Nan Gongyi was slightly taken aback, looking at Ye Bufan, and finally burst into laughter.
"Isn't this a good time for you to come, wanting to use this plan to suppress their spirit?" Nan Gongyi said, "Although our Nan Gong family appears to be the foremost in the capital, the other families are not far behind, constantly thinking of ways to catch up. This applies to the shops and alchemy in the underground city, as well as in martial arts, and in the commercial sector."
"This is the trouble of being born into a super aristocratic family like ours," Nan Gongyi said enviously, looking at Ye Bufan. "Seeing you, I feel very envious. When I first learned of you, I thought I had an opponent, but I never expected you to be so monstrous. I only reached the Great Martial Venerable realm after consuming a Marrow Cleansing Pill and cultivating in the ancient pagoda of the underground city. But you, defeating Martial Saints is as easy as pie."
Ye Bufan didn't know what to say to Nan Gongyi's complaints.
"Some things are not as simple as you think. You will know soon enough," Ye Bufan said to Nan Gongyi after thinking for a long time.
"Are you trying to tell me that you are the legendary cultivator?" Nan Gongyi rolled his eyes.
"Do you believe it?" Ye Bufan asked tentatively, looking at Nan Gongyi.
"Why wouldn't I believe it? Ye Bufan, I admit you are very strong. Among the younger generation, you are the goal I am chasing." Nan Gongyi said, "No, my great-grandfather is the benchmark I aim for. After he entered the Great Martial Saint realm, he has been in seclusion for years, all for the Martial God realm. Legend has it that only by entering the Martial God realm can one condense a Martial God Pill and become an immortal."
"Martial God Pill?"
Ye Bufan's interest was piqued upon hearing Nan Gongyi mention the "Martial God Pill." This Martial God Pill reminded Ye Bufan of the next realm after Foundation Establishment – Core Formation.
Nan Gongyi explained to Ye Bufan that the so-called Martial God Pill was formed when a Great Martial Saint gathered their internal energy in their dantian, causing it to condense into a tangible form. This way, their internal energy would be inexhaustible.
"Indeed."
Ye Bufan could basically confirm that the so-called Martial God realm was actually the Core Formation realm in cultivation. Therefore, the Great Martial Saint likely corresponded to the Foundation Establishment realm.
"Let's go, I'll take you to see the ancient pagoda," Nan Gongyi said, seeing Ye Bufan's interest in cultivation matters, and led him towards the ancient pagoda.
As they walked towards the ancient pagoda, Nan Gongyi gave Ye Bufan a more detailed introduction to the pagoda's interior.
The ancient pagoda was divided into eighteen floors. It appeared vast, and upon entering, it split into two passageways.
One passageway was for spiritual perception, and the other was for martial strength. From the lowest floor to the eighteenth floor, lights would automatically illuminate as someone passed each level's challenge.
Currently, the spiritual perception passageway had only reached the sixth floor, and the martial strength passageway had reached the ninth floor.
"What floor have you reached now?" Ye Bufan asked Nan Gongyi. "This pagoda is so large, can it accommodate so many people?"
"My martial strength passageway is currently on the fourth floor, and I'm preparing to break through to the fifth. As for the spiritual perception passageway, I'm still on the second floor," Nan Gongyi chuckled. "As for the people, that's the mystery of this pagoda. It looks small from the outside, but the space inside is actually immense. It's said to be space opened up by a Martial God."
Ye Bufan nodded, basically confirming that this ancient pagoda was also a spatial artifact, appearing small from the outside but containing a vast space within.
"Can anyone enter the pagoda?" Ye Bufan, listening to Nan Gongyi's explanation, felt a strong urge to try entering the ancient pagoda himself.
"No, no, no. If you want to enter the ancient pagoda, you need to undergo authentication by the martial artists of the underground city. Once you obtain a Martial Artist Token, you can enter this ancient pagoda with it." After saying this, Nan Gongyi took out his Martial Artist Token to show Ye Bufan.
Upon seeing it, Ye Bufan couldn't help but exclaim, "Hmm?" This Martial Artist Token looked very similar to the token Ye Qingyi had given him, but with a slight difference.
"Is this also a Martial Artist Token? But it seems a bit different from yours," Ye Bufan asked.
Nan Gongyi glanced at the token in Ye Bufan's hand and jumped up in surprise.
"Holy hell! How did you get this token?" Nan Gongyi's expression was filled with disbelief.
"Is there a problem?" Ye Bufan asked, confused. When Ye Qingyi gave Ye Bufan this token, she had only told him to definitely visit the underground city, saying the token would be helpful for entering it.
"This is a token from the underground city's Lord's Mansion!" Nan Gongyi shouted excitedly. "Who is the lord of the underground city? It's Martial God Yu Xing! With a token from the Lord's Mansion, you can basically walk sideways in the entire underground city. If you want to enter the Lord's Mansion, that's not a problem at all."
Ye Bufan nodded and suddenly had a guess about Ye Qingyi's identity.
From Xun'er's strength to Ye Qingyi's composure in crisis, the person likely had some connection with Yu Xing, the lord of this underground city.
"Since you have a token from the Lord's Mansion, you can also enter this ancient pagoda for training. Would you like to try and see which floor you can reach?"
Nan Gongyi's eyes shone brightly. Ye Bufan kept bringing too many surprises. If he entered the ancient pagoda, Nan Gongyi was extremely curious to see which floor he would reach.
Ye Bufan himself also had the desire to venture into the ancient pagoda, so, holding the token, he walked towards the ancient pagoda under Nan Gongyi's guidance.
at the entrance of the ancient pagoda, there was a masked man sweeping the ground. Nan Gongyi told Ye Bufan that this was the pagoda's guardian, whose strength was unfathomably deep, with no one knowing their true power.
Ye Bufan tried to probe with his spiritual energy, but unexpectedly, spiritual energy surged from the other party, repelling Ye Bufan's spiritual energy.
"The opponent's realm is higher than mine!" Ye Bufan was greatly shocked, realizing how high the realm of a mere guardian was.
"Token." The masked man said to Ye Bufan and Nan Gongyi.
Nan Gongyi and Ye Bufan both presented their tokens. Upon seeing Ye Bufan's token, a slight ripple appeared in the guardian's otherwise calm eyes.
"Enter." After the guardian spoke, Nan Gongyi led Ye Bufan into the ancient pagoda.
Upon entering the ancient pagoda, Ye Bufan felt a surge of energy. Two doors appeared before them, and Nan Gongyi led Ye Bufan through the door on the right.
"Ye Bufan, this is your first time entering the ancient pagoda, so you have to start from the first floor. I'll go to the fourth floor and wait for you, alright?"
Nan Gongyi chuckled and walked upstairs, leaving Ye Bufan alone on the first floor.
After Nan Gongyi left, everything around them instantly turned dark...