Zhao Xuan had become a beast—a relentless predator hammering away at the desert golem like a mad dog gnawing on its prey.
Wutong Mountain Range.
At the entrance of the Low-Tier Mystical Bird Relic, a faint shimmer of light appeared.
Lian Jie stepped out of the relic, dusting off his hands. He was just about to give a few instructions to the guild's personnel when—
His gaze caught something.
He froze.
His sharp eyes flickered with surprise, then softened with a quiet sigh.
"Remarkable… truly remarkable," he murmured under his breath. "The youth of today… I really am getting old."
A few meters away—
specifically, on the spot where he had stood earlier that morning to block Zhao Xuan's full-powered kick—
the ground had sunk slightly lower than the surrounding area.
A clear imprint, several centimeters deep, etched into solid rock.
"President, is something wrong?" one of the guild staff asked curiously.
"Nothing…"
Lian Jie shook his head and smiled faintly, before turning to continue discussing the post-relic development plans.
Inside the Desert Relic Trial.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The thunderous impacts and violent shockwaves still filled the entire arena.
Zhao Xuan no longer knew how many times he had clashed with the Tier Four Desert Golem.
Fifty?
Seventy?
A hundred?
Maybe more.
He had lost count long ago.
All thought, all reason—gone.
In his mind, there was only one burning instinct left:
Kill the golem.
Strike after strike after strike, his attacks rained down without pause.
The crack on the golem's left leg grew wider and deeper, spreading like a spider web across its surface.
He didn't know how long it had been.
All five of the energy concentrate packs he had exchanged from the guild before entering were long gone.
And then—
BOOM!!
A powerful Rankyaku strike landed squarely on the golem's damaged leg—
the blow that finally broke the limit.
CRACK—CRACK—CRACK!
A piercing sound split the air.
A fracture shot down the golem's left leg, widening with terrifying speed until—
KRAAASH!
The entire leg shattered.
Losing its balance, the ten-meter-tall colossus toppled over, crashing heavily into the sand.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Zhao Xuan's laughter exploded across the trial space, echoing wildly.
"Again! Again! AGAIN!"
His expression twisted, manic energy flooding his eyes.
He charged at the fallen golem like a demon unleashed.
This time, his target shifted—
from its leg…
to its head.
He pounced, striking with everything he had.
One hit.
Another.
Another.
Dozens.
THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!
The golem howled in fury, slamming its massive fists against the ground in blind rage.
But its size—once an advantage—had become its downfall.
With only one leg, it couldn't stand.
Couldn't defend.
Could only roar and thrash uselessly.
Minutes bled into each other.
Five minutes.
Ten.
Fifteen.
Twenty.
Zhao Xuan's strikes grew heavier, slower, bloodier.
The golem's skull, hard as mountain stone, resisted blow after blow—until at last—
CRAAACKK!!
A deep fissure split across its head, widening until—
BOOM!!
The entire structure burst apart, scattering fragments of enchanted stone across the desert floor.
The trial space fell silent.
Zhao Xuan staggered back a few steps—
"Step… step… step…"
—and collapsed onto the ground with a heavy thud.
His face was pale.
Sweat poured from him in rivers.
His breath came in ragged gasps.
"Huff... huff... huff..."
Every muscle in his body screamed in exhaustion.
But then—
He threw his head back.
And laughed.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
"I did it! I won! I won! I WON!"
His laughter rang through the air, raw and unrestrained.
"Who says a Tier Three can't defeat a Tier Four!?"
"Who says the strong can crush the weak without question!?"
"Tell them—tell them Zhao Xuan proved them WRONG!"
He kept laughing—loud, wild, triumphant—his voice echoing through the entire trial chamber.
And deep within his heart,
something was quietly awakening—
A belief, sharp as steel.
A conviction that could shatter limits.
A seed of invincibility,
taking root in Zhao Xuan's soul.
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