Zuuungggg!

A faint energy enveloped Aji's fist. He suppressed his inner turmoil, the resonance of his Soul Deep igniting. The artifact at the tip of the spear, which stood expectantly upward, must be one of the Heavenly Secrets artifacts.

Blood Supreme was also one of the three Heavenly Secrets, possessed by the Demon Lord. So... why did the Dragon's Heart artifact appear in the third test of the Heavenly Troops? Aji wondered what the Dragon's Heart was really intended to accomplish.

The other participants were oblivious to this, still mesmerized by the vast room with its fully stocked weapon racks. If Aji's guess was correct, then it was the mental test Nurin had been referring to. It was a test to confront humanity's greatest fear, entangled in the Dragon's Heart.

Aji felt compelled to warn all the Heavenly Troop participants ahead of him. They all continued forward, mesmerized by the various unique weapons on the shelves as they passed. They all made their way toward the spear standing upright in the center of the room.

"Everyone, be alert!"

Aji shouted, and Gayatri and several other warriors noticed Aji's loud voice. They began to notice their behavior, glancing at the weapons around them. Just as they began to regain their composure, a meter-high portal appeared near the towering spear. Its blazing light shone brightly, drawing the gazes of all the Sky Troop participants.

The portal bullet was about five meters away, and the spear tip was a jewel surrounded by carvings.

All the Sky Troop participants were alert to what was happening in the portal before them. A figure emerged from the portal, followed by another. They were a man and a woman, standing upright.

Everyone looked at each other, and the Sky Troop participants were also on guard. Who were they? Why did they appear during the test, and did they seem to be from the dark sect?

Everyone raised their weapons.

Barsha drew her two daggers. "Who are you?"

Jasum glanced at the Sky Troop participants, Mora beside him signaling to Jasum. Jasum stepped forward, and dark light energy radiated from both hands. He conjured a spear and grasped it with both hands.

Jasum spun it around, a dark aura radiating from his movements. The Heavenly Army participants sensed a visitor, some even thinking it was their third test. They would have to face these two.

Jasum had to hold off the warriors in front of him, while Mora would retrieve the Heart Dragon artifact on the spearhead nearby. They were both surprised to find their companions missing from the portal. In fact, they were shocked when the portal they entered suddenly disappeared.

Zlap! What happened? Were the others discovered?

***

Blaaarrrrr!

The Yarko leader's attack hit the ground after Saga drew his two swords and parried Yarko's. Saga blocked it and knocked Yarko's attack to the ground, causing a massive explosion.

Junta and Drisin retreated.

Yarko spun his sword again, swinging it at Saga. Saga parried and continued to fend off Yarko's attacks; the title "god of swords" was truly fitting. Saga struggled to fend off each of Yarko's attacks, only managing to block a few, forcing him to retreat.

The soldiers realized their presence and immediately charged forward, attacking Junta and Drisin. Drisin dodged the soldiers' attacks, weaving around them. The soldiers attacked even more, from the right, left, and above. Drisin, a dark magician, was also a chosen soldier of the Demon Lord, directly under Denta's division, one of the Five Gates.

After dodging and seeing an opening, Drisin sent several soldiers flying with his energy attack. He darted and struck several soldiers quickly, knocking some of them flying.

On the other hand, Junta wielded the axe on his back, easily sweeping away the soldiers' spears. Junta channeled energy through his axe and slammed it into the ground, creating an area-of-effect attack that shattered the soldiers' spears and sent them flying.

The soldiers were no match for Denta's special forces. Chief Gonan felt it was time to enter the fray. He swung his arms and flew into battle.

A thin, wind-like energy swirled around Gonan's arms, and he weaved his way into the fray. Just as Junta was about to injure the soldiers with his massive axe, Gonan stepped in and blocked Junta's attack. Junta couldn't move his arms, and his axe attack failed.

Drisin, realizing this, jumped and launched a whirling, tornado-like energy attack at Gonan to help his comrade.

Gonan realized this and blocked the attack with a slash of his left hand, deflecting Drisin's attack. Drisin was also a magician, but he had already sensed Gonan's attack. That figure was someone who had reached a certain height.

Drisin again attempted to gather dark energy and surround himself; three black spears with black smoke surrounding them appeared. The three large spears aimed at Gonan and hovered above Drisin's head. Drisin prepared a powerful attack. At the very least, he could free Junta from Gonan's energy restraints.

Drisin unleashed all his strength, the black energy spears vibrating slowly and shooting out rapidly. All three were aimed at Gonan at breakneck speed.

On the other hand, Saga could only barely block Yarko's attacks. Swords filled with immense energy attacked in rapid succession. Saga sharpened his eyes, fending them off with all his might. Saga blocked 80 percent of the attacks, but the remaining 20 percent left him wounded in several places by Yarko's powerful energy splashes.

Yarko leaped upward, his sword aimed upward, ready to swing with great energy.

Saga saw this; the attack was certainly powerful. He retreated steadily and retreated further to maintain distance.

Yarko kicked off in midair, and he shot out with lightning-like force. His energy-imbued sword sparked with lightning.

"Thunder Slash!"

Saga struggled to avoid the attack; it was a super-powerful one. He saw the vast difference in power between himself and Yarko.

Saga then formed a full-throttle defense with both swords. An energy barrier was created, and Yarko's attack shot towards him. Before it could reach Saga, the energy attack broke through his sword barrier.

Five meters before reaching Saga, Saga's barrier cracked. As he approached, it shattered. Saga then used all his energy to block Yarko's attack.

BOOM!

Despite using all his strength, Saga was thrown several meters back. He suffered internal injuries, and his sword was sent flying.

Seeing the Chiefs manage to control the situation, Grandpa Nurin felt compelled to do something. Two people had already entered the Dompai. If left unchecked, the participants would face off against the two dark sect warriors in Dompai.

It was time to show the martial arts world whether the Heavenly Troop participants could achieve anything. Grandpa Nurin raised his arms to his sides and then clasped them in front of his chest. A surge of energy surged through Grandpa Nurin's body.

Two seconds later, energy exploded from Grandpa Nurin. A signal connected to the presence of a thin stream of energy that flew out. It was time to activate the Heart Dragon. Grandpa Nurin was confident that the Heavenly Troop participants would face a good test in this matter. This was their chance to prove whether they were worthy of becoming Heavenly Troop members!

Grandpa Nurin activated the Heart Dragon, but he himself couldn't use its full power to absorb it. He could only activate mental energy, which made the artifact strengthen anyone within its area of ​​damage or within its influence.

Heart Dragon is used for the highest level of martial arts training, cultivating mental strength to master one's own inner strength.

It was now time for the contestants to begin the true test.

***

Jasum parried Barsha's swift attack. Barsha had already activated her assassin powers. Jasum was able to block and deflect her swift attack. Jasum's black energy spear fused with his body, allowing him to deflect his opponent's attack.

Jasum himself was one of Denta's most trusted men, his combat prowess far surpassing that of his other comrades.

"Fireball!"

Alicia supported Barsha as Barsha retreated, numerous fireballs striking Jasum in rapid succession. Jasum spun his spear, deflecting the blasts generated by Alicia's long-range attacks.

Jasum wasn't hit by any of the attacks. Lao immediately bombarded Jasum with his long-range attacks, spinning discs filling the ceiling of the room. All the discs of energy attacked at once from every nook and cranny, attacking Jasum.

Seeing this, Mora felt she could concentrate on retrieving the Heart Dragon artifact. While everyone was distracted by the battle, Mora shot at high speed, her black shadow swiftly reaching the spear where the pearl artifact lay.

A meter before Mora's hand reached the spear, Aji also charged swiftly. Aji slammed his attack into Mora's body, causing Mora to quickly dodge to the side to avoid it.

Mora felt like no one noticed at first, preoccupied with Jasum's fight. It turned out that someone was still watching her movements closely. Mora looked at Aji, and Aji calmly stood near the upright spear.

Their eyes met. Mora felt the young man look calm and different. But he was just a boy, wasn't he?

Mora was prepared and charged with sharp weapons protruding from her wrists, three sharp weapons poised to strike Aji. At that moment, a sparkling light appeared from the pearl at the tip of the spear.

The light shimmered and shattered, filling the room. Everyone halted their attacks, dazzled and mesmerized by the light exploding from the pearl at the tip of the spear.

Splash!

The Heart Dragon illusion was released, and everyone's mental state was tested.