Chapter 165 Ch-165: Treasure Pagoda(2)
Surprise rippled through the crowd as two stunning women approached the entrance of the treasure pagoda, sparking a wave of excitement.
"Hey, isn't that Hui Mei, the sect master of the Heavenly Sword Sect?" remarked someone in the crowd.
"Yes, I never expected her to be here," replied another spectator.
"Look, the other woman seems to be the personal disciple of Sect Master Tang Ning!" exclaimed another.
"How do you know she's the personal disciple?" questioned a curious onlooker.
"I saw her a few years ago with the sect master, and didn't you notice the commotion they caused before entering the secret realm?" explained a man in a displeased tone.
"Oh, you're right. It slipped my mind," admitted the forgetful person.
"Damn, this is bad luck. The competition for treasures just got more challenging," grumbled a man.
Naturally, both Tang Ning and Hui Mei ignored all of the gazes on them and their outbursts and walked steadily towards the entrance of the treasure pagoda.
"You won't mind if you go first, right?" Tang Ning asked in a cold voice that sent shivers down their spines.
"Of course not," replied a man hurriedly.
"Please take your time," said another man.
"We won't mind if you take the whole time of the secret realm," said another man in a panicked tone.
They would be dumb to offend or displease someone more powerful than them, not to mention one of the sect masters of a powerful sect, and the other is the personal disciple. They would have to have a crack in their head to block their path. Tang Ning was satisfied with them and proceeded to ignore them.
Hui Mei, who saw this, rolled her eyes and let out a sigh, seeing her disciple's arrogant behavior. But she did not stop her from behaving this way, as this was quite common in this world.
"Tang Ning, you must not overestimate yourself while climbing the tower. If you try to climb a floor that you are not confident in, don't try to do it, because you will die, and I won't be able to aid you," Hui Mei said with sharp eyes and a cold voice, warning her disciple, knowing how reckless she is sometimes.
"Yes, I understand, Master," Tang Ning nodded her head and replied in a serious voice. She was reckless sometimes, but she was not stupid enough to disobey her master's instructions.
"Hmm?" Tang Ning frowned upon seeing a group of five men who hadn't cleared the entrance but were looking at them with disdain and arrogance. Hui Mei, noticing this, sighed, and her lip curled up in amusement. She had encountered their type a few times before. She glanced back at her disciple, noting the cold look and anticipating what would happen.
"Why are you still here? Move," Tang Ning said in a cold voice, but they remained unmoved.
"Who the hell do you think you are? We came first, so we should climb the tower first," one of the men said with righteous indignation. Before they could say more, Hui Mei intervened.
"Tang Ning, if they want, they can try first. It won't be long before they end up dead, given their low cultivation and attitude," Hui Mei said to Tang Ning, and they both walked towards the side, ignoring the men who didn't appreciate being overlooked.
"Hmph, just a bunch of bitc—" Before he could finish his words, he felt an arm fall to the ground. He looked at his own arm and saw that it was cut up.
"AHHHH!" the man screamed in pain, clutching his severed shoulder and falling to his knees. The other four were about to react, but a cold voice stopped them in their tracks.
"Say anything else, and it will be your head," Hui Mei said in a cold voice as blood dripped from her sword. She got angry when some nobody dared to insult her and her disciple. The onlookers swallowed nervously as they witnessed the scene unfold.
"I didn't even see her movements. When the hell did she cut his hand?" exclaimed a person in the crowd.
"As expected of someone of the Golden Core Realm," said another spectator.
"I doubt even most Golden Core Realm cultivators could do it. She must have used some powerful sword technique along with her sword intent," remarked another cultivator.
"Sigh, I've lived hundreds of years but couldn't comprehend sword intent. Yet, she did it when she's so young. As expected of someone who is the sect leader of the Heavenly Sword Sect, the paradise of all sword cultivators," sighed an old man.
"I'm being lenient. Next time you utter a word, I will kill you. Now, scram," Hui Mei said in a cold voice as she released a bit of her aura. The other four quickly picked up the man and escaped from his sight. Inwardly, they cursed the one who had his hand severed; it was his idea. He had convinced them that if the five of them ganged up, they might have a chance against her. Now, because of him, they couldn't even climb the treasure pagoda anymore, as they had offended the sect master. The crowd gave a mocking look at them, who gave them to courage to offend the Sect Master
"Alright, are you going to challenge the tower first, or should I go first?" Hui Mei asked Tang Ning, who was silently watching the confrontation with a determined look.
"I will go first, teacher," Tang Ning said.
"Fine, but be careful," Hui Mei instructed Tang Ning, who wore a solemn expression before approaching the gate. As she neared, the gate slowly opened, and she took a deep breath before heading inside.
"I wonder how far she can climb. What do you think?" a cultivator wondered, turning to the person beside him.
"I think she will at least reach the 19th floor," said the man, pondering.
"You think so little of her. She is the personal disciple of the sect master and has high cultivation," argued the man who asked the question.
"Heh, do you think climbing the tower is that easy?" replied the man, which silenced the other.
Two Hours Later
"Look, she reached the tenth floor already!" exclaimed a person from the crowd.
"Now the real challenge begins. She has regained her original cultivation. From now on, she will face enemies of the same cultivation or one realm higher, and the number she faces at once will increase at each floor," said a man in a serious voice tinged with anticipation.
Another three hours later...
"Look, she has reached the 21st floor, and her ascension speed has decreased a lot," pointed out a person at the glowing orange 21st floor.
"Sigh, looks like she has to retire soon," said another person with a sigh in her voice.
"Yes, she might be pitted against three or more enemies of higher cultivation," added another person.
"She is the second most talented person here, other than the sect master. If she's having trouble, how can ordinary cultivators like us think of reaching the top?" said the man.
"You aim to reach the top. There has never been anyone who has accomplished this feat in history. You sure know how to dream big," remarked another person.
Another four hours later...
"Looks like that's it," said a person in the crowd, pointing at the 25th floor.
"Yes, I don't think she will be able to climb any further, as her climbing speed has fallen drastically," remarked the man.
"Well, I thought she would reach the 19th floor, but she actually climbed to the 25th floor. Looks like I underestimated her. I wonder how far the sect master can reach," mused the man as he looked at Hui Mei, who had a calm expression on her face.
"Looks like, she reached her limit," said Hui Mei lightly. In the next moment, the orange light dimmed from the 25th floor, and the fatigued Tang Ning appeared in front of the entrance. Her body was covered in sweat, there were tears on her clothes, and bruises adorned her body, causing Hui Mei to frown.
"I told you not to overexert yourself," Hui Mei said in a displeased voice.
"Sorry, Master, I could not reach farther floors," said Tang Ning in a downcast voice as she clenched her fist tightly.
"Sigh, it's fine. What about your gains? What did you get?" Hui Mei asked with an expectant gaze, and the others also perked their ears to listen, which they ignored.
"I did not find anything that could help with comprehending the technique, but I got enough spiritual energy and have reached the peak of the Core Formation Realm."
Hiss.
When the crowd heard her, they sucked in a breath of cold air. They had sensed her to be at the 1st stage of the Core Formation Realm, but now, within a few hours, she had already reached the 12th stage. If someone cultivated normally, it would take years to reach this realm from the 1st stage, and now she easily achieved it. The crowd looked at the tower with more heated eyes filled with greed.
"Alright, I will go next. Maybe I will find something that can help you," said Hui Mei. When she was about to step forward, her eyes widened in surprise when she saw a familiar person.
"Huh, Princess Wu Jing?" said Hui Mei.
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