The climb was arduous, the air thick with sulfurous fumes. The ground trembled beneath his feet as molten rock churned within the volcano. Just as exhaustion threatened to overwhelm him, he heard the guttural roar of a magma wyrm. A hulking beast, its scales glowing red-hot, emerged from a fissure in the mountainside.
Chu Yang's heart pounded like a drum. He knew brute force wouldn't suffice. He needed strategy. Remembering a forgotten technique from an ancient text, he channeled his spiritual energy, creating a blinding illusion of a shimmering lake in the wyrm's path.
The beast, lured by the promise of cool water, lunged forward, only to be met with a scorching wall of rock. Distracted, Chu Yang leaped forward, his borrowed sword flashing in the moonlight. With a perfectly aimed thrust, he severed a vital artery in the monster's neck.
