Chapter 21: Breaking Through the Limits

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at Beast Valley.

……

In the distance, darkness loomed, faintly echoing with roars of wild beasts, sending chills down one’s spine.

Haimu said solemnly, “The vital energy of the Red Armor Beast contains an incredibly immense power. Combined with the aid of medicinal aids and exertion, your body has now absorbed a force beyond imagination. But this power doesn’t truly belong to you—it will gradually dissipate over time. So I want you to dismount immediately, clear your mind of all thoughts, and sprint at your fastest speed. You must run a full round trip through the Beast Valley within three hours. By doing so, you’ll be able to absorb about thirty percent of this foreign energy into your own physical body, transforming it into your own bodily strength. This will make your muscles more powerful and your movements swifter. This is the true meaning of the Hundred Refinement Tower—to temper your body through countless trials. Now go. I’ll wait right here. Come back alive.”

“Yes, Instructor!”

Luo Lan leapt off his horse, his mind focused on only two words—run!

Gripping his steel sword tightly, every muscle in his body tensed, and with a sudden burst, he shot forward like a bullet, fearlessly charging into the Beast Valley shrouded in darkness. At this moment, he held nothing back—racing at his absolute top speed. A burning heat surged throughout his body, the immense energy flooding every fiber and tissue. Now Luo Lan’s mission was clear: expend this energy while simultaneously forging his physical strength to new heights.

From afar, watching Lorain’s fleeting figure disappear in an instant, Mikaela’s lips curled into a smile as she said, “What a kid—his full-speed sprint is incredibly fast, and he’s still carrying that hundred-kilogram greatsword!”

Haym stared deeply into the dark night sky and said, “Lorain is different from the other students. The others strive for strength, but even if they fail, it doesn’t matter—they can always return to their families to inherit their lands. But Lorain is different. He carries a blood feud; he must grow stronger. Only through strength does he feel like a real person, not someone insignificant. His desire for power surpasses everyone else’s.”

Mikaela gazed thoughtfully, her beautiful eyes dim with concern. “Indeed, among each generation of students, many of the ultimately strongest ones have emerged from the Trial Chambers. But Master, don’t forget—among them… there have always been turncoats. How few are those who left the Crimson Castle only to later become enemies of the Order of Light?”

Haym took a deep breath. “I know. But it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter who they oppose, as long as they remain human and still willing to fight against the beast clans for the sake of humanity’s homeland—just like Lord Luoyi, the Prophet of Dawn. Wasn’t he also standing opposite the Order of Light in the end? Yet, it was precisely he who saved the entire Xingyuan Continent! Without him, among all the powerful figures of that era, probably no one could have defeated the ninth-rank beast, the Hell Lion Dragon!”

Michaella clenched her silver teeth, saying no more.

……

“Boom!”

The energy within his body burned fiercely. As Luo Lan sprinted forward, rushing winds trailed behind him. Even while dashing at full speed, he could feel his potential being stimulated once again, allowing him to accelerate a second time. A powerful gust formed around his body, sweeping through the grass and zipping past the forest as he blazed through the Beast Valley like a storm.

Behind him, rustling sounds came from the jungle as the pack of wolves continued their pursuit, but soon they realized that even their speed couldn’t match this young human.

“Screee—!”

A familiar voice came from ahead, and a streak of crimson flickered at the edge of the jungle—it was the figure of a first-rank monster, the Fire Armor Beetle. Instantly, Lorain’s heart sank. He had witnessed the power of the Fire Armor Beetle before. Although it was only a first-rank beast, its shell was abnormally hard, and it could spew scorching flames. Getting caught in a fight with it would be extremely troublesome.

Without hesitation, Lorain launched his attack. Sprinting forward, he suddenly spread his arms and growled lowly, “Storm Slash!”

“Zzzzzz~~~~”

Streams of wind element sprites from the evening breeze rapidly gathered upon the blade, forming a brilliant silver glow. As he dashed forward at high speed, his feet firmly pressing against the ground, he suddenly shifted direction and accelerated. With two quick “thump” sounds, he zigzagged across the surface, causing the two fireballs spewed by the flame beetles to narrowly whiz past Loran’s shoulders. Just as the flame beetle prepared to launch a third blazing fireball, Loran’s steel sword struck!

“Shh!”

Storm Slash—unbreakable and unstoppable!

A single slash capable of instantly severing the black rocks of the valley—let alone now, when Lorain’s body was brimming with energy. This strike was likely at least thirty percent more powerful than the one he’d delivered during the day. With a crisp “crack,” the wind-enshrouded blade sliced straight through the fire-armored beetle, cleaving it cleanly in two. Molten-like blood splattered onto the grass, sizzling audibly!

Keep going, sprint!

Lorain could hardly think of anything else. Having instantly slain a first-rank monstrous beast, he didn’t even have time to feel joy. One thought dominated his mind: endless, relentless running—until every last drop of energy within him was exhausted. All the usual aches and pains from prolonged sprinting were gone; all he felt now was the exhilarating sensation of his body cutting through the wind—pure exhilaration!

……

“Boom!”

The second acceleration—Loran was now practically flying across the ground!

Just then, several shadowy figures dashed toward him from ahead along the大道, fellow disciples who had previously participated in the Hundred Refinements Tower’s physical trials. One of them, catching sight of Loran as he flashed past, exclaimed in astonishment: “Such incredible speed!”

And just a few seconds later, a familiar figure appeared ahead—it was Rodney.

“Hmm?”

Rodney didn’t slow down at all, dashing past with a sharp “shh” sound, but he vaguely sensed that his speed was actually slightly inferior to Lorain’s!

Under the night sky, Lorain sprinted forward, swiftly reaching the other end of Beast Valley. After pressing his fingerprint onto the roster held by an instructor, he immediately turned and dashed off again, rapidly accelerating to what he believed was his top speed. Yet his body wouldn’t allow it—searing energy surging through his blood vessels seemed ready to explode from within, continuously expanding outward. Suddenly, inspiration struck, and Lorain pushed himself even further. With a “boom,” a shockwave burst around his body as he surged forward once more, gaining another boost in speed. This sensation of unlocking hidden potential and breaking through limits felt incredibly real, allowing Lorain to clearly perceive the powerful effects of two hours of intense training. Today’s grueling workout would undoubtedly elevate his physical body to a whole new level.

The blood of the Red Armor Beast is indeed a treasure.

……

In the blink of an eye, Luolan caught up with the three trainees.

“That kid is fast!” The trainees all looked at him in surprise.

The next moment, Loran felt as if his legs were on fire, a powerful surge of energy demanding release. He pushed off with his feet, and with a “pop,” his speed increased once again, quickly leaving the three students far behind. Not far ahead, under the moonlight, five ferocious wolves appeared, their sharp teeth dripping with mucus, staring straight at Loran.

“Again?”

With a low shout, Loran spread his fingers and sprinted into the wind. Immediately, wisps of wind elemental energy surged into his palms and quickly filled his entire body, imbuing his steel sword with a silvery glow. At the exact moment a wild wolf lunged at him, Loran’s body became incredibly agile. He abruptly lowered his stance—his blade flashed past, slicing one wolf cleanly in two. With a light slide of his foot, he sidestepped the splattering blood and entrails, flipped his blade, and drove it into the neck of another wolf, killing it instantly. Without pausing, he dashed forward, leapt into the air, and delivered a powerful “thud” kick to another wolf, sending it flying like a scrap of cotton. The remaining wolves quickly turned tail and fled in panic, seemingly unable to believe that this young human could be so ruthlessly fierce.

At this point, ordinary beasts were no longer a threat to Lorain. Even powerful first-rank magical beasts like the Fire Armor Beetle and Antler Rabbit could be instantly slain by him. This was the result of a month’s training within the Blood Castle. The Lorain of today was incomparable to who he once was.

“Bang!”

Speed broke through the limit once again—Loran was now moving so fast that he was nearly invisible to the naked eye. In a flash, he shot out of a stretch of jungle and continued dashing forward relentlessly, sweat pouring down like rain as he overtook group after group of trainees. Yet in the end, he still couldn’t catch up to Rodney. When he reached the finish line, Rodney was already standing beside Instructor Haimu.

“Good, good.”

Hai Mu smiled slightly and said, “Completing the entire course in just two hours is pretty impressive!”

At that moment, Loran also felt the fiery power within his body gradually fading away. A profound sense of exhaustion spread through every part of his body. The previous feeling of fullness vanished instantly, replaced by overwhelming fatigue in every muscle, leaving him utterly unwilling to move even slightly. Even after mounting his horse, he immediately collapsed onto its back and fell asleep.

Mikaela couldn’t help but laugh. Holding her own reins in one hand and Loran’s warhorse’s reins in the other, she led both of them back toward Crimson Castle. As for Rodney, he wasn’t in any better shape—his body drenched in sweat, he too slumped over his horse, giving Instructor Haimu a foolish grin as he asked, “Instructor, was my performance today… disappointing?”

“No.”

Haimu shook his head with a smile: “You’re a cultivator of Stellar Energy, vastly different from Luolan. To have refined your physical body to this level is already extremely rare. Rodney, you’re a genius—perhaps one day you’ll have the chance to fuse with a Spark and become a great Awakener. So never doubt yourself.”

“Yes, thank you, Instructor!”

“Uh!”

……

After returning to the Crimson Castle.

Loran woke from his slumber, leaned on his steel sword as he walked back to his room, took a cold shower, and was just about to fall asleep when Mikaela arrived, carrying a large tray piled high with delicious food—honey-glazed venison leg, fragrant roasted chicken, and even half a roasted suckling pig. She set it down on the table and said, “Eat. You must finish everything before you can sleep. This is Instructor Haimu’s order. You expended too much energy today and must replenish yourself properly. Also, no morning class tomorrow—you’re to sleep until noon. Only with sufficient rest can your body grow quickly.”

“Alright, thank you very much, Instructor Mikaela!”

“You’re welcome, get some rest early.”

After Mikaela left, when Lorain looked back at the tray of food, an overwhelming sense of hunger suddenly washed over him, so intense he felt he could devour an entire cow—no wonder Assistant Instructor Mikaela had brought so much food.

After devouring a pile of food with great satisfaction, the boy lazily lay down on his bed and quickly drifted into deep sleep.