189: She praised me

He was all too familiar with this scene; some games in his previous life were like this, where you received rewards after clearing each level, and the rewards became more generous the higher you went.

Xu Sanyan reached out, and the porcelain bottle flew into his hand. He pulled out the stopper, and a refreshing aroma filled the air.

“This is a Jade Bead Qi Replenishing Pill, suitable for the Foundation Establishment Stage. It’s not very valuable,” an Elder said from the side.

Xu Sanyan casually tossed it to Xiang Tan, “You can have it.”

“Thank you, Senior Brother,” Xiang Tan happily put it away. She didn’t care much for a mere Qi Replenishing Pill, but it was different because her Senior Brother gave it to her.

At this moment, an upward staircase and a downward staircase suddenly appeared in a corner of the room. The upward one should lead to the second level, and the downward one should be the exit.

“Let’s go, let’s check out the next level.”

Xu Sanyan became interested. So this was what the Drum Tower treasures were about; he had thought there was only one treasure, but it turned out there was one in each level.

Xu Sanyan paused. If he went out first and guarded the main entrance, could he then snatch the rewards from everyone else?

He immediately shook his head. Never mind, he would first see what treasures there were. If they were all things like Qi Replenishing Pills, then it wouldn’t be necessary at all.

As Xu Sanyan stepped onto the second level, Lin Fan and Zuoqiu Yi also arrived at the fifth level.

The first level they experienced only had a group of ordinary corpse demons, equivalent to the early Heavenly Human Realm, so they were not a concern.

The second level then became Heavenly Human Realm Perfection, and they passed it very easily.

It wasn't until the fourth level that the corpse demons became Foundation Establishment Completion strength. The two battled for a long time before finally achieving a difficult victory.

Now at the fifth level, Lin Fan held Zuoqiu Yi’s small hand. “Be careful. If things become impossible, we will retreat.”

The return staircase was still there, so they could leave at any time. The Drum Tower did not force the trial participants to fight to the death. Everything designed within the Secret Realm was to temper them, not to take their lives.

“Mm.”

Zuoqiu Yi looked at Lin Fan, her eyes filled with admiration. She hadn’t expected that this Lin Little Brother, whom she had just met, despite not having a high Realm, was very strong. He had single-handedly killed two of the three corpse demons on the fourth level.

“Lin Little Brother, are all you Demon Sect Cultivators as powerful as you?” Zuoqiu Yi asked.

“Um… not bad,” Lin Fan didn’t know how to answer, but he felt delighted inside.

She praised me for being powerful.

“Watch out!”

As soon as he stepped onto the fifth level, Lin Fan’s long sword suddenly unsheathed. He waved his hand to repel the sharp thorns flying towards him, his gaze calmly fixed on the opposite side.

On the opposite side, there was also a staircase, and two figures, one stout and one thin, stood in front of it, watching them.

“Huh, the corpse demons on the fifth level turned into people?” Zuoqiu Yi said in surprise.

“They are also trial participants,” Lin Fan whispered.

The tall, thin man on the opposite side shouted, “Hey, you two over there, where are you from?”

“This maiden is Zuoqiu Yi, from the Huai Lake Seven Heroes!” Zuoqiu Yi confidently stepped forward, puffing out her chest.

“Oh~ those little maidens,” the two on the opposite side laughed, apparently having heard of them.

The slightly stout man looked at Lin Fan, “Are you also from the Zuoqiu Clan?”

“Lin Fan, from the Tongxin Holy Sect!”

“From the Demon Sect? When did the Zuoqiu Clan get involved with the Demon Sect?” The tall, thin man frowned, then scrutinized Lin Fan up and down.

“A mere early Foundation Establishment Stage dares to seek death? You two be sensible and retreat. He was somewhat wary of the Demon Sect and didn’t want to offend them, but he also didn’t want to give up the treasures. It would be best if Lin Fan voluntarily withdrew.

“Hmph, why say so much nonsense? Let’s see the real skill in action!” Zuoqiu Yi’s wrist flicked, and her long sword arrived erratically, aiming straight for the tall, thin man’s heart.

Lin Fan also met the attack, engaging in battle with the slightly stout man.

The slightly stout man, seeing that he was merely at the early Foundation Establishment Stage, still felt a bit of disdain, but as soon as they exchanged blows, he realized how terribly wrong he was. This kid’s swordplay was sharp and not someone to be trifled with.

After twenty-odd exchanges, the slightly stout man hadn't gained any advantage, and he couldn't help but feel anxious, his attacks becoming even more ruthless.

Just then, Zuoqiu Yi, caught off guard, was struck in the chest by a palm from the tall, thin man. With a muffled “bang,” the light yellow figure flew backward.

“Pfft!”

Zuoqiu Yi immediately felt a sweetness in her throat, and a mouthful of crimson clotted blood spurted out.

“Heh, what Huai Lake Seven Heroes? Your reputation is not small, but your ability is just so-so. For the sake of your Old Ancestor, I’ll spare your life; go down yourself.” The tall, thin man did not press his advantage. The Zuoqiu Family’s influence was not small, and he had his reservations.

“Peh, if you dare, kill me!” Zuoqiu Yi’s face was filled with indignation. She didn’t fear death, but she didn’t want to be looked down upon.

“You think I don’t dare to kill you? In this Secret Realm, what if I kill you?” The tall, thin man sneered. He hated these aristocratic young masters the most, who used their family’s influence to act like foxes borrowing a tiger’s might, truly thinking no one could deal with her?

On the other side, seeing Zuoqiu Yi in danger, Lin Fan gritted his teeth fiercely. His dark long sword shot out like a Dragon.

“Clang!”

Their two swords clashed, and after a crisp sound, the slightly stout man’s treasured sword immediately broke. He couldn’t help but be greatly alarmed. This was a profound iron sword he had spent a fortune to forge, and it was actually cut in half?

“Damn it, come help me quickly! This kid is strange!”

The slightly stout man couldn’t care about anything else and roared, then hurriedly dodged a sword by turning sideways, retreating rapidly.

“Useless!”

The tall, thin man cursed under his breath. A dignified Foundation Establishment Completion, yet he couldn’t defeat an early Foundation Establishment Stage. What else could he be but useless?

Lin Fan faced two opponents without fear. He took a deep breath, bit his middle finger, and used his blood to draw a vertical line on his forehead. His eyes lightly closed, and the bloodline emitted a reddish glow, appearing extremely sinister.

The dark long sword in his hand quietly disappeared, and when it reappeared, it was already at the tall, thin man’s chest.

“What kind of Spell is this?!”

The tall, thin man was startled, his face filled with deep astonishment. He hadn’t even seen when the sword appeared!

The long sword trembled violently, with a slight humming sound. Its sharp Qi stung his brow, and if the sword moved two more inches forward, his life would be over.

“Don’t kill me, I surrender!”

The tall, thin man shrieked, quickly raising his hands. At this moment, he didn’t have a shred of courage to resist.

Zuoqiu Yi, not far away, stared blankly, her mind in a daze. What had she seen?

With just one sword, he had scared the two of them into not daring to attack!

Lin Little Brother… is he really this powerful?

The slightly stout man’s eyes flickered. He looked at the dark long sword in the distance, then at Lin Fan, who was unarmed and had his eyes closed. He secretly gritted his teeth, then suddenly looked up, and a one-inch dagger transformed into a faint light, striking directly at Lin Fan’s brow.

“Clang!”

The dark long sword suddenly appeared, deflecting the dagger with a single stroke, then instantly reappeared behind the slightly stout man, with trickles of blood dripping from the blade onto the ground.

“Ah! My arm!”

The slightly stout man howled, clutching his arm, a severed arm lying quietly on the ground.

“Scram!”

Lin Fan uttered a single word.

“We’ll scram, we’ll scram right now.”

Cold sweat broke out on the tall, thin man’s forehead. He quickly stepped forward, pulled up his companion, casually picked up the severed arm, and rapidly ran down the stairs.

After the two went down the stairs, the staircase disappeared, and they lost the qualification to continue participating.

“Clang~~”

The dark long sword fell to the ground with a crisp sound. Lin Fan’s face was pale, as if all his strength had been drained, and he collapsed onto the ground.

Zuoqiu Yi was greatly alarmed. She quickly got up and supported Lin Fan, her voice anxious, “Lin Little Brother, are you alright?”

Lin Fan gave a weak smile, “I’m fine, my magical power is exhausted. I’ll be fine after a rest.”

This last move consumed a great deal of magical power. He had just entered the early Foundation Establishment Stage, and his internal magical power was limited. If he hadn’t seen Zuoqiu Yi in danger, he wouldn’t have risked using this move.