Challenge Begins

Seeing that Dugu Mingjun had indeed taken the bait, Gu Yuanwei was in high spirits. He turned and gave a meaningful look to a guard not far away.

In the blink of an eye.

A bottle of crystal-clear Water-Rhyme Spirit Pills, wafting with a faint fragrance, was presented.

"As an elder, I naturally cannot take advantage of you juniors. How about I use this bottle of Water-Rhyme Spirit Pills as the wager?"

The instant Dugu Mingjun saw the Water-Rhyme Spirit Pills, his pupils suddenly contracted, and greed surfaced on his face. He had never imagined that Gu Yuanwei would be so generous as to place the Water-Rhyme Spirit Pills directly before him.

These Water-Rhyme Spirit Pills were miraculous medicine for healing injuries. Once consumed, they could immediately restore one to peak condition and effectively increase one's cultivation.

However, the Water-Rhyme Spirit Pills were not something just anyone could consume. Only those of noble status or those who had achieved something in cultivation might possess such an item.

Of course...

As the Eastern King, Gu Yuanwei, the foremost of humanity's Four Great Kings, naturally qualified to possess them.

But to everyone else, Water-Rhyme Spirit Pills were treasures one could encounter only by chance and never seek out.

Gu Yuanwei's gaze was exceedingly shrewd. Seeing Dugu Mingjun's expression change drastically, he sneered inwardly, though his face remained utterly calm as he said,

"I wonder what wager Nephew Dugu is willing to offer?"

Dugu Mingjun snapped back to his senses at those words and hurriedly bowed. "This junior does not possess Uncle Gu's grand resources, but I happen to have ten Supreme-Grade Spirit Stones, which I am willing to use as the wager for this round."

Gu Yuanwei was somewhat surprised to hear Dugu Mingjun mention Supreme-Grade Spirit Stones.

After all.

Since the arrival of the Spirit Revival Era, Sky Net Star's environment had undergone drastic changes, and a limited number of Supreme-Grade Spirit Stones had emerged as a result.

Such Supreme-Grade Spirit Stones were of little use to ordinary humans, but to martial artists who cultivated, they were undoubtedly potent spiritual medicine.

Even obtaining just one could help a martial artist absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth faster, with effects equivalent to months of arduous cultivation.

Therefore, anyone who cultivated longed for the chance to gather as many Supreme-Grade Spirit Stones as possible.

Yet because their numbers were simply too scarce, Supreme-Grade Spirit Stones had essentially been monopolized by great Lineages. The vast majority of martial artists without backing had no way to acquire them at all.

As the two produced their respective wagers, those who had been eager to try were instantly doused with a bucket of cold water. They were simply too embarrassed to bring out their meager stakes.

Just as the atmosphere grew somewhat awkward, the Unfixed Pagoda before them trembled slightly, then emitted a faint golden glow. The radiance became brighter and stronger, eventually turning into dazzling gold. Then, those golden rays actually began to gather and take shape.

A phantom gradually condensed, slowly becoming solid. It was a beautiful woman dressed in red, though her face appeared somewhat blurry.

"I am the tower spirit responsible for this assessment. Later, each of your final results will automatically appear upon the stone stele."

"However..."

"If anyone can reach the eighth floor, their result will appear on the stone stele ahead of time."

"Of course, aside from that one person in history, I do not believe anyone else can accomplish it."

In an instant.

The enormous stone stele directly before the Unfixed Pagoda abruptly became transparent.

All the contestants taking part in this assessment then suddenly vanished from where they stood.

When they opened their eyes again, they had already appeared on the first floor of the Unfixed Pagoda.

This signified that the trial had finally begun in earnest.

The tower spirit looked toward the stone stele ahead, the corners of her lips lifting slightly in satisfaction. Then she spoke, "The Unfixed Pagoda has nine floors. In other words, this assessment consists of nine rounds."

"The rules are simple. Each of you will face a virtual person whose strength is comparable to your own and defeat them completely."

"And so on. After succeeding in a challenge, you may proceed to the next one."

The red-clad tower spirit had barely finished speaking.

When Lu Yun came to his senses, he discovered that he had somehow fallen into a strange, gray, misty space.

He looked around in confusion. It seemed that apart from himself, there were no other contestants.

Neither Chu Lingxue nor Dugu Mingjun was anywhere to be seen, as though they had completely vanished.

"It seems..."

"The tower spirit will create a challenger for every person based on their specific strength."

"If my guess is correct, then I will most likely only see Ling Xue again after the assessment ends."

After a brief analysis, Lu Yun had roughly understood his current situation.

Since he was here, he might as well settle in.

Since he had come this far, he would take a good look at what sort of opponent he would face this time!

Lu Yun adjusted his mindset and focused all his attention on sensing the energy fluctuations around him.

Just then.

A tall figure appeared out of thin air before Lu Yun.

The man wore black armor, a golden helmet, and held a long saber in his hand. The waves of pressure emanating from him made Lu Yun feel a suffocating sense of oppression.

"Sea-Opening Perfection Realm!"

Lu Yun almost immediately sensed the enemy's true strength.

He had not expected the tower spirit to be so precise, truly creating an opponent with exactly the same strength as him.

"Heh heh..."

The black-armored man sneered. "Kid, do you know? It has been a long time since I encountered a human like you. I would like to see just how strong you truly are."

As he spoke...

The man shot forward like lightning, arriving before Lu Yun in the blink of an eye. He then viciously raised his right leg and kicked toward Lu Yun's chest.

"What speed!"

Lu Yun praised him inwardly.

This person's strength truly matched his own. The speed of that attack had already been completely on par with his.

However, Lu Yun felt no fear.

He lightly tapped the ground with his foot, and his entire body immediately leaped into the air. With a flip of his hand, the Ancient Moon Elephant-Trunk Saber was already in his grasp.

"Whoosh!"

The long saber drew a perfect arc through the air as it slashed directly toward the man.

"Hmph, a mere trick!"

The man shouted coldly, raising his saber in his right hand and meeting Lu Yun's attack head-on.

"Clang!"

Metal struck metal, scattering sparks in every direction with a crisp, ringing crash.

Two powerful forces resisted each other, forming visible ripples of energy that continuously spread in all directions.

"Interesting!"

At some unknown point, a trace of blood had appeared at the corner of Lu Yun's mouth.

This opponent truly was extraordinary. His combat strength was completely evenly matched with Lu Yun's.

What made Lu Yun curious was how the tower spirit had created such a monster.

However, he had no time to dwell on that now.

Because the other party clearly had no intention of giving him much time and had already launched another attack.

Lu Yun's body rapidly retreated.

Moreover...

The muscles in his arms suddenly swelled, and the power they transmitted rose steadily at an unbelievable speed.

"Thirty-threefold amplification!"