"Welcome to the Volcano Trial Ground. The A-level trial begins, and the rules are as follows..." On a white platform, Li Xiu and Shu Wei stand on opposite sides. Both are dressed in white tight-fitting suits, holding a golf club in hand, with a snake-like narrow path extending from the platform.
The pathway is only one meter wide, its length unknown, and on both sides lies an endless ocean.
At the distant end of the narrow path is a dark mountain peak.
The rules are the same as the Red Sand City Lord described: there are eighteen holes on this narrow path, with each hole situated on a circular platform of four meters in diameter.
The distance to each hole ranges from five hundred to a thousand meters, a length that ordinary people cannot hope to cover, essentially a dead end upon entry.
Only the power of the Trial Takers can drive the ball that far.
You can say that ordinary participants in this A-level trial face an inevitable death scenario.
There are no sand traps or similar obstacles here; if the ball falls off the winding narrow road, the trial counts as an immediate failure.
For the five hundred-meter hole, only three strokes are allowed. If the ball is not holed after three strokes, it’s considered a trial failure.
Seven to eight hundred-meter holes allow four strokes, with failure similarly resulting in elimination.
For a thousand-meter hole, five strokes are permitted, but failure leads to the same outcome.
After each hole is completed, the next ball is played directly from the hole’s platform until all eighteen holes are finished.
The difficulty of this trial essentially eliminates ordinary people right away, and for Trial Takers, without the skill and precision, it’s a guaranteed death game.
The only favorable rule is that all participating Trial Takers have absolute invincible protection, meaning there’s no way to attack other Trial Takers during the competition; victory must be achieved through the game.
Li Xiu agreed to participate in the trial upon learning of this rule.
Trial Takers are also prohibited from physically contacting or interfering with other Trial Takers’ balls, which would constitute a breach and result in trial failure.
The final rule is that the first Trial Taker to complete all eighteen holes wins, while the others face elimination.
Apart from these, there are no other rules; Trial Takers can choose to play at any time, as long as eighteen holes are completed per the rules to pass the trial.
"You’re Shu Wei, right?" Li Xiu looked at Shu Wei and asked.
"Indeed, what do you want to say?" Shu Wei responded calmly, knowing that Li Xiu was as good as dead.
This trial has two critical aspects: accuracy in striking and speed.
Shu Wei possesses a skill with a hundred percent accuracy. As for speed, an A-level Trial Taker’s pace far surpasses that of Li Xiu, leaving him without a chance.
To Shu Wei, the rule protecting Li Xiu is the only reason he’s given the chance. Otherwise, Shu Wei would’ve dealt with Li Xiu here directly.
"It’s a deathmatch, so I have to give it all I have. Life and death rest on Celestial Mandate, not to blame anyone else. If you have any last words or messages to convey, now’s the time." Li Xiu said.
He harbors no ill will against Shu Wei, but under such rules, he must exhaust every means to survive, with no other path available.
However, killing someone totally unrelated to him isn’t Li Xiu’s intention, so he wanted to know if Shu Wei had any unfulfilled wishes.
Shu Wei was amused by Li Xiu’s statement, "There’s no way I can lose. To be honest, I have a skill with a hundred percent accuracy, so you’re the one certain to die. No need for any last messages; I don’t have time for idle concerns."
"That puts my mind at ease," Li Xiu actually smiled.
"Why are you smiling? Do you think I’m joking?" Shu Wei coldly stared at Li Xiu.
"The countdown is about to end; anything else you’d like to say?" Li Xiu calmly asked Shu Wei.
"Get lost. If not for the rules, I’d kill you right now." Shu Wei ignored Li Xiu, moved to the striking position, and awaited the trial’s commencement.
Li Xiu stepped to his striking position, raised his club, and assumed a stance to strike.
As the countdown ended, both swung their clubs almost simultaneously, sending the balls flying at the same time.
However, while Shu Wei’s ball flew toward the circular platform where the hole was, Li Xiu’s ball seemed to deviate, accelerating toward the sky.
Shu Wei was admiring the perfect arc of his shot when suddenly he saw a ball enter his view, coming closer to the ball he had hit.
Shu Wei’s pupils constricted continually, his expression turned increasingly shocked, even distorted.
When the balls collided mid-air, he couldn’t suppress a roar: "What are you doing... you’re courting death..."
He regretted, was angry, bewildered, and all the more unwilling to accept.
Li Xiu had clearly warned him, yet he didn’t take it to heart.
If Shu Wei had been cautious, let Li Xiu strike first, or moved faster instead of pursuing the beauty of the swing and ball’s arc, and swung with full force, Li Xiu’s ball wouldn’t have caught up to his.
But he was overly confident, believing he had victory secured, without delving deeper into the understanding of the rules.