After Lin Yi deliberately let the Abyss Beasts with less than 10,000 Source Energy draw near, Liu Yuan soon found himself facing a Shadow Hunter with a Source Energy level of 8,900.
This was an Abyss Beast shaped like a leopard, its body covered in black scales that absorbed light.
It was incredibly fast, its attacks strange and unpredictable, and the shadow energy clinging to its claws could erode Source Energy shields.
Liu Yuan, meanwhile, wielded a longsword. Though his swordsmanship was polished, he couldn't seriously injure his opponent. Instead, in just a dozen seconds, he had sustained cuts in several places, leaving him in grave danger.
Liu Yuan thought that if he hadn't made considerable progress recently by challenging the Stardust Rank training stages, he might already be dead.
But that progress couldn't change the fact that he was at an absolute disadvantage.
After a hair's-breadth exchange, the Shadow Hunter appeared behind Liu Yuan like a ghost, its claws reaching straight for his back.
In that instant, Liu Yuan felt the chill of death.
"Am I going to die?"
No!
All the hours he had spent studying the engravings on the East Blade each day, along with his countless failures in the virtual space, were suddenly catalyzed by the immense pressure of being on the brink of death.
At that moment, the mysteries he had never been able to grasp seemed like a clogged river channel blasted open by a flood. A sudden flash of understanding surged through Liu Yuan's mind.
The Source Energy that had been flowing steadily through his body followed some profound trajectory, pouring into the longsword in his hand with unprecedented speed and in a way it never had before.
In an instant, the sword's blade burst into dazzling azure light, and an intensely sharp