After entering the blue screen, Ling Shaomiao immediately clicked on the "Formula" option.
A list appeared on the screen one after another—a total of 32 pathways.
She frowned in surprise and said,
"Thirty-two pathways? But in the book there were only twenty-two…"
After thinking for a moment, she gave herself an answer.
"Maybe the author had planned to write more stories based on this world. The remaining ten pathways might have come from that idea."
Out of curiosity, she clicked on the Fool Pathway option.
Ling Shaomiao thought to herself,
"Although I didn't memorize any formulas, at least I can learn the information from here. And besides, I don't even intend to become a Beyonder… I just need to complete the missions somehow. But if I don't complete them, will there be any punishment?"
With that thought in mind, she entered the page for the Fool Pathway formulas.
There it said:
Sequence 9 Formula
Price: 50 pounds
Her eyes widened in shock.
"Fifty pounds?"
She quickly began calculating in her head.
According to the information in the novel, a Sequence 9 potion usually sells for 300 to 400 pounds.
Ling Shaomiao curled her lips into a faint smile.
"If I sell this to someone for at least 300 pounds, I can earn a profit of about 250 pounds…"
She browsed through a few more pathways, but she didn't decide to buy any formula yet.
Then she moved to the Ingredients option.
There, she clicked on the Sequence 9 Ingredients category. Instantly, the Sequence 9 ingredients for all pathways appeared in front of her.
Below each ingredient was a small line:
Price: 5 pounds
Ling Shaomiao froze for a few seconds.
Then she suddenly exclaimed,
"What! Only five pounds?"
She quickly calculated again. In the novel, a Sequence 9 ingredient could usually cost 30 to 150 pounds.
She whispered in disbelief,
"That means… I'm getting more than an 80% discount! Even if I sell it for only thirty pounds, I'd still make a huge profit…"
She continued exploring different sections of the store for a while.Suddenly, a mischievous smile appeared on her face.
"Hah… I can make even more money with money!"Unable to contain herself, her joyful laughter echoed through the silent room.
"Please note that you must follow a pathway," the small girl said calmly.
Ling Shaomiao frowned, "Hah… is it really that important?"
"Yes," the girl replied briefly.
Hearing that, the smile on Ling Shaomiao's face slowly faded. An uneasy feeling rose in her heart. She knew that following a Beyonder pathway meant gradually stepping into the risk of corruption—and she didn't want to walk such a path.
After remaining silent for a while, she said,"If it's that important… then I'll follow the Wheel of Fortune Pathway or the White Tower Pathway."
The little girl shook her head."Please note that this must be determined by spinning."
As soon as she finished speaking, a huge spinning wheel suddenly appeared before Ling Shaomiao. Inside the wheel, the names of 32 pathways glowed and rotated.
Ling Shaomiao sighed. Just like before, she reluctantly reached out and spun the wheel.
The wheel began spinning rapidly.In her mind she prayed:"Please… Wheel of Fortune Pathway… or White Tower Pathway…"
After a few moments, the spinning gradually slowed.The red marker moved past one name after another—then finally stopped.
Ling Shaomiao's eyes froze.Slowly, she read the name.
Error Pathway.
After a moment of silence, she muttered in disappointment,
"Error Pathway…"
"With so many pathways, why Error Pathway?" Ling Shaomiao shouted in frustration.
Under the soft glow of the gas lamp, the blue screen shimmered faintly. The little girl standing beside it continued to look at her calmly.
After a while, Ling Shaomiao clenched her teeth and muttered,"I specifically wanted Wheel of Fortune or White Tower… so why this one?"
The girl answered calmly,"The result of the spin is completely random. It does not change according to the user's wishes."
Hearing that answer, a strange uneasiness rose inside Ling Shaomiao.
She knew the Error Pathway was no ordinary path. At the end of that path stood a terrifying existence—Amon.
She recalled what she knew from the novel.
If someone following Amon's pathway became very powerful, the situation could become dangerous. Because Amon often pays attention to those who advance along his path.
Sometimes he might try to use them as clones or vessels.
Sometimes he might steal the powers and characteristics they had obtained.
The most terrifying thing was that Amon never rushed.He often observed silently, watching everything from the shadows, patiently waiting for the perfect opportunity.
As this thought surfaced in her mind, a cold chill ran down Ling Shaomiao's spine.
She murmured slowly,"So… the stronger I become, the more likely that person will notice me?"
The blue screen floating before her shimmered silently, as if there was no way to deny this truth.
Ling Shaomiao took a deep breath,"This is really a troublesome pathway…"
The worry in her eyes had not faded.
"Then I won't follow the pathway," Ling Shaomiao said firmly.In truth, she wanted to see what would happen if she refused.
The little girl replied with the same expressionless face,"Then please accept the punishment."
Ling Shaomiao frowned, "Punishment? What kind of punishment?"
Before the girl could answer, a deafening roar suddenly echoed through the sky.
The sound was so sudden and terrifying that Ling Shaomiao's heart trembled. She quickly opened the door and looked outside.
The sky had turned strangely dark.Black clouds churned as bolts of lightning flashed one after another.
And among them—a gigantic red fireball burned in the sky.
At first, Ling Shaomiao thought it might be a distant meteor.
But after a few seconds, her body went cold.Because she realized — It was coming straight toward her.
Her eyes widened in terror, "No… don't tell me… this is my punishment!"
The next moment, the fireball descended with a thunderous roar. The sky shook violently, and everything was drowned in red light—
Then…in a single instant, everything ended.
…
In the next moment, Ling Shaomiao found herself standing in front of the blue screen again.
Her body was unharmed, but her heart was still pounding violently.She had just died moments ago.The little girl calmly asked again,"Will you follow the Error Pathway?"
Ling Shaomiao remained silent for a moment.The terrifying image of the falling fireball was still vivid in her mind.
Finally, she let out a long sigh, "…Yes. I will follow it."
Her voice carried clear disappointment.
Because she knew—there was no other path left for her.
The little girl said in a calm voice,
"You must take the potion within the next seven days. Otherwise, you will have to accept the punishment again."
Ling Xiaomiao's face turned a little pale.
She had just tasted that punishment a moment ago—the fireball falling from the sky, instant death… and then returning here again. That memory still spread through her body like a cold current.
She slowly took a deep breath and began to calculate in her mind. To make a potion, she would need formulas and ingredients.
Although the ingredients in the "Beyond's Store" were relatively cheap, it would still require a large sum of money to buy everything together.
Ling Xiaomiao frowned and whispered, "You mean… I have to raise so much money in seven days?" Various thoughts began to swirl in her head rapidly.
He thought—if he bought cheap ingredients or formulas from the store and sold them to other Beyonders, maybe it would be possible to make a lot of money in a short time.
But immediately another problem came to the fore, he didn't know anyone yet.
He had no idea where any Beyonder lived, who wanted to buy what—all of these.
Ling Xiaomiao stood silently for a while.
Then he slowly said,
"It seems… these seven days are going to be a real test for me."