Madness

"Guen," Chen said as he rapidly descended from the air, landing beside Guen and watching the others warily.

But none of the others dared to approach.

The whistling sound of the flying dagger cutting through the air, along with the fate of their companions around them, told them this was a Tier 8 Artifact User—someone who could even fight a Tier 9 Warrior.

Yet Guen had withstood it all. Who would dare to move?

Invincible within the same tier—that had long been an indisputable truth for Artifact Users.

In this trial, a Tier 8 Artifact User was basically an opponent no one could match. Even Ganlan, the son of Leiquan City, wasn't believed to have that kind of strength.

But Guen had done it. That savage image was etched into the memory of every witness.

Even the Golden-Bearded Mastiff growled low at Guen, staying on guard.

"I didn't expect to have to use this suit," Guen said, somewhat helpless.

Ever since he'd encountered an Artifact User once and been severely injured, his father Kolong had given Guen this battle suit. According to Kolong, it was an A5 Grade Protective Suit, capable of easily withstanding attacks from ordinary early Super Tier experts, allowing Guen to take hits without issue.

Of course, if the attack had a bit more depth, even if it couldn't destroy the suit, it could still shake Guen through it.

The original intent of giving Guen this suit was for him to use it to save his life when facing insurmountable danger. His mother had also instructed him that whenever he encountered an Artifact User, regardless of their tier, he should first activate the suit to protect himself.

So Guen only used it when facing Artifact Users or unavoidable threats.

Normally, it was compressed into a tiny point.

This suit was remarkable—with a thought, it could instantly cover his entire body, and if he didn't want to use it, it could retract beneath his skin.

For training purposes, Guen usually kept it hidden under his skin. Now, faced with a Tier 8 Artifact User, he had no choice but to bring it out. A suit that could even defend against Super Tier experts meant a mere Tier 8 Artifact User didn't even have the qualifications to injure Guen. Only the force behind the attacks needed to be managed by Guen himself, and even that was minimal, barely affecting his movements.

The suit slowly retracted, and Guen's appearance returned to normal. He swept his gaze over the others, then reached his hand into the Scar-faced Man's battle suit. His expression shifted slightly as he directly stripped the entire suit off the man.

"Roar!"

The Golden-Bearded Mastiff's howl snapped everyone's attention back, reminding them this was still a battlefield. The surrounding Golden-Bearded Mastiffs, though wounded, were all still alive.

"Let's go."

Guen jumped onto Chen's unicorn, ready to leave.

"Stop right there. Hand over the goods," the warriors shouted, quickly surrounding him to block his escape.

Though the unicorn could fly, its ascent speed wasn't fast. These warriors were confident they could stop Guen.

The Scar-faced Man had been an Artifact User, which naturally carried a deterrent effect.

But Guen wasn't one. Everyone had seen with their own eyes that he'd defeated the Scar-faced Man with his fists. He was just a warrior. And since he was a warrior, they were sure they could handle him.

"Hand over the golden beards, and you can go," the warriors encircling Guen said, itching for a fight.

They had all seen the Scar-faced Man's flying dagger slice off all the golden beards from the surrounding Golden-Bearded Mastiffs. These mastiffs, now without their beards, were no longer their targets. They let the enraged mastiffs flee without interference.

All they had to do was seize the Scar-faced Man's battle suit, and they could complete the trial directly.

That was far simpler than killing three Golden-Bearded Mastiffs.

"You asked for this," Guen said, jumping down from the unicorn with the Scar-faced Man's suit. The unicorn, having lost its Gem Shield, and Chen, only at Tier 6, were no match for so many warriors in this environment.

Earlier, Guen had been like a ferocious Violent Bear, but now he moved like a nimble wildcat. Dropping into the midst of the crowd, before the enemy could react, he was already in front of one warrior, throwing a punch.

"Is that all?"

The warrior's face twisted savagely as he swung a large blade down.

With his strength...

He could already picture Guen pulling back his hand and stumbling back in panic.

Few warriors chose gauntlets as their weapon. Even with Diamond-Grade materials, direct contact between flesh and enemy only ended in mutual destruction—hurting the enemy as much as yourself.

Using fists as weapons meant the pain a beast felt was the same pain you felt.

Force worked both ways!

"Clang!"

The fist and the blade collided. The large blade was knocked off course and slammed back, the warrior feeling his tiger's mouth split open, both hands gripping the hilt going numb.

"What?!"

The warrior's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't expected Guen's strength to be so immense. Before he could regain control of his blade, Guen's other fist came crashing down.

"Thud."

The nose bridge snapped, blood splattering everywhere.

Guen delivered a sideways kick, sending the warrior flying, rolling across the ground and leaving a trail of blood.

Without even a glance, Guen lunged at his next opponent.

Only Tier 8 Warriors, with their greater base strength, could hold their own. Though their Force Multiplier was lower than Guen's, the overall balance tipped only slightly in Guen's favor. He had to combine all his advantages—Body Movement Technique, strength, speed—to find openings and strike the face to have a chance at defeating a Tier 8 Warrior.

The only weak point of a Diamond-Grade Battle Suit was the face.

But for Tier 7 Warriors, the gap in base strength with Guen was too small. The difference in Force Multiplier was a real disparity in power.

At least a twofold gap—at this level, that was terrifying.

A single punch could shatter boulders, and even a steel-forged gate would be split open if it wasn't thick enough.

With a twofold gap like that, others had little room to resist before Guen.

Dodging and weaving, pressing the attack, the rhythm of battle remained firmly in Guen's grasp.

"I'm out!" someone shouted, eyes nearly popping out of their head as they turned and fled.

Over a dozen Tier 7 warriors had surrounded one man, only to be picked off one by one. Only now did they realize that even a warrior who could defeat a Tier 8 Artifact User was beyond their ability to handle.

But the Golden Beard was too rare to give up; they had to take the risk.

"Hmph!"

The outer ring abandoned their comrades and fled. Guen knocked down the last warrior who hadn't managed to escape, letting out a cold snort.

Against these fighters, he didn't even need to use his Protective Suit.

As for weapons?

His Gauntlets were specially made. Anyone else, even with a full set crafted from Diamond-Grade materials, would have their hands bloodied and bones broken.

But Guen only felt a slight numbness on the surface of his fists.

"Let's go," Guen said, taking Chen and quickly leaving the area.

Nearly two thousand warriors surged forward in waves, forcing the Golden-Bearded Mastiff to retreat step by step. Now was the mad scramble for the Golden Beard, and Guen took the chaos to slip away from the battlefield.

"Brother, stop them! They stole two of my Golden Beard strands!"

A young shield-bearer, one hand severed, lay on the ground shouting at a burly man on the other side. The burly man turned and spotted two figures who had been fighting alongside them moments ago, now turning tail and running.

"Stop right there!"

The burly man gave chase, but after just two steps, his brother was killed by a Scimitar Warrior.

The Scimitar Warrior searched the body and spat on the dead man's face: "Damn it, I thought you still had some Golden Beard, but you don't even have anything worth taking."

His gaze shifted to Guen and Chen, who looked like they were about to leave.

He wasn't the only one; several other warriors had their eyes on Guen too.

"Hand it over. If you don't have Golden Beard, give us your money."

A few warriors charged straight in. Whether or not the target had anything, they'd rather kill the wrong person than let one slip. No Golden Beard? There'd be other valuables. A person could attempt the trial three times in a lifetime—if they failed, at least they could make a small fortune this time.

This group knew their limits. Collecting fifteen Golden Beard strands to pass the trial was tough, but targeting those with Diamond-Grade Battle Suits or Life Potions for a quick score was well within reach.

"They've all gone mad," Chen muttered, gripping his sword tighter.

"Get out of my way!"

Guen charged forward, singling out the Scimitar Warrior first.

Clang!

The Scimitar Warrior barely blocked the first punch, but his blade nearly slipped from his grip.

"Such immense strength!"

Before he could react, Guen's second punch came down.

"I have to block it. I have to block it!" The Scimitar Warrior's pupils shrank. He knew if he failed this block, the next punch would land on his head, splattering blood on the spot.

Under extreme pressure, the Scimitar Warrior felt his blade move with unprecedented smoothness, just barely deflecting Guen's fist.

He blocked it?

Guen didn't miss the warrior's sudden burst of skill, but he didn't press the attack. Instead, he kicked the Scimitar Warrior away and returned to Chen's side.

Chen, only at Tier 6, was naturally targeted as the weak link by the other warriors. If Guen hadn't returned in time—if he'd chased the Scimitar Warrior for even one more second—Chen could have taken a fatal blow.

"These bastards," Chen growled, glaring at the warriors.

On the unicorn's belly was a massive wound, its internal organs clearly visible.

This unicorn had been with Chen all along. Seeing it so grievously injured hurt Chen more than his own wounds.

"Stay close to me!"

Guen was furious too, but he held it in. If they didn't leave and got surrounded, he'd be fine—he could activate his Protective Suit, and no one here could harm him. But Chen and the unicorn would be doomed. So Guen could only lead Chen as they fought their way out.

The Scimitar Warrior, thoroughly terrified by Guen, had already fled to find weaker prey.

Guen seized the moment, killing two warriors with thunderous strikes, broke through the encirclement, and hurried toward the edge of the battlefield.

Along the way, anyone foolish enough to get in his way met his fists. He carved a bloody path and escaped the battlefield.

At the battlefield's edge, some had already noticed Guen's ferocious performance. These loiterers were waiting to take advantage of the weak. Usually, those leaving the battlefield at this point had gathered enough Golden Beard.

They'd fought at least three Golden-Bearded Mastiffs or stolen from a group of warriors.

They should be exhausted, their combat power severely diminished.

But Guen was too conspicuous. Wherever he went, enemies were sent flying in three moves or less, knocked to the ground. That made the onlookers hesitate, sheepishly clearing a path.

Guen and Chen found a secluded, hidden spot before looking back at the battlefield.

Shadows flickered. The towering Golden-Bearded Mastiffs were few left, even the juveniles joining the fray. The scene was brutal; the hazy glow of Starlight Forest was tinged with blood.

The sounds of fighting, cursing, and roaring mixed together. Just watching was horrifying.

"Truly insane," Guen marveled.

"I wonder how many of these thousand-plus will survive the night," Chen said, tending to the unicorn with a heavy heart.

Guen nodded silently, pulling out the Scar-faced Man's battle suit. "But at least it's none of our concern anymore."