Talented Martial Hero novel Chapter 73

Staring at the person in mid-air, Mathew looked quite excited. He hadn't met his master's avatar in the past several thousand years, but now here he was.

"Master," Mathew greeted venerably, bowing to him.

Standing beside Mathew, Elsa felt like the whole space was surrounded by swords and she might be cut into a million pieces if she moved an inch.

She raised her head slowly to see what Mathew's master looked like. He seemed to be in his late twenties, too young to be a master yet she didn't contest it. He wore purple clothes that gently swayed with the wind. When she met his eyes, she was thunderstruck.

A pair of icy, indifferent eyes came into her view. She saw an inky sword in his left eye and a white sword which exuded a sacred aura in his right eye.

Looking him in the eye for a second, Elsa felt like she was falling into the abyss where its bottom was covered by countless sharp, deadly swords. All of a sudden, infinite terror overpowered her. Her knees trembled and it took her a tremendous amount of effort just to remain standing before him.

'This feeling... it's so horrible, ' she thought, shivering with fear.

The man looked at the lake and then turned around, murmuring something in a voice that was too low for them to catch.

A few moments later, he fixed his eyes on Mathew's avatar and spoke to him. Elsa listened to him but couldn't understand what he was saying no matter how hard she tried.

About an hour later, Mathew bowed to the man and said, "I got it. Please rest assured."

The man broke into tiny pieces, like shattered glass, and then vanished into thin air.

Elsa breathed out a deep sigh of relief. She placed a hand on her chest, checking if her heartbeat had gone back to normal.

She had almost suffocated under the invisible pressure that man brought her.

"What happened, sir?" Elsa was worried about Darren. It was evident in her voice.

Mathew didn't respond immediately for he was thinking about what his master had told him.

"I have no clue. We'll know after Darren gets out. He is receiving the fourth test," he replied, his eyes reflecting complicated emotions that Elsa couldn't figure out.

"Really? How did it happen?"

"Master told me Darren passed two trials quickly. No wonder I couldn't detect him receiving the second test. Besides, master asked me to do something, but I don't know why..."

...

In the meantime, Darren was in the process of the fourth trial. The sky was covered in dark clouds, and an old bell with runes was in front of him.

'The second trial tested one's physical strength. I made it by releasing demonic internal force to demonize myself.

The third trial tested one's ability to comprehend things. I spent several minutes mastering Aura-concealing Skill and Shadow Lightness—two superior secret martial skills.

But the fourth trial... what is it for?' Darren wondered, studying the old bell with furrowed eyebrows.

He had no idea how to pass this test and it somewhat worried him.

'I got a reward after passing the second test. I'm going to check the prize first, see if there are any clues that might help in the next test, ' he decided.

He opened a simple wooden trinket and saw a nice dark red ring inside.

"A ring?" Darren muttered, looking rather disappointed.

'When I passed the first test, I got the precious Talent-upgrading Elixir. Although I didn't have a good performance during the second trial, I made it anyway. I think I deserve something better than this, ' he internally complained.

Even though he wasn't very pleased with the prize, Darren placed the ring on his finger.

As soon as he wore it, he felt that he was strangely connected to the ring.

He concentrated his mind to further explore it.

'Turns out it has an independent internal space, ' he thought.

He scanned its internal space and found that it covered an area of 100 feet. It was a closed room with eight gray walls with words engraved on them.

"This is a Space Ring. It can be used to keep anything but living creatures. If the owner stores spiritual items inside it, their spiritual energy will not dissipate and they can be kept intact for ten thousand years."

It introduced the functions of the ring.

'This small ring can hold at least 100, 000 spiritual herbs while keeping their spiritual energy? Not bad, ' he mused. After getting to know what the ring was for, he appreciated it more. He was quite glad he received it.

'I passed the third test without getting any reward. Looks like the two superior secret martial skills are the prizes. Aura-concealing Skill taught me how to conceal my aura and real strength that even cultivators whose cultivation is two levels higher than mine can't see through my real power. Shadow Lightness enables me to move tenfold faster, however, it can only last half an hour if I use it. Despite that, I can activate and use it to escape when I am in danger. I like the two martial skills, ' he pondered.

As a whole, Darren was happy with the prizes he had gotten. They proved to be more useful than expected. What bothered him was how to pass the fourth test.

While he was wondering how to start the test, the old bell rang.

CLUNG!

The sound echoed throughout the whole place, making people who heard it feel sad all of a sudden.

Two overbearing sword intents collided, shaking the mountain and the earth. The sheer amount of power that came from the two destroyed the trees and plants within a 10-mile radius.

"Damn it! Does this mean I am too strong or too weak?" Darren muttered as he stepped back.

His body was covered in sword cuts and bruises from the impact. Fortunately, his reflex was fast enough so he didn't sustain any fatal injuries.

'Looks like I can't bring him down with sword skills. The best I can do is kill him at the cost of my own life. But he is just a fake. Taking him out by sacrificing my life? Not the best idea!'

At the thought of this, he took out his blade. His eyes never left his opponent, and although it still felt so strange to face someone who looked exactly like him, Darren tried to focus on overcoming the challenge.

"I will show you the power of my sword and blade!" Darren yelled loudly.

He ran at his enemy while using his sword and blade at the same time. All of a sudden, a formidable power swept through the field, blasting off strong winds in all directions.

"Go to hell!" he bellowed.

A regular opponent would have cowered in fear and cried in pain, but the fake Darren had no expression on his face at all. He rushed towards Darren with his sword intent as strong as the previous ones he released.

Deafening sounds filled the whole space.

Two people looking exactly the same exchanged attacks with each other in the storm of swirling dust, fighting to the death. Wounds caused by their swords appeared on their bodies.

However, it was evident that the fake was at a disadvantage. He kept being hit by Darren's blade despite his defenses.

"Game over!" Darren hollered.

He kept waving his sword and blade at his opponent. He then took the chance and cut through the fake's neck, decapitating him entirely.

BANG!

Just like that, the replica's body exploded and disappeared. Darren crashed on the ground with cuts and bruises all over his body. He didn't want to admit it, but he sustained serious injuries this time.

"Good job, Darren. You're the best, ' he encouraged himself. He had never imagined that he had to fight with himself one day.

Thinking the fight was finally over, he allowed himself to relax and even feel a little bit of relief. Unfortunately, he was given the shock of his life when the mysterious runes started lighting up again.

Another teenager who had Darren's face appeared, giving off a cold vibe.

This time, the lad held a sword in one hand and a blade in the other.