Inside the relic trial space—
"Huff… huff… huff… huff… huff…"
Zhao Xuan was still grinning, gasping for breath in between laughter. His entire body trembled with exhaustion and exhilaration.
And then—
A familiar, crisp sound echoed in his mind.
Ding!
"You've fought a battle of unprecedented intensity. Through this war, you've gained new understanding of all your abilities. All skill proficiencies +50!"
Ding!
"You've experienced a thrilling and complete victory! Because of your high-frequency use of Rankyaku, Armament Haki, and Azure Dragon Fruit abilities, these skills gain an additional +100 proficiency!"
Two consecutive notifications.
To Zhao Xuan, it felt like fireworks exploding inside his chest.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Holy—holy crap! HOLY CRAP!"
"This wave is insane!"
"All abilities +50! And Rankyaku, Armament Haki, and Azure Dragon Fruit get another +100!?"
"So that's the reward for defeating an enemy beyond my tier!?"
"Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful!"
Still laughing in disbelief, Zhao Xuan was just about to open his system panel to admire his stats—
when a sudden breeze swept through the arena.
"Whoosh—"
The soft wind brushed against his face, bringing a refreshing sensation that chased away the fatigue from his overdrawn body.
He lifted his head—
and saw it.
A massive vortex of spiritual energy swirling above him, pulling in countless threads of aura from every direction.
Zhao Xuan's eyes sparkled.
He knew exactly what was happening.
The first reward of passing a relic trial—
The Relic Baptism—was about to begin.
"Alright then… I'll check my stats after this."
He sat down cross-legged, straightening his posture, taking deep breaths as he prepared for what was to come.
Moments later, the swirling vortex fully formed.
Spiritual energy surged, compressing again and again until it condensed into a single, gleaming drop of liquid.
Then—
Drip.
The drop fell, landing gently on Zhao Xuan's head.
Immediately, a warm wave of power spread through his entire body.
Different relics granted different baptisms.
The Mystical Bird Relic from before had strengthened his spiritual energy, since its internal treasures were spirit-based.
But this Desert Golem Relic…
From the Ironhide Boar's transformation earlier, Zhao Xuan had already deduced its nature—
Body refinement.
And sure enough—
The moment the liquid touched him, his physique began to skyrocket.
0.5 points per second.
Rising.
Rising.
Rising.
For three full minutes, the steady surge continued.
When the last trace of energy had been absorbed, the vortex slowly dispersed into the air.
Zhao Xuan leapt to his feet.
The moment he moved, he felt it—
a dense, surging force pulsing through every muscle, bone, and vein.
He quickly summoned his system panel.
[Heaven Rewards the Diligent System]
Name: Zhao Xuan
Age: 18
Spirit: 45.68 / 62.95
Physique: 300.01 / 300.01
Abilities:
Soru (Proficient: 187 / 200)
Tekkai (Mastery: 40 / 400)
Kami-e (Mastery: 24 / 400)
Geppo (Proficient: 180 / 200)
Rankyaku (Mastery: 189 / 400)
Shigan (Proficient: 179 / 200)
Swordsmanship (Proficient: 88 / 200)
Armament Haki (Beginner: 997 / 1000)
Azure Dragon Fruit (Proficient: 288 / 2000)
Physique over 300!
Iron Body, Paper Art, and Rankyaku all officially reached Mastery level!
Armament Haki—just three points away from advancing to Proficient!
It was a monumental leap.
An overwhelming gain.
Compared to yesterday, Zhao Xuan's overall strength had more than doubled.
He even suspected that his current self could easily defeat two of his previous selves combined.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
He couldn't hold it in—his laughter burst out again, filling the empty desert space.
Pure, uncontrollable joy.
After several minutes, he finally calmed down.
But then his expression hardened.
"No... No, not yet. This isn't the time to get complacent."
He clenched his fists tightly, his voice resolute.
"My strength still isn't enough."
"Yes, I killed a Tier Four while I was still Tier Three—but that was because I found its weakness and pushed myself to the edge."
"At the National Examination, I'll be facing real geniuses—ones who aren't one-dimensional like that golem."
"If I want to stand out there…"
Zhao Xuan's eyes gleamed with fierce determination.
"…I have to keep pushing harder."
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