Chapter Fifty: Preparations Before the Trial

"Xiaohui, what was your trial like?" Although she didn't want Wen Hui to get too smug—and Senior Hua Jing had said that other people's trials weren't particularly helpful—Zhuang Xiaoyuan's curiosity got the better of her, and she asked Wen Hui anyway.

"Hehehe, finally remembered me, did you? Since you're asking so earnestly, I'll be magnanimous and tell you. Listen up: my trial was called the Trial of Wind, though I gave it that name myself. That place had nothing but wind—absolutely nothing else. The moment I arrived, I kept falling through the air, as if I were plummeting endlessly through a void, with no ground ever appearing beneath my feet. The task was to gain the wind's aid and stand still in midair." Questioned by Xiaoyuan, Wen Hui couldn't help but beam with pride, lifting her chin slightly in a show of self-satisfaction, though she was straightforward enough to recount everything she knew.

"I see. Because your guardian deity is the God of Storms, your trial involves the wind as well. So, if my deity is the God of Illusions, will my trial be related to illusions? What sort of things might appear in an illusion, I wonder?" As she pondered this, Xiaoyuan's eyes suddenly brightened. Her own deity had already shown the ability to transform into various anime heroines—could her trial take place in the worlds of those girls? The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became, and her eyes grew more expectant, filled with anticipation. (Author's note: You’re really overthinking it.)

"So, do you want to try challenging your guardian deity's trial now?" Hua Jing, noticing the anticipation in Xiaoyuan's eyes, was reminded of herself the first time she’d heard about such things. Back then, she too had looked forward to the guardian trial with great excitement.

"Right now?" Although she was eager to find out whether her expectations matched reality, Xiaoyuan had planned on attempting the trial back in her own dorm, never considering completing it here.

"Yes. There’s something you might not know: during your guardian deity’s trial, your entire consciousness enters the deity. Your body will be completely defenseless. No matter how long you spend in the trial, only an instant passes in the real world when you return, but there’s no guarantee what could happen in that instant. So my advice is to stay here and finish the trial before you go. Also, let’s complete your registration first," Hua Jing answered Xiaoyuan, handing her a document.

What Hua Jing gave her was an application for provisional God-Armored Warrior status. This was just a filing in the department responsible for such things, without any specific terms or obligations. Every God-Armored Warrior registered like this, and after registration, their regular military subsidy would be upgraded to the special subsidy for God-Armored Warriors. Of course, Xiaoyuan's was only the provisional subsidy, less than the full amount, but still much more than before.

Name, gender, age, assigned region—much of the information had already been filled in by Senior Hua Jing. She must have had Xiaoyuan's details from graduation, so all the basics were covered. After confirming everything was accurate, Xiaoyuan signed her name at the end of the form.

"It’s done. Jing, I’d like to challenge the guardian deity’s trial now. Please help me arrange it." Handing back the signed application, Xiaoyuan decided to face the trial head-on, eager to see if her guesses were correct.

"All right, come with me. I’ve already prepared a quiet room for you. Usually, you get more than one chance at the guardian trial; if you fail, you can try again. But some rare deities only give you one shot—fail, and you lose the chance for this stage forever. So be careful. Do your utmost to succeed the first time—even if a second attempt is allowed, the rewards are much diminished compared to the first. So, I wish you success," Hua Jing said, leading Xiaoyuan to the basement beneath the two-story buildings where the God-Armored Warriors lived. At the door, she offered one last reminder.

"Give it your all. If you fail, it’ll be my victory—after all, I passed on my first try," Wen Hui chimed in, as tsundere as ever. You could see she wanted to cheer Xiaoyuan on, but her words were as sharp as ever.

"Don’t worry. Aside from that one time, when have you ever beaten me?" Xiaoyuan shot back with a gentle retort, her eyes warm as she smiled at Hua Jing and Wen Hui.

As the door to the meditation chamber closed behind her, Xiaoyuan was left alone in the small, bare room. Aside from the cushion in the center and the large character for "Tranquility" hanging opposite the door—printed rather than handwritten—the room was empty. After a brief glance at the almost mechanical calligraphy, she settled onto the cushion.

It was almost time. But before beginning, she wanted to make sure she was thoroughly prepared. In a trial, you never knew if your abilities might be restricted.

Just in case, Xiaoyuan summoned the card she’d earned by advancing to the Prayer rank, drawing it from the swirling nebula at her breast. She gently stroked the black card, torn between using it for a random transformation—which was unpredictable—or specifying a type, which would waste a rare opportunity. The further she progressed in divine power, the harder it became to advance, and her transformation cards were earned only by reaching new ranks, so each one was precious. Besides, there was no particular character she needed right now. Wasting a card would be a shame.

After a moment’s hesitation, she gritted her teeth and chose a random summon.

As the blank black card in her hand began to glow gold, image after image of young girls flashed across its surface. When the light faded, only one girl remained at its center.

"It’s her." Xiaoyuan frowned. The instant she saw the girl’s form on the card, the image sprang to mind—apparently… not much of a fighter.

Yet, weak as she might seem, she possessed great power. It should be fine, Xiaoyuan thought. After all, once she transformed, her own personality probably—hopefully—wouldn’t be affected…

With mixed feelings but fully prepared, Xiaoyuan closed her eyes once more, focusing her mind and reaching inward. In her inner vision, her guardian deity still appeared as ever, cycling through countless forms of anime heroines.