At the center of the Land of Trial, in the circular hall.
Ying Bing stepped out of the passage. Her frosty gaze quickly swept across the room.
Just as she was about to find a corner to sit and recover, waiting for the other two—
"Hey!"
A cheerful voice suddenly rang out.
Ying Bing froze, a rare flash of shock passing through her usually calm eyes.
She spun around, staring in disbelief at the source of the voice.
Gu Xing was lazily leaning against a stone pillar, with Liu Li hovering quietly at his side.
That familiar Angel Guardian Beast was now tilting its head in curiosity, studying her.
"You..."
Ying Bing, usually cool and collected, was at a loss for words.
In the recent trial, she'd almost held nothing back. The Ice Phoenix had gone all out.
Even so... she was still a step slower than this guy?
After a moment of silence, Ying Bing finally walked forward, her chilly voice tinged with doubt:
"How... long have you been here?"
Gu Xing looked up, meeting the slightly furrowed brows of this ice-cold beauty, and answered carelessly:
"About ten minutes, I guess."
"!"
Ying Bing's pupils shrank.
A ten-minute gap!
That meant his Guardian Beast was leagues stronger than the Ice Phoenix!
Maybe sensing her mood, the Ice Phoenix on Ying Bing's shoulder ruffled its wings in protest.
Ying Bing reached out to calm the Ice Phoenix, nodded at Gu Xing, then turned and walked to the other side of the hall.
But her cold gaze kept flickering between Gu Xing and Liu Li.
Time ticked by in silence, and the third passage remained quiet.
Gu Xing's expression grew more serious.
He figured something must have happened to Qin Tian, otherwise it wouldn't be taking this long to clear the round.
Ying Bing also frowned, her slender fingers unconsciously stroking the Ice Phoenix's feathers.
This year, it had been a struggle just to find three SSS-Level geniuses. If even with that, they failed to clear this trial...
Just then, Gu Xing suddenly stood up.
"Liu Li, let's go!"
"Where are you going?" Ying Bing turned in surprise.
"Rescue."
Just that one word made Ying Bing's pupils contract.
She watched as Gu Xing strode toward the entrance of Qin Tian's passage, instantly understanding what he meant to do.
"Are you nuts!"
Her always-cool voice was unusually sharp.
The second round tests individual ability. If anyone intervenes, the difficulty triples!
If the final round put up ten Awakening Tier Seven Enhanced Puppets, on top of the stacked Balanced Force Fields...
Even if Gu Xing was stronger than her, there'd be no way to pass.
But Gu Xing didn't hesitate for a second.
Wei Yuan had promised that, pass or fail, he'd give the Light Crystal to him.
But that wasn't the kind of favor he wanted to owe.
If he could do it, he had to do his best.
"Liu Li!"
The little angel's eyes burned with fire for battle.
The will of her master was the Guardian Beast's highest mission!
As long as her master gave the order, even if the path ahead was a bottomless abyss, blazing swords and seas of flames, she would clear away every obstacle without hesitation!
"Blazing Angel·Complete Liberation!"
In Ying Bing's stunned gaze, Liu Li transformed into a War Angel bathed in Holy Flame, the crimson brilliance lighting up the entire hall.
"Liu Li—once inside, take out half the puppets right away. If all ten Balanced Force Fields stack, even you'll get pinned down."
"Got it!" Liu Li's reply was more serious than ever.
"Then—" Gu Xing took a deep breath, "Go!"
The two figures instantly vanished into the dark passage.
Ying Bing stood there, dazed, the last glow of holy flame fading from her ice-blue eyes.
After a long time, she gently stroked her shoulder's Ice Phoenix, her voice so soft it was almost a whisper:
"Ice Phoenix... do you think... are we really worthy of being called geniuses?"
...
In the dusky passage, the twisted branches of the War Treant were tightly protecting Qin Tian in its core.
"Bang!"
Another massive fist slammed into the wood, scattering chips everywhere. The Awakening Tier Seven Trial Puppet's eyes glowed blood-red.
If not for the War Treant's "Ironwood Barrier" skill, Qin Tian would have been knocked out by now.
"Damn it..."
Curled up inside the tree cocoon, Qin Tian gritted his teeth, his knuckles white from gripping too hard.
The War Treant's vines lashed the puppet, but only left a few shallow marks...
The two sides were locked in a strange stalemate.
"Damn it, why's this Trial Puppet so strong?! Are we even supposed to be able to clear a round like this?"
Watching the tireless attacks crash into the Treant's body, Qin Tian's face looked grim.
"Treant, Root Strangulation."
The War Treant's gnarled roots burst from the earth like giant pythons, smacking hard into the puppet's chest—only leaving a few shallow grooves on its metal shell.
The Trial Puppet just stumbled a few steps back, blood-red eyes flickering, then charged again.
That last attack hadn't really hurt it at all.
The alloy-made Trial Puppet was the natural enemy of the War Treant's physical attacks.
Worse yet, after he beat this Trial Puppet...
The next room held three more Awakening Tier Seven Trial Puppets.
The thought brought a wave of despair over Qin Tian.
"Should I... just give up?"
But—
Right as the thought crossed his mind, a deafening explosion roared from deep in the passage.
Blazing white light flooded in like a tide, instantly engulfing the Trial Puppet!
When the smoke cleared, Qin Tian's wide eyes reflected a figure he never could have expected.
"Wha—Why is it you?!"
His voice stuck in his throat, his fingers trembling involuntarily.
In a million years, he'd never have guessed the one who came to save him would be Gu Xing, the guy he'd looked down on at the start.
And the fact that Gu Xing was here... Qin Tian knew exactly what that meant.
Gu Xing raised an eyebrow at the wooden-chip-covered young master. "Yo, did the puppet knock you silly, Qin Tian? Can't even recognize your rescuer?"
"You! You..."
Qin Tian's face flushed red, his finger stabbing the air in frustration for ages, but he couldn't get a full sentence out.
"Enough," Gu Xing dropped his teasing, "Let's go, Qin Tian."
Gu Xing had already taken out the final Trial Puppet in this area—the whole passageway was clear now.
When Gu Xing led the stunned, scattered Qin Tian back to the hall, the arrogant young master was still shook to the core.
His gaze kept flicking between Gu Xing and Ying Bing, eventually forced to accept something completely absurd.
This "country bumpkin" had not only wiped the floor with him—he might even be stronger than Kyoto's number one prodigy.
And Ying Bing—
Her frosty stare was locked onto Gu Xing, as if watching a monster that defied all logic.
He had actually beaten the trial, solo, at triple difficulty!
He had really slain ten Awakening Tier Seven Enhanced Trial Puppets!
...
...