Chapter 600: Chapter 600: 10-Star Challenge

In the previous second, he was still standing atop a scorching sea of lava, the stone beneath his feet melting, the heated air distorting his vision. The next second, the scene around him shattered like a broken mirror, replaced by a realm of absolute zero, frigid cold instantly invading his body, even the air seeming to freeze. In another instant, the space flipped, and he was floating in a void-like astral world, a sensation of weightlessness washing over him with distant broken stars and silent energy storms. The rules of the environment were switching rapidly and chaotically, each switch accompanied by severe changes in the laws of physics. Gravity, temperature, energy affinity, even material forms were frantically altering. This was not just a test of the physical body, but the ultimate challenge to mental stability and immediate adaptability. And the enemy appeared alongside. It was a peculiar demon, its form unfixed, rather a mass of constantly writhing, color-shifting, contour-changing energy assembly. In the lava environment, it would conjure fiery whips; in the ice-bound realm, it would shoot soul-freezing ice ray. In the astral void, it could control gravity, forming twisted spatial traps. More troubling, as the environment switched, random elemental minions corresponding to the new environment would coalesce around the demon. Lava fire spirits, frost skeletons, void aberrations. They were not independent entities but linked to the demon's core energy, sharing perception, coordinating attacks. Attacks came from all directions, with attributes and modes changing unpredictably with the environment, alternating high heat and severe cold, seamlessly connecting physical impacts and energy erosions, mental disruption and space distortion. If an ordinary Level one Crystalized Mage were here, they wouldn't last three rounds of environmental switching without losing control over energy or facing mental collapse. Yet Duke's response displayed a transcendent, almost instinctual adaptability. Deep within his gaze, it seemed six base elemental colors were rotating and appearing. When the heat of lava swept over, his fire elemental affinity talent emerged, not only greatly diminishing the damage from the heat but granting him exceptional perception of the flame energy flow, easily predicting and guiding the track of the fiery whip. When the severe cold set in, the water elemental affinity made him akin to the inhabitants of northern icy plains, significantly weakening the rigidity from the biting cold, his spirit more condensed in frigid environments, instantly analyzing the weaknesses of the ice ray and shattering them. Every dramatic environmental switch for him was merely a change of stage backdrop. With his talent for high affinity with the six elements, it was as if he wore an invisible, environment-suited comfortable cloak that allowed him to adapt to new environments at the fastest speed. He was no longer passively resisting the environment but began to guide and utilize it. Every time the environment switched, the concentration of free elemental energy particles in the environment would greatly increase. Similarly, the strength of corresponding elemental magic would also greatly increase. For other wizards, it's impossible for their mastery of magic to be so comprehensive, inevitably facing unsuitable environments. But for Duke, no matter how the environment switched, he could always use the most suitable elemental magic to attack. This trial, for most wizards, had good training effects, allowing them to adapt in advance to the complex environments in the Endless Plane. Most Level one Mages couldn't endure several environmental changes, but Duke not only remained strong but felt no pressure. He had already gone through two rounds of environmental switching, and if it weren't for the troublesome demon, would have ended it long ago. But he was still very relaxed; the primary pressure from this trial came from the environmental stress, which, for him, was non-existent. Ten minutes later, Duke emerged from the access cabin, looking relaxed. The mechanical eye service clerk looked at him, an icy synthesized voice seemed to carry an almost imperceptible ripple: "Mr. Duke, your comprehensive score under Level one Nine-Star difficulty is: nine thousand nine hundred eighty-seven points. This score has been automatically recorded into the Anvil Castle's practical assessment center Level one Mage leaderboard, current rank: thirty-seventh." Duke raised an eyebrow slightly; he didn't care much about the ranking, just found the scoring system interesting. The clerk continued introducing with her emotionless voice: "Level one Ten-Star, Final Trial. You will continuously challenge ten projections of real beings from the Endless Plane, confirmed to possess Level one Peak combat power, collected through data. They are the standout members within their own plane, possessing unique and powerful combat styles. Upon defeating ten consecutively, you will be considered to have passed. Please note, each opponent's strength far exceeds that of previous composite elite units. Due to huge energy consumption, once the challenge begins, it cannot be exited midway until completing ten consecutive battles or the challenger's death. Do you confirm opening?"