C26 The Crazy Wang Jie and the Other Two Who Were in a Daze!

Everyone's eyes were glued to the shifting scenes of the Mirage Tower, a collective gasp of astonishment escaping them. The speed on display was on par with, if not faster than, Yang Xiao's!

And Yang Xiao? He was none other than the esteemed orange God's Favored, the grandson of the deputy president of the Jiangnan Martial Artist Association himself! His swift pace was expected by all.

But Su Yu? An unknown from the small city of Hengcheng, his rapid progress was nothing short of astonishing.

The young man who had been grumbling earlier watched, his face contorting with disbelief. "Impossible! How can such a minor Blood Essence Stage Martial Cultivator move so quickly?"

His features twisted in frustration; moments ago he had been full of complaints, and now he found himself embarrassingly contradicted.

The bald man cast a dismissive glance at him and remarked, "Wang Xi, if you're not up to par, don't take it out on others."

Stung by the bald man's rebuke, Wang Xi's face soured further. With a huff, he retorted, "What does it matter? It's only the first level. Any Martial Cultivator newly initiated into the Blood Essence Stage could breeze through the first ten levels with ease. There's no real challenge. Just wait until he hits the tenth level—that's when he'll start to slow down!"

At Wang Xi's words, nods rippled through the crowd. It was common knowledge that while the first thirty levels catered to Martial Cultivators at the Blood Essence Stage, each set of ten levels marked a significant jump in difficulty.

Sure, Su Yu's speed was impressive now, but as soon as he reached beyond the tenth level, everyone expected his pace to slacken. This was the consensus among the challengers.

Amidst the murmurs, only Yang Xiao stood with a slight frown, his gaze fixed on the Mirage Tower, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, inside the Mirage Tower, Su Yu faced the ethereal figure before him. "So this is the second level? The first was merely for Quasi Martial Cultivators. Now, although it's still that level, the Blood Essence Value seems to have increased by about 0.1."

A small smile played at the corners of his mouth as realization dawned on him.

In the blink of an eye, he shot forward like a rocket, exuding a terrifying force. In that same instant, the figure before him shattered to pieces!

Ding!

Onto the next level!

Su Yu was unstoppable, his punches flying out one after another, each one effortlessly breaking the figures that stood before him. In the mere time it takes to blink, Su Yu had already ascended to the tenth level.

There, the strength of the figures matched that of an early Blood Essence Stage cultivator. Yet, even against such might, Su Yu's ferocious approach to the challenge left no room for resistance. The guardians couldn't even graze his clothing before disintegrating.

Consider this: Su Yu's Blood Essence Value was a formidable nine points, placing him at the late phase of the Blood Essence Stage, just a half-step away from advancing to the Blood Refining Stage. With his overwhelming power, Su Yu could even slay a warrior who had just stepped into the Blood Refining Stage, let alone if he wielded his Spirit Weapon and Martial Skill. Under twenty points of Blood Essence, no one could stand as Su Yu's equal. Such was the prowess he wielded within the Mirage Tower, swiftly conquering level after level.

Meanwhile, outside the Mirage Tower, Wang Xi watched the tower's lights flicker on, level by level, at a pace of mere seconds apart. In just one minute, Su Yu had stormed up to the eighteenth floor—a commendable achievement among the new recruits, far from the lowest ranks.

Wang Xi's face twisted with displeasure. As a God's Favored of the Blood Refining Stage who had surpassed the thirtieth floor, he found the comparison to his own cultivation level rather unsightly. The scolding from the bald man still fresh, and now witnessing Su Yu, a mere Blood Essence Stage cultivator, ascend with such rapidity, Wang Xi couldn't help but harbor a growing resentment towards him.

"Hmph, the eighteenth floor is all well and good, but in the end, he's just a Martial Cultivator of the Blood Essence Stage. Let's see how he fares once he hits the thirtieth floor—that's when the true test of the Blood Refining Stage begins!"

"The gap between the Blood Refining Stage and the Blood Essence Stage isn't something that can be discerned merely by the speed of clearing levels!" Wang Xi stated somberly.

The bald man gave Wang Xi a penetrating look, remaining silent. His gaze shifted to the Mirage Tower, filled with eager anticipation.

"The golden God's Favored, the very disciple chosen by that formidable master. I'm curious to see how many floors you'll conquer at the Blood Essence Stage!"

"The Holy Spear Marquis was a once-in-a-century prodigy in Jiangnan Province. At the Blood Essence Stage, he reached the thirty-sixth floor. Now it's your turn to see if you can live up to the Holy Spear Marquis's legacy!"

The bald man's muttering was laced with intense hope, his eyes alight with expectation.

As time marched on, the crowd's expressions grew numb. Only the duration of a burning incense stick had passed since the beginning, and yet, the Mirage Tower already had twenty-nine levels aglow.

This meant that in the mere time it took an incense stick to burn, Su Yu had surged up to the twenty-ninth level!

Wang Xi's face morphed from displeasure to a deep scowl.

"Impossible! How could a mere Martial Cultivator at the Blood Essence Stage advance so effortlessly? Ah, he must not have encountered a Blood Refining Stage guardian yet!"

A fierce grimace twisted Wang Xi's features. He couldn't bear the thought of a lowly Blood Essence Stage Martial Cultivator ranking higher than him on the Mirage Tower.

"The next floor is the thirtieth, where a genuine Blood Refining Stage Martial Cultivator awaits. Once Su Yu hits the thirtieth floor, his defeat is certain!" Wang Xi seethed internally, his eyes flashing dangerously.

But as he fumed, the light of the thirtieth floor blazed to life.

Su Yu... had reached the thirtieth floor!

Wang Xi's expression shifted subtly as he quickly remarked, "Hmph, the thirtieth floor will be his downfall. The guardian there is of the Blood Refining Stage. Even I struggled to pass it. How could a mere Blood Essence Stage Martial Cultivator possibly succeed?"

The others nodded in agreement. To them, the thirtieth floor represented the pinnacle for a Blood Essence Stage Martial Cultivator, for beyond that awaited the formidable guardian of the Blood Refining Stage.

Even among those of the same realm, failure was inevitable for those who hadn't solidified their cultivation before rashly attempting to advance. This was especially true for Martial Cultivators at the Blood Essence Stage.

Yet, in the very moment heads were nodding in agreement, the brilliance of the thirtieth level of the Mirage Tower suddenly faded.

Wang Xi's eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"So he did fail after all!"

But to their surprise, Su Yu's form did not emerge. Instead, what they saw was the glow from the thirty-first level.

It had been ignited!