When the figures of the three completely vanished in the white light, the adjutant beside Wei Yuan approached and lowered his voice to ask:
"Leader, do you think they will... succeed this time?"
Wei Yuan's gaze remained fixed on the empty stone platform, his knuckles unconsciously tapping against his pants leg.
After a long pause, he slowly began to speak:
"With that girl from the Ying Family, the chances of passing this trial... it's a fifty-fifty chance."
After all, it's the highest level trial; even though all three of their Guardian Beasts are at the Legendary Level, Wei Yuan still felt uncertain.
Last time, the participants were a genius with SSS-Class potential and two with SS-Level potential.
Yet, the three couldn't even pass the second challenge.
After letting out a sigh, he took a final look at the stone platform and turned to walk outside the hall.
"We've done everything we can, and next..."
"It's up to destiny now!"
...
Within the Land of Trial.
The pitch-black soil seemed soaked with ink, ruins scattered all around, an expanse of desolation.
"Hey, you country folk."
Qin Tian suddenly halted, the sturdy branches of the War Treant rustling behind him.
"No matter how you managed to get an SSS evaluation, when danger approaches, just stay behind me and Sister Ice obediently."
He lifted his chin, his face full of pride.
"With us here, if danger arises, at least your little life can be spared."
Gu Xing raised an eyebrow with interest.
Although this young master from Kyoto is arrogant, he doesn't have a bad nature.
It's just that he hasn't tasted the harshness of the world, so he's somewhat overconfident.
Fortunately, in the trial, the various monsters encountered cannot boost the Guardian Beast's level upon defeat.
He's more than happy to take action; Gu Xing is quite pleased.
"No problem, you lead ahead; I won't steal your spotlight."
Saying this, he deliberately stepped back two steps and made an exaggerated "after you" gesture.
Liu Li tilted her head in confusion but obediently stepped aside under Gu Xing's glance.
"You do have good sense."
Qin Tian snorted with satisfaction and boldly marched to the front of the team.
Meanwhile, Ying Bing seemed to pay no attention to these matters, wholeheartedly communicating with the Ice Phoenix on her shoulder.
Soon, the three encountered three monsters.
[Trial Puppet · Balanced Type]
[Level: Awakened Tier Six]
[Power: 100]
[Constitution: 100]
[Spirit: 100]
[Speed: 100]
[Skills: Thousand Machines Heavy Fist, Balanced Force Field]
Seeing the information about these three Trial Puppets, Gu Xing finally understood the difficulty of the Abyssal Trial.
Trial Puppets with all attributes at 100 had reached the level of excellent Tier Six Magic Beasts.
Due to balanced attributes, their strength even surpassed beasts of the same level.
More frightening is that this is merely the first wave of monsters.
The monsters encountered next will have increasing strength.
However.
Qin Tian seemed oblivious to the gravity of the situation.
Qin Tian already strode forward, "Sister Ice, don't intervene; I can handle these metal lumps."
Ying Bing thought it over and slightly nodded in agreement.
No matter what, with Qin Tian receiving an SSS-Class potential evaluation, defeating these three Trial Puppets shouldn't be a problem at all.
"Treant, Root Strangulation!"
At Qin Tian's command, the robust roots of the War Treant burst from the ground, wrapping around the three puppets like giant serpents.
The friction between wooden fibers and metal shells produced an ear-piercing sound, culminating in three explosive bangs, leaving the trial puppets in a mess of fragments.
"How's that? My Treant!"
Qin Tian turned proudly to look at the others, his expression eager for praise.
Gu Xing and Liu Li exchanged a glance and nodded in unison, giving a thumbs up.
Liu Li thoughtfully added, "Very impressive!"
Qin Tian, buoyed by the compliments, became even more elated, his voice rising by eight octaves.
"Although your skills might be a bit lacking, carefully observing my battles will surely give you plenty to learn!"
"Absolutely, absolutely!"
Gu Xing nodded repeatedly, holding back Liu Li, who wanted to retort.
Following that, Qin Tian continued in his role as the pathfinder.
But, as they ventured deeper, the Trial Puppets they faced grew increasingly formidable.
When five Awakened Tier Seven Trial Puppets barred their path, Qin Tian could finally no longer keep his smile.
His forehead became drenched with sweat!
[Trial Puppet]
[Level: Awakened Tier Seven]
[Power: 120]
[Constitution: 120]
[Spirit: 120]
[Speed: 120]
Five Trial Puppets with an average attribute value of 120 points; the War Treant clearly struggled significantly.
Fine sweat appeared on Qin Tian's forehead, and his clenched fists trembled slightly.
"Young Master Qin, could you use a hand?" Gu Xing kindly leaned closer to ask.
"No...no need!"
Qin Tian ground his teeth, forcing himself, but anyone could see his strain.
Yet Ying Bing beside him gently patted the Ice Phoenix on her shoulder, her voice cool:
"I'll control, you attack."
Upon hearing Ying Bing's words, Gu Xing raised his eyebrows in surprise.
The ice-cold beauty actually spoke!
And Qin Tian, hearing Ying Bing was about to engage, exhaled a huge sigh of relief.
These five Trial Puppets, he could handle, but it would require a certain price.
And now, they're only at the first checkpoint...
Next, with Ying Bing joining the fray, the situation suddenly turned around.
The Frost Profound Ice Phoenix spread its wings, instantly freezing the joints of the Trial Puppets with frost.
The War Treant seized the opportunity, lifting its sturdy branches and shattering the frozen puppets one by one.
For the rest of the journey, Gu Xing enjoyed a leisurely pace.
With Ying Bing and Qin Tian working together, the Trial Puppets could hardly survive a single round.
He and Liu Li became mere bystanders for a while.
Before long, Qin Tian and Ying Bing stormed through the first checkpoint effortlessly.
The three reached the end of the first checkpoint, where they were confronted with three deep passages.
This is where the second challenge of the Abyssal Level trial begins.
According to the information provided by Wei Yuan, each of the three passages must be chosen by each person independently, completing the entire trial within the passage, in order to enter the third checkpoint.
What's the content of the third checkpoint?
Even Wei Yuan doesn't know!
The last batch of Trial Takers only reached the second checkpoint at most.
At this moment, Qin Tian suddenly turned around, his gaze lingering on Gu Xing for quite a while, with an evident hint of doubt:
"You...can you manage?"
He's obviously unconcerned about Ying Bing's strength!
As the top performer in the rookie trials in Kyoto City, her strength even exceeded his own.
But this rural genius before him—if he held them back...
Even if he and Ying Bing managed to pass the second checkpoint, this trial would still be a failure.
And the usually indifferent Ying Bing also glanced sideways, awaiting Gu Xing's response.
After all, Gu Xing hadn't made any moves the whole way, so she couldn't judge his capability as a companion.
Facing Qin Tian's doubts, Gu Xing didn't defend himself, he merely lifted the corners of his mouth, and confidently strode toward the middle passage.
"A man should never claim he can't!"
...
...