Moments later, the seventh level arrived.
The environment changed once again.
This time, Li Yan found himself within a vast ruin beneath a gray sky. Crumbling stone structures stretched across the landscape, broken pillars rising from the earth like the remains of a forgotten civilization. The air felt heavy and ancient.
The bracelet chimed softly.
Ding.
[Level: 7
Points: 1,420
Time Remaining: 1:09:31]
Li Yan had barely finished reading the information when the first wave appeared.
Twenty-five Tier-3 Magical Beasts.
Flame Fang Lions emerged from between collapsed walls. Ironhide Direwolves charged across the ruined streets. Earthly Crocodiles burst from beneath cracked stone pathways.
The battle began immediately.
Compared to the sixth level, the pressure increased noticeably.
The number of beasts had grown. Their coordination improved. More importantly, the terrain itself complicated every movement.
Li Yan remained calm.
His sword flashed repeatedly through the battlefield as he advanced through the ruins.
The first wave lasted several minutes before the final beast fell.
Then the second wave arrived.
Another twenty-five Tier-3 Magical Beasts.
This time, the attacks came from multiple directions simultaneously.
Several beasts attempted to pin him down while others attacked from blind spots created by the ruined structures.
For the first time since entering the pagoda, Li Yan stopped relying solely on ordinary sword strikes.
Darkness Qi surged through his meridians.
"Nightfall Slash."
Crescent-shaped slashes shot forward.
The attack tore through the charging beasts, instantly reducing their numbers.
The pressure eased slightly.
Li Yan immediately pressed forward.
His swordsmanship, combat experience, and understanding of battlefield positioning gradually revealed their value. Every movement served a purpose. Every strike eliminated a threat.
The second wave eventually collapsed.
The third wave followed shortly afterward.
Twenty-five more beasts.
By now, the ruined city had become a battlefield filled with shattered stone and fading particles of light. Several times, dozens of Magical Beasts attacked simultaneously, forcing Li Yan to adapt continuously.
Whenever the beasts attempted to surround him, he used Umbral Step to escape the encirclement before launching counterattacks from advantageous positions.
The fighting continued for nearly twenty minutes.
Eventually, the final beast fell.
Silence returned to the ruins.
Li Yan exhaled slowly.
Three flags appeared, and he immediately collected them.
Level Seven Cleared.
A familiar spatial fluctuation descended once more.
The ruined city vanished.
The next moment, Li Yan appeared on the eighth level.
A vast volcanic wasteland stretched before him.
Molten rivers flowed through the landscape. Cracks filled with magma spread across the blackened ground. Heat distorted the air itself.
The bracelet chimed again.
Ding.
[Level: 8
Points: 2,045
Time Remaining: 0:49:13]
Li Yan's gaze lingered on the timer.
Only forty-nine minutes remained to clear the final two levels.
Under normal circumstances, reaching the hidden level was already difficult. The eighth level alone contained one hundred Tier-3 Magical Beasts. The ninth contained two hundred and fifty.
The remaining time wasn't enough.
At least, that was how it appeared.
At that moment, thirty Tier-3 Magical Beasts materialized roughly fifty meters away.
Without hesitation, they charged toward him.
Li Yan observed the approaching horde. Then suddenly, a thought surfaced in his mind.
Training Rings.
A conversation with Yao Fuhuo flashed through his memory. More specifically, an unanswered question. "What happens when you remove the Training Rings?"
Another sentence followed shortly afterward. "The next time you enter the Hunting Grounds, try fighting after deactivating your Training Rings."
Li Yan lowered his gaze toward the rings wrapped around his wrists and ankles.
For almost a year, he had carried a burden, which started from two hundred and now reached two thousand six hundred jin.
His body had adapted so completely that he rarely thought about the weight anymore. Now, standing at level 8 with a hundred Magical Beasts and a rapidly decreasing timer, curiosity finally surfaced.
With a single thought, Qi flowed into the rings. One star dimmed on each of the four Green Star Training Rings.
Instantly, the burden pressing upon his body decreased from two thousand six hundred jin to two thousand two hundred jin.
Li Yan's eyes widened slightly. The difference was immediate. It felt as though invisible chains had suddenly loosened around his entire body.
His muscles responded more quickly. His movements became lighter. Even the circulation of Qi seemed smoother. The improvement exceeded his expectations.
For a brief moment, he simply stood there, experiencing the change.
Then he stepped forward.
Boom.
Cracks spread beneath his foot.
His figure blurred.
A sonic boom echoed across the volcanic wasteland. The nearest Magical Beast didn't even have time to react.
His sword passed through its body. The beast dissolved into particles of light. The second died an instant later.
Then the third. The fourth. The fifth.
Li Yan moved across the battlefield like a shadow. A beast that should have intercepted him struck only empty air. His speed had increased dramatically. His reactions became sharper. His attacks carried greater force.
The months spent training beneath a constant burden were finally revealing their value.
A smile slowly appeared on his face. "Now I understand why Senior Yao recommended these training rings."
His gaze swept across the remaining beasts charging toward him. The pressure that had seemed overwhelming moments earlier no longer felt the same.
For the first time since entering the eighth level, genuine confidence appeared in his eyes. Reaching the hidden level suddenly seemed possible.
And the hundred beasts of the eighth level no longer appeared nearly as intimidating as before.
Minutes passed.
Under normal circumstances, such a number would have required considerable effort to overcome. Yet after reducing the burden of the Training Rings, the battle became entirely different.
His speed increased dramatically. His movements became smoother. Even the control he exerted over his own body felt more natural.
The beasts that once required careful positioning now struggled to keep pace with him.
By the time the final Magical Beast dissolved into particles of light, Li Yan had gained a much clearer understanding of the changes.
The increase was not merely physical.
A year of continuous training under extreme weight had strengthened every aspect of his body. Now that a portion of that burden had been removed, the results manifested immediately.
The spatial fluctuations descended once more.
The volcanic wasteland disappeared.
When his vision stabilized, Li Yan found himself standing atop a vast black plain.
The land stretched endlessly beneath a dark sky. No mountains. No forests. No ruins.
Only darkness.
The atmosphere itself felt heavy and oppressive. Even before the trial officially began, Li Yan could already sense countless auras surrounding him.
Ding.
The bracelet emitted a soft chime.
[Level: 9
Points: 2,685
Time Remaining: 0:30:49]
Li Yan slowly exhaled. Then he looked ahead.
His eyes narrowed slightly. The plain before him suddenly filled with Magical Beasts.
Seventy-five of them.
The sight alone would have caused most Azure-Rank disciples to despair.
Tier-3 beasts occupied the battlefield in every direction. Some resembled wolves. Others looked like giant panthers. Several possessed long, serpent-like bodies that slithered across the dark ground.
A low growl echoed across the plain.
Then another.
Soon, countless roars merged. The battlefield trembled. The horde had noticed him.
A sea of crimson eyes locked onto his position.
Then they charged.
Dust exploded into the air.
Seventy-five Magical Beasts surged forward simultaneously, transforming into a living tide that swept across the plain.
Li Yan remained motionless. His Spiritual Sense expanded across seventy-five meters of battlefield. Calculations rapidly formed within his mind.
The remaining time. The beast formations. The fastest routes. The greatest threats. Everything was analyzed almost instantly.
He knew very well that killing them one by one was impossible. Even if he possessed the strength. There wasn't enough time.
A faint smile appeared on his face. Without hesitation, Li Yan unleashed his Earth-Level Sword Intent.
The atmosphere immediately changed—an invisible pressure spread across the battlefield. The charging beasts instinctively became more agitated.
Their roars intensified. The distance between them rapidly shrank. Yet Li Yan showed no sign of panic.
When the horde entered his attack range, he finally moved.
His sword swung.
Then again. And again.
Several crescent-shaped arcs erupted from his blade. Each carried the power of Earth-Level Sword Intent.
The attacks swept across the battlefield like blades of judgment. Everything standing in their path was cut apart.
Beasts exploded into particles of light. Bodies vanished before they could even hit the ground.
The charging formation collapsed instantly. Nearly one-third of the horde disappeared beneath the opening barrage.
Li Yan's eyes remained calm. The first attack had achieved exactly what he wanted. However, the surviving beasts quickly scattered. Their formation became chaotic and irregular.
At that point, further large-scale attacks would produce diminishing returns.
Without hesitation, Li Yan charged forward.
His figure blurred. The reduced burden of the Training Rings allowed him to maintain astonishing speed. Darkness Qi surged from his body and enveloped the blade.
His sword flashed repeatedly. One beast after another fell.
Several wolves attempted to surround him. A panther lunged from the side. A serpent struck from behind.
Li Yan moved through the battlefield like a shadow. Every attack found its target. Every movement served a purpose.
Soon, the surviving beasts instinctively compressed their formation again. They converged from all directions. The encirclement tightened. Their numbers formed a dense cluster around his position.
Exactly as Li Yan intended.
The moment the formation condensed, Earth-Level Sword Intent erupted once more. His sword swept horizontally.
A massive crescent arc exploded outward. Several beasts were cut apart simultaneously. Before their bodies fully dissolved, Li Yan attacked again.
Then again. And again.
Every strike harvested multiple targets. Every movement carried absolute efficiency. The battlefield rapidly emptied.
The roars gradually diminished.
One after another, the remaining Magical Beasts disappeared.
Eventually, silence returned.
The final beast of the first wave collapsed, and two flags appeared, which Li Yan collected.
Then Li Yan immediately retrieved a Tier-5 Qi Replenishment Pill and swallowed it. Warm medicinal energy spread through his meridians.
The Qi he had consumed during the battle rapidly recovered. He had only a brief moment to prepare.
Because new fluctuations were already appearing throughout the plain, the second wave had arrived.
Seventy-five more Magical Beasts materialized across the battlefield.
Their numbers were identical. Their pressure was not. The moment they appeared, the horde charged forward.
Li Yan tightened his grip on the sword. Then he stepped forward once more.
Minutes passed as the second wave of beasts was gradually exterminated.
The battlefield had become a sea of fading particles of light. The final Magical Beast collapsed beneath Li Yan's sword.
Without delay, he retrieved another Tier-5 Qi Replenishment Pill and swallowed it.
Warm medicinal energy spread through his meridians, rapidly restoring the Qi he had consumed throughout the battle.
As the effects circulated through his body, his gaze shifted toward the bracelet.
[Level: 9
Points: 3,475
Time Remaining: 0:13:26]
Li Yan frowned slightly.
Then he shook his head. "No. That's not enough."
His eyes narrowed as he studied the remaining time. "At this pace, the hidden level is out of reach."
Almost immediately, the black plain trembled once more. The third and final wave appeared. One hundred Tier-3 Magical Beasts materialized throughout the battlefield.
The sheer number was enough to make any Azure-Rank disciple lose hope instantly.
Massive rhino-like beasts lowered their heads. Scaled serpents slithered across the ground. Crimson Breath Lions released low growls. Venom Spiders spread across the battlefield. Several enormous bear-like creatures stood among them, their bodies resembling moving boulders.
A hundred pairs of crimson eyes locked onto Li Yan simultaneously.
Then they charged. The plain shook beneath hundreds of pounding footsteps. Dust exploded into the air.
Li Yan glanced toward the timer again. Only thirteen minutes remained.
Without hesitation, Qi surged toward the Green Star Training Rings around his wrists and ankles.
Another star dimmed on each ring. Instantly, the burden pressing upon his body decreased by another four hundred jin.
The effect was immediate. His body became lighter. His muscles responded more quickly. The circulation of Qi accelerated.
The charging beasts rapidly closed the distance.
Forty meters.
Thirty.
Twenty.
Li Yan finally moved.
Earth-Level Sword Intent erupted once more. His sword swept through the air several times. Multiple crescent arcs shot toward the approaching horde.
Each attack cut through several beasts simultaneously. Each arc carved through four or more beasts, while injuring several others nearby.
The charging formation immediately fractured. The moment the formation broke apart, Li Yan stepped forward.
Boom.
The ground shattered beneath his foot. His figure blurred.