At this moment, Wang Jue was also pleased. "Indeed, given Ye Yu's temperament, the more difficult it is, the more determined he is to push through. The more injuries and exhaustion he suffers after the first trial, the greater our chances of dealing with him."
Ba Ye sighed lightly. "Continuing the battle won't injure me yet, and the toll isn't significant."
...
Meanwhile, Ye Yu had just finished off eighty enemies, only to face another wave of one hundred and sixty.
Each of them was Level 35. Even for Ye Yu, taking down all one hundred and sixty would require considerable effort.
By now, the Mystic Realm had no more prodigies left—even Chosen Ones were rare. After all, facing one hundred and sixty Rock Stone Generals, all stronger than themselves, was a gamble few were willing to take.
Feng Yi, however, persisted. Against eighty, he had already defeated sixty.
"Okama Dash!"
"Okama Fist, Memoirs of That Summer!"
"Okama Fist, Explosive Swan Ballad!"
Feng Yi spun rapidly in place like a swan, delivering powerful kicks that shattered one Rock Stone General after another.
By the time he finished off all eighty, he was panting heavily and had sustained some injuries.
When the next wave of one hundred and sixty appeared, Feng Yi gave up.
"I can't take them all down. Though I could keep fighting and eliminate half before withdrawing—that would be my limit—I won't do it. Pushing to the limit would drain me too much and leave me severely wounded. I need to save my strength to help Ye Yu. Losing out on some experience points is nothing."
Without hesitation, Feng Yi chose to exit, then rested in the waiting area.
Only when all three members withdrew would they fail and be teleported out.
At this point, the Chosen Ones began to waver.
"Is one hundred and sixty the final wave?"
"I'm going all in!"
"Breaking past my limits—this must be the last wave. One hundred and sixty is already an enormous, nearly impossible challenge."
...
The fierce battle raged on. Yet one Chosen One, battered and breathless, knelt on one knee after defeating all one hundred and sixty Rock Stone Generals. A faint smile curled his lips—he believed he had cleared the first trial.
But then...
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The familiar sound of splitting and reforming rocks echoed. The Chosen One looked up to see an even larger swarm—three hundred and twenty!
Despair washed over him, and he immediately withdrew. He had assumed one hundred and sixty was the final wave, but it wasn't. Even if three hundred and twenty marked the end, he couldn't continue—he had already reached his limit.
"This is terrifying."
"I'm out. I won't fight anymore, even if three hundred and twenty is the last wave."
"It's way too hard. Is there a trick to this? Do we need to use our brains? Is there a way to stop them from splitting? Is there some kind of formation core here that prevents their division and reformation?"
...
Many began to suspect their initial approach was wrong. Perhaps this trial wasn't about defeating wave after wave of Rock Stone Generals but finding a way to halt their division.
Otherwise, it was just too unreasonable, too difficult.
However, a message resounded, clearing their doubts:
"There are no shortcuts. The only way to pass the first trial is to defeat wave after wave of Rock Stone Generals. The exact number of waves and enemies will not be disclosed, but there is an upper limit. Additionally, be advised: of the three trials, the first is the hardest."
This put an end to the speculation—there was no trick, just a brutal battle of attrition.
"No wonder this is even harder than the Giants' Mystic Realm. The first trial alone is this punishing."
"The first challenge is the hardest, so that makes some sense now."
"Probably no one can pass it."
"Ye Yu might be able to. He always creates miracles."
"Even if there's hope, he wouldn't, right? If he becomes extremely weak after passing, facing a combined attack from a powerful team would be too dangerous—he might die."
"If the first challenge is this difficult, then surely some strong teams will drop out midway and wait to ambush Ye Yu."
...
At this moment, the crew of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew was also worried, able to imagine the scenario.
Xia Ling prayed, "Ye Yu, don't push yourself too hard. This time is different—there will be interference. If you're too weak, you'll really be in danger during the second challenge. Just drop out of the first one when it's enough."
Meanwhile, Yang Luo, Wang Jue, and Ba Ye were delighted.
"Good. If the first challenge is the hardest, then Ye Yu's exhaustion and injuries should be worse than I imagined."
Ba Ye worried, "He must also realize the danger of the second challenge. Will he push through and pass the first one, or will he drop out? If he drops out, we won't even get to face him."
Wang Jue consoled himself, "If he drops out, we still win—sacrificing a bit of our own gains to force Ye Yu out is worth it either way. Of course, I'd prefer if he didn't drop out."
...
At the same time, Lin Muxue hoped, "Ye Yu, drop out midway. Although our team doesn't plan to target you, there are definitely strong teams that will. So don't risk passing the first challenge—it'll put you in too much danger."
Her thoughts were meant to make Ye Yu gain less experience.
Ye Yu swung Black Blade Night, the sound of shattering echoing continuously as he destroyed all 320 Rock Stone Generals. His arms ached slightly, and his stamina had taken a toll.
Crack… crack… crack…
They split and reformed again—640 Rock Stone Generals emerged.
Even Ye Yu's pupils constricted. This was truly difficult.
This wave alone would cost him dearly, even if he managed to defeat them all.
Was this the final wave? If so, it made sense—640 was already brutal.
If not, the next wave would be 1,280 Rock Stone Generals.
The thought alone made Ye Yu's heart twitch.
Boom…
The Rock Stone Generals surged forward like a tide, an entire army shaking the ground with their charge.
Ye Yu gripped Black Blade Night with both hands, dark-red lightning coiling around it—clearly, he was using Dominator Infusion.
"Divine Departure!"
A single slash sent a massive wave of Rock Stone Generals flying, shattering midair.
Surrounded, Ye Yu wielded Black Blade Night with sweeping, unrestrained strikes.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Clang!!
The sounds of explosions, slashes, and shattering filled the air. Even Ye Yu found this wave troublesome.
Occasionally, attacks landed on him, but his entire body was pitch-black, coated in Armament Haki. His formidable physique allowed him to endure.
But as the battle dragged on, pain spread across his body—the accumulated damage was taking its toll.
And every single Rock Stone General was incredibly strong.
Right now, no one else was facing 640. The strongest Chosen Ones were still battling 320 Rock Stone Generals and hadn't even cleared them yet.
They still deluded themselves into thinking 320 was the limit, unaware that Ye Yu had been fighting 640 for a long time.
Boom!
After another Divine Departure swept away the surrounding Rock Stone Generals, Ye Yu planted the Black Blade Night into the ground, gripping the hilt with both hands to support his body as he took the chance to gasp for breath.
But there was no time to rest. Soon, more Rock Stone Generals surged forward from behind, wave
after wave, utterly unafraid of death—this was precisely what made this stage so difficult.
Sensing the situation, Ye Yu estimated that only half had been dealt with. He thought to himself, "I hope there won't be another wave."