The Stone Descendants followed Nilly's footsteps, stepping into the strange forest enveloped by an indigo-blue fluorescent glow.
Fluorescent moss paved a glowing carpet beneath their feet, while star-quartz shimmered with faint light along the path's edges, as if guiding their way.
When the trees completely swallowed the world behind them, the surroundings gradually sank into a profound silence. Even the chirping of insects and the cries of night birds vanished entirely, leaving only the sounds of everyone stepping on moss and fallen oak leaves.
Here, rocks commonly seen in Gore were everywhere, half-buried in soil and covered with fluorescent moss.
They had slumbered for countless ages, destined to be slowly forgotten in the river of time. Yet now, they seemed awakened, silently welcoming back the descendants of this ancient city.
If Chen Yu wasn't mistaken, the vast majority of these rocks were the remains of ancient beings.
Perhaps they had suffered the cruel punishment of a Stone Giant lord in the distant past, petrified here forever. Or perhaps they had fallen victim to the ruthless hunting of gargoyle swarms, becoming trophies to display power.
In any case, they were far older than him.
Although the Fluorescent Forest was usually not open to these young Stone Descendants, they weren't surprised by these randomly scattered massive stones. In fact, one could say they were accustomed to them.
It would be strange if they *couldn't* see them.
But the deeper they went, the more rocks buried in the soil appeared. Passing through swaying fluorescent thickets, the fossilized giant hand bones of some humanoid creature appeared by the roadside.
The knuckles protruded from the earth like mountain ridges, resolutely reaching towards the sky, which was like black velvet. From afar, it looked like a stone peak submerged in darkness.
All the Stone Descendants held their breath, silently following behind Nilly, looking up at this sight that defied accurate description with any words.
At this moment, Chen Yu seemed to genuinely feel the glory of the ancient Stone Giants.
Only after the group moved away from that stone peak and stepped onto a forested slope covered with jagged flint and quartz fragments did Nilly, walking ahead with her hands clasped behind her back, casually remark:
"Watch your step. What's buried beneath here are our very ancient ancestors."
Upon hearing this, Elara lifted her foot sharply as if she had stepped on hot coals.
"Y-You mean these stones... were all transformed from Stone Descendants?!"
"All Stone Descendants?" The group exclaimed in shock one after another.
There were far too many of them!
As far as the eye could see, stones of various materials like limestone, granite, and marble were everywhere.
Just how many bodies, turned into stone sculptures, were buried beneath this place.
"Stone Descendants? Of course not."
Nilly turned her head, looking at these frightened young people, and said, "The earliest Stone Descendant ancestors didn't suffer from the Petrification Disease like us descendants."
"They possessed more perfect bloodlines. What could remain on this land was only flesh and blood long since rotted into mud."
"Most of these stones were originally servants who followed the Stone Descendant ancestors in rebelling against the Stone Giants. In a sense, the Stone Descendants were born because of them."
"It was they who gave birth to the Stone Descendants possessing the Stone Bloodline. Then, led by the original Stone Descendant heroes, they launched that rebellion that overturned the Giants' rule, causing Gore to completely fall into this place forgotten by the sun."
Nilly stopped walking to think. "Hmm... what was it that old fellow Solomon always liked to say..."
"Ah, right. 'This is a path of rebellion paved with blood, life, and countless stubborn stones.' I hope you youngsters don't forget the Stone Descendants' glorious past, filled with struggle and honor."
"Alright, enough idle talk. Ahead is the Stone Altar, and also where your Shadow Trial officially begins."
As Nilly's words fell, the group passed through the last patch of exceptionally dense nightglow fir trees, and the scene before them suddenly opened up.
An ancient altar, piled from countless rough, heavy stone blocks, stood silently in the center of a forest clearing.
The altar was surrounded by twelve porphyry columns, each carved with different guardian beast totems.
Stranger still, this place seemed enveloped by some kind of dense shadow, making the shadows cast by the massive stones around the altar appear extremely unnatural.
They had sharp edges, clear outlines, and squirmed slowly as if alive, like great curtained beasts lying dormant in the shadows, completely sheltering the entire altar within the darkness.
Shadow creatures.
That was the first thought that flashed through Chen Yu's mind.
He had seen descriptions of shadow creatures in ancient texts written by Stone Descendants.
Most of these shadow creatures active in the Dark Realm could trace their origins to the even more mysterious, darker Shadow Mountains.
Except for a few with higher intelligence, most weren't very bright, always muttering strange, delirious ramblings, as if they were a mass of dreams stripped from human slumber—chaotic and illogical.
Their forms resembled dense shadows, but they were drawn quite sloppily and arbitrarily.
Some might have several arms, and asymmetrical ones at that. Others dragged exaggerated tusks that reached the ground. Some forms were even fragmented and indescribable.
It was practically mental pollution.
After all, the environment in the Shadow Mountains was even darker and more chaotic than the Dark Realm. Since they usually couldn't see each other clearly anyway, these creatures just let themselves go and grew however they pleased.
But despite looking so terrifying and ferocious, most of these monsters actually had quite gentle, even somewhat timid, temperaments.
They might even run away in fear at the sight of a single slime, basically lacking any aggressiveness.
Moreover, apart from some special individuals, they generally even feared sustained flames and intense magical radiance, thus preferring to hide in deep, quiet corners.
But it was precisely these seemingly harmless creatures that, once they could form a contract with a Stone Descendant and were willing to bestow their unique shadow power upon their trusted Stone Descendant partner...
This power could allow assassin-type professions to undergo a fundamental transformation, enabling assassins to master the powerful ability to lurk in shadows and strike with a single, lethal blow.
Given how long Stone Descendants had been dealing with shadow creatures, it wasn't strange for shadow creatures to be guarding this place.
Yano, following the other young Stone Descendants, walked into the Stone Altar with a sense of reverence.
He looked up at the towering diabase columns surrounding them and the shadows that coiled and swirled upon them as if possessing life. Deep within, he suddenly felt an inexplicable stirring from his bloodline.
The other young Stone Descendants clearly also felt this peculiar resonance, their faces revealing expressions of surprise, intoxication, or solemnity.
It was as if they inherently belonged here, sharing an inseparable connection with this land, these massive stones, and these shadows.
"Boss, this place... feels strange." Yano frowned slightly, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly what was strange.
It felt somewhat like coming home.
Just as the Stone Descendants were still whispering among themselves, the shadows around them, which had only been slowly squirming, seemed collectively infused with life, coming alive one after another.
They rapidly climbed upwards like boiling ink, finally coalescing in the air above the altar into three gigantic, imposing humanoid figures.
Their silhouettes and shapes resembled the three Stone Descendant ancestors Chen Yu had seen before—Solomon, Lancelot, and Cameron.
Behind them, more, shorter figures stood around the Stone Altar. They floated silently in the sky, gazing down with their featureless faces like the strictest examiners, silently scrutinizing the young Stone Descendants below who were about to undergo the trial.
Nilly placed her hands on her hips and shouted at the somewhat stunned youngsters, "What are you standing around for? The ancestors are all watching from above. Hurry up and greet them properly."
The youngsters then snapped out of it as if waking from a dream, respectfully bowing and greeting in unison:
"Good day, ancestors."
Yano also hurriedly bowed his head in greeting, his heart filled with awe.
Chen Yu, perched on Yano's shoulder, looked up at those shadows and said with novelty, "Yano, you have a lot of ancestors."
He roughly counted;
there were over a hundred just in shadow forms, while the young people participating in the trial numbered only a few dozen.
It seemed the elderly's love for watching the action was unavoidable in any world.
But being watched by so many old-timers at once, even he felt a bit of pressure, let alone these young Stone Descendants.
No wonder the vampire clan couldn't do anything about the Stone Descendants. Every single Stone Descendant ancestor here had passed the Shadow Trial and was at least an Official Professional.
If they ever had a suicidal thought and decided to fight the vampire clan to the death, wouldn't they scare the vampires into packing up and fleeing the Dark Realm overnight?
After all the youngsters had finished their greetings, the figures in the sky nodded slightly one after another. Though no expression could be discerned, they seemed relatively satisfied with these young people.
The one facing the group at the forefront, Solomon, moved slightly, as if silently reciting some ancient precept or blessing.
The young Stone Descendants below tried to listen, but heard only meaningless, delirious mutterings. Their faces were filled with confusion as they looked at each other, silently asking with their eyes, "Did you understand that?"
Nilly crossed her arms and translated, "Don't bother guessing. What he means is that you're all quite good, full of vitality, and are the future of the Stone Descendants."
"Also, the trial officially began the moment you stepped into this Stone Altar."
"The rules are simple. Within three days, relying on your own abilities within the Fluorescent Forest, find a shadow creature willing to form a contract with you. That counts as passing the trial."
Her gaze swept over everyone as she placed her hands behind her head. "Remember, our shadows are spread throughout the entire forest, constantly watching your every move."
"The trial permits and encourages legitimate duels to compete for a shadow creature's recognition, but strictly prohibits any form of malicious private fighting, backstabbing, or other despicable acts."
"Once Auntie here catches you, I'll immediately pull down your pants and give your butt a good, hard spanking until it's bruised. Understood?"
"Understood!" The young Stone Descendants shuddered inwardly and responded in unison.
"Alright, now you are free to act. Proceed deeper into the forest."
Upon hearing this, the young Stone Descendants bowed once more to the shadows in the sky. Then, with nervous anticipation, they gradually dispersed, heading towards the deeper, more secluded parts of the Fluorescent Forest.
Yano was also preparing to follow the flow of people inward when Nilly stretched out an arm to stop him.
"You, wait a moment."
Yano stopped, looking at Nilly with some confusion.
Nilly pointed at Chen Yu on his shoulder and crossed her arms. "An additional rule: No bringing slime helpers into the trial area. It's only fair to everyone."
"Oh, okay, understood." Yano quickly nodded, looking at Chen Yu on his shoulder.
Seeing his gel body bob up and down in a nod of agreement, Yano hastily crouched down halfway.
Chen Yu reminded him, "Remember to come out early. The night-blueberry cake from that shop this morning was good. Remember to bring me another piece when we go back. I haven't had enough yet."
After saying this, he gave a light hop, landing in Nilly's palm. She then casually placed him on her shoulder.
"There, that's fair now."
Nilly clapped her hands and waved at Yano. "Go on, kid. Good luck."
"Boss, Auntie, I'm heading in then. Wait for my good news."
Yano bid farewell to the two solemnly, then took a deep breath, turned around, and with firm steps, strode alone into the depths of the forest. The phosphorescent moss beneath his feet rippled with a halo of light as he moved away.
Nilly watched Yano's disappearing figure and couldn't help but poke the slime on her shoulder.
"Hey, Little One, this guy looks pretty confident. Confess, did you secretly slip him some strange, good stuff again?"
"Nope." Chen Yu flatly denied.
He had only equipped Yano with a tiny bit of skills, that's all.
Eating all those talent orbs was quite taxing, okay? So it definitely didn't count as cheating.
"More importantly, have you investigated that strange shadow creature yet?"
Nilly spread her hands. "Sorry, little guy. Your intel-gathering ability seems a bit lacking. There's simply no strange creature here."
"However, just in case, I've already posted people to watch the perimeter. I guarantee not even a fly can get in," she said proudly.
"If it's nothing, then forget it."
He looked up again and suddenly realized that all the shadows floating in mid-air were staring at him.
Nilly pointed at the shadows in the air. "Everyone's saying hello to you. They've never seen a talking slime before. How novel."
"Solomon is asking you: Do you think Yano can find a shadow creature?"
Chen Yu thought for a moment. Although he felt Yano passing the trial was a foregone conclusion, since he was out here representing the image of the entire Slime Kingdom, it was better to be a bit modest.
"Not bad. He can take on three by himself."
"Hey, do slimes like to brag too?" Nilly obviously didn't believe him and couldn't resist poking him again, her fingers itching.
The surrounding shadows also emitted laughter that sounded like delirious muttering. They whispered, their voices sounding blurred as if through a layer of water.
Nilly shrugged. "Can't be helped. The kid's a knight. Here with us, assassins are the true way."
Chen Yu bounced once. "Who told you he's just a knight?"
"Huh?"
Nilly was clearly intrigued by his words.
"Come on, let's go take a look."
As soon as she finished speaking, her figure seemed to plunge into a pitch-black abyss, taking Chen Yu along as she vanished from the spot.
After an indeterminate amount of time, by the time Chen Yu regained his senses, Nilly was already sitting on a nightglow fir tree, watching with great interest as Yano advanced deeper below.