Before the relic—
Silence.
A silence so deep that even the chirping of distant birds in the mountain forest could be heard crystal clear.
Every single person—
Guildmaster Lian Jie of the Tongcheng Ability Users' Association, Di Ruqing, and every other spectator—
All of them stood frozen in place.
Eyes wide.
Minds blank.
Faces full of disbelief, astonishment, and shock.
They looked as if their souls had left their bodies.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
…
Time crept forward quietly.
Then—after nearly thirty seconds—
Boom!!!
The crowd erupted like a detonated volcano.
"Holy sht! Holy sht! HOLY SH*T!"
"What—what just happened!? What's going on in there!?"
"The eighth trial—he passed the EIGHTH trial!?"
"Ten seconds! Still ten seconds! Zhao Xuan cleared the final stage in only TEN seconds!"
"Don't tell me he's really just a Tier 3 Ability User? Ten seconds to defeat NINE Tier 3 Xuanbirds? Are you sure he's not Tier 4!?"
"He's a freak! A complete freak!"
"Not human! He's not human at all!!"
The outburst shook the entire relic site.
Dozens shouted at once, their voices blending into an overwhelming roar of disbelief.
Even Di Ruqing, who had been the picture of composure before, now bit down hard on her lip—her delicate hands clenched into trembling fists.
Inside the trial space.
Zhao Xuan sat cross-legged in the center of a vast glowing formation.
Having cleared all eight trials, he was now receiving the relic's baptism—
a sacred reward reserved for those who conquered the tests.
Those who passed not only gained the Heart of the Relic,
but also became its rightful master,
receiving a one-time blessing—
a spiritual purification that refined both body and mind.
Above Zhao Xuan's head,
a colossal vortex had formed.
It spun furiously, devouring the surrounding spiritual energy from the air—
compressing it tighter and tighter—
until finally, it condensed into a single, shining droplet of spirit liquid.
That drop fell.
When it touched Zhao Xuan's head—
Boom!
His thoughts instantly became crystal clear—
his consciousness expanded beyond measure.
It was as if every fiber of his mind had been polished to perfection.
Without thinking, Zhao Xuan entered a deep state of meditation,
his breathing slow, calm, and steady.
Ordinarily, meditation would drain one's spiritual power.
But now—
every bit of spirit energy he spent was instantly replenished.
Had Zhao Xuan opened his status panel at that moment,
he would have seen an astonishing sight—
his Spirit stat climbing rapidly, line after line:
43.11 → 43.31 → 43.51 → 43.71 → …
Every two seconds, it increased by 0.2 points.
The process lasted for three full minutes.
When it ended, the glowing droplet's power faded away,
and the vortex above him slowly dispersed.
Zhao Xuan opened his eyes—
and for the first time, his mind felt sharper than ever before.
"Could it be…?"
He quickly brought up his status panel.
And there it was—
Spirit Power: 61.00
For a brief moment, Zhao Xuan just stared—
then grinned broadly, unable to contain his excitement.
"This trip to the relic was totally worth it!"
His voice was filled with delight.
"To raise my spiritual power by eighteen points in one go…! Normally, that would take millions in meditation aids and at least half a month of training!"
He laughed quietly, exhilarated.
After a while, he calmed himself.
"The trials are complete. Time to head out."
His gaze shifted toward the object floating beside him—
a shimmering crystal sphere pulsing with faint blue light.
"So this is the Heart of the Relic, huh?"
He reached out and grasped it firmly.
The moment his fingers closed around it—
His body dissolved into light.
And in the next instant—
He was gone.
Outside the relic—
A sudden flash of white light illuminated the entrance.
When it faded, Zhao Xuan stood there—
calm, composed, and radiant under the sunlight.
The noisy crowd went dead silent again.
Every gaze locked onto him.
Curiosity.
Awe.
Fear.
Disbelief.
The air itself felt heavy with emotion.
Under all those burning stares, Zhao Xuan stepped forward slowly,
each stride steady and confident.
When he reached Guildmaster Lian Jie,
he extended his hand—
and placed the Heart of the Relic into the older man's palm.
"Guildmaster Lian," he said evenly,
"mission accomplished."
Lian Jie froze for half a heartbeat—
then exhaled sharply,
his face lighting up with sheer joy and relief.
"Good! Good! Good!" he exclaimed,
his voice trembling with excitement.
He clapped Zhao Xuan's shoulder hard,
eyes shining with admiration.
"Young and talented—truly remarkable! Hahahaha!"
Zhao Xuan couldn't help but smile in return.
At that moment, he suddenly realized something—
His greatest gain from this entire journey
was not the immense boost to his spirit power,
nor the ten million yuan reward,
but the priceless favor and respect of Guildmaster Lian Jie himself.
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