CHAPTER 141: TEST OF HUMILITY (1)

Arthur’s mouth hung open, unable to figure out Xu Tao’s aim.

"What are you doing? We’re out of time—get your ass up there, quickly!"

But there was no chance to figure things out. As Xu Tao had warned, they were running out of time. Considering the long staircase and the time needed to scale it, they wouldn’t make it within five minutes unless they ran.

"Kuh...!" Arthur gritted his teeth, forced to decide without enough information. "Alright, everyone! Do as Sir Tao said! Let’s rush to the next floor!"

There was no time to analyze the trial’s intent, not a moment to try and second-guess. But if he was this confident... then maybe it was worth the gamble. In the end, Arthur decided to trust his words.

With Arthur at the lead, his team sprinted toward the straight stairs behind the monolith.

"Alright, everyone. Don’t take a single step—or we’ll die!"

Xu Tao shouted to those on his side, warning them. Of course, some were too anxious and wanted to move forward... but a mysterious force held them in place, making it impossible to even move a single finger.

"Hmph! I won’t let idiots like you act up and cause harm to my Emperor."

Zetian, the culprit behind their sudden paralysis, whispered coolly as she hid her smirk behind her fan. It was her spiritual pressure that immobilized almost everyone on their team!

But thanks to this "aggressive" action, they managed to stay still as required—until Arthur’s team vanished at the top of the staircase.

"Looks like they’ve reached the next floor," Xu Tao smiled, nodding to everyone else. "Then, let’s head up too!"

While Arthur’s group raced ahead with urgency, Xu Tao’s team moved at a calm, unhurried pace—guided by confidence rather than panic.

"Aren’t we in a hurry? Why are you walking like we’re sightseeing?!"

"Achilles?" Xu Tao turned, lips curling slightly into a frown. "You don’t need to worry. We’re not under a time limit anymore." He shook his head.

"Huh? But you said something about five minutes..." Jehanne asked, curious.

"Ah, that was the time limit to complete the riddle. And it ended the moment Arthur and the others reached the next floor," he clarified.

Despite the explanation, he still noticed confused looks and imaginary question marks hanging over everyone’s heads. Xu Tao chuckled softly and faced forward, then spoke again.

"I guess I should explain from the start, huh?"

He cleared his throat lightly, like a teacher preparing to lecture his students.

"For starters, let’s analyze the first line..."

Let the host be divided: one half shall pass through, the other shall be still.

"At first glance, it might sound like the trial is asking us to choose which half to ’sacrifice,’ but—"

Xu Tao raised a finger, emphasizing his point.

"It didn’t say anything about sacrifice or death. See? It only requires one half to stay still while the other passes through—meaning, climbs the stairs."

"Ohh..."

Groans of realization echoed among the group, as understanding belatedly dawned on them.

"As for the second line?" Xu Tao continued with a confident smile. "It just reinforces the first point, and adds that the still half should remain silent as well."

"And the last line..."

"Right. It’s there to inform us of a time limit, and that we’d lose our lives if we took too long to decide," he nodded. "As for the five-minute thing, I made that up. The real limit should be at least an hour."

"..."

He didn’t need to explain why he lied. Everyone had enough intelligence to figure it out.

With limited time to think, they’d be less likely to question Xu Tao’s decision.

Even the part where he let Arthur’s team go first was calculated. Everyone knew Xu Tao’s group had the "more important" members, so it made sense they’d be prioritized. But by sending Arthur’s group ahead, he disarmed any fear or suspicion of favoritism—and replaced it with relief and hope.

"I see...!"

Jehanne exclaimed with joy, her expression brightening.

"So Sir Tao not only solved the riddle of God’s trial, but even made a plan to ensure everyone could proceed safely without sowing distrust among us!"

"Well, it just happened to turn out that way. Haha..." He laughed shyly, but didn’t deny her words.

"To my Emperor, something like this wouldn’t even count as a challenge," Zetian boasted, as if the accomplishment was hers as well.

"Huh? Isn’t it just a lucky guess?" Achilles commented, arms behind his head like he was bored. "Even I could’ve figured that much out."

"You did?" Jehanne raised a brow. "Weren’t you the one who suggested sacrificing Arthur’s team first? So despite figuring it out, you still said that...?"

"N-No..."

He quickly lost his momentum, slowing his pace and retreating to the back of the group.

Xu Tao, listening from the front, casually waved his hand. "Enough, Jehanne. Don’t bully the newbie too much," he said. "We still have 48 more trials ahead of us. I’m sure the time will come when we’ll need everyone’s strength."

"W-Well, if Sir Tao insists..."

Jehanne was still annoyed at Achilles.

Not only was he brash with a mightier-than-thou attitude, he also kept glancing at her inappropriately.

He thought he was being discreet—but most women possessed a supernatural awareness of being stared at, especially when it came to certain parts. His sleazy looks toward her and Zetian hadn’t gone unnoticed.

The discomfort was so intense that, given the chance, she’d rather send Achilles to heaven—literally—than let it continue.

With Xu Tao’s explanation complete and Achilles now dragging his feet in shame, the group ascended the rest of the stairs in silence. Since they were walking, it took a few minutes to reach the landing.

"So this is the second floor...?" Xu Tao asked, glancing around.

It looked almost identical to the first and second floors—except for one change. The staircase ahead now split into five distinct paths.

"Huh?"

But as he scanned the area, he noticed something strange.

"Didn’t Arthur’s team arrive here first...? Where are they?"