As Chen Tian finished watching the rewards, the scene instantly changed again. When Chen Tian reacted, he was already outside the secret chamber, accompanied by two great generals and the army.
Chen Tian's appearance caused the expressions of the empire's two great generals to turn cold.
Yun Lin's absence here indicated that Yun Lin had been killed.
According to imperial rules, in any one-on-one challenge, only the survivor could leave the combat space. This was an unbreakable law.
Chen Tian's reappearance meant that Yun Lin was dead.
As Chen Tian regained his senses, the familiar panel appeared.
It read: "Yun Ze."
This meant that Chen Tian's opponent in the next round would be Yun Ze.
Simultaneously, Yun Ze's information appeared before Chen Tian.
Chen Tian looked at the attributes before him and thought, "This is going to be tricky!"
There were many branches to the shield profession, but the mid-shield profession was arguably the most troublesome. Why?
Because players or NPCs of the mid-shield profession wield shields that are neither too heavy nor too light. They possess extremely high speed, defense, and burst attack power, making them a versatile class that can both attack and defend.
Unlike heavy shield professions, which are for guarding, or light shield professions, which are for support.
Mid-shields are also equipped with weapons, allowing players or NPCs to choose secondary weapons for offense.
"Ding! The opponent is in the combat arena!"
"Ding! Combat scene selection complete: Haoyue Mountain Range."
"Transitioning combat scene...!"
As the electronic voice faded, Chen Tian felt a blur in his surroundings and instantly appeared amidst a massive mountain range.
His gaze swept across towering peaks; there were at least four or five, vast and imposing.
Chen Tian cautiously observed his surroundings, aware that the enemy could attack at any moment. He had to remain vigilant.
*Bang!* A figure instantly appeared before Chen Tian, who reacted swiftly.
Clenching his fists, he struck out. A torrent of dust billowed as Yun Ze's and Chen Tian's fists met.
Yun Ze said indifferently, "Kid, you've got some skill to have dealt with Yun Lin. But you will die by my hand."
Chen Tian felt a headache coming on. As expected, these three imperial generals possessed formidable intellect.
This fight would be difficult. A ranger profession had already put Chen Tian in a precarious situation, let alone facing a mid-shield profession.
Both figures retreated a few steps. As the dust settled, Chen Tian finally got a clear look at Yun Ze.
Yun Ze's appearance now was completely different from his state in the secret chamber.
He was clad in earth-yellow patterned armor, and a large, ancient, v-shaped shield was strapped to his back.
The shield appeared incredibly heavy, yet Yun Ze carried it without any apparent difficulty.
This was the advantage of the mid-shield profession: the shield possessed the defensive capabilities of a heavy shield without compromising speed or burst attack power, though its offensive options were limited.
His armor exuded an imposing aura. His face was handsome, with black hair, a high nose bridge, and cold eyes.
A terrifying killing intent emanated from within him, causing Chen Tian to tense up.
Yun Ze looked at Chen Tian calmly and said, "I don't know by what means you killed Yun Lin, but your life belongs to me."
"Do you think you can take it?"
"We'll find out soon enough."
Yun Ze's right leg extended, and he instantly appeared before Chen Tian. Chen Tian was startled.
He was a mid-shield, yet his speed was this astonishing. This guy was no ordinary opponent.
Chen Tian speculated internally, but the enemy's attack had already arrived.
Countless fist shadows rained down on Chen Tian, who responded by throwing his own fists.
Instantly, a barrage of fist shadows collided.
Skill: Fist Rain.
Both figures recoiled. Chen Tian looked at Yun Ze in shock. Could mere combat technique counter a skill?
How perfected was the game "Epoch of Time"?
Chen Tian struggled to describe it. An NPC, using only combat technique, could contend with his skill. It was unbelievable.
Unbeknownst to Chen Tian, the quest he had accepted was of a higher tier, related to the thirtieth layer of the world, and thus its difficulty was naturally greater.
Only Chen Tian would dare to undertake it alone. Others would likely have perished in the first wave.
Yun Ze looked at Chen Tian calmly, his brow furrowed in thought. Suddenly, as if a revelation had struck him, he attacked.
He unleashed his combat skills.
Yun Ze's class was mid-shield, but as an NPC, his configuration also included additional skills like hand-to-hand combat and battle techniques.
Even as a mid-shield, these skills and experience made him superior to any player.
"Epoch of Time" truly offered players and NPCs the chance to battle on equal footing.
Chen Tian observed Yun Ze's attacks, noting that he fought purely on combat technique and experience.
But Chen Tian, a gaming prodigy, could not possibly lose to an NPC!
They exchanged punches. Chen Tian's fist moved towards Yun Ze's front left, while his right hand adopted a claw-like defensive stance.
The combination of fist and claw should have been a sound strategy, but Yun Ze seemed to have seen through Chen Tian's attack pattern. He spun his body.
His hands drew together, and with a rotation, he dodged Chen Tian's assault. Simultaneously, he struck at Chen Tian's body with his fists.
Chen Tian stumbled back a few steps. His health bar remained unchanged, but his armor value had decreased by 10 points.
"This guy saw through my attack pattern and my offensive strategy."
Chen Tian's eyes widened as he stared at Yun Ze. His attack method had been deciphered.
The previous attack, a combined fist and claw assault from the left and right, was something ordinary players would have no chance of dodging given Chen Tian's speed.
But Yun Ze had managed it. He had precisely calculated Chen Tian's attack trajectory and pattern, preemptively developing evasion tactics.
In the game "Epoch of Time," as the world layer increased, the abilities and consciousness of bosses and monsters became increasingly akin to players. In the final layers, the monsters' judgment and prediction capabilities were on par with gaming geniuses.
Coupled with the system's assistance and configuration, this made them the formidable bosses of "Epoch of Time."
And the Yun Ze Chen Tian faced was merely one of the most ordinary bosses.
Yet, even the most ordinary posed a significant challenge for Chen Tian.
Both Yun Ze and the previous Yun Lin had redefined Chen Tian's understanding of the game.
"No, he's seen through my brawler's attack methods. I can't use the brawler profession anymore."
Chen Tian made his decision. His offensive patterns had been exposed, so he had to switch professions.
Instantly, his profession changed from brawler to archer.
The Elemental Divine Bow appeared in Chen Tian's hand. Yun Ze was astonished to see this, realizing Chen Tian possessed two professions.
While he could discern the first, it would take time to understand the second.
Chen Tian then held the Elemental Divine Bow in his left hand and drew the string.
Archers utilize an energy value. As long as this value doesn't drop to zero, they don't need arrows.
The arrows for archers are formed from energy. Chen Tian instantly drew the Elemental Divine Bow and fired a fiery arrow that flew towards Yun Ze with extreme speed.
Yun Ze's expression changed drastically. His opponent's second profession was the same as Yun Lin's. He dared not be careless.
He quickly drew his shield with his right hand and placed it in front of him.
A formidable fire elemental arrow struck the shield, exploding upon impact.
A massive fiery mushroom cloud erupted, but Chen Tian had already moved away.
This arrow was a combination of elemental, explosive, and compressed arrows, a triple-threat projectile.
Its destructive power was immense. However, as the mushroom cloud dissipated, Yun Ze stood unharmed behind his shield.
The shield gleamed, as if Chen Tian's attack had had no effect.
Chen Tian concealed himself within the mountain range and opened his attribute panel. His energy value was capped at 10,000.
The archer's attack pattern revolved around energy value, which was compressed into arrows for attack.
Energy value encompassed various types, including elemental energy, which was a fundamental force of the universe. Energy could be compressed and fused to generate immense power.
Chen Tian had combined elemental, explosive, and compressed arrows into a fiery elemental arrow, consuming nearly 8,000 energy points.
Chen Tian needed to recover his energy before continuing the fight and chose a hidden location for this purpose.
The mid-shield profession was agile and possessed strong defense. Coupled with his combat skills and judgment, this opponent was even more difficult to deal with than a dual-speed assassin.
Dual-speed assassins excelled in attack speed rather than raw power.
Currently, only the archer profession could deal high enough damage to breach the enemy's defense. Though Chen Tian was proficient in all bow professions, the Elemental Divine Bow was the weapon for the archer class.
Therefore, only as an archer could Chen Tian penetrate Yun Ze's defenses.
"The mid-shield profession is agile and powerfully defensive. Combined with his combat skills and judgment, this guy is even more troublesome than the previous archer."
Chen Tian lamented, finding the fight exceptionally difficult.
Despite understanding the game's mechanics and rules in "Epoch of Time," he hadn't expected a minor boss to prove so challenging.
Yet, Chen Tian continued to search for a solution. Even if the opponent's configuration was formidable, he had to persevere.
Chen Tian glanced at his energy value. Due to a previous Dragon Race profession bonus, his energy cap was 3,000, but with the Elemental Divine Bow's enhancement, it reached over 10,000.
Chen Tian's available archer skills were: Elemental Arrow, Explosive Arrow, and Compressed Arrow.
These three types of arrows were all he had. Elemental arrows could transform into any elemental arrow, each with unique effects.
Chen Tian's mind raced, countless scenarios flashing through his thoughts.
But ultimately, he found no solution.
"If only the Dragon Race profession could be used. But for some reason, this profession has turned gray, and I can't switch to it at all."
Chen Tian looked at his panel in confusion. Under the profession divisions, the Dragon Race profession was now grayed out, unresponsive to his clicks.
Chen Tian was perplexed. Could the Dragon Race profession have specific requirements or restrictions to activate?
Chen Tian watched his energy value steadily recover, reaching over 9,000. He then prepared to move.
He wasn't sure if his previous arrow had dealt damage, but he assumed Yun Ze would use his shield to block it, not withstand it head-on.
After all, the mid-shield's advantage lay in its shield, which didn't affect its user's attributes.
The only thing that troubled Chen Tian was that Yun Ze hadn't even used his weapon for the mid-shield setup, yet he had already forced Chen Tian to abandon close-quarters combat.
It was a testament to Yun Ze's combat awareness and experience that he instilled such caution in Chen Tian.
Indeed, Yun Ze was configured as an imperial general, having campaigned across the land and experienced countless battles. He naturally possessed extensive combat experience, augmented by the system's growth in skills and experience, along with human-like reasoning capabilities, making him formidable.
It could be said that NPCs in "Epoch of Time" were all terrifying. With consciousness and thought, they were essentially individuals.
Chen Tian and Yun Ze continued to chase each other, while Chen Tian also laid traps along the way.
This knowledge came from his previous opponent, Yun Lin, which taught Chen Tian new ways to utilize the archer profession.
Chen Tian mimicked the traps he had seen and even developed new ones.
He then prepared to move away from the area. As Chen Tian distanced himself, a heavy figure carrying a shield appeared.
Yun Ze surveyed the surrounding trees and then said, "It seems he hasn't gone far. I should be able to catch up."
Just as he was about to pursue Chen Tian, countless vines erupted from the trees, coiling around him.
Instantly, they attempted to bind Yun Ze. But Yun Ze slowly raised his shield with his right hand and reached inside it with his left.
Several flashes of light erupted, and the vines shattered. A gap appeared before Yun Ze.
Seeing this, Yun Ze's speed surged, and he escaped through the gap.
Yun Ze remained composed. He had witnessed the professional skills of Yun Lin and couldn't be fooled by mere imitation. He could easily anticipate the opponent's intentions.
As Yun Ze prepared to advance, the ground beneath him suddenly softened, and he felt as if he were sinking into quicksand.
Yun Ze remained unfazed. He drew his shield and even sat on it, pulling a short sword from within.
Several dazzling sword slashes appeared, and the quicksand vanished. Yun Ze's feet touched solid ground.
If Chen Tian were present, he would have been astonished!
This was a trap formed by the fusion of water and earth elemental arrows. Yun Ze had cleverly used his shield as a barrier against the earth spikes from the quicksand, and then used his short sword to disrupt the water flow.
All his actions were fluid, as if he had known this would happen all along.
"Hmph! He dares to use Yun Lin's leftover tricks to try and trap me."
Yun Ze scoffed. As teammates, he understood Yun Lin's abilities intimately. Even if Chen Tian hadn't simply mimicked Yun Lin, he could have guessed his intentions.
Chen Tian, unaware that his traps were ineffective, was still devising a plan.
How to defeat the opponent, this mid-shield general, who was even more troublesome.