Volume One: First Steps in the City Chapter Forty-One: Perilous Gamble and Duel

“Be more careful in the future. Don’t make such mistakes again,” Helian Ying said sternly to Helian Xun.

“Alright.” Helian Xun nodded in acknowledgment, then added, “Xiao Ying, its power seems to have grown. This attack was much stronger than when it appeared at the Helian estate.”

“Is that so?” Helian Ying’s tone betrayed a hint of surprise. “If that’s the case, we’ll deal with it once we return.”

Lu Yi didn’t catch Helian Ying’s last remark. Instead, what echoed in his mind was what Katerina had said: “This time its attack was much stronger than when it went after that person.” Now, even Helian Xun had barely managed to handle it, and she was someone who had once faced Death itself in Shanie’er. She would have likely estimated its strength based on her previous experience.

A cold sweat broke out on Lu Yi’s forehead. Had the difficulty of the mission increased without him noticing? But why?

No new participant should have come into contact with the protagonist at this time. Suddenly, Lu Yi froze as another possibility dawned on him. Perhaps the strength of Death’s attacks hadn’t increased overall; rather, it had become more difficult specifically in targeting him.

It was just like what had happened to Xu Anxuan not long ago. When Lu Yi hadn’t brought anyone along, Death hadn’t shown much power—merely trapping the two in a bathroom, intending to drown them. But as soon as Lu Yi arrived with Katerina, Death’s tricks became endless: explosions, magnetic fields, and more. Lu Yi shuddered—was Death specifically targeting him?

“As for its attacks growing stronger, that’s probably because the curse entwined around this boy is getting deeper,” Helian Ying said, glancing at Lu Yi.

Lu Yi stared blankly at them, stunned. The curse on him was intensifying—nothing strange about that, he thought. After all, the mission lasted only seven days, and the closer to the end, the greater the danger. But then, a sudden inspiration struck him: “resistance.”

Yes, when the old woman had performed an exorcism on him, the system had interpreted it as Lu Yi paying for her help. As a result, after returning, the difficulty of the attacks against him increased. The proof was Xu Yuanbin—when he was targeted, Death hadn’t bothered with any tricks, just a simple javelin to end it all.

Later, when Lu Yi brought Katerina to help Xu Anxuan and Li Xinran, their attacks should have been as straightforward as Xu Yuanbin’s. But because of Lu Yi’s involvement, Death intervened again and upped the challenge.

After Katerina drove Death away, the difficulty of Death’s attacks on Lu Yi increased yet again. That’s why, when Helian Xun confronted Death at its previous strength, she nearly lost her life. It seemed that if Lu Yi kept relying on the power of this world, Death would continually escalate its attacks until he either died or survived until the mission ended.

A cold sweat trickled down Lu Yi’s forehead. It seemed Fang Hao had been right—this path was a dead end, at best a way for the city to supplement its shortage of seasoned practitioners. No wonder Fang Hao was so confident, even when Dong Xingten was surrounded by so many people.

“Hey, hey, what are you thinking about?” Helian Xun shouted into Lu Yi’s ear.

He jolted out of his thoughts and looked at Helian Xun. The idea of inviting her to stay and lend her strength had already been abandoned.

Now, he saw only two options: either to refuse others’ help and focus on awakening the Demon Eye, making it strong enough to confront Death and keep the difficulty of attacks from escalating; or to seek out the safe haven Fang Hao had once mentioned.

After quickly settling on his next course of action, Lu Yi mustered an awkward smile. “It’s nothing. By the way, what brings you here?”

“My grandmother sent me to investigate something, so I just happened to be passing by,” Helian Xun replied vaguely.

Lu Yi could tell she didn’t want to elaborate, but guessed it was probably linked to the major events to come. With a sincere smile, he bowed slightly to Helian Xun and Helian Ying. “Thank you both for your help.”

As he said this, Lu Yi froze. Would his difficulty level increase again because of this?

Helian Xun, unaware of his thoughts, looked him up and down with a laugh. “Who would have thought we’d run into you here, right, Xiao Ying?”

She turned to Helian Ying, who gave Lu Yi a glance. “Yes, I almost thought he’d taken his demon-hunting relics and buried himself somewhere, yet he’s still alive. That’s surprising.”

She scrutinized him for a moment, then frowned. “The Blood of the Original Shaman.”

Lu Yi’s heart skipped a beat—Helian Ying’s perception was frighteningly sharp.

“What?” Helian Xun looked at them, puzzled.

“It’s nothing,” Helian Ying chuckled. “I heard you say he’s not fated to die, and back at the Helian estate, he chose the item most advantageous to himself. Now, yet another opportunity presents itself. Still, I think his luck isn’t enough to stand against what he faces now.”

Lu Yi’s expression darkened—Helian Ying spoke the truth; his situation was indeed dire.

Seeing his face, Helian Ying nodded slightly. “So you understand your predicament. I’ll give you one more chance to prove your luck. I will show you several maps to secret places. Choose one, and I’ll help you enter its core. You may take whatever is useful to you. Well, do you want to try?”

Lu Yi was taken aback, looking at Helian Ying in confusion. “Why are you helping me?”

“It’s nothing,” Helian Ying replied, glancing at Helian Xun. “It’s just that Xun believes you might recreate the glory of that person from before, so I decided to test your fate in her presence.”

“Destiny,” Lu Yi’s eyes widened. He sensed this challenge might surpass the previous one, but it could also be a monumental turning point. “I accept.”

Helian Ying nodded, then produced several maps from somewhere and spread them out on the riverbank with a smile.

Helian Ying stood aside. “These are maps marking secret locations. Unlike when you chose items at the Helian estate, most of these maps contain no energy at all. And as a mortal, you can’t possibly gauge the significance of the individuals associated with these maps. This means you’re making a choice in completely unknown territory—a pure gamble of luck, or more precisely, a gamble with your life. Now, use your own hand to choose your fate.”

She gestured for Lu Yi to make his choice.

Lu Yi smiled faintly. How could a native of this world know about the city’s existence? Even if these maps contained no energy, as long as they were authentic, the city would classify them based on the difficulty and ultimate reward behind each secret place. All he had to do was scan them to see which one held the highest difficulty and the greatest reward—the result would be obvious.

Just as Lu Yi was feeling confident, ready to astonish the Helian sisters, the city’s mechanical prompt sounded in his mind.

“Detected: Practitioner is engaged in a wager with a world native. Because this wager greatly impacts subsequent developments, the city will suspend all active and passive prompts during the wager.”

“Ding. The following is a personal notification from the city for the practitioner. Disclosure of any information from this notification in any form during the current trial is strictly forbidden.

Ding. This is a hidden achievement. Sale of such information in the city is strictly prohibited.”

“As you have guessed, the difficulty of the attacks you will face will continue to increase, and in such crises, there will be no way to escape unscathed. Before you is a choice that concerns your destiny. Go ahead, turn over the card that determines your fate!”

“Wager: Select the most valuable of the nine secret place maps.

Once selected, Helian Ying will take you to the site and you will acquire the treasures within.

Achievement rewards are as follows:

Recognition from both Helian Xun and Helian Ying will increase dramatically.

Special equipment: Ring of Fortune (attributes revealed upon acquisition).”