The person who'd just come out of the Sword Pagoda was extremely confused when he saw the situation outside.
Normally, people would be fighting to enter the Sword Pagoda whenever a new slot is opened, but things were different this time. Everyone stood still, almost as though they'd all become statues.
This person stood there awkwardly until another person came out of the Sword Pagoda and a second slot was opened.
"Are you ready?" Long Chen asked as he stared at Yuan.
"Whenever you are." He nodded.
They both turned to face the Sword Pagoda and approached the entrance while walking side by side.
"Good luck, Xiao Yang." Long Chen mumbled in a confident voice right before disappearing into the Sword Pagoda.
"You too." Yuan smiled.
Everyone there released a sigh of relief once the two of them were gone.
"Just who the heck were those two?" The bald man couldn't help but ask.
"I don't know about that man with the black dragon robe, but that silver-haired man is definitely a Young Master with a powerful background in the upper heavens. The question is which one… The Fourth Heaven? The fifth? Sixth?"
"I don't think we'll ever know the truth…" Someone else said.
"So you think that Xiao Yang won't win the bet?"
"Of course he won't! No matter how talented he is, he won't beat Long Chen. Hadn't you felt his aura not long ago? He may be a Spirit King within the Nameless Emperor's Tomb, but his real cultivation is definitely far superior."
"But one's cultivation doesn't matter in these trials, only their innate talent."
"We'll know the answer soon. Let's just wait and see what happens."
"He actually picked a fight with someone from the upper heavens? His arrogance knows no bounds…" Tian Suyin couldn't help but shake her head after witnessing everything from afar.
"He'll be fine… probably… By the way, do you know what is this Four Dragon and Phoenixes that was mentioned?" Tian Yanyu asked.
"No, I don't. But if I had to take a guess, it's probably some title given to geniuses in the upper heavens."
"Most likely… Good luck, Xiao Yang…"
When Yuan entered the Sword Pagoda, he found himself on an empty platform in the middle of nowhere.
There were no walls or ceiling in the background— nothing but the void and the massive platform, almost as though he was in the starry sky without the stars.
A figure wearing a pig mask suddenly appeared 10 meters away from Yuan.
"...A mask with a pig's face?"
This was the first thing Yuan noticed due to its oddity.
"I sense more than one soul within you. Unfortunately, they are not allowed to assist you even though they are your servants." The masked figure spoke, and before they realized, Xiao Hua and the others were forced out of Yuan's body and were transported to another platform where they could only spectate.
"Brother Yuan!"
"Young Master!"
"Don't worry about me. I was going to do this by myself, anyway." Yuan smiled at them.
He turned to look at the masked man and asked, "What now?"
"Before we begin, allow me to tell you the rules of the Sword Pagoda."
"First and foremost, if you die here, you will die for real. However, you are allowed to quit at any time during the trial."
"There are seven total floors in the Sword Pagoda. In order to climb the Sword Pagoda, you must defeat the Guardian on each floor, and you will be given a restriction on each floor including this floor. These restrictions will carry over to the next floor, so you will have a total of 7 restrictions placed on your body by the time you reach the seventh floor."
"Statistically speaking, only one in ten thousand will pass the first floor. One in a hundred thousand will pass the second floor, and one in a million will clear the third. However, after the third floor, you are more likely to encounter a miracle treasure during a stroll than to pass them."
"Now onto your weapons… You are not allowed to use any weapons from the outside. We will provide you with one, and they are all on par with Divine-grade treasures in terms of quality."
"Lastly, you will be given a choice for your reward if you manage to clear the floor after every floor. You have a minute to mentally prepare yourself before I start the trial."
The masked man fell silent after that sentence.
Yuan closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
A minute later—
"The trial for the first floor of the Sword Pagoda will now begin. A restriction has been placed on your body. I will make my first move in ten seconds. Choose a weapon before then."
Ding!
<Your body has been restricted by a mysterious force!>
Yuan suddenly felt as though he had mountains strapped to his back, nearly forcing him to his knees.
'This place might be even more dangerous than the Nine Swords Trial…' Yuan swallowed nervously as beads of sweat continuously appeared on his face.
"A sword!" He shouted a moment later.
An ordinary sword appeared before Yuan the next second, yet it exuded the aura of a Divine-grade treasure.
The masked man also wielded an identical sword in his hands.
"Eight… Nine… Ten!"
The masked man suddenly sprung into action and began clashing with Yuan.
After a few exchanges with the masked man, Yuan realized something.
'The difficulty isn't my opponent. It's just the restriction on my body that's a problem!'
If it weren't for the restriction on his body, Yuan would have defeated the masked man in a single strike, but because the additional weight that was adjusted for him, even swinging his sword had become a difficult task that required all of his effort.
'If the first restriction is already this cruel, I cannot imagine what the other floors have in store for me!' Yuan cried inwardly as he fought the masked man with sweat pouring from his pores.