Swish swish swish!
Ten balls swished into the net, still all nothing but net.
"This round of the trial is over, rewards are being distributed, and the countdown to the final trial begins," the cold voice sounded again.
Li Xiu quietly waited for the countdown to end, feeling a bit disappointed as ten consecutive enhancements together couldn't match a single enhancement from a C-level trial.
Li Xiu wanted more than just this; he hoped to enter that eerie dark place again and see if he could budge that Blood Pattern Revolver.
"The final trial begins, with the following rules..."
The rules for the final test were slightly different than before. Though it was still about shooting, the shooting positions were now from beyond the three-point line instead of the free-throw line.
There were five shooting spots in total: two symmetrical ones at the corners, two symmetrical ones at the 45-degree angles, and one directly at the top of the arc.
Shooting ten balls as well, with two balls at each spot, only could pass the trial if all ten go in, failing even one would mean the trial failed.
The difficulty of the final test was not low. Even at E-level difficulty, the success rate for unenhanced humans was quite low.
Professional basketball players can't guarantee every three-point shot will go in.
After all, humans are not machines; they can't ensure there is no error in every shot, as errors are normal. Space trajectories are infinite, and no one can guarantee they can shoot with the correct trajectory every time.
Of course, this normalcy did not apply to Li Xiu. Li Xiu picked up the blue ball and made two shots at each position, successfully finishing the final trial.
A surge of energy, akin to a venomous snake, injected into Li Xiu's bloodstream, rampaging wildly within his body, expanding as if widening his veins.
"The enhancement from the final trial is notably better in effect than ordinary trials." Li Xiu looked up at the big screen, disappointed to find there was no entry ticket as a reward for the final trial.
In fact, not only there was no entry ticket, but there were also none of the previous four choices; only skill and Demon Core options.
This effectively meant there was no choice at all, as the Demon Core would be taken away once outside, Li Xiu could only choose a skill.
Accompanied by the cold electronic voice, the skill was projected before Li Xiu, transforming into an orange ring that hovered in front of him.
Li Xiu extended his left-hand pinky, slipped it through the ring. The ring instantly contracted, merged into his skin as a brand, then vanished, while countless information materialized in his brain.
Blood Boiling: E-level trial skill, unleashes body potential, performs at 120% capability, durations for three seconds.
With a thought, a red circle of brand emerged on Li Xiu's left-hand pinky, and he felt his heart racing, blood coursing rapidly, his entire body pumped like it was on steroids, feeling he could fight off two tigers.
Perhaps fighting two tigers was somewhat difficult, but upon trying, both speed and strength saw considerable improvement, much stronger than when not using the skill.
"A good skill; it strengthens physical prowess by percentage, meaning the stronger I am, the more powerful the skill is, though the enhancement percentage is a bit low at only twenty percent, and the duration short at only three seconds." Li Xiu analyzed the merits and shortcomings of the Blood Boiling skill.
After teleporting out, Li Xiu did not see Jin Zhenhuan. After the Demon Core was taken, he was sent back to the room.
"You're very skilled in both soccer and basketball; the Sea Heaven Trial Ground is indeed a good place for you, but unfortunate you came at the wrong time. With ample time, you could definitely become an excellent Trial Taker here." A Fei stared at Li Xiu, continuing, "For tomorrow's trial, you must be cautious, do not act impulsively and ignore Jin Zhenhuan, find someone with relatively weak physical attributes to team up with."
"Understood." Li Xiu lay on the bed and slept; the physical enhancement's increased fitness couldn't completely erase the exhaustion.
After eleven consecutive rounds of trials, Li Xiu indeed felt somewhat tired.
"Physical fitness is indeed a significant issue; just at what level can I lift that Blood Pattern Revolver?" Li Xiu thought until he fell into a deep sleep.
Li Xiu dreamed, seeing himself participating in trials with good friends, shooting baskets, scoring goals, playing joyfully together, easily winning various rewards.
But upon waking, he found himself still in that dark, damp room, with A Fei on the bunk above beside him, sitting there staring at him.
"Did you have a dream?" Before Li Xiu said anything, A Fei suddenly spoke.
"How did you know?" Li Xiu felt a bit surprised; he wasn't in the habit of talking in his sleep.
"You were laughing, and quite obscenely at that," A Fei said.
"It seems your sense of aesthetics is rather problematic, which is understandable. After all, in a place like this, seeing truly handsome men is difficult; differentiating between beauty and ugliness is normal." Li Xiu lay on the bed, hands tucked under his head as a pillow, speaking indifferently.
"Are you really not nervous at all?" A Fei studied Li Xiu for a while; she indeed hadn't seen a man quite like him.
Clearly in a perilous situation, under threat of death any moment, lives held at others' mercy, yet he seemed utterly oblivious, as though he couldn't be bothered with the sky collapsing.
"What's there to be nervous about? If destiny decides your death by third watch, no one lives till half past. Do what needs to be done, just don't let yourself down." Li Xiu said.
"Hope you keep that mindset," A Fei said no more.
Having spent three years here, she had seen all the aspects of Mortal World, meeting plenty who seemed laid back, though most changed face at death's doorstep; A Fei wasn't certain Li Xiu was not one of them.
"Today's trial must not go awry," A Fei reminded repeatedly.
"There won't be any accidents," Li Xiu said with closed eyes.
"Confidence is alright, but not arrogance," A Fei frowned.
"Confidence without capability is arrogance; with capability, it's simply confidence," Li Xiu laughed.
"I hope you truly are confident," A Fei said no more.
Soon it was time for the second trial again; as predicted by A Fei, the trial was indeed a C-level Life-or-Death Ball Speed, the rules exactly as A Fei described.
It was again a two-person team competition, each having one chance to pitch and swing bat.
Different from real baseball rules, in this trial, the batter simply needs to swing and hit the ball, ensuring it doesn't fly out of bounds to score a point; no bunts allowed, essentially not simply blocking the ball path with the bat but actively swinging to hit.
The pitcher only needs to throw the ball within a square with a side length of one meter, and not allow the batter to hit it out, to score a point.
If the ball is hit and then flies out of bounds, neither side scores.
Each person has one turn as pitcher and batter, offering fairness, with survival and reward depending entirely on personal skill and luck.
"Dare to compete with me again?" Jin Zhenhuan approached Li Xiu, extending a hand to team up for the match.