Chapter 4: Teammates

“The main temple is opening! Please, Reincarnators, prepare yourselves!”

The mechanical, monotonous, yet grand voice was still echoing when Wu Ming suddenly found himself surrounded by darkness and lost consciousness.

A terrifying sensation of falling came over him, as if he were trapped in a nightmare—his whole body weightless and empty, with nothing to hold onto. Wu Ming struggled to open his eyes, but found it extremely difficult for his mind to control his body.

Boom!

Suddenly, it felt as if he had landed from a great height. Wu Ming jolted upright and opened his eyes.

The scenery was picturesque, with clear waters and lush mountains. Wisps of smoke rose gently from a small village nearby on the plains, yet Wu Ming’s pupils slightly constricted.

Because the streak of smoke in the sky was clearly motionless!

Not only was the smoke suspended in midair, but the nearby ancient trees, the flowers and grass on the road, and even the birds and animals were all frozen in place—like a vividly lifelike specimen, as if the entire world had paused.

A circle of white light surrounded the area, and several people lay on the ground nearby.

Wu Ming rolled his eyes: “A frozen world… So it really is the ‘Main God’! Damn it! Why did I have to be so careless and pick up that jade piece?”

This was the Main God Space! A realm of legends, known for its hellish difficulty, where participants were forced to fight to the death. Failing missions or lacking points meant instant annihilation!

Heaven help him, Wu Ming had been quite satisfied with the Great Zhou World. He had only wanted to poke around a few corpses to see what treasures he could scavenge. He definitely hadn’t wanted to end up here!

With his foundation in the Great Zhou World, he could have quietly lain low and developed his strength gradually.

With resources from a minor clan and an older sister cultivating Daoist arts, it was absolutely no dream to come into contact with Daoist techniques someday!

Even if he proved unfit for Daoist cultivation, he could still have pursued paths like martial arts, Confucianism, or even shamanic magic or curse mastery—always clinging to that faint glimmer of hope for immortality!

But now, trapped within the Main Temple, surviving this mission was already in question!

“Damn it! Could that Lin Qi’s special advantage be this?”

Wu Ming instinctively touched his chest. The jade pendant that had brought him here was still there, but nothing else remained. His expression subtly changed. He glanced at his unscathed right hand, narrowing his eyes.

After all, just moments ago, he had been wearing a Daoist talisman ring, which had even burned his hand after releasing an overwhelming surge of power.

But now, both the ring and the wound had vanished without a trace!

This situation prompted Wu Ming to think deeply.

[Welcome, Reincarnator, to the Main Temple!]

At this moment, an even more mysterious voice directly echoed in Wu Ming’s mind—mechanical, monotonous, yet carrying a sense of vastness and grandeur.

[This is the heaven, the earth, the cycle of reincarnation, and beyond! Anything you desire can be found here! Any unattainable wish can be fulfilled here! Complete the Main Temple’s tasks, and you shall gain the entire world!]

[Ding! Scanning Reincarnator, collecting information, assigning number…]

Soon, a glowing screen appeared before Wu Ming, displaying ancient, mysterious characters resembling seal script or inscriptions. Despite their archaic appearance, Wu Ming immediately understood their meaning:

[Reincarnator Number: Geng Shen 69!]

[Name: Wu Ming]

[Cultivation Level: Fourth Tier of Physical Body Realm – Internal Strengthening]

[Equipment: Jade Pendant (Unknown Artifact, requires appraisal upon return to the Main Temple)]

[Title: None]

[Your appearance and attire have been slightly adjusted, automatically equipped with scene language for seamless communication with characters in the scenario. These effects will disappear after the mission… Note: Absolutely no disclosure of the Main Temple or the real world to scenario characters is permitted. Violators will be erased!]

…

Wu Ming carefully examined the glowing screen from top to bottom, especially the final two blood-red words indicating erasure, which sent chills down his spine.

“It’s just that…”

He glanced at his stats and couldn’t help but feel the urge to complain: “So simplistic? Where’s my muscle strength? Reaction speed? Even some basic stats like strength or stamina would be more intuitive…”

“Ahh!”

Just then, a sharp female scream pierced the air. Wu Ming turned his head and saw the previously unconscious figures slowly rising. He rolled his eyes inwardly: “According to the infinite world setting, the stronger you are, the earlier you wake up. So does that mean… they’re all weaker than me—just a bunch of weaklings?”

This realization only deepened his anxiety about surviving and completing the mission.

“Esteemed sir, may I ask where we are?”

A woman dressed in a pale yellow robe stood up. Her figure was graceful, a beauty mark at the corner of her lips, exuding a faint air of worldliness. She bowed gracefully to Wu Ming and asked softly.

“Hmm, at least she’s calm…” Wu Ming nodded inwardly. As he was about to respond, the young man beside the yellow-clad woman also stood up, his face filled with panic:

“What… What’s going on? Wasn’t I just enjoying myself at the tavern moments ago? How did I end up here all of a sudden? Who are you? Kidnappers? My uncle is the county magistrate…”

Wu Ming ignored him and turned his gaze to the other two. One was a girl of about fifteen or sixteen, nervously twisting the hem of her dress. The other was a muscular, rugged man with a somewhat thuggish demeanor.

Including Wu Ming, there were three men and two women. At least the Main Temple hadn’t gone completely mad and dragged in children or the elderly.

“Cough… cough…”

Wu Ming suddenly coughed, immediately drawing wary glances from the other four.

He gave a bitter smile, shrugged his shoulders, and spread his hands wide, trying to appear as innocent as possible: “Actually… I came in with you all, and I’m just as confused as you are. Given the strange circumstances, shouldn’t we unite and face this challenge together? I can share some discoveries—try to recall carefully, listen closely. Some information seems to have been imprinted in our minds…”

As soon as Wu Ming finished speaking, the other four remained silent for a moment before erupting into startled exclamations, looking as if they had seen a ghost:

“The Main Temple? Fulfill any wish by completing missions? That’s gotta be a joke! Definitely a joke! What equipment? Titles? This is just superstitious nonsense!”

The young man with sunken cheeks, clearly drained by alcohol and lust, suddenly took on a righteous tone: “We are scholars of the sages—how could we be deceived by such supernatural nonsense?”

Wu Ming cast a look of disdain inwardly: “With your condition? I bet your cultivation of Confucian righteousness was practiced on women’s bellies!”

“I do think… given my status, no one would go to such lengths to play such a grand joke on me…”

The courtesan in the yellow dress gave a bitter smile: “I was in Donghai Commandery. There’s no such vast plain within hundreds of miles. It feels as if I’ve instantly moved from the south to the north…”

“I’m from Qinbian Commandery! Donghai and Qinbian are worlds apart. Even with the fastest horses, it would take months to travel between them!”

The thug-like man’s expression turned even darker.

“This…”

Finally, the girl in the plain white dress timidly spoke up: “I… I remember my father once told me that there are hidden paradises and secret realms in the world. Once you enter, time and space warp, and the five senses become confused. It’s beyond normal understanding. Could we have encountered such a situation?”

“Huh?”

Wu Ming looked at the girl with some surprise. Her knowledge seemed to surpass even that of the young nobleman Wu Ming had met earlier.

“Alright! Since we’re in this strange place, we should unite and support each other. How about we introduce ourselves—just names, cultivation levels, and specialties?”

“My name is Huang Ying. I’m from the Baihua Pavilion in Donghai Commandery. As for specialties… Does playing musical instruments, chess, calligraphy, and painting count?”

It seemed Wu Ming’s earlier actions had somewhat eased the others’ tensions. The woman named Huang Ying spoke candidly, though she looked slightly embarrassed when mentioning her specialties.

“Do you have martial arts cultivation? Or Daoist techniques?”

Wu Ming asked hopefully.

Huang Ying shook her head slightly: “I’ve lived a life of courtesanship for many years, skilled only in entertaining guests. I know nothing of martial arts or Daoist techniques…”

Though her background was humble, her calm and honest admission earned her a bit more respect from Wu Ming.

The young nobleman’s eyes lit up: “Never thought there would be such a beauty in Donghai Commandery! I must pay my respects someday… My name is Kang Shouli. My father is a wealthy gentleman in Hedong City, and my second uncle is the county magistrate. The Kang family is quite well-known in Hedong, and I’ve trained in martial arts since childhood, achieving two levels of cultivation…”

“Delighted to meet you, Master Kang!”

Huang Ying, true to her background, smiled gracefully, instantly captivating Kang Shouli with her charm.

“Qin Hu! Third Tier of Physical Body Realm!”

The man in black, terse with words, kept glancing nervously around.

“I… My name is Xiaoyu. What about you, big brother?”

The last girl had a soft voice, her large, bright eyes looking at Wu Ming.

“Right, we’ve all spoken. It’s your turn now! There’s nothing that can’t be shared. Do you have any secrets?”

Kang Shouli turned his eyes and spoke loudly.

“The world is dangerous, so I never reveal my name!”

Wu Ming’s lips curled into a slight smile. He glanced thoughtfully at the girl named Xiaoyu: “I have no name, so you can just call me ‘Nameless’!”

“What the hell!”

At this moment, the other four people undoubtedly had a line of black thoughts, and the temperamental Qin Hu almost wanted to roll up his sleeves and fight.

“As for cultivation… I’ve also reached the Third Tier of Physical Body Realm, with bones resonating with strength!”

Wu Ming smiled, his right hand flicking out with a crisp sound of power flowing through his joints like firecrackers.

“Power reaching the bones, at the peak of the third tier?”

Qin Hu’s pupils slightly constricted. He didn’t advance further, as Wu Ming’s martial cultivation level was actually a bit higher than his own, who had just entered the Bone Resonance stage.

Though he wasn’t confident he couldn’t beat him, he glanced at the others and stopped instead.

“Hmph! A crude martial artist!”

Kang Shouli snorted, clearly unwilling to get into a fight with Wu Ming. As for Xiaoyu, she looked at Wu Ming with a face full of innocent confusion.

At that moment, the majestic voice of the Main Temple, as if directly echoing in their minds, rang out:

[All Reincarnators confirmed! Initiating this mission!]