The universe's starry sky is dark and cold; darkness and coldness define this place. There is no air to scatter light, and even when one looks up at the stars, everything around remains pitch black, with no light diffusion. Moreover, the temperature in a vacuum is difficult to transmit, so other than the directly exposed surfaces, everything else feels extremely cold.
This is not the first time Fang Yuan has seen such a starry sky—vast and endless, with brilliant stars. The first time he saw it, it was breathtakingly beautiful, but over time, the grandeur becomes monotonous. Here, there is only eternal solitude.
...
In the Steel Ball World, Nia led her adventuring team to the vicinity of the Trial Zone and found that there were already many people there. She was immediately shocked. If they couldn't be the first to reach the Trial Zone, the mission would fail.
Although no punishment was mentioned, if the mission failed, it would ruin her opportunity to become a Grand Sorcerer. While she could eventually reach that level on her own, it was uncertain how long that would take.
Strangely, although there were so many people, no one seemed to be moving forward. The system had not indicated a mission failure either, and it seemed that no one had entered the Trial Zone yet.
Nia was about to inquire about what had happened when suddenly—
Boom...
A loud explosion rang out ahead, followed by a mushroom cloud shooting into the sky. A terrifying shockwave swept in all directions, creating a scene that looked as though the world were being destroyed.
"What happened?"
"What's going on?"
"It looks like something has fallen from the sky..."
The newcomers were all startled.
Nia was also greatly shocked. She understood why no one had moved forward—because it was too dangerous there.
However, recalling the mission issued by the system, Nia felt unwilling to back down. The chance to advance to Grand Sorcerer was within reach, only about a thousand meters away.
"Look, something else is falling again..."
Suddenly, someone screamed.
Sure enough, a fireball about four or five meters in size fell from the sky. It was semi-transparent, and through it, something could be faintly seen inside.
Boom!!
The fireball hit the ground, generating another terrifying shockwave. This time, the shockwave's range was vast, and many people saw the fireball falling nearby.
"Did you see it clearly? It looks like there's something inside the fireball." someone said uncertainly.
"I saw it. It seems to be a magical staff." another person said.
"I saw it too. It's definitely a magical staff. The intense fire magic elements can be sensed even from this distance."
"Did you all see it? It's a magical staff..."
Everyone's eyes turned fiery with excitement, each eager to try their luck.
Nia immediately felt anxious. If someone else reached the Trial Zone before her, her mission would fail.
Determined, Nia took advantage of everyone's attention being drawn to the fireball's fall. She quietly slipped away from the crowd, not even calling for her team, and circled around to get closer to the Trial Zone.
Ahead, colorful auspicious clouds swirled, looking like a place of fortune.
But the falling fireball was too terrifying; even magical beasts were too afraid to approach and kept their distance.
This gave Nia an opportunity. She crawled forward quickly, using earth magic to move the ground beneath her feet like an elevator, getting closer to the land covered by the colorful clouds.
Soon, she was only five hundred meters away from the area.
Three hundred meters, two hundred meters, one hundred meters...
Finally, Nia entered the area covered by the colorful clouds.
"Welcome to the Trial Zone, where all the treasures you desire await. If you want to obtain them, go and fight for them! Race against life, struggle against fate. This will be your place of rise, or perhaps your place of demise!"
A voice, indistinct in gender and emotionless, suddenly rang in Nia's ears, startling her.
Before she could respond, another voice echoed in her mind, "The first to reach the Trial Zone, mission complete!"
As the words finished, earth magic elements surged in the air, flooding into Nia's body, enhancing her mental power while quickly elevating her rank. In just a few breaths, she advanced to the Grand Sorcerer level.
A Grand Sorcerer—this was the pinnacle. Only at this level could one fly. Moreover, only a Grand Sorcerer was considered a true powerhouse, capable of commanding an entire nation.
Nia, at just fifteen, had already become a Grand Sorcerer—her speed of cultivation was astonishing.
...
In the Magical Pet Store, Xu Xiaomeng, who was controlling a missile in a game to bomb the magical beasts that had entered the Trial Zone, suddenly saw a person appear on the screen. Her eyes lit up.
"This game has human characters?"
Without another word, Xu Xiaomeng fired another missile.
...
Nia, who had just reached the Grand Sorcerer level, was still celebrating when she saw a silver-white object several meters long falling from the sky. A strong sense of danger surged through her.
In shock, Nia hurriedly raised her Divine Staff, summoning lightning with her powerful mental energy.
Boom...
A lightning bolt, as thick as an arm, struck the white object.
Boom!!
The white object exploded in midair.
Nia's face changed drastically, and she quickly muttered a spell, summoning a thick earth wall in front of her.
The terrifying shockwave from the explosion tore through the air, collapsing the earth wall and sending Nia flying four or five meters, a mouthful of blood spilling out.
"Hey, this human NPC can actually use skills? What a cool skill! The person who designed this game is amazing!"
A surprised voice echoed in Nia's mind.
Nia froze for a moment before calling out urgently, "System, is that you? Why are you attacking Nia?"
...
Xu Xiaomeng, who was about to throw another missile, paused for a moment and instinctively asked, "System? Game system?"
...
As Fang Yuan performed multiple large-scale teleportations through the starry sky, he grew more skilled. Each time, he covered greater distances, and the time taken for preparations became shorter.
Gradually, Fang Yuan left the solar system, heading towards distant star systems.
After traveling through several star systems, he finally stopped in one and flew toward a planet, intending to gather resources there.
This was an uninhabited planet, with a brownish appearance.
Fang Yuan controlled his position, performing a large teleportation that took him directly into the planet's interior. After a few short-distance teleports, he reached the planet's surface.
Just as he was about to open the world portal to collect planetary resources, Fang Yuan's mind extended over the ground, only for his pupils to contract.
Within the range of his mind's coverage, he noticed faint traces of building ruins buried deep underground.