"Holy shit!"

  Exclamations like this erupted across the viewing stands and livestream feeds of The Shifting Trials. Comments flooded in as a golem appeared in Nathan's match.

  The audience had chosen to watch this battle over ten others because this sole chef had already impressed them by defeating a Lava Drake. Yet they weren't prepared for the surprise that emerged from the opposing team.

  Betting odds changed instantly. Requests for information about the purple-robed youth's quartet poured in. Hidden among the spectators, high-level cultivators watched with evaluating eyes.

  The spotlight had shifted from Nathan to his opponents.

  Geniuses were already well-known and extensively analyzed, diminishing the audience's excitement. Zhanyu, Adrian, Lachlan, and Keira had become familiar faces throughout their seven-day journey.

  But this. This was new.

  The surprise gripped everyone because common knowledge dictated that only a Tier 4 cultivator possessed the skill to create golems. Only at that level, when one's spirit developed into a nascent soul with definite form, could a cultivator separate part of their soul to control an external object. This was the foundation for cultivators summoning and controlling golems.

  Yet here were Tier 2 cultivators creating a golem before everyone's eyes. Though not as powerful or towering as a typical golem, it was undeniably a mobile entity obeying its creator's commands.

  The golem was primarily constructed from earth and stone, with two arms and legs, joints connected by vines. Hardened wood covered its hands and torso, serving as additional armor. It stood as tall as a building. Its head was minimalist—merely an earthen mass with a single eye formed from leaves. Through the crevices in its chest, viewers could glimpse pulsing white light, the source of this extraordinary existence.

  The spectators grew even more excited at this unexpected development. The high-ranking officials and organizers benefited as well. Creating excitement meant greater business opportunities.

  "Holy shit!"

  The exclamations inside the arena matched those outside, with everyone except Evelyn staring wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

  Nathan was overwhelmed by the golem's appearance, understanding nothing of its significance.

  Zahra and Zeryn cursed like the spectators because they comprehended why this was so shocking.

  Evelyn remained unblinking, seemingly admiring the creation before her.

  "Why are you all making those stupid faces?" Nathan questioned.

  "That! Nathan!" Zeryn pointed at the massive, misshapen figure. "Is a fucking golem!"

  "Yeah, I can see."

  "See my ass!" Zeryn cursed. "This thing shouldn't exist here. You understand? Only Tier 4 cultivators can create and operate these things."

  Nathan furrowed his brow, processing the information. He glanced toward the distance where the opposing team had retreated.

  "Because of that girl?"

  "Must be," Zeryn answered.

  "Artificer?" Zahra scratched her head.

  "I don't think so," Nathan analyzed. "If she were, we'd be seeing robots and mechanical constructs. This seems to combine three different aspects."

  "Nathan's right," Zeryn shouted. "And we don't have time to figure it out. Run!"

  Above their heads, a massive fist was descending.

  Looking back, Nathan saw Evelyn had already glided away. Zeryn and Zahra were using sword and wind respectively to escape.

  Nathan calculated in a split second. He wouldn't escape in time even using [Quick Feet].

  "Motherf…!" he roared.

  He raised both hands above his head, bracing for impact.

  A wave of dust exploded outward accompanied by a continuous rumbling.

  "Forgot to bring you along," Zeryn slapped his forehead while hovering, one hand controlling his flying sword.

  "Sorry, Nathan!" Zahra called out, her face showing little genuine remorse.

  "You're all assholes!" Nathan cursed from beneath the golem's arm.

  He'd been forced to his knees, face contorted from the weight pressing down on his arms and shoulders. The rough surface of stone and wood scraped against his cheek.

  Most importantly, he was withstanding it.

  Pushing Berserker to 3%, he slowly stood.

  Pushing Berserker to 7%, he contracted his arms and shoved the heavy hand above his head, causing it to hover in the air for several seconds.

  Using that time, he darted in another direction. Midway, he had to repeat the same motion, pushing the earth and stone mass upward again. After doing this twice, he finally escaped the golem's range.

  He narrowed his eyes as the elongated arm crashed to the ground with a deep, rumbling sound and dust billowing around it.

  His actions left not only his opponents speechless but also impressed his teammates.

  Such physical prowess seemed illogically powerful.

  Zahra alone licked her lips hungrily. Her eyes brightened, increasingly convinced that Nathan's bloodline was intimately connected to her own lineage.

  But now wasn't the time to contemplate this.

  Their formation had been scattered to avoid the enormous golem.

  Zeryn had just launched an attack against the opposing team. His strike met resistance from an earth and stone sphere protecting the four individuals. Clearly, they had prepared for such scenarios.

  The golem extended its rough, crude hand, attempting to grab Zeryn but failing when he released his Sword Intent. His slashes reduced the hand to fragments.

  Mere seconds later, the collapsed area regenerated.

  This was the terrifying nature of golems. With appropriate aspect supply from their users, they could persist indefinitely. This was why only Tier 4 cultivators and above, with abundant mana pools, could sustain such tremendous drain.

  The current aspect consumption was distributed among the three cultivators creating the golem. To minimize the impact, they had also reduced the golem's size. Though large and formidable, it still couldn't compare to a creation from an actual Tier 4 cultivator.

  Nathan calculated rapidly. He had roughly assessed the situation after the exchange between both sides. He could still handle the golem's strength and weight. In terms of danger level, this could only be considered a fake Tier 3 existence. At most, it compared to the Lava Drake.

  He needed to buy time and create openings for his teammates. No matter how solid the opponents' defense was, it could be worn down. His team needed to act quickly before the purple-robed youth recovered his peak condition.

  Nathan didn't want to summon Argentius. Its appearance would completely tip the balance. He knew this. But he wanted to challenge himself. His teammates likely shared this thinking. They wanted to test themselves against their generation. Argentius was part of Nathan's abilities, which wasn't wrong. But ultimately, it came from outside rather than from within him.

  His team could win through their own merits.

  Seeing Nathan's team regain their vigor, the enemies acted.

  The golem's arm swung forward, then backward, hindering Evelyn's and Zahra's movements. They were forced to dodge to avoid being hit. Even Evelyn's attacks met considerable resistance. Her ice saws penetrated the golem's joints, cutting and freezing. She made one of the golem's hands fall off. However, it quickly regrew, with vine connections resembling neural networks.

  Zahra wasn't faring much better. The residual force and shockwaves sent her tumbling. Without her skillful technique and lightning-fast reactions, she would have suffered broken bones.

  Zeryn flew high, observing from above. He wanted to use his ultimate technique but hesitated. Winning this match was important, but so was the next. This newly mastered ultimate move couldn't be used again for a long time. He silently cursed, wishing this were an individual match rather than a team battle. One-on-one, he wouldn't fear anyone.

  The sword prodigy gritted his teeth, deciding to test further. The mindset of conserving strength surely affected the entire team. He still had time. With a swing, he launched two invisible swords infused with Sharp Aspect.

  The first thrust penetrated through a gap in the golem's hand, striking directly at its chest. Though lacking the force to make the massive form stagger, hundreds of cuts burst from its chest. Sharp Aspect carved deep lines into the monster's center.

  The second sword used this opportunity to dig deeper, then exploded again.

  Zeryn's attack proved effective, seemingly penetrating the golem's core. The earth, stone, and wood body shuddered, trembling once.

  The three opponents hastily pumped in more mana to regenerate.

  Zeryn wrinkled his nose at this. Major techniques required preparation time. Normally, a single sword strike from him would be enough to trouble a cultivator. Yet now, two swords had accomplished little.

  His teammates below were attempting to approach. Seeing Nathan's determined expression, Zeryn smiled as he held his sword defensively, continuing to wear down the opponent.

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  Noticing the situation beginning to shift, the group of four controlling the golem exchanged glances. They knew about Zeryn because this sword prodigy was among the highest-rated participants in this event. His recent attack had been enough to demonstrate the gap between exceptional individuals.

  But the essence of being a cultivator meant fighting even when disadvantaged. They wouldn't surrender.

  Below, Nathan was trying to navigate through the dust storm and booming explosions created by the golem. When he got close enough, the monstrous entity bent its head to look at him with its single, soulless eye.

  To everyone's astonishment, it suddenly floated upward.

  With its enormous body that no one expected to leave the ground, the golem was becoming lighter. More accurately, the gravitational field around it had decreased, allowing the earth cultivator to lift its massive form.

  The golem spread its arms straight out, legs similarly widened.

  A massive boulder formed behind it. With a push, it slammed into the golem. At the connection points on its arms, the wooden joints released, causing them to separate into segments, resembling a whip.

  Then the golem began to spin and move forward with the pushing force from behind, bringing unprecedented chaos to Nathan's team.

  Its severed arm sections rotated violently, creating deep rumbling sounds as space compressed, simultaneously raising alarms for the four panicked individuals.

  "To me, guys!" Nathan shouted.

  Without hesitation, he used Berserker at 20%.

  Tensing up, he lowered his center of gravity and punched directly at the massive boulder hurtling toward him.

  An explosion like dozens of bombs occurred.

  He was launched into the air, but the golem's attack had been blocked. The boulder shattered into fragments, the outer armor layer reduced to rubble, no longer a threat. Nevertheless, the second arm was approaching. And the joint connections with vines were regenerating.

  Zeryn was the first to approach. Without needing words, Nathan grabbed his teammate's sword. He studied the trajectory of the remaining arm, calculated briefly, then threw the sword at an angle.

  The invisible connection pulled Zeryn along a perfect curve, avoiding the attack. Three swords circling him launched out, severing the joints and causing the second arm to fall, unable to maintain its form.

  But the legs had already arrived. Nathan, while falling, grabbed Evelyn's ice-coated hand to limit the damage he might cause her, then launched her similar to Zeryn.

  Ice saws were thrown out. This time, having prepared like Zeryn, her technique wasn't as simple as it appeared. At points along the saw edges, ice bullets scattered outward. After the saws cut through the joints, these bullets exploded, clinging to the arm sections and freezing the fluids within the earth and wood. Consequently, the leg section she struck couldn't regenerate as quickly as the others.

  Zahra bounded forward, not hesitating to let Nathan grab her leg. He spun mid-air, then threw her. She howled in ecstatic pleasure, her feet erupting with powerful winds. Her hands spread with small vortices hidden inside. With the momentum gained, she unleashed her full force, creating two wind explosions at the remaining leg.

  The golem was knocked off balance from her attack, and its spinning speed slowed.

  "Get behind me!" Nathan shouted. "Evelyn, cover my hand with your ice."

  The team immediately recognized the issue. The golem's spinning attack had merely been a distraction.

  The real technique came from the core in its chest. It was glowing with brilliant green, overflowing with vitality.

  Zeryn slid beside Nathan, opening his mouth to confirm.

  "No doubt! It's Vitality Aspect. That girl is bringing life to the golem through spirit connection."

  "It's gonna wear out, right?" Nathan asked.

  "It will."

  Nathan felt coldness invade his body. Despite meticulous care down to the smallest detail, Evelyn couldn't prevent her power from affecting Nathan.

  With a reassuring nod, he leaped up as Zahra arrived.

  From the golem's chest, seeds like those Nathan had fought earlier spewed forth. They expanded and began to explode.

  With a swipe, he detonated one before it could travel further. Using the thrust generated, he spun mid-air, adjusted his trajectory with air palm techniques, and used his back to block another bomb.

  Seeing Nathan winking, Zahra smiled. She raised her hand, creating a wind that propelled Nathan toward the bomb shower.

  Nathan spread his arms, smiling as if returning to his natural environment. He used his ice-covered arm to act just like the golem, spinning erratically, at the same time he was pushing back and forth like a weightless puppet.

  If the team had scattered as initially, this deadly shower of explosions would have certainly caused injuries. With their current approach, only the muscle-bound fool was taking all the damage.

  It wasn't painless, but Nathan was accustomed to this. Laboring to the point of pain couldn't hurt more than being in full Berserker state, which had changed something within him. Even with pain receptors significantly reduced, he still managed to feel something.

  When he landed again after being tossed between Zahra and the bombs, he could finally exhale. His clothes were tattered, his face burnt and blackened, hair singed in patches. He grinned as he saw the eyes watching him like he'd escaped from a mental institution.

  Not just his teammates but even the opponents couldn't help cursing.

  "Should have finished that bastard when I had the chance," the purple-robed youth grimaced.

  His first encounter with Nathan had shown the chef in his weakest state. One touch would have finished him. Eliminating him then would have made things much easier now.

  A madman, and one as resilient as a cockroach.

  "Are you alright?" his teammates asked.

  "No," the gravity cultivator bluntly replied. "I'm close to exhaustion. Just one more time."

  The four looked at each other with tired eyes. After all, they were still Tier 2. Using an ultimate technique like the golem demanded too much in both mana and spirit. They certainly hadn't expected someone crazy enough to dive into bombs like swimming in a summer lake, enjoying it without injury. Without Nathan, the golem's previous two techniques would have forced others to use rare defensive items, or conventional defenses like mana shields would have proven insufficient.

  Nathan stood up, dusting off his clothes. His hand still tingled from the cold. Evelyn's ice truly had excellent quality, far surpassing the mana membrane from his vambrace. If not for the cold that hindered blood circulation, he would gladly carry two ice blocks into battle.

  Evelyn withdrew her power, helping her teammate recover faster.

  "I didn't know you enjoyed taking hits like that," Zeryn commented.

  "That's right," Zahra grinned in agreement. "Can I borrow you as a training dummy later?"

  "No," Nathan pointed at Zeryn, then at Zahra. "And no! You can take hits instead if you can. And you, I'll consider."

  The crackling sound from the golem recaptured everyone's attention. Except for the leg Evelyn had sealed with her ice, the other limbs had regenerated. The core in its chest, though not as bright as before, had regained considerable vitality.

  "If they can combine," Zeryn said, voice full of confidence, "then it's time we combine too."

  "How?" Nathan asked.

  Zeryn extended two floating orbs in his palms. Listening carefully, one could hear tiny air-ripping sounds. Sharp Aspect compressed.

  One was given to Zahra, one to Evelyn.

  "Where's mine?" Nathan inquired.

  "A punch-only guy like you wouldn't need it. Besides, you can't project mana anyway."

  "Touché," Nathan shrugged.

  "Touché," Zeryn repeated.

  "What's touché? Sounds fun," Zahra asked.

  But before answering, the opponents attacked. This time, to compensate for one useless limb, the golem separated its remaining arm, rotating it vertically like a fan striking forward.

  Zeryn and Evelyn split apart, leaving Nathan and Zahra to absorb the blow.

  "Let's go, Nathan!" Zahra howled.

  Both leaped toward each other. Then four legs collided. Zahra used her strength to launch Nathan like a bullet, spiraling through the air, leaving a deafening boom.

  Nathan felt his cheeks and eyes pulled backward, nearly separating from his skull. He somersaulted in the air, muscles tensing.

  Just before impact, he repositioned himself, hands joined, using all his strength.

  Triggered [Amplifying Strike]. One credit given.

  Triggered [Flowing Strikes]. One credit given.

  His strike hit a section of the rotating fan. The force was enough to reverse its direction.

  But the people behind the golem had anticipated this. They controlled the shattered earth and separated wood fibers, creating chains that launched toward Nathan. These wrapped around his arms and legs, then anchored to the ground.

  Nathan was removed from the battle. Gravity weighed upon him, creating immense pressure. Veins bulged on his forehead.

  While he strained to break the chains binding him, Zahra ran past on all fours, resembling a small tiger.

  She even howled appropriately for the situation.

  Then she jumped, hands joined and pointed forward, transforming herself into a spearhead.

  The golem clenched its other fist and struck toward her.

  Zahra didn't evade—this was exactly as planned.

  Mid-air, she began spinning. Her fingertips created a whirlwind. A massive arrow formed from her body fired forward.

  The whistling wind raised goosebumps as Zahra's charged technique activated.

  The golem's punch and Zahra's whirlwind collided.

  The shockwave pushed everything around them away.

  The golem's arm shattered like tofu, ripped into pieces that flew everywhere. Yet Zahra continued, her spiral piercing forward, tearing through to the golem's shoulder and making it stagger. The gravity discs launched were knocked away before even touching the drill.

  Nathan, witnessing everything, finally understood the combination Zeryn had mentioned earlier. Mixed within Zahra's whirlwind was Zeryn's Sharp Aspect. Each time her wind damaged the golem, tiny cuts multiplied the effect. The result was slowing the golem's regeneration.

  With its attack neutralized, the golem's chest opened. Bomb seeds fired outward.

  Nathan, having broken free from the chains, jumped to catch Zahra and threw her back to the ground.

  "Don't hesitate to push me forward!" Nathan called out.

  Hearing this, Zahra ignored Nathan being torn apart by bombs, propelling him straight toward the golem with only its chest remaining.

  The cannonball named Nathan approached. In comparison, he looked like a dwarf facing someone several times his size. Yet he couldn't help shouting.

  "Fight someone your own size!"

  Drawing his arm back, he delivered an uppercut to the golem's chin.

  The strength of Physical Cultivation Tier 7.9, combined with 20% Berserker state, sent the head with its single eye flying, shattering into pieces.

  The golem wasn't completely destroyed; the chest and leg remained.

  While falling, Nathan shouted to Zahra. As a result, he slammed directly into the chest, using his shoulder to push against the massive golem.

  The golem, having only one leg left, finally tilted and fell.

  From a distance, the golem resembled an ancient existence welcoming its lineage's apocalypse. Its severed arm raised as if pleading for help. The headless body could say nothing.

  With a bang, smoke and debris shot upward, covering the ground.

  The golem had fallen.

  It still hadn't given up, still trying to rise. Feeling the tremor beneath his feet, Nathan jumped high, then used gravity to slam down, forcing the target back to its original position.

  Nathan smiled, shouting loudly.

  "Stay down!"

  In the distance, Zeryn and Evelyn launched their attacks toward the opponent's "control center."

  A mist of ice formed. Within it, a cold, destructive space filled with Sharp Aspect ran rampant. The protective wall guarding the four inside was thus attacked and destroyed. The regeneration speed from mana was gradually failing to keep pace with the destruction.

  Evelyn had adjusted her element to its lightest possible form. Gravity disrupted it somewhat but couldn't prevent her from retaliating, sending her power into the space before her.

  Sharp Aspect followed, gradually eroding the protective layer.

  The sword prodigy, seeing everything ripening, pointed his sword forward in an extraordinarily simple and plain manner.

  His Sword Intent penetrated all barriers, severing the protective sphere guarding the four opponents in half like cutting an apple.

  Four pale faces fell to the ground, revealing exhaustion beyond words.

  They hadn't wanted to trap themselves inside, but leaving would have made them even easier to defeat. Vitality Aspect didn't help much in person-to-person combat. Though the girl could drain opponents' vitality, she couldn't do it instantly as a mere Tier 2. Her ability to help create a golem was already unimaginable. Moreover, thanks to Vitality Aspect's presence, the team's mana recovery rate increased, thereby extending the golem's maintenance duration.

  The purple-robed youth smirked, his hood falling to reveal a handsome face with angular features. As the battle progressed, he increasingly regretted not eliminating the red-robed chef earlier. The gravity in their final exchange had intensified, yet his opponent could still move. With the meager energy remaining, he truly couldn't divide his attention to deal with the others.

  The earth and tree users also looked around desperately. Their proud creation lay motionless, gradually disintegrating without fuel from its masters. In just seven days, they had developed an unprecedented combination method between strangers. With more time, they would surely create more breakthroughs, making their golem more formidable.

  But they knew their limits. This was a playing field for geniuses, and they were inferior. They truly couldn't imagine how badly the four opponents would have thrashed them without the golem.

  Remarkably, their opponents remained energetic while they were completely exhausted. The gap between them was obvious. But rather than despair, they reminded themselves to try harder.

  "We surrender," the purple-robed youth tilted his head skyward, hands on the ground behind him, smiling as he spoke.

  A complete defeat.

  Nathan couldn't help let out a cry of satisfaction. Zahra ran over to high-five him.

  Evelyn and Zeryn descended beside them. One silently smiled, the other joined the joyful exchange.

  The battle floor below, after the surrender, separated, the space gradually contracting back to its original small area.

  The golem disappeared as if vacuumed away, leaving no trace.

  "We're not gonna win next round!" Nathan suddenly blurted while trying to encourage his teammates.

  Triggered [Bad Omen]. Prediction is true. One credit given.

  Three pairs of eyes stared at him.

  "Don't jinx it!" Zahra exclaimed.

  "I..." Nathan stammered, his mind more chaotic than before.

  The scoreboard dedicated to their team showed 1-0, 1 win, 0 losses.

  At that moment, just below appeared the words:

  MATCHMAKING COMPLETE!

  Their next opponents were Adrian's team, the brightest stars of The Shifting Trials.