The distance of eight hundred meters is neither long nor short, originally belonging to the middle-distance running category in track and field competitions.
The physical strength of normal humans is difficult to sustain a speed burst for the entire eight hundred meters, requiring rhythm control and a certain level of tactics.
However, for many Trial Takers whose bodies have been enhanced among humans, rhythm and tactical arrangement are not as important.
Trial Takers with strong enough stamina can even sprint the entire distance like an ordinary person running a hundred meters.
Li Xiu certainly didn't reach that level; he could only control his rhythm and breathing, staying in the latter part of the group, waiting for the right opportunity to sprint.
The managers were basically in the lead group, while A Fei and some others with relatively strong physical abilities were in the second echelon.
Li Xiu was in the last echelon, which contained more than forty people with relatively weak physical abilities, not much stronger than ordinary people, and some were even inferior to ordinary people.
A thin and ordinary young man running at the end tripped and fell to the ground due to nervousness without running far.
He had no desire to get up and continue, lying there watching the people in front get further away, his eyes filled with despair.
Li Xiu wasn't a cold-blooded person, but in such trials, he didn't have the ability to help others; it was enough to keep himself alive.
The manager who wanted to break Li Xiu and A Fei's legs earlier had already tripped near the starting line, stumbling and trying to catch up, failing several times to get back up, and his bloodstained face showed no expression, but his eyes were filled with undisguised regret and despair.
"What is the true meaning of the trial? Where did the Trial Gate come from, and who is controlling all of this?" This question not only troubled Li Xiu but was a common problem for all humanity. No one has figured out yet what the Trial Gate is.
The lead echelon had entered the sprint stage, half a lap ahead of the last echelon, where more and more people began to give up out of despair, standing in place dejectedly, or even crying in breakdown.
Li Xiu maintained his rhythm, consistently staying near the front of the last echelon, waiting for the final sprint.
Finally, the distance was within reach for Li Xiu to sprint full force, and the finish line was visible. Li Xiu started to accelerate, increase speed, and began the final sprint.
Just as Li Xiu was speeding up, a leg suddenly extended out from the adjacent track, slanting in front of Li Xiu.
The leg stretched out at just the right moment when Li Xiu was accelerating, precisely the moment when Li Xiu's left leg was raised.
For an average person, fully focused on the race and so close in distance, this sudden situation would definitely trip them, making it impossible to catch up with those ahead in time after getting back up.
But Li Xiu reacted instantly, lifting his already raised left foot higher with effort, while his right leg exerted force, using a hurdle-like move to step over the obliquely stretched leg, regaining rhythm in a few strides after landing, continuing to push forward with all his strength towards the finish line.
Originally, Li Xiu should have finished within the top forty-five from the bottom, but his rhythm was slightly affected, and he crossed the finish line in thirty-ninth from the bottom.
"Who was that guy?" Li Xiu fixed his gaze on the young man not far away and asked A Fei, who was walking over.
"No idea, never seen him before, wasn't among the people from the last trial, and hasn't been seen among the managers either." A Fei also noticed the moment when Li Xiu was tripped and had kept an eye on that young man but couldn't recognize who he was.
"Oh!" Li Xiu observed the man.
In his twenties, tall and well-built, with narrow eyes and slightly curly hair, unsure if it's naturally curly or permed.
The man was also watching Li Xiu, and when he saw Li Xiu looking at him, he smiled at Li Xiu, extending his right hand to form a gun gesture, closing one eye, and making a shooting motion towards Li Xiu.
"The trial is over, rewards are being distributed, clearing begins..."
As the thirty-first person crossed the finish line, the cold voice sounded again.
There was a loud bang, and the thirty people who didn't cross the finish line in time had their bracelets explode at the same time, blowing them to pieces.
Thirty lives were snuffed out in an instant, lives cherished by civilized society were here like weeds to be reaped at will.
The 62 individuals who completed the test each received a Demon Core as a reward, and a stabbing pain came from the bracelet, their bodies once again strengthened.
Li Xiu felt a warm flow washing over him, revitalizing muscles that were sore from the 800-meter run in an instant, the pain paradoxically feeling indescribably pleasant.
When given the option to enter the second-round trial, Li Xiu decisively took off his bracelet and chose to forgo it.
After all, he was just the strongest Magic Armor Master, not the strongest Trial Taker; there was no need to persist in trials he was unsure of.
After exiting, the people outside collected the Demon Core from Li Xiu and recorded it, stating they would pay him double the price when he left.
Li Xiu initially wanted to wait for A Fei and that man outside, but he was escorted back to his room by the soldiers.
Li Xiu recalled the man's appearance, not remembering when he had seen such a person before.
"He probably isn't a manager, otherwise A Fei wouldn't fail to recognize him. If he was a Trial Taker sent here, I haven't offended him; why would he target me and provoke like that? Could it be someone I offended outside?" Li Xiu quickly dismissed this idea.
He had been undergoing Magic Armor Master trials since childhood, not interacting with the outside world, and only a few people knew him.
At least as a Magic Armor Master, not many knew he was the one titled "God."
Because Magic Armor Masters are relatively fragile, too easy to assassinate, hence generally wouldn't reveal their true identity openly.
Even when controlling a Magic Armor in battle, they use code names.
Li Xiu originally used the code name "Red Flower Youth," but later his exceptional performance earned him the title "God," making the true code name "Red Flower Youth" almost unknown to anyone.
So even if someone wanted to kill the world's top Magic Armor Master "God," very few people knew "God" was Li Xiu.
Moreover, Li Xiu hadn't told anyone he would come to the Abyss Base, making it even less likely outside enemies wanted to kill him.
"Since it's not someone from outside who wants me dead, who else in this base wants to kill me?" Li Xiu pondered silently.