"I can't rashly add points to my Shadow World Behemoth bloodline. If it was as painful as last time when I increased the Chaos Divine Ape bloodline, it will be bad," Draven muttered. After pondering for a while, he decided to increase the Five Mountain King Body Forging Art instead. Since this was also a body forging technique, there was a chance it could push his body towards the genuine Ascendant realm.
"Add 100 points to 'White Tusk Fist Art'," he commanded the Dream God Ring.
The next second, he entered a dream. In this dream, he had transformed into a mighty white elephant, its body towering like a mountain. When its feet landed on the ground, the very earth seemed to quake under its immense might.
Draven could feel how, with each step, energy from all over its body was transferred to its feet, making even mountains on its path crumble into powder. It didn't feel like a special technique, but something inborn, an instinct. It was simply how things were supposed to be; anyone or anything in its path should be ground to dust.
Years passed. As the elephant grew older, its body began to weaken. Its once-majestic form, which had stood defiant against the heavens, slowly succumbed to the passage of time. Then, one day, a man appeared before it. The man wore animal skins and looked burly, with tribal tattoos all over his body. He held a shaman staff in his hand, which he pointed at the white elephant. Suddenly, a magic diagram appeared above the great beast. Without being able to resist, its body turned into an illusionary shadow and merged with the tribal man.
"Arghhh..." The tribal man groaned in pain and fell to the ground as the majestic life force of the white elephant rampaged through his body. Both of his fists exploded on the spot as the fist intent the white elephant had cultivated all its life merged with his palms. At that very moment, the shaman staff lying on the ground emitted a gentle glow, transformed into a pair of golden gauntlets, and replaced his destroyed fists.
"Roar!" The man let out a beastly roar and punched the ground with his new fists. For a moment, it felt as though the majestic white tusk was stomping down, creating a deep crater in the earth.
......
[Dreamer Slab: 3]
[Five Mountain King Body Forging Art (Mortal): 100/500]
[White Tusk Fist Art: 100/100]
[Tiger Claw Art: 0/100]
[Dragon Tail Leg Art: 0/100]
[Serpent Coil Style: 0/100]
[Flowing Bear Palm Style: 0/100]
.....
Draven suddenly woke from the dream, jolted by a sharp pain in his hands. When he opened his eyes, both of his hands were bright red, and the Ultimate Demon Forging Art was now circulating twice as fast as before. Previously, when he had awakened his bloodline, the Ultimate Demon Body Forging Art had also circulated involuntarily, but Draven had felt that he could still stop it if he wished. Now, however, its circulation had become an involuntary mechanism of his body, just like the beating of his heart. Unless he was dead, there was no way to stop it.
"If what that old man said is correct, I think my acquired physique is going to be something related to the Ultimate Demon Body Forging Art. But it's a pity, I still can't feel a breakthrough to the Ascendant realm," Draven muttered to himself in disappointment.
"What happened to your hands? Why did they suddenly turn red?" Alexandra asked curiously when she saw him open his eyes.
Draven woke from his stupor upon hearing her voice. "I had a breakthrough in one of the techniques I practice and reached the perfection stage. This caused the vital chi in my hands to boil due to the new intent integrated into it. It will go back to normal in a bit."
"Oh, congratulations on your breakthrough, Brother Draven," Alexandra said, a hint of envy in her tone. After all, even for geniuses, reaching the perfection stage in any technique was extremely difficult. Though she was from a renowned family, she knew only a very few in her generation who had achieved this stage.
Draven smiled lightly. This wasn't the first time he had reached the perfection stage in a technique, and after living countless years in his dreams, he didn't feel much pride in showing off.
As time passed, the colour of his hands gradually faded and returned to normal.
"Should we start the next round?" Alexandra asked.
Draven nodded and called out, "Senior, we are ready for the next trial."
The same old man appeared before them once again. "In the second trial, you will face 32 beasts with top-quality bloodlines. In this round, there is also no option to quit. But, since I sensed a fist intent from you a moment ago, I can give you an offer. Are you interested?" he asked with a creepy smile.
"Please explain, Senior," Draven asked respectfully.
"My offer is simple. I will cut the number of beasts by half, but only you will fight, and you can only use your fists, no other equipment. Of course, there will be a reward: a unique life-bound treasure, just for you. All the other rules are the same. What do you say?"
Draven was taken aback by the offer. He turned to Alexandra, as this was a decision concerning both their lives. If he were to fall in this trial, both of them would become ghost puppets according to the rules of the Asura God Mansion.
"I don't have any problem. If I were alone, I wouldn't even have the confidence to face a single White Demon Rabbit, let alone sixteen. If you can handle them alone, I am willing to entrust my safety to your hands," Alexandra said with a smile.
She was well aware of her own capabilities. The main element she cultivated was light, a support-type element, and her other advantage as a formation master was useless here since she wasn't allowed to use her formation plates. So, rather than waiting to die, she decided to put her bet on Draven. After all, the guy's physical body was so monstrous that even an Ascendant realm jade Horned Tiger King had failed to kill him.
Upon getting her permission, Draven thought for a moment and nodded. With his physical body, strengthened even further by the perfection of the White Tusk Fist Art, he was sure he could handle even a thousand beasts at the Mortal realm, much less a mere sixteen.
Of course, handling a thousand beasts sounded ridiculous, but the Ultimate Demon Body Forging Art was considered the strongest vital chi forbidden technique for this very reason. Although it was hard to practice, once you achieved something in it, you would be at the very top of the food chain in the same realm.
"Good! That's the spirit a warrior should have. Honestly, even I am eager to see you fight," the old man chuckled lightly and waved his hand.
Before Draven, 16 humanoid creatures with bull heads and copper-like skin appeared one after the other. All of them looked muscular, with heavy vital chi emanating from their bodies.
"Minotaur Demons. They rely on their fists to fight. You can tell me when you are ready," the old man said casually.
Draven sized up the Minotaur Demons and unbuttoned his white shirt. His shirt was made from the skin of an Ascendant realm beast with high elemental resistance, but Draven decided not to wear it. While it could negate elemental attacks like fire or lightning, its toughness was not that great. If it tore during the fight, it would be a permanent and foolish loss.
"Wow," Alexandra covered her mouth in surprise when Draven removed his shirt. All over his body were several battle scars, but due to his well-built, jade-like muscles, the scars didn't look ugly. Quite the contrary, they made him look even more manly.
"Well-defined muscles with vital chi involuntarily flowing through 360 acupoints. In my entire life, I've only seen two with such a perfect body. One was the Ultimate Demon God, and the other is this little guy. If he can perfect his physique even further, there is a very high chance he can awaken the same physique as the Ultimate Demon God," the old man said with a trace of nostalgia in his tone.