Chapter 1053 - 1153: The Most Important Step

"You've said so much—what exactly is this final part of the trial? I doubt you'd let me pass this easily, right?" Ye Tianfan spoke up.

By now Ye Tianfan had also come back to his senses. This Guardian Spirit had said so much; it clearly wasn't just idle chatter. He must have some scheme in mind. And Ye Tianfan felt that after saying so much, in a setting like this there definitely had to be a major trial. Otherwise, there'd be no reason for him to lay out the previous tests in such detail.

Yet Ye Tianfan also felt something was off. If this stage was really the big trial, he shouldn't be telling him in advance. If he did, wouldn't Ye Tianfan already be prepared? In that case, even if it was a test, it wouldn't be able to fully test him.

But if it wasn't a test, then why tell him so many things? Was he trying to mess with his judgment?

Ye Tianfan looked around at the surrounding scene. These various kinds of terrain didn't look like they were placed here for nothing. There definitely had to be some sort of trial; otherwise, why bother setting up such a massive scene all around?

Ye Tianfan couldn't imagine what exactly this Guardian Spirit was trying to do.

That was why Ye Tianfan directly asked him.

When the Guardian Spirit heard Ye Tianfan's words, he fell silent and didn't immediately respond.

Then Ye Tianfan noticed that the surroundings began to rotate—or rather, that the altar he was standing on began to spin.

Next, Ye Tianfan saw the scenes around him start to gradually merge together.

When the altar finally stopped, Ye Tianfan found that the surrounding scenery had all turned into a vast expanse of hazy gray land. Then, from this hazy gray earth, one earthen figure after another began to form.

And this hazy gray land didn't just produce Earthen Men; it also produced all kinds of ferocious beasts.

Just from the aura pouring off their bodies alone, Ye Tianfan knew these Earthen Men and Earth Beasts were anything but simple. If it were only a single one, Ye Tianfan was confident he could easily wipe it out. But now they were so densely packed that he couldn't see the end of them. As far as his eyes could see, it was packed full of Earthen Men. If all these Earthen Men swarmed him, Ye Tianfan figured he wouldn't last long. After all, even if they didn't charge at him and merely stood there for him to cut down, Ye Tianfan estimated that even if he fought until he dropped dead from exhaustion, he wouldn't be able to clear out even a tenth of them.

But Ye Tianfan also understood that this had to be the final trial, the most crucial step in breaking this ruin.

So Ye Tianfan felt that even if he exhausted himself to death, he had to push through this stage. Otherwise, he might very well end up trapped in this ruin forever.

Still, Ye Tianfan found it strange. His willpower and strength had clearly already been tested before. Now, summoning so many Earthen Men—obviously, there was no way he could beat them. Even if he went berserk and fought without regard for fatigue, even if he literally fought himself to death, he would not be able to clear this stage in a normal sense. So at this moment Ye Tianfan felt a bit lost.

Yet Ye Tianfan also knew he had no other choice. He could only fight to the end; otherwise, everything he'd done up to now would be for nothing.

However, Ye Tianfan didn't rush to start fighting. He wanted to see what exactly the Guardian Spirit meant. If it really came down to a battle, then Ye Tianfan had no choice but to start fighting. But if it wasn't about fighting—if it was some other kind of trial…

Ye Tianfan stared at the Earthen Men before him, waiting for the Guardian Spirit's voice.

Sure enough, just as Ye Tianfan expected, after a short while the Guardian Spirit's voice came again.

"This final stage is not a test of your strength. That part has already been assessed before. And these summoned Earthen Men and Earth Beasts are not here for you to wipe them all out. You only need to eliminate as many of them as you can. Even if you only kill a single one, you can still pass. It's just that the number of Earthen Men and Earth Beasts you eliminate will determine the final reward you receive. In other words, the more you kill, the better the reward you'll be given in the end."

Hearing this, Ye Tianfan finally let out a breath. So he didn't have to kill them all—that was good. If he really had to wipe them all out, even if he kept killing without stop for decades, he might still not be able to finish.

Since killing just one was enough to pass, he no longer had any worries about failing outright. He knew that with a single move he could wipe out a small patch of Earthen Men and Earth Beasts, so clearing the stage wouldn't be hard. The hard part would be the reward afterward. The Guardian Spirit had also said that the more he killed, the better the reward, and vice versa—the fewer he killed, the worse the reward would be.

Ye Tianfan didn't know the exact numbers the Guardian Spirit would use to judge him by. But he figured it wouldn't be set too low, given that there were countless Earthen Men and Earth Beasts in front of him.

"Any other rules?" Ye Tianfan asked. After all, if he was going to fight, it was better to ask in advance if there were any restrictions. Otherwise, if he spent half the day killing only for the Guardian Spirit to say it didn't count, that would be awkward. Also, Ye Tianfan wanted to make clear how long he was expected to keep fighting, and what the time limit for this battle was.

"The rules of the battle are: once you begin, your Spiritual Power and Magical Treasures will be Sealed. You will rely entirely on your physical body to fight. If, during this period, you manage to break the Seal, the battle will still count. The time limit is one month. Within this month, no matter how you choose to fight, we will only record the number of Earthen Men and Earth Beasts you kill, and then we will determine your reward based on that number."

Hearing this, Ye Tianfan frowned slightly.

Sealing his Spiritual Power and Magical Treasures—didn't that mean he'd be thrown back into a state of hunger and cold? How was he supposed to fight like that?

But the Guardian Spirit had specifically added that if he broke the Seal midway and restored his Spiritual Power, the subsequent battle would still count.

So, did that mean there was a chance to break the Seal during this period? It's just that doing so in the midst of battle would be a bit difficult.

Still, since he'd gone out of his way to mention this, and emphasize it, it meant there definitely was a way. Perhaps he'd be able to sense it in the heat of battle. For now he hadn't even come into contact with the Seal, so thinking about it was pointless.

However, Ye Tianfan had thought of a good idea. Whether it would work or not would have to wait and see, but he would prepare in advance. If by chance this method was feasible, then everything would be much easier.