The waves swayed, raising the water high into the air. us halted his advance and waited for the abomination hiding within the depths to make its appearance.


    He could sense it—very strong, veryrge—and from the waves alone, he knew he was about to have a good fight.


    He was excited.


    The waters sshed, sending a shockwave that sted the ice coating the water. us was pushed back, but fortunately, he remained within the confines of the Ice Lotus.


    He stood his ground—well, more like he stood on his ice—as he watched the colossal abomination emerge from beneath the surface.


    The first thing he noticed was the rows of jagged, razor-sharp teeth lining the colossal maw of the crocodile''s head. There were countless teeth, intimidating to behold.


    us observed the crocodile''s head and frowned.


    ''It''s rising,'' he thought inwardly.


    The crocodile''s head began to rise above the raging surface of the water. Its colossal green neck followed, matching the head in size.


    Then a muscr frame appeared. The front legs that were supposed to allow it to crawl had transformed into hands, now ending in razor-sharp ws. It rose to waist level, and its roar sent torrents of waves crashing from its maw.


    "Maw of the Abyss," us muttered, frowning. His mind was instantly reinforced by the [Sage Mind] and [Unbreakable Min] techniques.


    He had fought this monster before, back in the Tormented World. He and Yuying had one time gone to kill a Nine-Tailed Demon Fox so Yuying could steal her bloodline.


    One of its guards had been a Maw of the Abyss. It was a demon back then, very powerful. However, he was also a Saint at that time, so the battle had been a quick and decisive one. Now, he is a mere Master stage expert


    If the monster before him was anything like the one he had fought before, he knew he was in trouble. That time, he had Yuying by his side.


    "Damn it…" us cursed, putting away his sword as a spear appeared in his hand.


    "No Annihtion Ice this time; gotta do it the old-fashioned way," he thought, his grip tightening on the two-meter spear.


    The monster rose higher, its massive waist now visible above the surface. At 2.5 meters tall, it was enormous, imposing, and undeniably threatening. us knew that well.


    When he fought it with Yuying, she had warned him that mind attacks were off-limits. The creature possessed a formidable mind and a berserker ability that activated if its mind was attacked. Using his Eye of Malevolence would be too risky, as even a mere gaze could provoke its mind.


    ''I don''t the lightning element just yet'' us muttered.


    He recalled Yuying had told him that lightning was one of its weaknesses. us would have to rely on the two elements he currently wielded: ice and fire. Discover hidden tales at empire


    ''I could just summon the dragon and finish this in a few strikes,'' he pondered, but then he noticed something that made him smile.


    "I will kill it with a single strike," us dered.


    His voice carried, cutting through the sea''s roar and the monster''s deafening roars, which served as a mental attack or to many, mental torture.


    ording to Yuying, its tongue contained an amplifier that intensified its roars, making it nearly impossible to hear anything else. One could get mad from hearing those roars and howls.


    us''s statement echoed across the battlefield. Thousands of young warriors and instructors watching heard him. Even E, Ethan, and Max, who had woken from Oracle with beaten expressions, caught his words.


    "I feel like we''re missing out on something… maybe we should log out," Omari said. The two women beside him on the shore, still shaken by us''s disy just a few minutes ago, nodded. They haven''t exited the trial yet.


    A secondter, they exited Oracle and began watching therge screen, showing us facing the colossal monster. They remembered hearing its roar from 40 kilometers away while in Oracle.


    us made his move—a ssic one.


    The monster had incredibly tough skin—tough enough for the Void Piercing Needle to pierce, but it would require a strong mental push, which us preferred to avoid. So, he turned to his only move, knowing he didn''t yet have the lightning element.


    He spun the spear, coating it in ice, and hurled it into the air. The monster roared, opening its massive maw and unleashing torrents of shockwaves. But us was right on cue.


    Riding the shockwave, he leaped high into the air, cracking the ice beneath him. Then, with a powerful kick, he struck the blunt end of the spear, sending it flying with its pointed tip aimed directly at the monster.


    Its mouth was wide open, and in an instant, the spear pierced through. Just like that, us had killed the monster with a single attack. It fell backward, sshing into the sea and raising waves everywhere.


    He had put a lot into that kick, so by the time the monster registered the attack, it was already toote.


    "It actually worked," us sighed, gazing at the 5-meter body of the in beast. It was considerably taller from the waist up than below.


    Moving past it, us approached the Sage Eye and ced his hand on it. The moment his hand touched it, Cephas spoke.


    "Congrattions, Disciple us, you have emerged as the winner of this year''s Genius Gatheringpetition."


    us nodded, and then his vision darkened. The next second, he was back in the gaming chair, everyone staring at him.


    Awe, shock, anger—and most of all, hatred—filled their eyes, though there were a few concerned looks from Hanna, Anna, and Lily.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    us sighed. "I''m okay," he said, not wanting to get into things yet.


    He''d already sensed the gaze of three people watching him from the other room. Only a ss wall separated them, but he could feel their killing intent aimed squarely at him.


    Clearly, E, Ethan, and Max hadn''t learned their lessons yet; they wanted more. us was fine with that. Killing them now would solve a lot of future problems.


    "Everyone, gather around!" Cephas''s voice suddenly cut through the crowd, granting the three Legacies another day to live. They could die tomorrow if they want.


    us''s mind wasn''t in the best ce right now; he needed to meditate.


    If not for the Mad Berserker Red Tiger Core, he wouldn''t have botheredpeting in this trial.


    Of course, he could have gone hunting for it himself, but that would''ve been a waste, so he decided to kill two birds with one stone.


    Cephas addressed the group, and five minutester, a case containing the core was handed to us under the jealous gaze of many. As for the other rewards, everyone would receive them the next day, which was also the final day.


    The trial had ended faster than most expected. us left with his friends, and soon he was back in his room, where he immediately entered a meditative state. For the next few hours, no one disturbed him.


    When night came, however, Anna and Lily entered his room. us was still meditating, so they didn''t interrupt. Three hourster, he opened his eyes.


    It was time for some apologies and damage control.