"ROAR—"
A deafening roar erupted once more. This time, a mass of black shadow—identical to the beast's head but far larger than its physical body—erupted from its massive frame. Along with the roar, a terrifying soundwave shattered the water prison surrounding it, sending droplets flying in all directions.
Lion-Mastiff Roar! The signature move of the Golden-Haired Lion-Mastiff. A sonic attack alone was enough to crush most enemies.
Huo Yuhao gave a wry smile at the sight. As expected, it's not that simple...
Fortunately, he had predicted the Lion-Mastiff's attack patterns and had sealed his hearing in advance.
The beast opened its maw full of fangs and lunged straight for Huo Yuhao's throat.
Flapping his eight dragon wings, Huo Yuhao felt the wind whistle past his ears as he dove toward the ground, narrowly evading the bite. He hadn't expected the water prison to trap the beast permanently, but at least the watery environment was now prepared.
Deep purple lightning snakes began to flicker around his body. Normally, lightning brings dryness, but Huo Yuhao spared no soul power to maintain the humidity of the surroundings.
The Golden-Haired Lion-Mastiff's power stemmed primarily from its incredibly tough physical body. Naturally, its defensive power was equally terrifying; it would be difficult for his current attacks to pierce its hide, and his mere Level 36 soul power wouldn't allow him to drag this out in a war of attrition.
He would only have one split-second window. He needed to use the high-penetration characteristic of Ultimate Lightning—he only needed to open a single gap.
To defeat a "stat-monster," one had to rely on mechanics and precision.
The Golden-Haired Lion-Mastiff couldn't fly; it relied on its immense strength to leap. Failing to bite Huo Yuhao, it began its inevitable descent. No matter how powerful it was, it couldn't defy the laws of physics—it had nowhere to gain leverage in mid-air. This was the moment its defense was at its weakest.
Huo Yuhao didn't use Spiritual Detection to track the descent; instead, he used his eyes. He didn't just look at its limbs but took in its entire body, using all five senses to capture the opponent's essence.
The descent lasted only two brief seconds, but in Huo Yuhao's perception, those two seconds felt hauntingly long.
Finally, the Lion-Mastiff's hind legs touched the ground first. This movement inevitably exposed its belly.
A "Lion-Mastiff" was part lion and part dog—feline and canine traits in one species. It wasn't exactly a genetic mutation, but it was certainly a miraculous "stitch-monster." However, for such a prowling creature, the belly is always the softest point, and it was the only place Huo Yuhao could currently breach.
He had already prepared his sprint. Stepping forward with his right foot, Ultimate Lightning surged frantically into his leg, stimulating the muscles. Like a compressed spring, he launched himself forward, turning into a bolt of lightning charging at the Golden-Haired Lion-Mastiff.
[Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash.]
His right hand was completely covered in deep blue dragon scales, his claws sharp, with deep purple lightning so dense it almost overflowed like plasma.
His dragon-clawed right hand swung down with force. The tactile feedback told Huo Yuhao: He got it!
"Awooo—"
The Golden-Haired Lion-Mastiff let out a pained shriek. A large amount of blood poured from the gash in its belly, and the highly destructive Ultimate Lightning seeped into the wound, relentlessly ravaging its internal organs.
Seeing this, Huo Yuhao felt a silent surge of gratitude for Baili Du's teachings.
Baili Du had told him not to rush to obtain soul rings for the Deep Blue Glazed Dragon martial soul, but rather to spend more time sensing Ultimate Water and Ultimate Lightning, exploring his own applications—essentially, studying the depths of his own martial soul.
This was why Huo Yuhao had consistently refused the Skydream Ice Silkworm's repeated offers to take him to the Extreme North to obtain high-level soul rings and soul bones.
However, merely wounding the beast didn't count as a win. This Lion-Mastiff possessed a trait where it fought more frenziedly the more it was injured. In previous attempts, he had wounded the creature only to be defeated by that near-insane counterattack, literally vibrated to death by the sheer force of its impact.
Huo Yuhao exhaled. His bluish-gold vertical pupils flickered with a deep blue halo. His dragon scales retracted, and a mysterious, profound aura radiated from him.
Nothing spectacular happened, but the blood flowing from the Lion-Mastiff's wound accelerated, gathering in front of Huo Yuhao into a blood-red sphere of liquid.
Blood is over 90% water. Ultimate Water naturally possesses the ability of [Water Manipulation]. Anything falling under the concept of "water" can be controlled by Huo Yuhao, provided his mental power is sufficient.
This lived up to the weight of the title "Ultimate."
However, this method was excessively cruel... Huo Yuhao couldn't help but turn his head and close his eyes. To be honest, he didn't want to do this.
"Sorry... for using such a shameless method."
The Golden-Haired Lion-Mastiff's majestic frame rapidly shriveled. Its body swayed unwillingly before crashing heavily into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. Its brownish-yellow eyes stared fixedly at Huo Yuhao, seemingly filled with indignation.
When your blood is drained dry, no amount of strength matters.
The emotionless electronic voice returned:
[Congratulations to ID: 0001 Huo Yuhao for passing Stage 2. Assessment completed before Level 40. Tactical evaluation in progress, reward settlement in progress...]
[Overall Tactical Evaluation: A-.]
[Reward: Demonic Sword: Elucidator]
Huo Yuhao was stunned. A weapon reward? Back at Stage 1, it had only slightly increased his physical strength...
The corpse of the Golden-Haired Lion-Mastiff dissolved into gold and black particles. In its place remained a longsword—a black longsword.
The hilt featured hollowed-out patterns and was slightly longer than a standard one-handed sword. The blade, edge, and hilt were all a pure, absolute black. Though the blade was somewhat slender, that pitch-blackness—like the very origin of darkness—gave off a feeling of indestructibility.
The edge was naturally sharp; no reflected light could be seen from any angle, as if even light itself was being sliced apart by it.
Huo Yuhao beckoned with his hand, and the [Demonic Sword: Elucidator] flew into his palm.
His hand sank slightly. So heavy! It probably weighed over a thousand pounds. He gave it a few experimental swings; this so-called demonic sword felt as if it were tailor-made for him—it was incredibly smooth to handle.
Examining the blade, Huo Yuhao felt a bit of lingering regret. If he had defeated the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger or the Pure-Blooded Silver Dragon, would the reward have been even better?
Lao Huo (Old Huo/Prisoner Huo) suggests you're overthinking it; no matter which beast you beat, the reward is the same.
[ID: 0001 Huo Yuhao, do you wish to continue the assessment? Do you wish to perform cultivation meditation?]
Huo Yuhao shook his head decisively. "Log out."
...
Once his consciousness returned to his body, Huo Yuhao opened his eyes. He blinked and checked the storage watch on his wrist that displayed the time.
The time flow in Douluo World was different from the Douluo Continent; that intense battle had only taken one minute in reality.
He climbed out of bed and, sure enough, saw the black sword lying quietly beside him.