Chapter 13: Outstanding Players Who Stand Out

With a new direction, Zhao Haiping felt energized once again.

This high-freedom, hyper-realistic game is indeed quite unfriendly to new players. With no mission guidance at all, players must research, speculate, and verify everything themselves.

Compared to games that clearly list objectives and offer auto-pathing, it's certainly mentally taxing.

But once you accept this setup and get into it, it becomes incredibly engaging!

Zhao Haiping re-entered the first phase of the trial, selecting the "Licking the Blade" talent.

This time, he didn't just focus on surviving as he did before. Instead, he charged directly to the front, confronting the northern Di soldiers head-on!

Of course, the consequence was that he died even faster. Previously, he died about once every half hour, but now he died every two or three minutes.

But what did it matter?

Zhao Haiping knew that surviving long in the first phase was meaningless. If he couldn't gain a significant advantage early on, he'd be doomed in the second phase. So, he might as well give it his all in the first phase.

Moreover, facing the enemy's blade directly allowed him to fully utilize the "Licking the Blade" talent, making him increasingly familiar with the life-or-death struggle.

His combat skills were also improving rapidly.

Thus, Zhao Haiping died and revived again and again.

...

Meanwhile, Meng Yuan and Canshang were observing the players' progress.

With a large chicken leg in hand, Canshang gnawed on it while saying worriedly, "It's been nearly two days, and there are only five days left until that historical shard invasion. So far, no one has cleared the trial dungeon.

"Do you really think they can succeed in the next five days?"

Meng Yuan, however, remained calm. "You don't understand the nature of players.

"Though they may seem pitiful now, they're just in the initial exploration phase.

"As soon as one player makes a breakthrough, the progress of all the other players will skyrocket. Players are a fascinating community that advances collectively.

"I've already spotted two or three promising talents.

"By the way, why are you always eating?"

Meng Yuan glanced at the large chicken leg in Canshang's hand, nearly drooling.

Canshang replied, "It's because I used up too much of the Returner's power, and my strength isn't what it used to be!

"I'm supposed to have an adult-sized body, but because of the lack of power, I've shrunk and constantly feel hungry."

Meng Yuan asked, "So, when will you be full?"

Canshang sighed, "What you're seeing is just imaginary food to comfort myself; it doesn't actually work. Only the power contained in devoured historical shards can restore me to, or even surpass, my original state.

"That's why I'm concerned. The closer we get to ancient history, the more powerful the demonic forces become. If we can't handle the first historical shard and strengthen ourselves, the future battles will only grow harder, perhaps unwinnable."

Meng Yuan nodded. "Understood. But don't worry too much; I believe in these players."

Canshang continued watching the players' attempts to clear the game.

"You mentioned a few promising players earlier. Who are they?"

Meng Yuan pointed to the scenes he was monitoring.

"First, of course, there's Zhao Haiping. He's done well in both the Assassin and Soldier trial realms. I think if he sticks with the Assassin trial, he could likely clear it. But it seems he's more interested in the Soldier class.

"His combat talent is among the best of all players. Once he perfectly clears the first phase and enters the second phase as an adjutant, clearing the Soldier trial should just be a matter of time.

"I think one more day should be enough for him.

"Then there's a player named Chu Ge. His combat ability is weak—practically zero—but his historical knowledge is rich, and he's excellent at solving puzzles.

"On the first day of *Dark Sands*, he posted online, accurately determining the game's objective and mechanics, and identifying the historical periods associated with the trials, saving players from a lot of unnecessary detours.

"He's now working on the Scholar trial, and his progress looks good; he's already reached the fourth round.

"Lastly, there's a player named Huo Yunyin. He seems to have some martial arts background in real life and adapted quickly to the Ranger dungeon. His combat skills are fully up to standard; now he just needs the right mindset and acting skills to clear the dungeon.

"Of course, there are other notable players too. Like this one, Du Gang. He doesn't have any particularly outstanding skills, but he has a good all-around balance.

"Also, I have a feeling his real-life background might be more complex."

Canshang suggested, "Want me to check his real-life occupation? I can find out."

Meng Yuan shook his head immediately. "No need, not yet. The players are still in the exploration phase. The ones standing out now aren't necessarily the strongest, so let's observe a bit longer."

Canshang sighed, "I didn't expect someone like you, who got totally lost in the dungeon, to give such detailed analysis on others."

Meng Yuan chuckled, "I'm joking. I'm a top-tier 'cloud player.' While I'm not great at playing the game, I'm pretty good at critiquing it."

Canshang asked, "So when do you think these players will clear it?"

Meng Yuan replied confidently, "At most one more day! And once one player clears it, many others will soon follow."

...

The third day, 10 p.m.

Zhao Haiping re-entered the world of *Dark Sands*.

He took a deep breath, calming his nerves.

"Seems like all my preparations are in place.

"My combat skills have hit a bottleneck, and all the necessary preparations are done. I even had Chu Ge review my script for when I face the general. It should be fine.

"As for the third phase, that will probably depend on pure skill.

"If I'm in good shape, I might clear all three phases tonight!"

Although Zhao Haiping was still stuck in the first phase, he was full of confidence after so much preparation.

Before logging out yesterday, he had nearly managed to clear the first phase without retreating.

The "Licking the Blade" talent allowed him to perform better in close-range combat and when fighting multiple enemies, and these past two days of battle and practice had brought a significant leap in his cold-weapon combat skills.

Zhao Haiping felt certain that as long as he killed enough northern Di soldiers in the first phase, his rank would naturally rise in the second phase.

He'd also prepared extensively for phases two and three.

During the day, he exchanged contact information with Chu Ge and discussed the dungeon with him in detail.

Chu Ge was the player who previously posted online and pinpointed the historical eras of the trial dungeons. He now seemed to be tackling the Scholar trial.

Since Zhao Haiping was the furthest along in the Soldier dungeon, Chu Ge was happy to share insights.

After analyzing the content of the Soldier dungeon, Chu Ge provided Zhao Haiping with a speech tailored for the general.

This speech maximized the use of cultural nuances from that era and was, according to Chu Ge, the most convincing approach to persuade the general.

With this, even if Zhao Haiping didn't achieve adjutant status in the first phase, his role as a close guard would still greatly increase his chances of convincing the general.

As for the specifics of the third phase, Zhao Haiping hadn't reached it yet, so Chu Ge couldn't provide detailed strategies. He could only predict some potential scenarios based on historical records.

After preparing everything during the day, Zhao Haiping entered the "One General's Triumph" Soldier trial with full confidence.

Back at the starting point.

Zhao Haiping skillfully selected the "Licking the Blade" talent and looked toward the northern Di soldiers below the city wall, his left hand gripping a bow, his right hand reaching into his quiver.

The siege began once again!