Trial Grounds: Second Floor

"Event Difficulty 60, Final Points 51 + 15, Event Success!"

With this warning sound, Luo Jun retreated rapidly, finally escaping the blast radius at the last second.

However, the others were not so lucky. Apart from the strategist, Rain Granny, who was positioned at the back, almost everyone was affected by the explosion!

"Successfully ' Power of Dodging the Explosion ' event. Event Difficulty: 60 points, Severity Coefficient: 6x. 360 experience points gained."

A six-fold Severity Coefficient... If someone were hit by the explosion, while it wouldn't be life-threatening, they would still suffer serious injuries... If Luo Jun's physique is like this, what about others?

If one's inner energy cannot withstand the attack, death is almost certain.

Luo Jun looked towards the center of the field with some concern.

The enormous Abyssal Demon Worm had been blown to pieces, and the ground was littered with limbs and flesh, including charred human remains, clearly those of hunters caught in the blast.

However, judging from Father Qin and Lu Kui, they seemed to be in relatively good condition. Lu Kui, his internal energy was tough enough that he withstood the blow.

But the others weren't so lucky. Of the remaining five, three were killed instantly in the explosion, and the other two were seriously injured and could die at any moment...

A soft white light descended, Rain Granny began to heal the two, finally saving their lives.

Unexpectedly, He En had a hidden Self-Destruction Ultimate Move: self-destruction. Its power was terrifying...

Looking back now, with all his teammates wiped out, this guy didn't want to live anymore. He just wanted to die together with his teammates to avenge them. However, he was injured in the previous round and his energy was too depleted, so he couldn't use his Self-Destruction. Therefore, he could only retreat first and participate in the next round after receiving treatment.

No wonder he was so resolute; he had already prepared to die from the very beginning.

Unfortunately, Team He was confused. These Abyssal Demon Worm were just monsters created by the Trial Grounds. After one round ended, the next one was obviously a newly generated one, not the one that killed his teammate at all...

It can only be said that his desire to die overshadowed his thoughts of revenge...

Luo Jun sighed.

At the same time, the bloodstains and remains on the ground were automatically cleaned up, and the handwriting changed.

"Congratulations on passing the first round of trials. Successful Warrior will now be teleported to the second round of trials."

Then, all the trial participants still standing on the field shone with light and disappeared after a moment.

When they came to their senses again, a new venue had appeared in front of them.

Compared to the previous huge Trial Grounds with a diameter of 100 meters, this time the venue was much narrower, a square area with sides only 20 to 30 meters long. There were still spectator seats around the venue, with only a dozen or so people sitting there.

"Eh... what's going on... I feel like my energy circulation isn't quite right..."

"Me too... It seems like I can't use my abilities..."

Surprised whispers arose behind him, but Luo Jun, while circulating his Inner Breath, felt nothing at all.

"Another newcomer?" the audience exclaimed in surprise. One of the most muscular men, extremely tall and with a thick head of hair, stood up, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Rain Granny? You've come down too?"

"Lion King," Rain Granny nodded, "We were forced into this situation..."

Lion King is the Grand Master of the Bristle Lion Troupe, known as the number one warrior of the Savage Wilderness. Vital Energy Cultivation the Martial Combat Faction to perfection and is known as Wildlands Three Prodigies along with Ling Yao Guan Tianshuang.

Although there is no order of precedence in this group of names, popular belief often places him last, which he finds very unfair and always wants to find an opportunity to challenge the other two to prove himself. As Ling Family Royal Member, he doesn't dare to provoke Ling Yao directly, so he can only cause trouble for the Frost Moon Troupe on ordinary days.

Whether inside or outside the city, whether on quests or daily tasks, the Bristle Lion Troupe never miss an opportunity to provoke the Frost Moon Troupe. They either fight over prey or cause trouble at the Frostmoon Clan's private taverns. Every now and then, they cause some kind of disturbance, which is a popular topic of conversation among the Wildlands Hunter.

In recent days, Luo Jun had heard about these anecdotes. On the day the team set off, he also saw the Lion King's demeanor from afar. He was majestic and domineering, but there was also a ruthless look between his brows.

Rain Granny briefly recounted their encounter outside the cave. Upon hearing this, the Lion King felt no regret, but rather became even happier.

"Good! Such a wondrous underground ruin, the reward for clearing it must be extraordinary!" The Lion King laughed heartily, "I need a powerful ally like Rain Granny right now!"

"I don't think we can be too optimistic. This ruin is really eerie." Father Qin shook his head. "We've already lost quite a few people after just passing the First Floor. If we continue..."

"What nonsense are you spouting?" The Lion King immediately opened his mouth and cursed, "If you're too scared to go, you can stay put. How can someone with such a cowardly heart become a hunter?"

Father Qin was furious at the Lion King's rudeness, his face turning red with anger. Just then, a man in his thirties with a refined air stepped out from behind the Lion King: "This must be Mister Qin? I've long admired your name. I've heard that your Shapeshifting Technique is unparalleled; you're a truly remarkable master. You made a great contribution during the Ants Attack City..."

"Our captain has a quick temper and speaks his mind, please don't take offense..."

With this person smoothing things over, Father Qin's expression softened considerably. "Mister Xie is too kind. A coward like me is unworthy of the title of expert."

Mister Xie sighed, glanced back at his captain, only to be glared back at by the Lion King: "Why are you looking at me? What did I say wrong?"

Everyone was speechless; this Lion King really knows how to talk...

Luo Jun sighed inwardly. He had long heard that the Lion King had a bad temper and a foul mouth, and today he had witnessed it firsthand. As for this Mister Xie, he should be the vice-captain of the Bristle Lion Troupe, another Champion-level, Xie Zi'ang.

Without this deputy commander, who knows how many people Lion King would have offended with his foul mouth...

"Huh? Why don't I see any of the Champion-level from the Frost Moon Troupe?" Lu Kui suddenly asked, and everyone else frowned upon hearing this.

Can't you tell? You must have beat the game! Asking this in front of the Lion King? You're better at chatting than the Lion King!

"Snort!"

As expected, the Lion King curled his lip, his eyes full of dissatisfaction.

"The guild leader and the others have cleared the level..." It was the Frost Moon Troupe members who remained in the arena who spoke.

According to the rules of the previous level, the Frost Moon Troupe should have had one team of ten people clear the level, but there are still six people left in the arena.

"This second trial involves four people?"

"There are five people!" Lion King answered first this time, "The Frost Moon Troupe brought three champions this time, along with two disappointing challengers. They failed and one even died. In the end, they had to bring in two more outside helpers to clear this level."

As he spoke, the guy spat disdainfully, "I was just a step too slow. If I had those two outside helpers, would Guan Tianshuang have even had a chance to pass the level?"

A trial involving five people, and it's this difficult? Even the Lion King couldn't pass it?

At this moment, everyone remembered to look at the rules that had appeared in the center of the field.

"You are currently in the second level of the Trial Grounds, and your Power of Technique has been stripped away!"

"Trial objective: Slay one thousand Scythe Fiend."

"Trial time: 14 minutes and 24 seconds."

"Number of participants in the trial: no more than five."

"This trial can be activated once every six hours. Once activated, the trial participants enter the arena. Five Scythe Fiend will spawn around the Trial Grounds every 3.456 seconds. If the team kills more than 1,000 Scythe Fiend within the allotted time, the trial is successful."

"If the specified number of enemies are not killed within the allotted time, the trial fails, and the participant returns to the stands to wait."

"During the trial's allotted time, participants cannot leave the Trial Grounds before completing the trial."

"So, you've stripped me of my Power of Technique...?" Rain Granny frowned slightly.

"It's the Heart Refining Realm ability," Xie Zi'ang explained. "Here, you can only use your Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation level in combat."

Oh, I see... Luo Jun looked at his hands. No wonder I wasn't the only one who didn't feel anything...

"Not only can't we use items, but they can even seal our abilities?" The hunter, who had just recovered from the explosion, exclaimed in surprise, "How are we supposed to play like this? Will we not even be able to use our inner energy in the next level?"

"That possibility cannot be ruled out." Xie Zi'ang nodded.

"Then I definitely won't participate..." The two injured men stated, sitting obediently in the stands, waiting for the next midnight treatment.

"If the Heart Refining Realm is sealed, then there's nothing I can do to help." Rain Granny shook her head. "If we're only using the Foundation Establishment Realm abilities, the Martial Combat Faction has the biggest advantage. Even if the Heart Refining Realm abilities are sealed, the Martial Combat Faction still has the highest Protective Qi Strength. Moreover, the fighting styles of the Heart Refining Realm and the Foundation Establishment Realm are similar, making them the easiest to adapt to."

"That was our initial idea," Xie Zi'ang explained. "But after trying it, we found that although the Martial Combat Faction was the least affected, their killing efficiency was really low when facing a large number of monsters. It was easy for the number of monsters to pile up, making it difficult to cope in the end."

"These Scythe Fiend are not only sharp in attack, but they also have hard shells. A few at a time are not difficult to deal with, but a large number of them are very difficult to eliminate."

"Rain Granny is a master of both Spell Faction and Creation Faction. Even though she's only at the Foundation Establishment Realm, her inclinations can still be helpful to the team. With you joining us, it will definitely be a great help in clearing the level."

After much persuasion, Rain Granny finally agreed to join. Xie Zi'ang then looked at Mister Qin: "Mister Qin, you..."

"No need," Mister Qin waved his hand. "My Shapeshifting Faction's abilities are of no help whatsoever to those in the Foundation Establishment Realm, so I won't get involved."

"Alright then." This time, Xie Zi'ang didn't insist, and instead looked at Luo Jun and Lu Kui: "We still need two more people..."

"I can do it!" Lu Kui volunteered, Xie Zi'ang nodded in agreement. "Okay, count you in." Finally, he looked at Luo Jun.

"This must be the recently famous Mister Ye?" Xie Zi'ang asked with a beaming smile. "I've heard so much about you, but I've never had the chance to meet you..."

Luo Jun glanced at the chosen group, then at Father Qin, and finally at Lion King, who had come out with a foul mouth but was now silent, letting his subordinates do as they pleased.

"I fear my abilities are insufficient to shoulder such a great responsibility."

Upon hearing this, Xie Zi'ang's smile froze for a moment, and he glanced at the Lion King unintentionally.

"Insignificant strength?" The Lion King sneered as he walked over. "You do have some self-awareness! I've heard about you. I thought the Savage Wilderness had produced another expert, but it turns out you're just another useless coward with a false reputation!"

Really!

Luo Jun sneered inwardly. How could someone capable of leading a large group be such a reckless brute? Lion King and Xie Zi'ang were clearly playing good cop and bad cop, working together.

The Lion King was very polite to the useful Rain Granny, but deliberately drove away the useless Mister Qin. As for me, a newly emerging young man, he used reverse psychology... He was quite adept at psychological warfare, but a bit too pragmatic...

However, Luo Jun had originally planned to join anyway; his earlier words were just a test. Now, seizing the opportunity, he snorted and said, "Fine, I'll join. Let's see who's all talk and no action."

The Lion King sneered, but didn't take it to heart.

After the team members were finalized, Xie Zi'ang gave some advice on the challenges ahead and some important points to note.

Although Luo Jun and the others had just passed the Abyssal Demon Worm challenge, they had killed it quickly thanks to He En's Self-Destruction, so they were not too exhausted. After a short rest, the five of them arrived at the registration area.

As they were teleported onto the field, Countdown lit up in the center of the arena.

"I'll repeat myself, the Scythe Fiend appearing on the field are in completely random positions, we must be on high alert at all times..." Xie Zi'ang gave his final pre-battle pep talk. "Captain, Lu Kui, Ye, the three of you will take three directions and launch the main attack, Rain Granny Gather Monsters and provide support, and I will be the free agent to oversee the entire situation and provide support at any time... We will definitely succeed!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the Countdown ended, and without warning, five half-human, half-insect monsters appeared at the edge of the arena.

This monster was roughly human-like, over two meters tall, with a slender body. Its body was not covered in soft skin, but rather in segmented, hard carapaces. It had no hands, but rather mantis-like sickles, and insect-like Membrane Wings grew on its back.

Is this the Scythe Fiend?

The moment these five monsters appeared, they pounced on the five people. They moved very quickly, and with the aid of their wings, they charged at an extremely fast speed!

"Leave the two on the left to me!" the Lion King roared as he charged forward, his body radiating a dazzling aura. With a single punch, he took down the two Scythe Fiend.

On the other side, Lu Kui also charged out, swinging his fist. He was no shorter than the Lion King, and because of his fat body, he was even larger, like a human bomb. He crashed directly into a Scythe Fiend, instantly shattering it into pieces.

There were two left, coming from Luo Jun's direction. He seized the opportunity, kicked off the head of one monster, and then turned and swept his other leg across, severing the second one in half.

This scene caused the Lion King's eyes to tremble slightly.

Hidden Qi? Even with the Heart Refining Realm sealed, he can still use the Hidden Qi technique... This kid wasn't using his full strength; he's not simple.

Luo Jun mentally assessed the monster's level... Its carapace hardness was similar to that of the Violetgold War Ant, but because of its smaller size and thinner carapace, it was far less durable than the Violetgold War Ant. Its scythe was especially hard and had great killing power. If this monster were outside, it would probably be rated around level four overall. Taking down one or two would be easy, but taking down a thousand continuously... that would be a huge undertaking.

As for the audience in the stands, they couldn't help but cheer for the three's performance.

Five monsters, all dead in less than three seconds; the three experts acted swiftly and decisively.

Based on this, as long as this speed is maintained, it's entirely possible to kill five at a time and easily pass the level.

At this moment, the second batch of five monsters appeared.

This time, four appeared at the edge and were instantly killed by the three masters, while one appeared in the center and was killed by Xie Zi'ang.

And so, every three or four seconds, five Scythe Fiend would appear, wave after wave, dying one after another. These Scythe Fiend would dissipate a moment after death, leaving no corpses behind. The text in the center of the arena also changed as the players continued to kill, recording the kill count.

"They've already killed over five hundred..." a Frost Moon Troupe spectator exclaimed in surprise. "They're amazing, maintaining a consistently high kill rate... Last time we tried, we couldn't even reach four hundred before the monsters started piling up, and it got increasingly difficult until we collapsed..."

"But why haven't they moved from the center of the arena?" a new hunter asked curiously. "Wouldn't it be easier to defend if they curled up in a corner?"

"This is experience gained from previous challenges," replied a member of the Bristle Lion Troupe who had survived the trials. "In the center of the arena, you can kill monsters that appear from all directions immediately. If you cower in a corner, you won't have time to kill the ones appearing in other corners, and they'll easily pile up."

"But they're probably nearing their Limit too..." a hunter from the Frost Moon Troupe said. "Their aura has noticeably weakened compared to the beginning... I've been there; these monsters are harder to deal with than they look. To prevent them from piling up, each one must be killed in one hit, which consumes a lot of energy..."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a problem arose on the field. Lu Kui's attack failed to kill the Scythe Fiend, and it even retaliated. Although he was not injured, it disrupted the rhythm of the battle. Immediately afterward, the next wave of monsters spawned!

At this moment, Xie Zi'ang stepped in, killed the wounded Scythe Fiend, and shouted, "You guys aim at the newly spawned ones, leave the ones you haven't killed to me!"

Xie Zi'ang majored in the Insight Faction. Although his foundation in Foundation Establishment was very solid, his attack power was not as good as the other three. His abilities were sealed, making it slightly difficult for him to kill newly appeared monsters instantly, but he was more than capable of finishing them off.

However, once mistakes start, they become more and more frequent. Soon, Lu Kui had his second and third failed kills...

At this moment, the number of kills had exceeded six hundred. Not to mention Lu Kui, even the powerful Lion King felt fatigued. Although he could still kill with a single blow, his speed had clearly slowed down.

Despite Xie Zi'ang's best efforts to salvage the situation, he was ultimately overwhelmed, which led to a buildup of monsters in their direction.

At first, five, or even more than ten, monsters would charge at once!

Just then, a Protective Qi Belt swept past and entangled the charging monster!

It's Rain Granny!

With a tug, Rain Granny pulled the monster together with a rope made of qi. At the same time, she transferred some of her energy to Lion King and Lu Kui. The two strong men, as if injected with adrenaline, rushed forward and destroyed the monster they had packed up!

The Martial Combat Faction is extremely strong in one-on-one combat, but their speed in clearing monsters is really average. Rain Granny is a dual practitioner of the Creation Faction and the Spell Faction. Although her abilities are sealed, she can still use her qi to do some simple simulations!

On one hand, her inclination towards Spell Faction allows her to share some of her own energy with others; on the other hand, her inclination towards Creation Faction allows her to simulate the properties of some physical objects with her aura, such as this rope, which can be used to Gather Monsters!

Rain Granny had been conserving her strength by rarely taking action, but now that monsters were piling up, it was time for her to unleash her power!

(End of this chapter)