Chapter 15: The Final Trial—Guardian of the Valley of a Thousand Trials

Ethan stood with his body exhausted, but his eyes remained sharp, locked onto the arena that was once again changing. The cold air from his battle with Xue Lian slowly faded, replaced by a pressure far greater than before.

The ground trembled, the sky darkened, and at the center of the arena, a crimson light flared intensely. From within the light, a towering figure slowly emerged.

A voice echoed throughout the surroundings.

[Final Trial Initiated: Face the Guardian of the Valley of a Thousand Trials!]

From the radiant light, a three-meter-tall figure took shape, clad in ancient black armor, its entire body enveloped in an aura of flames.

In its hands, it wielded a massive sword that pulsed with overwhelming energy.

[Guardian of the Valley of a Thousand Trials – Qi Refinement Level 1]

Ethan swallowed hard. "Wait… Qi Refinement? That's a whole stage above Mortal!"

Up until now, he had only fought opponents at the Mortal stage. But now, his enemy had reached the next level of cultivation!

The Guardian locked eyes with Ethan before raising its sword high.

BOOM!

A wave of searing energy spread throughout the arena, forcing Ethan to shield his face from the scorching heat.

"I haven't even attacked yet, and the pressure is already insane!"

Before he could process the situation further, the Guardian moved.

Swoosh!

In an instant, it appeared right in front of Ethan, bringing its massive sword down in a devastating slash!

"Damn it!"

With quick reflexes, Ethan activated Shadow Wind Step, leaping to the side.

BOOM!

The Guardian's sword smashed into the ground with tremendous force, creating deep cracks in the arena.

Ethan nearly lost his footing from the impact.

"If I take even one hit, I'm done for!"

He had to rely on his speed to evade.

The Guardian launched another attack, this time a horizontal slash!

Ethan dashed forward, leaping into the air, and unleashed Sword's Cry to counterattack!

CLANG!

His blade struck the Guardian's armor but only left a faint scratch.

"What?!"

A notification appeared.

[The Guardian has High Defense – Normal Attacks Are Ineffective!]

Ethan gritted his teeth. "Damn… I need a different strategy!"

Suddenly, he remembered something—the Basic Qi Essence Technique he had obtained from the previous trial!

Without hesitation, he activated it.

[Basic Qi Essence Technique Activated – Qi Efficiency Increased by 20%!]

The Qi within his body began flowing more smoothly. He could feel a noticeable improvement in his energy control.

"Alright… if normal attacks won't work, I just have to find its weak point!"

He focused his vision, carefully observing the Guardian's movements.

As the Guardian raised its sword once more, Ethan spotted it—a joint in the armor near the knee!

"There!"

He dashed forward, using Shadow Wind Step to accelerate.

With a single focused strike using Heavy Slash, he aimed for the armor's joint!

CRACK!

The Guardian staggered backward!

-50 HP to Guardian!

Ethan smirked. "It worked!"

But the Guardian wasn't finished. Its body began radiating an even stronger red aura.

[The Guardian Has Entered Rage Mode!]

Its eyes glowed crimson, and it swung its sword at an even greater speed!

Ethan tried to dodge, but the Guardian's attacks were now too fast!

-30 HP

His body was sent flying several meters, crashing hard into the ground.

Ethan groaned in pain, but he couldn't give up now.

He took a deep breath and channeled every last bit of Qi he had into his sword.

"I only have one shot at this!"

As the Guardian lifted its sword for a final, devastating blow, Ethan leaped onto its head and slashed at its final weak spot—the joint between its helmet and neck!

"BREAK!"

BOOOOM!

The Guardian's body froze for a moment before exploding into radiant light!

[Final Trial Completed!]

Ethan collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.

"I… I did it?"

The arena slowly returned to its original state, and the mysterious voice spoke once more.

[Congratulations. You have conquered the Valley of a Thousand Trials.]

[Main Reward: Cultivation Technique – Advanced Breath of the Spirit!]

Ethan's eyes widened. "An advanced cultivation technique?!"

A glowing scroll appeared before him, radiating golden light.

Without hesitation, he reached out and took it.

As he unrolled the scroll, information surged into his mind…

And at that moment, for the first time, Ethan truly felt that he was stepping onto the path of a real cultivator.

The Valley of a Thousand Trials had been conquered.

But his journey was only just beginning.