"Kid, you'd better think this through. The Fifth Layer is already at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage. Challenging a layer above your own could make the difficulty much greater. When all eyes are on you, losing would be a huge embarrassment." The Green-feathered Bird advised him.
Chen Fan was taken aback. Frowning, he said, "All eyes on me? I've chosen private challenges every time."
"Huh? Didn't I tell you? Once you reach Foundation Establishment—in other words, starting with the Fifth Layer—all challenges are public. You can only blame yourself for not asking." The Green-feathered Bird spoke with perfect seriousness.
"Public..." Chen Fan furrowed his brow slightly. He didn't want to draw too much attention, but before he could finish, the Green-feathered Bird cut him off:
"Don't worry, kid. So many people challenge the layers publicly every day that I doubt anyone will notice you. And if you succeed, you might even win a grand prize. After all, no one's ever attempted a challenge this difficult."
"Who holds the record for crossing layers?" Chen Fan asked.
"A young man named Xiao Munan. Just like you, he chose to cross layers while he was in the Second Layer Heavenly Court. But he only crossed one layer, challenging the Fourth Layer Heavenly Court directly. In the end, he earned a Grade A rating in the Fourth Layer, and the Heavenly Court rewarded him with a high-grade talisman. Countless people envied him."
"A high-grade talisman?" Chen Fan was taken aback. In all this time, he'd only seen a few mid-grade talismans. Aside from his Three Flowers Gathering at Crown Talisman, there were only the Four Symbols Secret Talisman wielded by Qingyue of the Immortal Sect and the Thunderous Might Talisman Liu Ziming had once thrown out. They were few and far between, which showed