On the first floor of the Hall of Trials, the watching monsters were still debating what Eternal could an. Most participants had already finished and been spat out by the stele, with only Strawpin, Fiend Prince, and Starhair remaining. The presence of more monsters only intensified the debate.
“Look, they’re done with the second test!” soone cried out. Everyone turned to look at the stele—two nas dominated the very top of the second column, both burning with golden letters. Both had achieved an Eternal classification, but one was clearly placed above the other. After all, the stele ranked all test participants, even if they had achieved the sa overall classification.
The second na spelled Jack Rust. And the first, the one at the very top, was Brock!
Of course, this didn’t necessarily an Brock’s willpower was sturdier than Jack’s. The trial had exploited Jack’s greatest ntal scars—his family and son. Brock possessed fewer such weaknesses, so it was hard to tell who would prevail in a different kind of test, especially since Brock hadn’t been through as much suffering as his bro.
But those didn’t matter. Both had classified as Eternal talents in willpower—and, in this test, Brock had erged superior, solidifying his place as a true and worthy bro.
Intense conversation erupted as soon as the monsters spotted the nas. “I knew big bro could do it!” a monster cried out. “Who do you think is going to do better in the combat test? Jack or Brock?”
“It’s obvious, isn’t it? Brock only defeated us disciples, while Jack Monstrous, or Rust, or whatever he’s called, killed two middle Autarch Elders!”
“That doesn’t an anything. Big bro Brock clearly wasn’t going all-out.”
“But neither was Jack!”
“I bet an early Autarch core on Jack.”
“ too.”
“I bet it on Brock!”
Soti during the conversation, Strawpin had been spat out of the trial, ignored by everyone. Her eyes searched the stele. Shock ran through her core. Having great insights into the Dao was one thing, but in the willpower trial, she’d barely achieved the Genius level. No matter how high Eternal was, whether it was one or multiple levels above her… How could anyone reach it? How could they not go insane? The agony she’d experienced was way more than she ever thought possible.
Jack Monstrous… Brock… she thought, her eyes quivering. What the hell are you!?
***
A shadow materialized in the middle of Jack’s hall. It resembled the one he’d fought during the first test but was clearly different. The darkness hiding it was thinner, and it held a sword—most importantly, its aura was only around the early B-Grade, though the way it held itself told Jack it was decently talented.
He didn’t care. He flashed over and smashed a fist into it, obliterating the shadow in a single strike.
Another ford almost imdiately. This one was at the middle B-Grade, and it suffered the exact sa fate as its predecessor. So did the two next shadows, sitting at the late and peak B-Grade each.
Four shadows had already passed, four parts of the test, but Jack hadn’t even started venting.
A fifth shadow materialized. This one was a cut above the rest—an early A-Grade, power emanating from it in ripples, painting the air around it gray. Suddenly, the hundred-foot cube seed too small for an A-Grade fight. It was a distance Jack could cross in instants.
He did not wait for the shadow to attack. As soon as it ford, he charged, smashing his knuckles into its face. For the first ti, he didn’t win on the spot. The shadow raised an arm to defend, getting blown backward but remaining whole. Jack pursued. An almost animalistic rage consud him. He did not activate the Life Drop, instead opting to puml the shadow to death. teor Punches rained. The floor and walls were cratered, the shadow desperately defending until it no longer could. Jack’s fist broke through its arms, burying itself in the shadow’s chest, then exploded. Fragnts of darkness rained.
He panted, more from rage than exhaustion. “Again!” he shouted.
The sixth shadow was at the middle A-Grade. This was the first real challenge—the difference in their cultivations was similar to when Jack fought Elder Crownbeast, though his relative power had increased since then. Absorbing the Overlord core had brought many more benefits than simply increasing his cultivation.
He was confident he could beat this shadow, no matter what Dao it used. It would just take a while.
Before he could attack, however, the room shook. The shadow flickered, then dissipated, its face betraying unwillingness. A new shape ford in its place. A bald young man, dark-skinned like the night, donned in white ceremonial robes. He held no weapon. His eyes betrayed hunger—and, unlike all previous opponents, there was nothing shadow-like about him.
Jack paused. “Who are you?” he asked. Sothing about this youth’s gaze differentiated him from the lifeless shadows before. This was a person, not a construct. And, though his aura was only at the peak B-Grade, Jack could sense its trendous depths. He was suddenly on guard—whoever this entity was, it was unmistakably the greatest genius Jack had ever fought.
“I thought I’d accelerate things,” the other man said. His youthful voice held a hint of amusent—or was it mockery? As if he knew the world’s greatest joke but wouldn’t reveal it.
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“Accelerate?”
“You would defeat the Pri Genius shadow, but it would take so effort. I want to fight you at your best. After all, you’re the first challenger to stand a chance against . I yearn for a good fight.”
Jack narrowed his eyes. “You didn’t answer my question. Who are you?”
The figure chuckled. “Defeat , and I’ll tell you.”
“Cool.”
Jack could sense the extre power radiating from his opponent. Though only at the peak B-Grade, he was vastly superior to the middle A-Grade shadow from before. An almost Jack-level talent.
This made Jack not completely confident in victory, but then again, he didn’t need to be. He only needed to fight. The Life Drop transformation was already complete.
A punch shot out, trailing purple stars. The dark man raised a palm, catching Jack’s fist. The shockwave shook the hall. Dao t extre Dao, two fundantal forces of the universe clashing against each other.
Jack’s punch carried trendous power. Though it was only a teor Punch, it had previously sent an early A-Grade shadow flying. This man, whoever he was, had stopped it with little effort.
Jack narrowed his eyes and jumped back. When they clashed just now, he’d clearly experienced the other’s Dao—his punch’s montum had been wasted, exhausted until it beca nothing. It was a great deteriorating force reminding Jack of death, yet not quite. This was sothing greater. A wider concept.
His rage began to abate, replaced by intrigue. He was, at the depths of his heart, a cultivator. Such a Dao, such an opponent, couldn’t help but interest him.
The other man caught Jack’s eye and grinned. “Let tell you a secret, Jack,” he said, spreading his arms to the side. Black spheres appeared in each—not black holes, but carrying similar finality. One was purely physical, the other ntal. As for the man’s aura, it carried the essence of a soul—a great Dao stretching over all three fields.
The man continued. “I didn’t accelerate our fight just to keep you rested. My siblings and I take turns fighting the challengers of the Eternal floor. The next challenger would have been mine. However, I didn’t want to risk your brorilla friend reaching this stage first. I wanted to fight you—our Daos match well. Even if you fail to defeat , just facing will have been a great boon to your future strength.”
Jack snorted. “Should I be honored?”
“You should be angry. I am the strongest of my siblings. Facing ans your chances of victory are low, and the Eternal floor is not like the rest. To reach it, you require an Eternal classification in all three tests instead of just two. By appearing before you, I placed a great obstacle in your way, one you may have otherwise dodged.”
Jack smiled toothily. “You talk a lot,” he said. “Just fight . I don’t care who you are—I’ll beat you all the sa.”
The other man laughed. “Give it a shot! Just, one mont. This arena is a bit small.” He snapped his fingers. The hall around them disassembled, revealing patches of colorful void. More walls materialized, forming a new hall with walls a mile wide each. “There we go,” the man said, cracking his shoulders. He seed really eager. “Are you ready? I know I am.”
“Co at , bitch.”
The two charged at each other. They clashed in the center, Jack’s fists sailing to et his opponent’s open palms. The dark spheres from before had manifested as darkness, which covered the mysterious man head-to-toe like so sort of malicious aura, forming a stark contrast against his white robes. To Jack, he looked like an ancient beast.
Fist t palm. Dark and purple lightning shot out, impacting against the walls, shattering and destroying. They fought inside a large box in a different dinsion—as cagey as could be. Only one of the two would walk out alive. Jack was pumped up, his previous anger vented and forgotten.
“Co!” he shouted. Lightning arced over his body, further enhancing his already ridiculous physicality. This was the Thunderbody technique he’d taken from the Animal Kingdom’s Emberheart family—a very useful enhancent. He hadn’t been able to use it against Crownbeast, as the concentration required would ss with his then-amateur use of Black Hole. Now that he’d practiced it more, however, he could go completely all-out.
The dark man’s eyes shone. “Good technique!” he said. “Hit !”
Jack dove in. He beca a streak of purple and green lightning flickering across the room like an angry dragon. Space bent in his wake, even its million-fold density unable to support his power. He shot a hundred punches in an instant. The dark man was beset in all directions.
With a shout, darkness erupted from his body. It spread outward, not fast but unavoidable. Every punch that fell into it disappeared, its montum sapped completely, its energies deteriorating as if by the passage of a million years. This was entropy at work—everything that could end, ended.
Jack grinned at the challenge. He already suspected whom he was facing, but he didn’t say the na—no need to honor his opponent before defeating him. Instead, he charged.
And instantly retreated.
A dark palm had appeared before Jack, almost grabbing his face. The other man had slipped his hand through space and clad it in foreboding darkness. Jack knew that, if that hand touched him, he’d age rapidly. Perhaps even reach the end of his life.
“I thought this was only a test,” he said, licking his lips.
“A test with stakes,” the other man replied. “Beat , and you earn the world. Lose, and you pay the price. Why do you think my previous challenger adopted the title Eternal Radiance? You can always forfeit now if you want.”
Jack didn’t reply. His eyes scanned the opponent, looking for an opening. There is no way his defense is omnipotent, he thought. If all attacks deteriorate before reaching him, there is hardly a point in fighting. There has to be a way out. But what?
This wasn’t an opponent who could be defeated by re strength. The Daos he utilized stood at the peak. Without similar mastery, Jack knew he’d never be able to touch him.
This pleased Jack. He sank into his laws, letting them circulate his body, letting them fill his heart. Everything else disappeared to leave only the battle—heart of fire, mind of ice.
Jack shot out again. He sealed space in a radius around him, so the other man couldn’t sneak in any attacks, and imbued his fists with the essence of Ti. He reached his opponent and punched out—not with a powerful fist, but one designed to last through endless ti, to shoot through the universe unendingly until it hit a target. For the first ti, Jack utilized the concept of Infinity, an abstract part of the Daos of Ti and Space.
The opponent smiled. “Finally, we’re getting sowhere!” Darkness spun around his palm in a spiral as he reached out and caught Jack’s fist. The two concepts warred. Infinity stretched on, while Entropy tested its limits. The punch’s montum began to wane—nothing was truly infinite, only converging to it. Entropy held a definitive advantage.
Black ribbons shot at Jack. He flew back, desperately trying to avoid them, then had to teleport to save himself. In a place with such dense Dao, piercing space was a tall task—Jack could do it, but it took a lot out of him.
He panted, staring down his opponent.
“You’re good, Jack Rust,” the other man said slowly. His smile remained. “The strongest mortal I’ve ever seen. However, are you good enough? My Entropy isn’t sothing you can punch out of the way. Without deep enough Daos, you’re dood to lose!”
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