Monsters from all directions ascended the stairs, not in great numbers.
Their low levels did not concern him much.
With a casual release of his fire power, meteoric flames appeared in the sky, a rain of fire covering the monsters.
Struck by the flames, the monsters ignited, their roars of pain echoing.
They fell one by one in the meteor shower, none able to reach the high platform.
The attacks were simply too potent.
Zhou Yan's strength and high cultivation allowed him to easily eliminate these monsters with the Meteor Shower technique.
This level only required him to wait for time to pass to proceed smoothly.
After the ninth minute, four monsters appeared. Zhou Yan identified them as level 30 Bronze bosses, possessing only ice-elemental spells and nothing else remarkable.
Another Meteor Shower technique annihilated them.
After all, his skills were S-grade, coupled with his formidable attacks, these low-level monsters were naturally defenseless.
However, after the four Bronze bosses fell, he saw four more bosses, this time of Silver quality.
"Could there be bosses of Gold rank or higher?"
Zhou Yan attacked again, and these four bosses also perished at his hands.
As expected, after the Silver bosses died, four Gold-quality bosses appeared, their strength amplified. Yet, Zhou Yan's attacks remained overwhelmingly powerful, and the four Gold bosses vanished into flames.
Just as he anticipated the appearance of even stronger monsters, three Gold-quality items materialized before him.
"It's over," Zhou Yan declared, looking at the three items.
An earring, a crown, and a belt.
All three items were decent. He chose the belt, and then a surge of energy enveloped him, teleporting him to a new location.
[Ice and Snow Trial Level Five: Precisely strike the items appearing in the air. Failing to hit more than ten times results in failure.]
He stood on a platform barely a meter wide, surrounded by an abyss of unfathomable depth.
The light here was dim, making it a true test of judgment to strike the appearing objects.
An object soon materialized in the air. Gripping lightning, he unleashed a powerful bolt.
"Rumble!"
The object in the air was struck, turning into nothingness.
He continued to wait for new objects to appear.
His potent spiritual energy allowed him to accurately sense changes in the sky. This time, an object appeared behind him. He unleashed another Bolt of Thunder towards his rear.
"Rumble!"
Subsequently, more and more objects appeared in the air. This tested not only one's eyesight, spiritual energy, and judgment but also their attack speed. A moment's inattention would allow these items to slip away.
Zhou Yan began attacking with both hands, unleashing Bolt of Thunder from his left and right simultaneously, striking the objects appearing in the sky.
Sometimes, an object would suddenly materialize from the void. If not attacked within three seconds, it would disappear.
However, none of these objects escaped his notice. Under his assault, no matter how they moved, they could not evade his gaze.
Some objects even appeared in stacks. If not for his immense attack power, he might not have even noticed them.
Yet, even when these items appeared in double, triple, or quadruple layers, they were dispatched with a single strike.
Such high-intensity combat also demanded exceptional strength.
If others lacked ranged attack capabilities, they would likely be teleported away.
This place was inherently the sacred ground of the Ice and Snow Clan. The Ice and Snow Clan were all mages, and these trials were naturally designed for them.
Approximately twenty minutes later, the sky ceased to produce objects. Three items appeared before him.
This time, three spirit fruits materialized.
"Spirit fruits appeared. I thought they would all be items."
The three spirit fruits were all A-grade, holding considerable value.
He examined the first spirit fruit, which could enhance spiritual power.
The second could strengthen a person's stamina.
As for the third spirit fruit, it was one that could heal a person's injuries.
He chose the first spirit fruit.
With a flash of light, he arrived at the sixth level of the trial.
He found himself in a blue forest, surrounded by towering trees. Crucially, these trees were ice-elemental, quite peculiar. The entire forest was an ice forest, covered in snow. He was curious about the trial on this level.
[Ice and Snow Trial Level Six: Collect ten Gold-quality Ice Crystal Stones. Ice Crystal Stones are guarded by Ice Beasts.]
"This time it's collecting materials."
Upon learning the trial's nature, Zhou Yan began searching the forest. After a few minutes, he encountered monsters, but they were not Ice Beasts, but a different type.
These monsters were level 40 and all elite.
[Monster: Snow Ape]
[Quality: Elite]
[Race: Magical Beast]
[Level: 40]
[Special: Strength Amplification, Ice Element]
Upon seeing Zhou Yan, the Snow Ape pounded its chest with its fists before charging at him. It grabbed a nearby boulder, intending to hurl it at Zhou Yan.
A lightning-fast strike shot from Zhou Yan's hand.
"Rumble!"
The Snow Ape's body was pierced directly. The boulder it had just lifted crashed onto its corpse.
A Silver treasure chest dropped.
This greatly surprised him, as none of the previous monsters had dropped any treasure chests.
This meant these monsters were not illusions but real.
This place, too, was real.
He picked up the treasure chest and took out a few smart reconnaissance drones. These devices indeed worked.
Searching on his own would be too slow; it was better to let the machines locate the Ice Beasts.
He also proceeded in one direction. Before long, he encountered another ice-elemental monster of level 38. After defeating it, another Silver treasure chest dropped.
About twenty minutes later, an image appeared on one of the smart reconnaissance drones. He saw a group of monsters, and among them, a stone emitting light.
These monsters seemed to be guarding that stone.
"These monsters must be the Ice Beasts."
He had never seen these Ice Beasts before, nor had he any records about them.
He began moving in that direction. After defeating a few monsters along the way, he arrived at the location.
There were over fifty monsters.
[Monster: Ice Beast]
[Quality: Enhanced Elite]
[Race: Demonic Beast]
[Level: 35]
[Special: Ice Element, Speed]
Their levels were not high, but their quality was decent.