Chapter 482: Blood Boiling

"Good. Very good!"

Having figured this out, the blood in Ye Xuan’s body began to boil, and a sharp battle intent erupted from his eyes.

"I’ve been treating this Trial Tower as a game, but now, I see I was wrong. You... are worthy of being my opponent."

With his longsword in hand, an astonishing aura suddenly burst forth from Ye Xuan.

Fight! Fight! Fight!

An excited roar echoed in Ye Xuan’s mind.

At that very moment, the black-clad man charged forward once more.

SWISH! A brilliant sword light, like a sliver of the Milky Way, fell from the sky.

"Star Sword Skill!"

Ye Xuan was both shocked and delighted. The Star Sword Skill was an incredibly powerful swordsmanship he had mastered in his previous life, but he had never once used it in this one.

Yet the spiritual simulacrum from the Trial Tower had executed it with ease. It was clearly capable of perfectly simulating every move he had ever mastered, whether in his past life or his current one.

’What kind of treasure is this?’

"Haha, well done! When it comes to the Star Sword Skill, did you think I would fear you?"

Ye Xuan laughed heartily. Longsword in hand, he executed a move from the Star Sword Skill as well.

Sword Qi soared and Profound Power flowed, looking like the Milky Way descending from the heavens to scatter across the mortal world.

BANG!

The two vast galaxies of light collided in the void, releasing a deafening roar. Amidst the sweeping Profound Power, both Ye Xuan and the black-clad man were forced back.

However, Ye Xuan retreated only three steps, while the black-clad man was pushed back a full five or six.

’His strength, Profound Power, and speed are all identical to mine. But there’s a gap between us in our comprehension of the Star Sword Skill’s intent.’

Ye Xuan quickly identified the difference between himself and the black-clad man.

This also confirmed his earlier theory.

The Star Sword Skill was from his past life. Ye Xuan’s comprehension of its intent had already reached the pinnacle; he was second to none.

’If I want to kill him, I just need to use more techniques from my past life. It’ll have a miraculous effect.’

’But since this is such a good opportunity, why not have a little more fun?’

"Come!"

Instead of trying to find the quickest way to kill this first spiritual simulacrum, Ye Xuan engaged it in a continuous struggle. He even deliberately used the Cultivation Techniques and martial skills from this life that he hadn’t yet fully mastered.

"SWISH!"

"SWISH!"

"SWISH!"

One attack after another flowed from Ye Xuan’s hands. Dazzling Profound Power clashed in the void. Through this constant battle, Ye Xuan came to understand the black-clad man with extreme clarity.

Fast!

Like a bolt of lightning!

Like a racing thunderclap!

The two exchanged over a hundred moves in the blink of an eye, each one perilous.

SCHLICK!

A sword light flashed, and both Ye Xuan and the black-clad man were sent flying backward. A bloody gash had appeared on each of their bodies.

"Haha, exhilarating! This is absolutely exhilarating!"

Ye Xuan laughed heroically, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, unable to contain his excitement.

How could he not be excited?

After his rebirth, Ye Xuan had been in many battles.

But every single fight had been one of two kinds: either he faced an expert whose realm far surpassed his own and was suppressed by their sheer power, or he faced someone of a similar realm and crushed them with ease. There was never a third possibility.

None of those battles had given him this kind of passion-stirring thrill, much to the vexation of Ye Xuan, who had loved to fight in his past life.

But now, here in the Trial Tower, Ye Xuan was finally enjoying that passion.

The black-clad man simulated by the Trial Tower was his exact equal in strength, speed, and Profound Power. It was inferior to him in some martial skills, yet it surpassed him in others.

This was a perfectly matched opponent—the kind that was hard to find anywhere in the world.

Good opponents are rare, and heroes are lonely.

Having finally found an opponent against whom he could go all out in a passionate battle, how could he not be thrilled?

"Hahaha, come!"

Amidst his booming laughter, Ye Xuan clashed madly with the black-clad man.

The sky filled with flowing Profound Power, creating a splendid and beautiful scene.

If any expert were to witness the battle between Ye Xuan and the black-clad man at this moment, their eyes would surely pop out of their sockets in shock.

Techniques refined to the point of perfection, a flawless understanding of intent, speed, strength, and Profound Power all pushed to their absolute limits—how did this look like a contest between two Tier Five Martial Sects? It was more like two peerless experts, vying for supremacy and not giving an inch.

In the heat of battle, Ye Xuan’s mind was a sea of clarity.

New wounds continuously appeared on his body, bloody and gruesome to behold.

But he had no intention of ending the fight quickly. Instead, his blood boiled with excitement as he continuously circulated the Nine Profound World-Defying Art and the Nine Revolutions Sacred Body to contend with his opponent.

At this moment, Ye Xuan’s goal was no longer just to defeat the black-clad man and enter the second level.

He wanted to use this clash to identify the flaws and weaknesses in his own Cultivation Techniques and martial skills, and to gradually improve himself.

Even more, he wanted a truly satisfying battle.

The time for one incense stick to burn.

The time for two.

One hour.

Ye Xuan was completely immersed in this battle.

As the fight went on, his eyes grew brighter and his fighting stance became increasingly sharp.

The black-clad man seemed more like a mentor than an enemy, clarifying some of Ye Xuan’s lingering doubts about the martial arts one by one.

Looking at it, Ye Xuan felt as if he were looking at himself.

After well over an hour, Ye Xuan finally snapped out of the exhilarating battle.

By now, there wasn’t an uninjured spot on his body. He was covered in blood, his robes were tattered, his Profound Power was mostly depleted, and his ten Profound Veins were in a ruinous state.

The black-clad man opposite him was in no better shape.

This battle had been one between equals—a head-on clash with no fancy tricks.

SWISH!

The black-clad man was merely a spiritual simulacrum created by the Trial Tower. It felt no emotion and knew no pain. It charged fiercely at Ye Xuan once again.

It would not rest until he was dead.

"That’s about enough."

Ye Xuan shook his head. His physical condition had reached its limit. There was no point in continuing to drag this out.

"Kill!"

The instant the black-clad man’s attack arrived, Ye Xuan let out a sudden roar. His body trembled and blurred, instantly splitting into two phantoms that brushed past the black-clad man from the left and right. In the moment he passed by, Ye Xuan abruptly struck with his sword.

"Star Sword Skill—Stellar Flash Explosion!"

At that moment, the longsword in Ye Xuan’s hand seemed to explode, leaving only a dazzling rainbow of sword light that illuminated the world.

PFFT!

A head with blurry features soared into the air. Not a drop of blood sprayed from the neck. The black-clad man, head and all, instantly dissolved into nothingness, vanishing from the space.

"First-level assessment, passed."

"Proceeding to the second level."

An ancient, weathered voice quietly rang out.

At the same time, a soft white light enveloped Ye Xuan’s body. In just a single breath, the wounds on his body healed instantly. His depleted Profound Power was refilled, and immense power returned to his body once more.

"How miraculous."

Ye Xuan murmured in astonishment, feeling his body once again brimming with vigorous life.

The moment the words left his mouth.

SHING! SHING!

Two figures appeared again, a hundred meters in front of Ye Xuan.

These two black-clad men were identical to the previous spiritual simulacrum, without the slightest difference. The moment they appeared, they unleashed two deadly beams of sword light at Ye Xuan.

At the same time, their gazes locked onto Ye Xuan. They attacked from the left and right, sweeping in from two directions to launch a fierce offensive.

"First, defense!"

"Star Core Guard!"

Ye Xuan held his longsword before him. The pervasive sword light suddenly converged, forming a circular, star-like shield that enveloped him completely.

BANG!

The two beams of sword light tore through the circular shield and sent Ye Xuan flying.

’Good. Their strength hasn’t increased. The only difference is that there are two of them now instead of one.’

Circulating his Profound Power to absorb the impact, Ye Xuan’s face showed a mix of joy and disappointment.

He was joyful because his opponents’ strength hadn’t increased, which meant they should be easy to deal with. He was disappointed because it meant he couldn’t learn much more from them; the only thing he could improve was his fighting technique and experience.

But then again, it made sense.

If the Trial Tower not only increased the number of opponents but also their strength with each level, who could possibly reach its higher echelons?

’Across my past life and this one, I’ve never fought two opponents of equal strength at the same time. This is a perfect chance to experience the thrill of surviving in a desperate situation.’

"Kill!"

Having figured this out, Ye Xuan didn’t dodge or evade. Instead, he took the initiative and charged toward the two.

SWOOSH, SWOOSH!

The two black-clad men attacked Ye Xuan madly at the same time, their sword lights crisscrossing through the air. After a quick dash, Ye Xuan abruptly spun around, dodged several sword gleams, and appeared at the side of the two men, using one of their bodies to block the other’s line of sight.

"Go!"

With a furious shout, Ye Xuan slashed out, clashing once with one of the black-clad men, and then dodged away before the other could arrive.

"Interesting. Very interesting."

Fighting two black-clad men simultaneously made Ye Xuan even more excited. His focus was razor-sharp as he searched for an opportunity to survive between them.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

A series of brilliant sword lights flashed rapidly in the empty space, as dazzling as a dream.

「Outside the training room.」

Many students were waiting for Xuan Ye’s name to appear. By now, over an hour had passed since he entered the Trial Tower, but the assessment had yet to end.

This caused many of the students present to break into discussion, their patience wearing thin.

"An hour... that’s not a short amount of time. Normally, one should be able to reach the third level by now, right?"

"It’s very possible. Hou Fei, who was ranked second, made it to the third level. Could it be that this Xuan Ye also wants to reach the third level?"

"That’s not necessarily true. Some people test slowly and are still struggling on the second level. But no matter what, an hour is definitely not a short amount of time."

"Maybe that Xuan Ye didn’t start the test immediately after going in?"

"That’s unlikely, isn’t it? Who would be foolish enough to go in and not start the test? Besides, there are guardians inside too."