The void dissolved into a new landscape. Lei Chen found himself standing in a vast, barren wasteland. The sky above was dark, swirling with ominous clouds, and the ground beneath him was cracked and dry, as if life had long since been scorched from the earth.
Ahead of him stood a monstrous creature. Its body was massive, covered in thick, black scales, and its eyes glowed a fiery red. It had the form of a demonic tiger, but it was larger than any beast Lei Chen had ever seen. The creature's claws dug into the ground, and its snarl echoed across the barren wasteland like thunder.
"You must defeat the Guardian Beast," the War God's voice echoed. "Only then will you be deemed worthy of strength."
Lei Chen stared at the monstrous beast, his heart pounding in his chest. He had no cultivation, no power. He was just a mortal in the face of something that could crush him with a single swipe of its claws.
"How… how am I supposed to fight that?" he muttered under his breath.
But the War God's trial was clear—this was a battle of strength. And though he was no longer the prodigious cultivator he once was, Lei Chen still had his will to survive.
The beast charged.
In an instant, the ground shook beneath its massive weight, and Lei Chen had barely a moment to dodge. He threw himself to the side, the beast's claws slicing through the air where he had just been standing.
Lei Chen rolled across the ground, his body aching from the strain. He could feel the beast's breath on the back of his neck, hot and rancid. He had no time to think, only to react. Grabbing a nearby rock, he flung it at the beast's head, but it barely flinched as the stone shattered against its scales.
"You cannot defeat it through sheer force," the War God's voice taunted. "You must use more than your strength."
Lei Chen's mind raced. He had no weapons, no cultivation. How could he defeat something so powerful?
As the beast circled him, preparing for another strike, Lei Chen's eyes flickered to its underbelly. Unlike the thick, impenetrable scales covering its body, its stomach was softer, unprotected.
The beast lunged again, but this time, Lei Chen didn't try to dodge completely. He waited until the last moment and dove beneath the beast's massive body, sliding across the dirt. As he passed under it, he grabbed a sharp piece of broken stone from the ground and slashed at its belly.
The beast howled in pain, staggering as blood gushed from the wound. Lei Chen didn't stop. He leaped to his feet, dodging another swipe from the beast's claws, and darted around to its side. With every ounce of strength he had left, he jammed the stone into the creature's exposed underbelly once more.
The beast roared, thrashing wildly, but Lei Chen didn't let go. He twisted the stone deeper into the wound, holding on even as the creature's violent movements threatened to throw him off.
With a final, deafening roar, the beast collapsed, its body shaking the ground as it fell.
Lei Chen staggered back, panting heavily. His entire body ached, and his arms trembled from exhaustion. But he had done it. He had defeated the Guardian Beast.
"You have passed the Trial of Strength," the War God's voice boomed. "But your final test awaits."