"Guide?"
"What does matching opponents mean?"
Ye Qiyan's questions were quickly answered.
The young woman stepped back two paces.
A light screen materialized in front of her.
A system interface?
No, this seemed somewhat different from the system's interface.
Text that appeared to be explanatory in nature displayed on it.
[Stellar Core Arena Introduction as Follows]
[2: Trial Participants must complete 12 consecutive trials without defeat to leave this battlefield. If they survive after failure, they must restart the twelve-victory trial sequence]
[3: The Guide will appear before each daily trial to provide basic information about the upcoming trial]
[4: After completing twelve trials, participants will receive admission tickets to higher-level arenas]
[5: Trial difficulty will gradually increase, and Trial Participants must proceed to the trial location themselves before it begins. Late arrivals will be automatically judged as defeated]
[6: The Astral Nether King, Lady Eris, reserves the right to interpret all above rules]
[Additional Rule: Those arriving by train will not receive preferential treatment from their systems]
So much information, but all of it useful.
Especially the fourth rule.
"What does 'higher-level arena' mean?"
The Guide responded flatly:
"The arenas are worlds created by the great Nether Flower, the Astral Nether King, Lady Eris. They are divided into three levels in total."
"These are: Stellar Core Level, Lunar Heart Level, and Solar Corona Level."
"You are currently in the Stellar Core trial ground."
"The location for your first trial is right here."
A semi-transparent coordinate map was handed over.
Ye Qiyan took the map and glanced again at the coordinates on the sand table.
The positions didn't match.
In fact, they were worlds apart.
"Coordinates have been issued. Please arrive at the trial location within the next six hours. Exceeding the time limit will be judged as failure."
"After failing the first match, your record will be counted as negative."
After saying this.
The Guide vanished from Ye Qiyan's sight.
"Twelve trials, three levels of arenas... This probably represents different levels of station worlds, right?"
"But what does that additional rule at the end mean?"
Those arriving by train will not receive preferential treatment from their systems.
Clearly, the ruler here knew about the system's existence.
Yet seemed capable of influencing the system to some extent, or more accurately, blocking it.
Like Station Lords similar to Fengfeng?
No.
Station Lords probably weren't qualified to describe the master of this place.
The Nether King, perhaps?
"Seems I've come to quite an extraordinary place."
A somewhat excited smile appeared on Ye Qiyan's face.
He looked beside him at the public chat room he had never closed.
At this moment.
Only one special notification remained.
[You have entered a special station. Time flow rate differs. Cannot establish contact with Train Conductors following wasteland time flow.]
Time flow differed again?
This only happened with advanced stations.
Ye Qiyan thought perhaps advanced stations could somewhat avoid completely following the wasteland's rules?
The specific situation remained unclear, because he had spent an hour in the Machine God Abyss, and that place's time synchronized with the wasteland.
And the sandstorm.
If this place truly didn't need to follow the wasteland's rules at all, why was a sandstorm still raging here now?
"The direction is... this way."
"At least I don't need to disembark this time."
Shaking his head with a smile, he activated the station operation module.
Controlling the train, he headed toward the location marked on the map.
The desert was nothing but sand, and the anticipated dangers hadn't appeared, at least not yet.
Beyond the western horizon, a black sun slowly rose.
4:33 AM.
Dawn had broken.
The moment this black sun appeared.
The sandstorm that had permeated the desert gradually dissipated.
"So hot."
Ye Qiyan reached his hand out the train window.
Measuring the external temperature with a thermometer, it read about 40 degrees Celsius.
"Looks like I'll need to bring this along."
The Ice Vein Heart Pearl.
This artifact, which Ye Qiyan had kept in the water storage carriage serving as an ice-making facility, was now worn around his neck.
Choo—
A steam whistle sound pierced the sky.
The time: 4:55 AM.
The train arrived precisely at the location required for the trial.
"This is the place?"
"There's nothing here?"
Ye Qiyan looked around suspiciously, then climbed onto the roof.
Nothing.
Besides sand, there was only more sand.
Were the coordinates fake?
No, probably not.
When that Guide was speaking, he had been using his Bewitchment ability all along.
Then why?
"Timing?"
Raising a parasol, Ye Qiyan simply sat there waiting for the designated six-hour trial start time to arrive.
Lisette brought him a piece of chilled watermelon that had been stored in the refrigerator for a while. On this scorching day, taking a bite could be considered pure enjoyment~
When the absolutely precise pocket watch showed the exact moment of [6:00:00].
The earth suddenly began to tremble.
The Guide who had appeared outside earlier suddenly materialized.
"You have arrived on time. Now activating the arena for your first trial."
"Opponent matching completed."
Rumble.
A structure resembling a football stadium rose from the ground.
Cheers! Shouts! Camera flashes!
The stands, capable of accommodating tens of thousands, were filled with humanoid silhouettes.
But.
They weren't human.
Ye Qiyan saw clearly.
They were merely illusory projections.
Their purpose was probably just to hype up the atmosphere?
"Making it so grand."
As the structure appeared, the temperature in the air rose instead of falling.
Clatter—!
A sound from directly opposite him caught Ye Qiyan's attention.
Looking toward the sound.
He saw a monster with a shark's head and human body, standing tall like a three-story building, holding a giant morning star, staring at him with a ferocious grin.
"Human, and one who arrived by train, haha, treasure! Your trains all contain treasures! Kill you, eat you! Everything will be mine!"
A monster that could speak human language.
But still a monster.
High in the air.
On a larger screen.
Appeared both his and the shark-man's portraits.
Lines of information displayed above them.
[Name: (Not Recorded), Identity: Wasteland Traveler, Race: Human, Trials: 0/12]
[Name: Natulu, Identity: Abyssal Sea Realm Warrior, Race: Shark-man, Trials: 3/12]
The information flashed by.
Then, the Guide girl appeared high above.
Speaking in an indifferent tone:
"Arena trial content: Only one member may be dispatched to engage in combat using melee weapons."
"Otherwise, no restrictions."
"The trial ends when one party dies."
"Please, leave your name in this trial ground."
A light screen appeared.
In front of him, using his finger as a brush, he wrote three characters:
"Ye Qiyan."
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