Stepping through the stone door, Lu Yuan appeared on a stretch of gray-white rocky ground.
At the same time, a vast voice rang out from the sky.
"Trial participant XI9201, welcome. The Stone Mann Tower trial is about to begin. You have thirty seconds to prepare."
Stone Mann Tower?
Was that the name of this gray-white stone tower?
He had heard that many ruins in the Origin Land had been left behind by civilizations that had already perished. Perhaps this was also the remnant of some civilization?
Lu Yuan looked around curiously.
He found that this place was much the same as outside. Other than the rocky ground, there was nothing else.
Thirty seconds passed quickly.
"Trial begins! Current level: 1."
As the voice sounded, the gray-white rocks in front of Lu Yuan suddenly gathered together, forming a gray-white stone man around 1.8 meters tall.
It resembled a Little Stone Man somewhat, but it looked far more refined. It even had its own face.
Lu Yuan tightened his grip on his greatsword and watched the gray-white stone man warily.
He did not know much about trials, nor did he know the strength of the stone man before him. Naturally, he treated it with the utmost caution.
After appearing, the gray-white stone man let out a low roar and charged toward Lu Yuan.
The gray-white stone man was quite heavy. Its footsteps struck the rocky ground with dull thuds.
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow.
It was very slow.
When the gray-white stone man reached Lu Yuan, it clenched its fist and swung it at him.
Whoosh!!
The fist carried a fierce gust of wind as it hurtled toward Lu Yuan's face.
Its strength was roughly on par with a Little Stone Man at 10% Tempering Level.
Lu Yuan shifted one step sideways, and his greatsword sliced through the air, slashing at the gray-white stone man's neck.
Clang!
Crack!
As the greatsword fell, cracks spread across the gray-white rock. Then, the gray-white stone man's neck shattered completely.
As the stone man's head fell, its body crashed to the ground as well.
"Level 1 trial passed. Reward obtained: 1 drop of Moonstone Spirit Dew."
The gray-white stone man's body dissipated, and a drop of white liquid flickering with faint silver light floated in the air.
Lu Yuan reached out and caught the Moonstone Spirit Dew.
He discovered that the spirit dew had condensed into a ball, as though it were wrapped in a transparent candy shell.
Information from the Origin Land immediately surfaced in Lu Yuan's mind.
Moonstone Spirit Dew was a cultivation resource. Compared to spirit crystals, the spirit power it contained was gentler and easier to absorb.
If too many spirit crystals were absorbed at once, a Gene Chain could collapse.
Moonstone Spirit Dew could cause the same issue, but the required amount was far greater than with spirit crystals.
Moreover, Moonstone Spirit Dew could nourish the body and heal injuries. If enough was consumed, it could even improve the body's defensive capabilities.
When Lu Yuan saw the first function of Moonstone Spirit Dew, his eyes lit up.
After all, he absorbed spirit crystals incredibly quickly.
If he could absorb them without limit, he could raise his Tempering Level to 100% in a very short time, then begin working on breaking the Gene Lock.
However, his Gene Chain's capacity prevented him from doing so.
Who would have thought there would be Moonstone Spirit Dew, something that could be absorbed in large quantities to temper the Gene Chain?!
If he had enough Moonstone Spirit Dew, he could break through in the shortest possible time!
Lu Yuan immediately swallowed the drop of Moonstone Spirit Dew.
According to the information provided by the Origin Land, Moonstone Spirit Dew was meant to be consumed directly.
Once swallowed, the Moonstone Spirit Dew immediately transformed into streams of gentle energy that merged into Lu Yuan's body.
Lu Yuan could also feel his Gene Chain being rapidly tempered.
Unfortunately, the spirit power contained in the Moonstone Spirit Dew was about equal to one spirit crystal, so Lu Yuan did not feel anything particularly noticeable yet.
"Trial participant XI9201, would you like to proceed with the Level 2 trial? If you refuse, you will leave the Stone Mann Tower."
"Accept!"
Lu Yuan's eyes gleamed. He needed a large amount of Moonstone Spirit Dew to increase his cultivation!
How could he refuse?
"Trial begins! Current level: 2."
The gray-white stone man appeared on the gray-white ground again, except this time there were ten of them.
After the ten gray-white stone men appeared, they once again roared and charged at Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan charged forward as well, greatsword in hand.
The gray-white stone men were not very strong. They could barely break through Lu Yuan's defenses, making the trial extremely easy for him.
Before long, Lu Yuan had killed all ten gray-white stone men.
This time, Lu Yuan received ten drops of Moonstone Spirit Dew.
He immediately absorbed the Moonstone Spirit Dew.
The stronger he was, the higher the trial level he could clear, and naturally, the greater the rewards.
For others, absorbing Moonstone Spirit Dew required finding a quiet place outside.
However, its spirit power was gentler and easier to absorb than that of spirit crystals. For Lu Yuan, he could naturally absorb it right on the spot.
After absorbing the Moonstone Spirit Dew, Lu Yuan began the Level 3 trial.
This time, there were a full hundred gray-white stone men.
The countless gray-white stone men formed a dense mass as they charged at Lu Yuan together, giving the impression of an army of thousands charging into battle.
Even a much stronger Gene Warrior would have their scalp tingle at the sight of them.
Yet Lu Yuan smiled.
His defenses were powerful, so he did not need to worry about his safety.
As long as his spirit power could keep his combat skills active, no matter how many gray-white stone men there were at this level, they would struggle to pose any threat to him.
And would Lu Yuan ever lack spirit power?
His War Rune Space was currently packed with spirit crystals. He did not lack spirit power at all!
After spending some time, Lu Yuan killed all one hundred gray-white stone men and obtained one hundred drops of Moonstone Spirit Dew.
Lu Yuan quickly absorbed all one hundred drops. Only then did he finally feel the difference between Moonstone Spirit Dew and spirit crystals.
If they had been spirit crystals, continuously absorbing one hundred of them at his current Tempering Level would have already made him feel bloated.
But after absorbing Moonstone Spirit Dew, he did not feel anything at all!
Lu Yuan's smile grew brighter.
"Not enough! Not enough, give me more, just a little more!"
"Trial participant XI9201 has cleared the Level 3 trial and gained the qualification to unlock the elite trial. Would you like to activate it?"
Lu Yuan froze.
The fourth trial was different?
An elite trial?
It should be somewhat different from the current trials, right?
The rewards should be better too, right?
But he did not know whether it would still reward Moonstone Spirit Dew.
If the ordinary trials continued like this, the next one would probably involve one thousand gray-white stone men?
That would mean one thousand drops of Moonstone Spirit Dew, which was quite a substantial amount.
Even though higher Tempering Levels required more spirit power to continue tempering, one thousand drops of Moonstone Spirit Dew could still raise his cultivation considerably.
And there was no danger, either.
For Lu Yuan, this was a very safe way to grow stronger.
If the elite trial did not have Moonstone Spirit Dew, then his plan to quickly increase his cultivation would be ruined.
There might even be fatal danger in the elite trial. If he died, he would have to leave the Origin Land, and all of this trip's gains would be lost.
Of course, the elite trial might also contain Moonstone Spirit Dew, perhaps even more and better treasures.
For a moment, Lu Yuan felt conflicted.
As he hesitated, the voice in the sky once again urged Lu Yuan to make a choice.
Lu Yuan took a deep breath.
"Activate it."
Compared to playing it safe, Lu Yuan still intended to take a gamble.
Just like when he had encountered that treasure chest in Graystone Forest.
He would only know whether it could work if he took the risk.
People would never know how outstanding they could be unless they pushed themselves.
Beep!
A chime rang out in the sky. "Trial participant XI9201, elite trial activated!"
Meanwhile, within the ruin space outside the Stone Mann Tower.
By now, quite a few Gene Warriors had already withdrawn from the trial.
For ordinary Gene Warriors, they might be able to handle ten gray-white stone men.
But one hundred gray-white stone men was far too difficult.
Anyone capable of killing one hundred gray-white stone men was certainly a powerhouse who thrived in the underground palace, with a Tempering Level of at least 60%.
A flash of white light appeared, and Zhuo Ming emerged in front of the Stone Mann Tower.
Zhuo Ming's teammate, the blond young man, walked over and asked in a low voice.
"Zhuo Ming! You made it out alive? How was it? What level did you clear?"
Zhuo Ming looked around, then answered with a smile in a low voice, "Two."
The blond young man's eyes lit up. "Not bad! Eleven drops of Moonstone Spirit Dew."
"Ten drops. I used one during the Level 2 trial. I found that stuff really useful! Its healing effect is stronger than ordinary Healing Potions, and it can speed up spirit power recovery too. If I hadn't used that drop, I would have had a hard time clearing Level 2."
The blond young man grinned. "Same here. This Moonstone Spirit Dew is practically a combination of a Healing Potion and a Spirit Power Potion. For us, that means ten extra lives! As expected of a ruin, it actually has such good stuff. This was totally worth it."
"Exactly!" Zhuo Ming's face was filled with excitement.
Then he sighed. "Ah... What a pity. If I were a little stronger, I could have cleared the Level 3 trial. That would have meant one hundred drops!"
As he spoke, his own eyes turned red with envy.
The blond young man looked around and said, "Yuan Ge can definitely clear Level 3! I just wonder whether the captain can do it."
"Yuan Ge definitely won't have any problem! He's way too strong! As for the captain... I think there's hope. Those gray-white stone men are about the same as Little Stone Men. Taking on one hundred alone would be difficult with the captain's strength, but with the Moonstone Spirit Dew, he should still have a chance of winning."
Just as the two were talking, the vast voice rang throughout the ruin space.
"Trial participant XI9201, elite trial activated!"
Everyone who had been quietly discussing their gains fell silent. Their eyes widened as they looked toward the Stone Mann Tower in shock.
"An elite trial?! There's actually another kind of trial?"
Zhuo Ming exclaimed.
The blond young man was also stunned. "After the Level 2 trial comes Level 3. Could this elite trial be even harder than Level 3?!"
"Probably some big shot, right? He cleared the Level 3 trial so quickly and was confident enough to activate the elite trial. He definitely isn't an ordinary person."
Zhuo Ming's words made the blond young man nod.
Both of them wore looks of yearning.
If only they were that strong too.
Who knew how much they could gain!
Before you continue