"Will you choose a reward, or will you forfeit it again? You can choose between spiritual energy or a Mythic-grade treasure."
A voice tempted Yuan shortly after the masked man disappeared.
"Mythic-grade treasure…" Yuan swallowed nervously.
He would be lying if he said that he wasn't tempted. However, there was still one more floor in the Sword Pagoda. If he forfeits such a reward on this floor, he could only imagine what he'll acquire on the seventh floor.
"I will forfeit the rewards on this floor." He responded a moment later.
"Then I shall transport you to the seventh floor now."
Yuan's body was suddenly enveloped in a warm light before he disappeared from the sixth floor, appearing on the seventh floor.
Outside the Sword Pagoda, over 100,000 people have gathered to witness the spectacle of Yuan reaching the peak of the Sword Pagoda.
"Heavens! He's alive! And he passed the sixth floor!"
"That bastard really did it! He's reached the peak of the Sword Pagoda!"
The people there were all in awe.
The Sword Pagoda is one of the most popular and renowned trials in the Nameless Emperor's Tomb, so most of the people there knew the difficulty and its history.
"A legend is about to be born! Long live Xiao Yang!"
Some people there even began revering Yuan, treating him as though he was a god.
"..."
The group that came from the upper heavens were dead silent at this moment, but all of them were thinking about one thing with serious expressions— that they needed to recruit this person who seemingly has unlimited potential at all cost!
'Regardless if he passes the final floor or not, he's still going to become famous. Once the Seniors in the upper heavens learn of his presence, they will all go crazy trying to recruit him…' Long Chen could feel his heart throbbing with excitement, as it has been a while since a genius at Yuan's level has appeared.
Meanwhile, Yuan stood before the masked man on the seventh floor.
"Welcome to the peak of the Sword Pagoda."
"Are you my opponent for this floor?" Yuan asked as he tightly gripped his Empyrean Overlord.
The masked man shook his head, "No, you won't be fighting me."
"This will be your opponent."
The masked man took a step to the side, clearing the path and revealing the object behind him.
Yuan raised an eyebrow when he saw what the masked man was referring to.
There was a large boulder made of an unknown substance that resembled crystal, and there was a wooden sword stabbed into it.
"That's my opponent? What kind of joke is this?" Yuan asked him.
"This isn't a joke. The condition to pass this floor is to pull out that wooden sword. As for your restriction… Well, this test in itself is one. The rest of your restrictions will also be lifted. Good luck— not that it matters at all."
"Seriously…?"
Yuan felt that it was a little anticlimactic, but he didn't complain. He quickly approached the wooden sword and wrapped his fingers around the handle.
However, before he exerted any force, the masked man spoke, "Oh, before you attempt to pull the sword, I should warn you that you will only have one chance. If you fail, your body will explode, and you will die."
"What?!"
Yuan wanted to release the sword, but he subconsciously pulled his arms back without releasing his grip on the sword.
Sha!
The wooden sword was pulled out of the boulder without any resistance.
Yuan stared at it with wide eyes.
"Ahaha!"
The masked man suddenly began laughing out loud, causing Yuan to raise an eyebrow.
"I was just joking. You wouldn't have died, and the wooden sword has no meaning."
"Explain." Yuan frowned slightly.
"The moment you comprehended Enhanced Sword Aura from the sixth floor, you've already completed the Sword Pagoda. There is no challenge on the seventh floor."
"Then what's the point of making a seventh floor?"
The masked man snapped his fingers, causing a hole to appear in the middle of the room, and inside this hole was about three inches of black liquid.
"Lend me the Empyrean Overlord for a moment." The masked man then said.
Yuan summoned the sword and handed it over.
The masked man looked at the sword with a nostalgic feeling in his eyes. "It's been a while, buddy."
He then submerged the sword in the liquid.
"What are you doing?" Yuan couldn't help but ask.
"How do you feel about the Empyrean Overlord? Is it a good weapon?" Instead of answering his question, the masked man suddenly asked one.
"Well… Despite it being my second Soul Weapon, it's my most used weapon, and I have the most experience with it. When I wield it in my hands, it feels as though it becomes part of my body. It's powerful and easy to use. I don't have any complaints."
"Is that so? What if I tell you that the Empyrean Overlord is actually still in a dormant state? That it's not at its full potential?"
Yuan's eyes widened with surprise upon hearing such information.
"The Empyrean Overlord was crafted by a good friend of mine. He used the best materials in the Nine Heavens, and it took him over ten thousand years to complete it. It could even be considered the best sword in existence. However, its power would've been too potent for you to handle at the beginning, so I purposefully sealed its power until fate brought you here."
"Wait… You're making it sound like you knew I was going to acquire it from the beginning and that I would come here." Yuan frowned.
The masked man lifted his mask a little, revealing his smile, "Of course. That's just how our lives work. Fate isn't as random as it seems, especially when it's our fate."
"The Empyrean Overlord; the Nameless Emperor's Tomb; the Sword Pagoda… All of these things are connected. You didn't come here by chance. You were guided here."
"By whom?" Yuan swallowed nervously.
"You'll figure it out yourself eventually. Anyways, the upgrade is done." The masked man retrieved the Empyrean Overlord from the hole the following moment.