Shi Feng shared Mu Xin's sentiment, even more so than Mu Xin and Ke Rui, understanding the differences and peculiarities of the Upper Zone.
In his previous life, aside from the major forces in God's Domain, any expert who reached Tier 5...
For some reason, they were incredibly eager to enter the Upper Zone, bordering on madness. Mu Xin and Ke Rui couldn't possibly comprehend this level of obsession.
It was a genuine, life-risking frenzy.
Normally, the Upper Zone simply extended human lifespan significantly, which was indeed tempting, even driving major corporations to fight tooth and nail.
However, Shi Feng could clearly sense from those Tier 5 experts that they weren't solely risking their lives for extended lifespans. It was as if something in the Upper Zone was attracting these peak experts above Tier 5, compelling them to do so.
Consequently, many Tier 5 experts, and even Tier 6 god-ranked experts in God's Domain, mysteriously disappeared, their fates unknown.
The most typical example was Zi Yan Liuyun.
As a Tier 6 Divine Shepherd, her strength was such that even super guilds had to be wary of her. In order to enter the Upper Zone, she agreed to a super guild's harsh conditions. Although she completed the conditions and entered the Upper Zone afterward,
She vanished from that point on...
Therefore, whether it was Ke Rui's warning or Mu Xin's reminder, Shi Feng was filled with vigilance towards the Upper Zone, while also wanting to see what it was actually like.
...
Following Mu Xin, Shi Feng arrived at the deep tunnel entrance. There were already dozens of people lined up at the door. Most were very young, roughly split evenly between men and women, and mostly under twenty years old, some as young as sixteen or seventeen.
These people ignored beauties like Ke Rui and Mu Xin, not even glancing at them. Instead, they all scrutinized Shi Feng, who was wearing casual sportswear.
"Another newbie."
"Judging by his appearance, he's completely unprepared. Definitely another detestable connected individual!"
"Shhh, don't let him hear you. We can't afford to offend people like that."
...
The discussions of these young men and women made Shi Feng, with his keen senses, feel inexplicably strange. Ke Rui, beside him, almost couldn't help but laugh, but she managed to restrain herself, only revealing a slight curve at the corner of her mouth.
"You don't need to mind them," Mu Xin said dismissively, glancing at the young men and women. "They're just here to participate in the Upper Zone entrance exam."
"Upper Zone entrance exam?" Shi Feng asked, slightly surprised.
This was the first time he'd heard of such a thing. As far as he knew, to enter the Upper Zone, unless the Green God Corporation actively recruited talent, it was extremely difficult for anyone else to get in.
"Well, the Upper Zone isn't just a place where a group of powerful and influential people live, as you might imagine," Mu Xin explained. "The Upper Zone is also where the Green God Corporation cultivates internal talent. These people have been preliminarily screened by the Green God Corporation. As long as they pass this exam, they can also obtain Upper Zone status."
"This exam is only open to talent under the age of twenty. Those who are older can only work on the periphery of the Green God Corporation. As for the exam content, it's through this tunnel leading to the Upper Zone."
"Through this tunnel?" Shi Feng pointed to the deep tunnel ahead, his heart full of surprise.
"That's right, but this tunnel is also known as the Path of Spirit. It tests and tempers a person's mental fortitude. However, the Path of Spirit is usually closed, so it doesn't greatly affect those who pass through. But if the Path of Spirit is open, only three or five people can pass each year, so the success rate of these new examinees is very low," Mu Xin nodded. "But as long as you pass, you will not only be valued by the Green God Corporation, but also receive considerable rewards."
Ke Rui nodded, proudly telling Shi Feng, "This young lady passed the Path of Spirit a year ago. My sister is even more of a genius, passing the Path of Spirit at the age of fifteen. It caused a sensation in the entire Yuantian City's Upper Zone at the time."
While Mu Xin was explaining to Shi Feng, a young man walked out of the tunnel.
The man was wearing a tight t-shirt, and his bones and muscles were clearly visible, as elegant and powerful as a leopard. Although he looked very young, he gave the impression of having experienced the vicissitudes of life, not as young as he appeared.
And after this man appeared, everyone present, whether it was the young men and women, or Ke Rui and Mu Xin, became solemn.
"Hmm, another newbie?" The young man glanced at Shi Feng, slightly surprised.
"Manager Luo, you've misunderstood. He's here to register today, not an examinee," Mu Xin explained.
"So Hong Xinyuan's reserved spot was given to him." The young man couldn't help but look at Shi Feng with a hint of disgust. "What a lucky kid. But today is our Green God Corporation's Upper Zone exam. If you want to go in, go in with these newbies. I don't have the time to close the tunnel again."
Mu Xin frowned upon hearing this.
The fact that Manager Luo and Uncle Hong were rivals was no secret in the Upper Zone, but she didn't expect Manager Luo to openly retaliate.
Registration in the Upper Zone had to be booked in advance, and it was normal to wait several months. This time, it was only because of Uncle Hong that they could register so quickly.
If they didn't register today, they might have to wait several months for the next registration.
And if you don't register in the Upper Zone, you can't do anything, or even live there.
"Manager Luo, he has a reserved spot. He has the right to enter and exit the Upper Zone freely!" Mu Xin's voice was slightly low, expressing some dissatisfaction.
"I didn't say I wouldn't let him in," the young man sneered. "He can enter at any time. I won't stop him. If he can't get in, he can wait until tomorrow."
As soon as Manager Luo finished speaking, the new examinees present agreed.
"That's right, since you already have Upper Zone status, the tunnel is always open. Isn't it easy to get in?"
"Manager Luo is right. If you can't get in, you can wait until tomorrow. Why compete with us newbies?"
The newbies were instinctively disgusted with the connected individuals who had reserved spots. They had finally made it this far, and they still had to pass the Path of Spirit to obtain Upper Zone status. In the end, the connected individuals could directly obtain it, making their efforts a joke.
Ke Rui also glared at the Manager Luo with anger, and whispered to Mu Xin, "Sister, why don't we come another day? This Manager Luo is clearly not going to let us in today."
As one of the managers of the Upper Zone, Luo Hanbing had more power than Uncle Hong. Even if they went in and told Uncle Hong about this, it would be useless, because Luo Hanbing was doing this reasonably.
"Okay, if you don't want to go in, don't block the way," Luo Hanbing said impatiently. "This newbie exam is very important. If it's delayed, even Hong Xinyuan can't afford it!"
"You..." Just as Mu Xin couldn't help but want to say something, a voice reached everyone's ears first, "Manager Luo, can we go in now?"
The person who made this voice was none other than Shi Feng, who had been silent all along.
"Shi Feng, you?"
Mu Xin looked at Shi Feng, who had spoken, and was stunned. She didn't expect Shi Feng to try to break through the Path of Spirit.
Not only was Mu Xin surprised, but even Luo Hanbing and the others were slightly surprised.
"Kid, you're quite bold." Luo Hanbing looked at Shi Feng, smiled and said, "Then go in, but let me remind you, you're not an examinee. Even if you faint inside, no one will save you. If you faint for a long time, it's normal to lie in the hospital for a few months."
"Shi Feng, don't mess around. This Path of Spirit has restrictions. The difficulty for people over the age of twenty is several times higher than for those under the age of twenty, so the Green God Corporation set the age at under twenty," Mu Xin said quickly.
The Green God Corporation had previously considered people over the age of twenty and under the age of twenty-five for the exam, but no one was able to pass. In the end, they had no choice but to only accept newbies under the age of twenty. However, not many people knew about this.
Now that Shi Feng wanted to go in, it was simply a joke.
And Luo Hanbing knew this, so he was sure that they wouldn't be able to get in today.
"Don't worry, if it doesn't work, I'll give up and come back," Shi Feng said with a smile.
The matter of testing mental fortitude was something that was hard to come by in God's Domain, especially when it came to promotion after reaching Tier 4, which required a very high level of mental fortitude from players.
After reaching the Tier 4 mental level, his mental level also reached the Tier 4 bottleneck and had been unable to improve.
Now that he had such an opportunity, he naturally had to give it a try.
After saying that, Shi Feng walked directly into the deep tunnel, leaving behind only the Mu Xin, who hadn't yet recovered, and the sneering Luo Hanbing and the others.
"Alright, all of you newbies go in too. Remember, the time limit is only one hour!"
After Luo Hanbing finished speaking, the newbies also took a deep breath, adjusted their mental state to the best, and then began to walk into the tunnel one by one.
"Sister, what do we do now?" Ke Rui was also a little dazed.
She didn't expect Shi Feng to be so bold. She had told Shi Feng to be careful earlier because she was wary of the closed Path of Spirit, because even if the Path of Spirit was closed, it would still have a significant impact on people over the age of twenty. If she wasn't careful, she might faint.
Now, it was fine, he directly walked into the fully open Path of Spirit...
"This Path of Spirit is too dangerous for me now." Mu Xin was also a little anxious, and thought for a while and said, "You go in too. If you see Shi Feng can't hold on, you immediately bring him back."
"Sigh, this Shi Feng is really troublesome. Does he really think this is in God's Domain, where Tier 4 professions can do whatever they want." Ke Rui was also a little unhappy.
But considering the overall situation, Ke Rui still walked into the tunnel.
ps: There will be a third update later.