Inside the Trial Tower, it wasn’t real people who resided, but countless shadows. These shadows were records woven from time and space, taken from nodes of the past, present, future, and even parallel dimensions. They possessed flesh and blood, their own consciousness, and combat instincts; they were no different from real people.
However, the moment they stepped outside the bounds of the Trial Tower, they would dissipate into stardust. Even more cruel was that they were forever trapped in a predetermined trajectory. Even if they retained the memories of every battle, they had no possibility of growing stronger.
As Su Yun’s figure stood firm on the platform of the first floor, a thick, earthy scent rushed toward her. The platform was constructed from rough stone, surrounded by a gray haze. Within the mist, a hulking man nearly two meters tall had been waiting for a long time.
He wore brown leather armor covered in dust, and a thick aura of earth elements swirled around him, almost condensing into a solid form. A line of green numbers floated brightly above his head — Lv. 15 — he was a genuine low-tier Earth Mage.
“Despicable Witch! I will use these fists to crush your bones!”
The hulking man roared, his voice causing the platform to tremble slightly. Veins bulged on his thick arms, and earth elements surged wildly in his palms, looking as though they were about to condense into a heavy stone shield.
But before he could finish his sentence, Su Yun’s figure closed in like a ghost.
She did not chant a single line of a spell, nor did she even intentionally stir her magic. She simply infused the power of the Life Law quietly into her fist. That small fist, white as jade, now carried the momentum of a thousand thunderclaps. It pierced through the barrier of earth elements and directly penetrated the man’s chest.
The moment her fist entered his body, the man’s roar stopped abruptly. The half-formed stone shield collapsed, and his eyes widened in utter disbelief. He hadn’t even seen the young girl’s movements clearly.
Depriving an enemy of the chance to gather strength was an iron rule that should be etched into the bones of every mage. On the first day of class, the old mage had hammered the lectern while repeatedly emphasizing it.
‘During a fight, don’t scream out your move names! The time it takes to shout is enough for someone else to set up three layers of defense!’
‘Furthermore, powerful people can deduce the general nature of a move from its name and counter it directly.’
Of course, mages of the Strength Law were an exception. They would smash down a thousand-pound boulder and call it an Earth Attribute Spell: Meteor Fall.
In private, the old mage had even grumbled secretly, ‘Mages of the Strength Law are mostly brainless. Even if you explain the logic until you’re blue in the face, they won’t remember it.’
Su Yun withdrew her fist, and the man’s figure turned into spots of light, dissipating into the haze.
**[Congratulations, Yuanji Taiqing Ziwei Tianzun, for being the fourth to clear the Trial Tower’s first floor]**
**[Reward: 100 credits]**
**[Would you like to enter the next floor?]**
“Next floor,” Su Yun said, her voice cold and concise.
Her goal was very clear. Charge upward, reach the highest floor, and obtain that exclusive divine artifact!
On the platform of the second floor stood a Lv. 20 Fire Mage, clutching a burning fireball and shouting that “fire will purify everything.”
‘Those words again.’
Su Yun frowned slightly. With a flash of her silhouette, she appeared behind her opponent.
“Excuse me.”
As those three light words fell, her fist had already slammed into the Fire Mage’s back, right over his heart.
An instantaneous kill. No redundant movements, just clean and efficient.
On the third floor was a Lv. 25 Wind Assassin skilled in concealment. Just as he touched the corner of Su Yun’s clothes, she threw a backhand punch that shattered his shadow core.
On the fourth floor was a Lv. 30 Wood Mage who controlled poisonous vines. Before the vines could even wrap around Su Yun’s ankles, they were incinerated by the Life Magic on her fists.
Floor after floor, Su Yun’s figure blurred through the Trial Tower, moving with unstoppable momentum. With every floor she ascended, the level number above her opponents’ heads jumped, soaring all the way from Lv. 15. Yet, in the face of her absolute speed and power, these shadows were powerless to resist.
The rewards for each floor were increasing: 150 credits for the second floor, 200 credits for the third floor… Starting from the fifth floor, the additional reward for the first clear soared directly to 100 credits. All told, the fifth floor alone granted 400 credits.
However, Su Yun had little interest in these credits. She cared more about the loot.
Unfortunately, from the first floor to the fifty-eighth floor, the drops were all white or green soul beads of inferior quality. The added attributes were better than nothing, but at most, they could only be sold to the academy for a bit of pocket change to buy magical wheat flour.
As for equipment, she hadn’t seen even a shadow of it. Those swords and staves dissipated into spots of light the moment the shadows vanished.
Su Yun didn’t mind. Staves were too clunky, and spears or longswords required technique. How could they be as satisfying as her fists? Her body was the best weapon, and the Life Law was her strongest trump card.
She swept through everything until she reached the platform of the fifty-ninth floor, where Su Yun’s footsteps were finally halted.
The haze here was thicker than on any previous floor, and it carried a bone-chilling cold. As the mist cleared, three figures standing six meters tall appeared before her. They were three hideous giants with skin covered in cyan-green.
Floating above their heads was a row of glaring golden numbers — Lv. 49 — the very limit of a Mid-tier Mage!
In each giant’s hand was a massive stone pillar as thick as two men embracing. Dense earth runes were carved into the pillars, and as the runes flowed, they emitted a faint aura of a Law.
“Outsider, stop.”
The three giants roared in unison, their voices exploding like muffled thunder, making Su Yun’s eardrums ache.
Before the echoes faded, the giant on the left struck first. The massive stone pillar came crashing down toward Su Yun with the sound of whistling wind. Even before the pillar hit the ground, the earth cracked into spiderweb patterns. The earth elements churned wildly, as if they were about to flip the entire platform over.
Su Yun’s eyes narrowed. She retreated rapidly while infusing her entire body with Life Magic, causing a faint glow to shimmer on the surface of her skin.
*Bang!*
The stone pillar smashed into the spot where she had just been standing. Rubble flew everywhere, and a crater several meters deep appeared instantly.
Before Su Yun could regain her footing, the giant on the right pounced. Its thick arm swept across with a momentum that could topple mountains. The giant in the middle raised its stone pillar and slammed it into the ground, chanting an obscure incantation.
“Earth Wall: Cage!”
Heavy stone walls rose from the ground, sealing off Su Yun’s retreat and forming an airtight cage.
Su Yun’s expression finally grew solemn. These three Lv. 49 giants not only suppressed her in level, but their cooperation was also honed to perfection. One focused on offense, one on restraint, and one on control. As the stone pillars swung, they were like a bronze wall or an iron barrier — seamless and leaving no opening.
She tried to blast the stone walls with her fists, the Life Magic on them erupting with scorching heat. However, the runes on the stone walls lit up, forcibly neutralizing the burning power of the Life Magic.
“Ha!”
One giant seized an opening and slammed its stone pillar toward Su Yun’s back. Su Yun didn’t have time to dodge and could only turn her body, taking the hit with her shoulder.
*Crack.*
The sound of shattering bone was clearly audible, and intense pain instantly flooded her entire body. Su Yun let out a muffled groan as blood leaked from the corner of her mouth. She was sent flying by the massive force, slamming hard against the stone wall.
She forced herself to endure the pain, channeling the Life Law to repair the wound. But before the wound could heal, another stone pillar came crashing down.
This was the first time Su Yun had suffered such a major setback since going all out. Her speed was fast, but the giants’ attack range was wider. Her fists were hard, but the giants’ defense was sturdier.
Even more deadly was that the aura of the Law carried by those stone pillars could actually grind away her Life Law. With every collision, the Life Law within her body would dissipate a little.
Su Yun gritted her teeth, rushing forward time and again, only to be smashed back repeatedly. She tried using Blood Escape to create distance, but a single swing of a giant’s pillar could sweep across the entire area. She tried condensing Life Magic to trigger a potential burst, but even with a ten-times power boost, she still couldn’t budge that iron-like defense.
The giants’ attacks became increasingly dense. The stone pillars fell like a violent storm, causing the rocks on the platform to shatter inch by inch as dust filled the air.
Su Yun’s aura grew weaker, and more wounds appeared on her body. The power of her Life Law was being devoured bit by bit by those pillars imbued with the aura of a Law.
Finally, when a stone pillar covered in runes struck her chest with a momentum that felt like divine wrath, the Life Law within Su Yun’s body was completely ground away.
As the intense pain hit, her consciousness began to blur. The giants, the stone pillars, and the platform before her eyes all began to turn into spots of light.
A second later, Su Yun’s figure vanished from the platform of the Trial Tower, forcibly teleported outside.