"I remember he already went this morning."

"Could that guy be going for the Dragon Claw Tree?"

Poisonous Snake and Xu Guozhong saw Chu Lingguang leave the Martial Arts Arena and head toward the back mountain.

"That guy is so stubborn!"

"Let’s go take a look."

After a moment of hesitation, Poisonous Snake and Xu Guozhong followed him.

"Chu Lingguang is heading to the back mountain again. He just came down from there this morning. Going up at this time... he must be after the Dragon Claw Tree."

Long Xin also noticed Chu Lingguang’s figure.

He had felt a hint of schadenfreude at Chu Lingguang’s results and wanted to see the look on his face. But instead, he just saw Chu Lingguang pick up his Lightning Spear, leave the Martial Arts Arena, and walk straight toward the back mountain. It was as if he didn’t care about the assessment at all—like it was just a formality.

"Come on, let’s go see what he’s up to."

Xia Tianzhong didn’t hesitate and hurried to follow. Long Xin and Xu Kanghui exchanged a look and tagged along behind him.

’Chu Lingguang, regardless of success or failure, I hope you find the strength to coexist with your shadow.’

Yun Hong thought to himself, then also headed for the back mountain.

"Chu Lingguang is going to the back mountain to chop down the Dragon Claw Tree."

"That guy’s talent dropped from Celestial to A Class, and he still dares to go up there to die!"

"I heard a friend asked him to help chop down a Dragon Claw Tree. The guy might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but he’s a genuinely good person. Let’s go watch. Maybe he’ll actually succeed."

"No matter what, Chu Lingguang is at least someone worth knowing."

"Let’s go, hurry up and watch!"

"I’ve never even seen a Dragon Claw Tree before!"

"I screwed over my brother. If it can really atone for sins, I’d chop one down and take it back too."

...

Word spread among the students. Amidst a flurry of discussion, everyone, each with their own thoughts, decided to join the spectacle and rushed toward the back mountain.

Normally, the back mountain was off-limits to other students.

But this time, as Chu Lingguang raised his spear to face the shadow in his heart and marched resolutely toward the Dragon Claw Tree, everyone from the Trial Ground instructors to the other students was filled with curiosity about whether he could succeed.

So, when Xu Guozhong, Poisonous Snake, and the others saw the students running over, they didn’t stop them. Instead, they personally led them toward the Dragon Claw Tree.

Things had already reached this point; they couldn’t stop Chu Lingguang from approaching the Dragon Claw Tree. It was also a perfect opportunity to let all the students see just how powerful the tree’s Consciousness Attack was, and whether what Chu Lingguang was doing was truly worth it.

Half an hour later, Chu Lingguang once again stood before the Dragon Claw Tree. His perception was now exceptionally keen, making everything As Clear as Daylight, so how could he not know about the crowd following him?

But whether these people were here out of concern or to see him make a fool of himself, Chu Lingguang’s focus wasn’t on them right now.

Their presence neither pressured him nor boosted his confidence.

Because this battle was for himself.

At this thought, Chu Lingguang took a deep breath, gathered his strength, and strode toward the Dragon Claw Tree.

"Chu Lingguang, why are you really doing this?"

Xia Tianzhong truly didn’t understand. A single Dragon Claw Tree, this fictitious notion of atonement—could it really be more important than Washing Marrow?

Chu Lingguang stopped and turned to look at him. Recalling the contents of Guo Wei’s first reply, his explanation of pride, he said, "For pride!"

The crowd was baffled.

Xia Tianzhong’s expression froze.

Chu Lingguang continued, "To face the desires of my heart, to conquer all fear, to draw my sword in the shadows, to advance in desperate straits, to hold true to my original self, and to surpass my own limits!

This is what my master taught me!

Defeating myself is far more important than defeating anyone else!"

WHOOSH!

As he spoke, before the crowd could react, Chu Lingguang charged forward with his spear, like a lone wolf, the Long Spear in his hand aimed straight at the Dragon Claw Tree.

In the crowd’s line of sight,

he swiftly stepped onto the stretch of scorched earth.

BUZZ!

A strange fluctuation surged toward Chu Lingguang in an instant.

Poisonous Snake had said that since he had already approached the Dragon Claw Tree once and been locked onto by its Potential Energy, he would be hit with a Consciousness Attack the moment he got close.

He hadn’t expected to feel the Consciousness Attack just by stepping onto that barren, black earth.

It was as if countless dragon claws were swatting down at him all at once.

The last time, this same Consciousness Attack had terrified him into a panicked frenzy. He had even screamed like a madman as he fled for his life, without a shred of courage to fight back.

Now, the same situation had descended upon him once more.

But this time, Chu Lingguang was prepared.

His own Spiritual Sense Fluctuation erupted outward, countless rhombus-shaped fragments forming a curtain of light that completely shielded his body.

In an instant, the sky full of dragon claws seemed to vanish completely.

But before Chu Lingguang could even sigh in relief,

a dragon’s roar descended from the heavens. The Spiritual Defense light curtain was shattered, and Chu Lingguang saw a sharp, black claw stabbing toward the spot between his eyebrows.

HUMMM!

The Rhombus Escape Armor quickly manifested between his eyebrows.

It blocked the black claw.

In the past few days, he had focused on improving his Spiritual Defense. The drop from Heavenly Talent to A-grade Talent had cost him dearly, both in status and time. Though his Spiritual Power wasn’t yet formidable, he had learned how to utilize it to its absolute limit to form a reliable defense and even a decent Attack Power.

The moment the Rhombus Escape Armor appeared, a dozen or so weapons—sabers, spears, and staves made of rhombus-shaped fragments—viciously hacked at the black claw.

In the eyes of the crowd,

Chu Lingguang had just stepped onto the black earth when his feet seemed to be firmly locked in place by an invisible force. His body slowly began to bend backward, and his expression gradually became ferocious.

CRACK!

His feet sank into the scorched earth. The Consciousness Attack from the Dragon Claw Tree was trying to crush Chu Lingguang’s Spiritual Sense, launching an assault on his Sea of Consciousness in an attempt to stop him from getting any closer.

In this invisible struggle, Chu Lingguang’s body felt as if it were under immense pressure. In his perception, he saw a colossal black dragon extending a claw down through the clouds, pressing down on his head.