Eternal Tower: Atreia Era

Karen's golden ether surged violently, and the nascent wings on her back fluttered slightly. She rose half a foot into the air, looking down at Lynn with a contempt that was almost tangible.

The audience below the stage was filled with discussions. Everyone believed that Lynn had no chance of winning. After all, the formation of the nascent wings meant that his control over the ether and his own strength far exceeded those of ordinary beginner students. The two were no longer on the same level.

Lina stood in the waiting area, her hands clenched tightly, her heart in her throat, looking at Lynn on the ring with a worried expression, fearing that he would be seriously injured by Karen.

In the audience, mentor Aria frowned slightly, her aura shifting subtly, ready to step onto the stage at any moment to stop the competition and protect Lynn. In her view, even if Lynn was exceptionally talented, his chances of winning against Karen, who had already conceived the beginnings of her wings, were still slim.

Karen looked down at Lynn, who remained calm, and her anger intensified. She wanted to see Lynn's fear, panic, and despair, not this indifferent calm.

"Since you're so stubborn, then get off the stage!"

Karen roared and stopped holding back. All the surging ether around him condensed into his palms, transforming into two magnificent light blades several feet long. Runes flowed on the light blades, and their power far exceeded that of ordinary basic light blades. He leaped down, and the two light blades, carrying a sharp gust of wind, slashed fiercely at Lynn.

Wherever the light blade passed, the air was torn apart, producing a piercing sound. The powerful pressure swept across the entire arena, causing many students below to feel their breath catch in their throats.

Karen used all her strength in this attack, holding nothing back, clearly intending to defeat Lynn in one move and make him lose face in front of everyone.

Despite Karen's powerful blow, Lynn remained calm and composed, showing no sign of panic.

He could clearly feel the immense power of the attack, and he was also aware of the subtle difference in ether reserves between himself and Karen, but he never considered backing down.

From the moment he awakened the Ether after the Fallen Wind Village massacre, from the day he embarked on the path of the Guardian, there was no turning back.

Karen's provocation was pressure, but also a driving force for him to break through!

Lynn took a deep breath, instantly banishing all distracting thoughts. His mind and spirit merged completely with the boiling etheric sea within his body. With a thought, the etheric power in his dantian etheric sea surged wildly along his meridians like a raging torrent, pouring into his entire body.

Instead of taking the attack head-on, he used his Instant Step technique to its fullest extent, his figure transforming into a golden afterimage as he rapidly changed positions on the arena, dodging Karen's light blade attacks while constantly searching for his opponent's weaknesses.

"Wow, that's fast!"

Karen's pupils shrank, his heart filled with surprise. He hadn't expected Lynn's Instant Step to have reached such a level, his movements so agile that even his full-force attack couldn't touch the hem of Lynn's clothes.

The light blade slammed down on the protective barrier of the arena, producing a loud bang and scattering golden light. Ripples spread across the barrier, but it failed to harm Lynn in the slightest.

Karen refused to give up. Her nascent wings flapped again, increasing her speed dramatically. She continuously swung her light blades, bombarding Lynn's location with countless golden blades, blocking all of Lynn's escape routes and forcing him to take the hit head-on.

"Lynn, all you can do is hide? Coward!" Karen roared angrily, her tone becoming increasingly irritable.

The murmurs from the audience grew louder and louder. Everyone thought that Lynn could only keep dodging and would eventually be defeated by Karen's attacks because he would run out of ether.

But at that moment, Lynn's eyes suddenly turned sharp as a knife.

It's now!

Just as the barrage of light blades was about to reach him, Lynn abruptly stopped dodging. He no longer held back his ethereal power, concentrating it all on his right fist. It did not transform into light blades or form a light membrane, but rather the purest and most condensed ethereal power adhered to the surface of his fist. The golden light was restrained, yet it contained a world-destroying power.

This was a strike he created himself, combining his hunting instincts with basic combat skills. It had no fancy moves, but it embodied all his strength and will.

"break!"

Lynn roared, clenched his fist, and charged straight at Karen amidst the barrage of light blades!

"Overestimating yourself!" Karen sneered as she saw this, assuming that Lynn was driven to the brink and was trying to fight a losing battle.

But the next second, the smile on his face froze instantly.

Lynn's fist, carrying unparalleled momentum, collided fiercely with the first blade of light.

There was no earth-shattering roar, only a muffled hum.

The light blade that Karen thought was unstoppable was actually shattered by Lynn's punch as easily as paper!

Immediately afterwards, the second, the third... all the incoming light blades shattered under Lynn's punch, turning into specks of golden light and dissipating!

One punch can defeat ten thousand moves!

Karen was completely stunned, his face full of disbelief as he watched Lynn break through the light blade blockade like a god of war and charge straight towards him. He could even feel the heart-palpitating power in Lynn's fist.

"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"

Karen roared, trying to reassemble her light blade defense, but it was too late.

Lynn was too fast; he didn't have time to react.

Just as Lynn's fist was about to strike Karen, the etheric sea within his body suddenly underwent an extreme transformation!

The arduous training over the past few days, the tempering of battles, and the outburst of will in desperate situations—all the accumulation has reached a critical point at this moment!

Within his dantian, the golden sea of ​​ether churned, compressed, and condensed wildly, and a far purer and more powerful ether force than before instantly swept over his entire body.

Behind Lynn, a sudden burst of light appeared!

Golden etheric feathers slowly condensed and unfolded from his back. Each feather was crystal clear and flowed with holy radiance. In the blink of an eye, a pair of complete golden wings of light were completely formed and steadily unfolded on his back!

With a gentle flap of his wings, a vast ethereal power spread out, instantly overwhelming Karen's still-developing wings. The light of the entire arena was obscured by the wings behind Lynn.

Gather your wings!

At this crucial moment of life-or-death struggle, Lynn broke through his realm and successfully condensed his own guardian wings!

The entire room fell silent!

Everyone stared wide-eyed in shock at the figure with golden wings on the stage. Silence was deafening.

No one expected that this boy from the border region, whom everyone underestimated, would break through in battle and directly condense complete Guardian Wings, far surpassing Karen's wing prototype!

Instructor Ailiya abruptly stood up, her eyes filled with surprise and awe: "Breaking through in battle, condensing wings on the spot—such talent, such composure, is a once-in-a-millennium occurrence!"

Gavin, the head tutor, also looked intently at Lynn, his eyes filled with admiration. He nodded slightly, valuing the young man even more.

Lina stood there, stunned, then her face filled with excitement, her eyes slightly reddening, and she couldn't help but cheer for Lynn.

Karen stared at the complete golden wings on Lynn's back, her face ashen, her eyes filled with fear, resentment, jealousy, and disbelief. She felt as if she had been doused with cold water, her whole body turning icy cold.

His proud, nascent wings looked like a joke in the face of Lynn's complete wings!

"No... I don't believe it! How could I possibly lose to a piece of trash like you from the border!"

Karen went completely mad, disregarding her own chaotic ethereal state, and tried to fight back desperately.

But Lynn wouldn't give him any chance.

After condensing his wings, Lynn's strength, speed, and control over the ether all experienced a qualitative leap. With a light flap of his wings, he instantly appeared in front of Karen, his fist resting steadily on Karen's chest without actually hitting her.

You lost.

Lynn's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable power.

Karen looked into Lynn's clear yet determined eyes and felt the overwhelming pressure emanating from him. She could no longer hold on, her legs gave way, and she collapsed onto the ring, her eyes vacant and her face filled with despair.

He lost, he lost miserably.

The referee, regaining his composure, excitedly announced in a loud voice: "Seventh ring, Lynn—wins! Advances to the finals!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire arena erupted in thunderous cheers and applause. Everyone was cheering for Lynn and shouting for this comeback victory!

Lynn slowly withdrew his fist. The golden wings on his back did not dissipate, but fluttered gently. He stood in the center of the arena, his posture upright, bathed in light, and became famous in one battle!

From an unpromising border boy to a breakthrough in battle, who condensed his wings and defeated the genius Karen, Lynn shocked the entire Guardian Academy with a resounding victory, making all those who had once looked down on him take notice.

Lynn slowly scanned the entire room, showing no arrogance or complacency, his gaze remaining firm.

Defeating Karen is just a small step on his path to becoming a Guardian.

His goal was never the academy's ranking competition, but to become stronger, to seek revenge, to fight against the dragons, to uncover the truth behind the collapse of the Tower of Eternity, and to protect the land he loved.

Below the ring, the defeated Karen was helped up by his henchmen. He looked at the radiant Lynn with resentment in his eyes, but dared not provoke him in the slightest. He could only grit his teeth and leave with a heart full of resentment.

Just as everyone was still reeling from Lynn's stunning comeback, an inconspicuous figure quietly turned around in a corner of the arena. His eyes were sinister, and he silently left the arena. A faint, lingering aura of something other than that of the Celestial Clan emanated from him, vanishing in an instant.

Unbeknownst to anyone, a conspiracy against Lynn was quietly brewing, and the dragon clan's spies had already infiltrated the Celestial Paradise and the Guardian Academy.

Lynn stood on the ring, feeling the surging power within him. The wings on his back gently folded, and he looked towards the final ring with a determined gaze.

In the final match, he will definitely go all out to win the final victory!

What he didn't know was that his fame in this ranking competition was just the beginning. His fate was already tightly bound to the destiny of the three factions of the Heavenly Demon Dragon, and even greater crises and opportunities awaited him ahead.