Bai Xia glanced once more at the enemy ahead. Honestly, she wasn’t particularly nervous.
Sure, she might get instantly wiped out and fail—but at worst, she’d gain nothing. No real loss.
She did want the Shura Deathbind. Who wouldn’t crave a divine artifact placed right before them? Yet it wasn’t something she’d die without.
The woman on the throne seemed to read her thoughts and smirked.
“Oh, right. Almost forgot to mention, little one—the clothes you wore earlier were utterly destroyed by the Shura Deathbind. Beyond repair. And if you fail the challenge? You’ll be teleported straight to the nearest respawn point. So…”
Bai Xia: “…”
Wait—what? Failure meant the Shura Deathbind would be reclaimed. Reclaimed meant she’d be left naked. Naked, then teleported straight back to the starting village.
Meaning: fail, gain nothing, *and* possibly run around naked in front of countless players?
“What the heck are you, a devil?!”
Even if she wasn’t a “pure” girl and had thicker skin than most… running naked through the starting village? Damn it. She’d rather stab herself.
A chill shot down Bai Xia’s spine. Moments ago, calm. Now? Pure dread.
“Damn you.”
She took a sharp breath. When her eyes returned to the distant Lava Colossus, everything had changed.
Solemn focus? Gone. Only raw, unfiltered killing intent remained.
*That Lava Colossus had to die.*
“Sharp eyes,” the woman said. “Once your companion arrives, you have five minutes to talk. After that—the trial begins, no matter what.”
Qingcheng snapped her fingers. Her form and the massive throne shimmered, fading into nothing.
“Do your best. The Shura Deathbind has taken a liking to you. Don’t disappoint it.”
Her voice vanished with her. In the scorched, lava-choked world, only Bai Xia and the Lava Colossus remained, locked in silent opposition.
The size difference was staggering. The Colossus’s fist alone was half her height. One swing—dodging was nearly impossible.
Yet Bai Xia’s gaze held zero hesitation. This was a battle she *could not lose*.
Just then—a flash of white light erupted nearby. Tianzheng stumbled forward and crashed face-first before her.
No thick blanket cushioned his fall. Scorching earth greeted him; missing the lava pool was pure luck.
Dignity? Shattered. He’d nearly eaten dirt.
Not his fault. After Bai Xia vanished into the palace, he’d struggled outside for ages. Just as he raised his broken sword to pry the door open—it swung wide. Next thing he knew, he was tumbling in.
*What a dump.*
Disoriented, he pushed up—and froze.
Round-toed shoes. Petite. Above them, slender calves sheathed in sleek black stockings.
*High-end tights,* he noted absently. *Pity they lack soft curves.*
His gaze drifted upward—to the fluttering skirt hem…
“White?”
“WHERE ARE YOU LOOKING?!”
Bai Xia froze a split second, then lashed out with a kick toward the rich guy’s handsome face.
One solid hit—goodbye, pretty boy.
But Tianzheng wasn’t ordinary. Hearing her voice, he reacted instantly. Puzzled by her sudden outfit change, his hand shot up, catching her tiny shoe mid-kick.
*Even in shoes, her foot’s tiny. Bare? Wouldn’t fill my palm.*
The kick missed. Bai Xia blinked—ready to strike again—then remembered Qingcheng’s warning.
*Five minutes. Only five.*
Reluctantly, she yanked her foot back. It didn’t move. Still trapped in his grip.
Humiliation and fury exploded. *First my clothes vanish. Then he sees up my skirt. Now he’s holding my foot?!*
Face burning crimson: “LET GO, YOU FOOT-FETISH FREAK!”
“My apologies. I’m not a foot fetishist.”
He released her. Sprang up smoothly.
His eyes flicked to the looming Lava Colossus. Expression tightened. He pointed, voice deliberately casual: “What *is* that?”
Bai Xia shot him a glare. Kicking him twice sounded perfect—but time was bleeding away. She sucked in a breath and summarized the situation.
“…So a guardian protects the treasure. We complete her trial to claim it. And the trial is defeating *that*?”
“Exactly! We *must* defeat it—no excuses!”
Tianzheng didn’t grasp her sudden fire, but showed no fear.
He studied the Colossus, sighed faintly. “Everything’s fine… except I have no weapon.”
His Silver-White Blade was scrap now. He recalled the unidentified weapon dropped by the Goblin Lord—useless until appraised.
No weapon. No fight.
“The guardian said she’d provide your weapon for the trial.”
As if on cue, two fiery orbs plummeted from the sky and slammed into the ground ahead.
Dust cleared. Revealed: a massive greatsword wreathed in shimmering ice energy, and silver-white armor frosted over.
Qingcheng had sent ice-attribute gear—perfectly countering the Lava Colossus.
(Though in this game, no element truly dominated. Ice suppressed lava… and lava eroded ice.)
