The floating islands seemed to hang in the air, defying gravity. The forests below were a maelstrom of activity, a hive of ants disturbed, but here above, there was a calm that bordered on disturbing.
Liam stepped onto the first island, feeling a solidness beneath his feet that belied its appearance. The next moment a loud roar reverberated.
A huge behemoth came dashing towards Liam, its figure tearing the fog that covered the island and its massive form casting a shadow that almost covered the entire island.
The behemoth's eyes were ablaze with a ferocious light, fixated on Liam with predatory focus. Liam unsheathed the black dragon sword.
Finally, it was time for tests that directly tested his combat ability.
Though on second thought, considering the dull pain that was throbbing deep inside him, he did not know whether things would continue to proceed smoothly.
But no matter what he was determined to persist until the very end. He needed every weapon he could get his hands on against the enemies waiting for him.
Liam narrowed his eyes as he dashed forward to meet the behemoth head on. His sword let rip a powerful slash, intending to test if the big guy in front of him was as strong as he was big.
The clash was titanic—the sound of metal on toughened hide echoed like a thunderclap, reverberating through the misty expanse of the floating islands.
Liam's blade met the thick skin of the behemoth, and to his satisfaction, it cut through, though not as deeply as he would have liked.
The behemoth recoiled, a deep growl rumbling from its throat, eyes narrowing with a cunning that suggested intelligence beyond a mere beast's.
The next instant aura of earth erupted and Liam felt the ground underneath his feet rumble. Several huge earthen spikes started jutting out from earth, aiming to skewer him.
With a swift leap, he vaulted over the incoming spikes, landing gracefully several feet away. The behemoth, undeterred by the miss, thundered forward, its movements shaking the ground with each step.
Liam had no choice but to keep moving. Unlike him the beast was gushing with mana and vitality so he had to make every single attack count.
He also did not want to use his ultimate attacks because they drained him a lot. The opponents on the other islands were still waiting for him. He had to conserve his energy. Otherwise his run would end here.
Liam continued dodging the spikes as he quickly assessed the situation. He then focused on another Dao seed that he had formed. The seed of sharpness.
Though he did not possess any inheritance to help him with this Dao seed, his understanding of the Seed of Ice elemental helped him considerably to gain insight into this one as well. Both sharpness and penetration was a significant part of his Arcane Frost slash.
The Seed of sharpness was in the shape of a sword beam in his mind. Liam triggered the dao essence of sharpness for the next attack.
He needed to slice through the behemoth's thick hide and deliver a blow that would truly stagger the creature.
As the behemoth lunged once more, Liam sidestepped and brought his sword down in a sweeping arc, aiming for the joints where the hide was thinner.
The sword, now imbued with the essence of the Sharpness Dao, cut through the air with a hiss, finding its mark and drawing a deep gash along the behemoth's flank.
The behemoth bellowed in pain and rage, the earth responding to its call as spikes erupted all around. But Liam was already moving.
He darted between the spikes, his focus absolute. He didn't allow the behemoth a moment's respite, pressing the attack, forcing the beast to defend rather than deliver more of its attacks.
Thick earthen armor rose around it but with strike after strike, Liam chipped away at the behemoth's defenses. With each blow enhanced by the Sharpness Dao, the behemoth's movements grew sluggish, its roars less confident.
Finally, sensing a lull in the behemoth's defense, Liam gathered his strength and unleashed a flurry of blows. The behemoth staggered, its silhouette etched against the swirling mist, a colossus on the brink of collapse.
With a mighty roar that shook the floating islands, the behemoth fell, its form dissipating into the mist from whence it came, leaving behind only the echoes of its defeat. There was no corpse or soul left to harvest.
Liam stood amidst the quiet aftermath, his chest heaving with the exertion of battle. If he did not want to expend mana then he had to expend his stamina. However, these fights were also constantly forging his body as an added benefit.
It looked like there was nothing left on this island. Just as he looked up to see how to reach the second island, a swirl of mist lifted him up and brought him over to his next opponent.
Almost as soon as he landed, a pair of reddened eyes stared through the mist straight at him.
Liam spent the next several hours moving from one island to another. In reality, he did not have the chance to check the actual time yet as he had been constantly thrown into one situation after another.
After his fight with the guardians back on earth, these past few hours had been the most grueling experience for him.
Each beast he faced was more challenging than the last, each presenting a different test of his abilities, demanding adaptability, resilience, and unwavering focus. The trials were as much a mental challenge as they were a test of physical prowess.
He also did not have any rest so he had to fight everything with the least amount of exertion.
Liam continued moving from one island to another until finally he arrived at the last one. At this point, he was completely exhausted. At least he was already at the last island that was his only saving grace.
However, the last island looked a little different when compared to others.