"Bastard!" the man roared, these two bastards had ruined his years of hard work!
Xiao Man's lips curved into a smile. "From the moment we ascended to this level, I knew that even if we joined forces, we would still be no match for you. So, we never intended to fight you head-on."
"Destroying my painting doesn't mean you can pass the trial smoothly."
"Of course, if we can't defeat you, the guardian, there's no way we can pass," Xiao Man said with a bright smile. "Guardian, have you noticed your movements becoming sluggish?"
The man's expression shifted slightly. It seemed it wasn't his imagination, nor had Xiao Man and Yue Ran's speed increased. It was his own speed that had slowed down.
"What did you do?"
"For an alchemist, direct combat is never the first choice."
"You poisoned me!" the man finally realized. He quickly sat down, intending to circulate his energy to expel the poison. But how could Xiao Man and Yue Ran possibly give him the chance to do so!
"Senior, if you surrender now, we can choose to spare you!"
The man was incredibly frustrated. He had never imagined that the other party could concoct a poison capable of incapacitating a Nascent Soul cultivator!
"To be able to refine a poison that can subdue a Nascent Soul cultivator, you must be at least a Grade Two alchemist."
Xiao Man smiled without answering. She had always advertised herself as a Grade Four alchemist. Furthermore, she deliberately performed poorly in her alchemy, often causing explosions or failures, all to conceal her true abilities.
"Even if my second brother isn't a Grade Two alchemist, he can still refine a poison that can knock out a Nascent Soul cultivator!" Yue Ran said proudly. "Surrender, the poison my second brother administered cannot be expelled by ordinary means."
The man glared resentfully at Xiao Man. "Most of the guardians in the Purgatory Tower are spirit beasts; only a few are actual guardians. Underhanded tactics like poisoning are not very useful here."
"Whether it's useful or not is none of your concern. All that matters is that it can incapacitate you," Xiao Man said coldly. "You can try to expel the poison, but we won't give you the opportunity, just as you wouldn't have given us any."
As soon as Xiao Man finished speaking, the two of them charged forward again. The man had to contend with Xiao Man and Yue Ran's attacks while simultaneously trying to circulate his energy to expel the poison, making him extremely disheveled. In the end, he was defeated!
"Alright, I surrender!" The guardian of the fourteenth level, filled with humiliation, raised his hands. This was the first time he had been so disgraced and disheveled since he began guarding the Purgatory Tower!
"It would have been better if you surrendered earlier. You made us exert so much effort," Yue Ran grumbled, almost causing the man to spit out blood.
"Release Zhu Qing." Xiao Man produced the scroll that sealed Zhu Qing and presented it to the man. "Don't try any tricks, or you'll die here today."
The man took a deep look at Xiao Man and released Zhu Qing, who had been sealed within the scroll. Zhu Qing, finally free, quickly burrowed into Xiao Man's clothes to hide.
As the two prepared to ascend to the fifteenth level, the man suddenly spoke, "To be able to tame the Bamboo Serpent Emperor as your spirit beast, you are no ordinary person, are you?"
Xiao Man paused for a moment before continuing upwards. Yue Ran glanced back at the man, then followed Xiao Man to the fifteenth level.
Elder Ping watched as the numbers behind their names changed again, a satisfied smile on his face. Even now, if Yue Ran were to emerge, no one would feel pity. Instead, they would acknowledge their prowess – two cultivators at the Golden Core stage, joining forces, had actually broken through the fourteenth level!
He knew that the guardian of the fourteenth level was a genuine Nascent Soul powerhouse. Even he himself would not have been able to defeat that opponent, yet these two, working together, had managed to overcome the fourteenth level.
"Who is the guardian of the fifteenth level?" Elder Ping pondered carefully but found no clues. After all, only the Old Sect Master had ever ascended to the fifteenth level, eventually stopping at the seventeenth. No one knew what lay between the fifteenth and seventeenth levels.
"Elder Ping." A sweet voice called out. Elder Ping turned and saw Yue Zhong approaching him with Huo Tong'er.
"Young Master, Miss Tong'er."
Huo Tong'er hurried to the Purgatory Stele and, seeing that Yue Ran's name was marked with fourteen, she beamed. "Brother Ran is truly amazing! He's already passed the fourteenth level. But who is this Xiao Qin?"
"He is someone close to the Young Sect Master," Elder Ping said, unable to come up with a better explanation for Xiao Man at the moment.
"Is he male or female?" Huo Tong'er asked slowly. If it were a woman, the situation would be rather delicate.
"Male."
Huo Tong'er's smile became even brighter. "Brother Ran has already passed the fourteenth level, and with only two more levels, he can catch up to the Old Sect Master. I wonder if Brother Ran can reach the sixteenth level."
"The Old Sect Master, as a Nascent Soul cultivator, could only pass the sixteenth level. Even if your seventh brother is a peerless prodigy, his cultivation is only at the late Golden Core stage. To pass the fourteenth level is already extremely fortunate."
"Eldest Cousin, do you think Brother Ran will stop here?"
"Little sister Tong'er, I am merely saying that it is extremely fortunate for your seventh brother to have passed the fourteenth level."
"Then, Eldest Cousin, if you were to enter, how many levels could you pass?" Huo Tong'er asked innocently.
Yue Zhong frowned slightly. He had also attempted the trials. With his own abilities, he could only reach the fourth level at most. Yue Ran's earlier achievement was the sixth level, not a significant difference. Therefore, he hadn't thought much of it. But now, Yue Ran had passed the fourteenth level. He was merely a fraction of Yue Ran's current accomplishment.
"Seventh brother did not attempt the trials alone; he went with someone else."
"Elder Ping, what is Xiao Qin's cultivation level?"
"He should be at the middle Golden Core stage, but due to an injury, his cultivation has dropped by a major realm, and he is currently only at the middle Foundation Establishment stage," Elder Ping explained.
"Middle Golden Core stage?" Yue Zhong narrowed his eyes. Why would a cultivator at the middle Golden Core stage be mixed in with the handyman team? Indeed, Yue Ran was plotting against him!
Yue Zhong clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white from the force. However, his expression remained calm. This was something he had realized while at the Cliff of Contemplation. Yue Ran was plotting against him, his seemingly brainless younger brother, and had, in one fell swoop, cast him into hell!
"Eldest Cousin, if you were to partner with a cultivator at the middle Golden Core stage to attempt the Purgatory Tower, could you pass the fourteenth level?"
"Little sister Tong'er, I am still injured," Yue Zhong said calmly. He could not be instigated. He had to maintain his composure. Even if he knew he had been manipulated, even if he knew Yue Ran was far more capable than him, he could not afford to be provoked. If he were to lose control again, he would have no place in the Heavenly Sword Sect.
"But doesn't Xiao Qin also have injuries?"
"Little sister Tong'er might not know, but Xiao Qin is not only a Golden Core cultivator but also an alchemist," Yue Zhong said, his eyes fixed on Elder Ping. He suspected Elder Ping was an accomplice, yet Elder Ping's expression remained unchanged.