Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 514 Ending
In the blink of an eye, all the images shattered like a mirror, and when I looked again, I found myself in that temple.

The candlelight was bright, and the statues were solemn. The only difference was that a blurry figure was standing not far away.

Although they had only taken a photo together once, Zhou You recognized him immediately.

—That was the female voice that had given him guidance in the Black Book.

Compared to last time, the figure was even more blurred. If it was originally like clouds and mist, it now resembled a shattered mass of light and shadow—on the verge of dissipating.

However, compared to the body, the sound was even clearer.

Rather than just having a mechanical feel, it now possesses a degree of human emotion.

"The chosen one, you've returned?"

Zhou You didn't stand on ceremony. He sat down cross-legged, reached into his waistband, and took out a wine flask—since he was in his original body now, he was naturally not restricted by the script—he first took a few sips to moisten his throat before speaking.

"So we've cleared the level? I remember they said this script has two acts, right? Are we about to move on to the next act?"

However, the other party simply shook their head slightly.

"It's only the end of one phase. The corruption in this script is far deeper than you imagine, so much so that even we can't touch it all at once. We can only use the life of this deceased person to deduce the plot in stages."

Zhou You raised an eyebrow.

"Can you explain it?"

This time, however, the woman's voice stopped.

The figure became increasingly ethereal, appearing like a candle in the wind under the candlelight, as if it might dissipate at any moment.

But in the end, she slowly spoke.

"The chosen one, I think I explained the level of contamination in the script to you before, right?"

"Yes, what's wrong?"

"Actually, for us, the level of pollution is not a benchmark, or rather, it is not the only one. Rather than focusing on the inferred numerical value, we value the difficulty of solving the pollution itself more."

Zhou You did not answer, but listened quietly.

“Take your first two scenarios as an example. Even if we ignore the resurrected creature in Building 4, one day a wandering Taoist priest or monk will come and deal with it, so it poses the least threat. As for the Night Patrol, although it endangers the entire city, if it gets out of hand, there will still be plenty of people to deal with it. For us, this is the lowest level of vigilance, which is the first level.”

"The difficulty of the Tai Sui Buddha Heart has increased to a higher level, but the essence has not changed. Faced with the corruption and strangeness of erosion, there is still the organization of the Evil Suppression Division to restrict it. The righteous path itself also has an absolute advantage. Even if gods and Buddhas descend, there are still people in this world who can solve this situation. We are considered to be in the second tier."

"The same applies to exorcising evil. The order has not collapsed, but the difficulty has increased significantly. Moreover, the maintainers of the order themselves have begun to aid and abet evil, which is why it is considered to be in the third category."

At this moment, Zhou You finally interjected.

"If the entire realm of Wan Yuan is completely destroyed, and even the ruler himself is one of the corruptors, then that would be the fourth level of difficulty?"

“That’s right,” the woman’s voice affirmed crisply. “But even in such a desperate situation, there is still hope. You can still find some help, even if it’s insignificant. But at least it can help you fight against it, so it’s considered fourth-class.”

"And what about this script?"

The woman fell silent.

"It is unknown."

"What do you mean?"

"It means we have been completely excluded and are unable to get involved. We have no idea whether there are any helpers inside, whether there is any opportunity, or even what the source of the pollution is. Only when the chosen one completes a certain key milestone can we continue to deduce the truth."

Zhou You was speechless for a moment.

After a long pause, he shook his head and smiled.

"I think I've figured it out. To put it simply, I'm playing blindfolded right now. How far I can go and what will happen next all depends on this damn luck?"

".That's right."

It was still a simple answer, but Zhou You sensed a hint of apology in it, though he wasn't sure if it was just his imagination.

Zhou You didn't care and just waved his hand dismissively.

"Fine, I'll just play blindfold chess then. I'll treat it like I'm playing a roguelike game—but what should I do next?"

The woman looked at Zhou You for a long while before slowly speaking.

"Continue searching for key moments, but don't let yourself fall into depravity. Try your best to restore this body's life trajectory, but also avoid the suffering and regrets it once endured."

"that's it?"

"that's it."

So Zhou You dusted himself off and casually stood up.

"Now that you've had enough rest—what about the next part of the script? Can we start working on it now?"

The woman's voice said.

"We can open it now. But are you sure you don't want to rest a little longer, you chosen one? After all, you just went through a life-or-death battle not long ago, and this temple is absolutely safe."

Zhou You laughed.

"Forget it, it's too stuffy here, and besides, I have family waiting for me. The sooner I resolve this, the sooner I can go home, right?"

The woman looked at him silently, but eventually waved and opened a misty door.

She suddenly spoke just before Zhou You entered.

"The chosen one."

"Ok?"

Please be careful in everything you do.

Zhou You chuckled, and then stepped inside without hesitation.

When he opened his eyes again, he was no longer in the ancestral hall, but in a mountain path.

Zhou You noticed the anomaly immediately.

First of all, the timing was wrong.

The previous time of year should have been early summer, when the temperature was still rather cold but the trees were still lush and green. Now, however, it feels like autumn, with many withered and yellow leaves already visible around us.

Secondly, it's also my own fault.

He must have been a child of about eleven or twelve years old before, or perhaps even younger considering his malnutrition. But now...
There wasn't much to refer to around him, but that didn't stop Zhou You from making a decision.

He bit his fingertip, using his blood as a guide, and drew a talisman in mid-air.

Soon, the surrounding moisture condensed together, turning into a semi-transparent mirror that stood in front of me.

Zhou You was taken aback.

What came into view was a boy whose hair had just reached about the length of his head.

Although not yet twenty, he was strong and vigorous, with a handsome appearance that, while not exceptionally handsome, was certainly not ugly, especially his eyes and brows, which always seemed to carry a mysterious smile. And now, this young man was looking at Zhou You with a slightly surprised expression.

It's obvious that this is him.

As for his attire, it was very simple: a sky-blue Taoist robe with a gourd hanging from the belt, a long sword at his waist, and a giant black bow on his back.

Honestly, this outfit is quite incongruous; it doesn't look like a Taoist priest, a swordsman, or a hunter.

But soon, the black book's notification sound provided the answer.

"As players progress through the story, some items have been unlocked and have been found to have a relatively reasonable origin."

"The Broken Moon Bow is unsealed. This item was obtained by you and Wan Ren during your first journey down the mountain, through a certain ancient site, by chance."

"The Substitute Paper Doll and the Summoning Jade Token have been unsealed. This item was obtained from the corpse of a well-known evil cultivator you fought alone with great difficulty."

"The Nameless Register has been unsealed. This item was given to you as a token of gratitude after you saved an outer disciple who was being hunted down."

"The Wine Immortal Gourd has been unsealed. This item was obtained by you during your recent descent down the mountain, when you spent most of your assets exchanging it with someone in the Yin Market."

"Most of the spellcasting materials in the Diancang Ring have been unsealed, which will not be elaborated upon further."

The information overload left Zhou You stunned for several seconds.

When did the system become so user-friendly? It even provides explanations of where the items came from?

And how many years has passed exactly?

Looking at his own appearance, Zhou You just wanted to scratch his head.

Judging from these explanations, in the short time he spent at the temple, several years had clearly passed in the world, and this body itself must have descended the mountain several times.

The only problem is
How much time exactly passed? And what did he experience?
—Damn you, Black Book! You've got the methods to trace the origins of everything, but can't you at least give me a detailed explanation of the current situation?

Unfortunately, unlike in the temple, this time no one answered him.

After thinking for a long time, Zhou You could only helplessly slouch and walk outside step by step.

Fortunately, although many years have passed, the mountains have not changed much. They are still dilapidated, yet the scenery is clearly defined. Zhou You estimated that he should be in the area between the mountain gate and the main mountain—not too far from his own sect.

However, just as he turned to leave, he suddenly bumped into another disciple who emerged from around the corner.

Judging from his appearance, he should be a formal disciple of the sect. He seemed to be a little older than me, but his face was completely unfamiliar.

—This is not Zhou You's fault. He has always been face-blind and can only recognize Lin Yunshao and Aqua, who are relatively familiar to him. He can also call out the names of those inside the sect, but as for those outside the sect, he can only recognize them by sight.

however.

The disciple froze upon seeing him.

His eyes went from blank to bewildered, then from bewildered to surprised, and finally from surprised to utter panic.

Seeing this, Zhou You was also somewhat puzzled.

What kind of prehistoric beast am I? Why are you so scared?
"Excuse me, I'm sorry."

However, before Zhou You could even finish his question, the disciple suddenly spoke up.
"week"

"You recognize me?"

However, the other party did not answer, but only screamed in agony.

"Zhou Da."

"Senior Brother Zhou is back!!!!!"

With a sharp scream, the man stopped what he was doing and ran out in a flash.

They were moving so fast that even Zhou You couldn't stop them.

Zhou You was left standing there, completely bewildered.

"That's strange, what exactly has happened in the past few years?"

The subsequent encounters were basically the same.

Upon seeing Zhou You, they were first taken aback, then speechless, and then all screamed and scattered in all directions.

Since they were all their disciples, Zhou You couldn't easily stop them, so he just scratched his head and walked towards the more familiar cafeteria.

Fortunately, since he had finally arrived at his own territory, he soon encountered the disciples of Master Chongxu.

Judging from his appearance, he should be one of the batches that entered the school at the same time as me, but after a few years, he looks much more mature.

Upon seeing Zhou You, he was momentarily stunned. However, unlike the others, he did not run away. Instead, he quickly dropped the broom in his hand, jogged over, and greeted him respectfully.

"Senior Brother is back?"

To be honest, although the Five Aggregates Temple is full of hierarchical rules, this guy's attitude was clearly not towards his senior brother, but rather more like...
The kind of respect one has for their master and senior apprentice?

Zhou You was somewhat confused, but due to the information gap, he simply grunted in response.

However, the other party did not notice any of this. With a fawning smile, he somehow found a bamboo broom and carefully cleaned the dust off Zhou You's outer robe before speaking.

"Senior brother, you must be tired from your journey. The higher-ups are really unfair. You just got back a few days ago, and they've already sent you out again. We still have plenty of time. Should I let the canteen know first and prepare your meal in advance?"

"No need, I'll eat later."

Zhou You casually brushed it off, but looking at the man's face, he seemed to remember something and cautiously inquired.

"When I came in just now, I saw several people from the outer sect. When they saw me, they acted as if they had seen some great monster, and they ran away screaming."

The young man was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Senior brother, what do you and those lazybones care about? They're just a bunch of cowards who've heard of your name but don't want to cause trouble."

The young man seemed quite talkative, and once he started talking, he would go on and on. Zhou You invited him to come along, and then took the opportunity to inquire about him.

Soon, he also gained some understanding of the current situation.

The current timeframe is approximately three years after the founding of the Ancestral Hall.

It's not long, it's not long, it's not short.

As for him...
During this period, I also did quite a lot of things.

Firstly, for some reason, Master Chongxu kept sending him down the mountain, which allowed him to make a name for himself in the martial arts world and also acquire many treasures.

Secondly, ever since he became the senior disciple, whether it was due to his personality or something else, he has always been extremely protective of his own. Whenever a disciple in the sect suffers any grievance, he will not hesitate to rush to their door. However, because he is quite capable and has a lot of combat experience, few of his peers can oppose him. He has even earned the nickname "the devil's nightmare" in the sect.

Finally, it is the most important point.

The sect leader was also that frail old man in the ancestral hall.
He was already nearing the end of his life.

He has already begun preparing for his passing and has selected the next generation of leaders.

(End of this chapter)