"What incredible pressure!"
Shi Feng stared at the five crystals hovering before him, his expression growing solemn.
It was obvious that the five crystals represented the strength of potential opponents. The more powerful the opponent, the greater the pressure — and it also served as a hint so players could make an informed choice. However, even the crystal radiating the weakest pressure among the five was enough to put considerable strain on him, which meant the difficulty was far from as easy as he had imagined.
It wasn't just Shi Feng inside the magic circle who felt it. Even those who had just arrived outside — Shuise Qiangwei and the others — could clearly sense the terrifying pressure emanating from the crystals, as though each one concealed a fearsome monster within.
"These five crystals each represent your opponent. You may choose one from the five that you feel you can defeat. Remember, you only have three chances." Taloc looked at Shi Feng and offered his reminder.
"Three chances?" Shi Feng considered for a moment, then selected the second-strongest crystal among the five. "Lord Taloc, I choose this crystal."
Three chances total. The God Rank was completely out of the question based on pressure alone. Even the Asura Rank left him with no confidence. But three chances meant he could try twice first.
If he managed to pass, the contribution points he'd earn for entering the Ancient City would be considerably higher, saving him a great deal of trouble.
"The Asura Rank?" Taloc glanced at Shi Feng and couldn't help but shake his head. "A truly brave young man. But since you've made your choice, the trial begins."
With a wave of one hand, Taloc shattered the Asura Rank crystal. It transformed into a wisp of mist that gradually coalesced into a humanoid form. Before long, three beings that looked exactly like Shi Feng appeared — aside from displaying the name "Shadow of the Trial," they showed no other information whatsoever.
"Three of them?" Shi Feng's mouth twitched.
Although he couldn't see any stats on these Shadows of the Trial, he could clearly sense that their base attributes were likely higher than his own.
Outside the magic circle, Shuise Qiangwei couldn't help but draw a sharp breath.
The three Shadows of the Trial standing there gave off the impression of three Great Lords — no, to be more precise, they radiated even greater pressure than the Great Lords they had encountered before. They were more like three High Great Lords.
"You only need to land ten hits on each of them to pass the trial. However, let me remind you of one thing — everything you can do, they can do too. Likewise, if they hit you ten times, you're immediately eliminated." Taloc spoke once more.
After Taloc finished explaining the rules, the three Shadows of the Trial all displayed cold, almost human-like smiles before vanishing from their positions, transforming into streaks of afterimages as they charged toward Shi Feng.
"So fast!" The onlookers outside the magic circle were startled.
Even they could only catch a faint trace of afterimages at that speed.
Moreover, unlike ordinary monsters, the three Shadows of the Trial possessed extremely high intelligence. They didn't fight individually but coordinated as a trio, attacking from three different directions with timing that was nothing short of perfect.
In the blink of an eye, all three Shadows of the Trial appeared around Shi Feng simultaneously, each swinging a sword strike at him.
Phantom Sword Light!
Purgatory Fivefold Slash!
Illusory Light Shadow!
In an instant, sword light filled the space around Shi Feng — ten phantom sword images from Phantom Sword Light, each successive strike of the Purgatory Fivefold Slash more devastating than the last, and Illusory Light Shadow's unstoppable barrage — completely sealing him in with no room to dodge or block.
"Damn it!" Shi Feng's expression darkened.
A combined assault of three skills — even he wouldn't dare take it head-on. No, blocking meant certain death.
Just as the attacks were about to land, Shi Feng activated God Shadow Step, splitting into ten clones that instantly swapped positions with the surrounding duplicates. He then turned toward one of the Shadows of the Trial and unleashed Phantom Sword Light.
But before the phantom sword images could even reach that Shadow of the Trial, it too produced ten clones — and Phantom Sword Light only struck clones.