Chapter 21: Dungeon Clearance and Advancement Trial

This place is not as benevolent as the Main God Space, where one could pay to heal, disinfect, and clean up during the settlement phase.

If one’s luck was poor and their pockets empty, failing to survive until the settlement of Spirit Coins or the unlocking of the shop to purchase medicine, they might even find themselves teleported back to Blue Star as nothing more than a corpse.

Indeed, auxiliary functions like the [Shop] and [Official Forum] are locked within the instance worlds and cannot be accessed.

Naturally, under normal circumstances, players capable of clearing an instance would rarely be reduced to such a plight. The shop is locked solely to prevent inventive players from attempting "suicide-style" attacks or other disruptive antics.

【Settlement in progress】
【You have cleared the instance—The Fall of the King】
【Number of surviving players: 5】
【Instance Rating: Incredible】
【Instance Summary: You have redefined infiltration, redefined assassination, redefined "persuading with virtue" and "reasoning," and further redefined "giving a helping hand." Your unique perspective always leads you to do things in ways off the beaten path. You, a ruffian who has transcended human emotions and enjoys sophistry, have done quite well this time.】

Lu Wenwu raised an eyebrow. "Do official instances have so many new tricks? There’s even an instance summary? Whatever, I’ll take it as a compliment."

【Your level has increased to 10】
【You have obtained [Mysterious Lucky Bag]】
【You have obtained [20x Speed Cultivation Card x5]】
【You have obtained [Blood of an Outer God 10ml (Pure)]】
【You have obtained 105,000 Spirit Coins】
【You have obtained 50 Free Attribute Points】

"Not bad, a bountiful harvest this time."
Lu Wenwu scanned the list of rewards, his mood brightening once again. There were two Mysterious Lucky Bags, which had given him a pleasant surprise last time. It seemed that one was granted whenever an [Incredible] rating was achieved or a hidden task was completed. It wasn't too difficult.

【Note: Your level has reached 10, meeting the requirements to trigger the Advanced Trial】
【Note 1: After the Advanced Trial begins, the difficulty of your next instance will increase significantly. You must achieve a rating of [Good] or higher to pass.】
【Note 2: Due to the high difficulty of the Advanced Trial, your rest period will be doubled until you either succeed in the trial or perish.】
【Note 3: Once your personal instance rating reaches [Excellent] or higher, you are guaranteed to receive a cultivation technique suitable for yourself; the specific grade depends on your final rating.】

"An Advanced Trial, huh... I’m quite looking forward to it."
Lu Wenwu rubbed his chin as he and Maomao were teleported back home. This trip had lasted over half a month, which translated to about forty hours in real-world time. It was already the early hours of the second night since the instance began.

A flash of white light flickered, and the master-pet duo instantly appeared in the villa’s living room, where the lights were still on.

"Ah! There’s nothing like the feeling of being home."
Lu Wenwu stretched lazily, immediately hearing the sound of light, quick footsteps. Xiaobao, the blue cat, had emerged from some corner of the room, sitting perfectly still in front of the man and the dog. In the darkness, its round cat eyes shimmered continuously.

Seeing his little friend again after more than half a month, Maomao was overjoyed, its tail wagging like a propeller as it trotted over. It was a mystery how a Golden Retriever could look like it was grinning from ear to ear.

However...
Just as Maomao enthusiastically tried to give Xiaobao a loving hug, Xiaobao showed clear disdain, nimbly dodging the embrace and turning around to deliver a flurry of "cat punches," accompanied by loud meows of protest. The little kitten was very angry that its underling and its human had been gone for so long!

Maomao had just finished fighting those contaminated beings, and its golden fur was matted with dried blood. There was no way the fastidious Xiaobao would let it pounce on him!

The big golden dog didn’t seem annoyed; in fact, it assumed Xiaobao was playing, and it excitedly lolled out its tongue, trying to lick the cat a few times. The kitten’s eyes grew increasingly panicked, and its cat punches became even faster.

Seeing the cat and dog in a tangled mess, Lu Wenwu burst into laughter. He swooped in, scooped Xiaobao up into his arms, and rubbed the cat vigorously. Then, with a look of pure intoxication, he buried his face into the soft fur of the cat’s belly and took a deep breath.

Refreshing!
Regardless of anything else, this oily, sleek, warm little creature certainly felt great to touch.

*Pat-pat-pat-pat-pat-pat!*
A series of muffled thuds echoed. The target of the cat punches shifted from Maomao to Lu Wenwu. Since this guy had just vented his frustrations by beating Qian Limin into a pulp, he was covered in even more blood than Maomao. Naturally, the kitten, having just finished cleaning its fur, was not in the mood to be held.

The petite, adorable cat paws swung wildly, with the soft, pink paw pads acting as the perfect cushion. With this level of force, let alone the steel-bodied Lu Wenwu, he wouldn't have been hurt even before becoming a transcendent. It was just playful swatting with retracted claws.

After the cat, the dog, and the man played for a while, Lu Wenwu finally stopped petting the cat and, feeling satisfied, headed straight for the bathroom with Maomao to shower. Left alone, Xiaobao sat on the sofa with a deeply aggrieved expression, indignantly resuming its grooming.

About half an hour later, Lu Wenwu, having finished bathing himself and Maomao, lay down on the large bed in his bedroom, ready to sleep. It wouldn't be too late to tally his gains tomorrow.

The sustained combat and the comfort of the shower left him somewhat drowsy. Xiaobao, having finished cleaning its fur, ran over and unceremoniously curled up right above Lu Wenwu’s pillow, pressing tightly against his hair. Lu Wenwu reached out and scratched the cat’s head. Listening to the soothing, rhythmic purring and feeling the soft little paws kneading away, he soon drifted into a dream.

...

The next day.
After making a call to tell Liu Ming that he had returned home, Lu Wenwu went to the villa’s underground training room. It was said that the walls were protected by a formation capable of withstanding the aftermath of training by an S-rank powerhouse, specifically reserved by the authorities for top-tier geniuses like Lu Wenwu. It allowed him to train without restraint, with no need for extra concern.

【ID】: Invincible Tyrannosaurus God of War
【Level】: lv10 (D+)
【Constitution】: 53
【HP】: 5300
【Talents】: Evil Bane, Eye of Insight
【Cultivation Technique】: Body Refining Technique of Persuading with Virtue
【Skills】: Egg Pancake Cooking [Peak of Perfection], Military Killing Fist [Proficient], Military Combat Arts [Proficient], Shadow Step [Proficient], Firearm Mastery [Superficial Knowledge]
【Equipment】: Combat Armor [Rare], Heavy Cannon Gauntlets [Rare]
【Free Attribute Points】: 169.54
【Spirit Coins】: 105,987

...

Clearing an instance and reaping nearly 170 free attribute points and 105,000 Spirit Coins was, without a doubt, a massive harvest. For an ordinary player, these 176.54 exclusive free attribute points would be equivalent to an attribute exchange worth 680,000 Spirit Coins. It was truly terrifying.

Lu Wenwu wasn't in a hurry to distribute the points. Instead, he took out the two Mysterious Lucky Bags, intending to see if there was anything good inside first.

【Mysterious Lucky Bag: Randomly obtain a reward of unknown quality and unknown category.】

It was exactly the same as the one from the initial instance; there was no difference at all.