Inside the forge, the final wisp of crimson firelight slowly extinguished.

Ou Yezi picked up the newly cooled vambrace on the forging table, golden flowing light coursing across its surface as if it possessed life.

In the corner lay a small pile of distorted metal debris from failed attempts.

That was the price of dozens of rare materials painstakingly obtained from the ruins.

Even with the abilities of a Divine Artisan, Ou Yezi's success rate was not one hundred percent when forging legendary-quality equipment.

However, everything was worth it.

Zhou Huai's consciousness, residing within Ou Yezi, looked at the three pieces of equipment on the forging table that gleamed with golden light and radiated terrifying energy fluctuations, a surge of indescribable satisfaction welling up in his heart.

【Thunder Tyrant's Iron Hand】!

【Storm Ripper's Cincture】!

【Firmament Sovereign's Gaze】!

The three legendary pieces of equipment lay quietly there, waiting for their master.

Zhou Huai did not hesitate.

Soon, these three pieces of equipment, which were enough to drive any Classer crazy, had already appeared inside Yasuo's storage space.

He quickly switched his consciousness over to Yasuo.

One by one, he equipped these brand-new legendary pieces of equipment.

The moment the last piece, the 【Firmament Sovereign's Gaze】 helmet, was put on.

Hum——!

A dazzling pillar of golden light soared into the sky from Yasuo, almost blowing off the roof of the entire room!

The berserk energy swept outward in all directions.

At this moment, Yasuo's entire body was enveloped in golden light.

The four legendary-grade pieces of equipment shone brightly in mutual reflection.

Along with the golden thunder lingering around his body after absorbing the 【Judgment Golden Lightning】.

Just standing there, he was like a dazzling sun, making people unable to look straight at him.

This appearance, this aura.

If someone said he was a top-tier tycoon who poured hundreds of millions into pay-to-win, I'm afraid people would believe it.

"Everything is ready."

Zhou Huai manipulated Yasuo, his eyes hidden beneath the golden helmet flashing with an excited light.

"It's time."

He took out that hard-earned S-rank exclusive second-transition scroll from the storage space.

Without the slightest hesitation, he crushed it directly.

The scroll turned into countless golden specks of light across the sky, rapidly gathering and rotating in front of him.

Soon, a dark blue portal three meters tall, with distorted spatial ripples flashing at its edges, slowly formed.

Inside the door was profound darkness, as if leading to another unknown world.

Zhou Huai took a deep breath, manipulated Yasuo to step forward, and stepped into the light door without hesitation.

A slight sense of dizziness washed over him.

When Yasuo opened his eyes again, he was already in a brand-new space.

Beneath his feet was hard bluestone ground.

Before his eyes was a towering, majestic mountain that soared into the clouds and whose peak could not be seen.

The entire mountain was shrouded in thick fog, appearing mysterious and solemn.

A winding stairway paved with bluestone, like the spine of a dragon, clung to the cliff face, leading all the way up and extending into the depths of the clouds and mist.

【System Prompt: Reach the summit to complete the class advancement challenge.】

Zhou Huai looked at the seemingly endless stone steps, the corners of his mouth curving up.

Mountain climbing, huh?

He manipulated Yasuo and stepped onto the first step.

One step, two steps.

The moment he stepped onto the tenth step.

On the stone steps ahead, the air distorted slightly.

Streams of translucent, energy-constituted phantoms, holding longswords, emerged out of thin air.

They had no facial features, but their movements were as fast as lightning. As soon as they appeared, they turned into streaks of light and rushed fiercely toward Yasuo.

"Well timed!"

Zhou Huai was not alarmed, but instead rejoiced.

He wanted to test the power of his divine equipment set.

【Thunderclap Slash】!

Yasuo's figure instantly vanished from where he stood.

A dazzling golden sword light, like lightning tearing through the dark night, flashed past among the group of phantoms.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

The seven or eight phantoms rushing at the very front couldn't even make any reaction before they were instantly slashed in half by that domineering sword light, turning into specks of light and dissipating.

Zhou Huai's movements did not pause in the slightest.

Like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, he maneuvered nimbly among the dense phantoms. Every time the 【Kingslayer's Edge】 in his hand swung, it brought up large swaths of golden thunder light and death.

Although the speed of these phantoms was very fast, in front of the current Yasuo, they were as slow as snails.

In less than five minutes.

Over a hundred phantoms were thoroughly cleaned out.

Zhou Huai flicked away the non-existent blood stains on the sword blade and continued walking upward.

"If the second-transition challenge only has this kind of difficulty, it would be far too easy."

He thought to himself, and his steps became a bit lighter.

Soon, he finished walking a long flight of stone steps and arrived at a wide platform.

In the center of the platform, a figure sat cross-legged.

Unlike those previous phantoms.

This figure was incomparably solid, wearing a simple gray warrior outfit, with a quaint longsword placed horizontally across his knees.

He sat there quietly, as if integrated with the entire mountain, his aura as calm as water.

Until Yasuo's foot completely stepped onto the platform.

Only then did that figure slowly open his eyes.

He stood up; his movements were not fast, but they carried an indescribable rhythm.

Slowly drawing that longsword.

The relaxed look on Zhou Huai's face completely receded.

His expression became unprecedentedly serious.

Anyone capable of guarding this place alone was definitely extraordinary.

He had to be cautious.

That phantom did not speak, but simply made a gesture of "please" toward Yasuo.

The next second, his figure moved.

There was no thunder, no sound of wind.

His figure just disappeared plainly from where he stood.

So fast!

Zhou Huai's pupils shrank violently.

Without thinking, he immediately activated 【Thunder Flash Mark】, flashing backward.

However, fast as he was, the opponent was even faster!

A cold sword blade, like a shadow clinging to bones, silently appeared in front of his chest.

Zhou Huai was greatly shocked in his heart and could only raise his sword in a flustered block.

Clang!

A crisp sound of metal clashing.

A mighty, overwhelming force came from the sword body, shaking Yasuo back repeatedly.

Before he could steady himself, the phantom's second sword and third sword followed one after another.

The sword light was like water, continuous without end.

There were no fancy moves whatsoever; every sword strike was simple and direct, yet precise to the extreme, pointing straight to Yasuo's flaws.

Zhou Huai was thoroughly shocked.

He discovered that the speed he was so proud of had become a joke in front of the opponent.

Yasuo's sword moves were bold and unrestrained, filled with the dominance and destruction of thunder.

While the phantom's sword moves were traceless and natural.

It could always easily resolve Yasuo's attacks and strike first by arriving later.

Zhou Huai crazily urged darts, using 【Thunder Flash Mark】 to constantly flash across the platform, attempting to create distance and find flaws.

But no matter which corner he appeared in, that cold sword blade could always follow him like a shadow.

This wasn't a battle at all.

This was a one-sided crushing defeat.

Zhou Huai felt that he was like a toddler who had just learned to walk, waving a wooden stick in front of a Dao of the Sword Grandmaster.

Ludicrous and powerless.

Could this be... true swordsmanship?

Splat!

Letting his guard down for a moment, Yasuo had his arm slashed by a sword.

【-2450】

A shocking damage number floated up from above his head.

Not only that, soon Yasuo was hit one after another.

Zhou Huai's heart instantly sank to rock bottom.

Going on like this, defeat was certain!

Seeing that Yasuo's health bar had dropped to one-third.

Zhou Huai didn't dare to fight anymore; he threw a dart outside the platform and then unhesitatingly activated 【Thunder Flash Mark】.

"Damn it!"

He couldn't help cursing inwardly.

"This S-rank second-transition challenge is simply too outrageous!"

They had just reached the foot of the mountain, yet he couldn't fight them at all.

His set of legendary equipment seemed to have completely lost its effect here.

However, to Zhou Huai's surprise.

When he escaped the platform, that phantom did not chase out.

He just stood quietly at the edge of the platform, glanced at Yasuo, then slowly turned around, walked back to the center of the platform, and sat cross-legged again.

Seeing this, Zhou Huai breathed a sigh of relief.

He immediately fished out a bottle of Advanced healing potion from the storage space and poured it down Yasuo's throat.

It seemed that this dungeon was not as harsh as imagined.

As long as one left the platform, the battle would cease.

Giving challengers a chance to catch their breath and start over.

"This is getting interesting."

Zhou Huai looked at the quietly sitting figure in the center of the platform, thoughtful light flashing in his eyes.

What kind of challenge was this?

This was clearly a Inheritance and test of the Dao of the Sword.

To defeat him, one had to see through him, comprehend him, or even... surpass him.

Zhou Huai gave a bitter smile.

He had too many Avatars and limited energy, with a thousand and one things to handle.

Asking him to calm his mind and spend several days or even months here comprehending some Dao of the Sword.

He couldn't do it.

However, just because he couldn't do it didn't mean the Intellect Core AI couldn't do it.

Zhou Huai's consciousness slowly withdrew from Yasuo's body.

He issued the final command.

"Comprehend his Dao of the Sword."

The next second, the previously motionless Yasuo suddenly had a flash of sharp light in his eyes.

He gripped the 【Kingslayer's Edge】 in his hand once more, took steps, and stepped onto that platform again.

The battle commenced once more.

Initially, Yasuo, controlled by the Intellect Core AI, was beaten back step by step by the phantom, just like Zhou Huai, looking utterly wretched.

But soon, changes began to happen.

Yasuo's sword was no longer merely the release of skills.

Every block of his began to carry a hint of imitation rhythm.

Every sword strike of his began to contain a fraction of comprehension regarding the Dao of the Sword.

His gaze became more and more focused, more and more pure.

As if the entire world only left behind the opponent in front of him and the sword in his hand.

The battle time lengthened bit by bit.

From not even lasting five minutes at the very beginning.

To six minutes.

Seven minutes.

Ten minutes.

Half an hour.

Yasuo's movements became smoother and smoother, more and more free-flowing.

He began to be able to keep up with the phantom's rhythm, and even occasionally make effective counterattacks.

Not knowing how much time had passed.

Perhaps one day, perhaps two days.

When another fierce duel unfolded.

This time, Yasuo did not dodge anymore.

Facing the phantom's storm-like sword blade, instead of retreating, he Advanced, stepping forward one step.

The 【Kingslayer's Edge】 in his hand drew an abstruse and perfect golden arc.

Two longswords crossed in the air.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

The next second.

Splat.

The golden sword tip silently pierced through the phantom's chest.