The countdown timer was still ticking, but Zhai Zidu no longer had the strength to fight.

He slowly exhaled a frosty breath and said in a low voice, "I surrender."

The Illusion dissipated, and Zhai Zidu found himself back in front of the nine statues.

Fu Yun’s figure appeared at his side.

"This is completely normal." Fu Yun clapped him on the shoulder. "When I first joined Red Star, I couldn’t even last one minute. Your Senior Sister Hong’s Illusion is ranked third on the Nine Stars Stele. It was always going to be difficult."

Zhai Zidu took the Potion and downed it in one gulp. The injuries on his body healed rapidly.

He looked toward the other eight pedestals. "And these?"

"Theoretically, they’re arranged from easiest to hardest." Fu Yun pointed to the pedestal on the far end. "That one’s the easiest. It’s Senior Brother ’Mountain-Opening Hammer’ Ye Chong."

"But ’easy’ is relative. Besides, certain Martial Arts counter others, so he might not be the easiest for you."

Zhai Zidu walked toward the pedestal again.

This time, he chose the ninth-ranked Illusion—the fierce and powerful "Mountain-Opening Hammer" Ye Chong, who wielded a Heavy Hammer.

The countdown began.

The Illusion moved.

The Heavy Hammer came crashing down with a whistling sound, its power immense and ferocious.

Zhai Zidu’s eyes narrowed. He unleashed his Ice Cold True Intention, his fists transforming into a flurry of icy shadows to meet the blow!

This time, he lasted one minute and forty seconds.

In the end, he was struck in the chest by the hammer. His virtual body was critically injured, forcing him to surrender once more.

After two consecutive failures, Zhai Zidu fell silent.

He’d originally thought that after becoming a Martial Artist, he already stood among the top tier of his peers.

But the Red Star test was like a bucket of cold water dumped over his head, a harsh wake-up call.

Fu Yun consoled him, "Don’t lose heart. With your strength, you should be able to pass the challenge after another month or two of consolidation."

"Since you’ve already received the invitation, there are no more limits on when or how many times you can attempt the challenge."

Zhai Zidu nodded, then suddenly asked, "Did Xu Wuyi from Star Martial get an invitation too?"

Fu Yun paused for a moment, then smiled. "You mean Junior Brother Xu? He joined Red Star last September."

"September?" Zhai Zidu’s pupils contracted.

’It’s not even February yet. Does that mean Xu Wuyi passed the test four or five months ago?’

’And here I am, unable to beat even the weakest Illusion?’

"Which... which Illusion did he choose?" Zhai Zidu’s voice was a little dry.

"Hong Nianyi’s." Fu Yun pointed to the third pedestal. "And not only did he pass the test, he actually defeated the Illusion and left his own record on the Nine Stars Stele."

"What?" Zhai Zidu’s head snapped up.

’Defeated the Illusion?’

’Not just survived for three minutes, but defeated it?’

Seeing his shocked expression, Fu Yun felt a mischievous urge well up inside him.

He raised his hand and pointed to an adjacent pedestal. "There, see for yourself. That’s the record Junior Brother Xu left behind."

Zhai Zidu followed his finger.

A young man stood there holding a spear. His silhouette was clear, but his face was indistinct. He was wreathed in a peculiar aura, a mixture of steadfastness and searing heat.

The inscription on the pedestal read:

[Xu Wuyi (Energy Level 32.5 State) · Record Created: New Era Year 2XXX, September 17]

Zhai Zidu froze in place.

September 17th.

’It took him just over four months from the time he broke into the Martial Master Realm. And I’ve been a Martial Artist for four months now, too.’

’Is the gap between us really that huge?’

"How... how did he do it?" Zhai Zidu’s voice was raspy.

"True Intent Fusion," Fu Yun said succinctly. "During the challenge, he achieved a preliminary fusion of two True Intentions, unleashing combat power that far exceeded his current Energy Level. I watched that fight myself. It was spectacular."

’Fusing multiple True Intentions to coalesce a Heart Image... that is the path to the Innate Realm.’

This was not an unfamiliar concept to a Genius student like Zhai Zidu.

But he could never have imagined that Xu Wuyi was already capable of this five months ago.

’Just how strong is he now?’

Zhai Zidu fell silent.

After a long moment, he slowly exhaled.

"I understand."

He looked at Xu Wuyi’s Illusion. The shock in his eyes had vanished, replaced by a quiet battle intent. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

’So the gap has already grown this wide.’

But he wouldn’t give up.

A man of the Northern Lands never fears a strong opponent.

Zhai Zidu stood before Xu Wuyi’s pedestal for a long time.

"Want to give it a try?" Fu Yun’s voice came from behind him.

"Yes." Zhai Zidu nodded. "Regardless of the outcome, I need to see just how big the gap is."

Fu Yun smiled, not trying to dissuade him.

In Red Star’s challenge space, the Illusions automatically adjusted their strength based on the challenger’s Life Energy Level.

But Fu Yun knew that having the same Energy Level didn’t mean having similar strength.

The very fact that Xu Wuyi could crush Hong Nianyi’s Illusion at Energy Level 32.5 spoke volumes.

Zhai Zidu took a deep breath and stepped into the sensor area in front of the pedestal.

A countdown timer appeared in the upper-right corner of his vision.

[03:00]

[02:59]

...

Above the pedestal, the spear-wielding Illusion slowly "opened" its eyes.

There was no gaze, no expression, yet Zhai Zidu felt an invisible pressure bearing down on him.

The pressure contained the weight of a mountain and the intensity of a fire. The two intertwined Mental Realms made his breath catch in his throat.

The Illusion moved.

It took a single, simple step forward, thrusting its spear straight out.

The spear wasn’t fast, but the point of Spiritual Cold Radiance, condensed to its absolute limit on the tip, made the hairs on Zhai Zidu’s arms stand on end.

’It’s coming!’

’This is the Spirit Shock!’

He had felt a Spirit Shock from Hong Nianyi’s Illusion as well, but the nature of the two was completely different.

Zhai Zidu was prepared. The moment the spear lunged, he activated his Ice Soul Skills at full Power!

A bone-chilling cold erupted from within him, and a layer of light-blue, frost-like armor rapidly condensed on the surface of his skin.

At the same time, he condensed his Spiritual Will into a solid ice barrier to protect the depths of his consciousness.

As one of the ultimate arts of the Northern Lands, the Ice Soul Skills excelled not only at body Refinement but also at tempering one’s Spiritual Will.

When cultivated to an advanced level, one’s will becomes like ice—impervious to all distractions and naturally resistant to spiritual attacks.

Although Zhai Zidu’s Realm wasn’t high, his foundation was solid. This crystalline barrier of will was enough to block the Spirit Shock of most Martial Artists at his level.

And then—

DANG!

The Gloves collided with the spear tip, creating a deafening clang of metal on metal.

Zhai Zidu’s expression changed.

The Power coming from the spear tip was unbelievably heavy, nothing like what a Martial Artist at Energy Level 32.5 should possess.

More terrifying still, that Power contained a searing Qi Force that pierced through the icy Power coating his Gloves and shot directly into the meridians of his arm!

He stumbled back three steps before he could barely dissipate the impact.

And in the instant he retreated, the condensed Spirit Shock finally arrived!

Like a mountain, like the sun.

Zhai Zidu felt as if his barrier of will had been violently struck by a burning mountain!

KRAK—

A distinct cracking sound echoed in the depths of his consciousness.