"Ability 4: Thorns of Retribution. When attacked, reflects 10% to 50% of the damage back to the attacker. Consumes the wearer's mental energy. At 10% reflection, mental energy consumption is 10% of the wearer's total. Each additional 10% reflection increases consumption by 5%. Duration: 30 minutes. Other shield abilities are disabled during this time. Cooldown: 5 hours. The reflection percentage can only be set once per cooldown period."
This ability was clearly the shield's most significant asset in prolonged combat—its essence, one might say. Reflecting damage to the attacker, up to half of the original force, meant that every strike the enemy landed would harm themselves as much as their target. If the attacker's own defenses weren't high enough, they wouldn't even need to be defeated—they'd destroy themselves first.
After activating this ability, Ye Zhongming set it to reflect 50% of the damage. Every time the flaming stone giant attacked, it inflicted equal harm upon itself. Since it wasn't particularly defensive to begin with, it weakened rapidly. Combined with the assaults from Red Hair, Xia Bai, Xiao Min, and the Female Guard, Cloud Peak's victory was hardly surprising.
The team let out a collective sigh of relief. The day's trials had left them exhausted, and victory was the only thing that could momentarily make them forget it.
But then, the shattered, burning rubble began to coalesce.
Soon, over twenty smaller flaming stone giants appeared.
If every member of Cloud Peak had ten thousand mythical beasts running through their minds at this sight, they could've flattened this entire space with sheer frustration alone.
One Level 9 was gone... but twenty Level 8s had taken its place.
And if that were the case, would Level 7s and 6s be far behind?
Compared to the stone cavalry they'd faced earlier, these flaming stone giants were the complete opposite!"Follow me! Don't focus on killing—we're breaking through!"
Ye Zhongming made the call immediately.
All signs indicated that this trial was the reverse of the one on the icy plains. Cloud Peak could stay and fight their way through, but casualties would be inevitable.
What if the next trial was the same? Would they let this place whittle them down bit by bit, draining their combat strength?
The Youth Army was the hope of the future, and the Female Guard was the foundation of the present—both were core forces of Cloud Peak. Ye Zhongming refused to let them be wasted here.
Since they couldn't afford a direct confrontation, their only option was to charge forward.
Another concern weighed on Ye Zhongming: the toxic fumes in the air were rapidly intensifying. Prolonged exposure could poison the entire team.
Under Ye Zhongming's lead, the group surged forward, engaging the flaming stone giants in an instantaneous clash.
Some of the molten spray splashed onto him, sending white-hot agony through his nerves. It dawned on him: the dangers of this hellscape weren't limited to the stone giants. Random magma bursts were now part of the equation.
He relayed the warning to the team immediately.
Knowing was one thing. Dodging was another.
They'd entered an unstable zone of the molten hellscape. Magma vents of all sizes burst open without warning. Even with their heightened evolved senses giving them a second or two of forewarning, avoiding direct hits was possible—but splashes were inevitable. The searing pain was enough to make even the sturdiest warrior shudder.
The biggest problem, however, was that these sudden eruptions disrupted Cloud Peak's formation, allowing the flaming stone giants to close in.
The fighting grew even fiercer.
And casualties began to mount.
Given Cloud Peak's status and strength in the national region, they rarely faced such grueling odds. The team's pace slowed further, and the stone giants encircled them multiple times, forcing Ye Zhongming and the Female Guard to fight tooth and nail for every inch of progress.
This brutal chase lasted over three hours—until, at last, the team stepped into a misty, water-filled zone.
Behind them, the molten hellscape vanished as if it had never existed, and the remaining stone giants disappeared with it.
If not for the team's battered state, they might've doubted whether any of it had happened at all.
Had they passed? Completed the trial?
"So... leaving that 'zone' counts as clearing it?"
Xiao Min murmured, a hint of amazement in her voice.
"Boss, look—that must be the reward."
A Female Guard warrior at the rear called Ye Zhongming over, pointing to a clearing not far ahead.