Chapter 28: Designation 27149

Li Xia was well aware that the Sanctuary had fallen on hard times.

He was also aware that it was now separated from other Sanctuaries by a pitiful, thick barrier.

But Li Xia had never imagined that the Sanctuary had lost its ability to traverse worlds entirely.

[Apologies, esteemed Proxy. The Sanctuary has lost its own pastures and lacks the power to open worlds for your traversal.]

Li Xia: ???

"Wait, then what am I supposed to do?"

[According to the Basic Regulations of the Sanctuary, it is forbidden to infiltrate other Sanctuaries through disguise, simulation, deprivation, or any other means.]

[Judgment: This regulation conflicts with the Sanctuary's Core Regulation Article 1: The Sanctuary must maintain its own conflict.]

[Judgment in progress: Core Regulation Article 1 holds supreme authority. Lifting Sanctuary restrictions.]

[Esteemed Proxy, the Sanctuary will disguise you as an Apostle of another Sanctuary and transport you to the 'Joint Trial'.]

[Searching for a trial ground to infiltrate...]

[Locked onto the Mountain of Light - 19th Joint Trial Battlefield!]

[Infiltrating... Bypassed outer barrier. Rewriting the Proxy's mathematical description... Overwriting...]

[Read/Write successful! Preparing for transport!]

[Due to the use of a special channel, esteemed Proxy, please prepare for impact!]

Before Li Xia’s brain could process what was happening, he felt a massive, overwhelming force surge from the stone slab beneath him. Immediately afterward, it felt as if he had been tossed into a tumble dryer set to its highest speed. His vision warped into bizarre, distorted lines.

Feeling a wave of nausea just from a single glance, Li Xia could only squeeze his eyes shut and grit his teeth, waiting for it to end.

Suddenly, his feet touched solid ground. The force vanished as abruptly as it had arrived, and he stumbled forward involuntarily.

A barrage of notifications refreshed before his eyes.

[Successfully breached the barrier. Arrived at the Joint Trial battlefield.]

[Applying disguise...]

[Disguise successful!]

[Esteemed Proxy, please strive for the best possible ranking in this world to attract the attention of other Sanctuaries. At that time, it will be highly likely that you are granted a special mark by an Apostle.]

[Once the Proxy acquires the mark, the final step of the disguise will be perfected, and you will formally become an Apostle of that Sanctuary, possessing dual identities and gaining the ability to enter that Sanctuary normally.]

[To repair the Sanctuary, 50% of the Opportunities for Transcendence acquired by the Proxy will be intercepted by the 'Sanctuary of Transcendence' to restore itself.]

[To assist the Proxy in rapid growth, the Sanctuary of Transcendence will activate special auxiliary functions for you.]

[Ding! You have activated the Precious Item Passive Detection Aura.]

[Ding! You have activated the Mini-map Automatic Guidance.]

[Esteemed Proxy, the Sanctuary awaits your next triumph!]

Intercepting 50% of the Opportunities for Transcendence wasn't a problem; after all, that was only used for settlement and gaining merit points. Besides, the better the Sanctuary recovered, the more it benefited him.

Li Xia sat on the ground, clutching his forehead with one hand, feeling dizzy. He never expected the Sanctuary to play a card like this.

Smuggling into other dimensions—becoming an undercover agent?

The situation reminded him of old Hong Kong crime films, where a gang leader wipes his subordinate's record clean, sends him to the police academy, and has him pass the examinations with flying colors to catch the eye of a high-ranking police official.

Then, the subordinate climbs the ranks rapidly, secretly funneling resources to the gang leader and helping the organization grow.

The critical issue was... I’m the damn gang leader!

Did the undercover agent just send the boss out to go undercover???

He opened his personal panel:

[Name: Li Xia]
[ID: 27149]
[Level: First-Order Apostle (Primary Proxy)]
[Merit Rank: None (Prince)]
[Physical Strength Assessment: 1 (First-Order, Carbon-based lifeform)]
[Strength: 9]
[Agility: 9]
[Intelligence: 6]
[Spirit: 8]
[Physique: 8]
[Luck: 0]
[Skills: Sun Breathing LV5 (Mastery: 6%), The End of Technique LV1 (Beginner: 30%), Basic Shooting LV1 (Beginner: 50%)]
[Equipment: Night Silence (Blue), Sprout Leather Armor (Green), Soft Trousers (Green), Hiking Boots (Green), Scott Type-I Combat Support System (Blue)]
[Personal Storage: 5 cubic meters (100 - ???) (Depends on the degree of Sanctuary restoration)]
[Talent: Blessing in Misfortune (Destiny-grade)]

Looking at his ID number, 27149, Li Xia’s mouth twitched twice before he slowly closed the panel.

He began to observe his surroundings.

The place resembled a massive opera house, only without seats or a ceiling. Looking up, one could only see the vast starry sky, as if they were suspended in the cosmos. Streams of light converged from beyond the universe, descending like meteors into the surrounding area.

As the light dissipated, human silhouettes were revealed. Within moments, nearly a hundred people had gathered.

They were dressed in various styles—Eastern and Western, ancient and modern—wielding cold and hot weapons alike. It looked like a grand costume party. The only difference from cosplay was that their weapons gleamed with a cold light; they were clearly the real deal.

Seeing so many people, Li Xia felt a subtle sense of emotion. It felt like playing a single-player game for a long time and finally getting online.

"What's going on? Didn't I already pass the trial? Why another one?"

Li Xia’s mind stirred as he looked toward the voice. He saw a tall, burly Black man complaining incessantly.

"Idiot!" A young man not far away sneered. "Could it be that you spent your days in the Sanctuary doing nothing but playing with your simulated companion?"

"What are you looking at?" A white light flashed in the young man's eyes. "...Status: Excessive indulgence... All attributes temporarily reduced by 1. Pfft, there really is such an idiot! I have no idea how you passed the initial trial."

As soon as these words were spoken, those nearby who had been listening cast surprised glances at the man.

The Black man roared in anger and lunged forward, only to be blocked by an invisible force.

"Forget it. Talking to an idiot who doesn't even understand the concept of a safe zone is a waste of my breath." The young man shrugged and sat down, fiddling with his weapons.

"Alright, everyone, don't argue. I happen to know some information, and I'm willing to share it with you all," a gentlemanly middle-aged man with a white beard, wearing a waistcoat and holding a cane, said gently.

"The Joint Trial is usually a war world, used by the Mountain of Light for selection and assessment. It is a completely different concept from the solo trials we experienced before. On the battlefield, individual strength is irrelevant; unity is more important. So, I suggest we try to avoid conflict."

Some people in the crowd remained unmoved, clearly having already learned this information, while others nodded with furrowed brows, appearing to hear it for the first time. They were clearly not good at socializing or lacked sources of information.

The white-bearded man continued unhurriedly: "War worlds do not encourage us to kill each other, so there is no benefit in doing so. Therefore, I propose we form a temporary team. Don't worry, there are no restrictions; you can come and go as you please. It's just to get through the initial difficult period."

A temporary team?

Seeing some people interested, a flash of joy crossed the white-bearded man's eyes. "The group size doesn't need to be large; too many people lead to disagreements. Besides, my temporary agreement can only sign 10 people. Also... I am an auxiliary pharmacist. If you are interested, you can come to me."

Auxiliary class? Pharmacist?

This statement completely piqued the interest of those nearby. People immediately stepped forward to talk, and with others taking the lead, more were persuaded.

Soon, the white-bearded man was surrounded. Out of the hundred-plus people in the 'opera house', he wasn't the only one doing this; within moments, the crowd had split into small groups.

There were others, like Li Xia, who sat quietly in place, appearing to have no interest in joining any team.

Lone wolves? Li Xia watched the people around him with interest, feeling that an online game was truly fascinating.

Moreover... Li Xia looked at the dozen or so groups that had fully formed. Their numbers varied, but they accounted for over 90% of the people in the room.

Why did the Mountain of Light have everyone gather here and leave a half-hour gap?

I fear... Li Xia lowered his eyes, his gaze deep.

The assessment began the moment everyone arrived...

Just then, a prompt from the Sanctuary popped up in everyone’s vision.

[All Apostles, please be advised: The Joint Trial assessment is about to begin!]