Xiajing City – Outside the Trial Tower
Meng Anwen, the master of the trial tower, was fully focused, working diligently to restore the disrupted rules of the battle space. As the minutes ticked by, the group around him grew visibly more anxious. The longer the interference persisted, the greater the risk for the candidates trapped inside.
Suddenly, Meng Anwen drew in a sharp breath, his expression shifting.
"What happened?" Bai Yiyuan asked, his voice tense.
Meng Anwen replied, his eyes narrowing, "The interference from the abyss has weakened significantly."
Bai Yiyuan's face hardened. "Does that mean... all the candidates are dead?"
Meng Anwen took a moment to concentrate, then shook his head. "No. I can still sense multiple life forces in there. Human ones. But the abyssal demon's presence has been greatly diminished, and it seems injured."
The abyssal demon's consciousness had entered the battle space, using its power to distort the very fabric of reality, trapping the candidates inside. But the idea that one of those young candidates, all barely in their teens, could hurt it? It seemed impossible.
Inside the battle space, chaos reigned as the feral orcs, driven by the abyssal demon's fury, charged toward Lin Moyu.
The shadow looming on the blood-red moon roared in frustration.
"I'll kill you! I'll devour your flesh and drink your blood!" the abyssal demon screamed, consumed by rage. Lin Moyu had become its sole focus, a thorn too deep to ignore.
The orcs, tainted by the abyss, surged forward. But Lin Moyu's skeleton warriors were ready. With attributes far beyond their rank, each warrior stood firm, their four-dimensional stats reaching an astounding 5000, well above anything the orcs could muster.
With seamless coordination, the skeletons carried out Lin Moyu's commands, isolating and swiftly dispatching their foes. One by one, the orcs fell under the combined assault of more than a dozen skeleton warriors, their strikes relentless.
Boom!
Another explosion echoed through the battlefield, the familiar sound of Lin Moyu's corpse burst spell in action. As the skill detonated, something shifted. A system notification appeared in Lin Moyu's mind:
[Corpse Explosion (Level 2): Detonates the corpse, causing 15% of the corpse's HP in damage to enemies within a 2-meter radius.]
The upgrade was subtle but significant: the damage radius had doubled, and the damage percentage increased. More importantly, when combined with Lin Moyu's talent, which amplified all damage within a 40-meter range, the potential of the skill soared, allowing for devastating bursts of power.
The battlefield, once crawling with enemies, now lay littered with corpses. Lin Moyu's efficiency was unmatched. In a matter of moments, no orc remained standing, and even the abyssal demon's shadow on the blood moon fell silent.
A faint smile played on Lin Moyu's lips as his body glowed faintly—he had leveled up. The surrounding candidates, who had been too stunned to intervene, now realized what had happened.
"He's using these monsters to level up," someone muttered in awe.
"Can he solo a nightmare-level dungeon?" another asked, amazed by his power.
The whispers spread, admiration growing in the eyes of many as they watched Lin Moyu.
But Lin Moyu wasn't finished yet. His gaze remained fixed on the blood moon, the last vestige of the abyssal demon. The shadow remained, flickering faintly.
With a quick command, Lin Moyu had five corpses of fallen orcs hurled towards the moon. Once more, his skeleton warriors launched him skyward. This time, the shadow seemed to recognize the threat.
A low, cold laugh echoed across the space. "Lin Moyu, is it? I'll remember you," the demon hissed. "When you fall into the abyss, I will be waiting."
Lin Moyu smirked but said nothing.
The corpses collided with the blood moon, and boom!—another violent explosion shattered the sky. The shadow of the abyssal demon let out one last anguished scream as the blood moon fractured like glass, dissipating into nothingness. The battle space around them began to stabilize.
Outside the Trial Tower
Meng Anwen, who had been monitoring the situation, gasped in astonishment.
"The abyssal consciousness... it's been wiped out," he said in disbelief. "The battle space has returned to normal. The children are safe."
Bai Yiyuan, ever the stoic figure, looked similarly stunned. The outcome was far from what he had anticipated.
"Can you trace what happened?" he asked after a moment, his curiosity piqued.
Meng Anwen nodded. "Yes, I can backtrack the events."
Bai Yiyuan thought for a moment, then said, "There's no rush. First, bring the candidates back, just to be safe."
Back in the battle space, Xia Xue approached Lin Moyu with a soft voice. "Are you okay, Lin?"
Despite her composed tone, there was a hint of lingering fear on her face. The recent battle had been too close, and if it weren't for Lin Moyu, none of them would have survived.
Lin Moyu nodded. "I'm fine." His words were short but reassuring, and it was enough to calm Xia Xue.
Around them, the other candidates were still reeling from the ordeal. They had barely escaped the abyssal forces, fleeing in fear as the orcs closed in. Only Lin Moyu had stood his ground.
Suddenly, a voice echoed across the space.
"Candidates, the power of the abyss has been eradicated, and the battle space has returned to normal. You will now be transported back to your original examination rooms. The test results will be announced shortly."