And then—
Cao Hu, now fully animated, waved his arms as he recounted Zhao Xuan's feats from the previous day in vivid, dramatic detail.
From his expression—
and the way he spoke with such pride—
anyone unaware of the situation might have thought he was the one who had completed fourteen Tier 3 bounty missions in a single day.
When his story ended, the crowd erupted once again.
"Hissss—"
"Holy hell, that's insane! Fourteen bounty missions in one day?!"
"You're telling me he's just a fresh high school graduate?"
"Unbelievable… these kids nowadays are terrifying. I thought the Di family's young lady was an exception, but now there's another one?!"
"No, no, you don't get it—Zhao Xuan's even more impressive than her! The Di girl's the Governor's daughter. She's had access to rare elixirs and elite training since childhood. Of course she's strong! But Zhao Xuan? He's just an ordinary kid! His parents went missing years ago, he's lived alone ever since, and his family's situation isn't even above Tongcheng's average line!"
"Now that you mention it… that really puts it in perspective."
The crowd murmured, full of awe and curiosity.
But then—
One of the ability users suddenly shouted, pointing toward the stone monuments in the distance.
"Look! It's starting! Zhao Xuan's already cleared the first stage!"
Before the others could even react—
"Wait—! Second stone just lit up!"
Everyone's heads snapped toward the glowing stones.
But even before they turned—
"Third! Fourth! He's already at the fourth stage!"
The onlookers finally focused their eyes on the relic's eight monumental stones.
The first three were blazing bright gold—
and within seconds,
the fourth burst to life as well.
"The fourth one's lit!"
"What kind of speed is that?!"
"Monstrous! The kid's a damn monster!"
Their voices were filled with disbelief.
Meanwhile, inside the relic—
Zhao Xuan had already stepped into the fifth trial.
The moment he entered, a howling gust sliced through the air.
He barely reacted in time—activating Iron Body (Tekkai) to block.
The blow landed hard, pushing him back several steps.
He looked down—
a crimson slash ran across his arm.
"Hiss… that hurt more than I expected," Zhao Xuan muttered through his teeth. "If I hadn't used Tekkai at the last second, I'd be bleeding out right now."
His eyes narrowed as he analyzed the enemy.
"The Tier 3 Xuanbird—its speed is much higher than Tier 2s. Its attacks carry metal-elemental energy, sharp enough to slice through my defenses even with two hundred physique points and Iron Body active."
"No wonder the Tongcheng Guild couldn't clear this relic yet…"
Indeed—
At that moment, Zhao Xuan had not used his Azure Dragon Fruit ability.
Why?
Because he thought that would make the fight too easy.
He wanted combat experience—
to increase the proficiency of his martial techniques,
not just rely on raw power.
In the previous stage, he had annihilated the Tier 2 Xuanbirds instantly using his dragon aura,
but as soon as that was done, he had released his partial dragon transformation to fight on equal footing again.
Otherwise—
even the sharpest feathers of a Tier 3 Xuanbird couldn't scratch him in that form.
"Step! Step!"
The sharp sound of talons cut through the wind as the Xuanbird lunged again, its wings slicing the air.
Zhao Xuan moved.
His body vanished in a blur—
but even with Soru (Shave),
he wasn't fast enough.
A glint of light flashed—
another claw mark tore through his shirt, leaving a fresh red line on his chest.
The Xuanbird shrieked.
"Screech!!"
It came again, faster than before.
"Step—step!"
This time, Zhao Xuan didn't dodge.
He clenched his jaw.
"If I can't outspeed it… then dodging is pointless."
He grounded his stance, muscles tensing like iron.
Instead of retreating, he charged straight forward, meeting the oncoming strike head-on.
His fingers curled together, coated in dense armament energy.
"Shigan! (Finger Gun)!"
A piercing thrust shot forward.
The Xuanbird screeched again, its wings flaring wide—
dozens of metallic feathers launched toward him like a rain of blades.
Zhao Xuan didn't flinch.
He activated Iron Body once more—
the storm of feathers struck him head-on,
sparks flying as they shattered against his hardened skin.
In the same instant—
He closed the distance and drove his glowing fingertip straight into the creature's chest.
"Screech!!"
The Xuanbird's cry was sharp and brief.
Its body spun backward, slammed into the ground, and disintegrated into motes of light.
"High attack, high speed, low defense—exactly as I thought."
Zhao Xuan muttered, lowering his hand.
A brilliant white light enveloped his body—
Trial Five: Cleared.
Outside the relic, the fifth monument suddenly ignited with golden radiance.
"Look! The fifth one's glowing!"
"He cleared five stages already!?"
"Impossible… it hasn't even been ten minutes!"
The crowd fell silent for a moment—
then erupted into thunderous shouts.
At that very same time—
a certain young woman, standing quietly among the onlookers,
lifted her gaze toward the glowing stones.
Her beautiful eyes shimmered faintly—
a mix of surprise, interest,
and something that looked suspiciously like anticipation.
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