"Blade-Sharpening Boys?"
Xu Taiping paid little mind to Li Xueqing's failure. Instead, the words "Blade-Sharpening Boys" from the elder's mouth particularly caught his attention.
Noticing Xu Taiping's puzzlement, Blade Ghost suddenly stepped forward and pointed to the raised platform in the center of the hall before saying:
"The trial for Profound Elixir Palace disciples on the sixth floor of the Martial Champion Tower requires them to step onto that platform and challenge those humanoid puppets. Only victory counts as passing the challenge."
Xu Taiping looked closely and found that four lifelike humanoid puppets indeed stood at the platform's four corners.
Blade Ghost continued:
"When I last came to investigate, I overheard two elders discussing them. They said the Second Sect Master of the Profound Elixir Palace obtained these four puppets from the Star Palace ruins in Outer Heaven. They are extraordinarily profound."
"Supposedly, after just one sparring session, a puppet can deduce most of the martial arts you practice and use them itself."
"And among all cultivation techniques, these four puppets are particularly adept at blade techniques."
"When you test your blade against them, not only can they fully deduce your blade techniques, but the blue they draw from indigo can surpass the indigo itself."
"So after obtaining them, the Second Sect Master of the Profound Elixir Palace mainly used them to test his blade."
"And it was precisely because of this that the Profound Elixir Palace produced a Blade Cultivator renowned throughout the Two Realms of Shangqing."
After hearing Blade Ghost's introduction, Xu Taiping immediately asked with great curiosity:
"These puppets seem suited to you as well, Senior Blade Ghost!"
Blade Ghost said rather helplessly:
"When This Old Man heard about this back then, I borrowed a Profound Elixir Palace disciple's body and tested a stroke or two against