Thanks to GreenKiTea for the kofis. Enjoy the bonus chapters! I’m glad you guys are enjoying the story as much as I am!

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Channel:

【Final Destination: The 56th one. Already 56 have passed the third round of the survival trial! Wonder what the third round entails.】

On the leaderboard, the ID “I Love Survival Game” slowly appeared at the top—it was indeed the 56th entry.

【I’m Terrified: “I Love Survival Game”? What a sycophantic ID. Does sucking up really make you stronger?】

【Wing Chun: Everyone, look at the top of the leaderboard!】

Behind the ID “My Fate is Determined By Me, Not The Heavens,” the original text “Round 3, Cleared” had changed to “Round 4, Cleared.”

A rare moment of silence fell over the region chat.

【I’m Terrified: So, Big Shot “My Fate is Determined By Me, Not The Heavens,” you’ve already cleared Round 4?】

【Cockroach Taste Is So Weird: Oh my god, most people haven’t even cleared Round 3 yet…】

Players who choose to continue the Survival Trial cannot see messages in the regional channel.

After Qiyu completed the third round of the trial, unlike the first two rounds, which started on the hour, a new option quickly popped up on the survival panel.

【Do you wish to proceed to the fourth round of the Survival Trial?】

You have ten minutes to confirm.

You can choose to quit or continue.

If you’re feeling tired, these ten minutes are meant for you to rest and recover.

Qiyu noticed that his Survival Panel seemed locked; aside from the “Confirm” and “Quit” options, nothing else was clickable.

He couldn’t see the zone chat, nor could he send private messages to friends.

Qiyu didn’t hesitate for long and chose to continue the trial.

Qiyu stood inside the wooden cabin.

He remembered entering the survival game, working hard to complete various tasks,s and stay alive.

And then?

What exactly happened?

A message popped up on the survival panel in front of him:

【Congratulations, player. You have successfully completed three rounds of trials and earned the right to return to the real world. Do you wish to claim it?】

A one-hour countdown began.

Return to the real world?

Confused, Qiyu opened the general chat channel, which was already in an uproar:

【Holy shit, guys, have you heard? The reward for the third trial is a return to the real world!】

【Waaah, I regret it so much! Why did I chicken out just now? Even if I had to die in there, I should’ve participated! I want to go home so bad!】

【So many players on the leaderboard have disappeared. Have they all gone back?】

【@I Love Survival Game, can you give us another chance? I want to join too—let me join!】

Go… home?

Qiyu stared blankly for a moment before seeing a message from Civil Engineering Brother.

【Big shot, I cleared Round 3. Hehe, I’m planning to go home! What about you?】

【Let’s exchange contact info. My phone number is 139XXXX0222, same for WeChat. I’m from City H. When I get back, let’s grab a meal together if we have time!】

Qiyu didn’t reply.

Before long, Civil Engineering Brother’s ID vanished.

It didn’t just go gray—it disappeared completely from the survival game.

Qiyu returned to the selection screen.

40 minutes remaining.

Qiyu stared blankly at the countdown.

His thoughts drifted, and suddenly he seemed to be in a different place.

He stood on a bustling street, teeming with traffic. Elderly people in hats strolled leisurely, while groups of children, snacking and giggling, ran past him.

Everyone was neatly and smartly dressed.

The next moment, he found himself on a food street. It seemed to be a tourist area, bustling mostly with young people—vibrant and beautiful, their fair faces lit with carefree, contented smiles.

Grilled meats, desserts, ice cream… his nose is filled with the aromas of all kinds of delicacies he’s never smelled before.

A voice rings out in his mind:

【Do you long to return to the world of your hometown?】

My hometown…?

Qiyu’s previously dazed eyes instantly cleared.

He said calmly, “This isn’t my hometown.”

As soon as the words left his mouth.

All the scenery vanished, the zone chat disappeared, and the wooden cabin vanished.

He stood in an open space surrounded by a fence, with bright sunflowers illuminating the entire area.

【Congratulations to the player for successfully completing the fourth round of the Survival Trial.】

【Reward: Intermediate Resource Pack x1.】

【Reward: Brass Chest x2.】

Channel:

【Cockroach Taste Is So Weird: Look, look! 198 people have already cleared the third round! Holy crap, someone else cleared the fourth round—I Love Survival Game? It’s that suck-up pro!】

On the leaderboard, the ID 【I Love Survival Game】 jumped from around 50th place to 7th.

Without a doubt, all of the top seven players have cleared Round 4.

Just as the region chat was buzzing, the text behind 【My Fate is Determined By Me, Not The Heavens】 changed again.

He had already cleared Round 5! 

So those who had just started following 【I Love Survival Game】 immediately shifted their attention back to the top player on the leaderboard.

Qiyu opened all the gift packs he had received.

The Intermediate Resource Pack granted him a resource spot: a Green-quality Red Maple Forest.

【Red Maple Forest: Chopping down trees yields Green-quality Red Maple Wood; there is a low chance of obtaining Blue-quality Premium Red Maple Wood.】

Great, now he wouldn’t have to worry about wood for upgrading the shelter.

Resource points could still be placed freely, so Qiyu set this one aside for now.

He opened two brass chests.

【Congratulations on obtaining 1 Mysterious Card and 1 Alchemy Doll.】

【Congratulations on obtaining 1 Intermediate Plant Nutrient Solution Formula and 4 Basic Farmlands.】

A mysterious card—Qiyu had already obtained one before.

But that one was green, while this one is black. As usual, he couldn’t make heads or tails of it, so Qiyu could only put it away.

The Alchemy Doll is a humanoid puppet, roughly the size of a human, with no facial features and a completely black body—just like a dark shadow.

【Alchemy Doll: A basic alchemical creation. Insert an Energy Crystal Card to execute simple commands.】

Qiyu looked at the puppet standing motionless in place, deep in thought.

He wonders just how far these simple commands can go. He’ll have to try it out when he gets the chance.

Plus, it requires an energy crystal card to operate.

It seems energy orbs really are a valuable resource.

He learned the Intermediate Nutrient Solution recipe directly.

【Intermediate Plant Nutrient Solution: Increases plant yield by 20%, reduces harvest time by 50%. Ingredients: Water (Green), Spring Radiance Grass Leaves, Rotten Fruit.】

All of these are ingredients he’s never seen before, but that’s fine; he’ll collect them gradually when he gets the chance.

After sorting through the rewards from the fourth round, Qiyu had only one thought: this survival trial was absolutely worth participating in.

The gains from just these few rounds of trials tonight nearly surpassed all the loot he’d collected during the entire three-day newbie period.

The reason he said “nearly” was, of course, because in Qiyu’s heart, nothing could currently surpass the *spirit cultivation manual*.

Channel Chat:

【Cockroach Taste Is So Weird: Look… there are already over two thousand fewer players.】

12,201 players—now just over ten thousand remain.

At that moment, someone spoke up.

【The More I Involution The Bitterer My Life Becomes: Sigh, I failed. But at least I made it back alive.】

Some recognized this ID—it belonged to one of the top players who had successfully passed the third round of the survival trial.

No one expected him to show up, and instantly, a flood of questions came his way.

【The More I Involution The Bitterer My Life Becomes: I can’t seem to post the details of the trial, but just know—it was really tough. I can’t even imagine how strong your willpower would have to be to pass the fourth round. But while the trials are brutal, the rewards are seriously sweet.】

【The More I Involution The Bitterer My Life Becomes: All I can say is, in this mode, the top players are only going to get stronger.】