Imprisoned for a Trillion Years, I Was Worshipped by All Gods!

Daniel sighed, feeling a bit disappointed that he hadn't gotten to see a fight.

However, if that guy continued with his little tricks, Daniel had no intention of holding back anymore.

At this moment, inside the large ship, two powerful middle-aged men sat conversing.

"This year's contestants are on a whole different level compared to previous years."

"In the past, we never saw anything like this! Among these three to four thousand participants, nearly half have already made it this far. Even if some drop out in the later half, there should still be over a thousand who make it to the end."

That was an unthinkable number for past Enlightenment Competitions.

"After all, the Blue Jade Guild has already spread the word. This year, most of the participants are core members of Blue Jade Guild. Honestly... the young people from Greenstone City don't stand much of a chance."

"That's true. After all, this place... is where Thousand Suns Hall selects its recruits."

"But that kid from Artisan's Sanctuary seems pretty restless. He's been secretly stirring up trouble the entire time. I didn't expect him to get caught this time, though."

"Well, he is from Artisan's Sanctuary. As long as he doesn't cross the line, just let him be."

Artisan's Sanctuary was a powerful force—not an entity to be provoked lightly. Unless he caused real harm, it wouldn't be easy to act against him out of consideration for Artisan's Sanctuary.

As time passed, more and more contestants arrived at Lake Island.

During this final stretch, quite a few participants fell into the lake and lost their qualifications.

In the end, less than two thousand successfully reached Lake Island, which was more or less what the two men on the ship had predicted.

One by one, the contestants stepped onto the island—Daniel among them.

As for Greg, after receiving a warning from Artisan's Sanctuary, he stopped using underhanded tactics and was among the fastest to reach the island—arriving even before Daniel.

Daniel, on the other hand, didn't rush this time. He maintained a steady, middle-of-the-pack pace, blending in with the crowd to avoid drawing attention.

Greg, now short on energy to focus on Daniel, found himself surrounded by a group of people.

These were all the ones Greg had previously tricked using his magic array traps.

Now, they had encircled him, eager to settle the score.

Shortly after the participants arrived on the island, the non-contestants were allowed to take boats across.

This marked the end of the first trial.

"Daniel, I'm glad you're okay," Ed said, relieved.

"Yeah, that middle part really scared us," another companion added. "But that guy must have some real guts—he actually dared to make a move against everyone."

Fortunately, there had been a large crowd at the time, and Daniel, blending into the masses, hadn't faced much danger.

With the first trial concluded, a man approached them—most likely a Thousand Suns Hall official.

After a brief speech filled with formalities, he announced the start of the second trial.

This time, the remaining thousand-plus participants were led to a vast, open space.

Two massive stone pillars stood tall, covered in intricate, mysterious carvings.

An eerie aura emanated from them.

Then, with a gesture from the Thousand Suns Hall official, blue-green flames ignited from the pillars.

Within mere moments, the flames engulfed the pillars entirely, forming a wall of deep green fire and ghostly figures between them.

"Pass through this Wall of Life and Death, and you will have successfully completed the challenge," the official stated before leaving abruptly.

The contestants were left standing there, staring in confusion at the Wall of Life and Death.

At first glance, it seemed simple.

But no!

There was no way it would be that easy!

This was still Day One, and they were expected to eliminate a large number of participants.

Which meant that despite its straightforward appearance, this second trial would not be any less difficult than the first.

The first trial at least allowed room for mistakes—contestants who fell into the water could try again.

But now, there was only this wall.

As a result, no one dared to rashly attempt crossing it.

Most contestants stood back, observing the wall closely, trying to understand its nature.

Daniel, too, studied it carefully.

The Wall of Life and Death was composed of countless spectral figures and deep green flames.

Just looking at it made people hesitate.

This wall was quite intriguing.

It functioned through the totems carved into the stone pillars, harnessing the power of natural creation. It was similar to a magic array, but fundamentally different.

Each ghostly figure on the Wall of Life and Death was like a Life Gate or a Death Gate in a magic array.

Choosing the correct ghostly figure—entering through a Life Gate—would allow safe passage.

But choosing wrong…

Stepping into a Death Gate could have serious consequences.@@novelbin@@

While the Enlightenment Competition wouldn't actually let its participants die, Daniel suspected that those who entered the Death Gate would not only be disqualified but might also suffer mental attacks.

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After all, those ghostly figures weren't just there for decoration.

There was also a possibility that some kind of ghost king or other powerful spectral entity lurked within.

These risks hadn't escaped the other contestants' notice, either.

So no one wanted to be the first to step forward.

After all, they had fought hard through the first trial and didn't want to be eliminated here.

They all preferred to let someone else go first—to see what would happen.

But no one made a move.

Everyone hesitated.

No one wanted to be the test subject.

Then, suddenly—

Someone stepped forward.

Daniel.

He was the first to walk toward the wall.

After observing for a while, he realized that no one else was willing to enter.

If they all just stood here waiting, who knew how long it would take?

So he simply decided to go in himself.

Without hesitation, Daniel stepped into the Wall of Life and Death.

The moment he entered, people noticed that he wasn't immediately expelled.

His qualification remained intact.

This encouraged others.

Soon, more contestants followed his lead, cautiously stepping into the wall after him.

Greg, meanwhile, took advantage of the distraction to slip away from those who had surrounded him.

During the Enlightenment Competition, no one could attack him outright, so he managed to break free and blend into the crowd.

Then, seeing Daniel enter the Wall of Life and Death, Greg didn't hesitate—he rushed in as well.

Inside the Wall of Life and Death, things were quite different.

Though it appeared to be just a thin wall from the outside, once inside, it expanded into a large space filled with wandering ghosts.

Strange spectral creatures hovered around Daniel.

He glanced at them.

Their eerie noises were really annoying.

Annoyed, he grabbed one at random and beat it up before tossing it aside.

The ghost immediately went silent and fled.

Seeing its fate, the other ghosts quickly scattered, staying far away from him.