Underwater

Chen Guan didn't know how long he had held on; every second felt as long as a century.

His arms went from excruciating pain to numbness, until they felt like they didn't belong to him anymore. Sweat soaked his school uniform, and his breathing was as heavy as a bellows.

His 1.4 stamina seemed like a drop in the bucket under such high-intensity consumption; it felt like he truly only had 1.4.

But he couldn't retreat. If he did, he would be submerged by the beast tide.

His eyes were locked dead on the black wave surging toward him from the front, with only one thought in his mind: Hold on! I must hold on!

This wasn't real death, but it was a test. He had to show his strength. Without a superpower, he still had this coffin, and an unyielding will.

Just as his consciousness began to blur and his physical strength was about to be completely exhausted.

Boom!

It was as if a critical point had been reached, or some mechanism of the illusion had been triggered.

The endless beast tide suddenly dissipated in an instant, like a phantom.

On the wilderness, only Chen Guan remained, still maintaining his posture of swinging the coffin. Before him were the illusory, slowly fading afterimages and bloodstains of the beast herd.

The scorched earth, the wasteland, and the lead-gray sky also began to blur, as if fading away.

A calm, emotionless voice rang directly in Chen Guan's mind:

Evaluation complete. Willpower: A-Plus, Adaptability: B, Endurance: A-Minus, Special Item Usage: A-Plus, Overall Potential: TBD.

Next test, prepare.

With no time to rest, the scene shifted again.

Chen Guan, along with his black iron coffin, vanished from this barren wilderness.

Meanwhile, in the auditorium, countless small screens were rapidly flashing and switching on the giant circular light curtain, displaying the performances of different freshmen in their respective illusions.

One of the small screens paused on a shocking scene of a boy using a coffin as a spear to forcefully clash with a beast tide. Although it was just a fleeting glimpse, it caused the eyes of several instructor-like figures on the viewing platform to flicker slightly.

Vice Principal Situ Ming looked at the light curtain, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest, his gaze profound.

This kid didn't use any superpower...

That coffin... He looked down at Chen Guan, who had his eyes closed, walked off the stage, and reached out to touch the material of the coffin. A look of surprise flashed across his face.

This is ten-thousand-year black iron!

Getting such a large piece of ten-thousand-year black iron was already difficult, not to mention that this kid actually ran around carrying the coffin on his back? On the campus forum, the nickname Coffin Bearer naturally couldn't escape Situ Ming's ears.

Such a massive piece of ten-thousand-year black iron was treated like a foam board by this kid. Just how great is his strength? Situ Ming wouldn't misjudge; in the illusion just now, aside from the coffin itself, Chen Guan relied solely on his physical strength and willpower.

Not ordinary at all...

...

Before the dizziness from the scene transition fully faded, the new environment had already become clear.

It was no longer a barren scorched earth, but a deep, quiet... underwater setting?

Chen Guan found himself suspended in a deep blue body of water, his entire body wrapped in gentle currents.

Light pierced down from above, forming swaying pillars of illumination.

Colorful coral reefs grew all around, and fish of various shapes lazily swam through them. It was peaceful and beautiful.

However, beneath this beauty lay a hidden, invisible pressure. Water pressure squeezed his body from all directions, making his chest feel slightly tight and his movements noticeably sluggish. The bigger problem was breathing.

He subconsciously held his breath, but quickly realized that this wasn't a short-term breath-holding test. The illusion simulated a real underwater environment; he needed oxygen.

Fortunately, the illusion was somewhat merciful, granting him the ability to see underwater so he wasn't fumbling blindly.

The black iron coffin floated quietly by his side, its lid tightly shut. This coffin seemed to have been given some sort of tracking attribute by the illusion, always staying within his arm's reach.

[An underwater scene? What does this test? Survival? Puzzle-solving?]

[What can a coffin do in the water? Act as a submarine?]

[The guy doesn't seem to know how to swim? His movements look a bit stiff.]

[Swimming isn't the main point. It's how to breathe and move underwater.]

[It's a miracle he hasn't sunk to the bottom holding a coffin. His coffin looks pretty heavy.]

Bullet comments flashed rapidly across the screen.

Chen Guan forced himself to calm down and quickly analyzed the situation. An underwater test could only be a few possibilities: adapting to the underwater environment, underwater combat, or finding an exit.

Breathing was his top priority.

He tried to mobilize the faint power within his body, attempting an internal breathing cycle, but this was clearly beyond his current capabilities. A sense of suffocation began to slowly spread.

His gaze fell upon the black iron coffin once more.

The coffin... How was its seal? Could it provide temporary air?

This thought flashed through his mind, but he immediately rejected it. Setting aside whether opening the coffin was feasible, the situation inside was unknown. Furthermore, if water rushed in after opening it, or if it triggered other unpredictable changes, the risk would be too great.

Then, what about utilizing the coffin itself?

He recalled some simple physical principles from his past life.

The coffin was made of solid ten-thousand-year black iron, which had an immense density and should naturally sink in water.

But what if there was air attached to it, or a hollow cavity inside? No, the main point wasn't buoyancy, but...

He looked at the smooth, hard surface of the coffin, and then at the swimming fish around him, which seemed entirely indifferent to the two foreign objects—a person and a coffin.

Perhaps, he could take a different approach.

Chen Guan stopped trying to resist the water's drag and his respiratory distress. Instead, he relaxed his body, allowing himself to move slowly with the push of the current.

He reached out and grabbed the side of the black iron coffin, using it as leverage to adjust his direction.

He didn't attempt to swim upward. Although the light source seemed to be above, the illusion's exit might not be there. He began to observe his surroundings.

The coral reefs formed a complex underwater maze, and the distribution of the light pillars seemed to follow a certain pattern.

Glowing algae and jellyfish dotted the area, acting like signposts, yet also like traps.

A few slightly larger fish with sharp teeth loomed faintly in the distant shadows, exuding the aura of predators.

Was the test about observation and judgment in an underwater environment, as well as calmness and strategy when movement is restricted and resources are scarce?

Pulled along by the coffin, Chen Guan began to move slowly down a coral channel that appeared to be the widest and had relatively ample light.

He tried his best to keep his movements smooth to reduce oxygen consumption, while simultaneously keeping an eye on his surroundings.

Soon, he noticed that at certain specific coral nodes, the water currents would become abnormally chaotic, forming small whirlpools.

When small schools of fish accidentally got caught in these whirlpools, they would be rapidly sucked in and disappear completely.

Traps...

He carefully avoided these whirlpool nodes.

After moving forward a bit more, three diverging paths appeared ahead.

One slanted upward, leading to brighter waters. One went straight ahead, deep and leading to an unknown destination. The last one meandered downward, disappearing into thick shadows.

Which path should he choose?

Chen Guan stopped and carefully sensed his surroundings.

On the upward path, the water pressure seemed to be decreasing, but the current became more rapid. A faint roaring sound could be heard, like an undercurrent or a waterfall.

The path straight ahead was the calmest, but it had the darkest lighting and extremely poor visibility.

The descent bore the heaviest pressure and the deepest darkness, but... he seemed to sense an incredibly faint ripple, distinct from the natural flow of the water, emanating from below.