Coliseum of Echoes, The Second Trial
The guide led them through another hushed corridor into a new, cavernous hall. Here, the atmosphere thrummed with latent energy, the air smelling faintly of ozone and stone dust.
"Prepare yourselves," the senior student said, her tone turning clinical. "This is the second trial: the Arena. It assesses combat power and, more critically, teamwork. You will face a soul beast together. Its strength scales with the number of participants. Think of it as a more… consequential version of the Spirit Ascension Platform. Injuries sustained here are real and will affect your performance in subsequent trials, though lethal force is prevented by an automatic recall array. Your objective is to survive its assault for a minimum of ten minutes. Survival time and any damage inflicted upon the beast factor into your score. Understood?"
The five members of Class Zero shared a look, a silent conversation passing between them. Yao Xuan gave a slight nod. "We are ready."
"Then begin." With a final, assessing glance, the guide turned and exited, the massive doors sealing shut behind her.
The hall plunged into darkness for a heartbeat before intricate silver lines ignited across the floor and ceiling, weaving a complex, dazzling pattern. The ceiling mural seemed to dissolve, replaced by a perfect illusion of a starless night sky. A familiar wave of spatial displacement washed over them, and the solid stone beneath their feet became the packed earth of a vast, circular arena under an artificial twilight.
Before they could orient themselves, the ground trembled. A low, grating bellow echoed from the far side of the arena. Emerging from the gloom was a mountain of living armor.
The soul beast was colossal—over ten meters long and five meters tall at the shoulder. Its body was encased in plates of thick, brown keratin, each segment looking as formidable as castle fortifications. A pair of horns, one long and wickedly curved, the other shorter and blunter, crowned its head. Its eyes glowed with a dim, bloody light, fixing on the five intruders with singular, murderous intent.
"A three-thousand-year Earth Demon Rhinoceros," Xie Xie breathed out, his Shadow Dragon Dagger already shimmering into his hands. His face was pale but set. "Its defense is legendary. Its strength… it's akin to a ten-thousand-year beast. Brother Xuan…"
His unspoken words hung in the air. This was an enemy that would demand their utmost.
Yao Xuan's gaze was calm, analyzing the beast not as a threat, but as a problem to be solved. "Hold positions. Support when ready."
He didn't wait for a full assault. With a thought, power awakened within him.
The majestic form of his Ancestral Dragon Soul Spirit materialized before him with a silent roar, as three profound purple soul rings rose behind his back. This time, he did not summon his spear. His hands curled, limned with the concentrated, shimmering power of the Ancestral Dragon Claw.
"Ancestral Dragon Sky-Splitting Strike!"
His first soul ring flashed. The dragon phantom roared, and Yao Xuan's claws ignited with a blazing, nine-colored radiance, sharp enough to seemingly cut the very fabric of the twilight.
He moved. There was no run-up, no grandiose leap. His right foot simply pushed against the earth, and he became a blurred streak of light, shooting across the arena like a bolt of draconic judgment.
"Now!" Gu Yue's voice was cool and precise. Her hands wove through the air, layering streams of wind and fire energy around Yao Xuan, not to attack, but to accelerate and intensify his own momentum—a perfect, synergistic buff.
Tang Wulin roared, golden light erupting around him. Blue Silver Grass, now tougher and more vibrant, shot from his palms, not to pierce the rhino's hide, but to whip around its legs in a desperate bid to tangle its charge. Xu Xiaoyan's Starwheel Ice Staff gleamed as she summoned a glittering cage of frost around the beast's head, aiming to cloud its vision and slow its reactions.
Their support was timely, but the beast was already reacting, its massive head lowering, preparing to meet the incoming threat with its impenetrable brow and devastating horn.
Yao Xuan did not swerve. He met it head-on.
At the last possible moment, his shining claws thrust forward. The Ancestral Dragon Sky-Splitting Strike, focused into a point no larger than a claw-tip, met the center of the rhino's armored forehead.
There was a sound like a mountain cracking—a sharp, sickening CRUNCH that echoed through the arena. The legendary keratin plating, capable of deflecting Soul King-level assaults, did not just crack. It parted, as if sundered by a divine blade. A deep, grievous wound split the beast's skull, spraying not blood, but bursts of condensed spiritual energy.
A pained, world-shaking bellow tore from the rhino. Yao Xuan's eyes were cold, focused. He didn't retract his claws. Instead, he gripped the edges of the terrible wound.
"Tear."
With a surge of transcendent strength from his bloodline, his arms moved in opposite directions. A horrific ripping sound filled the air as the colossal form of the Earth Demon Rhinoceros was violently rent in two from head to flank. The two halves collapsed to the earth with ground-shaking THUDS, disintegrating into swirls of brilliant light that faded into the arena floor.
Silence, absolute and profound, descended.
Then, the artificial night sky swirled, and the dizzying spatial shift returned them to the silent hall. The scent of ozone and earth lingered.
The guide stood frozen just inside the doorway, her professional composure shattered. Her eyes were wide, her mouth slightly agape. She stared at Yao Xuan as if seeing a myth made flesh.
"You… you just…" she stammered, her voice barely a whisper. She blinked, shaking her head as if to clear it. "You tore a simulated three-thousand-year Earth Demon Rhinoceros… in half. With your hands." The statement was one of pure, unvarnished awe. Even among Shrek's monsters, this defied expectation.
Yao Xuan flexed his fingers, the residual light fading. "Is there a problem with the assessment, senior?"
"N-no! No problem!" She took a deep, steadying breath, regaining a shred of her officiousness. "Your scores are being compiled. One moment."
After a brief pause where she seemed to be listening to a transmission via a small earpiece, she announced, "Second Trial Scores: Yao Xuan, ten points. Gu Yue, nine points. Tang Wulin, nine points. Xu Xiaoyan, nine points. Xie Xie, eight points."
Xie Xie let out a low whistle. "Eight? Not bad for just standing there looking menacing."
"Your team eliminated the target with extreme efficiency," the guide explained, her voice still tinged with wonder. "The scoring matrix rewards decisive victory and effective support. You performed as a cohesive unit."
She looked at them, a new respect in her eyes. "You have ten minutes to rest and recover. The next trial awaits. Follow me when you're ready." She leaned against the wall, closing her eyes, but the image of the dragon-clad boy tearing apart a mountain of a beast was clearly etched behind her eyelids.