Virtual Universe, Killing Field, Killing Space.
Hundreds of Phantom Bodies of the silver-haired young man charged at Lin Yuan together within the Ice-Sealing Domain.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
All the incoming sword strikes were blocked by the Giant Axe in Lin Yuan's hands and the Mountain Phantom protecting him.
With a flash, Lin Yuan maintained the third layer of the Burning Universe Flame Wild Axe, "Burning Sky," and used "Ten Shadow Steps" to charge toward the silver-haired young man.
Unable to land a hit, the silver-haired young man could only retreat. But the area covered by the flames of "Burning Sky" was already immense. After fleeing at high speed for some time, the silver-haired young man was still grazed by the flames.
"Boom—!"
Just that brief touch burned away half the silver-haired young man's body, leaving him completely unable to move.
"Whoosh!"
Lin Yuan appeared before the silver-haired young man in an instant and split his head apart with one swing of his axe.
The silver-haired young man's figure disappeared from the Killing Space.
"Hah—"
Lin Yuan let out a deep breath.
"I can finally defeat the Brian from the last Ranking Tournament in a head-on fight."
Fifty years had passed since the last Holy Land Ranking Tournament.
Over those fifty years, Lin Yuan had comprehended the Origin Laws of Earth and Fire, used poison to temper his will, and periodically entered the Killing Space in the Killing Field to test the Secret Techniques he had learned.
Lin Yuan had also briefly tried the Duel Space in the Killing Field, but all the opponents he was matched against were too weak. Even after he racked up a thousand consecutive wins within a few days, his opponents were still ridiculously weak, so he never entered the Duel Space again.
Lin Yuan could now barely execute the fourth move of the Thousand Mountain Secret Code, "Domain Suppression," and was still working to understand and master it.
Of the 72 most difficult mysteries of the Law of Fire Origin, Lin Yuan had fully comprehended 68. Only the final four remained, though they were considerably harder to grasp than the earlier ones.
The fourth layer of the Burning Universe Flame Wild Axe still showed no progress, but as his understanding of the Law of Fire Origin improved, the flames of "Burning Sky" had grown significantly more powerful, covered a wider area, and lasted longer.
Brian had an exceptional talent for the Origin Law of Space, and he was much younger than Lin Yuan. He was a true genius.
Although Lin Yuan could now defeat the Brian from the last Ranking Tournament, he didn't think it was anything worth celebrating.
Lin Yuan hadn't triggered any system rewards in the past fifty years. He didn't think there was any need to use the system reward for comprehending a Lower Origin Law that he had received earlier.
And Brian had surely grown a lot during this time, too. If his understanding of the Origin Law of Space had deepened further, Lin Yuan might still be no match for him.
But Lin Yuan wasn't concerned with winning or losing in the present. His true rise would begin once his first clone had finished forming.
"Come to think of it, if I can defeat the Brian from before, I should be strong enough to pass the Holy Land's C-Rank Assessment." Lin Yuan pondered.
"Contact the Holy Land instructor, Fenyu," Lin Yuan ordered his Smart Optical Brain.
"Yes, Master."
A moment later, a red-robed figure appeared on the screen.
"Lin Yuan? Is there something you need my help with?" World Master Fenyu asked without any airs.
"Yes, Lord Fenyu. I'd like to apply for the C-Rank Assessment."
"The C-Rank Assessment? All right, I understand..." World Master Fenyu wasn't particularly surprised.
"All right, I've sent you an invitation to the assessment through the Virtual Universe. Just accept it there, and you'll be able to enter the Assessment Space."
"Thank you, Instructor Fenyu!" Lin Yuan thanked him politely, then ended the call.
Of course, World Master Fenyu had also watched Lin Yuan and Brian's match in the last Ranking Tournament, and it had shocked him.
When Lin Yuan first arrived at the Holy Land, he had taken a C-Rank Assessment. His fighting had still been crude then, yet just over ten years later, he had been able to fight Brian to a standstill. There had been some luck involved, but his strength was now worlds apart from what it had been before.
"This kid really is Lord Yuankun's disciple. He's improving far too quickly. I don't think this C-Rank Assessment will give him much trouble." Fenyu pondered.
Lin Yuan connected to the Virtual Universe, accepted the C-Rank Assessment invitation, and entered the single-person assessment space he had visited once before.
"Please select your weapons and equipment."
A mechanical voice sounded in his ears.
Lin Yuan selected his two Giant Axes. He could only choose C-Rank Battle Armor, so he picked one at random.
"The C-Rank Assessment is about to begin."
"Whoosh!"
The scene changed. Lin Yuan appeared in a desert. As the wind howled, a black-clad figure appeared in the distance, holding two Giant Axes just like Lin Yuan's.
"It looks like things are different from last time. The two Giant Axes I chose are far stronger than the weapons I had then, so the assessment should be more difficult as well." Lin Yuan thought.
A voice came from the black-clad figure's featureless face:
"Young man, we meet again. More than sixty years have passed. I wonder if you've improved."
"We'll see. Let's get started." Lin Yuan replied coolly.
Without wasting words, Lin Yuan activated his Domain and the Secret Technique "Earth Tremor" to protect himself, then used "Ten Shadow Steps" to charge at the Black-Clad Man with his axe.
Crimson currents of energy poured from the Black-Clad Man's body, forming the same perfectly fused Domain as before.
"Bang!"
The two Burning Universe Flame Wild Axes clashed.
This time, the Black-Clad Man's Domain couldn't restrain Lin Yuan's Giant Axe. It only slowed him down a little.
"Scorching Flow!" Lin Yuan swung his axe with all his strength, sending red flames shooting from its blade. The Black-Clad Man countered with the exact same move.
"Boom—!"
Lin Yuan's understanding of the Law of Fire Origin was clearly deeper. The "Scorching Flow" unleashed by the Black-Clad Man was swallowed up, and the two streams of flame merged before rushing straight toward him.
A Mountain Phantom appeared around the Black-Clad Man. Boosted by his Domain, it barely managed to withstand Lin Yuan's strike.
"Not bad. You've certainly improved." The Black-Clad Man still sounded completely at ease.
Then the Black-Clad Man launched a counterattack. He swung the other Giant Axe in his hand, sending an ochre shock wave slashing toward Lin Yuan. At the same time, flames erupted through the space around him, and he charged toward Lin Yuan in an instant.
"He can use not only 'Rift Wave,' but 'Burning Sky' as well?" Lin Yuan was slightly startled. The C-Rank Assessment really wasn't simple.
Without hesitation, Lin Yuan decided to go all out.
Flames ignited through the space around Lin Yuan, but their power and range far surpassed the Black-Clad Man's.
The Black-Clad Man was astonished at the sight.
Lin Yuan used "Ten Shadow Steps" and charged to meet him.
"Boom—!"
The moment their fiery domains touched, a tremendous roar erupted.
Lin Yuan's vast sea of flames gradually engulfed the fiery domain unleashed by the Black-Clad Man.
Before long, the Black-Clad Man's fiery domain could no longer hold and collapsed. Though the Domain and Mountain Phantom protected him, his body still began to burn.
A moment later, the Black-Clad Man turned to ash.
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