GAMMT - Chapter 97
Chapter 97: The Route
After Zhou Linlang left, Fu Chuan watched her departing figure, her gaze lowered slightly as she leaned her body against the wall.
"Young Master Xie."
An Economic Department guard, who had been standing watch outside and would only approach when summoned by Fu Chuan, appeared discreetly.
"The guards at the Arcane Palace have noticed the commotion here."
"They're on their way."
He concealed himself again, leaving to take up a position nearby.
Fu Chuan lowered her head and edited the video captured by her body camera, cutting out the part showing her use of Forbidden Arcane. Just as she finished, she looked up and saw an Arcane Palace guard hovering outside the platform.
Huh?
It was a familiar face.
Guard Thirteen from the Jingyang Arcane Palace.
"It's you. Sir, have you been promoted?"
"You could say that. Been targeted for assassination again?"
"…"
The guard stared at him expressionlessly. Fu Chuan, with a deferential look, bowed and handed over the video of the attack, proving she had acted with just cause.
The guard glanced at her, noting her academy badge. "This area is within the Arcane Palace's surveillance range. Do you require an investigation?"
Although it was within their range, it wasn't under their legal jurisdiction. The Arcane Palace wasn't obligated to intervene if something happened, but if they wanted to or were needed, the official authorities couldn't refuse.
However, if the person involved didn't require it, the Arcane Palace wouldn't meddle.
"It's fine. I'll report it to the academy or the local department later."
Thirteen knew of Xie Keli. After all, the young man was constantly trending, and he had quite a reputation among the great nobles. He was aware of the messy business surrounding him and figured Xie Keli probably didn't want the Arcane Palace involved.
So, Thirteen said nothing more. When Fu Chuan mentioned she was heading to the Arcane Palace, he accompanied her. Adhering to the rules, he didn't ask her purpose and simply escorted her to the entrance. After she went inside, another guard asked him what had happened.
"Nothing much. Just ran into a promising young fellow from Jingyang."
"That one from Jingyang? I've heard of him. Old Jingyang must have gotten lucky to produce someone so formidable. My nephew is also at East Guan and says this guy's momentum is terrifying, putting even the Class S students on high alert. Impressive!"
Thirteen smiled, tempted to add that the kid's talent for stirring up trouble was just as impressive. But another guard suddenly interjected, "People from small places have no perception. Tell your hometown folks to be more careful. A distinguished guest from the Divine Temple's upper echelons is visiting today. Don't let them cause any offense!"
This guard held a higher rank and was arrogant and bossy. Thirteen knew he had some connection to the Que family, so his condescension wasn't surprising. Besides, the matter he mentioned was indeed worth noting.
Unfortunately, Arcane Palace rules forbade guards from privately contacting Arcanists entering or leaving the palace grounds.
Thirteen could only think to himself, "Thankfully, Xie Keli has always been cunning and sharp. If he really runs into some important figure, he'll know to stay out of their way… unless that person deliberately seeks him out."
Whatever, Xie Siyi was the one backing him anyway.
Thirteen quickly decided to let it be and continued to watch over the main entrance.
Inside the Arcane Palace, Fu Chuan headed straight for the dungeon area.
There were many dungeons here, divided into three types. The first was Divine Temple dungeons, built by the Arcane Palace under the Temple's authority. They were relatively safe, focused on testing and training, and offered the lowest point index. The second type was wilderness dungeons controlled by the Divine Temple, with their entrances connected to the Arcane Palace. One could enter for training and to complete normal dungeon clears, and they had a medium point index.
The last type was wilderness dungeons managed by official military departments. They were similar to the second type, but the controlling party was different. The Divine Temple was powerful and prestigious, with countless experts, and generally used these dungeons to screen for new followers. Those who performed well enough would be recruited. The official departments were more straightforward; their main goal was to bolster their forces from all sides and eliminate the monsters wreaking havoc within the dungeons. Because these dungeons were generally more difficult, they offered the highest point index.
Fu Chuan had a plan before she arrived and didn't need to weigh the differences. She directly chose the third type. After selecting the category, a list of dungeons with their locations and information was filtered on the screen below.
Fu Chuan's eyes swept over the list. Thanks to the official teleportation arrays, distance wasn't a concern. The main thing was that it had to fit her purpose for this trip.
It had to allow her to grind EXP and level up, farm points for materials, and create the predicament of her being trapped due to her "lack of strength"… but it couldn't be so dangerous that she would actually die inside.
Fu Chuan looked around, carefully evaluating her options. As she was considering which dungeon was suitable, a new one suddenly popped up among the 24 listed projects.
"Luyuan Mountain Dragon Armor Sting Dungeon? I know this one."
Fu Chuan was taken aback. She had experienced countless dungeons, and she knew the high-difficulty ones like the back of her hand. In the Beluke Province region, the Luyuan Mountain Dragon Armor Sting Dungeon was one of the top three most difficult dungeons for Arcanists between levels 30 and 50. It was known as one of the "death dungeons" because the sheer number of Dragon Armor Stings was overwhelming. Arcanists who entered later couldn't withstand the onslaught and never even made it past the sixth stage, let alone the final seventh stage to fight the BOSS. In the end, the heir of a top consortium used his connections and wealth to gather a massive party of 100 of the most elite level-50 Arcanists in Beluke. He then paid a hefty sum to hire Fu Chuan for guidance, and they finally managed to clear the dungeon after three grueling days.
What left a deep impression on Fu Chuan was that the final BOSS, the Dragon Armor Sting King, was as intelligent as an adult human—cunning and full of tricks. It had repeatedly used long-range commands in the seventh stage to direct the swarms to encircle and intercept players. Some elite Dragon Armor Sting monsters even had a chance to devour and replicate a player after killing them, allowing them to infiltrate groups and spread poison…
The difficulty of it all remained vivid in her memory to this day.
"So it appeared at this point in time. When that group teamed up to take it on, three months had already passed."
Fu Chuan felt a bit nostalgic, but her finger tapped on it anyway.
With the strategy already in her mind, she was confident she could conquer this dungeon without needing to spend three months or even seven days figuring it out. However, she did need to use it to trap herself for a period of time.
Most importantly, the final reward for this dungeon was one of the three great Arcane Truth stones that rarely appeared in Beluke Province even once a century—the orange-tier, top-grade Thousand Birds Return to River.
Fu Chuan thought of the birdcage, of the infinite flow, and suddenly felt a spark of inspiration.
Perhaps the old Dean's original vision didn't include an ultra-rare, top-tier composite field Arcane Truth like Thousand Birds Return to River. It was too rare to obtain, and one couldn't research or create something that was unattainable.
But Fu Chuan felt she should have it.
If she obtained it, her still-incomplete infinite flow could be elevated by another level.
Moreover, the spatial intensity of this dungeon and that Dragon Armor Sting King should be a suitable vessel for her to complete her plan to awaken her pupil technique.
So, Fu Chuan's finger pressed down.
As Fu Chuan was about to enter the dungeon portal, she sensed a commotion in the distance. Turning her head, she saw a group of high-ranking officials from the Beluke Province Arcane Palace's Divine Temple branch accompanying several individuals in orange robes. Among them was a beautiful woman with an arrogant, superior expression. Her cold demeanor was tinged with sharpness. As her gaze swept past Fu Chuan's direction, she didn't pay much attention, only noticing someone entering a dungeon. However, a high-ranking official from the Arcane Palace misunderstood and said with a smile, "Lord Junior Prelate, are you interested in Xie Keli?"
"Who?" the woman asked dismissively.
"Xie Keli. He is one of the rare geniuses of our Beluke Province. Recently…" Although this official was part of the Divine Temple, he was a Beluke native and naturally held some pride for local talent. But before he could finish, the woman cut him off coldly, "Baoli, if you have time, you should see more of the outside world. The word 'genius' is not to be used lightly."
Baoli was embarrassed but could only lower his head and apologize. The other officials didn't dare to speak, thinking that this Junior Prelate from the Temple's upper echelons was truly difficult to deal with—arrogant and ill-tempered. But the Junior Prelates were super-geniuses selected by the Divine Temple; it was in their nature to be proud of their talents. Besides, compared to her, the top talents of Beluke Province really didn't amount to much. It wasn't as if she was looking down on them without reason.
After the group finished their inspection of the Arcane Palace and left for their hotel to rest, two of the high-ranking officials breathed a sigh of relief. Once they were in their office with the door closed, one of them started to complain, "They could have sent anyone, but they had to send her. Everyone knows she's the most arrogant, cold, and selfish among the 148 Junior Prelates in the Empire, only fawning over the Divine Scions and Divine Ladies. Look at her, despising our place while asking about who got good loot from the dungeons… It's disgusting to watch."
"Shh, keep your voice down, don't let her hear you. You know as well as I do that in the Divine Temple, aside from the official management class of Deacons and above, the Junior Prelates are already in the training pipeline to become future Deacons. Besides the nine Divine Scions, Divine Ladies, and Young Palace Masters above them, they have the most promising futures. A little arrogance is inevitable."
Baoli sighed and tried to placate his friend. "I hope the geniuses of our Beluke Province can make us proud, and that one day one of them can be selected as a Junior Prelate."
"I'd rather hope for someone who not only gets selected as a Junior Prelate but also has the Empire's four major departments and the Purple Blood families fighting over them in the future… I heard that the Dean of East Guan Academy suddenly took on a disciple, a necromancer. Her aptitude for Arcane Truth is incredible. And she's from an orphanage, which means her background held her back all these years. If she gets enough resources, she'll make rapid progress and might just reach the threshold for Junior Prelates."
"Let's hope so."
Neither of them mentioned Xie Keli again. For now, Xie Keli's outstanding performance was entirely based on his formidable strategies. But when one reached the true upper echelons of power, talent and strength came first. Only then did strategy have any value.
No matter how clever an ant was, it could never shake a great tree.
Inside the dungeon, Fu Chuan, who had already disguised herself as someone else, teleported to the Luyuan Mountain range. Before her lay a desolate landscape of withered vegetation. It was a barren scene, yet many Arcanists were continuously rushing over.
"Whoa, so many people in this dungeon? A 1000-person limit?"
"Look at its tier—peak blue-grade, with a recommended level of 45. Not recommended for anyone below level 45. That's a high requirement, which just shows how dangerous this dungeon is. Wouldn't it be suicide to go in with fewer people?"
"Hurry up, only 200 spots left! Faster, faster!"
Fu Chuan knew she had made it in the first wave, but as she assessed the situation, a doubt formed in her mind: Dragon Armor Stings belonged to the spirit-devouring family; they constantly consumed energy and life-force substances. That's why the vegetation here would wither after the dungeon manifested. The problem was, since the dungeon had just appeared, why would the official departments be in such a hurry to release it at the Arcane Palace and call upon social forces to clear it? Dungeons were resources for the officials too. They would never outsource something they could handle themselves.
If they did release it, it either meant they couldn't handle it, or they didn't have enough manpower.
Since when did an official department lack manpower?
Fu Chuan's mind worked quickly. She suddenly thought of the Economic Department's recent actions and mused that a major storm must be brewing in Beluke Province, causing official forces to be redeployed for a larger operation. They had no spare personnel to deal with difficult dungeons, so they simply posted it at the Arcane Palace…
Just how big of an event could this be?
A final showdown with the TK Group? The return of that evil organization from years ago?
Fu Chuan felt increasingly like she had stumbled into a huge mess. But the potential rewards were massive; otherwise, she really wouldn't want to get involved.
Ding. Fu Chuan chose to enter the dungeon.
Becoming one of the 1000, she felt her legs go numb the moment she entered. Looking down, she saw a dense swarm of Dragon Armor Stings climbing all over the protective light barrier formed by her orange-grade armor, constantly gnawing at it.
This was the initial stage of the dungeon. In a few days, these Dragon Armor Stings would grow several times larger, and their levels would continuously rise.
As for the current numbers… Fu Chuan looked up and saw mountainsides teeming with them.
Excellent. This dungeon was convincing enough for the outside world to believe she was trapped here after choosing the wrong one. Because this was genuinely intense!
"A month should be about right. After clearing this dungeon, I'll go back and participate in the second phase of the three-month assessment…"
As Fu Chuan calculated, she joined the other Arcanists and began to sweep through the Dragon Armor Sting swarms.
More and more people entered the dungeon until the 1000-person limit was reached.
"Ding. The dungeon is now full. The sky barrier is sealed. We wish you all good luck."
Twenty days later, Fu Chuan fought her way out of the third tunnel on the left side of the fifth level, alone and reeking of filth. By now, her level had reached 35.
There were just too many monsters. Thanks to her endurance, she could kill monsters for far longer than other Arcanists. She didn't need a team at all, operating like a perpetual motion machine as she continuously slaughtered Dragon Armor Stings. When her potions ran out, she used the ones that dropped to keep grinding. When there were no more potions, she used the dropped materials to craft her own!
She had maintained this state of hyper-efficient, self-sufficient monster grinding for 20 days. In this state, Fu Chuan's infinite flow was constantly being perfected. After working in tandem for 20 days, it was more than just practice making perfect.
Her combat skills, arcane comprehension, and a whole series of other abilities were improving at a frantic pace.
Real combat was indeed the best way to get stronger.
She had lost count of how many monsters she had killed, having grown numb to it, but the number was definitely over ten thousand.
"Phew, finally made it to the sixth level."
"It was better back then. With the troops that noble heir brought, we reached the sixth level in just one day."
Fu Chuan thought back to her past gaming experiences with a sense of nostalgia—mainly because that noble heir had been incredibly generous. She had guided them through just one dungeon and received a seven-figure payment directly. On top of that, the strategy video she recorded as a key figure brought in traffic revenue, giving her an eight-figure share every year.
It had to be said that in the era of virtual gaming, Arcane Throne's popularity was number one in the world.
However, when Fu Chuan entered the sixth level, she suddenly discovered that there were already people there.
Huh?
It was a team of about seven or eight people, and Fu Chuan recognized them at a glance.
Wuxu from Xichen Academy and a palm-sized mouse in a pirate costume were very conspicuous. His team also included Carol Diel from East Guan and Yun Zhuzhu from West Jin Academy.
Ah, Fu Chuan really hadn't expected to run into them, but their strength was indeed at the stage where they would be clearing wilderness dungeons. They generally wouldn't stay at their academies.
They were probably grinding this dungeon and planning to head back for their assessments right after.
They just needed to finish the sixth and seventh levels.
They also hadn't expected someone to reach the sixth level solo.
But at almost the same time, five other teams emerged from different entrances, along with another solo player—an ordinary-looking young man, so cold he looked like the world owed him a billion.
They were all elites who had fought their way out of different paths. Generally speaking, among the 1000 Arcanists, these six teams and three solo players were the strongest of the batch, though some teams were much larger.
For example, there was Moyao, a famous pioneer from Beluke Province. He was a poison master, and as a level-50 grand pharmacist, he could supply his team members with a large amount of potion resources. His damage output was formidable, allowing him to attract many followers. Coupled with his own command talent, he often cleared mid- to high-level dungeons and was well-known in the level-50 circle.
This time, his team had nearly a hundred people.
However, after he entered, he looked at Fu Chuan, Wuxu, and the others who were already there, his expression darkening slightly.
Besides Moyao's team, there were several other teams with thirty to forty members each. Normally, such a composition was the standard for tackling a major dungeon.
Wuxu's team was too small, not to mention the three solo players like Fu Chuan.
Moyao spoke first. "Everyone, this is the sixth level. It probably won't be easy. Let's stick together for safety."
"That makes sense, but who will be the leader?" another team leader, Hechuan, said with a smile, his words carrying a sharp edge.
Moyao: "What do you think?"
Carol Diel had a fiery temper. She glanced at them and said coolly, "Who comes to a dungeon for safety? We fight on our own and show what we've got. The capable will prevail."
Wuxu also smiled, drank a potion, and stood up. "Unless you make me the leader and all listen to me. Then I might reluctantly agree."
The students from the Four Great Academies were proud and famous. Their techniques were easily recognizable, so there was no need to hide their identities, unlike the sneaky Fu Chuan who had grand plans to carry out in secret. Thus, the others had recognized them early on.
"The Four Great Academies are truly remarkable. Every student they produce is formidable. A pity…"
Just as Moyao was about to say something, Fu Chuan sensed that something was wrong.
Buzz… buzz… buzz?
It wasn't a sound, but a spatial vibration.
Not good!
Fu Chuan shouted, "The Dragon Armor Stings have opened their carapaces and grown wings! Run!"
She was shocked. She immediately ducked into a tunnel and fled frantically. The people behind her reacted, but they were met with a swarm of Dragon Armor Stings that flew out after tearing through space. Unlike their previous climbing and leaping, these Dragon Armor Stings had now evolved into level-45 Winged Dragon Armor Stings. Each one was blue-grade, and their numbers were terrifying. The first wave alone consisted of five or six hundred of them…
They bombarded the area like cannonballs!
Fu Chuan fled for her life, her mind reeling in shock. What's going on? Weren't the Winged Dragon Armor Stings supposed to appear on the seventh level? Why are they here on the sixth? What change happened behind the scenes to cause this dungeon to mutate…
Fu Chuan had come to this dungeon with calculated precision, thinking everything was under her control. But this sudden turn of events had overturned all her strategies, leaving her flying blind.
But she quickly calmed down. While evading the pursuing Winged Dragon Armor Stings at top speed, she followed the route from her memory. She had to find the Dragon Armor Sting incubation chamber on the sixth level and check the situation there. Perhaps she could find some clues.
However, she remembered that just as she sensed the arrival of the Winged Dragon Armor Stings, one of the solo players had already vanished.
Did that person simply not want to be with a group, or had they sensed something was amiss even earlier?
All she could say was that person was no pushover.
Fifteen minutes later, Fu Chuan arrived at her destination.
Thank goodness! Her memory was excellent; she could still clearly remember a dungeon from so many years ago.
After rushing out of the tunnel entrance, Fu Chuan stared at the massive incubation chamber before her, her expression somewhat dazed.
When she had cleared this dungeon before, the incubation chamber here on the sixth level was twenty meters in diameter. Now, it had expanded into a giant circular sinkhole three hundred meters across. Previously, the chamber was filled with skeletons, which had nurtured the vast swarms of Dragon Armor Stings. But this sinkhole contained more than just skeletons.
Fu Chuan also saw flowing liquid metal beneath the skeletons.
It was flowing into the sinkhole from underground channels through the earth veins, nourishing the bones with immense metallic elemental power and further nurturing the carapaces of the Dragon Armor Stings, accelerating their evolution.
Fu Chuan used a ray of light to examine a bit of the liquid metal, her expression turning grave.
The metal concentration was incredibly high, but it wasn't formed from purely melted metal elements; it contained many impurities.
"Smelted steel?"
"What quantity of metal would that require? And the composition seems to be… steel?"
As Fu Chuan's heart pounded, a thought flashed through her mind. Steel? Ruins? Recent events…
She quickly took out her communicator, opened a map of the empire's mountain ranges she had saved, and simultaneously released a ray of light into the ground. By determining her current position from the underground veins of the Luyuan Mountain range, she could then judge the origin of the liquid metal from its flow trajectory. She followed the trajectory on the map…
Soon, she pinpointed a location.
"The Steel Forest ruins, fifty kilometers away. Its earth veins connect to the Qiling River, and the vast river waters conceal the anomaly beneath the veins. This area is also quite remote. If the relevant departments haven't conducted a field survey, they would never notice someone deliberately using smelting arcana to melt the scrap iron in the Steel Forest and transfer it through the earth veins to this old battlefield… Could their goal be to create this dungeon?"
As Fu Chuan pondered, she felt that this change was also a logical consequence of cause and effect. Qin Minfeng's life or death had affected TK's information sources, altering their decisions—from Zhou Linlang to the Economic Department, to TK's deployments, to the stirring evil organization.
"In that case, their purpose for doing all this isn't just to create a dungeon. This ruin was probably one of their battlegrounds back then. Dragon Armor Stings are a spirit-devouring species. The energy they consume can be transferred to another body through a sacrificial ritual. This person is probably trying to resurrect some big shot from that evil organization who died here."
As Fu Chuan pieced it together, she knew this was a change caused by the butterfly effect.
And this dungeon had already mutated. Whether it was the Dragon Armor Stings, whose numbers had increased more than tenfold, or the inevitably more terrifying Dragon Armor Sting King, and the hidden figures of the evil organization lurking on the seventh level along with the soon-to-awaken big shot.
None of this was within her predictions for this dungeon.
She would have to come up with a new strategy.
But her current strength was definitely not enough.
Fu Chuan thought for a moment, then mimicked her form… transforming into a small Dragon Armor Sting and flying into the stream of liquid metal, following it down into the earth veins.
However, just as she descended, she sensed someone above.
Someone had arrived.
This person had found this place only a short while after her.
Fu Chuan froze.
Huh?
She only remembered the route because of her past-life memories. Could someone among the group on the sixth level be so skilled as to find this place on their own in the vast, maze-like sixth level?
Or could it be… that this person also knew the route?
Doesn't that mean?
Fu Chuan's heart pounded violently, a thought threatening to explode in her mind.
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