Dot Mom tightened her grip slightly, yet the Bull Demon offered no resistance.
Wei Huan thought for a moment and signaled Dot Mom to let go. He then said to Chang Le, "Recall it."
Chang Le nodded. After two attempts, the bull dissolved into black mist and returned to him. In the exact same spot on his chest and arm, the identical Bull Demon magic tattoo reappeared.
"Release it," Wei Huan commanded.
Chang Le obediently released the Bull Demon again, then stood up, looking at Wei Huan expectantly. "Commander Wei, what is this?"
"Your True Self," Wei Huan replied. "And a high-grade one at that."
"Ah, really?" Chang Le let out a silly laugh, instantly overjoyed.
Mu Zhong asked Wei Huan, "You figured it out?"
Wei Huan nodded. "Nine times out of ten."
"What is it?"
"A type of will—an unyielding will. This isn't the actual Bull Demon; it's just that on this battlefield, the unyielding will it left behind was the strongest. Over time, that residual will attracted similar convictions from the surroundings, condensing into this manifestation." Turning to Chang Le, Wei Huan continued, "Actually, when it comes to unyielding will, I believe many in my fleet possess it. My crew consists of Blue Star's strongest elite soldiers; conviction is the one thing they don't lack. The reason Chang Le was able to obtain this isn't because he is the sole strongest, but because he truly possesses a talent for the Nether."
However, before voicing his final theory, Wei Huan ordered: "Have it devour the Nether Power."
"Huh?" Chang Le froze for a second before issuing the command as requested.
The Bull Demon indeed began to feast on the surrounding Nether Power. Its body grew steadily until it reached a height of over three thousand meters, clearing a large circle of Nether energy until it could eat no more. Chang Le looked up, his mouth hanging open in awe.
Increasingly certain, Wei Huan commanded again, "Recall it."
Chang Le recalled the Bull Demon without hesitation. Immediately, as if he had downed a shot of high-proof liquor, a surge of heat rushed to his head. His entire body expanded like a balloon, his height exceeding four meters. His muscles bulged, his skin turned dark, and the overflowing sense of power even reached his hair, making it stand up like a sea urchin.
Chang Le's eyes turned blood-red from the surge of power. He looked at Wei Huan like a mad bull, yet one could still see his calm and restraint. When he spoke, his voice buzzed as if a giant boulder were pressing on his throat: "Commander Wei, I want to test my current capabilities."
The black bull tattoo on his chest shone with a dark luster.
"Fine."
Wei Huan agreed. A teleportation gate opened behind him, and a Grade 6 Twin-Headed Hidden Demon flew out, lunging straight at Chang Le. Chang Le ignored the demon's claws, charged forward, grabbed its wings, and slammed it into the ground.
The earth shook as a five-meter-deep crater opened. The Twin-Headed Hidden Demon was turned into a meat patty; its body dissipated and returned directly to the Great Tomb. One move. A Grade 6 demon was dead. Chang Le, having taken the hit head-on, was completely unharmed—the demon's claws hadn't even left a white mark on his chest.
Mu Zhong raised an eyebrow, his eyes filled with both surprise and deep joy. On Wei Huan's seemingly expressionless face, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
Simultaneously, the undead army poured out of the gate like torrential rain, swarming toward Chang Le. Chang Le fully unleashed himself, fighting with earth-shattering force. The undead's attacks were useless against him, yet he could kill them with a single strike. One punch per kill, one kick per kill. He fought until the sky turned dark, slaying countless undead until a pain in his back and a wave of dizziness caused his legs to give out, and he collapsed.
The surrounding undead army dispersed. Wei Huan reappeared, looking at the now-faded tattoo. "A Magic-Pattern Warrior. That's the name I'm giving it. Your strength during a burst is tied to the grade of the pattern. When the pattern is full, you can fight 300 Grade 6 demons alone. But once the power is exhausted, you enter a weakened state until it refills. This path is strong, but it relies on external forces; you must study it carefully to avoid putting yourself in danger."
Chang Le lay exhausted on the ground, grinning ear to ear. Fighting 300 Grade 6 undead alone? He wouldn't have dared dream of it before. Even with external help, he was satisfied.
Mu Zhong approached to heal Chang Le's back with Nature Power, smiling. "Remember what I said? Opportunities are everywhere. Congratulations on creating a new branch profession."
Chang Le's eyes grew misty. "I remember. Thank you for the reminder, Captain Mu. It was because of you that I took this step. I really did it!"
---
A month in the Challenge World was two months in the Beast World. During this time, Wei Huan visited the abyss in the Northern Sea and confirmed the abnormality, but he didn't act yet; he had more pressing matters.
He spent the rest of the time cultivating and monitoring the newcomers. While there were casualties among the aggressive ones, most survived and found their "True Self." However, with four months of the trial remaining, Wei Huan could no longer stay.
Most of the veterans at the Pioneer Headquarters left, leaving Mu Zhong's cousin and a logistics team to oversee the rest. The 735 people who had crossed the World Gate stood behind Wei Huan. They landed at the Grade 6 military base and, shortly after being led into a prepared building, disappeared. They had returned to Wei Huan's vehicle.
The vehicle was parked in the Void Space with a skeleton crew, primarily to look after the World Tree sapling. Elder Ju had stayed behind. Having aged, his cultivation was slow; he preferred sipping tea and reading under the aura of the World Tree to adventuring. The tree was gradually rejuvenating his body; he had much less white hair than when he first boarded.
With Elder Ju watching the ship, Wei Huan felt at ease being away for over a month. When the 735 crew members returned to the central park plaza of the vehicle, Wei Huan turned to Elder Ju.
"I figured you'd be back soon," Elder Ju smiled. "The opening battle starts in a few hours. You're not going back to Blue Star for a visit?"
"After the opening battle, I'll have to go back anyway," Wei Huan replied.
"It seems the Beast World has improved you all greatly," Elder Ju noted. "You've changed quite a bit in just two months."
---
[Notice! The Mountains and Seas Battlefield is about to open. Countdown: 10 minutes...]
As the final second ticked away, Wei Huan stood with his vice-captains in the cockpit. White light flashed, and they appeared in a "Mountains and Seas" map.
The opening battle, Mountains and Seas Battlefield, was a contained arena. Wei Huan ordered the vehicle to fly high. Far off, he saw towering mountains and seas on both sides. Normally, they would clash with the Dark Beasts in the mountains while using the seas for tactical maneuvering.
"Commander, the army is assembled," Mu Zhong reported.
Wei Huan looked down. Tens of thousands of vehicles were lined up, painted in the colors of various nations, engines roaring. Although everyone suspected the Dark Beasts might not even show up—either too busy or too afraid—humanity took no chances. Over two million people had been mobilized. This was the largest turnout in history. Everyone wanted to join a "winning battle."
After ten minutes of coordinating command links, Wei Huan gave the order: "Move out!"
---
In the live stream, 99% of the cameras were locked on Wei Huan.
"It's been too long since we saw Commander Wei!"
"He's becoming so low-profile, but his deeds are anything but. Every major move by the Pioneer Army has his shadow on it."
The human army pushed forward. After half a day of traveling through the mountains and another four hours deeper, they found no trace of the Dark Beasts. They had compressed the enemy's territory to the final third of the map. Finally, the first Dark Beast Lord's territory appeared.
To the Dark Beast Kings, ordinary beasts were just tools. Even if they couldn't stop Wei Huan, they had to provide some resistance. These Lords were sent there to die. Wei Huan felt no pity, crushing everything in his path. He remained vigilant, his undead army spread out within summoning distance.
By nightfall, the fleet reached the Dark Beast camp. It was a massive black plaza with a triangular tower in the center. In the base area, challengers were forced out of their vehicles for melee combat. But there wasn't a single Dark Beast in sight.
Wei Huan selected 100 challengers to accompany him to the Dark Beast Plane—survivability was the priority. Each carried ten spatial warehouses. He was going to strip the place bare.
Before leaving, Mu Zhong informed him that some generals had asked to swap into the "Top 100" list for the prestige. Mu Zhong had refused. "They have no right to touch this, regardless of political factors."
"Who were they?" Wei Huan asked, sounding like he wanted to settle scores.
"Greed is universal," Mu Zhong shook his head. "They shut up after I said no. Not worth mentioning."
"You don't have to endure them," Wei Huan said. "With me here, you can be as decisive and 'arrogant' as you like."
Mu Zhong smiled. "With you here, no one dares say a harsh word to me."
They entered the tower. At the end of a straight corridor was a black stone door that could only be opened by a challenger's touch. Behind it was a water curtain.
"Stay close," Wei Huan warned, and stepped through.
As expected, the Challenge World announced the human victory and distributed rewards. Cathay received another super-rare resource. But the crowd was more interested in the "raid" on the Dark Beast world.
Wei Huan stepped onto the World Gate inside the room, which showed 700 hours remaining.
"Congratulations to the 100 Heroes for opening the 'Brave Challenge.' You will challenge survival for 700 hours and 4 minutes in a world filled with enemies. Warning: Difficulty is extremely high. Accept?"
"Yes!" Wei Huan said.
White light flashed, and the 100 warriors vanished.
---
The Dark Beast Plane.
The hundred people landed. It was a true universe with light, dark, and complex terrain.