Chapter 309: The Strange World, the Yin-Yang General Store!
The nighttime strange tales always send chills down people’s spines.
In previous strange tale worlds, for strange tales that opened around ten o’clock at night, the survival rate was generally around twenty to thirty percent.
There were even a few times when the survival rate was in the single digits.
This made many chosen ones who had originally been full of confidence start feeling timid.
Moreover, the interval between openings this time was so short that many highly capable chosen ones simply had no way to enter again.
For example, Ramirez from Argentina. He had completed one SS and one SSS, and his ability was beyond doubt.
But he had also just finished settling his results today. His mind was still muddled, and his body was not feeling very well either.
If he went in again at this time, then there was a high probability that he would make wrong judgments. It would also be easy for him to apply the rules of the previous strange tale to this current round, which could lead to mistakes and death.
After asking about his condition, Argentina’s expert team did not let him continue, but instead gave the spot to a supernatural faction.
These supernatural factions also had headaches. A strange tale descending late at night was already extremely difficult from the start.
Whether they could even make it out alive was the question, and they were still hoping for an SSSS rating?
In an instant, the strange tale world, which had been a hot commodity in some countries, became a hot potato.
However, many major countries that frequently cleared strange tales still had plenty of talent and had long been prepared.
Miller, the expert clearer from the Eagle Country, was already warming up, and his face still carried confidence.
When facing others, he even said openly: the harder the strange tale, the greater the probability of getting an SSSS rating, and he told everyone to look forward to his good news.
As soon as those words came out, the Eagle Country erupted in cheers. The people practically regarded Miller as a superhero.
Actually, Miller was also stuck between a rock and a hard place. If he had known this round would start at night, he would not have shown off so much a few days ago.
But since he had already signed up and even made such a declaration, what could he do if he did not go?
This was the consequence of being stubborn with his words.
After seeing Miller go in, Rahman, the expert clearer from the Pyramid Country’s expert team, directly followed suit.
When this news broke, everyone was shocked.
People were all guessing whether these big shots had already figured out the content of the next strange tale.
Next, a chain reaction appeared. Those who had originally been hesitating also directly signed up.
They thought that the strange tale world must follow the principle that extremes lead to reversal, that it always did the opposite. Maybe this time the difficulty would not be high, and it would be a welfare round.
On the Ramen Country’s side, the Church could be said to have monopolized the qualifications for entering the strange tale world.
Cardinal Gregori was still seriously injured and had not recovered. Holy Knight Sidney planned to go in once more.
But he was directly refused by the Pope. The Pope felt that Sidney’s current condition was not very good.
Having just cleared it this afternoon, if he continued again at night, it would be difficult for him to adjust.
Actually, what the Pope wanted to say was: because you did not get an SSSS rating, you are now restless and impatient. The more obsessed you are with obtaining cultivation resources, the more likely it is that you will die after going in, with about an eighty percent chance.
In order not to discourage his subordinate, the Pope did not say it directly.
Gregori also had the same judgment. After all, Sidney was not the Dragon Country’s Heavenly Master, so he could not switch so freely.
Besides, even the Dragon Country’s Heavenly Master had rested for several days. If he went in, that would be normal.
But the Church also did not want to give the opportunity away. A blond cardinal took the initiative to ask to participate in the strange tale world.
He was tall and graceful in bearing, and his facial features were sharp and well-defined. He could be said to be the face of the Church.
To be precise, he was actually the best candidate to inherit the Pope’s position.
This blond cardinal had very high prestige within the Church and was deeply loved by the congregation.
His strength might not be the strongest, but his character was indeed the best.
Not only that, he was also relatively appropriate in dealing with people and matters. Among those “problematic” people in the Church, he was the most normal one.
It was not that he had no flaws, but he could control his emotions.
He would not be like Gregori and Sidney, who would begin to lose control under special conditions.
At this moment, how could the Pope not see what he was thinking?
He simply wanted to prove that he was no worse than Gregori, and then obtain more resources.
His ultimate goal was to inherit the Pope’s position.
His eyes still retained that persistence toward the papal throne.
After all, Gregori was only the most favorable heir right now, not yet the Pope.
The outcome had not been decided, so he still had a certain chance.
If this blond cardinal went in with that kind of mentality, there was a high possibility that he would make mistakes.
The Pope thought it over again and again, but there was still no better candidate than him.
Were the others not a big problem? Then they all still had problems.
Having become accustomed to sending supernatural beings, the Pope could not easily send an ordinary priest with weak strength.
Because he was also standing at the center of public attention. If an ordinary priest died, the other supernatural factions in Ramen Country would seize the opportunity to launch public opinion attacks against the Church, saying that in a high-difficulty dungeon, the Church would rather let ordinary holy clergy die than release the opportunity to others.
That would damage the Church’s reputation.
So the Pope still agreed to let him go, and told Gregori and Sidney to spend these few hours instilling as many skills about the strange tale world into him as possible.
However much he could absorb would be however much it was.
The Pope also specifically instructed the blond cardinal not to have a resistant mentality, and to learn more for the sake of his own survival. The strange tale world was not an ordinary place. Even if he felt stronger than the strange entities, he should not act rashly.
Having said all that, the Pope had done everything he could. How much the blond cardinal could take in would depend on his own fortune.
Time was pressing, and many countries were also actively selecting people to participate in the strange tale.
Otherwise, if it came down to random selection in the end, they would not even have a place to cry.
The Dragon Country’s side was relatively relaxed. Zhang Yangqing had not even signed up.
At the back mountain of Longhu Mountain, Su Muyu was urging Zhang Yangqing to open his rewards and see what good things there were.
Actually, if Su Muyu had not reminded him, Zhang Yangqing would not even have paid attention.
[Congratulations on clearing the strange tale “Mysterious Villa”]
[Ordinary reward: all attributes increased by 10 points.]
[Special reward 1: Dragon Scale Jade Pendant (one piece).]
[Special reward 2: Skill “Tenacity.”]
Dragon Scale Jade Pendant: when worn, the speed of spiritual energy recovery increases, and cultivation speed increases.
Note: cannot be worn in the strange tale world.
Tenacity: when completely exhausted, using this skill allows the body to recover all stamina and spiritual energy for 3 minutes, with a 24-hour cooldown.
Note: after the duration ends, the user will enter a greatly weakened state.
Zhang Yangqing took out the Dragon Scale Jade Pendant and glanced at it. It was merely carved to look like dragon scales, and the main material was high-grade spiritual jade.
When worn, it did indeed feel as if the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was constantly pouring into the body. However, Zhang Yangqing did not feel much difference in cultivation speed, because he had already cultivated to the maximum level and naturally could not continue cultivating.
As for this skill, Zhang Yangqing thought it was not bad. It was one of the few skills that Zhang Yangqing could rate as “not bad.”
That is to say, this skill was what people called a final flash of strength before death.
If used when weakened, once the time was up, and if one could not reach a safe zone or could not resolve the danger, it basically meant death.
Three minutes was very little to an ordinary chosen one, neither too much nor too little to an ordinary supernatural being, but to Zhang Yangqing, it was enough to make “danger” die several hundred times over.
After seeing this, Zhang Yangqing handed the Dragon Scale Jade Pendant to Su Muyu.
After receiving it, Su Muyu observed it for a while and muttered, “Who should this thing be given to? I think Junior Brother Zhang Xuanjing has performed very well recently, so giving it to him should be good. But the one who lacks it most should be Junior Brother Xiao Xuan, since Junior Brother Xiao Xuan has the weakest foundation.
But if this thing is not distributed according to work, then it will not convince everyone. The other junior brothers will not say anything aloud, but they will definitely have some opinions inwardly.”
Although the treasure was good, how to distribute it was a huge problem.
Sometimes a sect was very harmonious, but it would end up fighting fiercely over the position of sect leader, distribution of treasures, distribution of resources, and so on.
If the distribution method could not convince people, it would eventually cause a large sect to fall apart.
Such cases were very common among the major supernatural factions on Blue Star.
Now this jade pendant was very special. It was not like well water, cave dwellings, or other resources.
Those resources could be distributed according to work. In that way, there would be a basis, and if one did not receive a share, it was because one had not worked enough. No one would say anything.
But a thing like the Dragon Scale Jade Pendant basically had to be given to someone for at least a month or so before it took effect.
If there were certain situations, such as urgently needing to go into closed-door cultivation, it would delay things for another period of time.
So distributing this thing could easily offend people, giving Su Muyu, the logistics manager, a headache.
At this moment, Zhang Yangqing directly said, “Senior Brother, why don’t you just wear it yourself?”
He felt that Senior Brother had always been working hard for the sect, so it was only right for him to receive some special reward.
After all, Zhang Yangqing was a hands-off manager in many matters, while the eldest senior brother had been busy working overtime day and night.
These words caught Su Muyu somewhat off guard, and he replied, “This won’t do. If the other junior brothers knew we did this, then Longhu Mountain would have no rules.”
Su Muyu’s thinking was still relatively traditional. What this kind of person worried about most was what the other disciples thought of him. In other words, he cared a great deal about how others viewed him.
This kind of person was the most likely to suffer losses, and he would not even say it out loud.
He did everything himself and did not even dare to expect anything in return.
All his life he worked hard, just wanting a good reputation.
And now he had extremely high prestige. Once the disciples questioned him, then in the future, the rules and regulations he formulated would likewise be questioned as being self-serving.
Zhang Yangqing nodded and felt that it was his own “lack of consideration,” so he added, “Senior Brother, then let me put it another way. I am ordering you to wear it. You do not have the right to refuse.”
Anyway, it was his order. If anyone was dissatisfied, they could come and talk to him.
The resources were all obtained by him, so he would give them to whomever he wanted.
However, the eldest senior brother was a man who cared about face, so Zhang Yangqing could only use this kind of method to make him accept it.
If they slowly reasoned it out, they probably would not finish explaining even after a day and a night.
Just as Su Muyu understood Zhang Yangqing’s personality, Zhang Yangqing also understood him very well.
Besides, at Longhu Mountain, Zhang Yangqing really was the one who had the final say!
“What is there to feel troubled about? You only have this little ability, and you still don’t cultivate properly. In the future, you’ll end up reduced to doing chores.”
“You…”
Zhang Yangqing’s words left Su Muyu momentarily speechless.
Good lord, is that how you use reverse psychology?
If I could beat you, I would really want to hit you.
Since Zhang Yangqing had said so, Su Muyu had no choice but to accept it.
As the eldest senior brother, it was enough to be surpassed by one person. If a few more surpassed him, he would not be able to control the situation.
So strength was the key to suppressing everyone else.
Presumably Master also thought this way.
After comforting himself with these words, Su Muyu accepted the Dragon Scale Jade Pendant.
After all, Zhang Yangqing had used a commanding tone, so it naturally was not a joke.
But Su Muyu then thought of another problem and asked, “If the other disciples ask about it, what should I say?”
He was considering that many disciples would enthusiastically ask what the reward was after Zhang Yangqing obtained resources.
How to answer at that time would be the difficult part.
Zhang Yangqing gave him a disdainful glance and replied, “Why should I explain my actions to others?”
If anyone dares to ask, just tell them to come ask me.
I would like to see how many people at Longhu Mountain dare to come ask me.
In Zhang Yangqing’s view, Senior Brother was too kind and felt he had to consider everything thoroughly.
That was why he had so many worries.
Because everyone knew that Su Muyu was reasonable and understanding, they would all go reason with Su Muyu.
But everyone also knew that Zhang Yangqing was unreasonable, so no one would be foolish enough to come looking for trouble.
After all, who would be so idle as to reason with an unreasonable person?
Originally, Zhang Yangqing planned to continue resting today, but unexpectedly the expert team called.
It had to be said that the Dragon Country’s expert team was also very shrewd. They called Su Muyu and asked Su Muyu to pass the message to Zhang Yangqing.
This was also because they were worried about saying the wrong thing and making Zhang Yangqing angry.
After hanging up the phone, Su Muyu glanced at Zhang Yangqing and said, “Junior Brother, the expert team is asking whether you want to participate in tonight’s strange tale?”
Zhang Yangqing had recently entered the strange tale world quite frequently, so Su Muyu did not rush him to go.
Only with enough rest could he better obtain resources. Otherwise, if his condition was poor and he ended up dying inside, that would be a huge problem.
But Zhang Yangqing asked back with some confusion, “Why are they asking me? No one signed up?”
Actually, the last time he rushed in was to teach the six major associations a lesson.
This time he had not planned to go, wanting to leave some opportunities for others.
Let some of them die first, then they would know that resources were not something that could be obtained just because they wanted to.
Su Muyu replied, “Everyone is afraid that you will go smash their mountain gates, so they did not dare to sign up.”
This made Zhang Yangqing speechless. Although I am unreasonable, I would not go that far, would I?
But it was fine for you all to think that way. I could not be bothered to explain anyway.
He had already rested for a few days anyway, and since no one dared to sign up, then he would accept the task without refusing.
He had just come back two days ago, and those daily tasks had already tired him out. Now he could go slack off in the strange tale world again.
Upon hearing that Zhang Yangqing was participating, participants all over the world took a deep breath.
This person was truly fierce. He really did treat the strange tale world like a vacation spot.
Gregori, who was globally recognized as the second fiercest, had a best record of only participating in the strange tale world twice in a row.
Yet the Dragon Country’s Heavenly Master had not missed a single round recently. Why did it feel like he spent more time in the strange tale world than on Blue Star?
Other chosen ones were all playing a disaster simulator, but the Dragon Country’s Heavenly Master was almost turning it into a “going home simulator.”
Right now, most chosen ones’ goal was to surpass Miller from the Eagle Country and Rahman from the Pyramid Country.
Why not surpass the Dragon Country’s Heavenly Master?
Because if they said that goal out loud, not only would the listeners burst into laughter, even they themselves would not believe it.
So surpassing Miller and Rahman was the more realistic goal.
The strange tale world at ten o’clock at night made Rahman still feel lingering fear.
He was sitting alone in the rest room, and no one else disturbed him.
On the big screen in front of him was a summary of the Dragon Country’s Heavenly Master’s early-stage tactics in every strange tale world.
He also seemed to realize that in the strange tale world, one could take the initiative to search for so-called “helpers.”
But these helpers could not be chosen casually. Unless one could suppress them, one could only choose helpers who had the same goal as oneself.
Only in this way could one ensure that they would not easily betray you.
“It seems that the harder the strange tale world, the stronger the helpers.”
That was the view of Rahman, an old hand.
Not only him, many chosen ones had now realized this point.
After all, in the previous strange tale, if the Dragon Country’s Heavenly Master had not brought helpers, he might really have been stuck inside and unable to get out.
And how did the chosen ones participating in the strange tale relieve the pressure in their hearts?
Without a doubt, they all watched Zhang Yangqing’s clear recordings.
This feeling was like cramming at the last minute right before an exam.
Time slowly passed. When it reached around ten o’clock, all the chosen ones saw the familiar scene appear before their eyes.
[This rules-based strange tale has now begun. Each country will select one chosen one to enter the game world of the rules-based strange tale.]
[If the selected chosen one dies, the strange tale will randomly descend upon a city in that country.]
[If that country fails ten consecutive times, the strange tale will cover the entire country.]
[The strange tale world is opening now. Current dungeon: “Yin-Yang General Store!”]
[Current strange tale difficulty: six and a half stars.]
[In the strange tale world, you will play the role of a general store clerk. Please maintain a clear mind, find the rules in the dungeon, and use the rules to survive.]
Seeing this, perhaps the other chosen ones were still in a daze, but Zhang Yangqing’s eyes widened.
“This… this can’t be…”
Before he could finish speaking, a familiar sensation spread through his body.
After a burst of white light, all the chosen ones were transported into the strange tale world.
Before the chosen ones even opened their eyes, the smell of incense and aromatics rushed toward them, mixed with some strange and pungent odors.
The other chosen ones might not be familiar with this smell, but Zhang Yangqing was extremely familiar with it.
When Rahman opened his eyes, the scene before him made him swallow.
He was standing in front of a counter, wearing a store clerk’s uniform.
The night was deep, and most areas of the small shop were pitch black.
So dark that it made people feel as if something was hidden inside.
Especially in some blind corners of the cabinets, the darkness seemed even more frightening.
The small shop named “Yangyang General Store” had no lights on, or perhaps there were no lights at all.
Only two small red candles were burning beside the counter.
Cold wind occasionally blew in through the wide-open door, making the flames of the two small red candles flicker several times. Just when it looked like they were about to go out, they struggled and reignited.
The swaying candlelight made the entire shop seem to “move.”
Under the flickering candlelight, those cabinets looked like strange entities swaying inside the shop.
Fortunately, the ones entering this round were all relatively bold chosen ones. If anyone slightly timid had come, just one gust of wind like that would have scared them into curling up on the ground.
Rahman swallowed and continued observing.
Through the faint candlelight, he could see many things placed on the cabinet in front.
There were cremation urns, candles, incense, burial clothes, funeral wreaths, copper coins, and so on.
Just seeing these things was enough to bring a sense of terror.
Especially those terrifying opera masks. Under the candlelight, they seemed as if they were alive, making Rahman constantly feel that they would attack him.
In this strange tale, just the opening scene had already made many chosen ones swallow hard.
Audiences in other countries were still worried about whether their country’s chosen one could return alive under such an eerie atmosphere.
But the Dragon Country’s audience was stunned. Hu Liuqi from the expert team even said in surprise:
“Damn, this is our Dragon Country’s home turf!”
And what was more, the one who entered was a Heavenly Master!
