55: Chapter 55 The Gatekeeper's Approval

When Chen Mo returned to the Trial Tower, it was already the following afternoon.

He handed the bottle of S-Rank Wraith blood to the Apothecary in exchange for the perfect sequence potion. The pale gold liquid sloshed gently inside the syringe, filled with countless tiny specks of light that looked like a frozen starry sky.

[perfect sequence potion: Finished Product]

[Effect: Increases Sequence Rank by one level with no side effects.]

[Usage Restriction: Limited to B-Rank and below.]

Chen Mo put the potion away.

Now was not the time to use it.

He still had to reach the top of the tower.

The ninth floor.

The Apothecary looked at him, a complex emotion in his eyes.

"Are you really going?"

Chen Mo nodded.

"The gatekeeper of the ninth floor is B-Rank," the Apothecary said. "You just defeated an S-Rank, but that was a sneak attack. Facing a B-Rank head-on is different."

Chen Mo didn't speak.

He knew it was different.

The S-Rank Void Walker's strongest ability was spatial shifting, but its physical body was fragile. He had seized that 0.5-second window to crush its core.

But the B-Rank gatekeeper was a true combat-type Ghost Shadow.

There was no room for trickery.

"I must go," Chen Mo said.

The Apothecary fell silent for a few seconds.

Then he smiled.

"Fine. Come back alive."

Chen Mo turned and walked toward the stairs.

The fourth floor.

The fifth floor.

The sixth floor.

He climbed up floor by floor.

Every floor had a trial, but he didn't stop.

Those trials were no longer important to him.

He only needed to reach the top of the tower.

The seventh floor.

The eighth floor.

The ninth floor.

The door was in front of him.

Chen Mo took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

Behind the door was a massive space.

It was circular, at least a hundred meters in diameter. The floor was gold, and the walls were carved with intricate patterns. Those patterns were flowing as if they were alive.

In the center of the space stood a figure.

No, not a person.

It was a massive silhouette, at least three meters tall. It wore golden armor and a mask that hid its features. In its hand, it gripped a spear, the tip pointing toward the ground.

[Target: B-Rank Abnormality "Sequence Gatekeeper"]

[Status: Standby]

[Ability: Rule Suppression (Suppresses all sequence abilities within range)]

[Weakness: Unknown]

[Threat Assessment: Extremely High]

Chen Mo gripped his cleaver.

He took a step forward.

The gatekeeper moved.

It raised its spear and pointed it at Chen Mo.

Instantly, Chen Mo felt the golden lines inside his body stop flowing entirely.

[Rule Suppression Active]

[All sequence abilities are disabled within the current range.]

[Prediction: Unavailable]

[Invisibility: Unavailable]

[Time Perception: Unavailable]

[Eye of Sinister Sight: Partially Available]

Chen Mo's pupils constricted.

Abilities disabled.

He was now just an ordinary person.

An ordinary person holding a cleaver.

The gatekeeper began to walk toward him.

One step, two steps, three steps.

Each step was heavy, making the ground tremble.

Chen Mo did not retreat.

He stared at the gatekeeper, his Eye of Sinister Sight still functioning.

Although most of his abilities were disabled, the Eye of Sinister Sight still worked.

He could see the golden lines on the gatekeeper—

These lines were dense, like armor woven from gold thread. The flow of the lines was rhythmic, circling in a continuous loop.

But there was one spot where the lines were exceptionally dense—

The chest.

There was a cluster of solidified gold there, resembling a heart.

That was the core.

But how could he fight?

His current speed, strength, and reflexes were only those of an ordinary human.

The gatekeeper could pierce him with a single thrust of its spear.

The gatekeeper reached him and raised its spear.

The tip of the spear was aimed at his chest.

Chen Mo didn't dodge.

He looked at the gatekeeper's mask, staring at that featureless face.

Then he spoke.

"You don't want to kill me."

The gatekeeper's movements paused.

"You want to test me."

The gatekeeper didn't say anything.

But Chen Mo knew he was right.

The flow of those golden lines wasn't an attack state, but an observation state.

It was watching him.

Watching his reactions, watching his choices.

"Rule Suppression," Chen Mo continued. "You suppressed all my abilities just to see what I would do without them."

He took a step forward.

The spear tip pressed against his chest.

But he didn't stop.

"I will walk forward."

The gatekeeper was silent for a few seconds.

Then it lowered its spear.

From behind the mask, a voice emerged.

It was hoarse and ancient, as if it hadn't spoken for a very long time.

"Do you know why?"

Chen Mo shook his head.

"Because of the last person who came here," the gatekeeper said. "He retreated."

It turned and walked back to the center.

"He was strong. Stronger than you. But the moment he lost his abilities, he retreated."

It turned its head and looked at Chen Mo.

"You stepped forward."

Chen Mo didn't speak.

"Therefore, you have passed."

The gatekeeper raised its hand.

The surrounding golden patterns began to glow, becoming brighter and brighter.

Finally, a beam of light shone down from the ceiling, illuminating Chen Mo.

[Passed the Gatekeeper's Trial]

[Obtained: Recognition of the Source of the Sequence]

[Access granted to the core area of the Source of the Sequence]

Chen Mo stood in place, watching the light.

The gatekeeper's figure was fading.

"Go," its voice came from afar. "Behind the door lie the answers you seek."

Then it vanished.

Chen Mo walked toward the light.

The light grew brighter and brighter.

Finally, it swallowed everything.