The Second Grandmaster Skill: [Instinctive Grip]!

! When the [Ascetic Body Forging] was completely perfected, and the [Ancient Power], the ancient runic power derived from the [[Immaculate Body]], was perfectly controlled under the blessing of Ronan's [Six Spiral Palaces].

Ronan's mind kept flashing back to the image of this silent Dead Sea.

This seems to be a secret buried within the [Ancient Power], allowing him to glimpse some ancient truth.

Every time Ronan swung his Spirit Force, imposing Battle Axe, ripples would appear on the Dead Sea before him.

The sound of the water churning came from him, and beneath that deathly, murky black sea, a dark red color, deeper than blood, seemed to be slowly flowing.

"Snap—"

The long-handled Battle Axe sliced through the void, creating a crescent-shaped, pitch-black halo that resembled a forbidden phenomenon. Black lightning arcs intertwined densely on the halo, striking the man and his horse. The latter's lance was shattered, and he was forced to retreat somewhat disheveled by the collision of the two terrifying forces.

"Click-clack—"

The knight steadied himself and, on the back of the Black Nightmare Warhorse, switched from holding the lance in one hand to holding it in both, stretching out his body and emitting a series of cracking sounds from his joints.

He looked at Ronan, and beneath the bronze mask, his eyes seemed to be smiling, revealing a hint of interest.

"@@￥!"

He uttered ancient syllables, and a powerful Spiritual Force Field belonging to the late stage of the fifth level spread outward, attracting an almost endless amount of energy particles.

Soon, clusters of dark blue flames rose around him, condensing into a black shadow of a Nether Elephant, tens of meters tall, with long hair and sharp teeth. Finally, the shadows all contracted and were bestowed upon him.

After the enormous shadow of the Nether Elephant descended, the runes on the knight's bronze armor lit up one by one, as if the rust had peeled off, and in an instant, it became somewhat magnificent.

His aura was also rapidly increasing, soon reaching several times stronger than before, and an invisible energy pressure field almost formed a mysterious, dark blue storm around him.

"Again."

The knight smiled and spoke, pulling on the reins. Both he and his horse turned into black smoke and suddenly dissipated, merging directly into the dark blue storm, and then silently swept towards Ronan.

A chilling, forbidden aura surged through Ronan's force field with the force of the storm. Ronan narrowed his eyes, feeling an unprecedented, heavy pressure.

With the Perfection of the [Immaculate Body] and the Six Spiral Palaces created through an on-the-spot breakthrough, his "Ancient Demon God Body" leaped to a level where he could directly contend with a late-stage level 5 wizard.

But the person before him was clearly not an ordinary late-stage level 5 wizard; he was also a "monster," even surpassing the monsters in the Minotaur's Maze.

Moreover, he was in excellent condition, and Ronan no longer possessed the "immunity and invincibility" effect brought by the "Defense Holy Shrine".

"The strength of a true late-stage level 5 elite expert..."

Ronan closed his eyes, and the eerie illusion of the Dead Sea slowly faded away.

When he opened his eyes again, a fierce fighting spirit was burning in them.

"Perfect..."

Ronan gripped the long-handled Battle Axe in one hand. Some of the black Spirit Force was shattered by the incomplete "Storm Bloodline" within his body, forming black smoke that steamed out from the gaps in his Itai- plated golden armor.

His long, black hair cascaded down his back, and at that moment, it seemed as if divinity and demonic nature were intertwined within him.

"Help me break through this final barrier to Master Level!"

The advancement from expert proficiency to Master Level in the [Ascetic Body Forging] was achieved only when the body and mind were nearly broken.

Ronan was unsure whether he needed to go through the process again to advance from Master Level proficiency to Grandmaster- level.

But it's never wrong to actively seek out more and greater pressure, and to seek opportunities for breakthroughs in life-or-death battles!

Ronan took a deep breath, and the powerful life force field brought by his Ancient Demon God Body spun around. His whole body was like a Black Meteor, rushing towards the dark blue storm that occasionally emitted the hissing sound of elephants.

"Boom!"

Black and dark blue solitary lightning intertwined, and Ronan directly blasted a huge hole in the dark blue storm.

The Black Nightmare Knight emerged halfway out of the storm on his warhorse, his eyes cold as he thrust his spear straight at Ronan.

Ronan calmly gripped his Battle Axe with both hands, the blade raised, the crescent-shaped arc of light it created perfectly blocking the tip of the spear.

The immense pressure emanating from the spear tip and the forbidden aura of Undead Magic infused a heavy, icy chill, quickly deflecting his Battle Axe and piercing through his left shoulder.

In an instant, Ronan seemed to hear the wails of thousands of Nether Ghost in his ears, as well as the roar of an ancient Nether Elephant. His left shoulder felt as if it had been stomped on by the Nether Elephant, Itai helmet shattered instantly, sending him flying backward.

The powerful force field, as majestic as a star, squeezed the void into layers of twisted folds. Ronan's sixteen pairs of Golden Eagle Wings spread out fully, trembling and chirping incessantly, constantly counteracting the domineering and sinister magical energy.

Combining the skills of a knight with the magical power of a wizard to form a unique fighting style, Ronan had encountered such an opponent before.

Leaving aside the nearby Mengerde in the labyrinth, and going further back, there Adam in the "Spiritual Dawn" of the South.

Of course, the person before him was far superior to Adam in both strength and skill in using magic. He was a formidable opponent, arguably the strongest Ronan had ever encountered at the fifth level.

Ronan withstood the force of the shot, but the wound on his left shoulder left a patch of flesh that appeared a deathly gray-black, along with a penetrating wound about the width of a finger. This wound also existed on his soul.

He couldn't help but frown slightly. In the Six Spiral Palaces state, the Ancient Demon God Body's defense against magic and physical attacks had long reached an unbelievable level. Ronan even had a strong premonition that he might not be injured even if he withstood a fifth-order spell.

Even so, it was pierced through by the Black Nightmare Knight's spear, demonstrating the terrifying power of that spear.

Even now, the Vitality Orb, which had been stimulated to an abnormally vigorous state by the remaining Holy Shrine Power, was difficult to heal.

Fortunately, Ronan took out a square black stone box, extracted a few strands of green energy light from it and injected them into his body, and the injury healed quickly.

—The Holy Shrine Power previously obtained in the Ancient Waterway.

The azure storm still lingers, and the figures of the Black Nightmare Knight and his warhorse appear and disappear in the storm, like ghostly riders who dominate the hurricane of death.

Ronan slowly sat up.

"All things are children of fire and metal."

He calmly recited the Song of Fire Gold, and a portion of his Itai armor naturally disintegrated, separating and reassembling into broken musical notes, which then condensed into blades of gold and fire.

"Click-clack—"

He slightly tightened his grip on the long-handled battle Battle Axe. The Battle Axe blade melted like black mercury and then solidified into an eight-bladed shape. Each blade was a long and narrow axe blade, which, when combined, formed a strangely shaped spear.

Those ancient and intricate patterns still exist, and their original heaviness and domineering presence have been enhanced with a touch of Keen Edge and agility.

Compared to the somewhat cumbersome long-handled battle Battle Axe, Ronan still felt more comfortable using the spear.

"Buzz—"

The Eight-Bladed Spear trembled slightly in his hand, emitting a series of trembling sounds.

Ronan narrowed his eyes, and with a swift movement, he dashed out like a blurry phantom.

Beneath the azure storm, the phantom of the ancient Nether Elephant flickered in and out of view, from which the Black Nightmare Knight emerged, casually thrusting his spear at Ronan.

A beam of magical energy, condensed to its extreme, twisted and shot out from the tip of the spear. The moment it pierced through Ronan's body, Ronan exploded from the state of a blazing and powerful Black Meteor, instantly splitting into dozens of almost identical figures wielding spears.

Blades of gold and fire swirled and danced in the void like flocks of singing birds, and under the intense fluctuations of Space Magic, the aura of several Forbidden Law Domain surged simultaneously.

Each Ronan's eyes gleamed with a silver, mysterious light of space, and from all directions, like smaller, massive meteors, they wielded their spears and hurtled towards the Black Nightmare Knight at the very center of the battle.

Beneath the bronze mask, the latter blinked, and some unusual colors appeared in his eyes.

For the first time, Ronan used the [Mirror Flower Water Moon] spell not to escape, but in a direct battle, showcasing a true brilliance of the Minotaur spatial Spell Inheritance.

Ronan naturally entered the state of "[Clarity Extreme Thought]," his aura rising steadily, his entire being completely dominated by fighting spirit, yet his mind as calm as an ice lake.

The Black Nightmare Knight's fighting style gave him a lot of unprecedented inspiration, and he began to try to build his own unique melee combat spell system in this battle.

He was unafraid of injury; the formidable opponent before him was the best teacher.

Master Level [Basic Swordsmanship] grants unparalleled control over the Eight-Bladed Spear, while the Black Dead Sea brought by the Perfect-level [Ancient Power] reappears before his eyes. His blood surges, and amidst the throbbing of his flesh and bones, the sound of waves crashing against the shore and the wailing of conch shells echoes.

Ronan entered a strange and indescribable state.

The power of space, Metal Element, and the power of the Ancient Demon God Body are like three gears of different attributes, constantly being honed in his hands, from clumsy to smooth, from hesitant to harmonious. Ronan slowly built up a brand new combat system framework.

"Tear—"

Ronan swept his spear horizontally, the Eight-Bladed Spear tearing through the void, bringing with it countless darting black lightning bolts and arcs of light.

As if some unseen force had intervened, the power carried by the spearhead surged several times over in an instant! "Boom!"

This shot was like a thunderbolt, tearing through the dark blue storm and forcing the Black Nightmare Knight out of its semi-illusory state.

He thrust his spear at him as well, and the two figures brushed past each other in a flash. The next second, the head of the warhorse that the Black Nightmare Knight was riding exploded!

The azure storm slowly dissipated, Black Nightmare Knight looked at the wailing headless warhorse beneath him, stretched out a hand, and slowly wiped the gap in the armor on his neck.

Between the palms, a few streaks of crimson were clearly visible.

Beneath the bronze mask, a hint of shock and surprise appeared in his eyes for the first time.

Behind him stood Ronan, clad in golden armor and surrounded by blades of gold and fire, holding a gun in one hand, his black hair fluttering, his eyes closed.

When he opened his eyes again, an extraordinary color suddenly appeared in his pupils.

—Grandmaster level!

He has broken through to the Grandmaster level in another skill! This time, it's [Basic Swordsmanship].

He had caught the spark of inspiration for a breakthrough in [Basic Swordsmanship] several times, and finally achieved a true breakthrough this time.

On the Character Panel, the name of the [Basic Swordsmanship] skill, which has reached the Grandmaster level, has been changed to better reflect the skill. "[[Instinctive Grip]]!"

Ronan uttered those four words softly and tried to wield the Eight-Bladed Spear in his hand.

In an instant, his arm seemed to be pulled by countless dense, invisible threads in the void.

That was the texture of nature, the veins of heaven and earth! Deep within my consciousness, a primal, wild power burst forth.

"Call--"

Ronan rose into the sky like a wisp of smoke or a cloud of mist, his ancient demonic body stretching out, his Eight-Bladed Spear humming softly.

His gaze was fixed on the Black Nightmare Knight in the distance, and before his eyes, the lingering illusion of the Black Dead Sea reappeared.

And this time...

As Ronan brandished his spear, the black Dead Sea before him suddenly surged with towering waves!