At the instant Chu Xiu's words fell, all the Awakened froze.

They looked at each other, silently counting in their hearts.

One, two, three... fourteen, fifteen, sixteen.

Sixteen!

Everyone's face revealed a look of terror. Sixteen people aside from oneself meant there were seventeen people present!

In an instant, the atmosphere on the scene became tense, and everyone simultaneously distanced themselves from others, showing expressions of vigilance.

"Wh-what's going on?" someone asked with a trembling voice.

"Isn't it obvious," Chu Xiu smirked, "one strange guy has mixed in among us."

As the words fell, everyone turned to look at him.

Big brother! You are the strangest one here, okay!

"Alright! Don't suspect each other! It's meaningless to make wild guesses now!" Chai San said in a deep, low voice, "If we start fighting among ourselves because of this, our pass rate will definitely drop significantly."

"Even if there really is some ghostly thing mixed among us, we can slowly root it out later."

Chai San's words calmed everyone's emotions considerably.

In the end, the group decided to stick to the original plan.

However, the atmosphere on the way was much tenser.

Chu Xiu blended into the crowd, all the while paying attention to any special hints in his surroundings as instructed by the girl.

Unfortunately, he found nothing besides the dark forest.

During the journey, everyone also took the opportunity to introduce themselves.

Chu Xiu used 'Chen Ce' as an alias.

And with his high spirit, he easily remembered everyone's names and their corresponding professions.

Among them, only five had B-level professions or above, while the rest were C-level and D-level. Four people were unwilling to reveal their professions, and Chu Xiu was naturally among them; even the girl with a suspected high status did not disclose hers.

She also had a way to hide her information, the Nether Demon Eyes couldn't detect it.

Chu Xiu only knew that her name was Jiang Xue.

The only A-level profession was held by the middle-aged man who spoke at the beginning. His name was Chai San, and his profession was [Royal Shield Guard], a profession with outstanding defense but relatively lacking in offensive capability.

His equipment ranked among the best in the group, coupled with his age, he seemed to have a faint sense of leadership.

There were two other rather suspicious people: one was a hooligan with dyed yellow hair, looking a bit rascally; this person was a B-level profession [Long Blade Swordsman], named Zhou Juncai.

The other was also a B-level profession [Heavy Bowman], named Wu Xiujie, a cold-faced young man whose eyes seemed perpetually half-asleep.

What drew particular attention to these two was the faint aura of death emanating from them, although Chu Xiu couldn't perceive it clearly with his current tier, his intuition told him these two had killed many people!

A few minutes later, a village appeared before the group.

This was a village nestled in a valley, surrounded by mountains, with a sign reading 'Starfall Village' hanging at the entrance. A straight road lay past the entrance, with numerous houses neatly arranged on both sides, not modern concrete buildings, but ancient brick and stone ones, more resembling a Western medieval architectural style.

The village did not appear prosperous, but it seemed populous; by a rough count, there were at least a hundred houses, and today, there was also a grand castle, which Chu Xiu guessed was the residence of the local rulers.

Upon entering the village, the group found many people gathered in a square at the end of the main road. In the center, the firelight flickered, seemingly the same fire they had seen on the small path earlier.

"What should we do next?" Chai San asked Jiang Xue.

Jiang Xue, after a brief thought, said, "Go see. This could be a hint from the Abyss for us, but don't create too much commotion."

Obeying her words, the group moved forward, and as they drew nearer, they saw that the people here were wrapped tightly in black robes. Among the circles of people stood a high platform, atop which was a wooden cross with a tattered, scarred boy, looking near death, tied to it.

The ground beneath the boy was packed with dry straw, beside him a burly man in black armor wielding a torch stood.

Blonde hair, blue eyes, a high nose bridge, clearly of Western descent, behind the two was a giant stone statue. At the center of the statue was the head of a man with a look of agony, and behind him a void chaos, with countless limbs like spider legs stretching out.

The crowd below, their expressions fervent, raised their fists and shouted, "Light it! Light it! Light it!"

Upon hearing their shouts, the burly man raised the torch high, using his other hand to make a strange gesture, murmuring incantations, seemingly offering to the statue behind him.

The next moment, following the completion of the sacrificial chant, the burly man lifted the torch, about to ignite the straw pile!

"Stop!"

At this critical moment, Chai San shouted and boldly stepped forward.

"Hey!"

Seeing Chai San's sudden action, Zhou Juncai anxiously tried to pull him back.

But Chai San seemed oblivious, angrily shouting, "What are you doing!"

His voice immediately attracted everyone's attention.

"Outsiders..."

Upon seeing their group, the villagers around the square showed hostility, their faces filled with guarded expressions.

Standing on the platform, the burly man in black armor looked coldly, "Outsiders, what do you want?"

Although he spoke in an unfamiliar language, Chu Xiu could understand, presumably the Abyss's ability allowed everyone to communicate without barriers.

As he finished speaking, two teams of guards wearing full plate armor and visored helmets emerged from both sides, encircling Chu Xiu and the others in the center, the atmosphere becoming instantly tense.

"Chai San, don't act on your own!"

The yellow-haired hooligan Zhou Juncai grabbed him, angrily shouting.

"Do you want to watch them burn someone alive?" Chai San retorted, "The world fragments we enter during trials exist in reality, these are real living people!"

"Are you mad?" Zhou Juncai looked at him incredulously, "Being a Holy Mother in the Abyss, have you had enough of living? If you want to die, don't drag others with you!"

He then suspiciously looked at him, "Aren't you the one causing trouble among us?"

Chai San snorted coldly, "Even in the Abyss, we should have basic humanity!"

Zhou Juncai sneered, "Hah, if it allows me to pass the trial, I'd kill everyone in this village."

Chai San shook his head, ignoring him, and turned to Jiang Xue, "Besides, I think there might be clues on this boy that we need. Don't you think they seem to be performing some kind of ritual? It might be related to our mission."

With the conclusion of his words, everyone looked at Jiang Xue, wanting to hear her opinion.

With the decision-making power suddenly thrust upon her, especially such a significant matter, Jiang Xue was clearly at a loss, stammering, "I-I don't know, each trial is unique, but-but it usually doesn't make the Trial Taker make major choices at the start."

"So, whether to save this boy or not doesn't matter, right?" Zhou Juncai's eyes lit up, "If that's the case, why bother with it? Leaving aside these guards' combat prowess, even if we can defeat them, if we offend these villagers, where would we go to inquire about the ritual's information?"

His words made sense and immediately gained support from many, while Chai San insisted on saving the boy, garnering three or four supporters.

Watching this scene, Chu Xiu sighed slightly in his heart.

Actually, for him, it didn't matter whether to save or not. In the absence of information, discussing the rationality of any choice is meaningless.

Possibly saving the boy could yield vital information, or it might result in nothing and anger the villagers, making subsequent trials more difficult.

What disappointed him was the team's quick disagreement.

He had always known that trying to unite sixteen unfamiliar people with different personalities and values in a short period was nearly impossible, but Jiang Xue's appearance had given him a glimmer of hope.

For many newcomers to the trial, an "experienced one" undoubtedly holds significant appeal and influence.

Unfortunately, Jiang Xue herself did not possess sufficient leadership.

In such a situation, a simple "yes" or "no" would have been better than a vague answer.

"If effective cooperation is not possible, I can only change strategies and use others as pawns to gather information," Chu Xiu pondered to himself.

A scattered team, no matter how many, is meaningless.

And it seemed the man in black armor on the platform had seen them fall into internal strife, as he sneered, tossing the torch into the straw pile.

Instantly, a massive flame shot into the sky, the boy wrapped in flames let out a heart-wrenching scream!

Chai San wanted to rush forward, but was stopped by the other Trial Takers.

Even those who originally supported Chai San didn't step up to help him. Soon, the boy's screams gradually ceased; he remained motionless in the flames, like a charred sculpture.

Subsequently, a notification popped up.

[Current Ritual Progress: 5%]

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