Swallowed Star: Six Eyes - Chapter 9: The Third Floor of the Trial Tower!
Gu Ce's figure suddenly appeared on the vast grassland.
"Gu Ce," a voice echoed from the surroundings. "This is the first level of the Trial Tower, Stage A assessment. You must kill 50 Primary Beast Generals within 10 minutes. If you die before completing the task, you will fail. Additionally, if the number of wild bulls killed after 30 minutes is less than 100, it will also count as a failure. Since this is your first time in the Trial Tower, you have 5 minutes to prepare."
Gu Ce smiled indifferently. Wild bulls?
After adjusting to the changes in his body, Gu Ce no longer fully relied on the perception from his six eyes, which couldn't be brought into the virtual space. However, his battle skills did not depend solely on that ability.
With perfect body skills and exceptional swordsmanship, Gu Ce was more than prepared for the challenge.
"Stage A training, begin!" The electronic voice sounded as the five minutes quickly passed.
In the distance, a herd of powerful, nearly three-meter-tall cattle monsters appeared. These were the wild bulls, known for their tendency to live in groups. They had long, flowing hair, curved and sharp horns, and glowing red eyes.
"Hum~~"
The bulls' horns were stained red, resembling blood. Their eyes glowed fiercely, and white mist puffed from their nostrils as they charged across the grass, heading straight for Gu Ce.
There was no fear in his eyes. He drew the Changsheng Sword from his back and charged toward the herd of wild bulls.
"Swish!"
The second level of the "Eternal Life Sword Technique" activated, and dark power surged forth.
Twice the force!
With one swing of the sword, the Eternal Life Sword easily took the life of a wild bull. Gu Ce's body used the momentum to dodge another bull, causing the two to collide with each other.
The second strike!
Gu Ce raised his sword again, skillfully moving through the wild bulls and cutting them down as if he were a god of death.
The third strike!
The wild bulls were massive, much larger than the previous iron-haired wild boars, but fortunately, the Eternal Life Sword's length allowed him to decapitate them with a single strike.
The fourth strike!
By now, the wild bulls were nearly scattered, and Gu Ce's body skills were barely needed. The Eternal Life Sword alone dealt with them efficiently.
Gu Ce stopped, leaving just one wild bull standing.
"Swish!"
With a clean swipe, he killed the final bull.
"It took 2 minutes and 18 seconds to eliminate all 50 wild bulls. Stage A training passed! Congratulations, Student Gu Ce." The electronic voice rang through the entire grassland.
"Continue," Gu Ce stretched his muscles.
"Congratulations on completing the A-stage trial. Now, you will face the B-stage trial of the first level of the Trial Tower. Your goal is to kill 100 'Primary Beast General' bulls within 30 minutes. Good luck." The voice echoed again.
In the distance, another 100 bulls appeared on the grass.
The A-stage trial of the second level of the Trial Tower had begun.
...
The slaughter that followed could be described in just four words: "Chopping melons and vegetables."
Gu Ce easily passed the B-stage trial. Even with 190 Primary Beast General bulls and 10 Intermediate Beast General bulls in the C-stage, he had no trouble handling them!
"Gu Ce, congratulations on completing the first level of the trial. Next, you will face the A-stage trial of the second level of the Trial Tower. Your objective is to kill 50 'Elementary Beast Commander-level' Armored Scorpions within 10 minutes. Good luck." The electronic voice repeated.
The surroundings shifted, and the terrain turned into an endless desert. Gu Ce focused slightly.
The Armored Scorpions were much tougher than the wild bulls. With their blade-like claws and deadly tail spines, they were more dangerous.
But Gu Ce was not afraid.
With the combined effects of his sword technique and his body skills, the 50 Armored Scorpions didn't last more than ten minutes. The second floor of the Trial Tower proved no challenge for him.
Now, it was time for the third floor of the Trial Tower.
The monster on the third floor was the Golden Vulture.
Bird monsters, especially vultures, were known for their ferocity. The weakest Golden Vultures were at the Primary Beast General level.
Gu Ce had now reached the third level, C-stage. He was only slightly short of passing the third floor of the trial tower. The final level of the Trial Tower was 3.9.
This small setback was caused by a sneak attack from the Golden Vulture and a lack of practical experience.
"If it happens again," Gu Ce thought, "I'm confident I can break through to the fourth level, but there's no need for that at the moment."
As he exited the Trial Tower, he was met with the astonished gaze of Chen Ping.
"Are you some kind of monster?" Chen Ping couldn't help but ask.
"It's nothing, just a few mistakes," Gu Ce answered modestly.
"Unbelievable," Chen Ping muttered to himself. "Some old war gods get stuck on the third floor, and you—being valued by the Pavilion Master—achieved this at just sixteen years old. Are you the next Hong?"
"How much is your combat power multiplier?" Chen Ping asked.
"2 times," Gu Ce answered honestly.
"2 times? That gives you a combat power increase of 7.8, just shy of 'excellent.' You'd be ranked in the top 30 of the training camp!" Chen Ping was surprised. "If your force multiplier were just a bit higher, you could probably break into the top ten!"
The Thunder and Lightning Martial Arts School's elite training camp had fewer resources than the Extreme Martial Arts School, and its students were also generally weaker. For example, in the Extreme Martial Arts School, to reach the top ten, your combat power increase would need to be at least 13. At the Thunder and Lightning Martial Arts School, top ten spots required a combat power increase of over 10.
Chen Ping had witnessed the future number one of the young generation of the Thunder and Lightning Martial Arts School rise before his eyes like a shining pearl.
Gu Ce, meanwhile, was thinking about the purple source crystal and chalcedony that were available to him now.
With those resources, his physical fitness could easily be boosted to the level of a medium or even high-level general.
Then, he could break through the Trial Tower again, pass the third floor, and increase his combat power to 8. That would complete the second part of his contract.
Afterward, with dragon blood and thousand-year wild ginseng, he would break through to become a God of War!
From this perspective, becoming a God of War would be very quick!
If anyone knew what Gu Ce was thinking, they would undoubtedly be envious.
The Thunder God had provided Gu Ce with the best resources to help him grow quickly. Of course, Gu Ce deserved them.
"Let's go. Next, we head to the gravity room," Chen Ping said as he led Gu Ce out of the virtual space.
"There's an ancient civilization gravity room at the Extreme Martial Arts School, which can adjust between 1 and 1000 times gravity. Unfortunately, we don't have anything like that here, but the owner said that if you need it, he can personally take you to the Extreme Martial Arts School." Chen Ping continued.
"We have ten gravity rooms designed by human scientists, which can adjust the gravity between 1 and 3 times. This month, everyone is free to use them because it's the time for life-and-death adventures, but starting next month, usage will be limited based on rankings."
Gu Ce nodded, understanding the situation.