Five Frozen Centuries - Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Trial Version
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The wall was a door while the gem was a lock. One could only open the door by dripping blood on the gem.
Wei Huo thought that was how it worked. However, he had forgotten what happened back then when he found the cave concealing the Qi Cultivation Scrolls.
Soon after, the white light radiating from the gem transformed into a holographic projection. Surprisingly, on the holographic projection, it read ‘Tetris’.
Wei Huo was left speechless. “…” 1
‘F*ck your sister, why do I need to play a game to open a door? It used to be a puzzle game, and now it has become Tetris. So, is there going to be a Quest Evaluation system and an In-App purchase?’
“There are nine levels of difficulty in Tetris. The Player’s reward after entering the cave will be decided by the difficulty level chosen. The Player is allowed to enter the cave after passing the level. Please take note that the Player only has one chance. However, the Player may try again after paying 100 Magical Stones.”
He kept silent. “…”
‘Indeed! God, now I know your routine!’
Wei Huo hesitated as he did not have any Magical Stones. What should he do? Should he play the game after collecting some magical stones, or play it straight away and leave the rest to fate?
It was a hard choice to make! What mattered most was that there were no coordinates in the sea. Could he still find this place after he left?
He could not have found it! Wei Huo was certain that he could not find the place unless the ‘Mark The Boat to Find One’s Sword’ method worked. Otherwise, he could never find it again.
Wei Huo stretched out his cut finger which had already healed and tapped on the hologram menu.
“Difficulty Level Nine!” 1
Wei Huo took out his air pocket and took a deep breath. It was quite challenging to play such a reflex testing game while holding his breath. Moreover, he chose the difficulty level nine. However, he believed in himself.
His reflex nerves were very developed after training for more than 100 years. Besides that, his brain cells were filled with the ‘Qi’ energy after years of Qi Cultivation. Such an insignificant Tetris game like this…
It was difficult! 1
Wei Huo tapped the start game option and soon after, various kinds of Tetris blocks fell so rapidly that the afterimages almost appeared. Wei Huo instantly kept his attention focused. His fingers turned into an afterimage as well, nearly distorting the seawater.
It was Mission Impossible to play Tetris at difficulty level nine while he had to hold his breath and withstood the deep sea’s water pressure. However, there were indeed people who passed level nine in Tetris. Now that Wei Huo had developed such reflex nerves, there should be no reason for him to fail.
Wei Huo did not have any extra brainpower to think about other stuff. He kept all his attention focused on the hologram menu. His fingers turned into afterimage, and his hand speed had surpassed even the world’s most professional Starcraft e-athlete. 2
An over 100 years virgin’s hand speed, do you think it’s something to joke about? 15
Wei Huo’s eyes trembled as he tapped crazily on the screen. Tetris by itself was not difficult. The difficult part was to make the correct decision under such high speed, and Wei Huo…
He closed his eyes, and his fingers stopped.
The Tetris blocks reached the top, but the next moment two words ‘Game Cleared’ popped up.
The game will be cleared as long as one has achieved a specific score. Although the score was limitless in Tetris, it was impossible to let Wei Huo continue playing the game for his whole life. God would not make such a blunder. 6
Wei Huo let out a deep sigh after he cleared the game. However the next moment, he quickly took out his air pocket and inhaled deeply. He almost suffocated. 2
After Wei Huo opened his eyes, he saw the ‘Game Cleared’ notification and the ‘Do You Want To Open The Door And Enter The Cave?’ option. Relief washed over him. At least he had passed the mini-game. It was very challenging to play such an arduous game under hypoxic conditions. 1
At that moment, the cave door gradually opened. A flood of turbid seawater gushed out of the cave door causing Wei Huo to instantly shut his eyes.
The seawater stung his eyes!
The seawater turned turbid as it had been sealed behind the cave for years and became a pool of stagnant water.
Wei Huo swam inside the cave as the turbid water diffused with the surrounding seawater. The space inside the cave was vast like the middle of a huge mountain. Wei Huo was at the top of the cave.
Wei Huo tied the rope on his body to a huge rock and gradually swam downward. Not long after, a gigantic palace came into view. The palace was built out of white jade and its corners were embedded with night pearls. The night pearl’s luminous glow was illuminating the palace.
Wei Huo gradually swam towards the palace and arrived at the palace’s door. Wei Huo saw an enormous stone tablet, and what greeted his eyes next were the two words ‘Dragon Palace’ carved on the stone tablet.
Wei Huo was stunned. There was a Dragon Palace here!
However, seconds later, he saw a tiny string of the words ‘Trial Version 1.01’ at the stone tablet’s bottom left corner.
Wei Huo was speechless. “…” 1
If he combined all the words on the stone tablet, it would have read as ‘Dragon Palace Trial Version 1.01’.
That Dragon Palace was just a trial version!
Game production was tough. One would need to carry out tests and improve the game continuously. However, the words on the bottom left corner of the stone tablet would probably disappear after the game had been fully developed.
Wei Huo swam inside the palace’s door with not much air left in his air pocket. He had to check out the palace faster as he did not have much time left.
As he arrived at the door, he saw a string of words on the plaque of the Dragon Palace.
“The Player is a Descendant of the Fiery Emperor and the Yellow Emperor. The Player would be rewarded with a rare scroll as The Player had completed the mini-game at difficulty level nine. However, please take note that you will be put to a test before obtaining the item.”
It was then that Wei Huo realized the whole ‘Drip Blood to Open Door’ situation was to verify his lineage. 2
Wei Huo saw a thin layer of the transparent film as he walked into the door. It was a barrier. He passed through the barrier smoothly and fell onto the floor. There was no seawater in the Dragon Palace!
That barrier blocked the outside seawater from entering. One could breathe freely when they entered the area.
Wei Huo did not inhale at once. He took small breaths and realized there were no strange odors. He felt a gust of wind and started walking towards that direction. Not long after, he arrived at the main hall.
Main hall…
The main hall was obviously still under construction as there was nothing inside except for four walls and a rooftop. It was pretty empty that even the ground was made up of parched soil. It looked like a semi-finished house that was still under construction.
He kept silent. “…”
It was indeed a trial version…
Wei Huo felt like he was tricked. Where was the random scroll? There was nothing here!
Right when Wei Huo was engaged in his thoughts, a voice appeared from the center of the main hall.
“Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, you arrived here finally. You see the pillars built from gold, the ground built from crystal, and the countless dragon treasures. Unfortunately, a spell has been cast on them. You cannot take them away…” 1
Wei Huo was confused. “???”
Golden Pillars? Crystal Grounds? Dragon Treasures? Where are they? It was indeed a trial version!
“…The only thing you can take is this Thunder Variation Scroll. However, you would be put to a test before you can obtain it. Do you see the Thunder Pond ahead of you? Stand and be baptized in the Thunder Pond for three minutes. You will be rewarded the Thunder Variation Scroll if you survive!”
Wei Huo was speechless. “…” 2
So, where was the thunder pond? 4