Floors two through nine had been nothing more than a dance of shadows for Feng.The monsters rose in rank from G to DDD. Their numbers grew, their formations tightened, and elemental tricks began to fill the air. Fire-breathing wolves, water-spitting serpents, insect swarms cloaked in earth-dust. But Feng flowed through them like a whisper of wind.
One blade.Eyes closed.Breath steady.Every floor ended in silence before the crowd could even exhale.
By the time he reached the ninth floor, students in the observation hall had stopped murmuring in disbelief. They could only watch. His performance was rewriting their understanding of combat itself.
And then came Floor Ten.
The chamber that materialized was unlike the previous arenas. No open floor, no wide space to maneuver. Instead, a stone corridor stretched into a narrow maze—walls jagged, earthen paths twisting, overhead slabs dripping loose gravel. The atmosphere itself seemed heavier. The air pulsed with an oppressive earth element.
Feng appeared at the center. He opened his eyes for the first time since the first floor. Calm, cold, sharp.
On his right, standing at the corridor's far end, was the Tokolose. A short, humanoid monster with dark brown skin, black void-like eyes, and a crude stone blade humming faintly with earth Qi. It grinned with jagged teeth, vanishing into the wall with a ripple.
On his left, emerging from a mound of churned soil, was the Moyepi—a hulking, mole-like beast, its dense fur bristling with earthy glow. Its claws dug into the ground, and the walls of the corridor rumbled. It was the Tokolose's partner, tunneling and shaping the battlefield for ambush.
Their synergy was infamous: Tokolose for speed and assassination, Moyepi for defense and terrain control.
The ground shifted beneath Feng's feet.
He felt the pull instantly—earth Qi surging, dragging him downward like quicksand.
Without hesitation, he whispered:"Gale Leaf Movement."
His Natural Ki flared, lightening his body. His frame blurred upward like a drifting leaf caught in the wind, weightless, covering distance in a blink.
So this is their plan. Moyepi shapes the field, Tokolose strikes from blind angles. I'll have less than a second between each shift of terrain.
Stone spears erupted from the walls, stabbing toward him. Feng twisted midair, robes fluttering, each motion economical, cutting past the spikes with inches to spare.
The ceiling cracked. The Tokolose dropped from above, blade-first, aiming for his skull.
Fast… no wasted movement. Not an animal's strike, but an assassin's.
Feng exhaled, stepping back midair as if the ground itself bent beneath him. He landed softly, the katana whispering from its sheath. The Tokolose's blade split only air.
The creature hissed, melting back into the stone wall.
From behind, Moyepi roared, forming a rolling earthen shell around its body. It charged like a living boulder, the corridor shuddering with each impact.
They want to corner me. Close one path with Moyepi, strike from the walls with Tokolose. A trap, meant for panic.
But Feng's expression remained cold.
The observation hall leaned forward, eyes locked on the main screen.Other mini-panels displayed students struggling on floors five through seven—one barely surviving a fire lizard, another getting battered by twin golems. But no one was watching them anymore.
All eyes were on Feng.
Nimrodel, the elven instructor, spoke softly, her voice like a blade's edge:"He's reading them. Every shift of Qi, every tremor in the floor. Look at his stance—he hasn't wasted a single cut."
Whispers rose from the other students.
"He's… using Natural Ki for mobility?""Gale Leaf Movement… that's an ancient art, isn't it? I thought it was lost.""How the hell is he—"
The crowd hushed again as the fight shifted.
Feng stood still, katana poised.
The Tokolose surged from the ground in front of him, blade raised. At the same moment, the Moyepi crashed forward in its boulder-shell, collapsing the corridor behind it. A perfect pincer.
Two directions. One heartbeat.
His eyes narrowed.
"Wind Dance – Third Form: Falling Dance, Twin Strike."
The katana shimmered, splitting into two phantom arcs of emerald Qi. One swept downward, piercing the floor—catching the Tokolose before it could vanish again. The second slashed horizontally, meeting the Moyepi head-on.
The shell cracked, a jagged fissure running across its surface. The beast roared, stumbling.
Its defense is tougher than I expected. A single strike won't be enough. The Tokolose is weaker, but its unpredictability is dangerous. Eliminate the assassin first.
Feng stepped forward, body light as air. His Gale Leaf art carried him across the corridor in a blur. The Tokolose screeched, lunging again, but Feng's blade was already at its throat.
One strike. A clean decapitation.
The corpse dissolved into black ash.
The Moyepi bellowed, regaining balance, claws slamming into the floor. The corridor shook violently—walls collapsing inward, boulders tumbling from the ceiling. The beast encased itself once more in hardened earth, rolling toward him with renewed fury.
So it wants to bury me alive. Its Qi is gathering in its core… slow, dense. That's its weakness. The heavier the defense, the slower the adjustment.
Feng's eyes sharpened.
He raised the short blade at his back, his voice low:"Wind Dance – Second Form: Wind Cutter."
Natural Ki surged, forming a sweeping blue arc. It curved elegantly, like a scythe through crops. The slash cleaved straight through the Moyepi's earthen shell—splitting it open in a spray of shattered stone.
The beast shrieked.
Feng stepped inside the gap, his katana gleaming with cold efficiency.
One precise thrust to the core.
Silence.
The Moyepi collapsed, dissolving into dust. The corridor stilled.
[Trial Complete – Floor 10]Time: 2 minutes, 15 secondsRating: EXCELLENTADP Earned: 150 Points
Base (2 × 30) = 60
Speed Bonus (2 × 30) = 60
Synergy Bonus (Boss Pair Defeated) = 30
The observation hall erupted in noise.
"He did it under three minutes—impossible!""He fought a synergized pair like they were nothing…""That was supposed to be a floor where even Central elites struggle—"
But Nimrodel did not smile. Her gaze was intent, sharp as a hawk's."He's not even pushing himself yet. This is still him testing the waters."
Eva clutched her sleeves, eyes wide. "Lisa… he's faster than your tenth-floor run."
Lisa stood silent, expression unreadable. Only her clenched fist betrayed her thoughts.
And far back, in the corner, Xang—the young swordsman—watched with silent rage. His father's words rang in his head: abandon the Wind Dance. Yet here was Feng, wielding it like a storm.
He lowered his gaze, jaw tight, saying nothing.
Academy Points Tracker
Floor 1: 105 ADP
Floor 2: 70 ADP
Floors 3–9: 225 ADP (avg. 25 pts per floor, no bonuses)
Floor 10: 150 ADP
Total: 550 ADP
⚔️ End of Chapter 11