Weilin Te explained her hypothesis to Furan.
After listening, Furan asked directly,
"Why do you think we would be companions?"
Weilin Te smiled and said,
"Because the first hint said the jade stone is on our companions."
"And this was actually reflected in the acquisition of the second jade stone."
"Although the Gloomy Lizard is very well-adapted to dark environments, its offensive methods aren't outstanding. During a sneak attack, it relies on its massive weight and body to entwine the target before biting them to death."
"But that's not the case when the target has a companion. The companion can attack the Gloomy Lizard after it ambushes. The Gloomy Lizard doesn't have the intelligence to retreat when facing two targets."
Weilin Te continued,
"On your way here, you must have encountered many people who launched sneak attacks without saying a word. That's because those are illusions specifically created by this trial."
"They are illusions of those who have participated in this trial before, intended to create an atmosphere of mutual suspicion so that we Spirit Realm Rangers won't trust each other."
"Those who have participated in many trials know that this illusion mechanism is actually quite common."
Furan thought for a moment and didn't respond immediately.
She thought the other woman's words made sense; everything she had experienced so far aligned with what was said. The only potential issue was the final jade stone.
She hadn't seen everything yet and didn't know if she was right. What if the goal was to sacrifice someone once to directly weaken the boss?
However, she didn't seem afraid of being deceived. Judging by the other woman's movements, she seemed even weaker than Bella.
Furan was a bit confused by this Spirit Realm guiding object. She felt like Richter coming here was like 'blasting fish' in a pond. Could it be that the reward for passing the final trial was massive?
Or perhaps the guiding object she used pointed to multiple trials, and she had ended up in a relatively simple one.
Furan took out two jade stones, indicating she had already obtained two.
Weilin Te also knew this was an opportunity to build mutual trust. She took out two identical jade stones, showing she wasn't the type to sneak attack and steal them.
"My name is Weilin Te, and yours?"
"My name is... Lai Yi."
Furan decided it was best not to use her real name. She suspected the other woman wasn't using her real name either.
Weilin Te, however, had no such concerns. She believed few people would hide their names in the Spirit Realm, as it was pointless.
If you wanted to hide, you had to cover your face first. Giving a fake name was useless; everyone knew that when meeting someone in the Spirit Realm, you looked at their face, not their name.
"Shall we go then?"
"Let's go."
---
Seeing the two of them walking over, the Spirit Realm Rangers still waiting in place were somewhat surprised. Someone actually believed her words and wanted to cooperate.
Everyone assumed Weilin Te had intentionally fabricated some hints just to lure them into going with her, so she could steal their jade stones at the first opportunity.
Every Spirit Realm Ranger was taught never to trust others too much in the Spirit Realm.
Not only did many trials directly require killing those beside you, but there were even Spirit Realm creatures specifically designed to lure people into killing their companions.
Even though, theoretically, you could enter the Spirit Realm with friends, the aforementioned situations existed.
Therefore, Spirit Realm Rangers generally went solo because they couldn't trust the friends beside them.
They truly couldn't imagine anyone wanting to cooperate in a trial that so obviously pushed you to kill others.
"Are they really going to deal with that statue together?"
"It seems so."
Furan and Weilin Te ignored the other Spirit Realm Rangers and walked right past them, heading straight for the platform.
At that moment, one Spirit Realm Ranger knew his chance had come.
He had the confidence to kill one person but lacked the confidence to pass through that dark area, which was why he had come straight here.
He had been doing this sort of thing in Spirit Realm trials for a long time. Although he had failed a few times, the overall risk-to-reward ratio was too high to pass up.
As long as he made a move near the finish line, he could save a massive amount of time and avoid the risks of collecting items to get the rewards.
While such behavior was despised and would lead to utter humiliation if caught, the profits were high!
After being robbed once himself, he had joined their ranks.
He knew the third jade stone was extremely difficult to get, so he planned to take two jade stones and then find a safe place to exit the Spirit Realm directly.
He knew that knowing when to let go was the key to reaping rewards in this line of work.
Besides, a Spellcaster would surely find it difficult to handle his sneak attack!
Because at the Apprentice Rank, once a Spellcaster was closed in on, they were basically finished. Thus, few Spellcasters ever got this close to Melee Professionals like them.
Usually, Spellcasters stayed on open ground; if a Melee Professional tried to approach, they'd hurl several Spells at you to see if you could withstand them.
In the blink of an eye, he had already covered half the distance. Only then did he realize the other party seemed to have noticed his sneak attack.
Too late! As a Spellcaster, you should never have let me get this close!
He had already envisioned killing her, snatching the jade stones, and the look of fury she would have back in the Material Realm.
But with a sharp 'clang,' his wrist was struck by something, and the pain caused him to drop his dagger to the ground.
Immediately after, a shortsword thrust toward his face. He instinctively grabbed the blade, relying on the [Power Burst] he had obtained in a previous Spirit Realm visit to firmly suppress this lethal attack.
Blood flowed from his hands. His reaction was entirely instinctive; grabbing the blade and using Power Burst happened simultaneously.
"Agh!"
Only now did he realize—why was the person he identified as a Spellcaster the one thrusting a sword at him?
Why did someone dressed like a Spellcaster possess such immense strength?
Before he could figure it out, Furan, slightly surprised that this guy had enough strength to resist, was forced to use her Breathing Technique and Spiritual Power to bolster her own strength.
The suddenly increased strength was more than he could withstand. The shortsword, driven by immense force, pierced into his face, the sound of bone shattering ringing in his ears.
The shortsword then plunged into the ground, with only a trace of blood on it. A small pouch also fell to the ground nearby.
Weilin Te was stunned. she hadn't expected this person who looked like a Spellcaster to have such powerful melee combat skills.
She had turned around the moment she heard the noise and saw the man charging, but in the blink of an eye, Furan had already pinned him down.
"Her strength is even greater than mine." Weilin Te found it hard to believe her own judgment, but the facts were right there. Even she couldn't so easily exert enough force to crush a skull, yet this Lai Yi had done it.
At the same time, as this Spirit Realm Ranger launched his attack, others among the group also began attacking one another.