Carefully lifting the hem of her raven-feathered robe, Meredith tiptoed through the puddles and walked to Todd and Rachel.

"The Land of Shadows is not as beautiful and peaceful as it appears on the surface. In many places, danger lurks." Meredith reached into the spring and scooped up a splash of water: "There are many such springs on this island, connected to the groundwater. For those who pass the trials, they are nothing more than thirst-quenching nectar; but for ordinary people, they are poison that burns through their intestines."

Rachel opened her eyes wide, her hands trembled, and the spring water in her palms instantly spilled onto the ground.

Looking at the ordinary spring, Todd asked Meredith, "Where can we find a safe water source?"

“Every so often, some trial seekers, drawn by its reputation, will come and land on the island, bringing clean water and food.” Meredith pointed to the ground, his face expressionless, but his words sent chills down one’s spine: “When they return to dust, these supplies will naturally change hands.”

Meredith took an exquisitely crafted water pouch from her waist and handed it to Rachel: "Its owner no longer needs it."

Rachel took the water pouch, looking at the surface of the container with mixed feelings, at the initials of her name written in ochre—, and then exchanged a glance with Todd.

The latter nodded slightly at her.

Rachel then twisted the stopper and gulped down the water.

Meredith glanced at the insects burrowing in and out of the stone wall with disgust, took a few steps back and said to Todd, "Not only the water, but also the fruits, meat, fish and shrimp here are all highly poisonous to outsiders. Those who accidentally eat them will either go mad or die."

"Why is this happening?" Todd asked curiously.

Meredith rolled her eyes at him: "Isn't it obvious? This is a silent realm of the dead, where everything is imbued with the aura of a curse. Only demigods who have passed the trials can resist such a curse."

Todd touched the bridge of his nose and pondered for a while. He thought about it and felt that the explanation behind these things was not so simple.

Meredith retreated into the temple's main hall, glanced at the sky through the courtyard, and then said to Todd, "The sun will soon set. Get some rest. Tomorrow morning, my master will arrange suitable training for you."

"train?!"

Todd was a little dumbfounded: "There are some things you may have misunderstood. We didn't come here for training."

"It's for the sake of the 'tyrant,' isn't it?"

Meredith's sudden remarks surprised Todd.

The latter tried to ask, "You once said that behind the Gate of Darkness, there exists a 'Tyrant,' but what exactly is this 'Tyrant'?"

Meredith turned to leave: "The trial is just the beginning. Through the training arranged by my master, you will gradually get closer to the truth of the 'Tyrant'."

"By the way, my master has been in a rare good mood lately. After all, the Shadow Kingdom has welcomed two demigods one after the other, which has never happened before." Meredith looked at Todd and said seriously, "So, don't mention those reckless remarks in front of her. Believe me, you definitely don't want to see her wrath."

As they approached the temple gate, Meredith suddenly remembered something. She took a bag of food from under her raven feathers, tossed it to Todd from a distance, and said loudly, "There's some clean food in here. Tell your companion to eat sparingly."

“After all, who knows when the next group of trial participants will arrive.” As she said this, Meredith turned her back, a dark glint in her eyes that no one could understand.

——————————————

That night, in the stone chamber of the temple.

After several days of life-or-death struggle, Todd finally remembered his other identity—King Muxi.

After opening the soul space, Todd began to summon important officials of the kingdom to enter the space.

The officials, summoned by the long-absent king, were overwhelmed with excitement upon entering the soul space.

Some expressed gratitude, some praised, and some complained.

But seeing the familiar king standing safely before them, everyone felt a great weight lifted from their shoulders.

Having endured an unimaginable day of hardship, Todd was utterly exhausted and had no energy left to deal with the kingdom's affairs. He could only greet everyone before closing his soul space.

After sleeping the most peaceful night of his life on the cold floor, listening to the sound of the waterfall outside, Todd was awakened early the next morning by Meredith's voice.

"It's time to get up, new guy."

Todd gestured to the sleepy Rachel on the stone bed, indicating that she should sleep a little longer, then finished getting ready and left the temple.

The rising sun casts its golden rays upon the mountain ridge.

Standing atop the high stone peak, Meredith spread her entire body of black raven feathers, like a bird enjoying the sunshine, her eyes slightly narrowed and a smile playing on her lips.

What is today's training?

Upon hearing Todd's question, Meredith folded his raven feathers, jumped off the stone platform, and walked down the mountain, leaving behind the words: "My master has arranged everything. Don't worry, the first day's training course is just a warm-up."

Following Meredith to the foot of the mountain, Todd saw a man and a woman standing on a flat area behind the temple.

Women are naturally the queens of the Shadow Kingdom—Scáthach.

The man, who appeared to be around twenty years old, was tall and strong with deep-set features; he was the same person who had been called "Cú Chulainn" yesterday.

Cú Chulainn, holding a stone hammer and a wooden shield, with one foot forward and the other back, moved slowly in a circle around Scáthach, his eyes fixed on the Queen's movements, searching for any opening.

Scáthach held a long tree branch as a spear, tilting it to her chest, her long purple hair swaying gently in the breeze.

Cú Chulainn moved to the side of the shadows and, using the sunlight behind him, launched a lightning-fast attack.

However, before Todd could even discern the details of the attack, Scáthach merely trembled slightly, and Cú Chulainn was sent flying dozens of meters away, crashing into the forest and breaking several large trees. His stone hammer and wooden shield were reduced to dust.

Todd gasped, his scalp tingling as he touched his forehead.

As if sensing his worry, Meredith smiled and said to him, "Don't worry, today is your first day of training. We won't arrange such a difficult course for you. Your opponent is someone else."

Meredith whistled towards the sky, then turned to Todd and said, "Your original opponent for the 'Power' trial was beaten to it, so I've found you an identical monster."

With a sense of foreboding, Todd looked up at the sky and saw a monster with a lion's head and a scorpion's tail flapping its wings and slowly landing on the ground.