The second day, three miles outside the West Gate of Hangu Pass.

This was an open clearing, the ground covered in gravel that crunched underfoot.

On the distant city walls, the black armor of the garrison shimmered coldly in the sunlight.

The origin of this matter went back to yesterday.

Tie Dun had just completed his first promotion to Iron Wall Guardian yesterday, his level soaring straight to thirty, his constitution breaking through sixty, and he had awakened.

He returned to the training grounds, slapping his shield with a resounding thud, pacing back and forth in front of Zhao Hu like a peacock displaying its feathers.

"Brother Hu, don't you think that now that my constitution has broken through sixty, combined with two pieces of purple equipment, I'm incredibly tanky?" Tie Dun grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

Zhao Hu leaned against a nearby wooden post, arms crossed, expressionless: "Whether you're tanky or not, we'll only know after testing."

He paused, shifting his gaze toward Feng Qingyan, who was practicing fireballs in the distance. "How about we find Feng Qingyan tomorrow and use her Flame Burst to test it out?"

Tie Dun's eyes lit up, his shield nearly slipping from his grasp: "Let's do it! With our constitution awakened, we are the bane of a mage's ranged attacks!"

Feng Qingyan heard about this, and she agreed on the spot; the halo of her shield brightened several degrees.

In the blink of an eye, the second day arrived. At this moment, seven figures were scattered across the clearing.

Tie Dun stood in the center, his troll bone shield held horizontally in front of him, adopting a defensive stance.

Feng Qingyan was twenty meters away, her staff held high, the flame on the Fire Crystal flickering rhythmically.

Zhao Hu leaned against a large rock, arms crossed, expressionless.

Su Yurou held the bone healing staff, standing a little further away, ready to provide healing at any moment.

Jiang Yelan leaned against a dead tree, the shadow moon blade resting across her lap, eyes closed in rest. She had no interest in this "tanking fireballs" trick, but Tie Dun insisted on dragging her along to "witness history."

Feng Qingyan smoothed her hair, which had been ruffled by the wind, her beautiful eyes curving into crescents as she asked with a smile: "Brother Tie Dun, are you ready?"

Tie Dun raised his shield high, crouched slightly, and shouted in a booming voice: "Ready! Bring it on!"

Feng Qingyan didn't waste words, waving her staff—【Flame Burst】.

A basin-sized orange-red fireball flew from the tip of her staff, trailing a long tail of flame, tracing an arc through the air before slamming solidly into Tie Dun's troll bone shield.

"Boom!"

The fireball exploded, the shockwave sending surrounding gravel flying in all directions.

Tie Dun's shield didn't budge, and only one number floated above his head: -20.

Tie Dun froze for a moment, then burst into laughter that echoed across the clearing: "Haha! Only 20 HP! My health bar is over two thousand; are you tickling me? Keep going! I've only lost a sliver of health!"

He was so excited that his shield shook, and he beckoned to Feng Qingyan.

Feng Qingyan raised an eyebrow, the halo of her shield flickering.

She waved her staff, and a second Flame Burst followed immediately, slamming into the shield once again.

This time, a burning effect was triggered; a layer of dark red fire light appeared on Tie Dun, causing him to lose 10 HP per second.

Tie Dun looked down, bewildered: "There's even a burn effect?"

Before he could finish speaking, Feng Qingyan went all out, firing one Flame Burst per second. Fireballs rained down on Tie Dun's shield like a barrage.

"Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!!!"

Twenty Flame Bursts struck in succession. Tie Dun's troll bone shield sparked as it was bombarded, but thanks to the "Block Efficiency +20% while shielding" passive from his constitution awakening, combined with the damage reduction from the Iron Wall Guardian's Iron Wall, all twenty fireballs were blocked.

The burning effect triggered a few times, and his health bar slowly dropped from full. He lost a total of over five hundred points, leaving him with three-quarters of his health.

Seeing that Feng Qingyan had no intention of stopping, the excitement on Tie Dun's face turned to panic, his voice cracking: "Stop, stop, stop! That's enough, that's enough! Yu Rou! Heal me, quick! I'm afraid this girl is going to blast me to death!"

Everyone laughed. Su Yurou stood nearby, a slight curve appearing at the corners of her mouth. She raised her staff, and a verdant Healing Spell landed on Tie Dun. +546, and his health bar instantly refilled.

She said softly: "Don't worry, you won't die."

Feng Qingyan put away her staff, the flame on the Fire Crystal dimming slightly, her smile blooming like a flower.

Her voice carried a hint of triumph: "Not bad, Brother Tie Dun. You tanked over twenty of my Flame Bursts and only lost a quarter of your health. Not bad at all!"

She paused, her beautiful eyes darting around: "But if the enemy hits and runs, it won't be so easy for you to block everything."

Tie Dun patted his shield and grinned: "Then I'll just have to practice! On the battlefield, I won't just stand there like a fool; moving and blocking is the real skill! Besides, with Yu Rou behind me healing, what do I have to fear?"

He turned around, his gaze landing on Jiang Yelan, who was leaning against a tree in the distance. He suddenly became interested: "Ye Lan, do you want to try too? Let's see if your blade can break my defense!"

Jiang Yelan leaned against the tree trunk, the shadow moon blade across her lap, her black leather armor shimmering coldly in the sunlight.

She looked up, a trace of surprise in her cold, clear eyes, as if she hadn't expected Tie Dun to challenge her.

She looked at Tie Dun, then at the shield in his hand. She didn't speak, merely standing up slowly as the shadow moon blade slid from her lap into her hand.

A dark black light flew from her hand—【Phantom Flying Blade】.

The flying blade traveled in an arc, moving extremely fast, its trajectory almost impossible to see in the sunlight.

Tie Dun raised his shield to block, and the flying blade struck the shield face with precision, exploding into a ball of dark black light.

-60.

Tie Dun breathed a sigh of relief. Sixty HP wasn't much. Then, his expression changed.

A layer of dark black light appeared on his body. 【Poison Blade Tempering】 was triggered, causing 50 HP loss per second for 6 seconds.

His health bar dropped at a visible rate: fifty, one hundred, one hundred fifty, two hundred... Tie Dun looked down at his health bar, his face turning green: "No more, no more! Ye Lan, you're too fierce! I ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) can't tank this poison!"

Su Yurou shook her head with a smile and raised her staff slightly. A Purification spell landed on Tie Dun, and the verdant light dispelled the poison.

Tie Dun let out a long breath, touching his chest, still feeling lingering fear.

Feng Qingyan laughed so hard her shield wobbled, holding her stomach with both hands: "Brother Tie Dun, you're too brave! Daring to spar with Sister Ye Lan near Hangu Pass; I bet you wouldn't last 30 seconds!" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Tie Dun scratched his head and chuckled: "Isn't Yu Rou here? What's there to fear?"

Zhao Hu stood up from the rock, brushed the dust off himself, his tone flat but revealing a hint of seriousness.

"Enough, Tie Dun. You still need to practice more in your daily routine. On the battlefield, it won't be that easy to block all attacks outside your shield. The enemy's arrows will come from all directions, not just the front."

Tie Dun stopped laughing and nodded solemnly: "Understood, Brother Hu, I'll remember that."

Jiang Yelan sheathed her blade and returned to lean against the tree. After a moment of silence, she spoke, her voice cold and clear but carrying a rare hint of seriousness: "In these coming days, everyone should take time to practice with each other. Familiarize yourselves with each other's skills and fighting styles so that our coordination on the battlefield can be more seamless."