Inside the forging room, the last wisp of crimson fire slowly extinguished.

Ouyezi picked up the recently cooled armguard from the forging table; golden light flowed across its surface as if it possessed life.

In the corner, a small pile of twisted metal wreckage lay, the result of failed attempts.

Those were the remnants of dozens of rare Materials painstakingly acquired from the ruins.

Even Ouyezi, with his Divine Craftsman abilities, did not have a hundred percent success rate when forging Legendary-quality equipment.

However, everything was worth it.

Zhou Huai's consciousness was within Ouyezi, and as he looked at the three glittering golden pieces of equipment on the forging table, radiating terrifying energy fluctuations, an indescribable sense of satisfaction welled up in his heart.

Thunderous Tyrant's Gauntlets!

Storm Ripper's Girdle!

Dominator's Gaze of the Azure Sky!

Three pieces of Legendary equipment lay there silently, awaiting their owner.

Zhou Huai did not hesitate.

Soon, these three pieces of equipment, enough to drive any professional crazy, appeared within Yasuo's storage space.

He quickly switched his consciousness to Yasuo.

One by one, he equipped these brand-new Legendary items.

The moment the last item, the Dominator's Gaze of the Azure Sky helmet, was put on.

Boom!

A dazzling golden pillar of light shot up from Yasuo, almost tearing off the roof of the entire room!

Violent energy swept in all directions.

At this moment, Yasuo was enveloped in golden light.

Four Legendary-grade pieces of equipment shone in unison.

And the golden lightning that wrapped around him after absorbing the Judgment Golden Lightning.

He merely stood there, like a dazzling sun, making it impossible for people to look directly at him.

This appearance, this aura.

If he were said to be a top-tier tycoon who had spent hundreds of millions, people would probably believe it.

"Everything is ready."

Zhou Huai controlled Yasuo, and a spark of excitement flickered in his eyes, hidden by the golden helmet.

"It's time."

He took out the hard-won S-grade exclusive Second Advancement Scroll from his storage space.

Without the slightest hesitation, he crushed it directly.

The scroll transformed into golden specks of light filling the sky, rapidly gathering and swirling before him.

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

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

Zhou Huai took a deep breath, controlled Yasuo to take a step, and unhesitatingly stepped into the light gate.

A slight sensation of dizziness came over him.

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

Under his feet was hard bluestone ground.

Before him was a majestic mountain, towering into the clouds, its peak out of sight.

The entire mountain was shrouded in dense mist, appearing mysterious and solemn.

A winding staircase made of bluestone, like the spine of a giant Dragon, clung to the mountain wall, extending upwards into the depths of the clouds.

【System Notification: Reach the mountain peak to complete the Class Advancement Challenge.】

Zhou Huai looked at the seemingly endless stone steps, a smile playing on his lips.

Climbing a mountain, huh?

He controlled Yasuo and stepped onto the first stair.

One step, two steps.

The moment he stepped onto the tenth stair.

On the stone steps ahead, the air subtly distorted.

Semitransparent, energy-composed phantoms, holding longswords, materialized out of thin air.

They had no facial features, yet their movements were as swift as lightning; as soon as they appeared, they transformed into streaks of light, charging towards Yasuo.

"Good timing!"

Zhou Huai was not surprised but rather delighted.

He was just eager to test the power of his Divine equipment.

Thunderous Strike!

Yasuo's figure instantly vanished from his original spot.

A brilliant golden sword light, like lightning tearing through the night, flashed through the group of phantoms.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

The seven or eight phantoms at the very front, without even a chance to react, were instantly cut in half by the domineering sword light, dissipating into specks of light.

Zhou Huai's movements showed no pause.

He moved like a tiger among sheep, weaving through the dense phantoms, and each swing of his kingslayer's edge brought a large swath of golden lightning and death.

Although these phantoms were fast, they were as slow as snails before the current Yasuo.

In less than five minutes.

Hundreds of phantoms were completely cleared away.

Zhou Huai flicked the non-existent blood from his sword and continued to ascend. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"If the Second Advancement Challenge is only this difficult, then it's too easy."

He thought this to himself, his steps becoming a little lighter.

Soon, he completed a long section of stone steps and arrived at a wide platform.

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

Unlike the previous phantoms.

This figure was incredibly solid, dressed in a simple gray samurai uniform, with an ancient longsword laid across his lap.

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

It wasn't until Yasuo's foot fully landed on the platform.

That the figure slowly opened his eyes.

He stood up, his movements unhurried, yet carrying an indescribable rhythm.

He slowly drew the longsword.

Zhou Huai's relaxed expression completely vanished.

His expression became more serious than ever before.

Anyone capable of guarding this place alone was certainly no ordinary being.

He had to be cautious.

The phantom did not speak, but merely gestured a "please" towards Yasuo.

The next second, his figure moved.

There was no lightning, no wind sound.

His figure simply, and without fanfare, vanished from his spot.

So fast!

Zhou Huai's pupils suddenly contracted.

Without thinking, he immediately activated the Thunder Blink Seal, flashing backward.

However, he was fast, but the opponent was faster!

A cold sword edge, like a maggot clinging to bone, silently appeared before his chest.

Zhou Huai was greatly alarmed and could only clumsily raise his sword to block.

Clang!

A crisp clang of metal.

A powerful force emanated from the sword, causing Yasuo to stagger back repeatedly.

Before he could even steady himself, the phantom's second and third swords arrived in quick succession.

Sword light flowed like water, continuous and unending.

There were no flashy Moves; each sword strike was simple, direct, yet precise to the extreme, pointing directly at Yasuo's weaknesses.

Zhou Huai was utterly stunned.

He found that his proud speed was a joke in front of his opponent.

Yasuo's sword Moves were grand and sweeping, full of the domineering and destructive power of lightning.

But the phantom's sword Moves were like a gazelle hanging its horns, leaving no trace.

It could always easily neutralize Yasuo's attacks, then strike first.

Zhou Huai frantically activated his shurikens, continuously flashing across the platform using the Thunder Blink Seal, attempting to create distance and find an opening.

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

This was not a battle at all.

It was a one-sided crush.

Zhou Huai felt as if he were a child who had just learned to walk, waving a wooden stick in front of a Sword Dao Grandmaster.

Laughable, and powerless.

This, was this the true art of swordsmanship?

Pfft!

Yasuo, in a moment of carelessness, was cut on the arm by a sword.

【-2450】

A shocking damage number floated above his head.

Not only that, Yasuo was hit repeatedly soon after.

Zhou Huai's heart instantly sank to the bottom.

At this rate, defeat was inevitable!

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

Zhou Huai dared not fight any longer; he threw a shuriken beyond the platform, then unhesitatingly activated the Thunder Blink Seal.

"Damn it!"

He couldn't help but curse under his breath.

"This S-grade Second Advancement Challenge is too outrageous!"

He had just reached the foot of the mountain and was already completely outmatched.

His Legendary equipment seemed to have completely lost its effect here.

However, to Zhou Huai's surprise.

When he fled the platform, the phantom did not pursue him.

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

Zhou Huai saw this and breathed a sigh of relief.

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

It seemed this dungeon was not as harsh as he had imagined.

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

Giving the challenger a chance to breathe and restart.

"Interesting."

Zhou Huai looked at the figure sitting in the center of the platform, his eyes flickering with thought.

What kind of challenge was this?

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

To defeat him, one must see through him, comprehend him, and even... surpass him.

Zhou Huai gave a wry smile.

He had too many Clones, limited energy, and a myriad of things to deal with.

To calm down and spend 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 Smart Core AI couldn't.

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's eyes suddenly flashed with a sharp light.

He once again tightened his grip on the kingslayer's edge, took a step, and re-entered the platform.

The battle resumed.

Initially, Yasuo, controlled by the Smart Core AI, was beaten back and in disarray, just like Zhou Huai.

But soon, changes began to occur.

Yasuo's sword was no longer just about skill execution.

Each of his blocks began to carry a hint of imitative rhythm.

Each of his sword strikes began to contain a degree of comprehension of the Dao of the Sword.

His gaze became increasingly focused, increasingly pure.

As if the entire world was left with only the opponent before him and the sword in his hand.

The duration of the battle gradually lengthened.

From not even lasting five minutes at the beginning.

To six minutes.

Seven minutes.

Ten minutes.

Half an hour.

Yasuo's movements became increasingly fluid, increasingly effortless.

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

Who knows how much time passed.

Perhaps a day, perhaps two days.

When another fierce duel unfolded.

This time, Yasuo did not evade.

He met the phantom's sword edge, which was like a sudden storm, advancing instead of retreating, ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) taking a step forward.

The kingslayer's edge in his hand carved out a profound and perfect golden arc.

Two longswords crossed in the air.

Time, at this moment, seemed to stand still.

The next second.

Pfft.

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