The reason Ling Xiao doesn’t have much attachment to the Moonlight Sect, naturally, has other causes.
For instance, many of his martial arts and abilities were not willingly taught to him by the Moonlight Sect.
Some he stole, others were imparted to him by Yang Danlin and Yuan Zun.
To think, for someone like him, the Moonlight Sect has never openly taught him a single top-tier golden martial art, which is truly lamentable.
Though he feels some gratitude towards this sect, he harbours no deep affection for it. If all remains peaceful, he might still lend a hand to the Moonlight Sect.
But if the sect truly wrongs him, he’ll have no choice but to turn against it!
For now, such talk is premature, as there are still those within the Moonlight Sect who support him, and things haven’t escalated to that point.
“You’re right, it’s a pity no one truly dies in this Moonlight Pagoda. Ming Tian and Shen Tianlin are utterly despicable, ambushing you like that, junior brother, it’s utterly disgraceful. Otherwise, killing them wouldn’t be a big deal!”
Leng Hao nodded, then suddenly noticed the massive figure of the Giant Stone Monster flying towards them from afar.
“Let’s go, we need to escape this place first.”
Ling Xiao called out to Dai Yuling and Leng Hao, ignoring the reactions of Bai Feifei, Tantai Lingzi, and the others, and charged forward.
Of those remaining, there were eleven.
Ling Xiao, Dai Yuling, Leng Hao, Bai Feifei, Tantai Lingzi, Wu Yang, Qin Wu, Shangguan Lei, Wang Nan, Liu Lie, and Situ Jun.
Wang Nan, a third-level Mortal Realm martial artist, was on par with Dai Yuling, but his cowardly nature meant he never acted against Ling Xiao, thus preserving his life.
Liu Lie and Situ Jun, both fourth-level Mortal Realm cultivators, were comparable to Leng Hao in strength. They had always followed Tantai Lingzi closely, and with such a cunning leader, they’d stayed out of trouble.
The rest were familiar faces, needing no introduction.
Soon, the group reached the entrance to the second stage, where the Giant Stone Monster ceased its pursuit.
It was clear the Giant Stone Monster only targeted those in the first stage and wouldn’t venture into the second.
Standing at the entrance, gazing at the massive sealed inscription, Ling Xiao knew the results of the first stage were still being tallied, so the second stage hadn’t yet opened.
With no immediate danger, he took the chance to recover.
Leng Hao returned the gourd of pills to Ling Xiao; he and Dai Yuling had mostly recovered.
Along the way, Ling Xiao discreetly gave Shangguan Lei two pills. The others were unrelated to him, so he wouldn’t waste resources.
There were still forty pills in the gourd, so he’d need to use them sparingly.
At this point, the eleven had clearly split into two factions.
Ling Xiao, Dai Yuling, and Leng Hao stood together.
Bai Feifei, Tantai Lingzi, Qin Wu, Wu Yang, Liu Lie, Situ Jun, Wang Nan, and the undercover Shangguan Lei formed the other group.
Seeing the gourd in Ling Xiao’s hand, Bai Feifei felt a surge of resentment.
“Are you even a Moonlight Sect disciple? Since you’ve got those pills, why not share them with everyone? If more people complete the pagoda trial, our Moonlight Sect’s strength would grow!”
She seemed to have forgotten the leverage Ling Xiao held over her.
“Noisy! Would you be willing to share if it were you?”
Ling Xiao retorted, “Besides, this is a trial, not a charity game. Why should I care about those unrelated to me?”
“Alright, Senior Sister Bai, let’s focus on recovering. The second stage might start soon, no need to dwell on this.”
Tantai Lingzi advised with a smile.
That woman was clever indeed. Knowing Ling Xiao wouldn’t share the pills, she wouldn’t waste effort arguing with him.
“Hmph.”
Bai Feifei let out a cold snort and sat cross-legged to meditate.
About a quarter of an hour later, that icy voice rang out again.
“Congratulations to all for passing the first stage. Regardless of performance, everyone receives 100 Moonlight Points as a reference for the final tally.”
Moonlight Points were exclusive to the pagoda trial, with one point equivalent to 100 sect credits.
Even without claiming the final reward, 100 Moonlight Points could be exchanged for 10,000 sect credits, a decent prize.
Then, the sealed inscription shattered, and the passage to the second stage opened.
“The second stage is now open. Unlike the first, the second stage is fraught with danger. You’ll enter a monster lair. Though the monsters’ levels are lower, their numbers are far greater. Survive and exit to pass! From now on, anyone who doesn’t leave the first stage within three minutes will be disqualified!”
At those final words, everyone’s expressions shifted.
They’d hoped to rest longer, but that was clearly impossible. There was no turning back now.
What’s missed is missed, and regrets are useless.
“Yuling, Leng Hao, follow me!”
Ling Xiao activated his Mountain River Martial Soul, instantly memorizing the terrain and details of the monster lair, and he couldn’t help but marvel.
This monster lair wasn’t just a lair.
It was a full-fledged maze.
Within it were ten powerful monsters, five of which were untouchable calamity beasts, equivalent to Celestial Realm experts. Entering their domain meant near-certain death.
However, these five calamity beasts guarded incredibly valuable treasures, likely meant for Celestial Realm experts.
The other five were manageable, but only one guarded a treasure. Killing the other four would yield little.
The monster lair was dark and damp, with water flowing on the ground and occasional beastly roars that sent chills down the spine.
All participants in the pagoda trial were Mortal Realm martial artists; otherwise, the sheer mental pressure would’ve broken them.
“As fellow sect members, I’ll remind you all: this monster lair is far more dangerous than the first stage. There are monsters here we can’t afford to provoke, so don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Though they were competitors, those who hadn’t acted against him were still sect mates, and a casual warning cost him nothing.
Dai Yuling and Leng Hao stuck close to Ling Xiao, staying within a meter of him.
Shangguan Lei quietly followed as well.
Though he was still posing as a follower of Demon Flame Celestial, it didn’t stop him from sticking with Ling Xiao.
The others trailed behind.
In truth, their thinking aligned with Shangguan Lei’s: following Ling Xiao couldn’t hurt.
After a short while, Ling Xiao suddenly stopped.
Ahead lay ten branching paths.
“Senior Sister Bai, which path do we take?”
Ling Xiao turned back with a smile.
He had no fear of choices. For him, even the most complex maze held no secrets thanks to his Mountain River Martial Soul’s analytical power.
The moment he entered, the entire place was laid bare.
Everything was clearly mapped out on his Mountain River Chart.
Whatever he sought, he could find.
