Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Don't worry, this isn't the volunteer reward."

Seeing that even Classmate Liushuang was staring blankly at the Circlet in his hand, Fu Qian offered an explanation.

"It's an instrument for project testing."

"...That's a relief."

Ji Liushuang breathed a sigh of relief. She had genuinely worried it was another reward.

"What do you need me to do?"

The next moment, however, her expression turned serious as she asked.

She clearly knew that Professor Fu would never use something trivial for a test.

Especially since he had deliberately provoked Professor Lisa into leaving.

Looking appreciative, Fu Qian showed great satisfaction with his assistant and volunteer, concisely explaining the test.

Is it that simple?

Ji Liushuang looked slightly puzzled.

Professor Fu had been wearing the item on his head this entire time. Didn't that mean he had been constantly undergoing the test himself?

Compared to him, what made her so special?

"The process will put a certain amount of pressure on your mind, but with your previous training, it should be within your limits."

Fu Qian did not address her confusion, instead explaining the experiment's safety parameters.

No wonder!

Ji Liushuang's heart stirred. She suddenly understood why he hadn't mentioned the project to her initially, and why he had insisted she challenge herself just now.

If her earlier challenge had failed, Professor Fu likely would have postponed this test.

"I will strictly limit the duration to one minute. However, you don't need to rigidly wait out the clock. If you discover anything or feel something is wrong, stop immediately."

Seeing that Ji Liushuang remained silent, Fu Qian smiled in satisfaction and continued.

"If the situation deteriorates to the point where you cannot stop it yourself, don't worry. Throughout the entire process, I can take anything off your head at any moment."

This wasn't an empty boast. If Ji Liushuang had truly fallen into a desperate situation earlier, Fu Qian would have stepped in and crushed that clock at a moment's notice.

Although that item's Rank was not low, his previous experience with the Sunken Anchor gave Fu Qian absolute confidence in doing so.

"Professor Fu's emphasis on safety is reassuring."

Ji Liushuang nodded without a trace of worry. She smiled, taking the Circlet and examining it closely.

"For a Saintess, it seems a bit too plain."

After whispering this to herself, Ji Liushuang didn't hesitate. She placed the special instrument on her head and closed her eyes.

The next moment, she completely froze.

Fu Qian didn't disturb her. He quietly monitored every subtle pulse of his volunteer's flesh and blood while toying with the Pseudo-God Incarnation in his hand.

At a certain point, Ji Liushuang's mental fluctuations grew noticeably intense, and her breathing quickened. It was as if she were being crushed by an irresistible will, her very flesh and blood emitting an overclocked hum.

Fu Qian still didn't rush to act. He could feel that Classmate Liushuang was maintaining control; even under heavy pressure, her will remained focused on listening, without wasting a single ounce of strength.

The one-minute mark was fast approaching. Suddenly, Ji Liushuang's eyelids twitched, and she raised her hand to pull off the Circlet.

However, her physical control had clearly taken a hit. The next moment, her grip on the Circlet failed.

But before it could hit the table, Fu Qian casually snatched it out of the air.

Keeping her eyes shut, Ji Liushuang's breathing visibly leveled out, and her taut flesh relaxed.

"I heard a sentence, looping over and over."

Only then did Ji Liushuang open her eyes and report.

"What was it?"

Fu Qian's face betrayed no emotion.

"...the path to gods is severed, ashes form the ladder."

After a brief thought, Ji Liushuang finally spoke.

In an effort to recreate it as accurately as possible, her tone even rose in pitch slightly.

It really does recognize people.

Fu Qian marveled inwardly.

For his volunteer's first test, this result was practically perfect.

Although he wasn't sure exactly how it was achieved yet, it seemed Senior Ji Feng was undeniably connected to the Ji Clan. Of course, the content of the message...

The path to gods is severed. It looked like Senior Ji Feng had also discovered that certain pieces of the transcendent puzzle were missing.

This was no longer a major secret to him, but wasn't Senior Ji's conclusion a bit arbitrary?

Perhaps there were various problems on the Path to Godhood right now, but not too long ago, he had just dealt with a New God—an unquestionable Tier 1—unless the "God" mentioned here did not refer to Tier 1.

Fu Qian recalled the stark difference in power he had felt between Yasui Tokiyuki and Hamadus.

Could Senior Ji mean that after reaching Tier 1, the path to ascend even higher was severed?

That actually aligned with his current situation.

After all, judging from his experience in the Unseen Hill, his current Rank shouldn't be weaker than Yasui Tokiyuki's.

And the latter half of the sentence was quite interesting. Was it a solution to this predicament?

Ashes form the ladder. He felt it had to be connected to the legendary Ash Sea.

Did it hold some secret or power that could help bypass the chasm caused by those missing pieces?

Speaking of which, the opportunity for a trait he had glimpsed last time under the Blasphemy Monarch's guidance was also located there.

The necessity of exploring the Ash Sea had just increased again.

So had the danger.

The reason was simple. At first glance, this transcendent item hid a message that could only be interpreted by an inheritor of the Ji Clan's bloodline, perhaps even exclusively by someone qualified to be the family head.

It undoubtedly looked like the painstaking effort of an ancestor leaving behind earnest teachings.

But with a little deeper thought, one could spot the logical flaw—the Circlet had clearly been deliberately left in the Real World.

This meant whoever discovered it would only be a latecomer in the same line of work, like himself.

For this message, regardless of the circumstances under which a member of the Ji Clan helped interpret it, they weren't the intended recipient; they were merely tools.

This message was left for the person who received that Invitation Letter.

And the probability that a message passed down to latecomers at such great effort—even using family descendants as tools—was purely an act of charity was incredibly low.

Behind the word 'ashes', there was likely a considerable plot—and an open scheme at that.

Anyone with a meticulous mind wouldn't fail to notice the suspicious details, yet the hint provided was still incredibly straightforward.

This gambled on the fact that when there was no other path to choose, one would still have to brace themselves and walk it, even knowing it might be a trap.

"Professor Fu... the path to gods is severed. Does that mean the chance to attain godhood has been completely blocked off?"

Regardless, this experimental discovery was clearly highly impactful. Seeing that Fu Qian had finished deliberating, the genius student Ji Liushuang could finally no longer hide her shock.

This kind of statement about a bleak future would be a severe psychological blow to any transcendent.

Fortunately, Fu Qian was always good at stabilizing morale.

"It's possible. But are you sure this is something you, someone barely at Tier 5, should be worrying about?"

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