The Shark King flicked its fish tail forward, barely blocking the sword edge, and then reversed its tail, causing itself to spin in a circle.

After this rotation, the fish tail flung forward by the Shark King immediately intensified its momentum in an upward stroke, shifting from passive defense to active offense.

Unlike ordinary sharks before, the Shark King's fish tail was like a spear that could be controlled at will, attacking from all directions with ease and flexibility in its movements.

At the beginning of the battle, Wang Xiaole felt as if he was dueling with a skilled gunman; and likened to facing a foe wielding not just one gun, but simultaneously using "dual guns."

The golden horn on the Shark King's head was not only for long-range attacks but could also coordinate with the fish tail's movements, stabbing forward while the body spun agilely.

The golden horn and the sword edge intertwined, almost missing each other, but ultimately coming together at a point.

Clang!

A collision reminiscent of clashing swords.

At that moment, the Shark King's golden horn thrust upwards, while Wang Xiaole's sword edge descended in a vertical chop.

As the gelatinous posture formed, the Shark King began to play tricks, balancing its body as if upside down, lowering its head while lifting the fish tail high.

The slamming fish tail, with its swift force, aimed straight for Wang Xiaole's head, striking as fast as a spear thrust from the side.

Being taller, Wang Xiaole inadvertently made it easier for the opponent to aim during the fight.

Simultaneously, while this advantage made it easier for the opponent, it also made it easier for Wang Xiaole to counterattack.

As the Sacred Power covered his left arm, Wang Xiaole swung this arm out to confront the incoming fish tail head-on.

Initially, Wang Xiaole's left hand, still injured from before, did not gain a clear advantage in the clash with the Shark King's full-force tail; it was only later, through skilled means, that the situation changed.

Instead of simply attacking, Wang Xiaole blocked the incoming tail's momentum with his left arm before raising it higher during the spin and then using his elbow to strike downwards.

The blocked transformed into a counterattack, as his right arm pressed down from above, halting the fish tail.

Then, leaning his weight onto half of his body, pressing down heavily, the Shark King roared in protest as its direction tilted.

Unwilling to be further suppressed, the Shark King tilted its golden horn downwards to dodge the sword edge, aiming towards Wang Xiaole's ribs.

In response, Wang Xiaole leaned forward half a step, shortening the distance between him and the sharp angle, causing the Shark King's calculated attack to miss slightly forward.

Not hitting any target, the Shark King was instead clamped at the middle by Wang Xiaole's armpit.

At this point, the Shark King was completely at a disadvantage.

To be honest:

If it had not employed cunning tactics and instead persistently used straightforward aggression, it would not have been so thoroughly dominated.

It failed to understand one thing:

When facing a formidable opponent, one should use cunning means; however, when facing a strong and dishonest opponent, being honest undoubtedly has its benefits.

After all, the Shark King had no chance of outwitting the current opponent in cunningness.

Due to the magical fluctuations emanating from the Shark King, the surrounding water made huge sounds, as if hiding countless giant beasts inside;

Rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble.

A disruptive force caused a wave to roll high, crashing down towards Wang Xiaole before the end of the battle.

The Shark King possessed the power to manipulate water, making this the most suitable battlefield for it since water was abundant here.

Mewo White on Wang Xiaole's back was already soaked in water from top to bottom;

However, even so, Wang Xiaole still didn't intend to let the little girl behind him face a raging wave.

Immediately, Wang Xiaole chose to retreat and did something as he pulled away.

He first used his left arm to strike the tail of the shark, flattening it;

Then, he threw his long sword into the air, grasping the hilt in reverse as it fell, using the blade to cut a rift towards the golden horn's end from the middle;

In the next crucial moment, Wang Xiaole switched the sword from his right hand to his left and, in the instant after cutting the rift, reversed his grip to his left hand and struck again;

This time, the direction of the strike was exactly opposite to the one just made, aiming to leave the other intact half of the golden horn incomplete later.

The wave finally came crashing down, and at this moment, Wang Xiaole had retreated about three to four meters from the Shark King.

He raised his free right arm high, clenched his fist at the crest of the wave, and smoothly punched forward.

With a loud bang, the formed wave in front of him disappeared, leaving only scattered water droplets and the half of the golden horn that fell along with the wave.

The horn fell to his feet and was stepped on by that raised foot;

With the force of this step, he turned into a swift shadow, rushing forward towards the Shark King.

His previous retreat served as a running start for his current charge.

The Shark King, with its broken horn, was still rolling in pain in the water, and the next moment, the sharp sword came down.

Crack!

A circular blood mouth appeared on the Shark King's body, initially without significant bleeding;

It wasn't until Wang Xiaole appeared behind the Shark King that a louder sound followed the gushing of a large amount of blood.

Snap!

This sound indicated Wang Xiaole sheathing his sword.

The Shark King was dead, and there were no new threats coming from all around, finally allowing Wang Xiaole to seek an exit.

Before long, a flat, round tunnel appeared in front of him and Mewo White.

The tunnel led to the outside world, only about ten meters away from the area where the Shark King had been.

This also explained why the Shark King had suddenly attacked earlier;

After some thought, Wang Xiaole understood the reality of the Shark King's responsibility as a "guardian".

Minerva hadn't lied; the most challenging aspect of this level for Wang Xiaole was the water surrounding himself and Mewo White.

If Wang Xiaole hadn't had the clever idea to use artificial respiration to supply oxygen to Mewo White, this dynamic duo definitely wouldn't have been able to pass the level.

Reflecting on it now, Wang Xiaole truly felt that:

The danger level of the fifth challenge far surpassed the previous four stages!

While Wang Xiaole was briefly reminiscing about the experiences before, he didn't idle around, hefting Mewo White on his back and entering the passage.

As the teleportation array activated, the two once again appeared in an unfamiliar place, seemingly outside the entrance of the next hall.

*Cough cough.*

Mewo White, back on land, started coughing. This was because when leaving the underwater area, she failed to hold her breath, allowing some water to rush into her throat.

Upon hearing those coughs, Wang Xiaole felt a bit distressed. He leaned over and patted the soft back, hoping to help Mewo White cough out the water sooner.

After patting for several tens of seconds, Mewo White felt much better, though her complexion turned slightly unnatural, indicating a severe lack of oxygen within her body.

"Big brother, about earlier..."

Mewo White started to say something, then propped her head up, looking at Wang Xiaole with moist eyes.

Assuming Mewo White had come to her senses and was about to complain about the artificial respiration earlier, Wang Xiaole was contemplating how to respond when Mewo White's face came closer.

*Smooch!*

This kiss was different from the last one as Mewo White took the initiative this time, voluntarily putting her lips on "big brother's" to receive oxygen.

Given Mewo White's age and understanding, she didn't know what a kiss was;

Her kiss was quite innocent, not involving sticking out her tongue, merely covering each other's lips.

However, this childish kiss filled Wang Xiaole with astonishment, not inferior to his past first kiss experiences.

While the scene of the two kissing would nurture the hearts of romance enthusiasts, for the White Water and White Bear observing Wang Xiaole's behavior through the crystal ball, it was like a bolt from the blue!

The blame should not be placed on the white bear.

"It was actually the wolf beastkin who first proposed a similar idea and stayed at the Dibiles border as a hostage; the real culprit is clearly that guy!"

It's hard to say whether the wolf beastkin from thousands of miles away might suddenly sneeze;

The only thing that can be confirmed is that the white bear's argument, while comforting to oneself, cannot absolve the blame from their mother-in-law.

"Stop trying to shift the blame onto me, the fact that our granddaughter is becoming increasingly reliant on young people is clearly your responsibility!"