Chapter 96: (92) I Am Not Royalty (Asking for monthly tickets, recommendations, and subscriptions)_1

Translator: 549690339

9:30 a.m. sharp.

Pei Jinye was led to a secluded room where two invigilators were present, and the surveillance camera in the upper left corner was turned on.

“Please put on the glasses,”

came a middle-aged man’s voice from the electronic eye.

One of the invigilators tore off the seal on the safe and took out the glasses.

Pei Jinye then received a pair of black “glasses” that resembled VR goggles from his previous life.

After putting them on,

a line of small text suddenly appeared in front of him.

[Declaration: This assessment system does not involve any biological information of the examinee…]

[Notice: During the assessment, all attacks received will be converted to a sensation of pain. If you cannot endure it, you may choose the exit button. Exiting is considered a failure of the assessment…]

After 15 seconds,

the small text updated.

[This assessment is limited to 10 hours with three tasks. Each task will be scored upon completion. Exceeding the time limit or exiting midway will be considered a failure. Will you proceed with this assessment?]

[Countdown begins 5 seconds… 4 seconds…]

“Yes!”

The moment Pei Jinye consented, he suddenly felt a sensation of falling, which startled him.

He could not tell whether he was literally falling or if it was just his consciousness traveling… The wind created by the fall roared like an angry Wind Dragon.

A flash of darkness passed before his eyes.

Pei Jinye’s feet suddenly landed firmly on solid ground, and the sensation of weightlessness vanished completely.

As the scenery in his vision began to emerge, Pei Jinye heard a noise growing louder as it approached.

The sea breeze brushed against his face, and Pei Jinye finally saw his situation clearly.

He was on a massive sea vessel, cutting through the waves on the boundless ocean. The ship was a hundred meters above the sea level, making it difficult to fathom its true enormity.

“Drip.”

A raindrop fell, carried by the wind onto Pei Jinye’s face, its realistic touch caused him to pause briefly.

“Feels quite real, doesn’t it?”

Suddenly, the voice of Gu Wutong came from behind him.

Pei Jinye turned around to look.

Gu Wutong was wiping his blade and what caught Pei Jinye’s attention was the bloodstain on the handkerchief used for cleaning the blade.

Gu Wutong spoke nonchalantly, “Just dealt with someone I didn’t like. The blood is real… or rather, this is an extremely realistic world.”

His gaze swept to a silhouette not far away.

“Looks like all the competitors from this continent are probably here.”

He casually tossed aside the handkerchief and, smiling at Pei Jinye, said, “Brother, for Old King’s sake, I’ll give you some honest advice — don’t treat this assessment like any ordinary test. When it comes to competitions where you can fight with all you’ve got, don’t play nice. A future is something you fight for.”

After speaking, he walked away sharply and decisively.

Opposite him, a group of people pointed at Gu Wutong and shouted angrily, “He was the one who initiated the fight!”

Gu Wutong laughed loudly, “Here I am! Come and fight me, if you dare!”

Pei Jinye was taken aback.

At that moment, a new line of text appeared in his vision.

[Trial Task One: Please proceed to room 1101 to unlock Sealing Object D-21. The countdown for the assessment will start in 10 minutes. Failure to commence is considered withdrawal.]

Subsequently, green guiding light footsteps appeared on the deck within Pei Jinye’s vision.

Not far off, Gu Wutong burst into laughter fighting one against three. The glint of his blade spread out as three people fled in panic, and he followed, laughing heartily, “Why run? Isn’t there more than nine minutes left? Come and fight!”

“Gu Wutong, don’t be so arrogant! My big brother definitely won’t let you off once we get out of here!”

“Gu Wutong, you dare!!!”

“Hahaha, what wouldn’t I dare? If your brother dares to trip me up, I dare to chop you. I’ll chop you every time I see you!”

“Madman! You’re a madman!”

Out of the corner of his eye, Pei Jinye caught a glimpse of the commotion behind him and understood why Old King found Gu Wutong so troublesome. Like most of the others, he took a quick glance and then headed for their respective assessment rooms.

Taking the elevator.

It was almost indistinguishable from reality.

Less than three minutes had passed, and Pei Jinye arrived at room 1101 guided by the green lights.

[Iris verification successful. Please enter.]

As the lock turned, the door to room 1101 opened automatically, and Pei Jinye walked in.

At the same time, many figures in the corridor behind him stepped into their respective rooms.

[Sealing Object D-21: Black Mirror]

The moment the door shut behind him, a new line of text appeared in Pei Jinye’s vision. He stepped forward, about to stretch out his hand,

when suddenly, a woman’s voice rang out beside his ear.

“Into the dream.”

Inside the military base,

nearly everyone was gathered around Mr. Han, staring at the giant projection.

Upon seeing Gu Wutong’s behavior on the deck, some looked visibly disturbed, especially a representative from the Judiciary who frowned slightly.

“Who is he?”

The Governor paused briefly befuddled before saying in a calm voice, “He’s the grandson of former Governor Gu Jiayuan.”

“Humph!” The representative snorted coldly: “No sense of propriety in his bearing, seated or standing!”

The current Governor just smiled and said nothing.

Mr. Han, composed and affable, added, “Young people can often provide us with fresh perspectives from their unfettered imagination. Why so troubled, Director Song?”

The displeased representative from the Judiciary did not say anything else.

Mr. Han looked at a list handed over by someone else,

as if he asked nonchalantly, “Have you done background checks on the three competitors from Da Peng City this year?”

“We have. Here’s the list…” The Governor personally handed over the background information, “This one is the young master of Changhe Logistics Group, Wei Xianren. His Transcendent classification is a special Freezing type. The evaluation from the smart brain is A level…”

As the Governor spoke, he carefully gauged Mr. Han’s reaction.

However, he realized his disappointment.

An A level rating seemed to be unable to stir any interest in Mr. Han at all.

The Governor felt somewhat regretful, like a salesman who tries hard to pitch the finest products from his store only to be ignored by an experienced and knowledgeable customer.

Nevertheless, despite all this, the Governor’s expression did not show any change.

His gaze followed as Mr. Han ruthlessly flipped to the second page, and he immediately explained, “This person is the Gu Wutong mentioned earlier. He’s from the Special Psychic Class. The intelligent brain assessment rated him as B plus.”

“I remember seeing him last year at the Federation’s Third-Class Medal Awarding Ceremony. Hasn’t he joined the Military Department yet?” Mr. Han asked thoughtfully as he looked up.

The Governor paused slightly.

This news was completely unknown to him.

It was the Judiciary representative sitting beside him, who had been silent until now, who spoke up, “This young Mr. Gu did not pass the ideologic test at the Judgement Place, and therefore, his application to the Military Department was rejected. Mr. Xu should be aware of this matter.”

All eyes turned to Xu Tian.

Xu Tian’s expression became slightly stiff, and he mused, “I have heard about this issue, but I am not aware of the specifics. There are always cases of rejections every year, and I haven’t paid much attention to them.”

As he spoke, he glanced at Mr. Han, watching the high-ranking official’s expression without showing his own feelings.

Mr. Han’s face remained completely calm until—

“Pei Jinye? Born a civilian?”

Roused by a familiar name, Xu Tian abruptly looked up.

That kid also signed up for the elite examination?

Mr. Han looked up at the Governor, who calmly responded, “We have verified this point. Pei Jinye’s ancestors up to his great-grandparents were peasants, who diligently abided by the law. This student is quite lucky; according to the feedback we gathered secretly, he received guidance from Mr. Chang, which greatly facilitated his cultivation.”

“Mr. Chang?” Mr. Han raised an eyebrow, “Is he the notable figure from your Night Patrol Department?”

The Governor nodded.

Mr. Han no longer spoke, his gaze instead turning aloft, as someone adjusted the surveillance to cover the examination area where Pei Jinye was located.

And the document he held read clearly:

Pei Jinye, potential A level.

[Where am I…]

[Oh right, the examination…]

Pei Jinye woke up and slowly opened his eyes.

Six mirrors completely surrounded him.

Darkness enveloped everything around.

Only a beam of light from a far and infinitely distant place above his head cast down light.

[“So… what I need to do now… is to leave this place?”]

[“Hiss, my head hurts.”]

A wave of pain swept over him.

Pei Jinye struggled to lift his head, and the reflection of himself in the mirrors also showed a look of pain.

It was a headache.

Not a simple headache, more like a filamental hoop wrapped tightly around his head, similar to a tightening curse.

But this hoop was not a tangible object; it was an invisible force…

“Crack!”

The six mirrors fractured down the middle, the grating noise of shattering instantly intensified the pain.

Pei Jinye took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself.

He was an Extraordinary Psychic Class; hence, this test must be related to spiritual power.

[“Perception…”]

Pei Jinye tried to touch the mirrors with his spiritual power.

But he found the closer he got, the greater the resistance, and the pain seemed to be growing worse as well.

[“Am I wrong?”]

“Crack!”

The twelve mirrors once again fractured, turning into forty-eight mirrors.

The reflection of “Pei Jinye” appeared as though split into countless pieces.

The sense of confinement was beginning to shift from his head to his neck, and Pei Jinye could feel his breathing becoming problematic.

[“Looking at the current situation, my whole body will be wrapped up next; either I’ll die from asphyxiation or from pain…”]

[“Interesting…”]

The more dangerous the situation, the calmer Pei Jinye seemed with no signs of panic. Instead, he became more tranquil.

The light from above descended, and in the dim surroundings, complete silence… Pei Jinye could even hear his own heartbeat.

[“The mirror can’t be touched? No, it just doesn’t want to be touched by me…”]

Pei Jinye closed his eyes and quietly sensed his surroundings.

He raised his hand.

He took a step forward, and it was as if ripples on water formed under his feet, spreading outward.

The pain intensified… yet a smile appeared on Pei Jinye’s face.

[“Indeed, my guess was not wrong.”]

The moment he first tried to touch the mirror and was obstructed, he had a suspicion.

Everything was an illusion.

The pain was endowed by his own consciousness.

Memories regressed, and Pei Jinye remembered the voice he had heard upon entering the room.

Hypnosis…

He had been hypnotized.

His subconscious perceptions had been altered.

However—

[“The pain is self-imposed, but what about the mirror… is it illusory or not?”]

[Sealing Objects…]

Pei Jinye was not unfamiliar with them.

Unlike Cursed Objects, Sealing Objects have controllable Extraordinary Powers that, when properly utilized, can significantly increase the strength of a Transcendent.

Such items are common in big cities but are considered precious in Da Peng City.

[I have awoken from the hypnosis and seen through the illusions here… The next step is to find the pattern to break out.]

Ripples continued spreading under his feet.

Once Pei Jinye realized it was all an illusion, the accompanying sense of restraint indeed vanished, and the pain disappeared as well, although his spiritual power had decreased by 0.2 on the attribute panel.

Pei Jinye didn’t care.

He continued forward…

The moment his fingertips touched the black mirror surface.

A bone-chilling coldness shocked him like electricity.

Pei Jinye slightly raised an eyebrow.

“Not an illusion?”