"Ten thousand years ago? Seems like being an inheritor isn’t easy, and this woman is quite intelligent. Looks like I can’t fool her anymore."
Lin Chen looked at the Spirit of Rules and thought to himself.
"I wonder how the status of an inheritor is determined and by what means?"
Lin Chen spoke up and began to inquire, eager to find out why he didn’t meet the qualifications for this inheritance. Owning the Primordial Myriad Transformation Cauldron and having the Ancient Divine Body, Lin Chen thought he was very eligible to become an inheritor. Yet now, he was deemed worthless by the Spirit of Rules.
"Hmph, ever since you set foot in these Ancient Desolate Ruins, every move you’ve made has been under my surveillance."
"Your actions will serve as the basis for scoring. If your score reaches sixty points, you’ll be considered as having passed. At the moment, you’ve only got four points."
The Spirit of Rules moved her graceful body to front of Lin Chen, her stern face now showing a look of disdain as she seemed to scorn him.
Upon hearing this, Lin Chen was utterly speechless. The passing score was sixty points, and he had only gained four. He had no idea how the Spirit of Rules was scoring. If this was the case, and he couldn’t even achieve a high score, then it was even less likely for the others outside.
"How exactly are you scoring this? I seriously suspect you have a prejudice against me and are deliberately giving me a low score," Lin Chen challenged, not convinced.
The Spirit of Rules seemed to have no ill will towards the martial artists who had entered, so Lin Chen grew bolder.
"Hmph, still not convinced? Then let me tell you."
"When you first entered the secret realm, you found that Cold Pond Spirit Spring and gained one point for acquiring it. The small mink bore no ill-will; you didn’t seize its treasures or kill it, showing that you’re not a wicked person, so you earned another point."
"In the forest, you alerted others and worked together to kill that evil giant python, earning you one point. You gained one more point for collecting those Spirit Stones, making four points in total."
"At the Stone Pillar Plaza, you could have earned points by destroying the Stone Puppets: one point per First Tier puppet, and two points for a Second Tier puppet, and so on. But not only did you not destroy a single one, but you also used some method unbeknownst to me to collect them into your Space Artifact, which is not allowed. I’m being kind by not deducting points."
The Spirit of Rules looked at Lin Chen, clearly agitated.
Those Stone Puppets, tirelessly created from the remains of this place to test the strength of inheritors, were now taken away by Lin Chen—a total of fifteen, ruining much of her hard work.
"Hand over those Stone Puppets immediately. Under normal circumstances, I would only appear when an inheritor’s score reached the qualified sixty points to inform them about this Ancient Desolate inheritor’s matter. However, you took away those test puppets, forcing me to show myself."
The Spirit of Rules said helplessly. Lin Chen was stunned by her words; it seemed he had triggered a rule beyond the normal rules.
And this Spirit of Rules was somewhat strange; she was supposed to be the consciousness of this world and follow its rules. Yet, she appeared on her own accord because he took the Stone Puppets, which was clearly beyond her usual duties—it was a decision she made on her own.
It seemed that the ruins had existed for so long that even the Spirit of Rules herself might not realize she had developed self-awareness. She was no longer just a spirit of rules—if she had a physical body, she would be no different from an ordinary person.
"Since I’ve made you show yourself in an exceptional manner, perhaps I’m fated with these ruins. Maybe I really could become an inheritor."
"By the way, you said you can sense everything within the ruins. Can you sense a woman wearing a purple dress? She entered here with me," Lin Chen asked, hoping to use the Spirit of Rules to find out Zhao Yijing’s whereabouts.
"Of course I know, it’s that woman, isn’t it? Her score is much higher than yours; she has already accumulated forty-five points. However, she is indeed in trouble at the moment,"
The Spirit of Rules said, lifting its head with extreme pride upon hearing Lin Chen’s words.
Upon hearing this, Lin Chen’s expression first lit up with joy, then turned to one of worry.
He had not expected that his big sister Zhao Yijing would have such a high score of forty-five points. According to the Spirit of Rules, it seemed that one could obtain points in the ruins by acquiring valuable treasures or slaying evil magical beasts. Looking at his big sister’s points, it appeared she had encountered quite the fortunate opportunities.
But how could she be in danger now?
With big sister being so severely wounded yet still able to achieve such a high score, either she had recovered some of her cultivation, or she was risking her life.
Seemingly discerning the thoughts in Lin Chen’s heart, the Spirit of Rules waved its huge hand, and instantly an image appeared before the two of them.
It showed a man and a woman in a chase, with Zhao Yijing running desperately ahead while a sleazy-looking man followed, actually tearing at Zhao Yijing’s clothes.
Although Zhao Yijing’s speed was not slow, she still suffered from serious injuries and was completely unable to escape from the man’s grasp. Soon, she would be caught, and another piece of her clothing was torn off.
The man could have completely captured the woman at any time, but it seemed from some perverse psychology, he deliberately did not catch her, preferring to slowly strip the opponent bare.
By this point, the woman was only left with the barest coverings over her private areas, top and bottom. If the man were to catch up three or four more times, she would probably be completely exposed.
For Zhao Yijing, this was no longer a matter of mere humiliation but utter degradation.
At this moment, Lin Chen’s hands clenched into fists, wishing he could tear the man chasing Zhao Yijing to pieces, and that man was none other than Xu San, who had always admired Zhao Yijing.
Although Lin Chen did not know how Xu San, with his Heaven-reaching Realm cultivation, had managed to infiltrate this place, at this moment he had no extra energy to ponder this question. His sole desire was to make Xu San die without a place to be buried.
"Where are they now?"
Lin Chen asked the Spirit of Rules urgently, his tone extremely brisk.
"Less than a hundred miles from here; even with your speed, you might still be too late to prevent that man from succeeding,"
The Spirit of Rules said with an evil smile, hardly resembling a proper Spirit of Rules, seemingly all too knowledgeable about worldly affairs between men and women.
"Let me out, I want to go save my big sister and kill that scum!"
Lin Chen’s tone was icy, each word heavy with intense murderous intent. Follow current novᴇls on novel•fire.net
Just as the Spirit of Rules was about to make a move, a strong burst of energy suddenly rose within this space.
The barrier in front of them vanished, and in its place stood seven stone puppets, each exuding an aura of the Second Layer of the Heaven-reaching Realm.