Chu Ge began assigning roles for the ultimate trial.
"At the moment, to achieve a near-perfect completion, there are at least four critical areas that must be executed flawlessly.
"First is the initial street battle, where as many bandits as possible should be killed before Magistrate Tang dies. This will help reduce the pressure in the next stage.
"Yun Ying, this part is for you. You're a ranger, making it easier for you to escape after the fight. We also need you to play the role of Gao Ze to connect the line of gathering village defenders."
Huo Yunying nodded, "No problem, I'm very familiar with this storyline."
Chu Ge continued, "Next is the merchant and shadow servant storyline.
"Before the bandits enter the theater, there's an opportunity for assassination, which can weaken their fighting strength. But don't linger in battle; strike once and hide immediately.
"After that, the shadow servant on the rooftop needs to be dealt with as soon as possible."
Xia Ruoling volunteered, "Leave that to me; no one is better suited for it than me."
Chu Ge nodded, "Then there's the character of Yang Xinyan.
"Although Yang Xinyan is corrected in the trial illusion, it's uncertain if his state remains unaltered in the ultimate trial. To be absolutely certain, one of us needs to play his role.
"Yang Xinyan may be targeted by a shadow servant, so a certain level of combat ability is required."
Zhao Haiping glanced at Meng Yuan, noticing he had no intention of volunteering, so he said, "I'll do it. Yang Xinyan's physical condition is good, which will allow me to perform better in battle."
Chu Ge actually preferred Meng Yuan to take this role, thinking Zhao Haiping's combat skills would be better utilized leading the village defenders... But on second thought, the character was crucial, and Zhao's reasoning made sense. Yang Xinyan's physique was indeed suitable for combat, so he agreed.
"Lastly, there's the role of Su Xianjun. If I take the opera expertise trait, I could barely manage the role, but I prefer not to play it myself and let the original Su Xianjun act freely.
"I can choose to be a theater member, escape with Yang Xinyan, then help gather the village defenders and buff them, maximizing my effectiveness.
"If I play Su Xianjun, the effect of Righteous Spirit won't be fully utilized."
Everyone agreed, "Yes, it's better for you to gather the defenders."
At that moment, Meng Yuan, who had been silent, spoke up, "I'll play Su Xianjun."
"Huh?" Even the usually composed Chu Ge was taken aback.
A ranger player playing Su Xianjun?
Isn't that a bit...
Meng Yuan cleared his throat, "Actually, I've played Su Xianjun several times in the trial illusion, so I'm well-prepared.
"Besides, Su Xianjun is a key character, and it's better to keep him under our control.
"After all, the official website mentioned that the ultimate trial might have subtle differences from the simulation trial, so it won't be exactly the same.
"What if Su Xianjun's role changes? It could have a significant impact."
Chu Ge thought about it; his reasoning seemed sound.
Although he still felt it was a bit unconventional for a ranger player to play Su Xianjun, everyone here had earned their ranks, fully aware of the consequences of failure. Since Meng Yuan volunteered so confidently, he decided to trust him.
"Alright, then the roles are assigned.
"We've all speed-runned this more than once, so I don't need to explain the steps.
"Let's mentally rehearse the sequence and be fully prepared."
...
Meanwhile, in the shadows, Canshang was also ready.
Her petite figure began channeling the power of the Restorers, locking onto that historical fragment within the chaotic temporal currents once again!
Last time, it was only a copy, but this time it was the real deal.
Her hair and robes started to flow, as the powerful force of the Restorers bypassed the chaotic currents of time, layering around the historical fragment, then began the reversal!
By using the formidable power of the Restorers, Canshang could temporarily revert this historical fragment to its state before the demon invasion.
Time, space, and all related factors would revert to that specific point.
However, this state could not be maintained for long due to the enormous energy consumption.
During this process, the demons would still enter the fragment and attempt to alter it.
If the Restorers succeeded in stopping the demons, ensuring history developed as it originally did, the fragment would be solidified, and the demons would lose their foothold; otherwise, everything would revert to the altered state.
With the current strength of the Restorers, they could reverse it two or three times at most.
Canshang wasn't certain if these players could succeed on the first try, but at this point, all she could do was trust Meng Yuan's judgment and the players' abilities.
The entire historical fragment seemed to rotate counterclockwise!
Within the fragment, in the small town, another scene unfolded.
At this moment, the town was filled with Eastern Yi bandits, many of whom harbored demons.
But before they realized what was happening, the world began to rewind!
The bandits rose and withdrew from the town; the civilians who had died came back to life; the altered characters returned to their original states...
Finally, as a stone on the city wall rolled back into place, everything reverted to the initial state of this historical fragment.
Outside the town, a bandit force of over a hundred was preparing to enter.
They had acquired the city defense map from Battalion Commander Xu and knew the weak points of the town.
The general and the wanderer exchanged a glance, sensing a strange déjà vu, as if they had experienced this before.
The other bandits felt nothing unusual, for the general and wanderer were possessed by demons.
Their momentary confusion faded quickly, and they refocused.
"Prepare to enter the town!"
...
At this moment, the entire Restorers' realm trembled!
The celestial palace suspended in the air seemed to shake, the previously clear sky became shrouded in dark clouds, and within the clouds, an ominous red storm surged!
The realm was enveloped in a special temporal turbulence, resembling a giant ship sailing through stormy seas.
A water-like rift appeared before the group, and a familiar face stepped through it.
Above the young man's head was a line of text: "Beichen, a mediocre Restorer who failed the trial."
Everyone was surprised, "The Retreat Persuader!"
Beichen smiled, "I didn't expect you to make it this far.
"But next, you'll enter the historical fragment and face the demons directly. I'm afraid you don't understand how arduous this task truly is.
"If you wish to escape this nightmare now, there's still a chance."
The group chuckled inwardly.
Still persuading people to quit, huh?
One attempt at quitting per game wasn't enough, even in the ultimate trial you're still trying? Come on, if we could skip this cutscene, we'd already be mashing 'skip' like crazy.
Seeing no one reacting, Beichen nodded, "Very well, then take out your jade pendants, and I'll imbue them with new power."
Everyone took out the jade pendants they received upon first entering the Restorers' realm and meeting Beichen.
The pendants glowed with a rainbow hue, faintly forming a vortex.
Beichen's hand emitted a special light, enveloping everyone's pendants.
A moment later, it was as if a protective force surrounded everyone, including Beichen and the pendants.
In fact, this was all orchestrated by Meng Yuan; this ceremony wasn't necessary, but directly transferring Restorers' power might seem too abrupt.
It was mainly for the ritual's sake, to make the process feel more like a game, so the players wouldn't question it.
"The path through the temporal turbulence to the fragment has opened.
"Though the odds are slim, I still wish you success."
After saying this, Beichen vanished.
The group looked forward again, and a new portal appeared where there had previously been only the portal to "The Settled Await the Coffin."
This new, larger, more majestic portal gave the impression of a giant rift in space, radiating an aura of extreme danger!
"It's finally here, everyone, good luck!"
After some brief words of encouragement, they stepped into the real historical fragment one by one.