Final Score!

At the entrance to the Trial Tower.

After Yang Zheng went inside, Zheng Cangli and Pang Qingyan waited beneath the entrance for his final Trial Tower result.

"Hmm? Something's not right..."

Ten minutes later, Zheng Cangli frowned as he looked at the black stone pillar assigned to Yang Zheng at the entrance.

"With his strength, ten minutes should have been more than enough to pass stage A."

The trial space tested a warrior in every respect, but Yang Zheng had mastered the third layer of the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade and could unleash 2.8 times his physical strength. That was more than enough to handle stage A.

"The kid didn't look like he lacked confidence. Maybe he has his own plans!"

Beside him, the hard-drinking Pang Qingyan was hardly concerned. Even if Yang Zheng failed stage A, the information Zheng Cangli had submitted about his abilities as a spiritual master would be enough to secure focused training from the Limit Martial Hall.

Taking this test was simply an opportunity Zheng Cangli had obtained for him to demonstrate his potential to the hall's higher-ups.

The greater his potential, the more training resources he would receive.

"True. Stage A allows ten minutes, and with the five minutes of preparation, that makes fifteen."

Zheng Cangli nodded. He had secured the opportunity for Yang Zheng; whether he could seize it depended on his performance.

Besides, fifteen minutes was enough to wear down and kill the herd of Mangniu in stage A. Passing this stage should not be difficult.

On the vast grassland.

Yang Zheng darted through the herd of Mangniu, his mind racing through calculations as he used his surroundings to continually adjust his evasive movements, occasionally slashing at a Mangniu charging toward him.

Each slash struck either a Mangniu's back or a vital spot. Yang Zheng was not deliberately trying to kill them. Instead, he used the pressure of the entire herd to hone his footwork and blade technique.

As time passed, the herd gradually dwindled. With one minute remaining before the test ended, the smell of blood filled the grassland, and fallen Mangniu carcasses littered the ground.

"This trial space really is perfect for honing my blade technique and footwork!"

After more than half an hour, Yang Zheng finally finished "grinding through" the herd of Mangniu, and the results were significant.

[Perfect Level footwork] (34%)

[Nine-Layered Thunder Blade, Fourth Layer] (59%)

Although this virtual space lacked the life-or-death danger of reality, it still placed tremendous pressure on him. After all, Yang Zheng greatly valued this opportunity to demonstrate his potential.

The pressure of the Trial Tower came from one fact: within this trial space, with both sides possessing the same physical attributes, the monsters could make countless mistakes, but he could not afford even one.

A single mistake, or a disruption to his attack rhythm, could bring his run to a premature and disappointing end.

Yet along with that pressure, the trial space offered Yang Zheng an opportunity-another way to train. For someone like him, who had already found his direction and needed only actual combat,

it could hardly have been more accommodating!

"The Virtual Universe..."

Looking up at the sky above the vast grassland, Yang Zheng eagerly anticipated the Virtual Universe. That would be his true paradise, where he could configure almost any opponent he wanted.

"Come on!"

"Entertain me to your heart's content!"

"Is he running down the clock?"

Outside the Trial Tower, Pang Qingyan watched the engraved trial rating on Yang Zheng's black stone pillar jump from 1.0 to 1.3 and chuckled.

"Looks like our genius is treating the Trial Tower as his own training ground!"

"Old Zheng, which floor do you think he'll reach?" Pang Qingyan turned to his friend beside him.

"He's killed several Intermediate Beast General Level monsters alone in the Wilderness Zone. Although he most likely used his spiritual force, he still had to engage in genuine combat!"

Zheng Cangli considered it for a moment before offering his assessment. "With the experience of life-or-death combat, plus his basic strength multiplier, stage B of the first floor should at least pose no problem!"

He avoided making any absolute claims. After all, the Trial Tower tested overall ability, including mental resilience and combat experience. Lacking even one component could easily halt someone's progress.

"But you should be close to breaking through that barrier, right, you brute? You've spent five years honing yourself at this level!" Zheng Cangli quickly changed the subject.

"It's not that easy!" Pang Qingyan shook his head. "Councilor Level is a whole different level of life, Beyond War God-level. There are only fifty-odd people at that level in the entire world. How could breaking through be easy?"

He had become an Invincible War God five years ago, but even now, five years later, he still had not glimpsed an opportunity to break through.

"Hey, enough thinking about that."

Pang Qingyan suddenly rubbed his hands together, excitement in his eyes. "Come on! Let's find somewhere to catch up properly!"

"Fine..."

Zheng Cangli felt helpless. This fellow was craving a drink again. This time, he had practically delivered himself to the man's doorstep, and there was no getting away.

"Yang Zheng is still..."

"Don't worry. I've already granted him temporary access. Just leave him instructions. Relax, it won't take long!"

Pang Qingyan stepped forward and hooked an arm around Zheng Cangli's neck. Both men vanished from outside the Trial Tower.

Within the trial space, in an endless desert.

Yang Zheng was covered in blood, with corpses piled all around him. Though he looked somewhat bedraggled, the excitement in his eyes was almost impossible to hide.

After killing the two hundred Mangniu in stage C of the first floor, Yang Zheng faced the Iron-Armored Scorpions on the second floor.

Iron-Armored Scorpions were a common desert monster and the most numerous type of scorpion monster.

This floor was tough!

The miniboss, the Silver-Armored Scorpion, was particularly intelligent. Not only were its forces organized and disciplined, but they even employed various tactics, including trading injuries, in an attempt to wear Yang Zheng down completely.

Because of this,

Yang Zheng had to temporarily abandon his naive idea of honing his blade technique and footwork and instead take the test seriously.

"There are too many!"

The Iron-Armored Scorpions' small bodies meant that more of them could attack Yang Zheng at once. They burrowed into the sand, leaped at him, or charged, surrounding him from every direction to kill him.

Their evasive movements were also unpredictable. Every attack Yang Zheng made inevitably missed one or two Iron-Armored Scorpions. Moreover, warriors could not fly, leaving him constantly exposed to their attacks.

"I've done all I can!"

Yang Zheng watched the scorpions with dark-red carapaces crawl out of the desert one after another, raising their long,

sharply pointed tails as they surrounded him and swarmed toward him.

It had been no more than ten days since his awakening. Ultimately, he had been given far too little time to grow.

[Perfect Level footwork] (86%)

[Nine-Layered Thunder Blade, Fourth Layer] (97%)

More than two hours of combat in the trial space had done wonders for his training. Unfortunately, toward the end, when the Iron-Armored Scorpions came at him in overwhelming waves, the battle ceased to provide any training benefit.

Rustle, rustle...

The Iron-Armored Scorpions surged toward him in a vast swarm, and Yang Zheng's figure vanished completely beneath them in the endless desert.

His run ended on the second floor!