Myriad Realms Gatekeeper

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Niu Zi... strong...

Good name.

I understand why you don't speak now.

Shen Ye stood up, stretched lazily, and waved his hand:

"Alright, I won't disturb you anymore, go die."

He took out a card and saw a row of small words appear on it:

"You have killed eight candidates."

"The strength bestowed from the killings has been absorbed by you."

"Currently, your 'Meat Shield' has received further empowerment and has reached a critical point."

"Continue with the test. Your killings are sufficient, but you still need to complete 'Survival in the Wilderness' to gain a stronger empowerment effect!"

Died laughing.

No need for head-on confrontation at all.

With the protection of the Skull Head enveloping my body, moving freely through the hailstorm without much need for fighting, it was over.

"Hey, thanks man."

Shen Ye patted the skull on top of his head.

"No big deal," Skull Head replied disdainfully.

This attitude is acceptable.

I'll buy you a bunch of turtles and an eel when we get back.

But thinking about it—

It would be nice if it hailed throughout the test.

Shen Ye thought with a sense of regret.

...

Elsewhere.

At the edge of the Floating Island.

Streams converged here into a waterfall and plunged into a lake.

By the lake.

An exceedingly handsome man was reclining leisurely on a beauty's lap, holding a fishing rod, fishing.

Around him, several beautiful maids were busy setting up tents, arranging dining utensils, and cooking food.

Another maid was massaging his shoulders.

And yet another beautiful maid was holding his feet, earnestly massaging them.

His mobile phone rang.

—It was a video call.

The man frowned but still answered the call.

A middle-aged woman appeared on the screen immediately.

"Sirui? Are you fishing?"

The middle-aged woman asked in surprise.

"Yes," Nangong Sirui smiled and said, "The water here is rich with plants, and the fish are plump. After the exam, I'll bring one back for you to try."

"My son, it's exam time. Are you sure it's alright to be so relaxed?" the middle-aged woman asked.

"Even if I don't take the exam, they will pass me. Showing up here is already giving them a lot of face," Nangong Sirui said.

The middle-aged woman asked, "Even so, Xiao Mengyu is tied with you for first place. Aren't you afraid she'll surpass you?"

Nangong Sirui complained, "The newcomer's deck mechanism is too rigid, boring—if everyone brought their family's Divine Artifacts, wouldn't they all be able to boost their strength right away?"

"But not everyone can gain the approval of a Divine Artifact," the middle-aged woman said.

"That's true, but I still find it dull—you know I only play high-level games. An exam like this is just a waste of time. I can't be bothered with it."

As he spoke, Nangong Sirui caught a grape in his mouth from the maid's hand.

"Nevertheless, you should still be careful—try to pass the exam quickly," the middle-aged woman advised.

"Why?"

"The fluctuations in the Dharma Realm are getting stronger and stronger. It seems there's some problem over there," she said.

"Oh? The proctors aren't managing?"

"Hmph, they're up to something, so they're pretending not to know—furthermore, interference from the outside would affect the Dharma Realm. If an unpredictable change happens, that would be the real trouble," she added.

This finally sparked some interest in Nangong Sirui, who replied, "Alright, I'll go around the island and see if I can finish the exam tasks quickly."

"Good, go ahead."

The video call ended.

Nangong Sirui stood up and stretched lazily.

"Is something fun happening? Let's go find some amusement, since I've caught quite a few anyway."

The maids around him immediately began to pack up the tents and luggage.

Soon.

A sedan chair was also ready.

"Master, please get in the sedan."

...

Shen Ye picked up Mu Tou and rapidly navigated through the forest.

At some moment, he instinctively looked up at the sky.

Deep in the sky.

It seemed that a colossal creature was flying through the clouds.

Its massive physique cast a huge shadow beneath the clouds, which happened to envelop the entire island.

Wait a minute!

Shen Ye suddenly realized something.

The requirement for 'Survival in the Wilderness' is to survive three days—

This implies that, besides hail, there would be other, more challenging, things to face.

The next second.

The colossal creature in the clouds slightly shifted.

Instantly, the entire cloud turned into a crimson fiery cloud.

Droplets of fiery red rain drifted down from the sky.

The raindrops landed on rocks, piercing through them instantly; when they fell on trees, the trees burst into flames.

—Fire rain!

The sky was inundated with a downpour of fire rain!

Shen Ye's physique dodged swiftly, weaving relentlessly through the rain.

"Damn it, this is genuine Destruction Fire, and I definitely can't withstand this!" Skull Head shouted.

"You just said it was no big deal!" Shen Ye said while running.

"Brother, bones are afraid of fire; you must have heard the term 'ashes,'" Skull Head softened its tone.

```

"...Right, you go ahead and retreat, I can handle this myself!" Shen Ye said.

He patted the skull head and took it back into the ring.

A torrent of fire rain fell down.

Dodging amidst the flames, he suddenly spun and kicked, bringing up swirls of white frost.

—Frost Bite!

Frost and fire collided, extinguishing each other upon impact.

But this was not a long-term solution.

After all, he didn't know how long the fire rain would last, and his endurance was limited.

He needed to find a place to take cover!

Shen Ye continued to run.

Now, he faced the same dire straits as the scions of the noble families earlier.

Could Xiao Mengyu handle it?

Their location was close to the mountains; if he could cut another cave into the cliff to hide inside, they should be safe.

The only trouble was food.

But they had gone to catch fish.

They should be without major problems for at least a day.

Besides, Xiao Mengyu probably also prepared some food.

Feeling somewhat relieved, Shen Ye silently invoked:

"Door."

A door appeared accordingly, which he opened, lifted over his head.

—The torrential fire rain poured into the door but couldn't harm him.

Shen Ye let out a laugh and, holding the door like an umbrella, he ran straight towards where the fire rain was thickest.

Come on.

You want to kill me, right?

If you dare, then follow me!

As he ran, he even hummed a tune, finding a certain enjoyment in the situation.

But new troubles arose.

—With his hands holding the door frame, there was the danger of being hit by the fire rain.

And the frame had already caught fire.

Once the door burned down, he would have to summon it again.

Humans are not perpetual motion machines.

Damn it.

When would the fire rain stop?

Shen Ye was mulling this over when something suddenly bumped against his foot.

Looking down, it was that chunk of wood.

"What's up?"

Shen Ye asked.

Letters floated up on the wood again: "Do you remember, I can be your substitute?"

Ah, that's right.

"I remember, but you're made of wood, and throwing you into the fire rain now—wouldn't that be too cruel? I have this door, and that's enough," Shen Ye replied.

"Go to the stream." Letters popped up on the wood once more.

Shen Ye thought it might be a good idea, so he took the wood with him and headed toward the stream.

Not long after.

He reached the bank of the stream.

Amazingly, though countless raindrops of fire fell into the stream, they turned instantly into pebbles upon hitting the water, sinking to the bottom with a clatter.

Letters appeared on the wood again:

"Give me a drop of your blood, and I will become you."

Shen Ye said, "You mean—"

"You go hide for a bit. I can substitute for you in the test until you return and cancel the substitution," the wood displayed in tiny letters.

Shen Ye was stunned.

That's right!

He had been worried it might perform terribly in the test.

But now that everyone was covered by fire rain, not daring to move, as long as it hid in the stream—

The perfect substitute for the test!

"Bro, there won't be any issues, right?" he asked uncertainly.

Three big characters appeared on the wood:

"Piece of cake!"

This Divine Artifact was reliable!

Shen Ye used his short sword to cut his finger, dropping a bit of blood on the wood.

The wood shook and suddenly swelled up, transforming into his likeness.

—But it still had the texture of a wooden sculpture.

The card vibrated slightly, revealing a message:

"You have received the blessing of the Under the Moon Divine Artifact, it will now begin taking the test for you."

Truly miraculous!

"I... sleep... in the water," the wooden man spoke dryly.

"Good buddy, it's all up to you this time, I'm going to rest for a while." Shen Ye patted it with one hand while holding the door with the other.

The wooden man splashed into the stream with a "plop," sank to the bottom, rolled around, and settled into the mud, motionless.

A faint glow appeared:

"Exam Power: Meat Shield has been transferred to the wooden man, you have lost this power until you return."

The surrounding fire rain poured down relentlessly.

No one knew how those on the plains would cope with such a situation.

—But that was no longer his concern.

Shen Ye looked up at the door.

Speaking of which, he hadn't entered the Nightmare World today, nor had he acquired an Evaluation Entry.

This was an opportunity to enhance his strength.

He jumped through the door, disappearing along with it.

On the stream.

Fire rain flew about, and no sign of life could be seen anymore.