Phoenix True Fire, Rise!

Phoenix True Fire, rise!

"Be careful. If there's a next time, I don't care if you agree or not—we are leaving immediately."

After landing a strike, Gu Yue glanced at him and said coldly.

Qiangu Wuji nodded, feeling helpless. He knew Gu Yue had promised Leng Yaozhu that they would leave immediately if they encountered danger they couldn't handle, which was why she spoke that way.

In that case, he had to ensure there wouldn't be any more near-death situations.

With this in mind, Qiangu Wuji looked up at the pack of Flame Demon Lions, his mind racing to formulate a strategy.

His current offensive options were far too limited; he only had Soul Shock. It worked fine against average opponents, but when facing something much stronger than himself, he felt completely out of his depth.

Under the current circumstances, winning was impossible.

Wait, hold on—that wasn't right. He came here to test the healing capabilities of his Phoenix Flame, so why was he trying to win?

Thinking of this, he felt relieved.

Since the goal was to test his abilities, what he needed to do next was clear.

He just had to treat this battle as a desperate struggle for survival where death was a real possibility, then fight with everything he had until he reached his limit.

After clearing his thoughts, Qiangu Wuji took a deep breath, his blood gradually beginning to boil.

He stepped forward, and his Mental Exploration Domain expanded once more, enveloping the entire area.

"Gu Yue, I'm going to fight with everything I have. Before I collapse, please make sure to send me out."

Behind him, Gu Yue watched the back of the golden-haired boy and was slightly stunned. From this small, almost frail frame, she felt a sense of determination that defied death.

Unable to help herself, she took a few steps back to leave the stage to the boy, then nodded.

"Alright, I will send you out."

Qiangu Wuji said no more. He pulled a dagger from his pocket and charged headlong toward the leader of the Flame Demon Lions.

To launch a preemptive strike while being outnumbered and weaker than the opponent—anyone watching from the outside would think he had given up on life and was seeking death.

Even the leader of the Flame Demon Lions thought so. As it watched Qiangu Wuji charge over, it clearly paused, obviously not expecting someone to be so reckless.

But once it reacted, it flew into a rage. It raised its head high and swung a paw the size of a fan toward Qiangu Wuji's head with brutal force.

However, just as the paw was about to strike, the unexpected happened. It was as if Qiangu Wuji had anticipated the attack trajectory in advance; the moment the paw swung, he tilted his head slightly to dodge the blow, then backhanded his dagger into the Flame Demon Lion's lower abdomen.

"Awoo!"

It all happened in the blink of an eye. Once it was over, a shrill, miserable howl from the Flame Demon Lion leader echoed through the area.

Inside the Spirit Pagoda.

The staff members stared at the screen in front of them, dumbfounded.

"Is... is that a thousand-year soul beast?"

"It... it is. This little guy is only at the first ring, and yet..."

This was the room responsible for monitoring the interior of the Spirit Ascension Platform. In the center of the room was a massive screen, and on that screen, it clearly displayed the moment Qiangu Wuji stabbed the Flame Demon Lion leader.

The staff members witnessing this scene didn't know how to describe their feelings.

They had worked at the Spirit Pagoda for countless years and had seen all sorts of geniuses and monsters, but they had never seen a first-ring soul master hold their own against a thousand-year soul beast.

One had to realize that even the weakest thousand-year soul beast was at least equivalent to a human soul master with three or four rings.

Yet now, this thousand-year soul beast had been bested by Qiangu Wuji, a mere first-ring soul master...

Leng Yaozhu sat on one side of the room, also watching the screen, her brows furrowed in thought.

Unlike the shock of the staff, as a Limit Douluo with top-tier combat power, she naturally saw more than the others.

"This child... he knew the opponent's attack position in advance, didn't he?"

"Is it foresight?"

Thinking of how easily and comfortably Qiangu Wuji had dodged that attack, Leng Yaozhu felt more and more that this was a possibility.

But upon closer reflection, she felt it was unlikely. The ability to foresee the future was a god-tier skill; it shouldn't appear in a first-ring soul master.

After thinking for a while, she finally reached a conclusion.

"This child's Body Martial Soul must have some other abilities that I am unaware of."

Leng Yaozhu murmured to herself, then stood up and spoke to the staff.

"Alright, stop watching the show. Prepare to forcibly wake these two children up. They should be reaching their limits soon."

The staff members nodded upon hearing this, not asking why.

Because, in fact, it was just as Leng Yaozhu had said: Qiangu Wuji was about to reach his limit.

Inside the Spirit Ascension Platform...

After Qiangu Wuji's strike landed on the Flame Demon Lion leader, it didn't cause the beast to lose its combat capability, nor could it even be considered a serious wound.

Not only that, but the creature seemed to have been hit with a berserk buff; with bloodshot eyes, it howled and launched a series of attacks at him.

Although the Mental Exploration Domain allowed him to dodge the vast majority of attacks in advance, he couldn't overcome the disadvantage of being outnumbered.

As the Lion King attacked him, the smaller ones nearby didn't stay idle either, hurling fireballs at him one after another as if they cost nothing.

Under such dense attacks, even though Qiangu Wuji could see them coming, he couldn't dodge them all without taking any damage.

Consequently, not long after the battle began, he was left bleeding profusely from multiple explosions, looking quite disheveled, with even his smooth golden hair singed.

Watching his miserable state, Gu Yue, who was watching the show from the sidelines, spoke up at the right moment.

"Isn't it about time to leave?"

"No, wait a second..."

Seeing Gu Yue about to press her emergency escape button, Qiangu Wuji hurriedly stopped her.

Gu Yue frowned.

"Didn't we agree on this beforehand?"

Qiangu Wuji didn't speak, only lowering his head to look at his current wretched state, a bitter smile forming in his heart.

It was fortunate that this was the virtual world of the Spirit Ascension Platform; if this were the outside world, the scars left behind would be a real headache.

But it was also precisely because it was a virtual world that he could go all out like this.

Now, it was time to test the effects of the Phoenix Flame.

Thinking of this, he closed his eyes and shouted internally!

"Phoenix True Fire, rise!"

Bang!

Flames erupted, and a dazzling light illuminated the surroundings!