Chapter 288 - Continuous Clearance
Primordial beasts. In the God’s Domain of today, these creatures were either extremely rare, or had long since gone extinct. They were beings that one would not normally see.
Now that the Twelve Trials had been activated, Shi Feng would also have the fortune of meeting one. If he were at any other location, it would be extremely hard for him to meet a primordial beast.
Above the stage of the 1st trial, a blurred figure slowly descended from the skies, remaining unperturbed even in the face of the turbulent winds of this realm.
This gigantic figure landed at the center of the stage, towering over the tiny Shi Feng.
With the upper body of an eagle and the lower body of a lion, this monster was none other than the king of the skies, a Gryphon.
[Gryphon] (Elite Rank)
Level 20
HP 30,000/30,000
“I didn’t expect a Gryphon would be so big. Just its wingspan alone is over 20 meters.” Shi Feng did not hurry into action. Instead, he took his time carefully observing the Gryphon.
He was currently within a trial. The monsters in here were completely different from their counterparts in the outside world. Not only would the monsters inside a trial possess a large variety of skills, their Basic Attributes would also be much higher. Most importantly, their intelligence would also be higher; they would not follow a set pattern when they fought.
However, the Gryphon did not provide Shi Feng with too much time to think. With a piercing cry, the Gryphon flapped its wings, generating a violent gale.
Instantly, two tornados over three meters in height swept towards Shi Feng, and where the blades of wind passed, everything shattered.
Using a skill right off the bat? As expected, this Gryphon isn’t an ordinary monster.
Revealing a faint smile, Shi Feng’s figure flashed, swiftly withdrawing from the attack range of the two tornadoes.
Following which, he activated Silent Steps, instantly appearing behind the Gryphon. Before the king of the skies could react, the pitch-black Abyssal Blade turned into multiple streaks of black, slashing down at the Gryphon’s wings.
Like snowflakes, the Gryphon’s snowy white feathers fluttered onto the now bloodstained ground.
“Aooo!”
The Gryphon let out an agonized roar, damages of over -400 points appearing above its head, one after another. The attacks that achieved a critical hit had even dealt over -800 damage.
Immediately afterward, Shi Feng followed up with a Level 10 Chop, his sword slicing off a large chunk from one of the Gryphon’s wings, completely crippling it.
Meanwhile, the Gryphon instantly lost over 1,900 HP from the attack.
From this short exchange, the Gryphon had already lost 16% of its total HP. Furthermore, with one of its wings now crippled, it could not fly even if it wanted to.
The gap in strength was obvious in a single glance.
Against a Shi Feng who had over 200 points in Agility, a flightless Gryphon would only amount to a sitting duck.
Following which, Shi Feng constantly shuttled around the Gryphon, sending streak after streak of black radiance stabbing into the Gryphon’s body. However, Shi Feng only used basic attacks throughout all this. This way he would not be affected by the awkward movements consequent to using a skill, which would hinder his ability to dodge. Moreover, Shi Feng’s attacks were extremely accurate. Every one of his attacks would land either on a vital point of the Gryphon or at a joint that would affect the Gryphon’s movements, making it even harder for the Gryphon to strike him.
Although every hit Shi Feng landed only caused around -400 damage, after a dozen or so seconds passed, the ferocious Gryphon fell.
System: Gryphon defeated. First trial completed. Rewarding 100,000 EXP and 5 Free Mastery Points. Proficiency of all Skills increased by 50 points.
System: First trial cleared. Do you wish to start the next trial?
The trial even rewards Free Mastery Points? How wonderful. When Shi Feng saw the rewards he received, a faint smile appeared on his face. After sheathing the Abyssal Blade and the Demonbane back into their scabbards, he clicked “Yes” to start the next trial.
Although the monsters of the trial were indeed powerful, they were barely worth mentioning when compared to Shi Feng’s Attributes and equipment.
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“He cleared it, and with such ease as well.”
“Not bad. Although he hasn’t yet officially become a Tier 1 Swordsman, his combat power is already at that tier. It is only natural that he is able to kill the Gryphon.”
“If this continues, he should be able to get through the first three trials without any problems. From the 4th trial onwards, however, things won’t be as easy anymore.”
“That’s right. The Twelve Trials would undergo a change in level once every three trials. The monsters would also receive a huge increase in combat power between levels. The 1st to 3rd trials will be basic level, while the 4th to 6th trials will be intermediate level, the 7th to 9th trials will be the advanced level, and the 10th to 12th trials will be the peak level. My bet is that the kid will hit his limit once he reaches the 5th trial.”
The people within the Eternal Throne were all apex powerhouses, and their eyes were well tempered by experience. After watching only one of Shi Feng’s battles, they could already make a relatively clear judgment.
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Indeed, just like the big shots of the War God’s Temple had guessed…
The stage for the 2nd trial was a sylvan setting, and Shi Feng’s opponent this time was the Moon-howling Silver Wolf. Inside a forest, this monster was an alpha predator. Similar to the Gryphon, the Moon-howling Silver Wolf was a Level 20 Elite monster with 30,000 HP. Although it, too, was a Tier 1 primordial beast, unlike the Gryphon, the Moon-howling Silver Wolf was much stronger on land. Its physical attacks were much more powerful, and its reaction speed was also much faster than the Gryphon’s.
However, as if to replicate the scene from the 1st trial, Shi Feng immediately activated Silent Steps and arrived at the hind leg of the Moon-howling Silver Wolf. Again, similar to the time with the Gryphon, Shi Feng slashed his swords down at the wolf’s hind legs, crippling them and greatly reducing the monster’s Movement Speed.
Following which, Shi Feng simply kited the Moon-howling Silver Wolf with the Blazing Meteor.
Before thirty seconds had passed, the Moon-howling Silver Wolf fell.
System: Moon-howling Silver Wolf defeated. Second trial completed. Rewarding 300,000 EXP and 10 Free Mastery Points. Proficiency of all Skills increased by 50 points.
System: Second trial cleared. Do you wish to start the next trial?
Immediately after, a golden glow surrounded Shi Feng’s body, signifying his rise to Level 19. Shi Feng then placed all six of his newly obtained Free Attribute Points into Strength, increasing the Attribute to 180 points and activating Basic Destructive Power, the Hidden Passive Skill for Strength. Now, Shi Feng’s bare hands were capable of destroying a Bronze ranked item.
In other words, Shi Feng’s unarmed attacks could damage Bronze ranked weapons and equipment, reducing their durability, and eventually destroying them.
Originally, Shi Feng had intended to place all six of his Free Attribute Points into Intelligence. However, he wanted to increase his combat power for the sake of the trial, even if it was only by a small amount.
Soon after, Shi Feng clicked “Yes” and started the next trial.
The 3rd trial’s monster was a Blue-eyed Spider, while the stage for the 3rd trial was a location completely befitting a spider—inside a dark cave.
Fortunately, there was no change to the Blue-eyed Spider’s level despite Shi Feng’s rise to Level 19. Similar to the previous two monsters, it was a Level 20 Elite monster with 30,000 HP.
However, the Blue-eyed Spider was much stronger than the Moon-howling Silver Wolf, though not in terms of Attack Power and Movement Speed. Instead, the Blue-eyed Spider had its highly potent venom and its tough and sticky silk. It also possessed superb eyesight. Even if its surroundings were pitch-black, the Blue-eyed Spider would still be able to see clearly, as if it were daytime. Moreover, its eyes also provided it with a 360-degree field of vision without any gaps in between.
Shi Feng carefully looked around. Even if he possessed extraordinary strength, his range of visibility was limited to a maximum range of five yards.
Meanwhile, the Blue-eyed Spider could easily spot any attempt Shi Feng made to attack from a distance of thirty to forty yards, making the situation extremely unfavorable for Shi Feng.
“Interesting.” However, Shi Feng did not show any signs of panic. On the contrary, his lips curled up slightly. “If it were any other player here, they might have to fight a bitter battle if they did not possess any supportive tools. Unfortunately, not me.”
Suddenly, a deep-blue flame appeared in Shi Feng’s hand, lighting up the surrounding area. The scorching flame also caused the freezing temperatures inside the cave to rise sharply.
Nevertheless, this was still not the end.
The Ice-Blue Devil Flame in Shi Feng’s hand quickly expanded and enveloped his body, completely covering him in a layer of deep-blue flames. At this moment, Shi Feng looked just like a god of fire, the flames on his body brightly illuminating the entire cave.
Meanwhile, the Blue-eyed Spider’s position had also been clearly revealed.