A bit brusque? Zhai Cai was momentarily taken aback, his gaze toward Jumu now thoughtful. Then, he smiled gently and fixed his eyes on Hong Ji Ge, "You seem rather dismissive of the fur coat." As he spoke, he reached both hands into the sleeves and gave the coat's hem a swift, graceful甩 behind him. Huh, could he not at least think before speaking? Well, I should have reminded them... Zhang Yuanqing was brimming with critiques, feeling that Hong Ji Ge had been far too verbose. "Brusque" was Xiao Yao's definition of a single-line knight, but Jumu and Zhai Cai weren't particularly acquainted! Of course, it could also be that Xiao Yao had conveyed Zhai Cai's personality to Jumu—after all, they were part of the same organization. Yet, the single-line knight had a strong intuitive sense, and from the very first meeting, Zhai Cai had keenly sensed Xiao Yao's underlying hostility. Thus, Zhang Yuanqing felt a bit uneasy, fearing that Jumu might detect the true nature of their relationship. Red Chicken, laughing heartily, said, "Huh, I didn't know one sentence of mine could offend two people! Your cashmere coat is really impressive—you look like a real star when you wear it. I'm so envious! But it's so hot out here—why wear such a heavy coat in summer? It looks silly. You might get overheated." Zhai Cai glanced at him. "Are you the Fire Master?" Red Chicken was taken aback. "How did you know?" "Oh, well, that's all right!" Zhai Cai forgave him and turned away, glancing around the group. "Winny has taken Old Brent into the mountains for hunting. In the afternoon, they'll head to the seaside to fish, collect seashells, and camp on the beach. They'll return only in the morning of tomorrow. So we have one full day and one night together." "Make the most of it," he said, "and come with me." With that, he turned and walked toward the iron gate, following a stone path along the flower garden toward a large three-story villa with two attached wings. The group followed him through the beautiful front courtyard and opened the white wooden Two women dressed in black-and-white maid uniforms lay unconscious on a carpet embroidered with golden patterns. The entire villa was silent. "I've knocked out all the maids here, administered a sleeping draught—unless someone wakes them, they'll sleep for two days," said Zhai Cai as she led them upstairs. "The Panshen's maze doesn't exist in the real world; its coordinates are this villa. The only way to enter is to actively choose to do so. This is a rule—even the owner of the maze must follow it and cannot break it." "You just said something that's plain old nonsense!" Red Chicken remarked. Zhai Cai gave him a look as if he were a fire master and she had no interest in talking to him. Tian Xia Gui Huo, also a fire master, instantly grasped the implication in her words and said, "This means that the holder of the Panshen's maze can only use this tool to defeat enemies by luring them into the maze. The conditions for using this tool are quite strict, though—consequently, the maze itself must be fraught with peril." "Zhai Cai nodded continuously, "Are you a scout?" Tianxia Guihuo raised his chin, "I'm a fire master." Zhai Cai: "????" He stared, astonished, "Is there really a fire master so wise? Did you drink the toxin of the mutated ones, causing your brain to undergo mutation?" Tianxia Guihuo chuckled, now understanding why Yuan Sheng had said this person was rude. Seeing the wise fire master remain silent, Zhai Cai shrugged and continued, "Viny told me that to enter the Pan God's labyrinth, one must jump from the third floor to the first, then run from the first to the second floor, proceed down the left corridor, and finally push open the door at the end of the corridor to enter the labyrinth." The human-designed elements were too obvious! Zhang Yuan thought to himself. Zhai Cai said, "The route was designed by Elder Brent. The labyrinth must be entered actively, but the method of entry can be designed by the owner." Brent had retired here, and neither the evil faction nor his rivals would dare to actively target a retired official who controlled the Pan god's labyrinth—so he treated the labyrinth as a storage space, designing access as a 'password' system. As they spoke, the group reached the third floor. Zhai Cai casually selected a room and entered, then pushed open the window to leap down to the front courtyard of the first floor. Everyone followed suit, jumping down and then rushing back to the villa to climb up to the second floor, turning left down the corridor until they reached the end. Zhai Cai grasped the door handle at the far end of the corridor and turned it with a click—revealing another corridor behind the door, identical in layout to the one behind them, like a mirror image. Unlike the villa itself, however, the doors along both sides of this corridor were crowded, resembling those of a hotel, each bearing a numbered plaque. The room numbers began with "1," totaling ten rooms, numbered from 101 to 110. Zhai Cai said, "You should have already reviewed the basic information about the Pan God's Labyrinth. I'll highlight a few key points: the labyrinth has six levels—two levels correspond to Level 6, two to Level 7, and two to Level 8. However, don't assume that the rooms on the first level correspond exactly to Level 6; they might actually correspond to Level 7, or even Level 8. The six levels of the labyrinth are constantly changing. The rooms on the first level might be Level 6 today, Level 7 tomorrow, and we simply don't know what level they are today." He shrugged. "I don't know either." Red Chicken Brother replied with indifference, "Just open it and find out." Zhai Cai clapped his hands vigorously: "Excellent idea! Applause—applause is required!" Zhang Yuanqing glanced at Red Chicken Brother's increasingly agitated expression and reminded the single-charge knight, "You'd better adjust your tone. It's foolish to anger the fire master at critical moments." The fire master had never been particularly bright to begin with, and now, with his temper flaring, he was even less so. Zhang Yuanqing turned back to Hong Jigge, sighing, "What if the first level today corresponds to the eighth level—what if everyone holds hands and returns to the spiritual realm? I'm certain I'll make it," emphasized Zhai Cai. He didn't immediately turn the doorknob, saying, "Our destination this time is Room 503, which is Elder Brent's storage room." Then he opened the door to Room 106. The room was dark, and the scene was indistinct. Zhai Cai stepped into the darkness, and the others followed one by one. As soon as they entered, the darkness faded. It was a spacious room, empty of furniture and appliances, completely bare. Where windows should have been, there was a door. "An empty room signifies safety!" Zhai Cai mentioned, leading Zhang Yuanqing through the room and toward the door that occupied the window space. Beyond the door lay another corridor, with rooms on either side, identical in appearance to the ones they had just seen, but now the room numbers began with '2'. Zhai Cai made his way directly to the door of Room 201, leading the group inside—once again, a spacious, empty, safe room. After exiting Room 201, they reached the third floor. "There are ten rooms, only one of which is a safe room," Zhai Cai said, running a hand over his chin. "If you pick the wrong one, you'll have to force your way through; once you pass, you'll enter the fourth level. If you can't make it through, you'll return to the spiritual realm." Tian Xia Gui spoke first: "First, determine the risk level of the third level, then have our spiritual servants scout the way." He then turned to Zhao Chenghuang and Sun Miao Miao. The two prodigies of Tai Monastery instantly understood and cast the Star-Phase Technique, observing the direction each person was facing. In the next moment, Zhao Chenghuang's expression changed, and Sun Miao Miao exclaimed, "Everyone's facing blood-related disasters..." Everyone else, except the three star officials, looked visibly alarmed. "Me too? I'm not having such bad luck, am I?" Zhai Cai drew a sharp breath, "So the third level today corresponds to level eight?" Zhang Yuanqing had a thought ready, but quickly held it back, turning his gaze to Zhao Chenghuang. Xiao Zhao understood his meaning and said, "Let me clarify: astrology can reveal short-term fortune—short-term could mean now, within a few hours, or even just one day. 'Blood-illness disaster' refers to a life-or-death crisis we might face within the maze; it doesn't necessarily mean the third floor." He glanced at the single-legacy knight at this point, "You might not make it." This was a response to Zhai Cai's earlier remark—after all, I will survive. Xiao Zhao's sense of team spirit is growing stronger, Zhang Yuanqing thought with satisfaction, even though Xiao Zhao is naturally reserved and not particularly expressive emotionally. Next, Sun Miao Miao casually selected a room and sent her spirit servant into it, but as soon as the servant entered, she lost contact with them. "Divination and fortune-telling probably won't help either—let's just open a lucky box," Zhai Cai mused. "Room 306, since six is my lucky number." "666? Oh well, I should have known better not to give the lucky pendant to Li Chunfeng... Zhang Yuanqing recalled this item—the 'legacy' passed over during the handover. At the time, the pendant was given to Li Chunfeng. Though he later revived, he never met with Li Chunfeng again. After all, Li wasn't a core member of the faction, so the item remained with him. Under Zhang Yuanqing's guidance, the group followed him into Room 306. As the darkness lifted, they took in the room's layout—it was a room completely filled with mirrors. The ceiling was adorned with countless hexagonal mirrors, arranged like the patterns of a turtle's shell, seamlessly interlocking and tightly connected. The walls and floor were similarly covered. The entire room was composed of countless hexagonal mirror panels, each about the size of a palm, reflecting countless images of Zhang Yuanqing, Guan Ya, Sun Miao-miao, and others, layered upon one another, overlapping and mirroring each other. The sight was overwhelming and dizzying. "Clearly, my lucky number hasn't brought me any luck." Zhai spread his hands, opened his inventory, preparing to retrieve the knight's sword to face unforeseen dangers: "Don't go too far from me... um?" Suddenly, he froze, his face turning pale as he found he couldn't open the inventory. Members of the returning the deceased, equally alert and ready to pull out tools for contingency, also noticed this issue. "Huh, my skills aren't working!" Red Chicken Brother cried out. Zhang Yuanqing and the others immediately tried to activate their abilities, only to find that the innate superpowers etched into their genes—once automatic—were now sealed within their bodies. The inability to open the inventory and the failure of their skills created a sense of growing unease and loss of security. Should a crisis arise, they would have nothing but their physical strength to rely on. "I should have retrieved the tools earlier!" Sun Miao Miao跺 her feet. "Useless!" Guan raised her hand, displaying the wooden bracelet on her snow-white wrist: "Even the tools' abilities have been sealed. Now, everyone is trapped in the mirror room—the entrance door has vanished, and no one can find the exit. They don't know what dangers lie ahead. At that moment, the hexagonal mirrors covering the room, densely arranged, suddenly glow with a brilliant, piercing light. The intense radiance causes everyone's eyes to ache, their tears streaming down, prompting them to instinctively close their eyes. After perhaps ten seconds, Zhang Yuanqing opens his eyes and says, "Are everyone all right?" He suddenly stops, staring in wide-eyed astonishment. He sees two Guan Ya, two Sun Miao-miao, two Zhao Chenghuang, two Zhai Cai—and, beside him, a second Zhang Yuanqing.