Ancient beasts were now extraordinarily rare in the Divine Realm—or perhaps already extinct entirely. Under normal circumstances, you'd never encounter one.
Only by activating the Twelve Trials could one hope to see them; anywhere else, it was nearly impossible.
In the first trial arena, a blurred figure descended from the sky.
The world below was battered by howling gales, yet this creature remained utterly unaffected—as if it were the wind's own favored child, not merely unbothered but thriving amidst the storm.
The massive silhouette slowly landed, standing proudly at the center of the platform as it looked down upon the diminutive Shi Feng.
The creature had the upper body of an eagle and the lower body of a lion—the unmistakable king of the skies, a Griffin.
Griffin, Elite, Level 20, HP: 30,000.
"I didn't expect the Griffin to be this huge. The wingspan alone must be over twenty meters." Shi Feng didn't rush into action. Instead, he quietly observed the Griffin.
As a trial, the monsters here were completely different from those in the outside world. They possessed far more skills, their base stats were significantly higher, and most importantly, their intelligence was superior—they wouldn't simply resort to crude attack-and-defend tactics.
But the Griffin didn't give Shi Feng much time to think. With a piercing screech, it spread its wings and conjured a fierce gust of wind.
In an instant, two tornadoes over three meters tall surged toward Shi Feng. Where the wind blades passed, everything was shredded to pieces.
"Opening with skills right away. As expected of an Elite Griffin."
Shi Feng smiled faintly, his body swaying as he dodged out of both tornadoes' paths.
He then activated Silent Step and appeared behind the Griffin. The pitch-black Abyssal blade sliced through the air in several arcs of dark light, striking the Griffin's wings.
White, snow-like feathers scattered like snowflakes, drifting down onto the blood-soaked ground.
"Aaaaargh!"
The Griffin hadn't even had time to react before letting out a pained howl. Damage numbers of over four hundred floated above its head. When a critical hit triggered, the number soared past eight hundred.
Shi Feng followed up with a Level 10 Slashing Strike that came crashing down, shearing off more than half of one wing. The Griffin was completely crippled.
Its HP plummeted by over nineteen hundred in an instant.
After just one exchange, the Griffin's health had dropped by 16%, and with one wing destroyed, it couldn't fly even if it wanted to.
The gap between them was painfully obvious.
A Griffin that couldn't fly was no match for Shi Feng, whose Agility exceeded 200—it had become nothing more than a live target practice.
Shi Feng darted around the Griffin's body, his blade leaving streaks of dark light wherever it struck. He stopped using skills entirely, relying solely on basic auto-attacks. This way, his movement and dodging remained smooth and natural. Moreover, his strikes were ruthlessly precise—every hit landed on a vital point or a joint critical to movement, making it even harder for the Griffin to land a blow.
Individual hits of around four hundred didn't seem like much, but after ten-odd seconds, the ferocious Griffin lay collapsed on the ground.
System: Defeated the Griffin. Completed the first round of the trial. Reward: 100,000 EXP, 5 Free Mastery points. All skill proficiency increased by 50 points.
System: First round of the trial passed. Would you like to begin the next round?
"Free Mastery as a reward too—now that's great." Shi Feng smiled slightly at the rewards and stowed away the Abyssal and his demon-slaying sword. He clicked to begin the next round.