Chapter 2261  The Third Trial(3)

Even though Yuan was essentially fighting the equivalent of two Saaruk at ten percent of his true power, he didn't feel particularly pressured or overwhelmed. It was surprising, especially considering that not long ago, he had struggled just to face one.

'To think I've grown this much just from absorbing the Eternal Essence in this trial…'

Yuan himself was astonished by his progress. Unlike spiritual energy or his cultivation realm, gauging his growth with Eternal Essence was far more difficult; after all, the only benchmark he had to measure it against was Saaruk, who was generous enough to reveal his own prowess.

'If I have grown this much just by absorbing so little Eternal Essence, how much stronger would I get if I absorbed all of it?'

Yuan's heart surged with excitement and anticipation. He couldn't wait to defeat the remaining two Eternals and claim their power for himself.

He also wondered where the Eternal Essence was coming from in the first place. After all, the Stairway was essentially a spatial ring that stored treasures his previous incarnations had gathered; it didn't possess the ability to create treasures—or essence—out of thin air.

Time flowed on as Yuan clashed with the two Eternals, the shockwaves from their exchanges rippling through the void and shattering nearby stars.

As the battle dragged on, Yuan's mastery over Eternal Essence reached unprecedented heights, wielding it as naturally as he could wield Sword Aura.

In the beginning, he could only fire it outward without much control or use it to reinforce his body and treasures. But now, Yuan could mold Eternal Essence freely, shaping it however he pleased.

As his control over Eternal Essence deepened, its power naturally grew more intense.

Now, his attacks no longer merely canceled out the Eternals' strikes. Instead, he was beginning to overpower them.

After another three months of relentless battle, Yuan defeated another Eternal, leaving only one remaining.

The moment the Eternal fell, Yuan and the remaining one immediately started absorbing their Eternal Essence.

"And now, there's only one left," Yuan said as he gazed at the massive silhouette in the distance.

"Do you truly believe you have defeated us?" the Eternal replied in a calm, almost serene voice. "We Eternals are indestructible—unkillable. All you've done is delay the inevitable."

"Perhaps I cannot kill you now. But eventually, I will find a way," said Yuan.

"Hahaha!" The Eternal burst out laughing. "Good luck with that!"

Once it finished absorbing the Eternal Essence, the remaining Eternal's strength surpassed even Saaruk at twenty percent of his true power. Meanwhile, Yuan's own growth left him only slightly behind.

"This is where you perish, mortal!" the Eternal roared, its voice shaking the void as it pressed its Eternal Essence down upon Yuan like a crushing mountain.

A vicious light flashed in Yuan's eyes as he unleashed all of his Eternal Essence to counter the attack. Although his essence was weaker, it was still strong enough to halt the Eternal's advance for a moment.

However, once that brief moment passed, the Eternal's essence resumed its descent, pressing down on Yuan with enough force to threaten his very existence.

Yuan gritted his teeth and forced himself to the limit. If his Eternal Essence wasn't strong enough, then he needed to find a way to strengthen it.

"I know you're not mature yet, but I need your help here!" Yuan suddenly muttered, almost as if he was talking to himself.

Suddenly, Yuan could feel his Dantian heating up, as if it were responding to him.

<The Spirit Tree senses ???'s essence>

<The Spirit Tree trembles with excitement>

<The Spirit Tree spreads its roots throughout your body>

Yuan felt a strange sensation stir within him, spreading rapidly through every inch of his body.

<Eternal Constitution(Incomplete) activated>

In the very next moment, the Eternal's essence pressing down on Yuan suddenly began to weaken, but it wasn't fading into nothing, and it was flowing directly into Yuan's body, almost as if it were being absorbed.

"What is going on?!" The Eternal exclaimed, puzzled, as it witnessed its essence being absorbed by Yuan at a rapid rate.

"He's absorbing my active essence?! That's impossible!"

Absorbing an Eternal's active attack was completely different from absorbing something inactive—like Shiva's essence or the remnant essence Saaruk had left in Xiao Cangming long ago.

Active essence was simply too volatile—too pure—for even most Eternals to take in.

Attempting to absorb it too hastily would be like trying to gather molten lava in the midst of an eruption rather than waiting for it to cool. If attempted, they would only injure themselves.

Although the vast majority of Eternals lacked such an ability, the strongest Eternals were capable of it, and this was one of the traits that set them above the rest.

And yet, Yuan absorbed active essence as naturally as he would absorb a cultivator's strike with spiritual energy.

"How can a mere mortal do something even I cannot?! This cannot be possible!"

Even though its eyes were hollow—mere empty outlines in the shadowy silhouette—Yuan could still discern the fear trembling within them.

Absorbing the Eternal's strike caused a tremendous surge of power within Yuan, but he knew it was only a temporary effect, and his actual Eternal Essence had hardly grown at all.

Seizing the moment, Yuan launched a swift counterattack. The Eternal immediately faltered, too afraid to unleash another attack, as it was fearful that Yuan would absorb it again and weaponize its own power against it.

"Damn it! Damn it all! How am I struggling against a mere mortal?!" the Eternal roared, its voice trembling with rage and frustration as it desperately focused on defense.

Ultimately, it took only a few days for the last Eternal to fall. Driven into desperation, it subconsciously launched another attack, but Yuan absorbed it just as easily as before, and that single mistake ended it.

<You have cleared the third trial>

The notification appeared moments later, and Yuan was brought back to the platform shortly after, where Tian'er was waiting.

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