"Why do we have to take the trial after completing the contract, why don't you go yourself?" A middle-aged man shouted angrily at Lao Gu.
"Well said, this concerns the life and death of us all, so you can't be the only ones taking the risk. Besides these two Magic Armor Masters, 42 management personnel, including myself, will be divided into three groups to take turns joining the trial with you, while the remaining two groups will maintain order and monitor the dynamics on the other side of the passage." Lao Gu glanced at the middle-aged man and continued, "For the safety of everyone's lives, we must acquire as many Demon Cores as possible."
"You go if you want, I'm one Demon Core away from completing my contract, and once I complete it, I refuse to go to the trial again," the middle-aged man shouted.
Boom!
As soon as he finished speaking, a Magic Armor Master appeared before him like a phantom and blew up his head with a punch before he could react.
The body, along with the head, didn't even have time to react. After the head was blown off, the headless body stood for a moment before slowly falling backward.
"In these extraordinary times, anyone who wants to drag everyone down and jeopardize our survival will meet this fate." Lao Gu swept the room with his cold gaze, causing many to lower their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.
"I won't let everyone work for nothing; for Demon Cores acquired beyond the contract, once the crisis is over, you will be rewarded at twice the market price when you leave." Seeing no one else challenging him, Lao Gu slowly said.
Seeing quite a few people seem tempted, Li Xiu thought to himself, "This Lao Gu is just an administrator of a base, and his methods are already so formidable. What exactly are they planning?"
Administrators joining the trial team seem to increase the numbers, but it actually makes it more difficult.
Most of these administrators have undergone strengthening experiences through the Trial Gate, so their abilities are certainly stronger than average people.
In competitive trials among Trial Takers, the probability of average people's death can actually become higher.
Many Trial Takers understood this, but with the Magic Armor Masters intimidating them, no one dared to speak up.
Under Lao Gu's command, the Trial Gate of the Sea Heaven Trial Ground opened once again.
Li Xiu and others, under the threat of guns, could only rush into the Trial Gate once more, along with fourteen administrators entering the Trial Gate as well.
"Ugh! Another C-level trial!" someone immediately complained upon seeing the C mark on the screen inside the trial ground.
C-level trials occur relatively infrequently, mostly having E-level and D-level trials, where the death rates are much lower.
Li Xiu found that this trial ground was significantly different from the last one.
Though it was still a stadium-like structure, this time they were not on the stands; instead, everyone was on the field.
The trial ground was an oval track, with nearly a hundred people assigned to different starting points, much like an athletics competition.
Outside the starting line, there seemed to be an invisible barrier blocking everyone's path.
"A speed trial?" Li Xiu was a bit frustrated.
No matter how strong his natural abilities were, he couldn't increase his speed, which was a reflection of physical fitness. While skills played a part, the key was still physical fitness.
This kind of trial wasn't very friendly to Li Xiu.
"Welcome to the Sea Heaven Trial Ground. The trial difficulty is C-level. The trial rules are as follows..." A cold and emotionless voice sounded once more.
Upon understanding the rules, some looked excited, while others broke down crying.
As expected, it was an athletics-type trial. The track was 800 meters per lap, longer than a typical track.
The trial rule was to complete a lap within one and a half minutes to score a point. Those taking more than two minutes who ranked in the bottom thirty would fail the trial. Trial Takers not in the last thirty would also be deemed to have completed the trial and could score a point to receive a Demon Core reward.
A six hundred-second countdown began, and when it ended, the trial would start.
Li Xiu looked at his bracelet. The number showed 57.
This meant his ranking among these people was 57th. After calculating the number of participants, there were a total of 92 people.
In other words, there were 35 people whose physical fitness was inferior to Li Xiu's, so he shouldn't fall into the bottom thirty in this trial.
As for completing the trial in one and a half minutes, it was simply impossible for ordinary people.
Even the previous world record holders of the 800 meters couldn't finish within one and a half minutes, and the gap wasn't small. Only those who went through multiple strengthenings among Trial Takers could possibly achieve such a result.
It was estimated that more than half of the participants in this trial couldn't meet the one-and-a-half-minute threshold, striving only not to be among the last thirty.
Li Xiu also realized the importance of physical fitness in trials, but no one expected two consecutive C-level trials.
Before coming to the Abyss Base, Li Xiu had already researched this location. The Sea Heaven Trial Ground commonly featured E-level and D-level trials, which were not overly difficult and typically not fatal. As long as one's physical fitness reached the level of a professional athlete, the chances of passing were high.
Consecutive C-level difficulty tests were not something Li Xiu anticipated, but he wasn't completely unprepared.
"Which of you two killed Wu Luo?" An administrator Trial Taker walked up to Li Xiu and Ah Fei and asked, glaring at them.
"What do you want to do?" Just as Li Xiu was about to say something, Ah Fei looked at the administrator Trial Taker and asked.
"Wu Luo was brought here by me; he was my friend. I have to give his parents an explanation. Whoever killed him must pay the price." The administrator Trial Taker said with a grim face.
Others retreated to the side, leaving only the administrator Trial Taker, Li Xiu, and Ah Fei in the area.
"In trials like this, one must accept fate if they lose," Ah Fei said.
"So you're admitting you killed Wu Luo?" The administrator Trial Taker stared at Ah Fei with murderous intent in his eyes.
"What if I did, what if I didn't?" To Li Xiu's surprise, Ah Fei did not deny it and ambiguously responded.
"It's good that you admit it." The administrator Trial Taker nodded and said, "You're right. In trials like this, one must accept fate if they lose."
"Rest assured, I won't kill you, but I will break one of your legs. Hopefully, you can continue winning the trial." The administrator Trial Taker said as he approached Ah Fei step by step, raising his fists, steady and rhythmic in his steps.
"This has nothing to do with her, Wu Luo died because he lost to me," Li Xiu stepped out and said. He didn't want to implicate others and didn't want to hide behind a woman.
Just from the administrator's posture, it was clear that he was skilled in combat techniques, and his strength and speed probably weren't inferior to Ah Fei's.
"Who was it really?" The administrator Trial Taker looked at Ah Fei.
"What do you think?" Ah Fei countered.
"I heard his ranking was 49; with such physical fitness, he shouldn't have been able to beat Wu Luo. But no matter, breaking an additional leg won't take much effort." The administrator Trial Taker didn't want to waste time; he intended to break both Ah Fei's and Li Xiu's legs before the trial began.