Divine Seal: The Shadow Legion, I am the Shadow Lord.

Yunxuan didn't think for long; he was still fixated on the sword strike from earlier.

"I should be able to dodge that sword strike. Let's try again," Yunxuan muttered to himself.

He then focused his mind again, immersing his consciousness into that mysterious space.

When his figure reappeared in that magnificent palace, the gray shadow, as expected, quickly coalesced before him.

The process was the same as before: both sides bowed and got into position.

This time, Yunxuan was fully focused and prepared, his eyes fixed on his opponent, trying to anticipate his every move.

However, the moment that dark shadow attacked again, Yunxuan's heart sank.

He saw clearly the direction of the opponent's sword strike and his body reacted accordingly.

But the opponent's sword always seemed to be a fraction faster, or it would bypass his defenses with a strange, incomprehensible way.

"Clang!"

The block missed again.

The icy touch, just like the last time, precisely pierced his vitals.

The intense pain returned, and Yunxuan's consciousness slowly faded away in the arena.

"I refuse to believe it!"

Yunxuan, jolted awake from reality once more, practically spat out those words through gritted teeth.

The lingering pain in his chest did not deter him; instead, it fueled his competitive spirit.

Without the slightest hesitation, he closed his eyes again and immersed his mind in that mysterious palace.

What followed was the beginning of a cycle of despair:

Enter, bow, clash, lose.

Consciousness repeatedly crumbled in the arena, only to be jolted awake again and again in the recliner.

After more than ten attempts, the result was the same.

No matter how focused he was, how he tried to change his tactics, or even abandoned defense to launch a full-scale attack.

But without exception, he never lasted longer than one move against that gray shadow.

The opponent's sword was not only strangely fast, but also incredibly accurate, as if it had completely seen through his intentions.

After experiencing more than a dozen "deaths" and debriefings, Yunxuan finally grasped a key issue.

He clearly realized that Shadow Yunxuan was actually no different from himself in terms of strength and speed.

What truly distinguishes them is the vastly different application of skills.

The sword in the opponent's hand seemed to have a life of its own; every parry, thrust, and footwork change was extremely precise and efficient, without the slightest redundancy.

If the shadowy figure were a tiger skilled in slaughter, then he would be nothing more than a water flea blindly hopping about in shallow water.

The gap between the two is clearly not on the same level anymore.

For the next two weeks, Yunxuan devoted almost all his energy to challenging the Trial Temple.

For a full two weeks, he clashed with the "self" formed from shadows more than a hundred times.

After half a month of brutal and repetitive "torture" training, he finally made a tiny bit of progress.

From being instantly defeated every time at the beginning, he is now able to barely withstand a few of his opponent's moves.

This is a huge step forward, but that's all it is.

It's still a long way off before we can defeat them.

Afterwards, Yunxuan did not enter the Trial Temple, but came to the stone tablet. Half a month ago, his test result was eighteen.

When he stood in front of the stone tablet again, he swung his long sword.

The moment the sword touched the monument, a line of numbers suddenly lit up—one hundred and eighty-seven.

His internal spiritual power was still displayed as zero, but his external spiritual power had achieved explosive growth in just half a month, breaking through to 187 points!

It is important to know that in the knight system of the Holy Demon Continent...

A spiritual power of 10 to 100 points qualifies one as a first-tier knight's squire, while 100 to 200 points qualify one as a second-tier quasi-knight.

Two hundred to five hundred points is what makes a third-tier knight!

While other children were just beginning to grasp the basics of becoming knights' attendants, Yunxuan's true strength already stood firmly at the peak of the quasi-knight level.

He was only one step away from becoming a true third-tier knight.

The reason why Yunxuan's external spiritual power could soar so much in half a month was not only due to his own cultivation, but also because of the Trial Temple!

Each time he "died" in the temple, he would feel some mental exhaustion and intense pain.

But each time he returns to reality, his external spiritual power will actually increase by a little.

This feedback of "death is growth" is not only simple but also direct, yet it became the sole reason that supported him to persevere.

Each time the excruciating pain of being pierced by the longsword was explicitly converted into an increase in power.

It was this visible progress that enabled him to suppress all instinctive fears and physical discomfort.

Challenge the Trial Temple time and time again!

On this day, when Yunxuan's consciousness returned from the temple, he was suddenly awakened while lying in bed, only to find that it was already dawn.

"Oh no! Your Highness has an assessment today. Judging from this, you're probably going to be late!" Yunxuan's heart tightened, and he immediately jumped out of bed.

With the help of two shadow ninjas, he completed the washing task at almost combat speed.

Immediately, Yunxuan rushed towards the direction of the Knight's Palace in Odin Town.

In his own secluded grove, he could still draw upon the power of the Shadow Ninja.

But once he arrived in town, there were more people around, so he chose to suppress his abilities and rely entirely on his own legs to run.

Meanwhile, inside the Odin Palace, more than thirty teenagers stood in neat rows in the center of the training ground.

Their young faces were filled with trepidation and anticipation.

These children spent a full year training in the Temple of Odin.

Today marks the moment that will determine their fate: the Knight Squire assessment.

Only by passing the examination can they become a first-class knight squire and continue their studies in this temple.

Sunlight streamed through the windows, casting dappled shadows on the stone floor.

"You have been cultivating here for a year, and today is the day to be tested." A deep voice echoed in the hall, carrying an unquestionable authority.

The speaker was Instructor Balza, the chief instructor of the knights' squires of Odin's Palace.

This burly, middle-aged man stood before the boys; it is said that he was once only one step away from becoming a true knight.

It was because of this regret that he was exceptionally strict with his training.

"From now on, Yunxuan... Yunxuan!"

Balzac's gaze swept across the queue, his brow furrowing slightly. He repeated this three times, but no one responded.

The thirty-odd children looked at each other, and a hushed conversation broke out in the line.

"Where is that kid Yunxuan?" Balza's voice was clearly displeased.

The children all shook their heads; none of them knew anything about Yunxuan's situation.

Balza sighed in disappointment. His most promising disciple had actually been late on the most important day of the assessment.

"To be late for such an important assessment is simply outrageous," he said in a deep voice.

"Jiang Hu, you go first. If everyone else has finished their assessments and he hasn't arrived yet, then his qualification will be revoked."

Jiang Hu, whose name was called, stepped forward in response.

The rather tall boy took a deep breath, solemnly took the wooden sword from his back, and assumed a standard starting stance.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps approached from afar.

"Wait, instructor, I'm already here!" A clear voice came from the doorway.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Yun Xuan standing at the entrance, leaning against the door frame and breathing slightly, clearly having rushed over.

"Sorry, instructor, I'm late." Yunxuan quickly walked to the front of the line and stood still.

With his usual smile on his face, he sincerely expressed his apology.

Instructor Balza looked at him, his brow furrowed, and said with a hint of confusion and reproach, "Yunxuan, you're always the first one to arrive and the most diligent in training. Why are you late on such an important day?"

Yunxuan scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and explained, "I went to bed late last night during training, and I didn't expect to find myself late when I woke up."

Seeing the weariness on his face, Balzac's initial anger vanished instantly, and he couldn't help but feel gratified by his efforts.

Finally, he sighed and said, "Alright, get ready, it'll be your turn to be tested soon."

Yunxuan immediately nodded and replied, "Yes, Instructor!"

He strode to the assessment area and came to a peculiar device.