The scene was dominated by a vast expanse of white, while in the distance lay a dense, impenetrable black.
Even on a gloomy snowy day, the pervasive whiteness should have brought some brightness, but the surroundings were eerily dark. The sun, not completely obscured by the clouds, cast a pale light, which was far outshone by the overwhelming gloom.
At the boundary between land and water, the thick blackness began to spread outward.
It was this eerie black seawater that rendered the serene snowy sky dull and lifeless, as if it had absorbed all the light.
Yan Wei’s vision was momentarily filled with a blur of light, as if the earth and mountains were shaking. When everything calmed down, he was stepping off a wooden boat moored at the shore, his sleeves billowing in the strong sea breeze, almost whipping into his face.
He glanced at himself, dressed in a long robe: “?”
As he paused, the people waiting by the boat began to urge him: “Don’t wait, the sea is restless. Since you’re here to study, hurry down and settle in at the school.”
Yan Wei lowered his gaze, adjusted his sleeves, and stepped off the boat onto the damp shore.
At that moment, a prompt sounded.
[Top-tier instance “Black Sea Coffin Town” officially loaded. A total of 25 players have entered. This instance will last a long time, cover a vast area, and involve numerous NPCs. Players will be randomly dispersed. Please prepare accordingly. This top-tier instance provides a Descending Tower passage.]
[Instance projection has been activated in real-time. The 25 players can choose whether to activate their perspectives. The instance does not provide tracking of player numbers or survival status. Please judge for yourselves. Six players have already chosen to activate their perspectives.]
[Activate perspective?]
One by one, young people dressed similarly to Yan Wei quickly disembarked from the wooden boat. Judging by their reactions, they were likely NPCs.
He was now at a very old-fashioned dock, with people of various ages, dressed in ancient attire, standing by the dock, evidently there to welcome the young newcomers. The surrounding buildings were mostly made of wood and tiles. Looking further in, one or two-story houses were densely packed together, indicating a large town within.
From the appearance, it seemed to be from an era hundreds or even thousands of years ago. Unlike most instances that place players in small areas, this time, they seemed to have collectively entered a past period.
From the era’s perspective, everything seemed normal, except for the black seawater.
Even without the NPC’s warning, the ominous black sea was evident. Looking out, there was an endless expanse of black water; looking in, there was a town with layers of buildings.
It seemed their map was indeed vast.
Yan Wei pondered for a moment, quickly grasped his situation, and chose to activate the projection perspective.
The higher the players go, the less they like to activate projection perspectives because everyone has their own trump cards. In instances, players are often each other’s opponents. If they activate their perspectives, in the next instance, opposing players who know their trump cards would pose a problem.
But now, they were at the top tier.
This top-tier instance was already Yan Wei’s second all-or-nothing attempt. He wouldn’t seek the Descending Tower passage but would press forward relentlessly, even if he hit a wall.
In that case, it was better to activate the projection. If something unexpected happened, this record would serve as a modest contribution to future players.
Presumably, the six players who had already activated their perspectives thought the same.
[Player has activated perspective.]
[Instance officially begins. Instance location: Guanyin Town. Current stage destination: Guanyin Academy. Since player names do not affect instance information, players’ identities in this instance will remain consistent with their real names.]
[Your current identity is a student from out of town who has come to Guanyin Town to study. You are a distant young cousin of Mr. Bai at Guanyin Academy. Entrusted by Mr. Bai, aside from studying at the academy, you have secretly brought a piece of thousand-year-old agarwood purchased at great expense by your family. You have always respected Mr. Bai and will surely take good care of what he entrusted to you.]
Inside Yan Wei’s robe, there was a slight movement, and a small piece of thousand-year-old agarwood, as mentioned in the prompt, appeared.
This was a limited-time item within the instance. He tried to store it in the Black Ring but couldn’t; it had to be carried on his person.
[Due to the uniqueness of the top-tier instance, players can choose to leave the Tower World and take their current abilities with them upon completion. This instance adopts an instance progress reward system. The percentage of instance exploration progress corresponds to the percentage of rewards players can obtain. If a player’s exploration progress is 100%, they can take 100% of their data strength upon completion. The more progress made, the more strength you can take. Please actively explore and strive to survive.]
[For this instance, your current task is—to understand the origin of the black sea surrounding Guanyin Town before midnight tonight.]
[Your Undying State will activate at midnight tonight.]
Yan Wei frowned—what did “for you” mean? And this task item was also quite strange.
The thousand-year-old agarwood in his hand was clearly related to the instance’s eerie elements. It was given to him right at the start of the instance, so could there be other related items? Perhaps with other players or NPCs.
Moreover, the fact that the agarwood couldn’t be stored in the Black Ring was quite intriguing. In instances, items that can’t be stored in the Black Ring are usually there to facilitate theft.
He had a feeling that in this instance, some people’s tasks might differ, possibly even be in opposition.
As the prompt ended, Yan Wei pondered while the people on the boat gradually disembarked. He was thinking of following these people to the so-called Guanyin Academy to settle in, then find the dispersed others to complete the first stage’s task, when he noticed the last person to get off the boat was completely different from the other students, hopping off.
Yan Wei: “…”
Lin Zhen: “…Hi. Why does your expression seem both pleasantly surprised and helpless?”
“Pleasantly surprised to meet a teammate, helpless to meet a teammate who only knows how to fight. In short, I’m happy to see you, but you seem useless. To put it bluntly, if I had to choose someone to protect me, I’d only want to see Yan Mingguang, but since you’re here, I’ll make do.”
“…”
A page boy from Guanyin Academy said nearby: “Gentlemen, follow me. Accommodations at the academy have been arranged.”
As the page boy spoke, a mournful funeral dirge echoed from afar amidst the howling sea wind. A group of people dressed in mourning clothes approached in two rows, the two at the front carrying a large bamboo basket filled with various paper offerings. They scattered the paper offerings as they led the procession toward the shore, the paper money fluttering in the sea wind, some landing on the coffin carried by the people behind.
Snowflakes and paper money fell together, mingling into a vast expanse of white.
The people at the back played the mournful music, but those at the front showed no sadness, instead appearing tense and nervous, as if on edge.
The people on the dock immediately parted, making way for the procession to reach the shore.
Yan Wei and Lin Zhen, squeezed into the retreating crowd, watched as the funeral procession carried the coffin closer.
Yan Wei thought for a moment, then asked the page boy from Guanyin Academy who had come to fetch them: “I’ve just arrived from out of town. May I ask why they’re heading toward the sea?”
The page boy, staring at the procession, was visibly tense. Hearing Yan Wei’s question, he started, then relaxed upon seeing it was a handsome young gentleman.
He whispered: “They’re conducting a funeral.”
A funeral heading toward the sea?
Yan Wei retreated to Lin Zhen’s side.
“Something’s off.”
Lin Zhen asked: “You mean the procession? Maybe it’s some strange funeral tradition.”
“The funeral itself isn’t the issue,” Yan Wei shook his head. “Look at their expressions. Others might be nervous about the bad luck associated with funerals, but the bereaved family is also tense, and no one is crying or grieving.”
Soon, the procession reached the shore, the vast black sea stretching before them.
Suddenly, the coffin they were carrying jerked violently!
The bearers, caught off guard, lost their grip, and the coffin fell to the ground with a thud. The coffin lid, supposedly nailed shut, shook and cracked open a narrow gap.
Instantly, a half-green, half-purple hand emerged from the gap!
Just as it extended halfway, someone from the procession shouted: “Quick! Close it!!”
The bearers frantically rushed to the coffin’s corners, pushing the lid shut. The hand, as if alive, twitched before being forced back inside. The coffin shook even more violently, as if a living person inside was madly thrashing against the walls, the dull thuds of impact continuous.
Everyone around took several steps back, yet no one made a sound—it seemed they were no strangers to such scenes.
Yan Wei, following the others’ retreat, watched as the bearers hastily nailed the coffin shut again, then quickly carried the still-shaking coffin and cast it into the boundless black sea.
Another thud echoed as the coffin sank into the water.
The coffin sank straight down, the black sea surface dotted with freshly fallen snowflakes, and the coffin never resurfaced.
The people on the dock remained in uneasy silence for a while, then, as if it were routine, soon resumed their activities. The page boy also beckoned, signaling the newcomers to follow.
Lin Zhen asked: “What now?”
“To the academy.”
The six or seven out-of-towners heading to Guanyin Town paired up and boarded the waiting carriages. Naturally, Yan Wei and Lin Zhen shared one. The carriage jolted and swayed as it slowly made its way to Guanyin Academy.
Outside, despite the ominous black sea at the shore, Guanyin Town’s daytime seemed unremarkable. The streets bustled with activity, the townsfolk’s voices rising and falling, interspersed with the cries of vendors typical of a busy marketplace.
As he boarded the carriage, Yan Wei extended his vast Perception, roughly mapping the area’s topography. Guanyin Town seemed to be a seaside town, half by the sea and half on land, but instead of the usual circular shape, it was a neat rectangle. The four corners were densely packed with houses, more bustling than the sides, while the interior was a maze of streets and countless townsfolk.
The center was somewhat open, as if there was a large structure there.
Yan Wei had earlier inquired about Guanyin Academy’s location. Now, scanning the area with his Perception, he estimated that, given the local time, it would take about half an hour to reach the academy.
Just as he had a rough outline of the terrain, he encountered another Perception field nearby—Yu Zhengqing’s.
The other party evidently sensed his presence too. Instead of withdrawing, Yu Zhengqing’s Perception aggressively surged toward Yan Wei, seemingly attempting to overwhelm it.
Yan Wei’s expression darkened.
He didn’t hold back, his Perception clashing head-on with Yu Zhengqing’s. Concerned about accidentally affecting other players who might appear, he held back, using only about a third of his Perception, just enough to overpower Yu Zhengqing.
His vast Perception surged toward Yu Zhengqing, who paused, then retreated in frustration.
Yan Wei withdrew his Perception and opened his eyes.
Outside the instance, in the Tower World, beneath the projection of the Endless Monument.
The usually sparse central area was now densely packed with people. Even those far away could see the projection, but most of the Tower World’s capable players had gathered here to watch this long-awaited top-tier instance in real-time.
The instance was of a legendary difficulty level never before successfully completed, and the players inside were among the Tower World’s top high-tier players.
If even one of them succeeded, it would mean that the tens of thousands watching the projection had also glimpsed hope of success.
So this wasn’t just a real-time instance projection.
At this moment, Lin Zhen’s subjective perspective showed only Yan Wei sitting across the carriage. The projection visualized the players’ Perception, allowing everyone to see Yan Wei release enough Perception in an instant to overpower Yu Zhengqing. In their first distant encounter within the instance, Yan Wei had already struck back.
“Isn’t that Blackbird’s newcomer?? He’s in the top tier too!??”
“Not just in the top tier, his Perception surpasses Yu Zhengqing’s… Wasn’t Yu Zhengqing Yue Mang’s most seasoned player, with over twenty years in the Tower World?”
“Who said Yu Zhengqing would give him a hard time? Clearly, it’s Yan Wei who gave Yu Zhengqing a greeting.”
“Yu Zhengqing is an old fox, not reckless. He was probably testing Yan Wei’s strength to decide how to approach him during the instance. Did you really think he was impulsively picking a fight?”
“I’m not really interested in what Yu Zhengqing wanted to do. I just know he can’t handle a newcomer with so few instances under his belt. So why does Yan Wei, a newcomer, have such high stats!??”
“…”
In the crowd, Xu Miaomiao stared intently at Yan Wei and Lin Zhen’s perspective.
Ding Xiao, her consciousness inhabiting a puppet body, had forgotten many things but still remembered some of the past related to Yan Wei and Yan Mingguang.
She smiled and said: “He didn’t even use half of his stats.”
Inside the instance, the snow fell heavier, as if deliberately delaying their arrival at the academy.
After opening his eyes, Yan Wei surveyed the carriage’s interior. It was quite refined, with padded seats on both sides and a small table in the middle holding a plate of layered pastries.
Lin Zhen, without checking, grabbed one and stuffed it into his mouth.
Yan Wei, knowing that in such a long instance, food was usually safe, ignored Lin Zhen’s gluttony. He asked: “Did you hear the task introduction?”
“Yeah,” Lin Zhen said, his mouth full, “something about this place being a bit off, and I need to figure out why before midnight tonight.”
Yan Wei relaxed slightly. At least Lin Zhen’s task wasn’t different from his; not everyone’s was unique.
He asked: “Did you get any limited-time items for the instance?”
“Yeah, a knife, said it could cut anything. Isn’t that a given? My own knife can cut too, and this one won’t let me store it away.”
“I also have an item. Maybe everyone does, or maybe they’re different. Twenty-five people—I doubt there are that many items. Also, when the Tower introduced the task, it specifically said it was ‘my task.’ In instances where everyone has the same goal, it’s usually not phrased like that. With twenty-five people mostly scattered, I think there might be more than one type of task.”
“Then we’ll just complete them all.”
“…” Yan Wei raised an eyebrow.
“Why are you looking at me like I’m an idiot?”
Yan Wei: “Because you’re dumb enough to ask that.”
Lin Zhen: “…”
“If the tasks are different, people’s goals might not align. The prompt mentioned that in this instance, everyone might not be focused on uncovering Guanyin Town’s ominous elements and resolving them. Right, we all have items, and we need to find the ominous elements, possibly even confront them. But when has the Tower ever been about justice?”
“You mean some people might be on the side of the ominous elements?”
“It’s possible. But if that’s the case, at least people who know each other shouldn’t be on opposite sides. Otherwise, if some prioritize relationships over benefits, they could collude and the instance would be a joke. Even if everyone’s tasks are the same, if some have items and others don’t, only those with items can complete the tasks and leave. Do you think those without items would deal with the evil spirits first or us first? Keep your item safe.”
“Got it.”
The carriage horse trudged through the snow. Yan Wei, unaccustomed to such primitive transportation, stretched inside the carriage.
These instances keep getting colder. Yan Wei rubbed his hands together, interlocking his fingers, and asked: “Forgot to ask, what’s your identity this time?”
Lin Zhen finished the last pastry, hurriedly swallowing before saying: “Some distant nephew of Mr. Bai.”
Yan Wei looked at him, expression inscrutable.
“What? What’s your identity?”
Yan Wei suddenly felt a bit of pity: “Let’s get to the academy first. Since the starting point is Guanyin Academy, there should be clues about this boundless black sea there.”
Lin Zhen persisted: “What’s your identity? If you’re sneaking into the academy, you must have an identity too.”
“Also a relative of Mr. Bai. A distant—”
“Same as me? You’re also some kind of nephew? So we’re practically brothers.”
“…distant young uncle.”
Lin Zhen froze.
Yan Wei’s eyes flickered as he seriously considered the family tree, realizing that the relationships here were quite convoluted. Even he, who rarely dealt with relatives, was now out of his depth.
So he said: “Call me grandpa.”
“…”
