After tapping the prompt before him, John's gaze shifted back to the Ice Troll. Its aura began to climb, and soon it exuded the aura of a Middle Heaven Tribulation Beast. John's eyes lit up in excitement, while his appreciation of the Jade Dragon Empire grew even further.
"I wonder why I'm allowed to select the difficulty of the trial?" John mused out loud.
Although he was able to fight above his cultivation level, he was a complete anomaly in the cultivation world. While there were some gifted geniuses who could fight one realm above their rank, going two or even three realms above their cultivation level was unheard of. However, the prompt had allowed him to go to the Middle Heaven Tribulation Realm, which was effectively three minor realms above his cultivation level.
"I doubt that even the geniuses of the Jade Dragon Empire were so gifted. I wonder what the reason for this option is," John mused as he closely studied the beast.
"This Ice Troll is clearly a fake beast made up by the formations surrounding this arena, but even I can't tell the difference between it being fake and real. The formation experts of the Jade Dragon Empire must have been beyond impressive.'
John took out his battle axe as he slowly began to walk towards the Ice Troll. The Ice Troll roared loudly as it watched John approach, before it suddenly charged towards him. Each step shook the massive cavernous arena with its weight and power, as it arrived before him in an instant.
After a moment of thought, John smiled as he put away his battle axe. The Ice Troll slammed its closed fist down on John, the force of his attack equivalent to a small mountain slamming down onto the ground. John's body aura skyrocketed as he punched out to meet the attack, his battle lusted smile growing by the second.
…
Bang!
The Ice Troll's body fell to the ground as the arena shook from its weight. Its body was riddled with wounds, as blood flowed all over its white fur. However, none of the wounds were made from sharp blades, and instead looked to be done by brute force. One of the arms of the Ice Troll had been ripped off at the elbow, while one ankle was shattered with the foot facing the wrong direction.
Both of its eyes had been gouged out, while several circular holes were visible on its stomach and chest. Lastly, a large, gaping hole was visible in the left center of its chest. The Ice Troll slowly faded away, while John's gaze shifted to the beating heart he held in his right hand. The heart faded away as well, as the room became empty aside from himself.
John's body was covered in blood from head to toe, the blood both his and the Ice Trolls. His breathing was heavy, but the satisfied smile on his face continued to linger as he watched the Ice Troll vanish. His body also cleaned up a bit as the Ice Trolls blood vanished as well.
"That might have been the most fun I've ever had in a fight," John couldn't help but say out loud. He had been able to fight purely with his body against a strong beast, undisturbed by anyone else.
John felt a tingling sensation on his upper chest, and knew it was his Jade Marks being updated. A quick inspection revealed he had received two hundred points, a figure that caused slight surprise to appear on his face.
"Two hundred Jade Marks? That's more than I've received up to this point," John mumbled, although after quick consideration it made sense. He had single handedly defeated an opponent three minor cultivation realms higher than him, which was most likely factored into the score.
Flash!
On the other side of the arena, John saw a flash of green light as another formation barrier appeared. Without hesitation, he walked over towards the formation barrier and entered it.
…
Bang!
An earthen fist slammed into the ground, while the force of its attack sent out a powerful shockwave.
"Ahhh!"
A cry of pain and panic rang out as a young girl was flung across the arena, while her body eventually slammed into the far wall of the cavern. She landed on the ground, her footing unsteady as she struggled to push through the battered state of her body. Blood flowed down her face and arms, while her aura seemed shaky and fragile. The girl wore a blue dress, which looked quite pretty. She had long green hair, and bright green eyes, eyes which suddenly widened in panic.
"Grayson!" she yelled in a panic, but it was too late to do anything. The girl helplessly watched as a massive earthen fist slammed onto her friend, who was lying on the ground and was struggling to get up. The boy's fearful eyes gazed back at his friend as the fist slammed into his back, shattering his spine and crushing his body.
"Grayson!" the girl called out, her voice hoarse and shill. Tears formed in her eyes as she watched the earthen first lift up from Grayson's body, which was now no more than a smear on the floor. Grayson no longer contained any aura of life.
The girl's gaze lingered on her friend while the earthen creature approached her. The girl shifted her gaze towards the earthen creature as it arrived before her, fear and agony entrenched within her. She watched as the earthen fist punched out towards her with incredible might, and knew she did not have the power to resist it. Her regretful eyes slowly closed as she embraced her soon to arrive death.
Bang!
A loud sound boomed out within the large cavernous arena, as the earthen first collided with a solid object. The girl's tearful and confused eyes slowly opened as she gazed forward, not expecting to ever open her eyes again.
Two figures immediately came into her view, one towering, while the other seemed no more than an ant compared to the lumbering earthen creature. However, the figure before her held back the earthen creatures punch with a single arm, as if such a thing was no more than a trivial matter to him.
"You really shouldn't just give up on life like that," John said to the girl, who was clearly on the edge of collapse. "You only have one life to live, so you should fight until your last breath!"
The girl's confused expression turned into one of shock, before tears once again began to stream down her face.
"But…Grayson!" the girl muttered as her tearful gaze shifted to her dead friend in the distance.
John followed her gaze, and quickly saw her friend dead on the floor. He sighed in pity, as it seemed as though he had arrived just a fraction late to assist the dead youth.
"That's all the more reason to fight to your last breath," John said to the girl. "Your friend died fighting alongside you, and so your survival is all the more important. Otherwise, who will carry on his memory?"
John's words caused the girls tearful eyes to widen slightly, before more tears began to fall. She quickly wiped the tears away, as her fearful expression slowly firmed up.
"You…you're right!" the girl replied, realizing the truth of John's words. If both of them died down here, no one would have ever known what happened to them, or the brave last stand they had against the monstrous creature.
Roar!
The earthen creature roared as it saw John had blocked its attack, and it withdrew its fist for a moment before unleashing another devastating attack.
"Motherfucker, do you mind?" John cursed at the creature, "we're having a conversation here, so piss off!"
Bang!
His fist punched out to meet the earthen creature's first attack, the collisions of fists creating a thunderous force that shook the large, cavernous arena. The girl watched in stunned surprise as the massive earthen creature was launched backwards into the distance, its body slamming violently into the far wall of the cavern.
