Chapter 35
Chapter 35
Sizzle…
The sword blazed with ferocious fire, slicing through the air with a piercing shriek.
“Ding!”
[Flame Sovereign · Gu Ming has used Flame Sword Art. Attack +30% and Attack Speed +30% for 5 minutes!]
“Ding!”
[Flame Sovereign · Gu Ming has used Fire Dragon Strike, dealing 500% damage to all enemy units within a 10 × 50 area ahead, with a high chance to knock targets back or send them airborne!]
…
A scorching wave swept in every direction.
Blackwind Sword in hand, Zhou Ming stood his ground and gathered his strength.
Destiny never explicitly labeled every attack as elemental or non-elemental, but some things were obvious at a glance.
“The majesty of this strike will haunt you for the rest of your life!” A cold smile curled across Gu Ming’s lips. He shot forward like lightning and drove his blade at the arrogant young man.
Clang!
Zhou Ming waited until Gu Ming was right in front of him, until the blade was a hair’s breadth away, before raising his own sword to block. The two weapons crashed together as flames surged violently around them.
Empowered by Fire Dragon Strike, Gu Ming had nearly transformed into the head of a blazing dragon. His momentum was terrifying.
“This strike holds twenty years of cultivation. Can… you withstand it?”
Zhou Ming said nothing. He stood exactly where he was, utterly unmoved.
Several seconds later, Fire Dragon Strike ran its course.
MISS!
The symbol denoting immunity slowly floated upward.
“…” The smile gradually vanished from Gu Ming’s face.
“…” A smile rapidly spread across Zhou Ming’s.
Silence descended.
For an instant, even time itself seemed to freeze.
Rending Slash!
Having successfully blocked the attack, Zhou Ming immediately countered and began carving away Gu Ming’s HP.
-135!
-135!
“W-Wait!”
Gu Ming hastily retreated, his expression changing so violently that none of his earlier composure remained.
“Wait for what?”
“I…”
Gu Ming tried to say more, but Zhou Ming’s attacks only grew fiercer. Forced to weather the assault, he fell into an overwhelming disadvantage.
Flamecloud Slash!
At one point, Gu Ming rallied. He made sure Zhou Ming couldn’t block, then brought his blade down squarely on Zhou Ming’s armor with crushing force.
MISS!
Another immunity marker rose into the air.
“Brother!” Zhou Ming asked with heartfelt concern. “Did you skip breakfast?”
“H-How is this possible?” Gu Ming stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what he was seeing.
Immunity to fire-element damage!
How could anything so absurd and unreasonable exist beneath the heavens?
“Do you know why?” Zhou Ming continued applying verbal pressure, deliberately disrupting Gu Ming’s concentration. Meanwhile, the weapon in his hand showed no mercy whatsoever and kept pounding away at him.
“Why?”
“Because I am the sovereign of flame!” Zhou Ming declared majestically. “Submit!”
His attitude toward Renee and Gu Ming could not have been more different.
The reason was simple.
Gu Ming had been wildly arrogant and temperamental from the very beginning. With the wager added on top, he had now suffered an enormous loss at Zhou Ming’s hands. There was no chance he would let the matter go.
“You!”
Gu Ming flew into a rage. “If you’ve got any guts, brat, tell me your name!”
“He can’t see my name?” Zhou Ming asked in surprise.
“A guardian in the Talent Trial may reveal their own identity, but they cannot inspect the participant’s name,” Qianying explained. “Of course, both sides can still see each other’s faces.”
Zhou Ming immediately understood.
Come to think of it, Renee had deliberately studied his face before leaving Stage Five. She hadn’t known his name, either.
“I never change my name, whether standing or sitting!”
With that thought, Zhou Ming declared in ringing tones, “I am Star Guardian · Mo Yun!”
“Bastard!”
Among the spectators, Mo Yun erupted in fury. “How dare he use my name!”
“Fine… Very well…”
Gu Ming ground out every word through clenched teeth. “Mo Yun, I’ll remember you. I will repay today’s humiliation a hundredfold!”
Mo Yun: “…”
“Come whenever you please!” Zhou Ming answered without the slightest hint of submission. “If I fear you in the least, then my name isn’t Mo Yun!”
Gu Ming said nothing more. With intense killing intent and deeply concealed greed, he fell unwillingly and faded away.
Immunity to fire-element damage!
Such an ability was exceedingly rare throughout the world. Used properly, it could bring him an opportunity beyond imagining!
“Ding!”
[Congratulations! You have cleared Stage Six!]
“Ding!”
[Continue to Stage Seven of the Talent Trial? Note: You may choose to forfeit.]
…
“That kid’s luck is beyond ridiculous!”
“Hmph. That was hardly an honorable victory!”
“Barring an accident, he’ll probably obtain an SS-Rank Talent!”
…
Many of the powerful observers were displeased.
By defeating Gu Ming, Zhouyou Shijie had reached a height in the Talent Trial that even many god-tier experts had failed to attain at the same stage. Worse, he had done it with absurd ease. How could they not be jealous?
Zhou Ming remained where he was, recovering his strength in silence.
After a long wait, Gu Ming, wherever he might be, finally and reluctantly paid what he owed.
“Ding!”
[Congratulations! You have completed Yet Another Wager and received the reward: S-Rank fire skill Fire Dragon Strike!]
He gave me Fire Dragon Strike?
Delighted, Zhou Ming opened his skill list to inspect its attributes. Before he could, however, the skill icon began to change. Wisps of flame curled around it in a dazzling display.
“It evolved again?”
Zhou Ming was overjoyed.
The Talent Trial had reached its most critical moment. Taking one more step would be fraught with danger, so the potential of his exclusive class had erupted at exactly the right time.
“Ding!”
[Due to the Flame Demon Lord’s exceptionally high fire affinity, your S-Rank skill Fire Dragon Strike has evolved into the Rare S-Rank skill Flame Dragon Roar!]
[Flame Dragon Roar] (Rare S-Rank)
Description: A unique move mastered by the Flame Demon Lord after drawing inspiration from Fire Dragon Strike.
Effect: Gather fire-element energy around the user’s body and unleash the power of a flame dragon, dealing 800% damage to all enemy units within a 20 × 100 area ahead. This attack is guaranteed to knock targets back or send them airborne.
Cooldown: 30 minutes
…
Its power was terrifying!
After carefully reading Flame Dragon Roar’s description, Zhou Ming was certain he now possessed a skill worthy of being called a team-fight ultimate.
It wasn’t designed for single-target damage, but it hit extraordinarily hard. The guaranteed knockback or launch effect was also more than enough to justify its Rare grade.
“That wager came at precisely the right time!” Qianying praised.
By suddenly proposing a wager to his Stage Six opponent, Zhouyou Shijie had likely intended from the beginning to gain one more advantage before moving forward.
To do so, he had not hesitated to play the fool and offend a powerful master of the fire element.
“When an opportunity appears, I have to do my best to seize it.” Zhou Ming drew a deep breath and selected Continue Challenge on the system panel.
He wanted to see just how difficult the stage that had defeated Qianying, and that even Demon Gods dared not dream of clearing, truly was.
“It’s time you fell, boy,” Cangxuan murmured.
Unlike the first six stages, the guardian of Stage Seven had never been random. It had always been the same person.
No matter when someone entered the Talent Trial or what stage of progression they had reached, anyone who made it to Stage Seven had to face him.
…