Beginning Of Multiverse Saga-Chapter 154: Gathering At Test Location

The two of them went through several turns and quickly arrived at a secluded courtyard. Judging from the alternating black and white tiles on the ground, Sharky could tell that he had arrived at Saiman’s place without even asking.

Saiman walked out and when he saw Sharky, his strict expression immediately became polite. He quickly walked over and exclaimed, "So it was Sharky! Why do you come here? Little Tony, what are you staring stupidly for? Get us some tea!"

Sharky immediately said, "I still need to enter the dungeon together with the crown prince, so I fear we won’t have enough time to chat."

Liana coughed and said, "Senior brother, the reason we came today is because we wish to ask for something from you."

"What?" Saiman asked.

Liana replied with a smile, "I wanted to ask for a sacrificial piece from you."

"Sacrificial piece?" Sharky was stunned. Why is that?

Saiman frowned. He was clearly a bit hesitant.

Liana added, "Sharky will definitely be in danger when he enters the dungeon this time. And I don’t want to see him in danger."

"Okay," Saiman muttered. He tossed out two chess pieces from his sleeves to Sharky. "In a moment of danger, place the white piece in front of you and the black piece on someone else. That way, the damage you would take will be transferred to someone else. It’s a sacrificial piece, so it’ll be consumed after a single use. That’s why you have to save it for a crucial moment."

Sharky nodded and received the chess pieces with a serious expression. "Thank you, fifth senior!"

"There’s no need for thanks; just play a few more rounds with me once you come out." Saiman chuckled. "Right, I almost forgot to remind you that you absolutely can’t get the order wrong with the black and white pieces. Otherwise, you’ll end up becoming someone else’s sacrifice."

Sharky replied, "I reckon I’m not that stupid."

"You’re right," Saiman said with a smile. He then tried to chat with Sharky about things related to chess.

However, Liana took a step forward and pulled Sharky back. "Fifth senior, I still need to bring him to other places. The two of you can chat some more when there’s some leisure time."

Saiman couldn’t help but curse as he watched her leave. "Women only abandon you once they get what they want after all; they’re all swindlers... Tony, stay away from women in the future. I get annoyed whenever I see them."

Tony had a weird look on his face. Aren’t you basically asking me for my life if you tell me not to associate with women anymore? However, he didn’t dare voice such thoughts and instead continuously expressed his acknowledgment.

———

Elsewhere, Sharky asked Liana, "Who are we going to meet next?"

"You’ll know once we get there," Liana said with a mysterious smile.

Sharky began to think to himself. She had brought him there to get the sacrificial piece for him. That meant this trip was going to be much more dangerous than he had imagined!

Soon afterward, they arrived by a pond. Once they passed a covered walkway, the area ahead of him suddenly became spacious and well-lit. A young lady who seemed to have a graceful and subdued temperament sat in a gazebo.

She was copying a stone tablet. Together with the inverted image of the pitch-black water, her presence formed a noble and elegant scene.

The young lady was focused on her drawing. The wind blew away the hair around her temples, revealing a beautiful and familiar face.

"Celia!" Sharky exclaimed. He had only met Celia once ever since she came to the capital with her younger brother. Meanwhile, he had met Tony several times already.

Celia’s body clearly trembled when she heard his voice. Then, a drop of ink dropped from her brush, ruining the calligraphy she was copying.

Sharky felt rather apologetic. "Sorry, I ended up ruining your work."

Celia lowered her brush and slowly shook her head. "It’s not your fault. I’m the one who hasn’t reached that pure state of meditation the teacher spoke of yet."

Sharky sighed in amazement. They hadn’t met each other for a while; now there seemed to be a bit of a gentle and refined aura around her, as if she were a hermit who stood aloof from worldly matters.

"Is that so?" Liana chuckled. "Your mind was quite calm when I was standing next to you just now, yet as soon as Sharky spoke, your mind was no longer so?"

Celia’s graceful and aloof appearance was instantly shattered. She even blushed slightly. She couldn’t help but exclaim in annoyance, "Ms. Liana!"

"Alright, alright, let’s talk about important matters." Liana smiled and asked, "Did you prepare what I asked you for last time?"

Celia voiced her acknowledgment. She took out an apricot yellow talisman from the case next to her. On it was a complicated rune drawn in cinnabar. She handed it to Sharky. "Big brother Sharky, I heard you were going to enter the secret dungeon, and that it was going to be dangerous. Unfortunately, I cannot help you by your side, so I prepared a talisman for you. I hope it can help you during a moment of trouble."

Liana smiled and explained, "This is a great senior’s Last Breath Talisman. When you place it in front of you, it can negate twenty percent of damage and leave you with one last breath of life. That’s why it’s called the Last Breath Talisman. This is a great senior’s treasure, something even I might not be able to obtain if I asked. It’s only because Celia is his precious disciple that she managed to get one from that miserly fella."

At the same time, she transmitted to Sharky through ki, "Sharky, you better be grateful. Even though that scale little Yu’er gave you last time is incredible, it actually has a limit to the damage it can negate. Once that limit is passed, not even a little Yu’er talisman can preserve your life. However, this Last Breath Talisman is something a great senior poured his heart into."

"It condenses all of his understanding of runes. It uses the damage caused by the attack as its energy source, and then converts that into the power that protects you."

"That’s why no matter how high the other party’s cultivation is, it can reduce eighty percent of damage. This means that even if it were the emperor who attacked you, you would only receive twenty percent of the damage."

"As for whether you can keep your life or not after reducing the damage by eighty percent, that depends on your luck. That’s why it’s called the Last Breath Talisman."

"Furthermore, it will reflect twenty percent of the damage back at the aggressor. It really is an incredible item."

Sharky was finally shaken up when he heard her explanation. This really was an extraordinary item! He immediately bowed toward Celia. "Celia, the dungeon will indeed be full of dangers this time, so I won’t pretentiously refuse. However, this talisman is incredibly precious, and it should’ve been really hard for you to get it to me. I really have no way of paying back such a huge debt..."

Celia quickly said, "There is no need for that! It’s just a shame that my skills are not great enough and I cannot draw a rune like this myself. In the future... I will draw some more for you."

Sharky was overjoyed. "Then I really have to thank Celia."

When they left Celia’s place, Liana brought him to the rear mountain. She pointed at the small path ahead and said, "You’ll reach the secret dungeon if you take this path to the end. The crown prince’s faction and King George’s faction are all there, so I won’t join the liveliness. You have to be careful and remember the things I told you."

"Thank you!" Sharky nodded, he shortened his goodbyes and headed down the path.

———

There were people from all different sides at the entrance right now. Catherine was just waiting for Sharky.

A group of young men walked in just then. The crown prince and Crown Princess were the ones under the spotlight today, so everyone was paying attention to the activity on their side. They came over to see what was happening when they saw the disturbance.

Catherine could no longer remain indifferent. She showed them a formal smile and said, "Greetings, young masters."

These people were precisely the disciples from King Liang Manor, the Liu clan, the Meng clan, and the Peng clan, as well as the disciples of the other clans. They were the ones who were joining the crown prince on his mission this time.

Those people all cried out with a bow, "We greet the Crown Prince and Crown Princess!"

King Liang’s son Zhao Xi was fat as well, but unlike the crown prince’s fat that jiggled whenever he walked, he was more firm and robust with thick eyebrows and big eyes. His arms were big and his waist round, making him resemble a fierce general from the battlefield.

He had always had a rather boorish nature. Together with the fact that he was also part of the royal family, he didn’t feel as many misgivings as the others. He asked, "Crown princess, have you only just arrived? We have already been waiting for a long time."

Before Catherine had time to even reply, Gu Xing immediately said, "The crown princess was waiting for Sir Sharky."

"Sharky?" Zhao Xi roared with laughter. "That fella who beat Ethan, that little brat, up to the point that he could only lie in bed all this time? Haha, where is he? I’ve only heard about that person, but was never able to meet him."

King Liang’s faction had always been close to the emperor’s side and didn’t get along with King George. Furthermore, Zhao Xi relied on his own talent, and he was quite arrogant, so he had already been fed up with Ethan for a while; and yet he just couldn’t beat him. When he heard that Ethan had been beaten up miserably by Sharky, he roared with laughter and held a huge celebration that night.

But before the others also entered the chat, Catherine warned them, "They’ve already begun to test people’s cultivations over there, so let’s hurry and head over."

The emperor’s and King George’s factions had reached a tacit agreement. They would allow the crown prince to bring in people with him, but their cultivation ranks couldn’t exceed the seventh rank. For the sake of preventing fraud, there was a ki measuring instrument at the entrance, as opposed to having any one person judge people’s cultivation rank.

The device was a result of the Royal Academy’s research, consisting of a piece of celestial stone paired with complex and intricate formations. It could quickly test a person’s ki strength, and thus deduce their cultivation level.

The other warriors had already completed their tests. They were all around the fourth or fifth rank. Only their group was left for this test. There was obviously no need to test the crown prince. Everyone knew what he was like, so there was no point in embarrassing him.

Then, Catherine stepped onto the stage and then walked forward. Next to the celestial stone stood a young lady in a witch’s hat and dark blue starry robes. She yawned and said, "Put your hand on it, and then just use your ki."

The group of young masters’ eyes lit up. Liu Xian couldn’t help but catcall. "Who is this little girl? She’s pretty cute."

Pei You said coldly, "I advise you to restrain those random thoughts of yours. She’s the Principal Scarlett disciple Qi Yaoguang, the junior sister the teachers of the rear mountain adore the most. She isn’t someone you can afford to offend."

Liu Xian flipped his hair, and then a charming smile appeared on his face as he said, "Even if those senior brothers dote on her, they can’t stop her from courting love, right? If we really do express sincere love, not even Principal Scarlett should be able to stop us."

Pei You was speechless. Those gathered looked at Liu Xian with strange expressions. This fellow really had some crazy confidence. Next to him, his cousin Gao Ying’s face twitched. He quietly took a few steps away, as if he didn’t know Liu Xian.

The test taking place on the stage was already complete. Light was released from the celestial stone as Qi Yaoguang exclaimed, "Sixth rank!"

Those gathered immediately began to whisper among themselves. The crown princess had only been at the fifth rank not too long ago, yet now, she had already reached the sixth rank. Her cultivation talent was quite exceptional!