The Iron Sentinel roared, a sound of grinding gears and ancient fury that shook dust from the ceiling. It raised its massive greatsword, glowing with rusty red energy—the blood of a thousand challengers.
"Intruders... Purge."
It charged. The ground didn't just shake; it splintered.
"It's fast," Jiang Chen noted, planting his feet. The pressure coming off the construct felt like gravity itself increasing. "I'll take the aggro. You hit the joints."
"Don't die, meat shield," Bai Xi vanished in a blur of white motion.
The Sentinel reached Jiang Chen in a heartbeat. It swung its sword down—a vertical cleave with enough force to split a tank.
Jiang Chen didn't dodge. He couldn't.
He raised his Cold-Iron Heavy Sword horizontally.
"BLOCK!"
CLANG!
The impact was catastrophic. Jiang Chen's knees buckled, smashing into the stone floor. A crater formed instantly around him. His arms screamed, muscles tearing, but his Golden Marrow bones held firm like pillars of the earth.
"Heavy..." Jiang Chen gritted his teeth, blood leaking from his nose. The weight was crushing him.
"Now!"
Bai Xi appeared behind the Sentinel like a ghost. Her ice sword glowed with absolute zero.
Sword Art: Frost Pierce.
She thrust her blade into the Sentinel's knee joint.
CRUNCH.
Ice spread rapidly across the metal leg, freezing the hydraulic fluids. The gears shrieked and locked.
The Sentinel stumbled. It tried to turn, but its leg was a statue.
"Get off me!" The Sentinel roared, releasing a 360-degree shockwave of red Qi.
Jiang Chen was blasted backward, sliding ten meters, his boots carving trenches in the rock. Bai Xi flipped away gracefully, but even she landed heavily, wincing.
"Its armor is Star-Steel," Bai Xi called out, her breath misting. "My ice only slows it down. We need to crack the shell to kill the core."
"I can crack it," Jiang Chen spat a mouthful of blood. He wiped his mouth, grinning like a maniac. "But I need a ramp."
"A ramp?"
"Just freeze it!"
Bai Xi didn't argue. She dashed forward, unleashing a blizzard. She didn't attack the robot; she created a slide of ice leading straight up the Sentinel's frozen leg.
"Go!"
Jiang Chen closed his eyes for a split second. He channeled everything.
His Netherworld Fragment in his right arm pulsed, turning his veins black. His 10th Stage Body tightened. And the Heavy Sword Intent hummed in his blade, hungry for metal.
"One shot."
He sprinted. He ran up the ice ramp.
The Sentinel saw him. It dropped its sword and tried to swat him out of the air with a massive metal hand.
"Too slow!"
Jiang Chen jumped off the ramp, soaring toward the chest.
The Sentinel's hand closed on empty air.
Mid-air, Jiang Chen gripped his sword with both hands. He spun his body, adding centrifugal force to the strike.
Heavy Sword Art: Mountain Breaker.
He swung.
BOOM.
The black sword hit the red crystal core in the center of the chest.
The impact created a shockwave that blew Bai Xi's hair back.
The crystal held for a second.
"BREAK!" Jiang Chen roared, his Demon Arm flaring with black fire.
CRACK.
Spiderweb fractures appeared on the crystal.
SHATTER.
The core exploded.
Red light blinded them. The Sentinel let out a dying mechanical wail. Its armor lost power instantly. The massive construct fell backward, crashing into the stone gate with a thunderous boom that shook the entire tomb.
Jiang Chen landed on top of the "corpse," gasping for air. His sword was smoking. His arms were trembling uncontrollably.
"Target... down," he wheezed.
Bai Xi landed next to him. She looked at the shattered chest plate, then at Jiang Chen's blackened arm. Her eyes held a flicker of genuine awe.
"You cracked Star-Steel," she whispered. "You really are a monster."
"I prefer 'Tyrant'," Jiang Chen slid off the robot.
He looted the remains.
[Boss Defeated.]
[Loot: Iron Sentinel Core (Qi Gathering 5th Stage).]
[Loot: Ancient Gate Key.]
He tossed the Key to Bai Xi. "You open it. I need to fix my ribs."
Bai Xi caught the key. She inserted it into the stone gate.
Rumble.
The massive doors groaned open.
Inside, it wasn't a tomb. It was a dojo.
In the center, on a pedestal, sat a single, glowing scroll case.
[Objective Complete: Ancient Sword Fragment Found.]
[Note: Fragment is sealed inside the scroll case.]
"An Earth-Tier Manual," Bai Xi's eyes lit up with desire. "This is it."
She walked toward it.
But Jiang Chen grabbed her shoulder. His grip was hard.
"Wait."
He pointed to the shadows behind the pedestal.
"We have company."
From the darkness, slow, mocking clapping echoed.
"Bravo. Bravo."
A group of students walked out. Five of them. They wore the pristine, white-and-gold uniforms of the Student Council. They looked clean, rested, and incredibly arrogant.
The leader was a tall young man with sleek hair and a rapier at his hip.
Liu Feng. Rank 5 Junior.
Cultivation: Qi Gathering 6th Stage.
"Thanks for clearing the trash for us, freshmeat," Liu Feng smiled cruelly. "You saved us a lot of trouble. That Sentinel was annoying."
"Kill stealing?" Jiang Chen gripped his sword again, ignoring the pain in his chest.
"It's not stealing," Liu Feng drew his rapier. It glowed with expensive enchantments. "It's Confiscation. By order of the Student Council, all S-Rank loot belongs to us. Hand over the Core and the Scroll."
He looked at Bai Xi, his eyes lingering on her figure.
"And you, pretty girl. You can come with us too. The President is looking for a new... personal assistant. You have potential."
Bai Xi's expression went from cold to absolute zero. The air around her crystallized.
"Disgusting," she whispered.
She looked at Jiang Chen.
"Can you fight?"
Jiang Chen grinned. His exhaustion vanished, replaced by a cold, predatory bloodlust.
"For 50% of their gear? I can fight all day."
"Deal."
Jiang Chen stepped forward, dragging his heavy sword. The metal screeched against the stone floor—a sound of impending violence.
"Hey, Senior," Jiang Chen called out. "Did your mother never teach you not to touch other people's things?"
Liu Feng's smile dropped. "Kill the boy. Keep the girl."
The five seniors charged, their weapons glowing with high-level Qi.
Jiang Chen and Bai Xi moved as one.
Ice and Iron against the world.
[Quest Updated: Clean the Trash.]
[Objective: Humiliate the Student Council.]
[Reward: Reputation Level Up (Feared).]
The real fight had just begun.