Sword God in a World of Magic

Over the next couple of hours, Shang talked with his new master about several tactics he could employ during the trial.

These were the last hours before Shang would fight for his future potential. The better the reward, the more likely it was that Shang would receive something that would help him in the future.

No one in the world knew how a True Path Stage warrior could reach the fifth Realm, and theorizing the Realm might also consume Shang's entire life.

But there was another way.

The trial!

The trial would allow Shang to peek into the past power of the warrior path.

Back then, the warriors were just as powerful as the Mages, and they must have also had extremely powerful people amongst their ranks.

After all, the God had said that the Mage Emperor had been the one that had killed the leaders of the other paths. This meant that the Mages under him probably hadn't been able to eliminate these leaders on their own.

The strongest warriors must have had powers rivaling the strongest Mages.

Right now, Shang probably wouldn't be able to receive something that showed him the way to the fifth Realm, but in the trial at the True Path Stage, he would very likely get that opportunity.

The Dean had done very well during his first trial, but due to his weak body, the future trials hadn't been as profitable as the first one.

In the first one, the Dean had managed to gain 10 points.

In the second one, the Dean had managed to gain 8 points. Three against the beasts, four against the warriors, and one against the Mages.

In the third and last one, the Dean had managed to gain 3 points. One against the beasts, two against the warriors, and zero against the Mages. He hadn't even attempted to fight the Mages.

The Dean had undergone the third trial after reaching the True Path Stage, and people that paid attention would notice something weird.

If the Dean was the only True Path Stage warrior, how could the trial show other True Path Stage warriors?

The warriors of the past were obviously much more powerful than the ones currently living, which would mean that the Dean wouldn't even be able to win one match.

So, how did he win two matches?

The Dean had noticed that the trial showed warriors that perfectly followed the Dean's created path towards the True Path Stage. Because of that, the Dean theorized that these were probably future warriors that would use his method to reach the True Path Stage.

Their bodies weren't more powerful than the Dean's, which meant that they couldn't come from the past.

The Dean was definitely an outstanding warrior, which was how he had won against the average True Path Stage warrior. He might also have won against an outstanding one, but he hadn't known that he couldn't die during the trial.

Because of that, he had decided against trying the third level.

Getting three points during a trial was pathetic in the Dean's mind, and there was no way for him to rectify it.

His path to power had ended.

But when he saw Shang, he gained renewed hope.

Shang's Battle-Strength was just as good as the Dean's was back then. When it came to beasts, he might even be a bit superior. On top of that, Shang had had the opportunity to train against several Mages, which gave him a lot of experience in fighting them.

On top of that, Shang was the first warrior with a successful Bloodline Injection.

With all of these advantages, reaching the same score as the Dean would be a disappointment.

Shang would go much further.

He was sure of that.

"Have you memorized everything?" the Dean said.

Shang nodded. "I did."

The Dean also nodded. "Then, you can start. I'm looking forward to your reward."

"I will," Shang said with fire in his eyes. "I won't disappoint you."

"Good luck."

Shang closed his eyes and went to his world. Just like before, it took him around three seconds to arrive.

Shang opened his eyes inside his own world. Just like before, he saw nothing but grass and open skies.

Shang prepared himself mentally for a couple of seconds.

Silence.

Shang's world was completely silent.

"I'm ready for the trial," Shang said, his mind prepared.

Toot!

Suddenly, a purple wheel appeared in the air, throwing confetti out of several cannons.

Shang became startled for a moment since he hadn't expected the sudden noise.

The confetti rained down on Shang, and streamers became stuck in his hair.

Shang only looked at the flying wheel with serious eyes, red and pink streamers hanging down from his body.

Above the wheel was a weird animatronic puppet of a jester. It carried a cute hammer, and a bell was beneath it.

Shang got reminded of some shady casino. Something like this would definitely fit there.

"Level one: Weak Initial General Stage beast."

Shang heard the mechanical, simulated voice of a woman, which reminded him even more of a casino.

Shang's expression remained solemn as he looked at the wheel, which began to spin.

Shang was trying his best to remain in his peak condition as he was confronted by an absurd and unfitting scene.

To Shang, this was a serious situation that might decide his future.

But, obviously, to the God, this was nothing but entertainment.

He didn't care if Shang's concentration was broken.

He wanted to have his fun, and he would get it.

Shang could imagine the God leaning back on his throne, a smug smirk on his face.

After a while, the wheel began to slow down, and Shang could see the images on it.

Several beasts that Shang recognized were displayed on the wheel but in a very cartoony way.

It was almost like they had all been transformed into mascots of cereal companies.

The wheel slowed down more and more until it was close to stopping at a dark shadow that was giving a thumbs-up.

CRK!

But suddenly, the wheel sped up for an instant and stopped at a different picture.

When Shang saw the picture, his eyes narrowed.

"You think that's funny?"

The lower half of the picture was a huge, feathered, grey ass, and the upper half showed a distant bird with a long beak, blushing in embarrassment.

Shang knew that beast all too well.