Chapter 167 Ch-167: Treasure Pagoda(4)
Hui Mei stood unsteadily, her body marked with cuts, blood seeping from various wounds. Her disheveled hair clung to her face, and she panted heavily, struggling to catch her breath. The once gleaming sword in her hand was now stained red, droplets of blood falling to the ground.
"Tang Ning rushed towards her, offering support to prevent her from collapsing. The onlookers were stunned, uncertain whether if they should still try their luck in the treasure pagoda or not
"Master, are you okay?" Tang Ning asked with concern visible in her eyes
The crowd hesitated, witnessing the severity of Hui Mei's injuries. A voice from the onlookers questioned, "What kind of enemy did she face in the treasure pagoda to leave someone in the Golden Core Realm so battered?"
Another person, fear evident in his voice, warned, "The treasure pagoda is too dangerous."
"I'm not sure if I should go," admitted someone else.
Ignoring the doubt, a bold female spoke up, "You guys are just chickens, and you dare call yourselves men. I'm still going for it. The rewards are too good to pass up."
In a weak voice, Hui Mei reassured, "I'm fine." Tang Ning handed her a pill, which she consumed without hesitation. Miraculously, her injuries healed, and her complexion regained its rosy hue. Remaining vigilant, Hui Mei feared an attack during her weakened state, but to her relief, no one took any action.
"Sigh, I couldn't make it past the fiftieth floor," Hui Mei muttered, acknowledging the formidable opponents she encountered.
"Master, that's a remarkable achievement! Climbing as high as you did is no small feat," Tang Ning remarked in a serious tone. Hui Mei smiled wearily, silently thinking, "Are you the master or am I?"
"By the way, Master, what kind of opponents did you face?" Hui Mei asked curiously. She was eager to understand what formidable adversaries could bring her progress to a halt. Others, including Wang Ming, showed interest and listened intently.
"Starting from the 31st floor, I had to face monsters of the Pure Core Realm one after another, with no breaks. Later, I even had to handle two at the same time. But on the 49th floor, three Pure Core Realm monsters ganged up on me. If they weren't mindless, I might have failed," Hui Mei explained in a solemn tone, causing everyone's eyes to widen in disbelief at the words coming out of her mouth
Hiss
The collective gasp from those who heard her words hung in the air, their eyes were fixed on Hui Mei as if she were some kind of monster. Tang Ning stared at her master in disbelief, and even Wang Ming's eyes flickered with interest as he eyed the woman
"Damn, is that for real? Facing enemies one after another with no breaks?" exclaimed a woman in the crowd.
"I don't think I could hold up for so long. Doesn't she get tired?" voiced a man in disbelief.
"Did I hear right? She had to face opponents a realm higher than her cultivation, and they were in the Pure Core Realm?" questioned a man, his voice filled with disbelief.
"I'm just a Core Formation Realm cultivator. Does that mean I'd have to face Golden Core Realm monsters there?" Another man swallowed hard, expressing disbelief.
"You're dreaming if you think you can reach even the 15th floor, let alone race to the 31st floor. I'm terrified of the idea of facing more than one opponent of a higher realm at the same time," someone in the crowd commented.
"She had to face three Pure Core Realm monsters simultaneously and still managed to defeat them, even though they're mindless. It's extremely difficult," said another person.
"I doubt other sect masters could do something like that, not to mention the disciples," added someone else.
"She's not called the strongest sect master of all the sects in the Black Bamboo Kingdom for nothing," concluded another person.
Murmurs buzzed through the crowd, but Hui Mei, as usual, paid no attention. Instead, she smiled at Tang Ning.
"Tang Ning, I found something that can help you comprehend the technique," Hui Mei said, her smile widening.
"Really?" Tang Ning's voice tinged with excitement as Hui Mei revealed a pill.
"What pill is this?" Tang Ning asked, carefully examining the pill in her palms.
"It's a True Core Ranked pill called 'Spirit Focus Pill,'" Hui Mei explained, causing a stir among the crowd who overheard the name and rank of the pill.
"Jealous! Why couldn't I get the pill?" a person in the crowd grumbled.
"This is the first time I'm seeing a True Core Ranked pill," remarked a man with greedy eyes.
"I haven't even seen a Golden Core Ranked pill in my life," another person added.
"Does anyone know what this pill does?" inquired a woman in the crowd.
"I've read about it in an alchemy book. If a person is having difficulty comprehending a technique and is below the True Core Realm, it has a ninety percent chance of helping in technique comprehension," explained an elderly man with excited eyes.
"Sigh, even the Treasure Pagoda is dangerous, but the rewards are extraordinary," sighed another person in the crowd.
"What are you waiting for? Consume it," Hui Mei urged with impatience.
"Yes, Master," Tang Ning replied with excitement, opening her mouth and tossing the pill in. The others could only lament their luck as they missed the opportunity.
Tang Ning's eyes widened as she felt her body and mind fill with a mysterious sensation. She immediately sat down, crossing her legs on the ground. A prickly feeling permeated the air, and Hui Mei's complexion brightened at the sight.
"Sword Intent!" Hui Mei exclaimed after some time, sensing sword intent radiating from Tang Ning's body. The others in the crowd also felt it.
"What? This pill can also help unlock sword intent?" said a sword cultivator with extreme pain in his heart. He had tried to comprehend sword intent for countless years, and seeing someone achieve it with just a pill aggrieved him, but he could only watch in envy from the sidelines.
"As expected of a True Core Realm pill," remarked another cultivator in the crowd.
"Her future should be even brighter than Sect Master Hui Mei's. She has unlocked sword intent at an even younger age than the Sect Master of the Heavenly Sword Sect. The disciple will surpass the master," said an elderly man with confidence.
"Master, I've finally comprehended the technique. I want to try it," Tang Ning said, her face flushed with excitement. The technique was exclusive to the sect master and the chosen successor, requiring Sword Intent to master. Now that she had unlocked Sword Intent, she was eager to put her newfound skill to the test.
"Fine, go over there and try," Hui Mei said, and Tang Ning positioned herself in front of a large hill, ready to showcase her abilities.
"Sky Shattering Strike!" Tang Ning shouted, and a brilliant white beam shot from the tip of her sword.
BOOM!
The hill shattered instantly, leaving only rubble in its place. The crowd watched in awe and envy as Tang Ning demonstrated her skill, earning admiration from onlookers.
"System, what rank is that technique?" Wang Ming asked curiously in his head.
[System Message: It is a Pseudo-Heaven Rank Technique.]
"Oh," Wang Ming muttered. Naturally, he had heard about pseudo-rank techniques—they sit in the middle of two ranks. For example, Pseudo-Heaven Rank is kind of between Sky Rank and Heaven Rank techniques. They are stronger than Sky Rank but weaker than Heaven Rank techniques.
"Princess, are you going next?" Hui Mei turned towards Wu Jing and asked. Wu Jing, in turn, glanced at Wang Ming and snorted, causing Hui Mei to raise an eyebrow.
"Yes," Wu Jing replied as she entered the tower.
After 52 hours,
"Oh, look, the princess has reached the 23rd floor," commented a cultivator from the crowd.
"Hmm, but it seems this is her limit. She has slowed down quite a bit and has been stuck on this floor for a very long time," remarked another person.
"A shame. She could've reached the same floor as Fairy Tang Ning," sighed a man.
"Well, at least I got this sword," Wu Jing expressed contentment with the rewards she received from the tower and didn't feel bitter about failing to reach higher floors.
"Feng Mei, you're next," Wu Jing said.
"Wang Ming, do you want to go next? I'm not suitable for fighting, so I think you should go instead," Feng Mei suggested with a smile.
"Are you sure? You know this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Wang Ming said with a raised eyebrow.
"Fufu, yes, I cherish my life," Feng Mei chuckled. Wu Jing had something to say, but she saw Wang Ming had already entered the tower, while the crowd sneered at him.
"Oh, it was that handsome brat who entered now," said a jealous man.
"The Fairy that rejected to go inside was still a cultivator from the Yang-Yin sect, but that guy is just a rogue cultivator. What qualification does he have to go before us?" sneered another man. Since Wang Ming was wearing ordinary robes, his identity as a disciple of the Yang-Yin sect was not exposed.
12 minutes later,
The entire place fell deathly silent, and the sound of rough breathing could be heard when someone shouted at the top of his voice.
"How is this possible?" a man exclaimed from within the crowd, as the 50th floor was covered in an orange glow.
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