Leng Chen struggled to his feet, panting heavily as he faced the stone monster ahead.
Its entire body was constructed from various types of rock, each step it took accompanied by the grinding sound of stone against stone. Cracks along its joints glowed with an eerie light, as if some unknown energy pulsed through them. Its hollow yet menacing eyes radiated a dangerous brilliance, piercing directly toward Leng Chen.
Gritting his teeth, Leng Chen muttered under his breath, "I won't give up. I won't run anymore."
His gaze was sharp as a blade, fueled by an undeniable determination that burned brightly within him.
This version of Leng Chen was nothing like his former self.
Once, he had felt life was meaningless—a constant spiral of self-disappointment. Watching his friends chase their dreams, paving their own paths, he could only stand still, left behind as they moved further away.
Even worse, he despised himself. Every time he encountered a challenge he couldn't handle, his first instinct was always to run, rather than face it. Over time, his problems piled up, creating an insurmountable mountain of failure and frustration. This left him weary, disillusioned, and completely detached from life's meaning. Seeking an escape from reality, he turned to "spirituality," "meditation," and "transcendence," hoping to find solace in these abstract ideas.
At first, his study of such concepts was nothing but an attempt to avoid the pain. He sought to flee reality, to find a place untouched by failure, despair, or his own inadequacies. But the deeper he delved, the more he realized that the world was far more intricate than he had imagined.
And today, standing here, Leng Chen finally understood a crucial truth:
Running away, no matter how far, would never lead him to answers. Even if he uncovered the secrets of the world, what good would it do if he lacked the courage to face them? Only by rising to confront everything could he find the answers he sought.
Lifting his head, Leng Chen stared at the stone monster. Though his body still trembled, his eyes glowed brighter than ever. Clenching his fists tightly, he declared in a low voice, "The old me would've been afraid. But now, I won't take a single step back. If I don't give it my all, how will I ever know what I'm truly capable of?"
Suddenly, he felt something shift deep within him, as though an invisible shackle had been broken.
His feelings of confusion, weariness, and self-loathing dissolved in an instant. His body began to radiate a golden light, his eyes igniting with golden flames. That fiery glow spread across his entire form, a manifestation of his unyielding resolve.
The stone monster, sensing the change in him, let out a low growl and charged forward. But Leng Chen stood his ground, meeting its approach head-on.
In a split second, they clashed with all their might.
"BOOM!"
Their fists collided, unleashing a deafening shockwave that shook the air and sent dust billowing into the sky. Leng Chen and the stone monster exchanged blow after blow, their strikes reverberating like rolling thunder. The ground beneath them began to crack, deep fissures spreading outward to form a gaping crater.
The stone monster's fists started to fracture, tiny cracks spiderwebbing across its surface. Meanwhile, Leng Chen grew stronger with each strike, his energy surging like an unstoppable tide. At first, the two were evenly matched, but as the battle raged on, the stone monster faltered.
With a thunderous roar, Leng Chen gathered every ounce of his strength and delivered a devastating punch to the monster's chest.
"CRACK!"
The creature's torso shattered, shards of rock flying in all directions. Leng Chen followed through with another powerful strike, sending the massive stone form crashing to the ground, lifeless.
Standing over the shattered remains, bathed in golden light, Leng Chen spoke softly:
"You were strong, but now, I'm stronger."
Meanwhile, elsewhere on the battlefield, Phoenix found itself locked in a fierce struggle.
Its entire form burned with orange and blue flames, every beat of its wings unleashing waves of searing heat. Yet before it stood five lizardfolk lords, their coordinated assault as precise as it was relentless.
Each of the lizardfolk was clad in thick scales, their weapons gleaming with a cold, deadly sheen. Though Phoenix's raw power far exceeded any individual among them, their flawless teamwork held it in check, closing off every opening and forcing it into a grueling stalemate.
Soaring higher, Phoenix cursed under its breath, "Damn these reptiles! At this rate, the dragon's seal will be broken!"
It knew all too well that it wasn't operating at full strength. Had it been at its peak, these five lizardfolk would've posed no threat at all. But now, its options were limited. Gritting its teeth, Phoenix continued to fight on, searching desperately for a way to turn the tide.
The battlefield grew increasingly perilous, the air thick with the clash of fire and steel. Tension crackled like a storm waiting to erupt, foretelling the looming arrival of an even greater danger.