C50 Passing

"No."

Xu Annlan shook his head, a moment of hesitation flickering across his face before he declared:

"Still, I will be the victor of this battle!"

His words carried an unwavering resolve.

The Head Elder remained composed upon hearing this.

"I've heard you're attempting to break through your cultivation technique to reach the middle stage of the Spirit Opening Stage?"

"Yes."

Xu Annlan confirmed with a nod.

"With a breakthrough, victory in this battle is certain!"

The Head Elder responded:

"If that's your plan, I can assure you, you're destined to lose."

"I...!"

Xu Annlan bristled, not ready to accept that.

The Head Elder spoke with measured calm:

"You're being too rash. At this rate, you won't achieve a breakthrough even in three months. Worse, you might end up with the opposite result, severely weakening your strength.

That's precisely why I believe you're bound to lose."

Xu Annlan bowed his head, falling into silence.

The Head Elder pressed on:

"Your perspective is too limited.

Luo Feixue may be the top prodigy of the Hanxue Sect, but he's still unripe. He doesn't even make the top twenty on Cangyuan Country's Potential Roll.

You're willing to risk regressing in strength just to beat Luo Feixue.

What will you do against someone even stronger?"

Xu Annlan had no retort, his silence lingering.

"Consider Xiang Mingxuan from Green Maple Valley, also at the Second Level of the Spirit Opening Stage. He's a match for those at the Fourth or Fifth Level.

What if you faced him?"

"You are the most gifted disciple of the Drifting Cloud Sect in this generation, aside from Liu Qianyu. Don't let the sect down!"

Struck by the words, Xu Annlan's expression shifted as understanding dawned on him. He bowed deeply and said:

"I've seen the light."

The Head Elder gave a nod of approval.

"Be patient. The upcoming tournament may just bring some unexpected twists."

On the sixth level of the Puppet Tower.

Lin Xuan surveyed the scattered debris with a hint of exasperation.

"Is this it? They're all so feeble? The first round of eliminations is utterly dull."

"The last big fellow was the only real challenge."

Lin Xuan grumbled to himself.

He surged from the first to the sixth level without encountering any resistance.

Even the final guardian, a towering three-meter puppet that exuded an oppressive aura, didn't last two rounds before he dismantled it with brute force.

The entire feat took him less than ten seconds.

It was all so effortless, which explained Lin Xuan's frustration.

At the same time, Lin Xuan felt a twinge of astonishment.

He was beginning to grasp the extent of her power.

Lin Xuan surmised that no one at the Qi Gathering Stage could rival him. Even against someone at the Peak of the Qi Gathering Stage, he was confident he could secure an easy victory.

As for those at the more advanced Qi Transformation Stage, that remained unknown.

At the Qi Transformation Stage, a person's body and acupuncture points are further strengthened, and their True Qi grows more potent, capable of launching attacks from within the body.

Such a person could slay an enemy a hundred paces away.

The power of this stage was incomparable to that of the Qi Gathering Stage.

Shaking his head, Lin Xuan made his way to the secret passage and exited the Puppet Tower.

Soon after, a throng of Outer Sect disciples swarmed in.

They were dumbfounded by the wreckage strewn across the floor, their voices rising in a clamor.

"He's destroyed even the sixth level!"

"Is he really that powerful?!"

"Can he actually be a new disciple?"

"Perhaps only Chen Yuze, Zhou Lei, and Guan Yuanshuang from the entire Outer Sect could give Lin Xuan a challenge."

"He truly is the foremost prodigy of the Outer Sect!"

The disciples of the seventh group were utterly astounded.

Their group had barely needed to engage in combat, racing to the top.

They had taken less than a minute to do so.

Yet, they still hadn't managed to catch a glimpse of Lin Xuan.

With each level they ascended, they were greeted by the debris of destroyed puppets.

This held true even on the sixth floor, the domain of the mightiest puppets.

Their shock was profound, their disbelief palpable.

Their hearts were stirred for a long while.

They realized that the Outer Sect might be on the cusp of witnessing the rise of an exceptional, top-tier genius.

Witnessing this moment filled them with an overwhelming sense of awe and excitement.

Afterwards, they turned in unison and descended the stairs together.

The dimly lit passage beside the staircase was meant for disciples who had cleared the trial to exit.

It was a narrow path, accommodating only two or three people at a time.

With nearly two hundred people present, it was clearly not an option for them.

Besides, their access to the sixth floor was solely due to Lin Xuan.

Truth be told, they hadn't even had the opportunity to engage in combat on the first floor, so they hadn't truly passed the trial.

Embarrassed, they opted not to take the lesser-used route.

The Outer Sect disciples had congregated in the clearing.

At the center stood three individuals, encircled by their fellow disciples.

They were Chen Yuze, Zhou Lei, and Guan Yuanshuang, the esteemed trio of the Outer Sect.

"Chen Yuze, you've won!"

Zhou Lei admitted, though with a tinge of reluctance:

"Still, the Puppet Tower was merely a warm-up. The real challenge lies ahead.

This time, I refuse to be defeated again!"

"Indeed!"

Guan Yuanshuang, her demeanor cool and battle-ready, declared, "The upcoming duels in this tournament are what truly matter. Wait and see!"

"There's no need."

Chen Yuze laughed softly, his tone dismissive:

"The title of number one in the Outer Sect is yours for the taking.

I'm done competing with you.

We're simply not on the same level anymore.

After this tournament, I expect I'll be leaving the Outer Sect."

With those words, he snapped his fingers.

A streak of light zipped through the air, puncturing the ground several meters away with a thumb-sized black hole.

"Is that True Qi projection?"

"You've broken through to the Qi Transformation Stage?"

Zhou Lei and Guan Yuanshuang, taken aback, exclaimed in astonishment as they stared at Chen Yuze, hardly believing their eyes.

"Yes. The breakthrough came just a few days ago."

Chen Yuze spoke with a nonchalance that belied the brilliance of his smile.

He had indeed advanced to the Qi Transformation Stage, yet he had still chosen to compete in the Grand Tournament. His motivation extended beyond the rewards—it was for the glory of this very moment.

Chen Yuze reveled in a profound sense of satisfaction.

After a brief moment of stunned silence, Zhou Lei and Guan Yuanshuang gazed at Chen Yuze, their eyes alight with renewed vigor.

Their spirits sank once again, and their fighting resolve vanished.

"Chen Yuze, in the end, it's you who has triumphed."

Both exhaled deeply, their faces etched with complex emotions.

Even at the Qi Gathering Stage, they might not have stood a chance against Chen Yuze.

And now, Chen Yuze had ascended to the Qi Transformation Stage.

As Chen Yuze himself put it, they were no longer in the same league.

There was no point in challenging him any further.

"What? Senior Brother Chen has advanced to the Qi Transformation Stage!"

"Senior Brother Chen truly deserves to be the top expert of the Outer Sect. His breakthrough came so swiftly!"

"It's clear now, Senior Brother Chen is bound to take first place in this tournament."

The surrounding disciples buzzed with conversation upon hearing the news.

Meanwhile, the Puppet Tower was receiving scant attention.

They felt they already knew the standings of the Outer Sect's three mightiest experts.

With Chen Yuze achieving the Qi Transformation Stage, the tournament's outcome seemed a foregone conclusion.

Watching the Puppet Tower had become unnecessary.

Just then, a slender silhouette emerged from the Puppet Tower.

A few onlookers cast a casual glance, checking the time out of habit, only to realize that this batch had been inside for less than a minute.