Chapter 2463 – Basic Unlock

Sensing the intense amount of Mana that coated the NPC Knights’ swords, Shi Feng wasn’t willing to take unnecessary risks. He immediately unsheathed both of his swords and prepared for battle.

He might not have been as worried if his opponents had merely been new Tier 3 NPCs or Tier 3 NPCs below Level 100, but against three Level 110, Tier 3 NPCs with fully unlocked Mana Bodies, he’d lose his life with the slightest mistake.

The difference between a locked Mana Body and one that has been unlocked was like the difference between a Refinement Realm expert and an ordinary player.

This was why some Tier 3 NPCs could serve as Magistrates in the various kingdoms and empires, while others could only serve as a town or city’s Guard Captain. Some weaker Tier 3 NPCs were even limited to guarding a palace’s entrance. These different statuses were a result of the state of the NPCs’ Mana Bodies.

Any Tier 3 NPC that could unlock their Mana Body’s full potential would be an elite among those of the same tier. They were no longer ordinary NPCs, but experts. These Tier 3 NPCs could beat expert players to a pulp as easily as ordinary players...

Reaching their target, the three NPC Knights slashed their swords at Shi Feng from different directions.

The Knights were perfectly in sync as if they had been comrades in battle for over a dozen years. Two of the Knights attempted to distract Shi Feng, while one attacked his blind spot. Furthermore, their attacks were powerful enough to throw Great Lords of the same level. If any other Tier 3 player stood in Shi Feng’s place, it wouldn’t be long before they were defeated.

Unfortunately, the three Knights couldn’t fool Shi Feng. As a Domain Realm expert, he quickly determined their attack trajectories.

Shi Feng instantly countered the Knight attacking his blind spot, forcibly altering the Knight’s attack trajectory and guiding the weapon to collide with the other two Knights’ swords.

Peng! Peng! Peng!

The three Knights stumbled back as a result of the collision, but Shi Feng didn’t get off scot-free. He also stumbled half a step back, and his right arm trembled slightly from the impact.

So, this is a Golden Gate’s trial? Shi Feng glanced down at Killing Ray, which vibrated with a low hum, astonished. He couldn’t help but worry for Aqua Rose and the others.

There was almost no Mana in this world, and because of that, Aqua Rose and his other companions would be lucky if they could exhibit half of their normal combat power, even with the help of their Mana Bodies.

Shi Feng’s first clash with the three Knights had been brief, but he could tell that his opponents’ combat standards were on par with the Trial Tower’s fifth floor. Their combat standards might not be very high, but he was sure they had Silver rank Mana Bodies. Otherwise, there was no way a single clash would cause his arm to go numb with his Basic Attributes.

If even he struggled, it was easy to imagine how the others might fare.

Moreover, he was only at the foot of the mountain. He hadn’t even started to climb it yet...

Ascending the mountain was the goal of this Legacy Trial, and as players climbed higher, they’d face stronger opponents. Fortunately, they weren’t actually required to kill their opponents. As long as players survived against the mountain’s residents for 30 minutes, they’d be allowed to pass, but that was still a challenging task. PvP fights rarely lasted more than 10 minutes, not to mention fights against NPCs, since such high-intensity battles required a lot of Stamina and Concentration.

However, during his first clash with the Knights, Shi Feng sensed the NPCs’ Mana circuits and how they used the Mana within them.

Normally, sensing such things in the outside world was quite difficult due to the abundant Mana in the area, but the Legacy Gate’s space had barely any. As a result, the flow of Mana within the NPC Knights was easily noticeable. Shi Feng wasn’t a magical class player, but he could clearly sense their Mana flow.

Only, because these Knights only possessed Silver Mana Bodies, their Mana Bodies’ construction was far simpler than Shi Feng’s Epic ranked Mana Body. He wouldn’t gain much insight from watching these Knights fight. Even so, he’d gain more information than he had from unlocking his past Bronze Mana body.

After Shi Feng had shoved the three Knights back, they quickly regained their postures and launched another attack, giving Shi Feng no time to catch a break.

This time, however, the Knights opted for a different approach. One of the Knights focused on attacking Shi Feng, while the other two consolidated their mana and waited for an opening. The Knights now knew that they were no match for Shi Feng’s techniques, and they had decided to overwhelm him with brute force. It left Shi Feng in a difficult position.

His Basic Attributes were definitely higher than the Tier 3 Knights’, but with their Mana empowering their swords, Shi Feng couldn’t block the weapons without repercussions. He had no choice but to dodge and retreat. Fortunately, the Mana only increased the force behind the Knights’ attacks; it did not increase their damage.

Ten minutes... Fifteen minutes... Twenty minutes...

As the battle progressed, Shi Feng’s excitement grew. He had learned and mimicked the method the Knights used to conduct and use the Mana within their Mana Bodies. It was like learning to draw a new magic array.

The Knights charged at him again, and Shi Feng silently guided the Mana in his body outward, enveloping his Sacred Sword.

This should be enough.

He then swung Killing Ray at the Tier 3 Knights’ Mana-coated swords.

Boom!

The sound of an explosion echoed from the foot of the mountain.

The impact from the blow shoved the three Tier 3 Knights stumbling back a step. In contrast, Shi Feng remained steady in his original position, and his arm no longer shook.

Suddenly, the sound of a system notification reached Shi Feng’s ears.

System: You have unlocked 5% of your Epic Mana Body.

I’ve finally grasped the method to unlock my Mana Body! Shi Feng was ecstatic as he glanced down at his weapon.

He had finally learned to mimic the way these Knights conducted and used their Mana.

Of course, he could not mimic the Knight’s methods perfectly, since they weren’t compatible with his Mana Body. He needed to modify his approach. Moreover, he possessed an Epic Mana Body, which had a more complex structure than a Silver Mana Body. This was why he had only unlocked 5% of his Mana Body with that attack.

It’s no wonder why so many experts fought to enter Gold Gates in the past. I’ve made more than a fortnight’s progress in less than half an hour. Seeing the three NPCs eye him hostilely, Shi Feng realized how astoundingly effective it was to train within a Gold Gate’s Legacy Trial.

If an expert with a Silver Mana Body stood in his place, they would’ve likely unlocked all of their Mana Body with one trip. These Knights had offered a perfect example of how to do so, after all, and this environment was the perfect place to observe others’ Mana Bodies. This simply wasn’t possible in the outside world.

Following which, Shi Feng challenged the next group of NPC Knights. He wanted to familiarize himself and adapt to the new sensation as quickly as possible.

The second group consisted of six NPC Knights, and they used a completely different method to employ their Mana Bodies. Individually, they were about as strong as the first three Knights, but in the end, they were nothing more than lab rats for Shi Feng as he further optimized his Epic Mana Body.

Not only did Shi Feng encounter more Knights as he climbed the mountain, but the Knights also had higher-ranked Mana Bodies. The first Knights only had Basic Silver Mana Bodies, but eventually, Shi Feng faced NPCs with Intermediate Silver and Advanced Silver Mana Bodies. As a result, Shi Feng was able to continue refining his Epic Mana Body.

%... 15%... 20%...

After more than seven hours of combat and completing his challenge against six Tier 3 Knights with Peak Silver Mana Bodies, Shi Feng finally reached the sacred mountain’s first shrine.

After Shi Feng entered the first shrine, Eliadi, the goddess in dark-blue armor, appeared before him again. Eliadi radiated an aura that was even beyond that of Tier 5 beings.

“Trial taker, you have proven to be quite skilled. You have reached the first shrine within nine hours. As a reward for your effort, I will present you with two options. The first option consists of surviving three moves against me. Not only will you clear this trial and enter the mountain’s second level by succeeding, but you’ll also receive one Legacy Guidance. If you choose the second option, you will have to face this shrine’s guardian. If you win, you will gain access to the second level, but you will not receive additional rewards,” Eliadi offered Shi Feng. “You have three minutes to consider. Decide carefully!”