Chapter 14: The Challenge
Trials Tower, First Floor.
Jian Wushuang looked at the three towering figures before him. These three towering figures were the humanoid puppets unique to the Trials Tower, and also the opponents he needed to face.
"The Trials Tower tests cultivation and martial techniques. Generally speaking, as long as one's spiritual power reaches the Sixth Layer, one can easily pass through all seven floors, and some with exceptional martial techniques at the peak of the Fifth Layer might also pass the seventh. But I'm more curious—with my swordsmanship, how many floors can I pass without using my spiritual power at all?" Jian Wushuang thought to himself.
"Let's begin!"
As his voice fell, the longsword in Jian Wushuang's hand moved. Hua~~~ In an instant, like rolling waves, layers of sword intent burst forth.
"Sword Like the Tide!" Jian Wushuang's eyes burned with fervor.
Sword Like the Tide was an extremely terrifying technique within the first-rate Thousand Waters Sword Art.
In his hands, this technique was displayed to its fullest.
With a simple horizontal sweep, sword shadows filled the air. The three humanoid puppets immediately moved to resist, but as mere first-floor puppets, the gap between them and Jian Wushuang was simply too great. Even though Jian Wushuang had not employed any spiritual power, relying solely on the sharpness of his swordsmanship, he still easily defeated the three humanoid puppets.
First floor, passed!
Outside the Trials Tower, the crystal representing the first floor lit up. None of the surrounding disciples found this surprising.
"Hmph, it's only the first floor. With his cultivation at the Third Layer of the Spiritual Path, passing the third floor should be no problem, and passing the fourth is possible too. But wanting to pass the fifth floor? Nothing but a fool's dream." Jian Lin's face was still full of disdain.
Not long after the first crystal lit up, the second crystal soon lit up as well, followed quickly by the third. All three crystals lit up in rapid succession, which meant Jian Wushuang had barely lingered on the first three floors, defeating those humanoid puppets with ease. But on the fourth floor, the fourth crystal took a very long time before it finally lit up.
"He stayed on just the fourth floor for that long—clearly he struggled greatly against the fourth floor's humanoid puppets. As for the fifth floor, the puppets there are far stronger than those on the fourth. He has no hope at all!"
"The fourth floor is already his limit."
"Haha, I knew it. How could trash like him possibly pass the first five floors of the Trials Tower?"
Many of the surrounding disciples jeered and mocked. They all believed the fourth floor was Jian Wushuang's limit; otherwise, he couldn't possibly have lingered on the fourth floor for so long.
Jian Lin, in particular, sneered repeatedly, already waiting for Jian Wushuang to walk out of the Trials Tower so he could enjoy watching him make a fool of himself.
Meanwhile, on the fifth floor of the Trials Tower, Jian Wushuang's expression was cold and stern.
"Each time you go up a floor, these humanoid puppets grow significantly stronger. I easily passed the first three floors with swordsmanship alone, but on the fourth floor I struggled for quite a while before barely defeating them. As for this fifth floor, defeating them with swordsmanship alone is impossible. In that case, I'll use my spiritual power." The corner of Jian Wushuang's mouth curled up, and in the next instant, his spiritual power burst forth.
If the disciples outside the Trials Tower had known that Jian Wushuang had passed the first four floors using swordsmanship alone, they would have been utterly shocked. After all, the fourth floor of the Trials Tower normally required a warrior at the Fourth Layer of the Spiritual Path to pass. He had used only his swordsmanship, without employing a single trace of spiritual power—which meant that Jian Wushuang, even relying on swordsmanship alone, was qualified to battle a Fourth Layer warrior!
This was simply unbelievable.
Divine Path, Sixth Heaven. With spiritual power approaching the peak of the Sixth Heaven erupting forth, Jian Wushuang found facing these humanoid puppets far, far easier.
The disciples outside the Trials Tower, including Jian Lin, were all waiting to watch Jian Wushuang embarrass himself. But at that very moment...
Weng~~~
Before the gates of the Trials Tower, the fifth crystal lit up.
This scene left the disciples instantly stunned.
The fifth crystal had lit up, which meant Jian Wushuang had passed the fifth floor.
"How is that possible?"
"Impossible. He clearly lingered on the fourth floor for so long just now—that means even passing the fourth floor was a struggle for him. How could he pass the fifth floor?"
"If he passed the fifth floor, doesn't that mean this trash's spiritual power cultivation has already reached the Fifth Layer of the Spiritual Path?"
Everyone wore expressions of utter disbelief, and Jian Lin's jaw hung open, unable to say anything.
But their shock had only just begun. Weng~~~ The sound rang out again as the sixth crystal lit up as well.
"The sixth floor!" The disciples' breaths caught.
Then, less than a quarter-hour after the sixth crystal lit up, the final crystal instantly lit up too.
Seven crystals, all lit. This meant that of the seven floors of the Trials Tower, Jian Wushuang had passed them all!
Silence!
Outside the entire Trials Tower, it was utterly still. Everyone present stared in disbelief at the seven crystals lighting up simultaneously, the shock in their hearts reaching unprecedented heights.
"The seventh floor—he actually passed the seventh floor?" Jian Lin's mind went blank.
He had sworn, before Jian Wushuang entered the Trials Tower, that at most Jian Wushuang had the cultivation of the Fourth Layer of the Spiritual Path, that barely passing the fourth floor would already be impressive, and that he absolutely could not pass the fifth floor.
But what was reality?
The fifth floor?
Jian Wushuang had not only passed the fifth floor, he had gone on to pass the sixth and seventh floors in succession, clearing the entire Trials Tower. This result had already caught up to his own.
"Impossible!"
"Absolutely impossible!"
Jian Lin shook his head frantically, unable to believe any of this was real.
And just as everyone was plunged into shock, Jian Wushuang's figure appeared before the gates of the Trials Tower.
Shua!
Instantly, everyone's gaze turned toward him in unison, making him the focus of the scene. Even that Elder of the Blood Martial Hall who had been keeping records with his brush the whole time now stared at Jian Wushuang with a trace of alarm.
"I should be qualified to participate in the Marquis Sword Token contest a month from now, right?" Jian Wushuang glanced at the elder.
The elder was taken aback, then came to his senses and nodded. "Jian Wushuang, having passed the seventh floor, you have earned a place in the Marquis Sword Token contest."
Only then did Jian Wushuang nod in satisfaction, while all around him, the crowd erupted.
"The seventh floor—how is that possible?"
"How could this Jian Wushuang have the ability to pass the seventh floor?"
"Passing the seventh floor normally requires the cultivation of the Sixth Layer of the Spiritual Path, and this Jian Wushuang—wasn't he still unable to condense even a wisp of spiritual power a month ago?"
"No, no. His spiritual power cultivation absolutely cannot be this strong. It must be his swordsmanship—yes, it must be because of his swordsmanship. Going from not a trace of spiritual power to the Sixth Layer of the Spiritual Path in one month? I wouldn't believe it even if you beat me to death!"
The many disciples were all discussing heatedly.
"Jian Wushuang!"
A voice tinged with cold malice came from up ahead, and a figure blocked Jian Wushuang's path. It was Jian Lin—but at this moment, Jian Lin's face was somewhat twisted. …
PS: The new book has begun. For now, I'll maintain three chapters a day—one at noon and two simultaneously at eight in the evening. Once the new book period ends, I'll immediately explode with updates, increasing the update speed to about four or five chapters a day. Also, I have already properly completed three works including "Rebirth: I Am a Divine Beast." I guarantee on my integrity that there will be no missed updates, no delayed updates, no abandonment, and no rushed endings. Furthermore, this book's final word count will surely exceed four million characters. Please read and follow with confidence!