Yang Zicang’s brow furrowed tightly.

“Although you’re a phoenix, the one who best embodies the traits of Room 201’s experience… “

Even Yang Zicang felt his own confidence waver as he said this.

Who else but the master of the age-old tale of “Phoenix Nirvana ” could be a better match for this room! The Weiting Travel Merchant Association had actually registered a phoenix as the occupant of Room 201! No wonder the lobby manager said the resident here was akin to the two of them who had registered and slept in coffins.

How could he possibly compare himself to a phoenix?

But if he walked out of this room now, not to mention any chance of seeking various ways to resurrect Mori, this inn would become a prison for him and the others—a prison that would sentence most people to death in just one year!

“Still delusional enough to try and take away my resting spot? That amuses me, human. “

A phoenix, each wing feather as large as a bed, raised its supremely dignified head, the sovereign of all birds. It fixed its gaze on the young man who was gradually steadying himself at the door, a look of unrivaled dominance in its eyes.

“What capital do you have to challenge me? Speak it out! “

As the phoenix’s words fell, on the only wall-length semi-curved table on the right side of the room, the calendar-like mechanical nameplate with its three-letter card set clicked and flipped, transforming into a combination of digits and letters— “0V0. “

Yang Zicang glanced at the scoreboard, then steeled his heart and declared,

“I have come from an old Track of Fate, now at the beginning of a new phase. Isn’t this experience precisely the new start that Room 201 represents? “

With a soft click, the card set changed to “0V1 “.

“Indeed, that is a valid little tale. ” The phoenix sneered dismissively. “If your bidding capital amounts to no more than this, then just wait for me to send you off to the true starting point of your new life. “

“Swish-cha! ” The phoenix’s voice screeched sharply. “The legend of Phoenix Nirvana is celebrated through countless ages and lands; it is the undisputed symbol of resurrection from the dead!This is my glorious life!“

Click-clack, click-clack!

The card set flipped through five pages straight!

The two creatures in the room both turned to look—one’s face as frosty as ice, the other’s expression brimming with pride.

“An overwhelming victory! Go to hell! “

Boom!

The temperature of the flames in the room seemed to break free, surging and spiking in an instant! The explosive flames morphed into hundreds of golden arrows shooting towards Yang Zicang.

｛I have offset 120N!｝

｛I have offset 3×500N!｝

｛I have offset 5×1200N!｝

Across the room, a few iron lamps and decorations near the flames turned red from the high heat. Yang Zicang, shielded by the Chrono-Void Flame, dodged nimbly, swaying left and right. A passing arrow was deflected by his “Adjustment” and exploded into sparks on the wall.

The second and third flaming arrows came one after another.

In the midst of his evasions, Yang Zicang fired two bullets with his bare hand, but to the fire bird composed entirely of flames, besides stirring up two cavities quickly filled back in, it was utterly useless.

“Trying to performaing acrobatics?” The phoenix’s voice came from all directions, “Hoping for a last-minute pivot, switching to being a clown to carve out a new turning point in life, ha, you miserable excuse for a human!“

Yang Zicang was driven to the wall.

“If I can defeat you here, that certainly does count for something, doesn’t it?“

During a brief lull, he glanced at his card deck. Behind the number “1” on his side, there seemed to be a sign of flipping to the next page. Yang Zicang suddenly realized that if he survived the phoenix’s attacks, it might itself amount to completing a contest representing “rebirth” or a “new beginning!“

Thinking of this, Yang Zicang dodged a few arrows, which were distinctly peculiar in color, by tilting his foot and pushing off the ground. At the same time, the ‘Black Rose’ in his hand fired a bullet shining with a resplendent orange light, the sound a resounding “Bang. “

The bullet pierced the bird’s body made of flames and struck the wall behind it, leaving a small crater.

The Phoenix flew into a rage, the light dimmed, and the entire room was instantly filled with a solidified black smoke, creating a heavy sense of oppression.

Then, a single spark ignited.

Quickly followed by a second, a third… like the primordial stars of the universe lighting up one by one!

They formed the pattern of a phoenix spreading its wings to take flight, spread flat across the left, right, upper, and lower walls of the entire room, like a massive screen array enveloping the guest room!

All the points of light lit up in unison!

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!

From the points embedded across the room’s walls shot out dozens of flame wisps, resembling delicate roots.

Yang Zicang agilely danced on the tips of his feet. Although these flame roots outranked him in level, making trajectory control difficult, they were not entirely uncontrollable. As they closed in on his body, Yang Zicang unleashed the dispatch power of a Thousand-rank cultivator, twisting the trajectories of all the roots shooting toward him almost flush against his own body, before they plunged into the surrounding ground with a series of crackling and sizzling sounds. The intensely burning roots were densely packed, forking around him like a circled fence.

Click!

A faint rustling sound reached his ears—5V2!

“Even if you still have three experiences worth telling, you cannot succeed in bidding for this room. Tell me, what else do you have to offer to gain the deity’s favor? “

The scorching high temperature was suppressed by an unknown force.

“I once defeated evil, traversed darkness and storms, and found a gathering point for humanity on the vast sea. “

Click!

The card set flipped again: 5V3! Yang Zicang rejoiced—it worked!

The phoenix’s head, formed by flame, darted forward in a flash.

“I object! ” It spoke out like this.

“What! “

“This kind of experience is nowhere near qualified to be the bidding chip for ‘the room tied to the phoenix’s glorious legends!’ “

｛I, the Great Quadrilateral, actually felt the objection was valid.｝

Before Yang Zicang’s joy could fade, flipped cards automatically flipped back, and the number “3 ” changed back to “2. “

The temperature on the phoenix began to rise again.

“Out of tricks, kid? If that’s all you’ve got, you can truly die now! “

This time, the temperature spike became instantly fiercer, as if standing in true flames. The phoenix flapped its wings, the air surging and pressing down the illusory blaze of some Chrono-Void Flame.

As the flames above subsided under this gust, Yang Zicang felt the tips of his hair instantly turning scorched yellow and curling, releasing the smell of burnt protein.

“I once used ‘Flash Radiance’ to invest in a dying glimmer of life! I reversed the fate of the one destined to perish! “

The soaring temperature instantly halted to a stalemate!

Crack!

Two gazes shot toward the scoreboard – 5V4!

“It’s real! It flipped two pages at once! ” Phoenix found it utterly unbelievable.

Yang Zicang straightened himself amidst the retreating flames, wiped the charcoal ash from the corner of his mouth, and laughed, “Ha, rekindling life—what you can do, I can too! “

“What gives you the right to claim that! You think just because you’ve escaped death’s door, you can drag out a few more days? With your paltry happenchance experiences? Or the so-called medical insurance from your mouths! Mortal humans with a meager few decades of life—how dare you compare to me! “

“Those were words from the last challenger, weren’t they? Ah yes, I once had medical insurance too… ” Yang Zicang trailed off, caught in some memory.

“Enough! This doesn’t count! “

Phoenix flared his searing, gorgeous wings in rage once again.

“Face my fury! “

With a deafening roar! Flames burst from the wings, erupting outwards like a cataclysmic storm!

But this time, the young man standing before him showed not a trace of panic.

A glint of contempt flashed in Phoenix’s eyes. Even with an endless rush of time and the promise of eternal life, how could he withstand death by time—where sheer scorch of his flames would surely consume all of his meager years!

Hearing the ceaseless battle raging within, voices pierced through faintly from outside.

“Mr. Buchen! Are you alright? “

“Will he win the challenge? The last two friends—our predecessors—pulled it off so quickly, finishing with a bang! “

The Phoenix shrieked incessantly: “Your president will soon come out to see you, as charcoal! Qiu! “

“Who says so! ” Yang Zicang, dodging another gust of fierce wind, stared at the flame-quivering wings and gritted his teeth: “You love convection so much, don’t you! “

｛Gravity Arc!｝

A twisting wind of gravity materialized within the room!

“What is this! “

The Phoenix quickly realized that its exploding flames were uncontrollably gathering in front of it!

It was as if a bottomless pit, continuously absorbing the room’s high temperature, was waiting to be filled.

“What are you doing, you bastard, stop! “

“I discovered from your earlier attacks that while projectiles like bullets have little physical effect on you, the wind they create still alters your form. “

Yang Zicang rapidly elevated the rank of the “Gravity Arc. ” Though theoretically, he could unify the ranks of all objects, he had never succeeded in doing so in practice.

｛I will inject 999N into the “Gravity Arc, ” unlocking the Hundred-Rank!｝

｛I will invest 9999N into the “Gravity Arc, ” unlocking the Thousand-Rank!｝

“Squeak cha! You damned thing, so this is your final struggle! “

“Do you think that’s all I have? I’m just preventing you from babbling on! “

As a Phoenix, it surely had rich and wondrous experiences. After all, this was a being that earned a full five points just based on its racial traits alone. Any casual story it told could shift two or three points in the balance!

Upon reaching the Thousand-rank, the black hole’s rotational force became remarkably swift, as if it had recovered more of its power, the gravitational pull rapidly drawing the spreading flames inward.

Initially, Yang Zicang had merely used this black hole as a defense against the high-temperature energy cloud rushing toward him, but he never expected this move would drive the phoenix wild, as if touching a raw nerve— “Stop at once! You jumping monkey! “

Yang Zicang looked up in astonishment to see the phoenix, trembling all over, suddenly unfurl its wings that engulfed the entire room.

“Go to hell! “

The specks of light once again unfolded throughout the room, resembling tangled roots!