The crystal-armored dragon rhino let out a world-shaking wail as its massive body crashed sideways due to intense pain and loss of balance. The entire trial room seemed to shudder from the impact.
It struggled to stand, but the severe wound on its neck and the shattering of its core horn had stripped it of its ability to fight.
In just a few exchanges, this overlord-tier demonic beast—one of the top of its rank—had been easily dealt with by Jiang Lin.
From start to finish, he had not even summoned his blood clone.
Since Jiang Lin wasn't sure if the blood clone would be counted as an ability of the Demon Lord Seed, he didn't dare release it for the time being.
In any case, he was here to familiarize himself with his own power, not rushing to clear stages. He could wait until the ten-hour limit passed.
With a flash of light, the projection of the crystal-armored dragon rhino vanished.
Jiang Lin had cleared this room.
He stepped out through the trial room's main door.
At that moment, the crystal outside the room began to flash with a brilliant, five-colored light.
Different from the standard five-color rating given after a normal clear, Jiang Lin had actually triggered this special score.
This was a rating that could only be achieved by defeating the final overlord-tier demonic beast.
Simultaneously, a record of Jiang Lin's clear appeared in the reception system.
However, because the staff members were currently away, no academy personnel saw it yet.
The people waiting in line outside had originally thought this was just a normal daily training session.
To their surprise, they saw the crystal at one of the room entrances flashing with that five-colored light!
"What's going on?"
They stared at the trial room exit in shock.
Shortly after, they saw a handsome youth with golden hair and golden eyes walk out. His expression was as calm as an ancient well, as if he had just performed a trivial task.
Who was this?
Anyone who could achieve such a special rating certainly wouldn't be a nameless nobody, right?
But why did he look so unfamiliar?
Could he be a new student here for the entrance assessment?
But if he was a freshman, why wasn't there a teacher accompanying him?
Though the crowd was shocked, no one stepped forward to ask questions. They simply watched in silence as he left the second floor of the Tower of Trials.
After leaving the second floor, Jiang Lin didn't head for the exit. Instead, he made his way to the third floor.
Rank-1 demonic beast projections no longer posed a challenge to him, so he went to the third floor to fight rank-2 projections.
The previous battle hadn't allowed him to fully grasp the extent of his current physical strength; he still didn't know where his limits lay.
The number of students on the third floor was significantly lower.
After taking a number tag himself, Jiang Lin didn't wait in line. He walked directly into one of the trial rooms.
The trial space on the third floor was even more vast than the second, though the general style remained similar.
Subtitles appeared on the projection screen.
【Test Start】
【Level 21 · Transcendent-tier · Storm Eagle】
A projection of an eagle rapidly manifested in the space.
This time, Jiang Lin didn't use his Chronowalker's Evil Eye to predict its position and end the fight with a sword qi strike. Instead, he waited for the opponent to enter its combat state before engaging.
The storm eagle let out a sharp, piercing cry as its wings snapped open, churning up violent currents of air. The sound of howling wind instantly filled the trial space.
Its eagle eyes locked onto Jiang Lin. With a powerful beat of its wings, it transformed into a streak of blue-gray lightning. Cloaked in countless wind blades, it dived toward him!
Seeing this, Jiang Lin felt a bit disappointed. He adjusted his clothes, which had been ruffled by the gale, and clenched one hand into a fist. Gathering a bit of strength, he precisely evaded the creature's talons and smashed his fist into its body.
A shrill scream erupted as half of the storm eagle's body was instantly obliterated. The previously fierce creature was sent flying like a tattered sack, as if it had been hit by a heavy truck.
The projection soon dissipated.
"This rank-2... is a bit weak..."
Jiang Lin grumbled.
However, he quickly accepted the reality.
It seemed he was simply too strong.
As time condensed again, Jiang Lin saw his next opponent.
【Level 22 · Transcendent-tier · Purple Lightning Python】
This time, Jiang Lin had no intention of continuing to test the opponent's strength. He sent a streak of sword qi whistling through the air, bisecting the python's newly formed body.
The poor purple lightning python didn't even get to let out a battle roar before it was killed as easily as a common minion.
Following that, Jiang Lin began a speed-run that felt like he was playing against bots.
【Level 23 · Transcendent-tier · Scarlet Flame Lion】
【Level 24 · Transcendent-tier...】
【Level 25...】
Soon, Jiang Lin reached the highest level of this section of the Tower of Trials: level 30.
【Level 30 · Commander-tier · Gloom-shadow Demonic Wolf】
At level 30, Jiang Lin finally had to put in some effort.
He had handled the transcendent-tier and elite-tier beasts relatively easily.
Now, it was time for the commander-tier beast.
The light converged, manifesting a giant wolf two meters tall, covered in dark purple crystalline scales.
Its eyes were blood-red and its fangs were bared, radiating a terrifyingly violent aura.
"Roar—!"
The demonic wolf let out a low growl. This roar actually contained a significant mental shock, attacking Jiang Lin's sea of consciousness.
However, Jiang Lin's mental attribute of 400,000 was no joke. He tanked the mental shock head-on.
Immediately after, Jiang Lin chose to take the initiative. His eight-colored longsword turned into a blur of light, stabbing straight for the wolf's throat!
Yet, the demonic wolf's reactions were extremely fast—its reflex speed even exceeded the predictions of Jiang Lin's Chronowalker's Evil Eye!
Clang!
A piercing sound of metal clashing rang out!
Wolf claws flashing with dark elements successfully intercepted Jiang Lin's longsword.
Jiang Lin felt a massive counter-force travel up his arm, making his palm feel slightly numb. He had actually been blocked!
Looking at those claws shimmering with an eerie light, Jiang Lin was somewhat surprised.
These claws seemed to be on par with the heavy armor of the crystal-armored dragon rhino from before!
However, his reactions were swift. He immediately changed his technique, and eight-colored sword qi erupted instantly, sweeping toward the demonic wolf like a storm.
The sword qi cut into the purple crystalline scales on the wolf's body, producing a dense, rain-like patter of clangs.
Sparks flew in all directions. The purple scales on the gloom-shadow demonic wolf's body fell away in large numbers, and Jiang Lin could see bloody wounds appearing across its form.
He only needed to sustain this for a bit longer to finish the opponent off.
Just then, the gloom-shadow demonic wolf roared. A thick layer of black mist surfaced on its body, swallowing Jiang Lin's sword qi and frantically neutralizing the power contained within.
At the same time, it launched its own counter-offensive.
Claw winds laden with dense dark-attribute energy tore through the air, whistling toward him with a piercing shriek!
Faced with an attack capable of shredding refined steel, even the current Jiang Lin didn't dare take it head-on.
He quickly retreated.
A level 30 commander-tier demonic beast was considered an elite among the level 30 bracket.
In the entire rank-2 echelon, it was at the upper-middle level.
While there was still a difference compared to the top-tier first echelon, it certainly wasn't weak.
Since Jiang Lin was currently only rank-1, achieving an instant kill was difficult.
However, just because an instant kill was difficult didn't mean he couldn't win.
Chronowalker's Evil Eye!
Jiang Lin's eyes narrowed as he focused entirely on the numerous afterimages of the future!
Finally, he found a flaw where several afterimages overlapped!
Magic circuits surfaced beneath his feet as he activated Light-speed Dash!
Flash!
His figure left a golden afterimage in place, appearing before the gloom-shadow demonic wolf as if he had teleported.
At this moment, the gloom-shadow demonic wolf was in that split second where its old momentum had faded and its new strength had yet to arise—a fleeting opening!
Jiang Lin no longer held back. He poured his mental energy into his sword, and the eight-colored longsword erupted with brilliance. Eight colors of light flowed like liquid as a slash accompanied by a massive wave of sword qi descended!
Squelch—!
The blade and the sword qi arrived almost simultaneously. With their combined power, they carved into a wound on the wolf's body that had not yet healed!
The demonic wolf tried to use its previous move to resist Jiang Lin's attack.
But Jiang Lin was prepared; he increased the light-attribute coating on his blade.
The light and dark energies clashed violently, producing a sizzling sound like a hot iron being plunged into water!
Once the eight elemental energies entered the gloom-shadow demonic wolf's body, they began to frantically breach its defenses and destroy its internal organs.
"Awoooo—!!!"
The gloom-shadow demonic wolf let out an unprecedented, agonizing howl. Its lean body convulsed violently as it tried to make one last counter-attack, swinging its claws to produce whistling shadow blades.
Having landed the blow, Jiang Lin didn't linger. He pushed off with his feet, leaving the eight-colored longsword inside the opponent's body and allowing it to slowly dissipate as it lost the support of his magic essence.
However, even after such a heavy blow, the gloom-shadow demonic wolf still clung to a breath of life, attempting to force its wounds to heal so it could continue fighting.
Jiang Lin frowned slightly. He raised a hand and pointed at the gloom-shadow demonic wolf, which had lost most of its combat capability.
A golden magic circuit appeared beneath the beast.
Because it was too heavily injured, the wolf only managed a few steps forward before collapsing, failing to dodge Jiang Lin's attack.
Golden chains rose from the ground, binding it in place and slowly tightening around its body.
Finally, it gave up its resistance and vanished into specks of light within the trial space.
Only then did Jiang Lin relax.
That opponent indeed had some strength.
Overall, however, its raw power couldn't compare to the crystal-armored dragon rhino.
It was just that its reaction speed was fast and its vitality was tenacious, which he had found a bit troublesome.
Soon, the light and shadow shifted again, and the next tier's opponent appeared.
【Level 30 · King-tier · Lava Great Lizard】
As the text flashed through the light, the air seemed to distort with scorching heat.
An aura far more violent and terrifying than that of the gloom-shadow demonic wolf began to permeate the trial space.
The speed at which the light converged even slowed down slightly.
Then, a pair of crimson vertical pupils locked onto Jiang Lin.
Its body was covered in heavy, dark-red scales that looked like cooled lava. Its frame was like a small mountain, making Jiang Lin feel as though it might hit the ceiling of the trial space.
However, he didn't need to worry about the height or space of the trial room; it was at least large enough for the creature to move freely.
A level 30 king-tier beast stood at the very top of the rank-2 echelon. Even if placed in rank-3, it would be a creature capable of running rampant. For Jiang Lin to challenge it as a rank-1 was already quite difficult.
In terms of pure aura alone, it far surpassed the level 20 overlord-tier creature, the crystal-armored dragon rhino!
Simply by standing there, its heavy breathing created waves of scorching air. Between the gaps of its dark-red scales, one could vaguely see golden-red light flowing.
A massive tail, covered in hideous bone spikes and ending in unquenchable flames, trailed behind it like a battering ram.
"Roar—!!!"
The lava great lizard threw its head back and let out an ear-splitting roar.
This roar wasn't just a pre-battle shout; it carried a terrifying heatwave and a suffocating pressure.
Layers of pressure and sonic shocks slammed into Jiang Lin like a physical wall!
Jiang Lin could even feel his internal organs vibrating in sync with the roar!
Faced with a roar of this magnitude, Jiang Lin knew that his clear streak for the day might very well end here.
Jiang Lin's Chronowalker's Evil Eye spun frantically, with countless afterimages flashing through his vision.
Then, he saw the lava great lizard open its maw wide—large enough to swallow a carriage. Deep in its throat, a blinding golden-red light was gathering frantically!
Warning bells rang in Jiang Lin's mind. He immediately pushed off, using Light-speed Dash. His body turned into a golden blur as he retreated sharply to the side, avoiding the most direct part of the attack. At the same time, he instantly manifested his eight-colored longsword, holding it across his chest while activating his Five Elements Shield.
Sssst—!!!
A pillar of molten golden-red fire, over two meters in diameter, erupted from the lizard's mouth like a beam of world-ending judgment!
Wherever the fire pillar passed, the air seemed to ignite, leaving a lingering scorching trail. It slammed violently into the spot where Jiang Lin had been standing just a moment ago!
Boom!!
An ear-splitting explosion rang out. The incredibly hard floor of the trial space was actually melted into a massive crater, its edges dripping with dark-red lava!
The terrifying high temperature made the surrounding air crackle.
Jiang Lin's pupils shrank. This was the first time he had seen the floor of the trial space suffer such severe damage.
He couldn't imagine what would have happened if that strike had hit him directly.
And that strike was only the beginning.
The lava great lizard clearly had no intention of giving Jiang Lin a chance to breathe.
Before the aftershocks of the fire pillar had even dissipated, its massive body charged forward with a speed that was completely inconsistent with its size!
With every step, the ground groaned, leaving behind a molten footprint.
"Roar!"
Missing its mark, the lava great lizard angrily swung its burning giant tail. Like a flaming whip, it swept across with a speed that tore through the air, carrying a piercing shriek!
The bone spikes covering it shimmered with a cold light, and the flames at the tip of the tail distorted the space itself.
The range was too large, and the speed was too fast!
The Chronowalker's Evil Eye predicted the trajectory, but the space available for evasion had been compressed to the limit!
'I can't take this head-on!'
Jiang Lin's mind raced.
In the instant before that burning tail could hit him, light and shadow shifted beneath his feet. At an almost impossible angle, he flew backward, narrowly avoiding the very tip of the tail.
Bang!!
The burning tail swept past Jiang Lin and smashed into the floor of the trial space.
The heavy thud sounded like a hammer hitting a drum!
With this move, the opponent also exposed a slight opening in its recovery frames.
Jiang Lin finally caught his breath and launched his counter-attack!
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