Breaking Through the Fifth Level

Fortunately, Gulanxiu's will was relatively strong. Even when facing a soul attack from an opponent a level higher than him, he wasn't instantly killed. This challenger's main profession was Illusionist, and while he did possess some close-combat ability, his melee strength was only equivalent to a warrior on the fourth floor.

Thus, although Gulanxiu struggled to defend, he could still barely hold on.

"This kid's soul has impressive tenacity!" Bafen said in surprise.

"Yeah! I didn't expect him to last this long either!" Barbarian Hammer King nodded in agreement.

"Too bad! He's about to give out!" Bafen sighed and shook his head.

Barbarian Hammer King didn't deny it. With their insight, they could clearly see that Gulanxiu was nearing his limit and simply couldn't hold on any longer.

Yet Gulanxiu, still in the midst of battle, didn't feel like he was about to give out. Though his defense was somewhat strained, whether it was an illusion or not, he sensed the Black-robed Man's soul attacks gradually weakening, while his own soul, like steel tempered through repeated forging, began to undergo a transformation toward a higher level.

"Boom! Boom!!" The sounds echoed within Gulanxiu's mind, yet the soul attacks' impact on him grew smaller and smaller.

Gulanxiu gradually steadied himself, no longer so flustered.

Of course, even so, Gulanxiu found it difficult to defeat his opponent. Although the opponent's physical attack power was on par with Gulanxiu's, and the soul attacks no longer affected him as much, the opponent was far superior in comprehending the laws and specialized in Teleportation, causing all of Gulanxiu's attacks to miss. The speed advantage kept the Black-robed Man in an undefeated position.

So, in the later stages, Gulanxiu stopped wasting energy on attacking and focused solely on blocking each of the opponent's strikes. The situation gradually stabilized.

Bafen and Barbarian Hammer King, watching from the sidelines, were now astonished. With their insight, they could tell that Gulanxiu had just completed a willpower breakthrough, strengthening his will to withstand the Black-robed Man's attacks.

But that was precisely why they were shocked. Willpower was usually something that improved as one's level increased, and only a rare few geniuses could let their will outpace their cultivation.

Although an increase in willpower didn't greatly enhance combat strength, possessing a strong will made future cultivation much smoother.

Barbarian Hammer King laughed joyfully: "Haha, Bafen! You just said my disciple's hope of breaking through to King was slim. What do you think now?"

Bafen shook his head and said, "Even with the willpower boost, I still think the odds aren't great!"

Barbarian Hammer King said firmly, "I believe that as long as this disciple of mine doesn't fall, he will definitely become a King!"

Bafen didn't argue with Barbarian Hammer King, just nodded and said, "Then I'll wait and see!"

At that moment, the battle in the arena shifted again. Although Gulanxiu couldn't do much to the Black-robed Man, the Black-robed Man also failed to break through Gulanxiu's defense. After a prolonged assault without success, the Black-robed Man's speed noticeably decreased.

The specific reason was a drop in Gene Force. In the Virtual Universe, everyone used the same physical attributes. As the attacker, the Black-robed Man clearly consumed more force, and now he was showing signs of exhaustion.

Sensing the decline in the Black-robed Man's attack frequency, Gulanxiu's eyes lit up. An opportunity had come.

After blocking another sweeping axe strike, Gulanxiu pressed forward and swung his axe down fiercely at the Black-robed Man's head.

The Black-robed Man had no choice but to parry with his axe.

But at that moment, Gulanxiu twisted his wrist, dodging the Black-robed Man's axe and slashing toward his body.

Seeing this, the Black-robed Man also swung at Gulanxiu.

The biting axe wind brought Gulanxiu the scent of death, yet even so, he did not dodge or evade, striking at the Black-robed Man in what was clearly a mutual-destruction tactic.

"Boom!" A loud crash rang out! The two struck each other almost simultaneously. But at that moment, a faint smile appeared on Gulanxiu's lips, because he clearly sensed that he had hit the opponent a split second before being hit himself. In a real-life battle, this would likely have ended in mutual destruction.

However, according to the Sky Bridge's challenge rules, he was the victor.

Sure enough, the Black-robed Man, after being killed by Gulanxiu, quickly reappeared and said to him, "So you managed to pass my level with this trick. But it'll only work this once. The next level's me is far stronger than this one!"

Gulanxiu smiled and replied, "We'll talk about the next level when the time comes! I'm not planning to challenge it now anyway. Farewell!"

With that, he logged off and returned to Barbarian Hammer King's courtyard.

Yes, Gulanxiu had no intention of challenging the sixth level. After all, he knew his own situation well. If he hadn't specifically chosen an Illusionist and achieved a willpower breakthrough during the fight, he would never have passed the fifth level. Facing the opponent on the sixth level, no matter what profession he chose, the result would be the same—instant death.

Unnecessary self-torture wasn't Gulanxiu's style, so he would wait until his strength improved before tackling the sixth level.

At the same time, Gulanxiu silently resolved that this would be his last time relying on a trick. After all, there was no shame in earning points, but from now on, he would defeat his opponents fair and square to pass the Sky Bridge.

Watching the 24,000 points that had just been credited to his account as indicated by the Virtual Universe, Gulanxiu's spirits soared.

One point was roughly equivalent to one Hunyuan Unit, and perhaps even more important, since points could buy things that Hunyuan Units couldn't necessarily purchase.

An ordinary Immortal's total wealth was around ten thousand Hunyuan Units. Gulanxiu's twenty thousand points already rivaled the entire fortune of an Immortal powerhouse.

Back on the Sky Bridge plane, Barbarian Hammer King and Bafen were also surprised to see Gulanxiu truly clear the fifth level. With their insight, they knew exactly where Gulanxiu's limits lay!

Before the fight began, no one had believed Gulanxiu would win. Even after his willpower breakthrough, they didn't think he would succeed, because prolonged defense inevitably led to mistakes. A single slip from the defending side could be fatal.

But Gulanxiu hadn't made a single mistake. Seizing the tiny opening created by the guardian's declining stamina, he counterattacked and used the rules to successfully pass the Sky Bridge.

Bafen smiled and said, "A bit underhanded, but passing is still a skill!"

Barbarian Hammer King nodded and said, "Thirty years in Chaos City, passing the fifth level of the Sky Bridge—not bad! Haha, Bafen! I'll be off if there's nothing else!"

With that, without waiting for Bafen's farewell, he vanished from the Sky Bridge.

Bafen rubbed his chin and muttered, "First Yunmiao, now this Gulanxiu. That's two geniuses in a row who've passed the Sky Bridge through tricks. I should report this to the City Lord and see if the Sky Bridge needs adjustments!"

"But first, I'll send some emails to those youngsters to give them a little push!"