Zhao Haiping felt a surge of frustration, but at that moment, the red-armored guards charged forward to seize him again.
With no other choice, he went all out, opening the box to reveal the black jade qilin, quickly locating and drawing the hidden sword!
But as he held it in his hand, he was dumbfounded. The so-called "sword" was barely longer than his hand, shorter than a dagger, and much narrower. It was less of a sword and more like an oversized awl.
Fortunately, even this "sword" still benefited from the *Swordsmanship Mastery* skill's boost. After a desperate struggle, he managed to kill two guards and injure six or seven others before he was hacked to death.
As for Emperor Ling, Zhao Haiping considered tossing the sword at him as a last resort, hoping for a lucky hit that might kill him instantly.
But a quick glance around revealed the emperor had already vanished.
Coward!
Back to the beginning.
This time, Zhao Haiping didn't rush to view the new talent skills. Instead, he began to think carefully about how to clear this level.
Although he'd killed two guards last time thanks to the *Swordsmanship Mastery* muscle memory, it made him even more aware of just how far he was from completing the trial.
"Nie Rang's physical prowess combined with Swordsmanship Mastery – that's the best combat power I can have.
"Unless I miraculously draw a Ren-level gold combat skill related to swordsmanship, but the odds are too low. Who knows how many deaths it would take? Besides, I'm not even sure if there are Ren-level gold combat skills in this trial.
"I have to consider my current strength as my final combat ability for passing the trial.
"But beyond combat power, there are too many other issues to resolve.
"If I'm like a barrel, then Swordsmanship Mastery only raises my combat power to an acceptable level. Everything else is still a shortcoming…"
He reviewed the reasons for his failure.
Entering the hall, he couldn't control his body or expressions, and his fear aroused Emperor Ling's suspicion.
Though he quickly came up with an excuse, the emperor no longer trusted him and had the eunuch retrieve the black jade qilin.
When Zhao Haiping tried to approach, his actions contradicted his words, which the perceptive Emperor Ling detected, leading to his failure.
"So, to get close, I need to stay calm throughout, even beyond calm – I must appear harmless enough to earn Emperor Ling's initial trust. And when I suggest approaching to show him the flaw in the jade, it must be at the right moment, maybe with some kind of ruse…
"This is too hard!
"If I could have the other two talents, *Calm and Composed* and *Silver Tongue*, all three talents combined might give me a chance.
"But the game mechanics limit me to one talent.
"What do I do?
"For a beginner-level dungeon, this feels unsolvable!"
Frowning, Zhao Haiping began to doubt himself.
He'd played countless action games, many of which were punishing, but at least in those, he could think of ways to improve.
Whether through specific skill practice or finding special items, there was always a path forward.
In this game, though, he had no leads at all.
This felt like an almost impossible goal.
"Could this be why they emphasized the need for acting skills?"
Zhao Haiping suddenly recalled the requirements from the closed beta announcement.
One of the criteria emphasized having strong acting skills, ideally at an "Academy Award level." If not, then at least a good match to the character's personality.
At the time, he'd been puzzled, thinking it was just a game, not a movie – why the need for acting skills?
Now he understood: the NPCs in this game were nothing like ordinary AI.
In other VR games, NPCs were like wooden figures, offering fixed dialogue options or simple responses, often feeling like artificial "dummies."
But the NPCs in this game?
The moment Zhao Haiping made eye contact, he was dragged out and executed.
Not only that, every subtle expression and movement was scrutinized under a magnifying glass. Any unusual behavior immediately triggered suspicion.
These NPCs would pass the Turing test without a hitch, right?
Clearly, this game company had serious backing. Not only did they have 100% realistic VR technology, but they also boasted incredible AI.
No wonder acting is crucial in this game.
Every action the player takes has to fit their character perfectly, without any "out-of-character" signs.
In movies, if an actor lacks skill, the audience might be momentarily distracted, leading to a few complaints and impacting box office earnings.
But here, all the NPCs are the audience. If the player's acting isn't convincing, causing an NPC to "break character," it only leads to one outcome: death!
If you can't act well, you can't even get close to the emperor, let alone clear the level by assassinating him.
"This is absurd. Now I understand – this game truly is 100% realism, not cutting any corners.
"Ordinary players really wouldn't last.
"Do I need to take acting lessons just to play a game?
"Oh well, I'll give it a few more tries. If it doesn't work, I'll exit and try the other beginner trials.
"Maybe the roles of Warrior or Hero don't need as much acting. Assassin is probably too high-level for beginners."
Steeling himself, Zhao Haiping resumed the game.
In a regular VR game, this difficulty would definitely drive away most players.
But this game's technical prowess was unmatched.
The 100% realism and high-level AI made it unlike anything else on the market. Compared to it, other VR games with 50% realism felt like child's play, lacking any appeal.
After adjusting his mindset, Zhao Haiping's sense of challenge was reignited, and he threw himself back into attempts to clear the level.
…
Meanwhile, Meng Yuan and the young girl Can Shang observed the players' performances from an omniscient viewpoint.
Players only knew that beta access was extremely hard to get, but none truly grasped the exact probability.
Meng Yuan, on the other hand, had a clear view of all the data.
So far, over a hundred million people worldwide had signed up for the *Dark Sands* beta, with only 10,000 accepted.
A true "one in a million" selection!
The high number of applicants was expected, given the game's massive exposure across top global news and social media platforms. And with free sign-ups, countless players tried their luck.
As for why only 10,000 were chosen, there was a reason.
*Dark Sands* wasn't just a game; it wasn't limited by server capacity, but rather powered by the Order Restorer's abilities.
The UI and game-like elements were just a "packaging" to make players believe they were playing a game.
Only a few select players could accompany Meng Yuan into the historical fragments to fulfill his mission. More people would dilute his powers.
So choosing a few highly skilled players was the best option.
The beta served as a way to screen out the most talented players.
While creating trials for each player didn't consume much power, supporting 10,000 players was near the limit. To expand further, he'd need to find a way to draw more power from historical fragments.
Selection criteria were based on player performance in previous VR games and real-life professions.
Players with extensive experience and awards in VR action and puzzle games had a better chance of being selected.
Real-life actors, history enthusiasts, athletes, martial artists, and others with special skills also had higher odds.
Police, soldiers, and firefighters were suitable, but their roles were too vital to society. Meng Yuan didn't want the game to interfere with their duties; that would create chaos even before the historical fragment demons invaded.
The selection was all powered by the Order Restorer's abilities, yielding fairly reliable results despite slight margins for error.
The goal was to find those best suited to entering historical fragments and aiding Meng Yuan's mission as the Order Restorer.
However, from the players' performance in the trials, there was a slight discrepancy from Meng Yuan's expectations.
So far, Zhao Haiping was the most outstanding performer, having killed two red-armored guards.
The other players… had met more tragic ends.
Some fell down the steps due to intense nervousness; others stammered during the audience and were dragged out for execution; one even tried to snatch a guard's weapon, only to be hacked down before reaching the hall.
Each trial had its own mix of horrors, with equally brutal outcomes.
Players like Zhao Haiping, who had managed to reach Emperor Ling and come up with excuses on the spot, were rare.
Meng Yuan understood that, in real life, players like Zhao Haiping were top-tier.
Even so, they hadn't found any way to clear the trial.
Can Shang, holding a meat bun, took a bite and commented, "I told you this was a waste of time. The trial illusion is meant for Order Restorer selection – it's far too difficult. You shouldn't have such high expectations of them.
"And as Assistants, they only have one Order Restorer ability, which raises the difficulty even more."
Meng Yuan sighed lightly, responding, "But didn't you notice? Even though the players are struggling, they're performing better in the trial illusion than I did.
"At least most of them have a rough idea of the trial's objectives."
Can Shang was momentarily speechless. "…You have a point."
Meng Yuan wasn't entirely confident the players would succeed.
As Assistants, players received a portion of the Order Restorer's abilities. The talent skill cards they saw were all variations of the Order Restorer's powers. If Meng Yuan entered
a historical fragment himself, he could start with three skills and increase over time.
But Assistants could only take one skill.
This undoubtedly made clearing the trial even harder.
Now, Meng Yuan could only hope the carefully chosen players would rely on their talent and persistence to bridge the gap.
Looking on the bright side, any player who could thrive in such a harsh environment would be genuinely skilled!
Meng Yuan continued watching, eager to see how the players would perform.
Can Shang, as the guide, could observe all players' actions simultaneously, only showing Meng Yuan notable breakthroughs – like an intelligent observer system.
So far, Zhao Haiping had adjusted to the game the quickest, earning more of Meng Yuan's attention.