Lin Ru!

"Good, splendid!!"

Inside the great hall of the Mystic Universe Heavenly Palace, an old man with a youthful face and crane-white hair clapped wildly in excitement.

"To think I would meet someone so fascinating in my lifetime! Mo Tianji's disciple-excellent, excellent!"

The old man's excitement left everyone beside him bewildered.

"Master, what has gotten into you?"

A young man in white robes asked curiously.

"I have pursued the Dao through chess for years. The world calls me the Chess Sage, and almost no one can rival me at chess. Yet today, a little youngster actually taught me a lesson!"

"What?"

The white-robed young man, Bo Ren, was shocked and hurried two steps forward. "Master, tell me who he is. I'll go slaughter him right now!"

At those words, the old man with the youthful face and crane-white hair immediately grew furious. He raised his hand and slapped the white-robed young man across the face.

"You little bastard! I want to befriend him as a brother, and you want to kill him? You've got some nerve!"

"Well..."

The white-robed young man's expression shifted. His master had always been exceptionally proud. He would never show such an expression even before the palace master.

Yet a mere young disciple had stirred such powerful emotions in his master.

"I have a feeling that if I play a few more games with him, I might even achieve a breakthrough. When that happens, our Mystic Universe Heavenly Palace will grow even stronger!"

The youthful-faced, black-haired old man waved his arms and stamped his feet in excitement.

"Zhao Xiaolong, hurry and wait outside the Nine-Story Palace. When Mo Tianji's disciple Xu Xuan comes out, bring him here immediately! You must invite him politely. If he refuses, don't force him. Just follow him. If all else fails, I'll go invite him myself!"

Zhao Xiaolong: ???

What madness has gotten into my master?

Though Zhao Xiaolong thought this, he dared not show even a hint of it. No one knew his master's temper better than he did.

"You know what to say and how to address him when you see him, don't you?"

Zhao Xiaolong shook his head, looking bewildered. "This disciple doesn't know!"

Smack!

Another slap landed, leaving Zhao Xiaolong utterly dazed. He still shook his head.

"You little bastard! I'm going to become sworn brothers with him. When you see him, address him as martial uncle, and be respectful! If I find out you've treated him unfairly or disrespectfully, watch out, or I'll reward you with a few hefty slaps!"

Zhao Xiaolong's face darkened, but he could only nod solemnly. "This disciple will obey Master's command. I wouldn't dare disrespect Martial Uncle."

"That's more like it."

Only then did the old man with the youthful face and crane-white hair nod in satisfaction. "All right, there's no one left on the fourth floor under my supervision. It's time I went to have a chat with that fellow Tianji."

"I really wonder how he found such a fine disciple."

The old man gently grasped at the air, tearing space open, then darted straight inside and vanished completely.

Only Zhao Xiaolong remained in the great hall, thoroughly bewildered.

Forget it. Since Master ordered it, I still have to carry it out.

With that thought, Zhao Xiaolong flew toward the Nine-Story Palace.

Meanwhile, on the fifth floor.

Compared with the fourth floor, the fifth was utter chaos. Almost every short stretch of the way, several people could be found locked in fierce combat.

Disciples fighting one another, or battling the creatures and enemies inside the palace, were common sights.

"They're here. I thought they'd already been eliminated on one of the earlier floors."

A tall disciple spoke calmly, his arms folded across his chest.

They had stayed on the fifth floor for one reason alone: to eliminate Xu Xuan and his companions.

He wore purple robes, and merely standing there, he sent an overwhelmingly powerful aura sweeping outward.

He was one of the first core disciples to arrive here.

Lin Ru!

"Hmm?"

The moment Xu Xuan entered, he noticed Lin Ru watching him like a tiger eyeing its prey. Under Lin Ru's stare, Xu Xuan felt his scalp prickle.

"Heaven's favored prodigy, Lin Ru, S+ rank genius."

"Age: 23. Successfully entered the purple mansion realm first heaven. Fate Points: 2,785!"

"Over two thousand Fate Points?"

The corners of Xu Xuan's mouth twitched. He had worked himself to the bone just to scrape together a little over two thousand, yet this fellow actually had more than he did.

Of course, Xu Xuan's Fate Points were constantly increasing.

When he had given the ice flower entirely to Luo Xiaotian, the system had rewarded him with several hundred Fate Points.

With those added, he actually had slightly more than his opponent.

"Kid, do you dare fight me one-on-one?"

Without another unnecessary word, Lin Ru stepped forward and stood quietly watching Xu Xuan, his hands clasped.

"Of course, if you're scared, you can shout that you're trash. Perhaps I'll let you off. The fifth floor is a place of chaos to begin with, and most disciples end up failing here."

"By now, very few people remain on the fifth floor. It's something of a dividing line, too. Only a hundred people in total can pass it."

"Give your spot to someone else, and I'll guarantee that the girl beside you reaches the sixth floor. She'll even gain plenty of opportunities. What do you say?"

Lin Ru looked at Xu Xuan with a faint, mocking smile. He had only said that to disgust him.

"Is that so?"

"What I'm curious about is this: if everyone finds out that a core disciple got stuck on the fifth floor and couldn't even reach the sixth, wouldn't that be laughable?"

Rather than showing fear, Xu Xuan met him blow for blow.

Lin Ru froze briefly, apparently not expecting Xu Xuan to dare confront him.

"Kid, very good. No one has ever dared speak to me like that. You really don't know when to stop courting death!"

Lin Ru flew into a rage. Without hesitation, he stepped forward and hurled a vicious punch!

"System warning: if the host fails to dodge this punch, he will certainly be smashed into pulp!"

The system's voice kept Xu Xuan from taking any chances, and he hurriedly dodged.

He rolled across the ground, barely evading Lin Ru's punch.

"Trash! Is dodging all you can do?"

Xu Xuan's face darkened with anger.

Fuck! You're bullying me just because your cultivation is higher?

Xu Xuan wanted to curse up a storm, but every attack from Lin Ru was aimed to kill. He had no choice but to dodge!

"Why the hell should I take this?!"

Xu Xuan roared, and the third eye on his forehead appeared instantly.

"Since you're determined to fight head-on, let me show you my divine ability!"

"Heaven-Burning Divine Ability!!!"

The instant he finished speaking, endless heavenly fire erupted from the third eye on his forehead.

"Annihilate!!"

He swept his arm lightly downward, and endless sparks suddenly burst from the third eye on his forehead.

The flames came crashing down without hesitation!

Boom!!

The wildly raging heavenly fire swallowed Lin Ru completely!