“Hmph, what do you mean by that, Guanghan Heavenly Venerable? Are you suggesting my dear disciple is lying?”
The Supreme Sect Leader snorted coldly.
“It’s not suspicion, it’s certainty!”
Guanghan Heavenly Venerable sneered, “Her words are just one side of the story, and there are many inconsistencies. What Ling Xiao did or didn’t do, we’ll investigate thoroughly once he comes out. We absolutely won’t allow anyone to slander him!”
Chang Yueli was so furious she wanted to kill Guanghan Heavenly Venerable on the spot.
But she suppressed her anger. With the Moon Lady present, any attempt to act would surely fail.
“My dear daughter, you’ve been in the third stage for so long. Share with the elders what rewards you’ve gained, so everyone can rejoice.”
Demon Flame Heavenly Venerable, fearing his foolish adopted daughter Bai Feifei might slip up, quickly changed the subject.
He knew Bai Feifei too well, being her adoptive father.
Sect Leader Chang Yueying also intended to play peacemaker. Since the tower-climbing ceremony wasn’t over, debating responsibility now was pointless. It was better to wait until Ling Xiao emerged.
“Yes, Bai Feifei, tell us about your gains!”
She also asked.
“Through two stages, I earned 200 Moonlight Points, plus an extra 50 points for time, making 250. Additionally, I obtained a high-grade Gold Martial Art, several rare treasures, and heavenly materials…”
Bai Feifei listed her gains one by one.
Her rewards were decent. Though her cultivation hadn’t advanced much, she gained some items. With dedicated training, her cultivation should recover.
“Well done. 250 Moonlight Points are enough to exchange for a top-grade Gold Martial Art from the Moonlight Pagoda. You’ve done well!”
Chang Yueying nodded.
The Moonlight Pagoda was a treasure left by the Moonlight Heavenly Lady to the Moonlight Sect, but its contents weren’t easily obtained.
There were only two ways to gain them.
One was through the tower-climbing ceremony.
The other was exchanging Moonlight Points.
Any trial disciple passing the first two stages and earning 200 Moonlight Points could exchange for a top-grade Gold Martial Art.
Of course, they could choose other items to exchange for, which was fine.
Adding a top-grade Gold Martial Art to the sect would undoubtedly boost its overall strength. In this sense, the ceremony was already a success.
Bai Feifei’s results, while not matching those of Sect Leader Chang Yueying or Demon Flame Heavenly Venerable, still ranked among the top ten historically.
If she achieved this, wouldn’t the other disciples who hadn’t been eliminated have even greater gains?
After all, by normal rules, the longer one stayed in the Moonlight Pagoda, the more rewards they’d earn.
“It’s the fifth day. Back then, Demon Flame Heavenly Venerable and the Sect Leader stayed in the Moonlight Pagoda for seven days but failed to enter the fourth stage. That’s been the best record in a thousand years. Both earned nearly 1,000 Moonlight Points.”
Yang Danlin stroked his beard and smiled, “I wonder who could completely break such a record?”
His words resonated with many. Regardless of whether Ling Xiao had done wrong, eight others remained inside besides him: Dantai Lingzi, Liu Lie, Dai Yuling, Leng Hao, Shangguan Lei, Wu Yang, Qin Wu, and Wang Nan.
Surely one of them would break the record?
Buzz!
As everyone waited eagerly, another figure was thrown out.
“Wang Nan!”
Emerging, Wang Nan looked around in confusion, unaware of what had happened.
In fact, since the second stage, his soul had been sealed by Demon Flame Heavenly Venerable, so he knew nothing of what followed.
“Seize him and interrogate him thoroughly!”
Elder Jin ordered.
…
Inside the Moonlight Pagoda, at the entrance to the fourth stage.
The card Ling Xiao used to seal the Five-Faced Beast had turned blank.
He had used all three chances.
The gatekeeper was too strong.
A Five-Faced Beast with 90% Half-Step Heavenly Venerable strength couldn’t last sixty breaths against this gatekeeper.
“Brother Ling, the disc is lit. Shall we go to the fourth stage?”
“Let’s go!”
Ling Xiao didn’t dare delay. Seeing the last Five-Faced Beast about to fall to the gatekeeper’s blade, he led the other three onto the disc.
The disc emitted a blinding light, then shot into the sky, entering the circular passage.
“That was close, Brother Ling. If not for you, the three of us would never have made it to the fourth stage.”
Leng Hao was thrilled.
He had been prepared to die, but Ling Xiao had summoned such a terrifying monster to hold off the gatekeeper.
The disc stopped, and the four jumped to the ground.
The fourth stage’s terrain wasn’t much different from the third, but it was filled with a vast, boundless aura. More worryingly, the entire stage was shrouded in grey mist, limiting ordinary martial artists’ visibility to three or four metres.
Ling Xiao tried using his Mountain River Martial Soul to analyze the stage’s terrain, but to his surprise, the map only showed the surrounding ten metres or so. Beyond that, it was pitch black, revealing nothing.
Truly eerie.
“Honestly, I don’t know what will happen in the fourth stage. Let’s each rely on our own luck.”
Ling Xiao said to the other three.
“No problem.”
The three knew that reaching the fourth stage was mostly thanks to Ling Xiao, who accounted for over 90% of the effort. They couldn’t hold him back any further.
“Be careful, but don’t worry too much. From now on, every step is a record. Even if you’re eliminated immediately, it’s no loss.”
Ling Xiao smiled.
“Right, we’ll take our leave then.”
Shangguan Lei headed east.
“Brother Ling, I’m off too.”
Leng Hao went west.
“Take care. See you outside the Moonlight Pagoda!”
Dai Yuling went south.
Ling Xiao took a deep breath, preparing to head north, when he suddenly sensed a powerful aura from the fourth stage’s entrance.
Instinctively, he used Cloud Dragon Divine Movement to dodge.
“Damn, it followed us!”
Ling Xiao saw the gatekeeper wielding the crescent blade.
He hadn’t expected it to chase them from the third stage. What bad luck.
Without thinking, Ling Xiao spread his Golden Light Dragon Wings and flew north.
In terms of speed, he had an absolute advantage and wasn’t afraid of the gatekeeper catching him.
The gatekeeper sped up, chasing in the direction he fled.
Meanwhile, subtle changes were occurring in the third stage.
