eyes with Wang Baole.
She froze.
He froze.
Then Du Min's expression twisted in horror.
But Wang Baole lifted his pants and roared:
"What are you staring at?! Never seen a man pee before?!"
Du Min's brain shut down.Her fury exploded.
"You fat idiot! You call yourself a man?!"
Wang Baole nearly gained another pound from rage.
"Flat-Board! You call yourself a woman?!"
Du Min trembled violently, veins popping. She lunged forward—
But Baole sighed tragically.
"My innocence is ruined… you saw everything. How am I supposed to face the world now?"
Then he turned and bolted.
Cold sweat drenched his back.Good thing I reacted fast.
The little cute girl blinked in confusion. Only when she heard their vicious shouting did she realize something had happened. Blushing, she quickly got dressed and ran after Du Min.
Their argument echoed through the forest. Students from their temporary camp rushed over, blocking Baole's escape path.
At their head was a tall boy with sharp features holding a torch. Surrounded by admirers, he was clearly their leader—Liu Daobin.
"Wang Baole! What did you do?!" Liu Daobin growled.
He saw Baole still tightening his pants while two angry girls chased from behind.
His expression darkened instantly. He already liked Du Min—seeing this scene put him in a foul mood.
"I only peed—"Baole began—
But Du Min's scream cut the air.
A nauseating stench filled the forest.A wave of rustling sounds spread like a storm.
Everyone turned.
Snakes.
Hundreds—no, thousands—of colorful venomous snakes crawled from the forest floor and branches, surrounding the two girls in a writhing sea of scales.
Venom dripped from their fangs with a corrosive hiss.
Liu Daobin paled.Several students rushed forward in panic.
And then—
A terrifying cry echoed from the jungle.
A thick blood-red line shot toward them—faster than an arrow. It leaped into view: a pale head, not of a snake… but a baby's face, twisted with feral rage.
"The Red-Bone White-Infant Snake!!"A student screamed.
Terror surged.Students stumbled backward.
Even Liu Daobin's courage shattered.He wanted to save Du Min… but not at the cost of dissolving into a puddle of blood and leaving behind a red skeleton.
Yet at that very moment—
Wang Baole inhaled deeply.
Then relaxed completely.
It's all fake.This is my chance…
He puffed out his chest, glaring coldly at the retreating students.
"Du Min may be a flat-board, sharp-tongued, and abused her power to bully me…"He placed a hand dramatically on his heart."But I, Wang Baole, am noble! Righteous! Fearless! A man above vulgarity! A benefit to my classmates!"
"In such danger, how could I retreat?!They may fear death—But for my classmates…I! DO! NOT!"
He nearly cried from his own speech.
Then, with a heroic shout, he charged.
His round face somehow sharpened in the moonlight. He stormed into the snake tide like a god descending.
Du Min froze mid-panic.
The cute girl's eyes lit up, filled with adoration.
Students watched in awe as Wang Baole reached the girls just as the monstrous infant-faced snake lunged—
He grabbed it.
And threw it.
Like throwing a rope.
He radiated righteous fury, divine valor, the very image of a heroic savior.
He scooped the cute girl into one arm.
Tucked Du Min under the other.
And sprinted back.
Snakes bit him three times on the butt on the way.
By the time he returned, his face was dark from poison. But he held on, collapsing only after depositing both girls safely.
"My butt hurts… being a hero really isn't easy…"He groaned internally.
Du Min stared at him, stunned.The cute girl was blushing, eyes shimmering.
Around them, students looked like they'd just seen a supernatural being.
Wang Baole enjoyed the admiration for a brief moment.
Then his numb backside alarmed him.
He grabbed Du Min's hand dramatically.
"Du Min… I saved your life… My butt is going numb… I heard snake poison can be sucked out… you must help me…"
Before he finished, dizziness overwhelmed him.He fell forward—
Realizing something mid-fall, he jerked sideways.
And landed on the cute girl's chest instead.
The entire camp fell silent.
Du Min's expression darkened several shades.
Meanwhile, far above the rainforest, inside the true airship flying toward the Academy—
Hundreds of students slept peacefully in the Spirit Chamber.Wang Baole lay among them, smiling dreamily.
Inside the main cabin, teachers—including Physician Lu—stared wide-eyed at a crystal screen.
On it was the scene of Wang Baole fainting heroically after saving the girls.
"Who is this boy?""What bravery! What sacrifice! This dream-trial mirrors true character—his courage is genuine!""A once-in-a-century talent! The kind our Academy desperately needs!"
Teachers whispered excitedly, some already planning to recruit him into their departments.
Even the Dean—Physician Lu—was stunned.Something felt… off.
"Did I… misjudge him?"He muttered, pulling out Wang Baole's file to read again.