Mist Lord

Jiangcheng, skyscrapers.

"Boss, the bank is chasing us for payment again..."

"understood."

The sweltering heat of June was unbearable, but Xia Yuan only felt a bone-chilling cold.

"In the end, couldn't they hold on any longer?"

Gazing at the bustling traffic below, Xia Yuan was lost in thought. Looking back on the first half of his life, he was born in a rural area, got into Tsinghua and Peking Universities, founded Mingguang Technology, and now possesses a net worth of over 100 million yuan. How full of pride and success he had been!

But all his efforts were negated by a single sentence, "Give it to me."

Xia Yuan was merely trying to defy this damned fate when the company's operations quickly fell into crisis. Banks cut off loans, partners didn't renew contracts, and key personnel were poached. All sorts of tangible and intangible pressures came crashing down, suffocating him.

"Boss, another fifteen people submitted their resignations today."

Assistant Chen Wei's voice was low, his face filled with worry, "If this continues..."

"I have no way out, you should make plans as soon as possible."

Xia Yuan had no intention of compromising; even if it meant being blown to pieces, he was determined to take someone down with him. After his parents' deaths, he had no other ties to this world. Why should anyone be considered inferior just because they were born human?

"I'm not leaving. Without you, boss, I'd still be struggling in the mud."

"Whatever you want."

Xia Yuan's eyes flickered slightly, but he ultimately waved for Chen Wei to leave. Along the way, he had promoted and cultivated many people, but in the end, didn't they all abandon him when disaster struck? Not kicking him when he was down or betraying him was already the greatest act of kindness.

"Ding-dong!"

His phone lit up, and WeChat suddenly pushed an article from a public account to him, saying that in the past ten years, every year there have been news reports of people disappearing into thin air, but they were quickly suppressed.

What kind of rumors aren't circulating online these days? Even blind people dare to stage their own dramas.

Just enjoy the show.

The article also noted that similar news breaks every year on June 18th.

"...Is this some kind of new doomsday prophecy?"

Xia Yuan glanced at the time subconsciously; today was June 18th, no wonder it was generating some buzz.

I just crossed it out.

Only a fool would believe such a rumor.

"Ding-dong!"

Just then, a thin wisp of gray mist appeared out of thin air before him, transforming into Chinese characters like wisps of smoke. They hung precisely in front of Xia Yuan, neither too high nor too low.

[The Civilization Trial of the Misty Continent has begun. Choose three from nine options at the start. Make your choice within five minutes.]

1. Black Iron Spear

2. Urine filter

3. One hundred silver coins

4. Tier 3 Slave Summoning Scroll

5. Camping tent

6. Fine iron chainmail

7. Basic Gun Techniques Scroll

8. Rag dolls

9. Mongrel puppies

"Is this...a ghost?"

Xia Yuan rubbed his eyes, thinking he was hallucinating. He tried touching the screen with his phone; the gray mist only churned briefly before quickly returning to normal.

This was no prank; no one could pull off such a prank. The surrounding space was completely still; no sound could be heard, not even the cold wind.

"interesting!"

Seeing that he couldn't resist, Xia Yuan laughed instead. He was already in this situation, could it get any worse? At worst, he would just die.

With only five minutes to spare, and being a top student, I instinctively and quickly analyzed the pros and cons of each option. Weapons, armor, and scrolls all looked pretty good. If I really had to choose, 247 seemed like a practical combination.

Since it's a trial, it's highly likely to be related to combat, and it will inevitably be extremely brutal. The primary goal is to ensure you have the ability to protect yourself. Otherwise, you'll be like a fish on a chopping board, unable to defend yourself no matter how many treasures you have.

My neighbor hoards grain, I hoard guns; my neighbor is my granary.

Option two, the urine filter, sounds intriguing and seems strongly related to survival; you wouldn't feel safe not to choose it.

Just as he was about to make a choice, the text in front of him suddenly trembled and turned back into gray mist. When it reappeared, it was different again; each option now had an additional note.

1. Black Iron Spear (Decent)

2. Urine filter (not very useful)

3. One hundred silver coins (with considerable purchasing power)

4. Tier 3 Slave Summoning Scroll (Required)

5. Camping tent (not required)

6. Fine iron chainmail (mediocre)

7. Basic shooting skills scroll (not very valuable)

8. Rag doll (can die once in place of another)

9. Mongol Puppy (Ancient Bloodline, Loyal Protector)

"This is... a cheat code?"

Xia Yuan looked relieved; it was clear that fate was still on his side, closing one window while opening another. If he had made the previous choice, he would most likely have been tricked.

Choose option 498!

With the hidden information, making a choice becomes much simpler.

[Confirm selection triggers the perfect option, causality activates, and the two strongly related individuals are added to the descent list...]

"What law of causality?"

Before Xia Yuan could figure out what was going on, the person had already disappeared.

.........

Misty Continent, Yunyang City.

"Hey, the new recruits have arrived!"

As teleportation lights flashed, five hundred figures, some terrified and some curious, appeared in the square.

There were men and women, mostly very young, including Xia Yuan. Not only had he changed into coarse linen clothes, but he also had a small, glossy black dog puppy, no bigger than two fists, in his arms. The puppy opened its bright, black crystal-like eyes and licked Xia Yuan's hand like a simpleton.

"Ew~~~"

Feeling the warmth from the back of his hand, Xia Yuan, who had been somewhat uneasy, felt a little relieved and wiped the drool off the puppy with a look of disgust.

"Wow, someone actually chose a pet, and a mutt at that! How stupid!"

The speaker was a fat man who looked like a human, but he didn't speak like a human being. He clearly hadn't experienced the harsh realities of life.

If Xia Yuan hadn't been completely oblivious to the situation, he would have given him a good punch and shown him what youthful impetuosity was all about. He obeyed the law in the sweltering heat of summer, but here he was expected to be treated like this?

"Boss?!"

The fat man's shout made Xia Yuan the center of attention, and an incredulous gasp came from behind him.

It was assistant Chen Wei who was unexpectedly chosen.

Xia Yuan seemed not to hear, his gaze fixed on a figure not far away.

Li Aoyu!

That spoiled brat who wanted his company.

good good!

Xia Yuan laughed, feeling relieved and exhilarated. He vowed that Li Aoyu must die!

Unexpectedly, the so-called law of cause and effect dragged Li Aoyu and Chen Wei, two people closely related to him, into the mess.

"Damn it!"

Li Aoyu, of course, also noticed Xia Yuan, his gaze chillingly gloomy. He possessed a bright past, present, and future, yet he was chosen to participate in this so-called civilization trial—how could he possibly accept this?

Not to mention they also encountered Xia Yuan, that ungrateful commoner.

"Quiet down, everyone, and listen to me!"

Before the two could make a move, a middle-aged man appeared at the edge of the teleportation array. He was clad in armor, had a sword at his waist, and his face was covered in hideous scars; he looked like a menacing figure.

"No way, who the hell are you? Why should I listen to you?"

The fat guy still has that foul mouth.

"Snapped!"

Without the middle-aged man making any move, he slapped the 200-pound fat man to the ground.

The scene immediately fell silent.

Such speed and power are clearly beyond the range of normal human beings.

He immediately put on a big show, and the middle-aged man seemed to be pleased, becoming much more amiable in his speech.

"My name is Zhao Wu, and like you, I come from Yanxia. I'm your newbie guide now. This is Yunyang City, the headquarters of the Yanxia Alliance, and one of the few safe zones in the Misty Continent."

"After the tutorial ends, you will be teleported to your respective territories to become rookie lords, facing the threats of mist monsters, demonic creatures, and alien invasions."

Whether we survive or not is up to fate.

"This is the Lord's Handbook, one copy for each person. Every piece of experience summarized in it is a lesson learned by predecessors with blood and even lives. You'd better memorize them all."

Without Zhao Wu making any move, a stack of manuals appeared out of thin air in his hand. "Each person has a spatial imprint on their right palm, which comes with a ten-cubic-meter storage space."

Having established his authority, the newcomers obediently lined up to receive their gifts. As for the fat man still lying on the ground groaning, he was naturally overlooked; no one was foolish enough to be the good Samaritan.

"If you have any questions, please raise your hand now."

"Brother Zhao, how did you know we also come from Yanxia?"

The question was asked by Li Aoyu. Whenever needed, this ruthless devil can also feign humility and politeness.

He used to be on friendly terms with Xia Yuan.

"Any lord who descends upon Yunyang City will inevitably come from Yanxia and automatically belong to the Yanxia Alliance; it's only a matter of time. The Civilization Trial is, in essence, a life-or-death struggle between different civilizations."

Lords from the same civilization naturally form alliances to stick together and support each other.

"Are we really going to die? What kind of world is the Misty Continent? Does it really exist?"

Some people still clung to the last shred of hope.

"I don't know if it's real or not, but buildings, units, monsters, etc. are indeed digitized, but death is real death, and don't even think about resurrection."

"Brother Zhao, what level is the most powerful territory in our Yanxia Alliance, and in what year did it arrive?"

Xia Yuan, who was familiar with Li Aoyu, could vaguely sense a hint of excitement and anticipation in Li Aoyu's tone when he asked the question. This made him feel inexplicably uneasy. He would find an opportunity to make a move later!

"This kid is quite ambitious." Zhao Wu couldn't help but glance at Li Aoyu, but still patiently answered, "Yunyang City is the highest-level territory in the alliance, level nine, and it was also one of the first lords to arrive ten years ago."

"What? Yunyang City is also territory?"

The newbies were taken aback, thinking it was really a safe zone.

"Of course!" A hint of pride flashed in Zhao Wu's eyes. "Any territory that reaches level nine can serve as a reception center for this civilization, and can receive five hundred newcomers every year."

This means that the more territories a civilization possesses at level nine or above, the stronger its overall strength will be.

Conversely, it could be destroyed at any time.

"Newbies, keep up the good work. Let's strive to have one of you become a level nine lord in ten years."

Even Zhao Wu himself probably didn't believe that. "Now come with me to collect the supplies. These were all painstakingly collected by the Alliance Leader and the three Vice Alliance Leaders, all to support our compatriots and train newcomers."

Although more than half of the newcomers are eliminated every year, we should still support them, otherwise even more will fail.

From the perspective of civilization as a whole, civilization can only have a future if outstanding talents and dark horses continue to emerge.

"Wait for me!!!"

Zhao Wu's blow was indeed quite ruthless. The fat man's face was swollen and his teeth were knocked out, but he still groaned as he got up and obediently stood at the back of the line.

Li Aoyu secretly sought out Zhao Wu, seemingly harboring some secret...