Spine-Armored Dragon

Green hair...

The direct lineage of the Forest Goddess Temple...

That vibrant green hair reminded Guen of the other's identity. From what he knew, the direct lineage of the Forest Goddess Temple held a higher status than other members.

This was the most peculiar aspect of the Forest Goddess Temple—joining meant becoming an internal member, but only those who believed in the Forest Goddess and belonged to the direct green-haired lineage were considered high-level core members.

The upper echelons of the Forest Goddess Temple neither advertised the benefits of becoming a core member nor forced anyone to join. Guen had only learned about the existence of core members after Moto, the intelligent auxiliary optical computer, compiled the data.

"Hello, I'm Guen, the newest member of the Forest Goddess Temple." Guen gave a slight nod.

"Ah, is it already time for the external trial? Hello, I'm Del, a member of the Forest Goddess Temple. For you to make it here, you're already among the strongest Ninth-rank Warriors—or are you an Artifact User?" Del looked at Guen curiously, fiddling with the watch on his right hand. "Oh, so you're this year's champion. You even completed the Fifth Stage trial—impressive."

Del had clearly learned about Guen through his Communication Watch.

"Moto, connect me to the temple's network." Guen sent the command with a thought.

Though he had the Communication Watch, Moto had said it was only a low-level local network with a wide coverage but basic text, voice, and video processing capabilities. So Guen hadn't connected to the temple's network yet.

"Master, connection established. Your ID is #0946, meaning you're the 946th official member of the Forest Goddess Temple. Thirteen people have sent you friend requests. As for this Del, his ID is *168, indicating he's the 168th core member."

Guen didn't know the exact difference between core and regular members, but it was clear core members had access to more benefits and information.

"Moto, accept their requests." After issuing the mental command, Guen smiled slightly at Del. "Pleasure to meet you. Just a bit of luck."

Del's expression turned serious. "The Fifth Stage—over the years, aside from a Barbarian Tribe chieftain, you're the second to achieve it. That's not just luck. I've seen your strength—it's formidable."

Del's gaze fell on the Purple-Maned Lion that the Kejia Beast hadn't yet swallowed.

"Most Ninth-rank Ferocious Beasts are no match for you."

Guen nodded calmly.

Del continued, "Most people enter Beast Canyon to train and challenge themselves, but ordinary beasts can't threaten you anymore, so there's no training effect. However, I know of at least three beasts in Beast Canyon that could still pose a threat to you."

"Three?" Guen's interest piqued.

He naturally thought of the Green Shadow Demon Snake—a beast that would be tricky even without the Meteor Light Blade.

But the beasts Del named still caught Guen off guard: "Three Tier 9 Ferocious Beasts. How about that? Challenging enough?"

Seeing Guen's expression, Del explained, "Not the exceptionally strong ones—just those that broke through to Planetary Level within the last five years and barely managed it. With the Forest Goddess Temple's resources, we've only managed to capture three, and at times only one. Since you've completed the Fifth Stage trial, you must have the Flame God Armor, or you'll be granted one. These Planetary Level beasts can't threaten our lives, so there's no better challenge for us."

Guen nodded in agreement.

"Not only that, but defeating a single Planetary Level beast earns you an Essence of Vegetation. Even Planetary Level warriors find it hard to get one," Del continued to tempt Guen. "And in the Forest Goddess Temple, just two Essences of Vegetation can be exchanged for a portion of Green Marrow. You've already been granted Green Marrow, so you know what a treasure that is. How about it? We'll work together—just the two of us."

Guen was tempted.

Both the training and the Green Marrow were compelling enough.

And since Del was a core member confident enough to challenge Planetary Level beasts, Guen wouldn't underestimate him.

"Just the two of us—how do we split the Essences of Vegetation?" Guen asked.

"Simple—one each. If we can defeat one Planetary Level beast, the next will be no problem. If we can't even take one down, there's no point talking about loot. And even in the worst case, if we barely manage to kill one, it's yours." Del said without hesitation.

"Alright, I'm in." Guen recalled the Kejia Beast and stood up.

Del glanced curiously at the Kejia Beast, then slung an arm around Guen, heading deeper into the canyon. "Our first target is the weakest. The temple's Planetary Level warriors—what outsiders call Super Tier Warriors—captured it in Starlight Forest. It's a Vajra Ape, perfect as a first opponent."

Starlight Forest?

Vajra Ape?

Guen's expression turned odd. Could it be that very Vajra Ape?

But Del misinterpreted Guen's look. "You thinking of calling more people? No good. If there are too many, the beasts will group up to defend themselves. Most people enter Beast Canyon alone. Even if they team up, it's never more than three. And those qualified to challenge Super Tier beasts are rare in the temple. Anyone weaker would just be dead weight."

"Hey, look—there's a pair of Ninth-rank beasts over there. Want to warm up?" Del suddenly pointed at the distant Spine-Armored Dragon Couple.

The Spine-Armored Dragons had thick, armored backs covered in sharp spikes, their fierce forms carefully shielding several Spine-Armored Dragon Cubs. Their cold, pale-golden eyes fixed on Guen and Del.

If Guen could see them, they could see him too.

Guen saw through Del's game. Calling it a warm-up, Del was really testing Guen's strength—using these two Spine-Armored Dragons as a trial to see if Guen truly had what it took to challenge a Planetary Level beast. If Guen could handle this, Del would then show off his own skills.

"Fine. I've never killed a Spine-Armored Dragon before." Guen set down the Kejia Beast and patted its back gently, signaling it to wait.

The Kejia Beast nuzzled Guen obediently. Guen drew the Meteor Light Blade and turned into a blur, charging forward so fast that Del took notice. Del glanced at the Kejia Beast before unhurriedly following.

The Spine-Armored Dragons roared. One shielded the cubs and retreated, while the larger, more robust one charged.

The Spine-Armored Dragon towered high, its upper body emerging from the treetops as it slashed at Guen with razor-sharp claws.

Guen swung his blade, and the dragon's claws—hard as iron and sharp as knives—snapped clean off. Pressing the attack, Guen leaped onto the dragon's chest, his blade flickering in a flurry of shadows before converging into a single strike that tore a gruesome gash across its chest. Blood gushed out like a burst dam.

The enraged dragon slammed into Guen, but protected by the Flame God Armor, Guen floated lightly away. Under the dragon's terrified gaze, he twisted and lunged forward again.

Every cut easily carved a massive wound into the dragon, while its desperate attacks rarely landed on Guen. Even when they did, they barely affected him. The dragon let out a bitter roar, growing weaker by the moment.

Del watched, stunned. In just two or three moves, Guen had gravely wounded the dragon. Jolted into action, Del burst forward at full speed to intercept the other Spine-Armored Dragon.

Del drew an Emerald Longsword. Unlike Guen's aggressive assault, Del fought cautiously, wearing the dragon down until its injuries piled up, then exploded with force to finish it off.

The Spine-Armored Dragons' famed spiked armor was useless against Guen and Del.

The remaining cubs howled in fury, but seeing both parents slain, they could only roar helplessly, hatred gleaming in their cold, pale-golden eyes as they fled in panic.

"I didn't expect Brother Guen to be so formidable. Even with a Force Weapon forged by the High Priest, I'm still outclassed by you." Del said, somewhat embarrassed.

Guen just smiled calmly and picked up the Kejia Beast. "Can we go find the Vajra Ape now?"