In less than a quarter of an hour, Xia Liheng emerged from the barrier carrying the token from the twelfth floor of the Martial God Pagoda.
His breathing was steady, and he bore no injuries whatsoever. He looked utterly at ease.
Hong Guang accepted the token, nodded in satisfaction, and announced, "Xia Liheng has earned a spectator seat. Who's next?"
Just as Chu Hao heard this and was about to speak, Zi He had already stepped forward.
"Greetings, Senior Hong. Zi He, a Slayer Guard of the Evil Extermination Division, wishes to give it a try."
Hong Guang looked at Zi He, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
As for Zi He, the Evil Extermination Division claimed to the outside world that he was a genius secretly nurtured within their ranks. Yet no one knew his true origins.
For this boy to rank third on that roster, he must have learned some secret art of the Evil Extermination Division. I wonder what path it is.
With that thought, Hong Guang raised a hand. "Good. Go in."
After Zi He entered the barrier, the commotion from his charge up the pagoda was far less dramatic than Xia Liheng's.
The watching cultivators could only sense a brief flicker of spiritual energy each time he passed a floor.
He cleared the floors slightly slower than Xia Liheng. A little over a quarter of an hour later, he returned with the twelfth-floor token.
For someone entering the Martial God Pagoda for the first time to achieve such results was already exceptionally outstanding in the eyes of Hong Guang, the Academy Teaching Director.
"Now it's your turn to perform, Brother Chu."
Zi He stepped aside and spoke to Chu Hao.
"Heh heh, Brother Zi He, you flatter me too much."
Chu Hao smiled faintly and stepped