When the Royal Capital Guards appeared, many people stopped talking, knowing that today's trial was about to begin.
At that moment, General Roland Lowell's majestic voice echoed from the sky: "Today is the Second Trial. This test will decide who earns the right to enter the final round. Everyone, unleash your full attack power—do not hold back.
You all know the rules: when striking the great bell, inject your Stellar Power into the token—this will record your time.
Your result depends on how long the bell rings. You can use any martial art or weapon to attack the bell.
Even Divine Martial Realm experts might not be able to damage this bell, so feel free to go all out. The reward rules are the same as in the First Trial. Good sons of the Heavenly Dragon Kingdom, give it your best! The trial begins now!"
As General Roland finished speaking, the training field erupted in cheers. Everyone was fired up and excited.
The first group lined up in thirteen columns, each with a hundred people, taking turns to test in order and avoid chaos.
The first person to step forward was a young man, looking close to thirty. This was probably his last chance to qualify for the Royal Capital Guard—if he failed this time, he'd never get another shot.
Right now, his face was tense as he slowly walked up to the great bell. After looking it over, he took out his token and injected Stellar Power.
A moment later, a blazing red longsword appeared in his hand. He stood perfectly still, eyes tightly shut, but the surrounding fire element rapidly gathered onto his sword.
Evan Chu could tell that this guy's martial art fused fire element into his attack, making it extremely powerful. At his age, he was definitely a Heaven Martial Realm expert.
Once he attacked, the result would show the typical ringing time for a Heaven Martial Realm expert—something everyone cared about.
"Blazing Explosion Slash!" he suddenly shouted, then swung his longsword in a lightning-fast arc. It almost looked like the blade tore open the surrounding space.
Evan watched as a two-meter-long flaming sword-light smashed into the great bell. The sheer force of the attack sent the air swirling in powerful gusts.
He could even feel the space itself tremble from the blow. Everyone was shocked by just how strong this attack was.
A massive bell tone thundered through the crowd. The great bell swung wildly on its stone tripod, while the young man who unleashed that dominating strike was blasted several meters back by the violent rebound.
He struggled to his feet, face full of shock as he stared at the bell—and couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood.
"He actually got hurt! The bell's rebound force is that strong? That's insane!" someone in the crowd exclaimed.
The bell rang for nearly half a minute before fading. The young man went to a Royal Capital Guard by the bell, said a few words, then walked away slowly, his face deathly pale—clearly badly injured.
"Not bad! Thirty-nine seconds! That's enough to pass! Everyone gets three tries—if you're happy with your score, you can stop early. One thing I forgot to mention: the stronger your attack, the stronger the rebound. Be mentally prepared," General Roland announced.
This news was a psychological blow to everyone. From the first contestant's performance, it was clear—if you used a powerful martial art, you'd get hurt by the rebound, but if you didn't go all out, the bell wouldn't ring long enough and you'd be eliminated.
The crowd instantly erupted into a storm of voices. Evan shot a look at Gavin Wei and declared, "Even if the rebound knocks you down, you have to give it everything you've got! This isn't just about strength—it's a test of guts, too!"
If you want to be a Royal Capital Guard, you have to face danger and even death head-on. If you don't have the guts to push through, you'll get kicked out—no question!
"Brother Long, I get it," Gavin grinned, full of fighting spirit. "I'm not scared of getting hurt—it's not like they're asking for my life! Bring it on!"
Just then, the second contestant stepped up to the bell. He looked hesitant, then pulled out a broadsword and injected Stellar Power into it.
After a few seconds, he slashed with all his might. The blade-light was over a meter long—pretty strong, but obviously not his full power. He attacked calmly, and the rebound didn't blast him like the first guy; it only pushed him back a few steps.
The bell still rang out loudly, but this time the sound faded quickly.
Hearing the bell, the young man looked crestfallen—clearly dissatisfied. He stepped up again and swung his blade, but the result was just the same as before.
"You have one more chance. Do you want to continue?" a Royal Capital Guard asked him directly.
Evan smiled and said, "That kid can't let go of his fear of the rebound's pain. Even if he attacks again, it'll be the same—and he might do worse if his Stellar Power runs low."
The young man said, "I'll try one more time!" He slowly walked up to the bell, focusing all his Stellar Power into his blade. This time, his face was full of confidence—no trace of worry.
When he slashed, the space trembled slightly—not as fierce as the first contestant, but still obvious.
His blade struck the bell with a thunderous crash, and the bell rang out. He was blasted several meters back by the rebound.
After a while, he struggled to his feet, shock still written all over his face as he stared at the bell. But there was a faint, triumphant smile tugging at his lips.
"Thirty-seven seconds—not bad! He knew to use his strongest attack on his last try. Only attacks that hurt you with the rebound show your true power. I hope none of you hold back—our Royal Capital Guard doesn't want cowards!" General Roland declared. Everyone wondered how he knew the result so quickly.
Next up was the third contestant. With the first two as his example, he immediately unleashed his strongest move. But his cultivation was lacking—though the rebound left him badly injured, the bell's sound faded fast.
One after another, contestants stepped up. After three hours, over six hundred people had attacked the bell. The best score was fifty-one seconds, earned by the third-place finisher from the first round—someone Evan Chu was quite familiar with.
Gavin Wei's heart was a tangled mess of worry and nerves. As the scores kept climbing higher and higher, the pressure just kept piling on—he couldn't help but feel his chances slipping away, bit by bit.
Finally, Gavin's turn came. Evan Chu clapped him on the shoulder, voice full of conviction: "Go for it! Trust yourself, and you'll break through!"
"Brother Long! I won't let you down!" Gavin nodded hard, eyes blazing, then strode straight up to the bell...