Shi Feng turned and fled.
The Silver-Eyed Lion King let out an enraged roar, its silver eyes locking onto Shi Feng. Its powerful, thick front leg stamped down on the grass, kicking up a fierce gust of wind as it gave chase.
However, in terms of speed, Shi Feng still had the clear advantage, and the distance was slowly widening. But if Shi Feng tried to kite the beast, he would quickly be caught up.
Shi Feng couldn't use potions to restore his HP; his only method of recovery was combat regeneration. However, it only restored 1% of his HP every five seconds. Given Shi Feng's total HP, that translated to just 24 health points restored every five seconds.
Recovering over 600 health points would take a considerable amount of time.
"Good thing I'm still a little faster. This area is large, so I can run freely. Otherwise, I'd really be done for," Shi Feng thought, his peripheral vision checking on the Silver-Eyed Lion King while his main focus remained on the surrounding environment.
The game Divine Realm was different from other virtual reality games; it was far more realistic.
One could say a player's combat power only determined 50% of a battle's outcome. Environmental factors accounted for 40%, and the remaining 10% was luck.
Luck was an uncertain factor and wasn't considered.
Of the 50% from combat power and the 40% from the environment, how much a player could master was a key indicator of their skill level.
An ordinary expert could utilize 50% of their own combat power. A player's total combat power was systematically evaluated by the Main God System to derive this final value, and it was considered the most authoritative measure.
As for how the calculation was made, only the Main God System knew.
Currently, the Main God System didn't display a player's combat power or how much they could utilize. Only after players cleared a hundred-man team dungeon would Divine Realm undergo its second evolution. Subsequently, teleportation gates to the God-Demon Arena would appear in major cities. Inside the God-Demon Arena, players could duel each other to not only obtain equipment but also improve their skills and gain levels. As players continuously battled, the Main God System's data became more refined. Shortly after, a personal combat power evaluation system appeared, allowing everyone to test their own level.
Because of this, dueling in Divine Realm became incredibly popular, eventually developing to the point where it completely replaced real-world martial arts tournaments.
Utilizing 50% of one's combat power made one an expert.
Utilizing over 60% made one a second-rate expert.
Reaching 70% made one a first-rate expert.
Surpassing 85% made one a top-tier expert. Most of these individuals were renowned figures in Divine Realm, frequently participating in the global tournament held only once a year, and were undoubtedly celebrities that all players followed.
Shi Feng had once been a Tier 3 top-tier Sword King. Although he couldn't compare to those grand masters of Divine Realm, he still stood within the ranks of first-rate experts, capable of utilizing around 80% of his own combat power. However, compared to his combat power utilization, Shi Feng was even more proficient at leveraging the surrounding environment.
In raw combat power, Shi Feng and the Silver-Eyed Lion King were roughly equal, but the Lion King's HP was vastly superior. Ignoring environmental factors, the outcome of a direct confrontation was certain: Shi Feng would die 100% of the time.
Under normal circumstances, death would just be death, but this was different. This was a trial quest with no second chances. His death would mean the end of the quest, so he absolutely could not die.
After running for over ten minutes, Shi Feng arrived at a small hill, with the Silver-Eyed Lion King still hot on his heels.
After circling the hill for a while, he spotted a cliff. Shi Feng's eyes lit up, and the corner of his mouth twitched upward.
"Finally, I've found the key to victory," he chuckled softly. He activated Wind Walk again, boosting his speed as he charged towards the cliff.
Shi Feng could have used this time to widen the gap between himself and the Lion King, but he hadn't done so because he was searching for favorable terrain to deal with his pursuer.
One minute later, Shi Feng stood at the edge of the cliff. Below was a canyon filled with shattered rock.
"The height should be about right," Shi Feng estimated to himself, believing the plan was viable.
A few seconds later, the Silver-Eyed Lion King caught up.
Seeing the Lion King rushing towards him, its sharp claws swiping at his head, Shi Feng leaped sideways to dodge. The Lion King's claws slammed into the cliff face with a thunderous boom.
The ground beneath both Shi Feng and the Lion King crumbled, and the man and beast plunged off the cliff.
Just before hitting the ground, Shi Feng activated the Ring of Gravity Release, drastically reducing his speed. He landed softly, like a feather.
The Silver-Eyed Lion King was not so fortunate. It crashed into the ground, creating a deep crater and embedding itself. Its HP was reduced to a sliver.
"Tough one, aren't you? Still alive after that. But you brought this on yourself, so off you go," Shi Feng said ruthlessly, unleashing his Thunderbolt Flash.
Three streaks of lightning swept out, claiming the Lion King's remaining thousand-plus health points.
If Shi Feng had simply jumped off the cliff, the Lion King wouldn't have followed; it would have run around to continue the chase. Fierce beasts possessed decent intelligence. That's why Shi Feng had borrowed the Lion King's own immense destructive power to catch it off guard.
System: Defeated the Silver-Eyed Lion King. Completed the fourth round of the trial challenge. Rewards: 3,000,000 experience points, 20 free Mastery Points, all skill proficiency increased by 300 points, 10 gold coins.
System: Fourth round of the trial passed. Would you like to initiate the next round of the trial?
"Three million experience points? This reward is too generous!" Shi Feng exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the system notification. He had only just reached Level 19 not long ago, and now he could already look forward to Level 20.