Chapter 91

“Outside the venue where the Contract Trial was being held, the audience watched nervously as the numbers on the giant projection screen changed constantly.

The first fluctuations appeared in the harvest counts of the contestants’ wheat fields. Within less than five minutes after the start, about half of the contestants saw their wheat field counts drop below 50/100.

‘The first challenge of this year’s trial must be a locust plague, right?’ analyzed a seasoned local resident of Xizhou.

‘Only a locust plague could cause the numbers to drop this fast at the start,’ another person agreed.

‘Even though they’re just small insects, swarming together can turn them into a disaster. Sigh… thank goodness for the Blessing of Abundance…’

‘Look, someone’s coming out.’

Near the connection point of the venue, trial participants who failed to defend their fields began appearing one after another. Unable to pass even the first level, they were barred from progressing to the Fenghe Basin and could only be teleported back to the venue.”

“Most of these people were casual participants, joining for the experience rather than with serious intent, so they didn’t attract much attention.

Before long, a staff member from the organizers, a Beastmaster contracted with the ‘Vision System V-Type,’ approached and pulled up another screen at the edge of the giant projection, displaying a new scene.

The audience immediately buzzed with excitement.

‘Are they activating the Fenghe Basin surveillance?’

‘Does that mean someone has already passed the Contract Trial and officially entered the secret realm…?’

‘Clearing the secret realm so quickly—could this person be really skilled?’ someone asked.

Hearing this, the previously speaking Xizhou local couldn’t hold back and turned to look at the person, saying, ‘First time watching the Harvest Festival, huh?’

‘The Contract Trial gets increasingly harder with each level. Starting from the fifth level, the difficulty more than doubles with each layer. The later someone clears, the more impressive they are.’

‘The ones clearing now are just those who barely survived the first layer, the locust plague, and had their wheat fields devoured.’

‘Oh, I see!’ The tourist, enlightened by the explanation, nodded in realization.

As the two conversed, the first trial participant to clear appeared on the projection screen, wearing a badge from Yunzhou University on their chest.

Due to the spatial instability, the terminal of the Vision System V-Type did not display the interior of the secret realm. The background remained a blank, void-like scene.”

“Ha! The first unlucky one to drop out this year is from Yunzhou University. Yunzhou really isn’t cutting it this time.”

“Just keep watching. The star players haven’t shown up yet. I heard that Yunzhou’s genius researcher is participating in the Harvest Festival this year…”

“…”

It wasn’t just the tourists at the venue who were following the trial through the screens; high-ranking officials from the festival’s organizing committee were also present at the event.

The Harvest Festival was organized by the Beastmaster Association of Pingchuan City in Xizhou and the Xizhou Secret Realm Affairs Bureau, which specializes in maintaining contact with Xizhou’s guardian deity and monitoring the Fenghe Basin secret realm.

In an office behind the Contract Trial venue, the president of the Pingchuan City Beastmaster Association was holding a cup of gaiwan tea, his gaze fixed on a projection terminal of the Vision System V-Type left in the office.

Seated beside him was a secret realm official sent by the Bureau, a B-level investigator.

Their role at the site was to ensure smooth communication and coordination with the Withering-Prosperity Spirit Deer, leaving no room for error in wrapping up the event. After all, this directly impacted the next three years’ harvest in Xizhou and influenced the grain supply for Dayan as a whole.

The triennial Harvest Festival was a public event, but for managers of their level, it also served as the most critical opportunity to interact with Xizhou’s guardian deity.

Of course, since the festival lasted many days, finding some entertainment while stationed at the site was only natural.

For instance, the highly anticipated Contract Trial.

In the early days, this event was only attended by locals from Xizhou. Gradually, it became a stage for the heirs of prominent families to compete and show off. Later, participants from across the country joined, transforming it into a large-scale and unique competition, making it even more interesting.

Both men were well-versed in how the trial illusion of Wheat Field Guardians operated and fully aware of how terrifying the final levels could be for Beastmasters below Level 5.

The last Beastmaster to clear all seven levels of the Harvest Festival trial did so twelve years ago.

That person later rose rapidly through the ranks, eventually becoming one of Dayan’s legendary Beastmasters.

“I wonder if anyone will break through the seventh level this year?” the association president mused, sipping his tea with a cheerful expression.

“I think that girl from the Han family has a good shot,” the B-level investigator from the Pingchuan Affairs Bureau replied.

Being a local of Xizhou, he was familiar with the prominent families in the region. Han Ruoyunn’s talent was unmatched even when compared to her peers across all of Dayan. She was undoubtedly the brightest heir of her generation.

“Didn’t they say Yunzhou brought some impressive students this year too?” The association president shifted his posture, leaning closer to the screen. “Look, someone else is coming out now.”

As time passed, more Beastmasters began appearing on the projection terminal.

Some had reached the second level, others the third, but all were participants who had already lost most of their wheat fields during the first-level locust plague.

The most recent trial participant to appear was someone both the association president and the B-level investigator recognized: Han Qi, also from the Han family of master craftsmen.

Han Qi’s face was filled with regret. He had barely cleared the fourth level, but as soon as he encountered the Ancient Frost Pine on the fifth level, his wheat field was completely destroyed, dropping to [0/100], and he was subsequently teleported back here.

Looking around, Han Qi did not see his cousin among the trial participants who had been eliminated, and his expression grew even darker.

The association president leisurely sipped his tea. For most trial participants, the limit was the fifth level, as the Monarch Races’ combat power appeared starting from the fifth level. Coupled with the accumulated damage from previous levels, those who made it through and reached the sixth level were already considered the elite among Level 5 Beastmasters.

Clearing the sixth level meant qualifying as a Master Beastmaster, while those who cleared the seventh level…

According to records from the Harvest Festival, without exception, all those who cleared the seventh level became legendary Beastmasters, hailed as the proud elites of Dayan.

After all, the enemies of the seventh level were likely to be from the Emperor Races.

During their conversation over tea, more trial participants continued to exit the illusion and appeared on the projection screen.

Xu Chenglu, with his Red-Spotted Tortoise, emerged. He had cleared the fifth level, and in the final moments, he and the tortoise had fought the Ancient Frost Pine to the death. Although they had barely managed to defeat the opponent, his wheat field had been entirely consumed in the process.

He glanced around at the other eliminated trial participants but didn’t see any familiar faces among them. With a sigh, he resigned himself to the outcome.

Although he already knew it… being the weakest among these participants still stung deeply. It was truly disheartening.

The Red-Spotted Tortoise nudged its Beastmaster’s knee with its head, as if trying to offer comfort and encouragement.

Xu Chenglu patted his partner gently, then looked at the fifth-level guardian crystal in his hand. He hoped this time he would encounter a suitable earth-type pet beast to form a contract with.

Not long after him, Lin Lin and Han Ruoyunn appeared one after the other.

Both looked rather displeased, and upon landing and seeing each other’s faces, they visibly froze for a moment.

“…You also cleared the sixth level, didn’t you, Han Ruoyunn?” Lin Lin asked.

“Looks like you did too,” Han Ruoyunn replied, raising an eyebrow.

“That’s surprising, Lin Lin.” Her disappointment at failing the seventh level faded significantly when she saw Lin Lin’s equally sour expression, giving her a chance to speak with a teasing tone.

This rare opportunity couldn’t be wasted; if she didn’t seize the moment to get in a jab or two at Lin Lin now, she might not get another chance later.

“Inverted Space shouldn’t be even more advantageous the stronger the opponent, right? Didn’t you manage to swap and win against a War General species in the national rankings? That Emperor species on the seventh level shouldn’t have been able to lose to a low-level elite species after the inversion, right?”

The usually sharp-tongued Lin Lin fell silent for once, unable to find a retort.

“Oh… I get it now.” Han Ruoyunn’s tone shifted, becoming teasing and a bit provocative. “The limit is the Monarch species, isn’t it? Did I just uncover the biggest weakness of Inverted Space? It seems Forget-Leaf Grass can’t swap places with an Emperor species—”

“If we’re going to talk about that, aren’t you in the same boat, Han Ruoyunn?” Lin Lin cut her off.

“Hypothetical Alchemy is theoretically capable of crafting any tool, as long as you’ve prepared adequately. Resisting an Emperor species should be entirely feasible.”

Lin Lin crossed her arms, her tone sharp and unyielding. “…Because Hypothetical Alchemy shares the same weakness as Inverted Space: it can’t work against targets that surpass its energy threshold, isn’t that right?”

“Strictly speaking, I wouldn’t call that a weakness,” Han Ruoyunn replied with a shrug, unconcerned. After all, was there really any skill in the world capable of exceeding its own energy limits?

If she were to push herself, Han Ruoyunn might have stood a chance against the Emperor species on the seventh level. However, the Ancient Frost Pine on the fifth level had drained too much of her wheat field’s harvest points, leaving her defeated shortly after entering the seventh level.

It couldn’t be helped. Her steel-type Little Attendant and fire-type Little Charcoal weren’t well-suited for dealing with ice-based skills. Just making it through the sixth level had already depleted all the reserves she’d built up.

“What about Mu Huiyue?” Lin Lin asked, scanning the area. The absence of the person who most piqued her curiosity was glaringly obvious.

“She hasn’t come out yet, so she must be challenging the seventh level,” Han Ruoyunn said. “With her Monarch-class pet beast, she would have cleared the earlier levels even faster than we did.”

Lin Lin clicked her tongue in frustration, unable to hide her discontent.

No matter how Mu Huiyue ultimately performed, the fact that she had lasted this long on the seventh level already proved she was stronger than anyone else present.

In this small, private competition they had agreed upon, Mu Huiyue’s victory was indisputable.

Meanwhile, in the office at the back of the event venue, the two senior officials overseeing the Harvest Festival were also keeping a close eye on the progress of the Contract Trial.

“That girl from the Han family came so close. What a pity,” the B-class investigator remarked, shaking his head.

“She used up too many wheat field points on the fifth level,” the association president pointed out, hitting the crux of the matter. “Members of the forging families are still not adept at handling cold environments or ice-element pet beasts.”

“Are there still participants left in the trial illusion?”

“She and the one from the Institute of Wood Studies should be the last ones… Wait.”

The president’s gaze focused sharply on the last remaining line of trial data displayed on the giant projection screen.

The participant, recommended by the Institute of Dark Attribute Studies at Jingzhou University: Mu Huiyue.

Trial Illusion: Seventh Level

Accompanying Pet Beasts: Fangblade Soldier, Little Cloud Hound

Wheat Field Points: [45/100]

She’s been in the seventh level of the trial for quite some time, yet still has 45/100 wheat field points remaining!

Mu Huiyue entered the seventh level with more than half of her wheat field points intact. This indicates that she cleared the earlier levels virtually unscathed, allowing none of the trial enemies to claim even a single stalk of wheat—aside from minor environmental impacts.

This performance surpasses the data of the participant who cleared the trial twelve years ago, nearly setting a new record for the highest achievement in the Wheat Field Guardian trial illusion since its introduction in the Harvest Festival’s Contract Trial.

The association president set down the teacup in his hand, his expression filled with astonishment.

“It seems that the little ones born in the ‘Fenghe Basin’ this year will finally get to see the real seventh-level Guardian Crystals.”