Ch 353: The Third Trial: Joy And Sorrow
On the field, Liu Ke’s team had performed exceptionally well in the previous Test, and they had the most survivors. However, because of this, they would inevitably become the primary target of other teams in the following Test.
Liu Ke and his teammates were not unaware of this; they had foreseen this situation and had made sufficient preparations.
Time passed second by second. After about an hour, the mysterious Voice sounded again: “The third Test—Joy and Sorrow—now officially begins!”
Then, the Voice explained the rules of Joy and Sorrow in detail: “Each team will randomly receive four Tokens inscribed with the characters ‘Joy’ and ‘Sorrow’. If a team successfully collects four ‘Joy’ Tokens, all team members will survive; but if they inadvertently collect four ‘Sorrow’ Tokens, all team members will face death. Of course, if a team does not collect any type of Token, the team must choose one person to receive the Punishment of death.”
“What?” Hearing this rule, many people exclaimed.
The Voice seemed unconcerned with the reactions of the crowd and continued, “Now, I will announce the methods of obtaining Tokens. There are three ways: The first is to seize Tokens from other teams; the second is to exchange a life for a random Token; and the third is for teams to exchange Tokens with each other. However, it should be noted that each team can only exchange with another team twice. Once this number is exceeded, it will be considered a foul, and both teams that committed the foul will be eliminated!”
“Are there any more questions?”
“Can we use Cultivation Techniques or Special Abilities?”
“No, but you can choose one person who can use any Cultivation Technique and Ability, except for Summoning a Deity!”
“If there are no objections, Joy and Sorrow will begin after one Incense Stick. Discuss amongst yourselves who will be the one to use Special Abilities.”
Ten teams began to discuss among themselves, the atmosphere tense and heavy.
Liu Ke’s team was no exception. They sat together and began to discuss their strategies. Liu Ke spoke first: “Everyone knows that our team has the most survivors, so we will definitely be the primary target of other teams. Therefore, we must fully utilize our advantages, especially those who can use Cultivation Techniques or Special Abilities. They will play a crucial role in the upcoming battle.”
Having said that, Liu Ke’s gaze swept across the crowd, finally resting on Gu Yuan, Zhou Chenwu, and Zhang Shang. These three people, plus himself, made four people who knew Cultivation Techniques. As for the other team members, although the possibility that they also knew Cultivation Techniques could not be entirely ruled out, they had never revealed it. Naturally, the others did not dare to easily trust such people, nor did they dare to let them regain their Abilities at a critical moment.
Liu Ke thought for a moment and then said, “However, Zhou Chenwu’s Cultivation Technique has certain limitations; he needs the cooperation of an army to exert its maximum power. But in this Place, there is simply no army, so his Cultivation Technique can be disregarded for now.”
This left only Gu Yuan, Zhang Shang, and Liu Ke.
After a moment’s thought, Zhang Shang spoke frankly: “Then I’ll be straightforward. My Ability is Premonition, and I can also bring the things I foresee into reality. The rest is simply Attack Ability.”
Gu Yuan immediately spoke: “I can control Gu.” Concise and to the point, he did not seem to want to reveal too much about his Ability.
When it was Liu Ke’s turn, he hesitated slightly before saying, “I have the Sacrifice Ritual Mark, and I also know the Cultivation Techniques of the Blood Rule Sect.”
After the three introduced their Abilities, after some discussion, everyone thought Zhang Shang’s Premonition Ability was the most reliable. After all, he could bring everyone he foresaw into the real world, making these people his allies.
However, just as everyone placed high hopes on Zhang Shang’s Ability, Zhang Shang suddenly shook his head, his face showing difficulty. “I consumed too much in the last battle; I cannot currently use this Ability.”
Faced with this unexpected turn of events, everyone was somewhat unprepared. But now that it had come to this, they could only reconsider their strategies. After careful consideration, they finally decided to let Liu Ke take on the responsibility of using Cultivation Techniques.
Liu Ke was somewhat surprised, but he still nodded. He understood that the lives of the entire team rested on his shoulders at this moment. The Incense Stick quickly burned out, and the mysterious Voice announced the start of the Test.
Each team received four Tokens. Liu Ke looked at his team’s Tokens: two Sorrow, one Joy, and one Anger.
Before anyone could ask, the Voice sounded again.
“Among the Tokens, there are not only Sorrow and Joy, but also Anger, Worry, Happiness, and Joy! However, these are Useless Tokens, but they cannot be discarded; those who discard them will die!”
Everyone’s faces became even more grim. Useless Tokens could not be discarded; this undoubtedly increased the difficulty. At this time, a team from a distance approached and offered to exchange a “Joy” Token for Liu Ke’s team’s “Anger” Token.
Liu Ke and his team were somewhat tempted, but they could tell at a glance that this was a fake Anger—an Useless Token. Why would anyone exchange a usable Token for a Useless Token?
But soon, Liu Ke realized a problem: “How did they know that this team has the Anger Token?”
Just then, another team suddenly rushed over, trying to forcefully seize the “Joy” Token. The scene instantly became chaotic. Liu Ke made a decisive decision and struck out a Mark, repelling the attackers.
The team that had offered to exchange, seeing the situation was not good, also joined in the scramble.
Liu Ke protected his teammates and the Tokens while pondering a strategy.
He realized that he could no longer passively defend; he had to take the initiative to find other “Joy” Tokens.
So, he took several team members and rushed towards the direction where other teams were gathered, preparing to fight his way out of this chaotic Test and collect four “Joy” Tokens for his team.
At this moment, the Voice sounded: “Reminder: Teams cannot show their Tokens during exchanges!”
Liu Ke was startled; this rule made exchanging Tokens even more complicated.
On their way forward, they encountered another team. The other team offered to exchange Tokens.
But this time, Liu Ke discovered an Oddity; the other team’s Token was fake. The other team had used a Special Ability to create a fake Token; they wanted to exchange a fake Token for a real one.
Liu Ke remained calm, outwardly pretending not to know, and agreed to the exchange. At the moment of exchange, he secretly struck out a Mark, shattering the other team’s fake Token.
The other team did not expect Liu Ke to see through their scheme. Enraged, they immediately attacked Liu Ke and his team.
He immediately struck out Marks, attacking the other team.
Both sides engaged in fierce battle. At the same time, other teams were also vying fiercely for the “Joy” Tokens.
Liu Ke fought while observing the movements of other teams.
Suddenly, he noticed a team in the distance that seemed to have collected three “Joy” Tokens.
Liu Ke made a decisive decision, led his team members away from their current Enemies, and rushed towards that team.
As long as they could get a “Joy” Token from them, their team would have a great chance of survival.
As they ran, Liu Ke continued to think about how to seize the Token from the other team.
