As he pondered, that familiar voice sounded leisurely in Qing Chen's sea of consciousness once more.
This time, the voice had a little more human vitality to it, no longer as mechanical and rigid as before.
"The 188,888th disciple to attempt the trials, name: Qing Chen, identity: inner sect disciple, cultivation: late-stage Foundation Establishment, has successfully cleared the sixth trial.
"By Moon-Worshipping Divine Cult Edict, you are hereby promoted to provisional true disciple, equal in rank to a Golden Core protector, with the potential to become a Nascent Soul True Lord.
"You now have two choices.
"First, continue the trials, but should you fail, you will lose everything;
"Second, accept a gift and stop here."
"A gift? Didn't that golden light just now count as a gift?"
Qing Chen muttered inwardly, Could something be wrong with this Nine-Story Tower? I received the gift before I even made my choice?
"Forget it. I'll continue!" Though somewhat puzzled, Qing Chen still chose to continue the trials without hesitation.
He had just watched over three hundred Middle-Grade Spirit Stones disappear before his very eyes again!
And he had seen clearly that, at most, only the spiritual power of twenty or thirty of those Middle-Grade Spirit Stones had gone to him!
Most of the remaining spiritual power had been sucked away by the Nine-Story Tower. It was infuriating!
Over the course of this trip, he had lost nearly a hundred and fifty thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones altogether-the equivalent of losing two Kan-Li Golden Cores.
Qing Chen was growing somewhat numb to it now. This tower was even better at plundering than he was; it practically flayed his skin and stripped his sinews.
The instant he gave his answer, the Blood Jiangshi True Mansion Token floated out again.
Just as when he had cleared the