Chapter 36
Chapter 36
“Continue the challenge!”
Zhou Ming refused to stop there. At full strength, he prepared to face the guardian of Stage Seven.
Whoosh!
The moment he made his choice, a man who appeared about the same age as Zhou Ming was transported to a spot ten meters away.
The man wore a gray robe. His features were ordinary, his build average, and his skin bronze. He projected no overwhelming pressure and possessed no visibly unusual traits.
[???] (???)
Level: 31
HP: 3,380
Attack: 468-468
Defense: 282-282
Skills: [Blink] [Spatial Blade] [Immeasurable Slash] [Shadowless Sword Art] [Temporal Reversal] [Spatial Fold]
Description: ???
…
Zhou Ming’s heart tightened.
Neither the man’s name nor his true strength could be seen. His identity had to be extraordinary.
Fortunately, his base panel was roughly even with Zhou Ming’s. There was no risk of being crushed through stats alone.
“Fight him with everything you have!”
Qianying’s tone was more solemn than ever. “Back then, I failed to discover the limits of his strength. I hope you can go farther than I did!”
She could not reveal too much about his opponent at this moment, especially anything concerning his skills.
The rules forbade it.
Absolute fairness meant neither side could be given any advantage.
“You are very strong. I may not be able to defeat you.”
The man cupped his fist in salute. Without the slightest arrogance or hostility, he said courteously, “Please.”
“Please.”
Zhou Ming returned the salute.
“That fool Gu Ming practically handed Zhouyou Shijie another step forward…”
“Now that these two are fighting, I find myself caring a little less about seeing Zhouyou Shijie lose.”
“Their base attributes are evenly matched, but the gulf between their skills is probably enormous!”
…
Every gaze in the outside world converged on the two combatants. Whenever those eyes swept across the gray-robed man, a hint of reverence inevitably appeared within them.
Ever since this man first emerged, he had almost single-handedly extinguished the Destiny Continent’s hopes of ever obtaining an SSS-Rank Talent.
Many believed he would forever remain invincible among those at the same stage.
Yet by saying, “I may not be able to defeat you,” he had placed Zhouyou Shijie on equal footing with himself. No one could afford to dismiss that.
Once they had exchanged greetings, Zhou Ming gripped his sword and attacked first. As he closed the distance, he silently activated Blazing Heaven Sword.
“He can already eliminate the opening gesture?” Cangxuan asked in surprise.
Previously, Zhouyou Shijie would usually raise his left hand and gather fire-element energy toward his opponent whenever he used this move.
That was no issue against novices. Against a true expert, however, it was the same as announcing which skill he would use next, making it far easier to evade.
Sizzle…
The colossal phantom sword, wreathed in flame and flowing with razor-sharp sword intent, appeared over the man’s head and plunged down.
But an instant before Blazing Heaven Sword struck, the gray-robed man stepped backward and vanished without a sound.
“Ding!”
[??? has used Blink, instantly teleporting to any location within a 20 × 20 area!]
“Ding!”
[??? has used Spatial Blade. The next attack deals 200% damage and reduces the target’s Attack Speed by 20%!]
“!!”
Zhou Ming’s heart lurched. He spun around at once. Knowing he had no time to block, he simply unleashed Rending Slash and forced an exchange of damage.
-408!
-262!
Both attacks dealt 200% damage, and their attributes were comparable. But Warlord reduced all of his opponent’s attributes by 10%, so Zhou Ming naturally came out ahead.
“How did you know I would appear behind you?” The gray-robed man retreated from Zhou Ming’s blade.
“I guessed!”
That was the honest answer. In a duel, teleportation skills were usually used to evade an attack and strike from behind or from the side in the same instant.
The gray-robed man paused, then nodded. “Very perceptive!”
With that, he vanished again.
“No cooldown?” Zhou Ming’s pupils contracted.
“There is!”
The gray-robed man appeared on Zhou Ming’s left, where it was difficult for him to bring his strength to bear. He slashed Zhou Ming across the waist and retreated as soon as the attack landed.
“Three seconds!”
“…”
Zhou Ming frowned. “That’s still a little short!”
He immediately sprinted toward the white expanse in the distance.
“What’s he doing?” someone asked in confusion.
Thud!
At a certain point, Zhou Ming collided with an invisible barrier and nearly fell over.
As expected, there was an invisible wall!
Zhou Ming wasn’t surprised.
The trial space appeared limitless, but there was no chance it truly allowed participants to run forever. It had to possess a boundary.
Anyone who had ever played a game would be intimately familiar with invisible walls.
“He’s using the limited space at the edge to restrict his opponent’s movement!”
“Clever enough!”
Many of the observers saw through his intent.
With his back to the invisible wall, Zhou Ming turned to fight. Yet his opponent merely stood in place and made no move for a long time.
By choosing advantageous terrain, Zhou Ming had also restricted his own movement. If a draw did not count as a win, the gray-robed man had no reason to close the distance.
Greater Fireball!
Zhou Ming launched his ranged skill, but the gray-robed man dodged with ease.
Seeing this, Zhou Ming immediately opened his class panel.
“Ding!”
[Use the exclusive ability Heaven’s Defiance?]
“Yes!”
Zhou Ming confirmed his choice.
He had saved such an important method precisely to use it as a trump card. Once he understood the exact circumstances of a battle, he could decide which skill to bind.
“Ding!”
[Select a skill to bind!]
“Blazing Heaven Sword!”
Zhou Ming made the decision without a moment’s hesitation.
He had very few ranged skills, and Blazing Heaven Sword was by far the strongest.
“Ding!”
[Through the effect of Heaven’s Defiance, your Blazing Heaven Sword has evolved into an exclusive S+ Rank skill!]
[Blazing Heaven Sword] (Exclusive S+ Rank)
Description: A powerful skill that has touched the threshold of SS Rank and possesses extraordinary growth potential.
Effect: Condense a colossal sword of flame in midair, lock onto a target within an 80 × 80 meter area, and bring it crashing down, dealing damage equal to 750% of the user’s Attack. The strike is guaranteed to inflict Suppression and reduces Movement Speed by 60% for 5 seconds.
Additional Effect: Fire surges outward from the point of impact, dealing 80% damage to all units within a 30 × 30 meter area. This attack has a moderate chance to inflict Burn and a small chance to knock targets back. Exact probabilities depend on the disparity between both sides.
Cooldown: 20 seconds
(Growable)
…
The damage was explosive, and every aspect of the skill had been enhanced. In the middle of battle, however, Zhou Ming only had time for a quick glance.
Blazing Heaven Sword!
He activated the skill again.
“That move is useless against me!” The gray-robed man blinked twenty meters away.
BOOM!
The colossal sword struck. Fire-element energy erupted like an ocean tide, sweeping a full thirty meters and engulfing the man.
That was exactly what Zhou Ming needed.
The attack’s area of effect exceeded Blink’s maximum range!
-141!
A damage number rose into the air.
The gray-robed man might move like a ghost, but even he had been caught by the wave of flame.
That forced him onto the back foot. Now he had to be the one to initiate combat.
Whoosh!
Sure enough, the moment three seconds passed, the gray-robed man appeared beside Zhou Ming. His Attack Speed climbed to another level, his blade moving so fast it left afterimages that were almost impossible to parry.
“Ding!”
[??? has used Immeasurable Slash. Attack Damage -30% and Attack Speed +200% for 1 minute!]
“Ding!”
[??? has used Shadowless Sword Art. Attack Speed +50% for 2 minutes!]
…
“!!”
Alarm surged through Zhou Ming. He swung back, but for every blow he landed, he was slashed three or four times.
Worse, the man’s three-second Blink cooldown allowed him to evade attacks as well.
In mere seconds, Zhou Ming’s HP plummeted.
60%!
30%!
“RARGH!”
At precisely the right instant, raging flames surged around Zhou Ming. As he swung his sword, he nearly transformed into the savage head of a dragon formed entirely from fire. It roared forward, scattering flames in its wake, freezing the air, and sending the temperature soaring.
Flame Dragon Roar!
The dragon struck the gray-robed man head-on and launched him into the air for 1.2 seconds.
-1,632!
The tremendous damage instantly erased nearly half the man’s HP.
“Die!”
While his opponent was still unable to move, Zhou Ming canceled Flame Dragon Roar. Blazing Heaven Sword, now on a cooldown of just twenty seconds, came crashing down once again.
-1,326!
It didn’t even need to trigger Suppression. The outrageous damage directly finished off the guardian of Stage Seven.
“Did he win?” The spectators held their breath in disbelief.
Before they could think further, however, the gray-robed man reappeared at a position he had previously occupied, a huge portion of his HP restored.
“Ding!”
[??? has used Temporal Reversal, returning his status and position to those of 10 seconds ago!]
“!?”
Zhou Ming’s expression tightened.
Honestly, the man’s abilities felt downright unfair.
“This stage is far too difficult!” Qianying said helplessly.
Any power related to time or space was extraordinary in its own right.
Yet this man had mastered both by Level 31. It was absurd beyond belief.
“This ends now!”
With his HP restored to roughly 60%, the gray-robed man charged again. “You are the first person at my stage who has ever killed me once!”
“Is that so?”
Zhou Ming showed neither joy nor alarm. Fire-element energy erupted across his body, mixed with dark matter, and formed a suit of armor over his skin. He looked like a god of fire descending upon the world.
“Then… I’ll also be the first person at your stage to kill you twice!”
“Ding!”
[Zhouyou Shijie has used Demonic Flame Armor. Toughness +50%, immediately gain a shield equal to 30% of Max HP, and all forms of attack deal 50% more damage for the skill’s 2-minute duration!]
The shield equal to 30% of his Max HP gave Zhou Ming enough room to keep fighting.
-306!
-91!
They were both ordinary attacks, but one side had 50% increased damage while the other had sacrificed 30% damage. The gulf between the numbers widened even further.
The gray-robed man’s attacks were elaborate, darting here and there in a dazzling display. Yet a single swing from Zhou Ming dealt as much as three of his!
“Your abilities are completely unfair!” The gray-robed man was beginning to struggle.
Trading damage favored Zhou Ming.
Using Blink to kite him didn’t work because the area attack was unavoidable and would slowly wear him down.
And Zhou Ming’s sudden burst damage was so absurdly powerful it could kill him instantly. It was simply unreasonable.
“Not as unfair as yours!”
Zhou Ming fought desperately to trade blow for blow.
He knew his opponent was doing the same. The man clearly understood how short Blazing Heaven Sword’s cooldown had become and did not dare prolong the battle.
The spectators: “…”
Neither of you has any right to say that!
Within a dozen seconds, both combatants were at critical HP.
“Die!”
At the final moment, both fought like madmen with nothing left to lose. The gray-robed man canceled his Attack Speed enhancement to restore his damage, then activated Spatial Fold at 400% damage. Space folded toward Zhou Ming like a sheet of paper.
The next instant, Blazing Heaven Sword crashed down on the man’s head as well.
-590!
-1,326!
Both HP bars emptied simultaneously.
Zhou Ming: “…”
A draw?
Didn’t a draw count as his loss?
As his nerves stretched taut, both men resurrected where they stood.
The gray-robed man cupped his fist in salute. “My name is Ning Wushen!”
“Zhouyou Shijie!”
Zhou Ming solemnly returned the gesture. “Thank you for the lesson!”
Ning Wushen!
The name was domineering to an outrageous degree. Anyone whose fate wasn’t sturdy enough probably couldn’t bear its weight.
“Brother Zhou, your abilities are remarkable. You have my admiration!” Ning Wushen sighed. “Next time, the drinks are on me!”
Zhou Ming nodded. “It’s a promise!”
“Until we meet again!”
Ning Wushen gave the young man one last, searching look, then slowly faded away.
At the same time, the corresponding system notification rang in Zhou Ming’s ears.
“Ding!”
[Congratulations! You have successfully cleared every stage of the Talent Trial and obtained…]
…