Chapter 1251
The Dean says I haven't read enough books, that my knowledge is lacking. But honestly, that's just not true. Look at these bookworms—having read so much doesn't seem to help them at all. Whenever they see something out there, they're just left gaping in shock. Clearly, this has nothing to do with how much you've read...
Raymond wore a smug smile. The Hidden Mountain Monastery rarely interacted with the outside world, so most things had to be learned from books. But Raymond preferred fighting—constant battle—and with his natural talent, he'd advanced rapidly, reaching the Sky Rank.
He had no idea what it meant for Leon to dismantle an alchemical golem single-handedly in seconds. But the young Sword Saints behind him were far more perceptive; they knew exactly what that skill represented...
After clearing another trial, they reached the third stage—which was far less forgiving. This time, there was no buffer platform. The moment they entered, five alchemical golems charged forward, each one a melee construct, bursting out in a flash of light.
Above, a beam of light swept across the sky, while runes flickered restlessly in the air. Leon glanced up and instantly recognized them as detection runes, designed to assess the group's strength.
When Raymond wasn't unleashing his battle aura, his control over his strength was impeccable, every ounce of power reined in. Plus, the way his Undying Aura erupted was utterly different from ordinary battle aura—the detection array registered him as nothing more than a weak junior, not even warranting an extra golem.
As for Leon, when he stood there, there wasn't even a ripple of magical energy—his life force was so faint that the detection array simply swept past him, ignoring his presence altogether.
Those five alchemical golems had all been dispatched because of Constantine and his group.
Seeing the five charging golems, Leon glanced at Raymond, who was already preparing to make his move.
"Lord Raymond Mantney, you'd best restrain all your power right now. Otherwise, what you'll face won't just be five level-39 melee alchemical golems..."
Raymond Mantney heard this and immediately relaxed his grip on the sword. Leon took out a crystal pen and magical ink, then gestured toward Constantine and the other four.
"You can go ahead now. Just hold these guys off—I need a bit of time."
After speaking, Leon gripped the crystal pen, dipped it in magical ink, and began writing in midair. Runes formed from condensed magic floated and merged with the detection runes overhead.
Constantine and the other Sword Saints swung their narrow blades, engaging the golems with Undying Aura. Neither side gained the upper hand, and since Constantine's group wasn't fighting at full strength, each took on a golem with ease.
Thirty seconds later, Leon disabled the detection runes here. The array now only registered a single Sword Saint, so only one melee alchemical golem was dispatched.
A few seconds later, Leon dismantled the melee golem single-handedly and stashed the parts.
They passed six consecutive trials. Later, each time they entered, five golems appeared immediately. The proportion of spellcasting golems increased, and the number of golems rose as well.
In the sixth trial, five spellcasting golems and five Twinblade Alchemical Golems appeared. Constantine and his group struggled, as the golems' coordinated attacks grew more formidable—the greater the number and variety, the tougher the challenge.
It took Leon a minute to disable the detection runes here. Ten golems had appeared—once the array was disabled, nine vanished, leaving only a single spellcasting golem.
At the far end of the trial, Raymond Mantney’s gaze suddenly shifted toward the portal, where the runes on one section of the floor had dimmed slightly.
“Marianne really is still alive. This is her mark!”
Raymond Mantney grew visibly excited. He’d worried all along that his junior sister might perish here. There were only seven trials, and for someone at Marianne’s level—a Sword Saint of the ninth rank—making it through was no easy feat. The relentless battles tested both strength and endurance.
After six fruitless trials, only the final, most difficult challenge remained. Now, seeing Marianne’s mark at last, Raymond Mantney couldn’t help but feel a rush of excitement.
Leon examined the slightly faded rune on the floor. He couldn’t tell what had been left behind, but he could sense the protective rune’s weakening—likely infected by the Aura of Stillness from Undying Aura.
Raymond Mantney channeled Undying Aura into the floor. The energy dispersed into a mist, tracing the strength of the mark and gradually forming words.
“Foolish senior brother, the mighty Marianne has already reached the final trial. If you’re reading this, you survived the earlier ones—but don’t die now. Marianne awaits you outside.”
Raymond Mantney’s face flushed with embarrassment. Constantine and the others seemed to catch on, sharing awkward laughter.
“Let’s go. This is the last trial—once we clear it, we can leave this place.”
Leon made the remark casually, then stepped through the glowing portal.