Floor 20 was whispered among students as The Talent Crusher: a sprawling 1 km² maze of dense forest and swamp, littered with pitfalls and hidden beasts. The challenge: clear it within 30 minutes.
This level introduced A-Rank Lizardmen—humanoid hunters armed with throwing spears and longbows, hunting in coordinated packs led by a Water Mage Chief. Their natural allies, BB-Rank Raptors, flanked them, striking from ambush with razor speed. And lurking in the shadows was the Mapane—an A-Rank tree elemental of rare Wood Qi, capable of controlling surrounding plant life as living camouflage and healing its allies.
Into the Silent Swamp
Feng Jian stepped through the portal into an eerie hush. The air grew thick with mist; the ground beneath his boots turned from leaf-littered soil to squelching marsh. He paused, sensing the Qi flow—a uniform lull. This fog deadens the currents… he realized, recalling Master Mark's lesson: Qi flow is never uniform.
Taking a defensive stance, he moved cautiously forward.
First Salvo
Out of the mist, three arrows hissed toward him. With a flick of his short blade, he blocked them, metal ringing against steel. He lunged toward the supposed origin—only to find empty swamp and twisting trunks.
Before he could react again, a spear whistled down from above. He dodged by reflex.
Calmly, he shut his eyes.
"Qi Skin."
His body shimmered under a veil of Natural Qi.
"Wind Dance Gale Style—Mikadzuki: Release."
Green Qi flared, sharpening his senses within a 160-meter radius. Yet nothing stirred—until he sensed eight living presences converging.
Gale Storm Unleashed
With a single breath, Feng raised both blades. Four riders and four raptors burst from tree lines, arrows streaking toward him.
He waited, then:
"Wind Dance Gale Style – 5th Form: Mikadzuki Release."
In an instant, he became a whirlwind of black and green. 360° air slashes erupted, cutting down riders and raptors mid-charge. Arrows and spears froze in midair, swept aside by the gale.
Seconds later, the clearing was silent—eight foes fallen.
Tracking the Invisible
Moments after, Feng launched himself onto a gnarled branch. He recalled the arrows' trajectory and detected the weak Qi ripples of the hidden bowmen.
Landing behind a moss-covered trunk, he dispatched the first lizardman without a whisper. Three more fell to guided wind slashes as they attempted to flee.
Two survivors melted into the trees.
Then the forest itself seemed to shift.
Poisonous vines—spawned by the Mapane's influence—lashed at him from all sides, their serrated tips dripping toxins.
The Lure to the Lake
Aware of the trap, Feng followed the vines' retreating patterns. They led him through ever-thickening mist to a hidden blackwater lake. There, twenty-two lizardmen and their chief awaited on the far shore.
He advanced, blades drawn. This place is not mine to command, he thought, echoing Lisa's warning. Here, the forest holds power.
From the academy stands, From the academy stands, Lisa murmured to herself—barely audible beyond the network feed, yet laden with intent:
"He fights as if Nature herself bends to him—but here, the forest decides the terms."
Feng Jian tightened his grip, mist swirling around him.
End of Chapter 14