The moment he stepped into the passage, Gu Xing felt as if he was in another world.
He quickly turned his head but found that the entrance he came from had already disappeared, replaced by a void of darkness.
And before him, a mechanical figure slowly solidified—
[Trial Puppet·Enhanced Type]
[Level: Awakening Tier Five]
[Power: 90]
[Constitution: 90]
[Spirit: 90]
[Speed: 90]
[Skills: Thousand Machines Heavy Fist, Attribute Enhancement, Balanced Force Field (stackable)]
"Enhanced type?" Gu Xing furrowed his brow slightly.
Compared to ordinary balanced puppets, this one in front was evidently stronger by more than one grade.
Not only had it gained the beneficial skill of "Attribute Enhancement," but the trickiest part was that "Balanced Force Field"...
If several enhanced trial puppets appeared simultaneously later, that would be troublesome.
But for now...it's not a big problem!
"Liu Li, deal with it!"
Before the words fell, Liu Li's silver-white wings were fully extended, and a blazing long sword took shape in her hands.
She lightly flapped her wings, her figure instantly flashing in front of the puppet.
The golden sword light sliced like a crescent moon—
"Swish!"
The enhanced puppet snapped with a sound, collapsing into two pieces.
Though this awakening Tier Five puppet was quite powerful, it was still overwhelmed in the face of Liu Li, whose attributes all surpassed 150 points.
As the puppet dispersed, the blue barrier blocking the way ahead also vanished.
Gu Xing continued forward with Liu Li.
In the second space, waiting for them were still enhanced trial puppets, only the level had risen to awakening Tier Six.
Looking at the enemy whose attributes had soared to 120 points, Gu Xing couldn't help but tense his brows.
No wonder previous trial takers failed to pass this checkpoint.
With each space passed, the puppet's strength increased exponentially.
The awakening Tier Six enhanced puppet before him had attributes rivaling that of a Tier Five epic guardian beast!
And this was only the second checkpoint...
Liu Li's sword light flashed again, and the trial puppet fell promptly.
In the next space...
Two awakening Tier Six puppets appeared simultaneously, the balanced force field started to show its effectiveness, suppressing Liu Li's attributes by about 10 points.
Fortunate enough, even weakened, Liu Li still held an absolute advantage and quickly resolved the two awakening Tier Six trial puppets.
The difficulty of the trial continued to escalate.
Three, four, five, awakening Tier Seven...
When Gu Xing and Liu Li reached the final space, three trial puppets radiating a terrifying aura were in battle formation!
[Trial Puppet·Enhanced Type]
[Level: Awakening Tier Seven]
[Power: 150]
[Constitution: 150]
[Spirit: 150]
[Speed: 150]
[Skills: Thousand Machines Heavy Fist, Attribute Enhancement, Balanced Force Field (stackable)]
Watching the trio of enhanced trial puppets standing off against Liu Li.
With the triple overlap of balanced force fields, Liu Li's attributes were suppressed by nearly 30 points.
This meant that even with Liu Li's strength, it would be quite tricky to deal with these puppets without activating the Blazing Angel Form.
But at this moment, what he worried about was not the battle ahead, but...
Could the other two really pass this checkpoint?
Ying Bing's Ice Phoenix spiritual attribute reached a formidable 170 points, paired with excellent skills, passing should not be an issue.
However, Qin Tian's war treant...
Facing the three awakening Tier Seven enhanced puppets, it might be on the verge!
In the thought of a moment, Gu Xing made a decision:
"Liu Li, activate the Blazing Angel Form, finish them quickly!"
"Got it!"
The crisp response came from the little girl, as crimson flames burst forth from her body.
Four wings of light unfolded behind her, a wave of sacred burning energy swept through the entire space.
Attributes—doubled!
A crushing 300 points!
Three golden sword rays streaked across the sky like meteors, the three enhanced puppets did not even have time to react, split neatly in two.
The remains quickly turned to ashes under the burn of the Blazing Angel Flame, scattering with the wind.
The barrier at the end of the passage finally dissipated gently.
...
Meanwhile, in the core control room of the Land of Trial.
A gigantic stone platform hovered in the center, displaying the trial takers' progress in real-time.
"Sir, they have entered the second checkpoint!"
Wei Yuan nodded slightly at the news, looking gravely at the stone platform.
He knew better than anyone that from the second checkpoint onwards, this trial was technically challenging.
During last year's trial, except for one SSS-Class promising talent who barely made it to the end, the other two SS-Class talents completed only 70% of the progress before being eliminated.
Wei Yuan unconsciously clenched his fist, his knuckles pale from the force.
If they fail again this time, they would have to wait until next year...
"Send the order down, let the border legion enter first-level alert status!"
After passing the second checkpoint, part of the Land of Trial would vanish, and when that happens, demon race creatures are sure to swarm in through the gap.
Although it's still unclear whether the three can pass the second checkpoint, it's always good to be prepared early on.
"Yes!"
The adjutant was about to turn and leave, when he suddenly caught a glimpse of dazzling light flashing on the stone platform.
He widened his eyes in disbelief:
"Sir... Sir! It seems someone has passed the second checkpoint!"
"What?!"
Wei Yuan turned sharply, his gaze locked on the stone platform.
Seeing clearly displayed above the words "One person has passed."
Who could it be?
Remember, it had only been half an hour since the three entered the second checkpoint!
From what he learned from the previous trial takers, the final space contained three awakening Tier Seven trial puppets!
Awakening Tier Five VS Awakening Tier Seven.
Even if the three's guardian beasts were of legendary level, it was still incredibly challenging!
"Sir, I think it must be Ying Bing?"
The adjutant cautiously analyzed after regaining his senses:
"After all, the Ying Family's bloodline is unique, only able to contract one guardian beast in a lifetime..."
The adjutant's thoughts were in concord with Wei Yuan's internal speculation.
The Ying Family, as one of the oldest families of Longxia Country, had a very unique bloodline legacy—
Family members can only contract one guardian beast for their whole life, yet the bloodline power can gradually enhance the beast's talent.
For this reason, the Ying Family's guardian beasts were at least epic level from the start!
"The girl from the Ying Family is the one with the highest talent in nearly a hundred years. Her ability to pass swiftly is within expectations."
"Only..."
Speaking of this, Wei Yuan's expression turned solemn:
"But now the issue is, if Gu Xing and Qin Tian cannot pass, no matter how strong Ying Bing is, it won't make a difference..."
After all, this trial was a trinity; as long as one person failed to pass, the entire trial would be deemed a failure.
However.
Just then, the adjutant suddenly exclaimed again:
"Sir... Sir! Another, another person passed!"
"What?!"
Wei Yuan's eyes turned back to the stone platform.
Seeing the words "One person has passed" had abruptly become "Two people have passed!"
...
...