At this moment!
Chen Nan had an illusion!
He felt as if his body was a burning furnace!
He also felt as if his body was a leaky bucket full of holes!
It could not contain his soul at all!
The severe pain made his soul want to detach from his body!
After all, the pain of tempering his internal organs was too intense!
Even though he gritted his teeth, he almost fainted from the inability to bear it!
However!
As time passed, he could also feel the changes in his internal organs!
His internal organs were wrapped in a faint golden light, making them much stronger than before!
But that was all!
Even though he had tempered other organs, he dared not temper his heart!
After all, if his heart was damaged, he would die on the spot!
He turned to look at the stick of incense burning in the distance, which had not yet turned to ash.
Chen Nan knew!
If he let the incense burn out naturally, it would probably take decades or even a hundred years!
He endured his weakness and walked over with difficulty!
Then, he performed the Fire Charm from the Divine Talisman Technique!
He ignited the bottom of the incense stick!
Whoosh!
With a wisp of smoke, the incense stick instantly turned to dust!
"I persisted until the incense burned out, so I should have passed, right?" Chen Nan looked at the little girl and panted with a grin.
The little girl was full of anger: "You... you cheated!"
"How did I cheat?" Chen Nan smiled. "The rule was to last until the incense burned out. I just accelerated the burning of the incense within the rules."
The little girl was furious and was about to speak when the little boy stopped her!
"Enough, you've passed the first trial, and you can now enter the immortal mansion!" The little boy waved his right hand, and the door to the immortal mansion slowly opened.
"But before you go in, there's something I need to tell you!"
"The second trial is extremely dangerous. Once you accept the challenge, there are only two outcomes!"
"Death or survival!"
"I advise you not to have any侥幸 (jiǎoxìng - slim chance/hope)!"
"Because the puppets inside will not hold back at all!"
Chen Nan looked at the Dragon Mastiff lying on the ground in the distance: "Wait for me here, I will find a way to save your life!" With that, he resolutely walked towards the entrance of the immortal mansion.
"Do you think he can win?" The little boy looked at the little girl beside him, a faint smile on his face.
The little girl said with disdain: "It's impossible for him to defeat that傻大个 (shǎ dàgè - foolish big guy)!"
The little boy shook his head dismissively: "I don't think so. After all, sometimes winning against an opponent doesn't just depend on strength, but also on wisdom!"
The little girl said with a resentful gaze: "Are you implying that our wisdom is low and that guy took advantage of us?"
The little boy said with a grin: "That guy is very smart himself. After all, he seized a one-in-a-hundred-thousand chance!"
The little girl fell silent.
Indeed!
Apart from Chen Nan speeding up the burning of that stick of incense, he couldn't have resisted the Mountain Charm!
At the same time, Chen Nan entered the immortal mansion.
The scene before his eyes made his scalp tingle and his hair stand on end!
Inside the immortal mansion were nine thick jade pillars!
These nine jade pillars supported the nine-story immortal mansion, each appearing as if it were naturally formed!
And each jade pillar was carved with soaring dragons, looking lifelike!
Boom!
The door of the immortal mansion closed, and the light also dimmed slightly!
At the same time!
A middle-aged man in his thirties appeared before Chen Nan!
He had sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, was dressed in a green robe, and held a blunt, heavy sword!
His eyes were deep, devoid of any emotion!
Nor did he reveal any aura!
Yet, Chen Nan inexplicably felt a sense of danger!
"He should be the puppet the little boy mentioned, right?" Chen Nan's eyes were serious, and the Gentleman Sword immediately appeared in his hand: "Senior, I have offended you!"
With that!
He flashed in front of the middle-aged man!
The Gentleman Sword stabbed out!
Although silent, it contained powerful offensive force!
After all, the Gentleman Sword was a spirit artifact inherited from the Huashan School. Even though it was a low-grade spirit artifact, it was comparable to a medium-grade spirit artifact!
Coupled with Chen Nan's robust physique, it was no exaggeration to say!
This strike could instantly kill a ninth-level Foundation Establishment expert!
However!
He was shocked to discover that when the Gentleman Sword reached the middle-aged man's forehead, less than a centimeter away, it inexplicably stopped!
"Holy cow, is he that strong?"
Chen Nan's hair stood on end!
He never dreamed that the puppet's strength would be so formidable!
In an instant!
The Shadowless Sword flew out!
It attacked the middle-aged man from behind!
The middle-aged man's body trembled, and a terrifying energy forced Chen Nan back!
It also sent the Shadowless Sword flying!
Fortunately, Chen Nan's physique had improved a bit more. Otherwise, he would have been injured!
"My turn!"
The middle-aged man uttered a cold voice!
He instantly appeared in mid-air, and the blunt, heavy sword slashed down!
Whoosh!
A gust of wind blew towards him!
Chen Nan instinctively took a few steps back!
But he found that no matter how he retreated, the middle-aged man was always in front of him!
The blunt, heavy sword was getting closer and closer to him!
"Is this the '势' (shì - momentum/power)?"
Chen Nan's eyes were serious. This was a divine ability, said to be mastered by only a very few people!
Once one mastered the '势', they would invoke the rules of heaven and earth!
And it could also increase combat power!
Without further thought, he raised his sword to block!
The two swords clashed!
Chen Nan was sent flying by the opponent's sword, crashing heavily against the wall of the immortal mansion!
Even though his physique had been tempered again, he uncontrollably spat out a mouthful of blood!
The middle-aged man looked calmly at Chen Nan: "Your turn!"
Chen Nan recovered his qi and blood, and once again advanced with his long sword!
In fact, he knew that with his current strength, he was no match for this puppet!
However!
He had no choice!
Only by defeating him could he gain the recognition of the immortal mansion and find a way to cure the Dragon Mastiff!
"I have offended you!"
Chen Nan charged at the opponent again!
The Gentleman Sword burst forth with sharp sword energy, shaking the surroundings!
Alas, the middle-aged man's eyes were indifferent!
As if he possessed no emotion whatsoever!
"Die!"
Chen Nan roared!
Whoosh!
The Gentleman Sword pierced through the void and instantly appeared before the middle-aged man!
In fact, Chen Nan knew that even if he could attack the opponent, he wouldn't be able to break his defense!
As expected!
When the Gentleman Sword appeared before him, it stopped in mid-air once again!
But Chen Nan was not panicked at all!
He had already anticipated this situation and the Burning Heaven Furnace appeared in his hand!
He grabbed the Burning Heaven Furnace!
He used it as the Hao Tian Hammer, channeling all his true qi, and fiercely smashed it towards the tail of the Gentleman Sword!
Dong!
The Burning Heaven Furnace emitted a melodious sound!
Under this terrifying force, the Gentleman Sword instantly shattered the puppet's energy!
With a destructive momentum, the Gentleman Sword pierced through the puppet's forehead!
Causing the puppet to freeze in place, his eyes dim and lifeless!
The heavy sword in his hand clanged to the ground!
Chen Nan panted heavily, then looked around the empty space and asked, "Have I completed the test now?"
Suddenly!
A middle-aged man in a green robe appeared before Chen Nan, a look of relief on his face: "Congratulations on completing the assessment. You will now inherit this immortal mansion, as well as the countless treasures within this cave!"