Tower of Heaven

As the four of them continued down the corridor, it didn't take them long to realize that they were being led somewhere.

The path gradually narrowed until the corridor became a natural crack leading into the next area. The four geniuses were forced to pull themselves through it to see the large circular room on the other side.

The floor was covered in arrays. The outer ring of the room was made out of marble, but there were two inner rings made of far more expensive materials.

On the side of the room opposite to where they stood, there was an unopened door that led deeper. However, standing between them and it, in the middle of the innermost circle, was a large mechanical being.

Its forearms were like rusted metal barrels engraved with intricate patterns. They were worn, but the glowing orange halos on both sides of the barrel-like limbs still burned bright.

Its body was huge and impossible to penetrate through ordinary means. It had a head, but it looked like an ornament when its size was compared to the rest of its being.

The golem was surrounded by a ring of flames created by its sheer existence. It did not move towards them, but they did not question whether or not it had noticed them.

"A tomb guardian," Selia commented.

"As expected, we are nearing the final treasure."

They had already been tested in all of their facets. As young geniuses, there wasn't much more left for them to showcase.

For that reason, the best of them had been isolated. In this trial, they would be forced to fight each other and the foreign enemy at the same time. Whoever managed to come out on top and walk through the door on the other side would be the final winner.

"You guys can stay back. I'll handle it alone," Akia said, brandishing a spear from his spatial storage.

"Do you think we're stupid? In no way will I allow you to monopolize the glory," Selia responded with a harrumph. The fan she used as decoration flared and became a blade.

Though the final man from Euryale, Arslan, did not speak, the fact that he drew his weapon was enough to show others his opinion.

The three of them didn't stop to consider the fourth person in the group. In their eyes, he was just a freeloader.

And Atlas was completely fine with their attitude. They approached the tomb guardian. In the meantime, he vanished into the background.

Akia was confident in his abilities. After all, he was the kind of genius that Atlas had been referencing recently. He was born with a direct connection to the Dao of Metal and had been learning to control it since he was young.

With the facilities and resources of Dusk, he was able to grow sufficiently and form a foundation before entering the Earth Sage Realm.

Now that he had a bolstered connection to the Dao, he was able to use abilities that were too much for him previously.

Others wouldn't be able to stand against him. This assertion was made by him after years and years of being undefeated.

The people he competed with now were his greatest enemies. They were the hopes of the influences that tried to stand against Dawn.

Perhaps they didn't have the same value to their people as he did to his, but it didn't matter. One by one, he would take down each and every one of their geniuses until Dawn stood undisputed. It was the least he could do for the people who gave him everything.

With those thoughts, he walked into the inner ring. Brandishing his spear and qi, he prepared for battle.

Rumble!

The tomb guardian's body creaked and rumbled as the circuits within activated. Its torso turned first, followed by its head. Its left leg moved last, slowly lifting into the air before slamming down in position so the golem could face its opponents.

Akia grinned seeing the entire process.

'This thing is supposed to be a tomb guardian? If it's that slow, then it isn't even worthy of guarding a maid's bedroom!'

Was that thing supposed to challenge him?

As he entertained the thought, Arslan swooped in and easily stole his momentum. He raised his large battle axe above his head and roared, emitting a crimson energy that didn't relate to any of the common laws.

Boom!

His axe came in contact with an energy barrier instead of the golem's body. He pushed back into the air, did a flip, and used the weight of his axe to slam into the ground and send a wave of qi into the space in front of him.

The red energy attempted to cut through the ground, but since it was made out of precious materials, it could only slide across the surface and crash into the barrier.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

There were three impacts, but Arslan only attacked once. After his first strike ended uneventfully, the other two were able to catch up and gain a say in the battle as well.

Selia stood far away and swung her fan. The energy of wind left its blade, sharp and fast. Meanwhile, Akia's spear was wedged into the barrier. His penetrative strike did decent damage and chipped the barrier. He was already trying to take it down by the time Arslan could land another attack.

The three geniuses had their own specialities, and not a single one of them lacked the skill to compete with the others.

Seeing that their competition was attempting to get ahead, all of them tried even harder to take the lead.

Still, Akia had to be the one to break the barrier. His piercing power was too far above the other two.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

His spear clashed with the energy relentlessly. The energy of metal swirled around the weapon and strengthened it, and even the precious materials in the ground subtly reacted and gave him a boost in power.

He could not control them, but the fact that they acknowledged him said more than enough about the height of his potential.

His spear skill also couldn't be underestimated. It was the main reason why he was able to shatter the shield after five consecutive strikes.

Boom!

The three geniuses could finally reach the tomb guardian, but the fight was only beginning.

The guardian itself hadn't moved yet.

However, the moment it did make its first movement….

Fwoosh!

…the three of them immediately re-evaluated it.

A massive arm swung out. A wave of fire spread and engulfed the entire inner ring. Akia, Selia, and Arslan were forced to jump back to avoid being burned.

Though the golem didn't pursue them out of the circle, the orange rings on its arms and across its body were now revolving as if they'd finally been activated.

Clearly, the golem was no longer going to stay still.

'But that only makes it more fun!'

Akia was the first to charge back in. The golem raised its arm again, fire gathering around it, but he ignored the incoming attack and continued to move.

With his spear in a strange position, he changed the pattern of his steps and moved in an imperceptible fashion.

His qi collected and mental power entered the equation as well. Akia shot forward at a speed that was almost difficult to track, his spear moving smoothly along its path.

[Revolving Dragons]

Qi was hard to control, especially for young people who didn't properly understand how it worked.

Akia used this moment to show the three others present why he was cut above everyone else in his generation.

The skill bloomed beautifully as it made contact with its target. The golem's movements were too slow for it to respond.

And, while Selia and Arslan watched, Akia landed the first proper hit on the tomb guardian.

Boom!