89: hall

He exerted force on his arm, gently pressed down the doorknob, and the large door slowly opened outwards.

Wisps of white mist drifted out from the gap in the opening door.

A massive hall came into the view of Shi Yan and the other two.

The hall was entirely black, permeated everywhere with waist-high white mist, and its overall height was over thirty meters; standing inside the door, they couldn't see the scenes on either side.

However, they could see a huge staircase branching off to both sides, about a hundred meters away from them.

"That staircase very likely leads to the next floor."

The Girl said excitedly.

Zhang Jing also showed a joyful expression; no matter what danger lay ahead, at least now they had a goal and wouldn't continue to be like headless flies.

Shi Yan's gaze swept around, but he didn't find any monsters or players.

So what was the situation with the sounds of fighting that came from inside earlier?

The three of them didn't hesitate much and walked into the hall.

The moment the three of them stepped through the door, it suddenly slammed shut with a bang.

Zhang Jing and the Girl's expressions changed, their faces grim as they looked at the door behind them.

Shi Yan, however, wasn't surprised; after all, wasn't the previous door like this too?

Shi Yan turned his head to look around.

At this moment, the scenes on both sides, which had been unclear, could now be seen clearly.

Both sides were approximately several hundred meters long, and behind them was a huge wall with many large doors at its base.

Shi Yan and his companions had emerged from one of these doors.

If no danger was apparent, then the danger must be from below their feet.

Shi Yan looked down at the white mist that reached his abdomen.

His body gently floated up, keeping his feet always off the ground.

The staircase leading to the next floor was right in front of them, but all three of them clearly didn't want to be the first to walk forward, as the previous fighting was still vivid in their minds.

The three stood silently in place, and the atmosphere around them seemed to solidify increasingly.

"Well, it's not good for us to just stand here; something dangerous might happen."

The Girl's eyes darted around, and she glanced at Shi Yan from the corner of her eye.

Her malice was almost written on her face, seemingly hinting at Shi Yan to scout ahead.

"Makes sense."

The Girl's words moved Zhang Jing; after a slight contemplation, Zhang Jing also looked at Shi Yan.

After all, Shi Yan was the weakest at this moment, and in this place, weakness meant no human rights.

"It's time for you to be useful."

Zhang Jing's tone was normal, but in the current environment, it sounded a bit eerie.

The reason he had kept Shi Yan from the beginning was that he wanted to use Shi Yan as some kind of scouting tool.

Now was the perfect time for him to play his role.

Looking at how the two had decided his fate with just a few words, Shi Yan's face showed no expression.

"Hmm? Aren't we being clear enough?"

The Girl saw Shi Yan's unmoving posture, a flash of dissatisfaction crossed her face, and a black long spear suddenly appeared in her hand.

The long spear was raised high, its sharp tip aimed deadly at Shi Yan, as if it would pierce Shi Yan in the next second.

"I'll give you three seconds, 3..."

The Girl's delicate features vanished, replaced by traces of malevolence and bloodlust creeping onto her cheeks.

Zhang Jing watched this scene without speaking, his eyes also grimly fixed on Shi Yan.

"2..."

Streams of black energy emerged from the tip of the long spear.

"1..."

The long spear suddenly accelerated, thrusting towards Shi Yan.

But a flash of blood light, faster than the long spear, streaked past the Girl's head.

The Girl's hand movements abruptly stopped, the black long spear dropped to the ground, and her body fell weakly to the ground.

!

Zhang Jing stared dumbfounded at this scene; he hadn't clearly seen what happened, only that Shi Yan's right hand flashed, and the Girl collapsed to the ground.

"You!?"

He seemed to have discovered something, looking at Shi Yan in horror.

"You're a Talented Person?!"

Zhang Jing seemed to have thought of something, uttering a word that felt a bit unfamiliar to Shi Yan.

"Oh. What's a Talented Person?"

Shi Yan's face remained unchanged throughout; he had been looking at the patterns on the handrail of the distant staircase, which was why he hadn't acted immediately.

Otherwise, he would have eliminated both of them long ago.

At this moment, drops of blood were still dripping from his right fingertips.

However, it was a bit regrettable that the Girl didn't drop any skills.

"Talented Persons are individuals who are born with very strong talents."

Seeing that Shi Yan didn't directly attack him, Zhang Jing felt a sense of narrow escape in his heart and immediately answered Shi Yan's question.

Talented Persons are all extremely abnormal individuals; they possess various strange and powerful talents. They are favored by the heavens, born with strength that ordinary people cannot hope to achieve.

"What was the clue in your room?"

Shi Yan's gaze shifted towards the staircase, asking Zhang Jing in a questioning yet affirmative tone.

"As expected, I couldn't hide it from you."

Zhang Jing's face revealed a bitter smile; how could he not know that he had long been exposed? He had been trying to scheme against Shi Yan, but in reality, the other person had already seen through him completely.

If I can return alive, I will definitely buy a bunch of acting and psychology skills.

He made this vow in his heart.

"My clue is that there is a secret leading to the top floor within the corridor."

Zhang Jing told Shi Yan.

Shi Yan felt a wave of speechlessness; wasn't that just pure nonsense? Who doesn't know there's a secret in the corridor?

"You go scout ahead."

Shi Yan pointed to the staircase in front, his tone filled with a strong sense of command.

Zhang Jing's face showed a struggle; he really didn't want to scout ahead, but if he didn't, he would die now. If he did, there might still be a chance to live.

Shi Yan's gaze fixed on Zhang Jing, and under that gaze, Zhang Jing shivered all over.

"Okay!"

Zhang Jing nodded heavily, taking slow, heavy steps forward, one by one.

With each step, he would first test the ground ahead with his toes, as if afraid of a large pit appearing in front.

At such a time, it undoubtedly required immense psychological fortitude to remain expressionless, but Zhang Jing clearly lacked such fortitude.

Drops of cold sweat dripped from his forehead and temples.

His face was pale, and he walked forward, gasping for breath.

Shi Yan followed slowly behind him, maintaining a distance of ten meters to avoid being caught in any sudden changes ahead.

Time passed minute by minute, and surprisingly, Zhang Jing encountered no danger at all, smoothly covering more than half the distance. He was now only about twenty meters away from the staircase.

A look of tension appeared on Zhang Jing's face; it seemed there was no danger? He wouldn't think that way; after all, he was a level twenty-plus player, how could he have such naive thoughts?

Shi Yan's expression also grew more vigilant, constantly observing the surroundings, and incidentally, he increased his distance from Zhang Jing by another ten meters.