Unlike at the beginning, pitifully few people had made it to this level.
The way was deserted. Xu Xuan had barely even seen any inner disciples.
He had not seen Luo Xiaotian either.
Yun Qingxue, meanwhile, had been eliminated during the sixth level's trial.
Throughout the journey, little had stirred in Xu Xuan's heart.
He walked absentmindedly, like a puppet.
Looking at the great hall before him, Xu Xuan kept his head lowered and trudged toward it with heavy steps.
As he entered, the pitch-black hall suddenly lit up.
Xu Xuan walked inside expressionlessly, but the sight of the empty hall jolted him awake.
"Where am I?"
Xu Xuan spoke instinctively, but the only answer was the echo reverberating through the hall.
Aside from the Crystal Ball up ahead, there was nothing else in the entire hall.
He slowly walked forward, then stepped into empty air. By the time he reacted, he had appeared in an enclosed space. Looking out from within, he could clearly see that he was still in the hall.
"Have I entered the space inside that Crystal Ball?"
Fortunately, Xu Xuan quickly grasped what had happened.
He looked around inside the Crystal Ball in wonder. He seemed to be floating in midair, with nothing to do.
With every step he took, the Crystal Ball trembled a little more.
To Xu Xuan's astonishment, even the system had fallen completely silent.
"What on earth is going on?"
Xu Xuan was somewhat dazed. Had the system abandoned him?
Then how was he supposed to get out of here?
While he pondered this, Xu Xuan finally noticed a light appearing inside the Crystal Ball.
Following that light, he slowly walked forward.
His steps were exceptionally steady. Had anyone else been there, they would have been astonished to discover that the power within Xu Xuan grew more substantial with every step.
Even he was unaware that, as he kept walking and drawing closer to the light, his cultivation was steadily rising.
From the Third Heaven of the Heavenly Mansion Realm, his cultivation had climbed to the Sixth Heaven of the Heavenly Mansion Realm as he approached the light, and there was even the possibility of another breakthrough.
"That light should be the only way out of this Crystal Ball!"
Xu Xuan reached out to touch the light. As his arm extended into it, the light enveloped his entire body!
Xu Xuan's consciousness gradually sank into darkness, and then...
The seventh heaven of the Heavenly Mansion Realm!
After breaking through once again, Xu Xuan finally opened his eyes and continued forward, following the light before him.
Bang!!!
An unknown amount of time passed before the Crystal Ball shattered with a thunderous crash, and Xu Xuan appeared outside.
The hall was still pitch-black. Apart from a few scattered fragments of the Crystal Ball, nothing had changed.
This time, however, Xu Xuan had seized a thread of hope for survival within it.
Looking ahead, Xu Xuan slowly reached out. With just a gentle push, the hall's wall collapsed.
Boom!!
The enormous hall completely caved in with that single, gentle push of his hand.
Xu Xuan's face remained calm as he looked at the collapsed hall.
"When did my cultivation break through?"
After carefully sensing his cultivation, Xu Xuan's face filled with shock.
Without even realizing it, he had leaped four stages from the third heaven of the Heavenly Mansion Realm straight to the seventh heaven.
He knew full well that the further one advanced in cultivation, the harder breakthroughs became.
"It looks like I've stumbled upon a heaven-sent opportunity!"
Recalling everything that had happened inside the Crystal Ball, Xu Xuan could not help marveling.
Looking at the ruins before him again, he began to understand something.
"Break down the old to build anew. I understand!"
Xu Xuan cried out excitedly. Then the collapsed hall began restoring itself, returning to its original, orderly appearance.
Looking at the hall before him, Xu Xuan drew a deep breath.
He stepped inside once again.
This time, it was clearly different from before.
Countless puppets stood silently in the hall as Xu Xuan walked inside.
He looked at the puppets within the hall and the Token up ahead.
A trace of curiosity appeared between Xu Xuan's brows. He could not quite make sense of it.
"What does this mean?"
Xu Xuan walked straight ahead and took out the Token engraved with a golden dragon.
Whoosh!
The moment the Token moved, all dozen or so puppets sprang into motion.
"We have slumbered until this day solely to welcome our master and have him lead us away!"
The dozen or so puppets spoke in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.
At the same moment, they dropped to one knee, their faces reverent!
Looking at the dozen or so puppets before him, Xu Xuan was still somewhat dazed.
"These puppets recognize this Token?"
He gently waved the Token upward, and the dozen or so puppets rose to their feet.
Xu Xuan said cheerfully, "Tell me how to get out of here, and I'll take you with me."
"Yes, Master."
A purple-armored puppet at the front nodded, then pointed toward a shadowed section of the wall.
"Master, we can leave by passing through here. Please take us into the Dragon Plaque. We are willing to follow you into battle across the world!"
"We are willing to die for our master! May the sun and moon bear witness to this oath before heaven and earth, and may ghosts and gods hear it!"
"How do I take you out of here?"
Xu Xuan was puzzled. Surely things like puppets could not be taken out of the Nine-Level Palace?
"Master, you need only draw us into the Dragon Plaque with your will. We can then leave with you at any time."
The purple-armored puppet explained.
Xu Xuan nodded and performed a simple ownership-binding ritual, dripping his blood essence onto it just as he would with a Spatial Ring.
Once that was done, Xu Xuan drew the leading purple-armored puppet and the dozen or so white-armored puppets inside.
Only after finishing all this did Xu Xuan pass through the hidden door and finally leave the hall.
"Hm?"
"Who are you?"
Just then, a purple-robed core disciple frowned and blocked Xu Xuan's path.
He looked at Xu Xuan. "I've never heard of anyone like you among the inner disciples. Tell me, how did you get here?"
Having barely regained his freedom before being blocked by a core disciple, Xu Xuan was beginning to lose his temper.
"What the hell are you?"
Xu Xuan raised his brows as he looked at the core disciple.
"Are you insulting me?"
The core disciple was visibly taken aback. He had never imagined that some unknown brat would dare insult him.
"Not only am I going to insult you, I'm going to slaughter you."
As Xu Xuan spoke, he rolled up his sleeves, ready to attack.
"Hold on."
Another core disciple walked out of the hall.
"Brat, I don't know how you sneaked in here, but this isn't a place a mere inner disciple like you has any right to enter."
"Know your place and crawl back where you belong!"
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