The speed of the Fire Lotus Sword was just too fast; Li Xiu didn’t even have time to dodge before it struck his abdomen, the blade disappearing in an instant up to the hilt.
"It’s over! Am I just dead ?" Li Xiu felt unwilling but resigned himself to his fate, thinking, "This time I can finally reunite with Bai Qiuyi. Unexpectedly, the world’s two best Magic Armor Masters both died because of the Trial Gate."
"Strange, why doesn’t it hurt? Is it because the sword is too thin and fast, that it pierced through my body without me noticing? The wound is still tightly sealed, just waiting for me to move, then it will open up and my intestines will spill everywhere?" Li Xiu thought, suddenly sensing something amiss. He looked down and found that the Fire Lotus Sword hadn’t pierced his abdomen at all.
The sword’s body bent like a belt, wrapping around his waist, the tip just connecting with the end of the hilt, making it look from a distance like a dark-patterned fire lotus belt around Li Xiu’s waist.
Li Xiu hadn’t figured out what was happening when the entrance ticket time ran out, and he was transported out.
As he was teleported away, Li Xiu vaguely heard that strange voice saying words like "Life Pact Failed," "Transformation," "Parasite."
Back at the arena, he found Kun Sha had returned, carrying a massive black fire-patterned hammer on his back.
The head of the hammer was as thick as a bucket, and covered in red flame patterns, with a shaft about two meters long, looking extremely domineering and fierce.
Li Xiu was staring blankly because Kun Sha, carrying such a giant hammer, seemed completely unaffected.
He himself carried a tiny Fire Lotus on his waist, which felt like it was about to snap him in two, his legs trembling ceaselessly, ready to give way at any moment.
"Haha, I finally understand, now a real Trial Taker, I have become a real Trial Taker." Kun Sha, a person usually mature, shouted excitedly.
"What Trial Taker, what is that hammer?" Shale asked curiously.
"This is the pact. Only with it can one be a true Trial Taker. My pact is called the Flame Hammer, and now it and I are a life community, allowing us to fight and grow together. The Flame Hammer is far better than Demon Armor; it inherently has a life, possessing spirituality, perfectly matching with my consciousness," Kun Sha spoke more excitedly, revealing unexpected verbosity.
"Doesn’t it tire you carrying such a huge hammer?" Li Xiu couldn’t help but ask.
"Not at all, now the Flame Hammer and I are a life community. It’s spiritual, feeling weightless in my hand, but for anyone else, it’s easily hundreds of pounds. Plus, it can be stored inside the body." Kun Sha proudly demonstrated how he stores the hammer within himself, showcasing its uniqueness.
Kun Sha seemed completely different from his usual steadiness, now like a child with a beloved toy.
However, it aroused great envy in Pa Shan, Shale, and Li Xiu.
"There’s something ? Why is mine still so heavy? Could it be that my comment offended the Fire Lotus Sword and it’s retaliating?" But Li Xiu quickly dismissed this thought.
Because he remembered the last sounds he heard, mentioning his Life Pact with the Fire Lotus Sword failing, followed by transformation and parasite, Li Xiu didn’t hear clearly and was then transported out.
"Li Xiu, what’s that on your waist? Why is there an additional belt?" Shale noticed the anomaly on Li Xiu.
"Li Xiu, did you also receive the pact and become a Trial Taker? That’s fantastic; next we can both use the pact and carve a bloody path out, helping Pa Shan and Shale escape..." Kun Sha, overly excited, then noticed the light red belt on Li Xiu’s waist.
"Mine isn’t really a pact... I haven’t become a Trial Taker either..." Li Xiu said, almost tearing up.
This thing weighs him down; forget fighting to escape, he’s struggling just to move, forced to shuffle along slowly, it’s unbearably heavy.
Li Xiu seriously doubted that if he could lift a leg, relying solely on one leg, it might snap.
"Didn’t know Trial Takers have this quirk, I’ll get one for fun later." Shale’s eyes couldn’t hide his envy.
"There’s not much time, quickly choose your reward, with the S-level talent and skills, we can be helpful. Let future matters be dealt with later," Pa Shan said nearby.
Shale heard and agreed, promptly selecting his reward.
Li Xiu strongly suspected that the Blood Boiling Skill was rather common; both Shale and Pa Shan obtained this skill.
Now all four of them had an S-level Blood Boiling Skill.
The talents obtained varied slightly as the Talent Gemstones differed; naturally, Li Xiu didn’t feel comfortable asking what their talents were.
After choosing their rewards, the four were transported outside together.
The sight that greeted them left Li Xiu and the others quite stunned, expecting to face a group of soldiers with assault rifles, or perhaps a row of Magic Armor Masters waiting.
Unexpectedly, before them were not dark gun barrels nor Iron-Man-like Magic Armor Masters.
Instead, there were cameras, camcorders, even people holding smartphones filming them.
The flashlights flickered continuously, almost blinding them.
"Teacher Kun Sha, please share your thoughts, what’s the feel of attempting S-level trials a second time?"
"Teacher Kun Sha, being a noble Magic Armor Master, what drove you to risk participating in the trial? What experiences prompted you to make such a decision?"
Reporters rushed to question Kun Sha, some even wanting to interview Li Xiu, Shale, and Pa Shan.
Soldiers standing guard beside, finally reacted, aiming their guns at Li Xiu and the media staff.
They never imagined Kun Sha would be the one to emerge.
Zheng De and the Guyue City Lord had long departed, leaving behind confidants with soldiers guarding here.
They invited this media, intending to show Tyrone City’s residents their bets lost; Kun Sha lost, he wouldn’t emerge.
Those informed believed Kun Sha couldn’t come out alive, though reality proved magical, Kun Sha emerged alive, and Li Xiu, Pa Shan, and Shale weren’t dead.
Those expected to die remained, those expected to live perished; it left everyone stunned momentarily.
Once they grasped the situation, calling Zheng De, Zheng De responded with one line: "Kill them all, leave no survivors."