Chapter 190: Is All of This Going According to Heavenly Master Zhang’s Plan?
Zhang Yangqing’s choice might not have been the absolute best, but it was definitely the most trouble-free.
Anyone familiar with him knows he’s a proponent of energy conservation.
The Nikkai world has progressed to its current stage, and no one questions Zhang Yangqing’s methods anymore.
The very fact that Zhang Yangqing is willing to participate in the Nikkai world is a cause for national celebration.
After all, no one is as steady as he is; everyone else just lies back and enjoys the full-attribute bonuses.
This has filled viewers from other countries with resentment. So far, only viewers from Ramen Nation have received a +1 to all attributes; other countries have gotten nothing.
Meanwhile, viewers in Dragon Country have received a +7 boost to all attributes, which is even higher than that of most challengers.
This leads many challengers to feel that risking their lives inside the Nikkai world isn’t as good as just lying low in Dragon Country.
If there’s anyone even happier than the Dragon Country viewers, it’s Xiao Xuan from Dragon Tiger Mountain.
Because if Zhang Yangqing didn’t go in and start tormenting others soon, Xiao Xuan felt he would be the one tormented to death.
“Ah, finally, I can rest properly for a few days.”
Xiao Xuan found a spot under a tree and lay down contentedly.
This was the second day since the Celestial Master had entered the Nikkai world. Xiao Xuan only needed to complete his daily tasks before he could slip away from the training ground.
Just like his usual slacking off, it seemed all his troubles were far behind him.
But just then, a powerful force yanked him up.
As Xiao Xuan looked around bewildered, he saw that familiar smiling face.
“B-Big Senior Brother, why are you here?”
Seeing this person, Xiao Xuan dared not show any strong emotion and began to speak cautiously.
You see, many people on Dragon Tiger Mountain have only recently started fearing Zhang Yangqing.
But they’ve always been afraid of Su Muyu. Who wouldn’t fear the person in charge of finances and resource allocation?
“Since the Celestial Master doesn’t have time to train you, I’ll take over this matter.”
Su Muyu’s kindly smile seemed to say, you don’t have a choice.
With that, he was dragged straight to the training ground.
This startled quite a few disciples on Dragon Tiger Mountain.
The title of Big Senior Brother isn’t just for show.
Someone who could once train alongside Zhang Yangqing couldn’t possibly lack skill. At the very least, dealing with the current group of fellow disciples wouldn’t be a problem.
Xiao Xuan didn’t dare struggle at all and obediently resumed his training.
Because struggling in front of Zhang Yangqing would at most earn you a beating.
But if you struggle in front of Su Muyu, he won’t hit you – and that’s precisely what makes it most terrifying.
He’ll simply conclude that you don’t want to cultivate or lack ambition.
Then he’ll confiscate all your resources and never pay you any mind again.
Without resources, you’d be left to slowly meditate and absorb energy, drastically reducing your cultivation speed.
Soon, the gap between you and your fellow disciples would grow wider and wider.
After all, Xiao Xuan was also a genius; how could he allow himself to degenerate?
Thus, the Dragon Tiger Mountain “combined doubles” beating appeared: Zhang Yangqing would finish, and then Su Muyu would take over.
However, Xiao Xuan’s plight also made his fellow disciples envious. His talent was so exceptional that only he could receive personal training from the Celestial Master and the Big Senior Brother.
It could also be said that everyone had high expectations for him.
But Xiao Xuan wasn’t the only one being tormented. Inside the Nikkai world, other chosen ones braved the icy cold as they detoured around the base of a mountain.
Here, everyone remained silent. The chosen ones and their teammates seemed to keep a certain distance from each other.
Everyone feared that an offhand comment might trigger the avalanche mentioned in the rules, burying them under an unstoppable torrent of snow.
Beneath such a massive snowy mountain, slower chosen ones would have no chance of survival.
Even if the faster ones managed to run, they’d be executed by the rules if their teammates died.
There was a more nuanced tactic for this part of the journey: step exactly where your teammate stepped.
As the guide and team leader, Goatee naturally had some skill. The footholds he chose were usually the right ones.
If there was any slight deviation, he would signal to those behind him which way to go.
Walking this path required intense concentration.
The chosen one from Maple Leaf Country thought he saw some white creature moving in the distance. That momentary lapse in concentration caused him to step on something sharp, and he winced in pain.
If the bespectacled man behind him hadn’t quickly covered his mouth, he would have cried out.
However, the chosen one from Maple Leaf Country felt the bespectacled man’s strength was immense, almost crushing his bones.
This inevitably made him wonder if the guy was trying to kill him.
But he had indeed been saved.
Getting injured in a place like this required immediate attention; otherwise, the remainder of the journey would be even tougher.
The Slicked-Back Hair guy carried first-aid supplies and bandaged him up simply.
Then Captain Goatee softly asked, “Can you still walk? Want me to carry you?”
The chosen one from Maple Leaf Country looked at his four teammates and felt a warmth in his heart.
He thought that if there was no imposter among them, this mountain climbing trip would be so perfect.
The chosen one from Maple Leaf Country wasn’t one to be overly sentimental. He waved his hand, indicating he could still walk – it was just a minor injury.
After all, no one who entered this Nikkai was pampered; a little pain was nothing.
He could wait until they found a resting spot to properly check the wound.
It would be great if he could recover fully by the next day, just like the bespectacled man.
The chosen one from Maple Leaf Country wasn’t the only one facing danger.
Other chosen ones also encountered continuous problems, keeping viewers on edge.
The team of the chosen one from Kangaroo Country encountered an extremely fast snow leopard with black spots.
The snow leopard’s eyes gleamed green, suggesting it was very hungry.
It had two sharp fangs protruding from its mouth, giving the impression it could easily rip open a belly.
This posed a huge problem. Everyone was at the foot of the mountain; if a fight caused noise, an avalanche would occur.
Just trying to evade might not withstand the snow leopard’s attack.
The other teammates had some skills, but the chosen one from Kangaroo Country wasn’t a transcendent being. Facing a special creature of the Nikkai world, he had no chance of survival.
The team was caught in an awkward dilemma: fighting wasn’t an option, but neither was avoiding the fight.
He felt the difficulty of this stage was simply too high.
Just as the snow leopard approached, it happened to target the weaker chosen one in the team.
The chosen one from Kangaroo Country’s legs gave way from fear, and he fell to the ground, convinced he was about to meet his end.
Facing such a terrifying creature, he couldn’t escape at all.
“Is this Nikkai going to kill me right at the start?”
Just as the chosen one from Kangaroo Country was in despair, the Purple-Eyed Girl stepped in front of him.
Using her magician skills and a doll, she continuously changed positions, taunting the snow leopard and causing it to repeatedly miss its pounce.
She successfully diverted the snow leopard’s attention and lured it away.
That’s when the Slicked-Back Hair guy, who was the cook, seized the opportunity.
As the Purple-Eyed Girl led the snow leopard to a flat area, Slicked-Back Hair swiftly approached. With a swift chop of his knife, he slew the snow leopard in the snow.
The snow leopard that wanted to rip someone open was itself ripped open.
That superb technique is truly admirable.
“Are you okay?”
Captain Goatee kindly helped the chosen one from Kangaroo Country to his feet.
The bespectacled man also came forward to check for injuries and asked if he needed help carrying his luggage.
“I’m fine, thank you all.”
The chosen one from Kangaroo Country got up from the snow, looking a bit embarrassed.
His teammates didn’t laugh at his moment of weakness; instead, everyone seemed to be helping him.
As it got darker and a blizzard started, the bespectacled man would shield the chosen ones from some of the wind and snow.
When they encountered surprise attacks from creatures, the Purple-Eyed Girl and Slicked-Back Hair showed good teamwork, killing them off.
Captain Goatee’s task was even heavier. Due to the darkness and the blizzard, moving forward was extremely difficult.
He had to personally test certain areas and only after confirming they were safe would he call the others forward.
When facing cliffs and icy puddles with thin ice, he also demonstrated quick reflexes, dodging danger repeatedly.
The chosen ones seemed to be the ones being protected.
This inevitably made people wonder: was there really an imposter in the team?
Shouldn’t the imposter be trying to kill me?
It just looked like a complete, united mountaineering team.
On the surface, there seemed to be minor conflicts, but when real danger struck, everyone worked together.
Moreover, later on, they could even chat and laugh together, seemingly having eliminated their distrust. They slowly began to get to know each other, striving together for a common goal.
By this point, many chosen ones had even forgotten about the imposter in the team, blending into this warm, harmonious group.
Because each teammate in this group seemed to bring the chosen ones a sense of security and trust.
It was precisely at this moment that the outside viewers and expert panels sensed something was wrong.
Hu Liuqi, a member of Dragon Country’s expert panel, had just woken up. Seeing the content displayed on the big screen, his expression darkened.
There’s a saying: The onlooker sees the game more clearly than the players.
In other Nikkai, perhaps the chosen ones could discover more things, but in this one, the outside observers already knew the chosen ones had fallen into a trap.
Hu Liuqi watched for a while, then said, “This isn’t good. If the chosen ones don’t realize it this time, something bad might happen.”
Hearing this, other expert panel members seemed to catch on too. One said, “Perhaps in such a dangerous situation, the chosen ones are more likely to trust others. Once they feel safe, they might start thinking about it.”
Hu Liuqi shook his head and continued, “No, the chosen ones know the rules. When they calm down, they will indeed be wary of others. But once the imposter realizes how weak the chosen one is, it definitely won’t kill them first,
because killing the chosen one would arouse suspicion among the others. And haven’t you noticed? The more harmonious the team becomes, the less vigilant they are with each other, making it easier for the imposter to strike successfully.”
Hu Liuqi’s words made the panelists think deeply. What he said did make sense.
For the chosen ones, the rules are absolute; they must trust the rules.
They might be wary of others initially, but after some break-in, they start to rely on each other.
Previous imposters were always extremely ferocious, dangerous like mad dogs.
This time, the imposter is taking an emotional approach, its main tactic being sincerity.
If the chosen ones don’t catch on early, they themselves might not die, but their teammates could very well be killed by the imposter.
It could also be said that this imposter is smarter, capable of creating an illusion of unity, having already blended into the team.
In a six-star Nikkai world, even the imposters are starting to use tricks.
Thinking this, Hu Liuqi, who had just woken up, quickly opened his own country’s big screen to see if the Celestial Master had fallen for the trap.
But after rewatching Zhang Tianshi’s footage, he breathed a sigh of relief.
No matter what trap the imposter sets or what schemes it has, facing someone like Zhang Tianshi, who plays without any rules or logic, there’s simply no solution.
And most importantly, in the other chosen ones’ teams, relationships were harmonious and joyful.
In Zhang Tianshi’s team, not only had relationships not improved, they had actually deteriorated significantly.
A deterioration in team relations means each teammate remains highly vigilant towards the others, which is hugely beneficial for clearing the Nikkai.
Because every teammate in the group possesses remarkable skills; as long as they don’t die, that’s fine.
Zhang Tianshi doesn’t need any help from his teammates at all.
You could even say that them not dying is the biggest help they can give Zhang Tianshi.
Seeing this, Hu Liuqi couldn’t help but exclaim, “Is all of this going according to Zhang Tianshi’s plan? Maybe from the very first moment he started provoking people, he had already seen through this.”
Although Hu Liuqi had always regarded Zhang Yangqing as an idol, this time his admiration for Zhang Yangqing deepened even further.
It’s important to understand that Hu Liuqi wasn’t just imagining Zhang Yangqing’s actions; Zhang Yangqing had intended to do just that from the beginning, and he was deliberately escalating the conflict.
This left the imposter, who wanted to build good relationships, with no way to proceed.
Back in the Nikkai world, the chosen ones overcame numerous difficulties, braved the blizzard, and finally arrived at the village Zhang Yangqing had reached hours earlier.
Upon arrival, the chosen ones couldn’t help but rub their eyes. Their teammates also looked at the scene before them in disbelief.
They said it was a village? This is a village?
Based on their understanding of villages in such harsh environments, shouldn’t they be low, small bungalows?
Why are there tall, three-story villas here, over twenty of them?
Observant chosen ones also saw surprise in the eyes of their nearby teammates.
Especially Captain Goatee, who murmured things like, “It shouldn’t be like this.”
Clearly, they also couldn’t understand why such luxurious residences existed here.
Rahman, the chosen one from Pyramid Country, asked Captain Goatee, “Captain, haven’t you been to these places before?”
Captain Goatee shook his head and explained, “I’ve only climbed the snowy mountain from another route before. This is my first time here too.”
According to him, there wasn’t just one route up the snowy mountain. Rahman made a mental note of this piece of information.
Meanwhile, the blizzard outside was intensifying. If they didn’t light a fire and thaw out soon, the mountaineering team might die here.
Looking at the map, the only shelters in this vicinity were these houses.
Even though everyone sensed something strange about the place, they had no choice but to steel themselves and move forward.
The most puzzling thing was that as soon as they arrived near the village, before they had a chance to observe, it seemed like people were already waiting for them at the village entrance.
Upon seeing the mountaineering team, these individuals proactively approached.
Moreover, their range of vision seemed to extend further than that of the mountaineering team.
Whether this was due to long-term adaptation to living here or some other reason was unclear.
“Welcome, friends from afar! You’re here to climb the mountain, right?”
These people were all smiles, enthusiastically greeting the newcomers.
Four or five villagers came forward, all draped in animal hides and not wearing many clothes.
Leading them was a middle-aged man with a square-shaped face. Looking at his face gave one a feeling of honesty and reliability.
“Yes, that’s right. There’s a heavy blizzard outside, and we’d like to stay overnight in your village.”
As the team leader, Captain Goatee communicated with the villagers.
The other team members, like Rahman, seemed to be observing the villagers, trying to gather information.
This suggested that these team members were likely also here for the first time.
Rahman noticed the villagers had some slightly “unnatural” little movements.
Some liked to scratch their hands, some walked on their tiptoes, and others had involuntary twitches at the corners of their mouths.
These little movements, coupled with their animal hide clothing and their unusually keen long-distance vision,
made Rahman wonder if these creatures were actually animals transformed?
This would then involve one of the rules.
[Rule 4: If a small animal asks you a question, you may choose to answer or not, but you must not answer incorrectly.]
Answering correctly might have benefits, but answering incorrectly could trigger the arrival of an imposter – in other words, the condition for being killed.
But it wasn’t yet certain whether these beings fell under the category of “animals,” so more information was needed.
Careful chosen ones wouldn’t engage. As long as I don’t say anything wrong, they won’t attack me.
But watching Captain Goatee talk to these villagers without triggering any rules, could his judgment be wrong?
Upon entering the mountain village, Rahman constantly felt as if someone was observing their group through the cracks in the doors and windows of nearby houses.
Due to the blizzard and the polar night, his visibility was very limited, making it impossible to clearly see the surroundings.
It was just a feeling.
As they passed some houses, one or two smiling people would come out, also enthusiastically welcoming the mountaineering team.
Not every house had people coming out.
By the time they reached their destination, about a dozen villagers had gathered around them.
The villagers seemed to be constantly striking up conversations with the team, trying to make themselves familiar.
If this were on Blue Star, the chosen ones would probably think the local customs were quite friendly.
But this was the Nikkai world! The villagers’ enthusiasm was somewhat terrifying.
Coupled with their involuntary movements and the hats made from animal heads – especially the eyes of the beasts on the hats, which felt alive, observing the team – it all looked truly eerie.
At some point, Rahman began to feel that his teammates on this mountaineering team were quite reliable. As long as they were by his side, he didn’t feel so afraid.
If he were climbing this mountain alone in this Nikkai, this place would probably be where he met his end.
Next, according to the square-faced villager, anyone entering the village must pay respects to the local guardian deity. This was an unbreakable rule.
If they didn’t pay respects, they would not be welcomed.
Captain Goatee understood the customs well and gave everyone a reassuring look.
In this region, a guardian deity protects the peace of an area.
Entering the guardian deity’s territory naturally required greeting it.
Hearing this, the team members could understand.
Rahman followed the villagers to a relatively large temple, where a statue was enshrined.
The statue wore a hood, obscuring its face.
But it stood with arms outstretched, as if welcoming outsiders.
Or perhaps, the direction its open arms faced held some special implication.
The chosen ones carefully noted these details.
Because the place the chosen ones came from also had a dilapidated temple.
Was all of this hinting at something?
It was a pity that the statue in the dilapidated temple they visited was already damaged; otherwise, comparing them might have yielded clues.
The so-called worship was simply putting your palms together and bowing your head to show respect.
As they bowed their heads, the chosen ones noticed
a series of lines appearing at the statue’s feet, visible only to the chosen ones.
Seeing this, the chosen ones all breathed a sigh of relief.
In the world of rule-based Nikkai, only the appearance of rules can put the chosen ones at ease.
This is a repeat of the previous chapter
the chapter has been revised, thanks for the comment