"Boom!" The deafening explosion almost shattered eardrums, and the entire Chamber of Commerce building trembled as if it would collapse at any moment.
Lin Yi steadied himself, condensed a dazzling white light in his hand, and hurled it fiercely at the black vortex that was devouring light.
"Time and space imprisonment!"
The white light, like a roaring dragon, crashed violently into the black vortex, emitting a blinding glow.
Space distorted, time stood still, and the originally menacing black vortex seemed to have been paused, slowly ceasing its rotation.
"Now's the time!" Lin Yi roared, and in a flash, he appeared in front of the black vortex.
The white light in his hand condensed again, transforming into an incomparably sharp blade of light, which pierced fiercely into the center of the vortex.
"Break!"
With a deafening roar, the black vortex shattered, turning into countless fragments that dissipated into the air.
What fell out of the vortex was a giant lizardman whose body was crackling with electricity—the very culprit who had attacked the merchant guild last time!
"You...you actually..." The lizardman leader coughed up blood, his eyes filled with disbelief.
It never expected that Lin Yi's strength would improve so much in such a short period of time.
"You got away last time, but it won't be so easy this time!" Lin Yi sneered, and with another swing of his light blade, he cleanly ended the life of the lizardman leader.
With the crisis averted, everyone in the chamber of commerce breathed a sigh of relief.
Long Wu plopped down on the ground, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead: "Holy crap, Brother Yi, you're amazing! You managed to turn the tables on us!"
Chu Yao also came over, her eyes full of worry: "Lin Yi, are you alright?"
Lin Yi shook his head and laughed, "It's nothing, just a small matter."
After this incident, the reputation of the Interdimensional Commerce Association became even more renowned, practically "the eternal god"!
More and more players and merchants are drawn to this legendary guild, all wanting to join it.
The Chamber of Commerce expanded rapidly, becoming a significant force in both the game and the real world, and its wealth was practically comparable to that of a nation!
With his ability as the Master of Time and Space and his keen business acumen, Lin Yi managed the Chamber of Commerce in an orderly manner.
He not only built a powerful business empire in the game, but also opened branches of multiple cross-dimensional business associations in the real world, exchanging rare resources in the game with goods in the real world and making a fortune.
Long Wu and Chu Yao also grew greatly in the process.
Long Wu gradually grew from a naive young man into a mature and steady business elite, capable of handling things independently and becoming Lin Yi's right-hand man.
As an artificial intelligence life form, Chu Yao also demonstrated exceptional learning and analytical abilities, taking charge of the Chamber of Commerce's data analysis and operational planning, and making significant contributions to the Chamber's vigorous development.
The chamber of commerce was thriving, but Lin Yi felt a vague unease.
He knew that an even greater crisis was yet to come.
Just then, Xuanmingzi reappeared. He still had the air of an immortal, but his tone was more solemn than before.
"Lin Yi, the interdimensional invaders have not given up. They are gathering even stronger forces and preparing to launch a full-scale attack."
"What?!" Lin Yi's heart sank; he knew the seriousness of the matter.
“To fight against this force, you need to collect the Seven Keys of Creation,” Xuanmingzi continued. “Only by possessing the Seven Keys of Creation can you enhance your strength and fight against the interdimensional invaders.”
“The Seven Keys of Creation are scattered across various dimensions, and you need to complete a series of arduous tasks to obtain them.” Xuanmingzi paused for a moment, “and the most important key is located in the level 30 raid dungeon ‘Eternal Labyrinth’.”
The level 30 raid is currently the most difficult raid in the game, and even top-tier teams may not be able to clear it.
“I know this is difficult,” Xuanmingzi seemed to see through Lin Yi’s thoughts, “but you have no choice. For the future of the Chamber of Commerce, for the sake of this world, you must go.”
Lin Yi remained silent for a moment. He knew he bore a heavy responsibility and could not back down.
“I understand,” Lin Yi raised his head, his eyes shining with determination. “I will challenge the ‘Eternal Maze’ and collect the ‘Seven Keys of Creation’!”
Xuanmingzi nodded and disappeared into thin air.
Lin Yi took a deep breath and turned to look out the window.
"Yaoyao, help me get ready..."
He paused, his tone becoming unusually firm:
"I'm going to solo the 'Eternal Maze'!" "Solo the 'Eternal Maze'?!" Long Wu almost spat out the soda he had just drunk, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Brother Yi, are you kidding me? That place is known as the 'newbie crusher' and the 'veteran crematorium'! The forums are full of lamentations, and countless top guilds have gone in as a group and almost got wiped out. You're going alone? This isn't going to... cough cough, it's not going to challenge the limits, it's going to commit suicide!" He was so anxious that he scratched his head, as if he could already see Lin Yi being brutally beaten to the ground by the dungeon boss.
Even Chu Yao's stunningly beautiful face, composed of data streams, showed a rare flicker of emotion. The blue data streams flickered slightly, displaying the "worry" emotion module under high-speed computation.
“Based on the existing data analysis, the ‘Eternal Labyrinth’ has a complex internal structure, with monsters at least elite level, and numerous unknown environmental traps and random negative status effects. The success rate for a solo challenge is 0.0001%, and even considering the unique nature of your [Time and Space Dominator] class, the risk factor is still as high as 98.7%.” She paused, her voice carrying a barely perceptible plea, “Lin Yi, this is too dangerous, we…”
Lin Yi waved his hand, interrupting them.
His face was expressionless, but his eyes were sharp enough to pierce through everything.
The air seemed to freeze, leaving only the flickering neon lights outside the window dancing on his face.
“I know it’s difficult, but Xuanmingzi is right, I have no choice.” He tapped the table lightly, the sound particularly clear in the quiet room. “The Chamber of Commerce looks glamorous now, but it’s just a castle in the air. The real storm is yet to come. Strength, only absolute strength can protect everything we want to protect.”
He stood up, walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, and looked down at the business empire he had built from scratch, spanning the real and virtual worlds, which was brightly lit like a galaxy.
Long Wu and Chu Yao watched his back; his figure, which wasn't particularly burly, seemed to be able to hold up the sky at that moment.
They knew that once Lin Yi made up his mind, nothing could change it.
"Alright, Yi-ge, since you've made up your mind, I won't say another word!" Long Wu gritted his teeth and slapped his thigh hard. "What equipment do you need? What potions do you need? Just name it, and I'll sell everything I own to get them for you! Damn it, if anyone dares to stop you, I'll be the first to object!"
Chu Yao nodded silently. The data flow stabilized again, and she began to quickly mobilize the Chamber of Commerce's resource pool: "I will immediately activate the highest level of authority to prepare all the strategic materials and intelligence support you may need. I will handle all logistical support."
Lin Yi turned around, a faint smile playing on his lips. The smile contained both satisfaction and unwavering determination.
He knew that they could not see the darkness that might lurk deep within the labyrinth, a darkness that even Xuanmingzi had never mentioned. Those things were far more terrifying than monsters and traps.
But he had to go, not only for the Chamber of Commerce, but also for those hazy fragments of memory, and to find his long-lost parents…
He took a deep breath and turned his gaze back to the endless night outside the window, as if trying to pierce through the barriers of time and space.
"Yaoyao, help me connect to... the time-space beacon of the last place where my parents lost contact."
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