[The second stage of the trial is beginning. Endure for as long as possible under the Legendary Pokémon's illusion.]
[The longer you endure, the more damage you inflict on the Legendary Pokémon, and the greater your rewards will be.]
[The trial will begin in three minutes.]
As the lines of text rapidly appeared on the television screen, the people who had been cheering moments ago were suddenly left dumbfounded.
"A Legendary Pokémon… illusion?"
"The trial is to fight a Legendary Pokémon?!"
"This is freaking ridiculous!"
Wang Tao stared wide-eyed at the screen and exclaimed in disbelief.
"There are so many of us, and we already struggled that much against a Legendary Pokémon that wasn't even fighting at full strength."
"And now they're asking Pei Jingguo to face a Legendary Pokémon alone? Are you kidding me?!"
Wang Tao wasn't the only one reacting this way.
In fact, almost everyone's expression had stiffened.
The impression Articuno had left on them was simply too profound.
Its overwhelming strength had made them feel a deep sense of helplessness.
And this time…
Pei Jingguo was facing a Legendary Pokémon!
Even if it was only an illusion…
It was still a Legendary Pokémon!
"Let's… just watch for now. If a trial didn't have any difficulty, how could it be called a trial?"
"Besides, Pei Jingguo won't actually be in danger here. Maybe for him…"
"This might actually be a good thing.".
Su Bai rested his chin on his hand, his eyes fixed intently on the ancient television with its painfully low resolution.
Pei Jingguo on the screen had obviously received the information about the trial as well.
After a brief silence, he reached down and removed the long sword from his waist.
He then took out two whetstones, handed one to Kingambit, and kept the other for himself before silently beginning to sharpen his blade.
It was clearly visible to the naked eye—
As Pei Jingguo sharpened his sword, his body was trembling slightly!
"See? Even Pei Jingguo is scared now!"
Liu Yunlan pointed at the screen indignantly.
"The Pokémon world is so stingy! If it doesn't want to give us a good reward, it could just not give us one."
"Besides, having Pawniard evolve twice in a row was already incredible enough…"
"Why bring out a Legendary Pokémon just to scare people?!"
Xiao Zhang, who had been unusually quiet and watching the screen, gave her a speechless look.
He couldn't help saying,
"How is that freaking fear?"
"That's…"
"Excitement!"
"I've never seen Pei Jingguo this excited before…"
"Not even when he was facing Articuno!"
As someone who regarded Pei Jingguo as his lifelong rival, Xiao Zhang understood this old adversary of his far too well.
There was no such emotion as fear in that man's mind!
"Uh… Is that really what it is?"
Liu Yunlan finally realized that what she had said was completely at odds with Pei Jingguo's personality. She scratched her head and gave an embarrassed laugh.
Of course, Pei Jingguo had no idea what was happening outside the television.
But even if he did know, he wouldn't have reacted in the slightest.
Because ever since he had heard the words Legendary Pokémon, there was no room for anything else in his mind.
His hand trembled slightly as he sharpened the blade.
At the same time, his concentration grew sharper and sharper.
An imposing aura gradually emerged from his entire body, as immovable and majestic as a mountain that had stood unchanged for ten thousand years!
Pei Jingguo was indeed a genius.
But strictly speaking, his physical talent wasn't truly that of a prodigy.
A genuine genius like Kong Xing, the man who had betrayed humanity and become an Apostle, had only been fifteen years old when he betrayed mankind.
Yet at fifteen, Kong Xing was already one of the very best among S-rankers!
There were also prodigies in other cities who had made a name for themselves at a young age.
In this post-apocalyptic world filled with Awakened, there were bound to be extraordinary individuals whose brilliance defied the heavens.
Yet among all these so-called geniuses, those capable of progressing as steadily as Pei Jingguo…
Were exceedingly rare!
Just like studying.
Smart people have always found studying easier than ordinary people.
But what truly determined how far they could go…
Was their ability to focus!
And Pei Jingguo's absolute devotion to the sword was the fundamental reason he had been able to reach this level.
Even Lü Liangpeng, a man who had met countless people throughout his life, had said that Pei Jingguo was the student he had taught who was most likely to become the ultimate swordsman—the very ceiling of the profession!
As Pei Jingguo continued sharpening his blade, his aura remained steady, yet a trace of sharpness gradually emerged from within it.
Until, in the end…
It was as though he had transformed into a sword himself.
A sword that pierced straight into the heavens!
"I'm seeing Pei Jingguo like this for the first time…"
Xiao Zhang stared blankly at Pei Jingguo on the television, who seemed to have become one with his sword.
"Could it be…"
"Am I simply not worthy of making him show this side of himself?"
Su Bai glanced at the somewhat dejected Xiao Zhang and shook his head, just about to say something.
On the television screen, a massive portal suddenly appeared a short distance in front of Pei Jingguo.
Pei Jingguo's sword-sharpening motion instantly stopped.
He and his Pokémon all turned their attention toward the portal.
A sturdy, powerful leg stepped out from within.
Its paw gently touched the ground.
Then, a face brimming with domineering majesty emerged behind it…
"This…"
"This is a Legendary Pokémon…"
"Just as expected, the pressure is incredible… And it looks so freaking cool!"
"Even though it's not as huge as Groudon, this aura…"
"Holy crap, this is insane!"
Wang Tao stared wide-eyed at the Legendary Pokémon as it calmly and elegantly walked out of the portal.
His eyes were filled with shock.
Even through the ancient television with its terrible resolution, the aura radiating from this elegant yet overwhelmingly powerful Legendary Pokémon remained unmistakable.
It was as though its presence could pass through the screen itself and leave everyone struggling to breathe!
Yet the moment Pei Jingguo saw the Legendary Pokémon on the screen, he fell into a brief daze.
"As expected…"
"Zacian!"
"And it's the Crowned Sword form…"
"Interesting!"
Su Bai's eyes lit up.
The Legendary Pokémon before him was simply too easy to identify.
Its overall form resembled that of a canine.
Its powerful body was covered in patterns resembling scars, and one of its ears even had a piece missing.
Beneath its head, which was covered by an imposing golden mask that concealed its entire face, two long strands of orange fur extended outward like ribbons, fluttering in the wind.
But the most eye-catching feature of all…
Was the sword clenched between its jaws.
This was Zacian's Crowned Sword form—
The true king among swords!
From the very beginning, Su Bai had suspected that the so-called Legendary Pokémon illusion would have something to do with swords.
After all, this was a trial designed specifically for Pei Jingguo.
And Zacian's appearance directly confirmed his guess!
"This is going to be good…"
Su Bai straightened his posture.
Although his Super Rookie physique meant he didn't actually need to sit so close to the television, he still dragged his chair forward a little.
For a scene this rare…
Of course he had to get a front-row seat!
.................
"It's…"
"You!"
Pei Jingguo stared at the Legendary Pokémon illusion coldly watching him.
Almost instantly, he connected this enormous canine Pokémon to the mysterious creature he had encountered before in his consciousness space.
It was obvious that even though this Zacian was merely an illusion, it still possessed a mind of its own.
Its emotionless eyes merely swept over Pei Jingguo.
There was no reaction.
Instead, it simply stood there quietly, seemingly waiting for Pei Jingguo to issue his challenge.